Memory Manipulation and Identity
He was thinking.
Perhaps I should be more assertive?
Should we directly activate the Garden and leave everything to "Libra" and "Judgment" to resolve?
But he always felt that doing so would affect many of the Cursed Children.
After all, many of the Cursed Children inevitably resort to theft and similar acts in order to survive.
Or perhaps they were controlled by certain people and committed illegal or criminal acts.
Last time in the world of "The Death Hall," when Higashino Makoto launched his "Judgment," he only listed one point—
Cannibalism.
Because the superior races are all man-eating monsters, and he doesn't care if other man-eating races are affected.
But this world is different.
He lacks proper rules to distinguish between good and evil, and his rash actions will undoubtedly lead to the deaths of many innocent people.
"Fine, it'll be slower if it's slower."
Higashino Makoto turned around and walked down the overpass.
Next, he needs to find someone.
A person who wielded real power in the Tokyo Area.
Tendo Kikunojo.
He remembered that name.
In the original work, the female protagonist, Tendo Kisara, is the grandfather of the Seitenshi and the most powerful person in the Tokyo Area.
He hated all Gastrea and the Cursed Children because his wife died in the Gastrea Wars. Therefore, he secretly opposed the Seitenshi's implementation of the Gastrea New Law and hired Hiruko Kagetane to try to incite a great disturbance.
His granddaughter, Tendo Kisara, regarded him as an enemy, and his adopted Satomi Rentaro, also left the Tendo family.
He was also the one who told the protagonist, "If you don't want to die, then live on."
He closed his eyes and extended his senses in all directions.
Government Affairs Department, the highest level.
An old man sat behind a desk, his hair gray, his face thin, and his gray eyes held a suppressed, burning flame.
Found it.
He opened his eyes, stretched out his hand, and gently made a gesture in the air.
A pitch-black spatial rift appeared silently before him.
He stepped into the crevice.
Tendo Kikunojo is reading documents.
It was a proposal for the "Gastrea New Law," drafted personally by the Seitenshi, in an attempt to improve the living conditions of the Cursed Children.
His fingers tapped lightly on the document, his gray eyes devoid of any emotion.
He wasn't thinking about how to pass the proposal; he was thinking about how to let it "die naturally."
The door was closed, the window was closed, and there was no sound of footsteps in the corridor.
But then someone appeared before him.
It appeared out of thin air, as if it grew out of the air.
Long, silver-white hair, golden eyes, and a dark robe.
Tendo Kikunojo's finger stopped.
He looked at the man, his gray eyes devoid of any emotion.
Only the calm that comes after weathering countless storms.
"Who are you?"
Higashino Makoto was reluctant to answer, but considering that the other person was just a dying man, he decided to grant his last wish.
My name is Higashino Makoto.
Tendo Kikunojo frowned slightly.
He didn't press the alarm, didn't call the guards, and didn't do anything unnecessary.
Because he knew that someone who could appear out of thin air in front of him was not someone the guards could handle.
Who exactly is the other party?
The Four Sages: Human Experiments?
Who is in charge of the Five Wings Alliance?
His memory was excellent; the name had never appeared in his memory before.
What do you want?
"What I want depends on what I see in your head later."
Tendo Kikunojo's pupils contracted slightly.
"What?"
"I need to examine your memories... I'm too lazy to ask you all at once."
Higashino Makoto raised his hand, and a pale purple light appeared in his palm.
"Memory Manipulation".
Light flew from his palm, transforming into countless fine threads that wrapped around Tendo Kikunojo's head.
The silk threads seeped into his skin and into his brain.
His body shuddered violently, and his gray eyes became empty.
A few seconds later, Higashino Makoto withdrew his hand.
Tendo Kikunojo's memories were laid out before him like an open book.
Regarding the Cursed Children.
Regarding the <Gastrea New Law>.
Regarding Hiruko Kagetane.
Regarding Tendo Kisara.
About Satomi Rentaro.
It was about the country's power structure, about the deals hidden behind the scenes, about the secrets he thought no one would ever know.
Higashino Makoto closed his eyes and processed those memories.
Then he opened his eyes and looked at the still empty-faced old man.
"All-Race Charm."
A pale golden light emanated from his palm, enveloping Tendo Kikunojo's body.
A few seconds later, Tendo Kikunojo closed his eyes, then opened them again.
The previous repression and burning passion were gone from his gray eyes, replaced by a calm, submissive light.
"Owner."
His voice was hoarse, but respectful.
Higashino Makoto looked at him, his golden eyes devoid of any emotion.
"From today onwards, I am your distant relative, someone who has returned from overseas. Give me a title, the highest one, one that allows me to directly meet the Seitenshi."
"Yes, sir."
Tendo Kikunojo took a document from the drawer, quickly filled in a few lines, stamped it with the company seal, and handed it to him.
"Special Advisor to the National Security Council of Japan. Has direct access to the Seitenshi."
Higashino Makoto took the document, glanced at it, and put it in his backpack.
"Also, continue doing what you're supposed to do. But stop targeting the Cursed Children, and don't let anyone see that you've changed."
"Yes, sir."
Higashino Makoto turned around and walked towards the door.
The man went insane after his wife was killed by Gastrea.
There's no point in talking to a madman.
He pushed open the door and went out.
Tendo Kikunojo stood there, gazing at the open door, his gray eyes swirling with complex emotions.
Then he looked down at the proposal for the "Gastrea New Law" on the table.
My finger lightly traced across the document.
This time, he wasn't thinking about how to let it "die naturally."
He was thinking about how to get it through.
When Higashino Makoto walked out of the Government Affairs Hall, the sun was shining brightly.
He stood on the steps, his golden eyes gazing at the sunlit sky in the distance.
People came and went on the street, but no one recognized him or noticed him.
He stepped down the steps and into the crowd.
Next, he was going to meet someone.
The ruler of the Tokyo Area, the Seitenshi.
She has no name.
Or rather, "Seitenshi" is her name.
This is a tradition in this country, where rulers abandon their personal names and refer to themselves as the Seitenshi, symbolizing their impersonal status as a symbol of the state.
Higashino Makoto didn't know who came up with this rule, but he found it quite boring.
He stood in the corridor on the top floor of the government building, his golden eyes fixed on the door in front of him, which was engraved with a chrysanthemum emblem.
Two bodyguards in black suits stood at the door and simultaneously extended their hands when they saw Higashino Makoto.
"Halt. Who goes there?"
Higashino Makoto took the document out of his pocket and handed it over.
The bodyguard took the document, glanced at it, and frowned slightly.
"Special advisor? Never heard of him."
"The newly appointed one."
Please wait a moment.
The bodyguard pushed open the door and went inside.
A moment later, he came out and stepped aside.
"Please come in."
Higashino Makoto stepped into the room.
The room wasn't large, but it was decorated very nicely.
The walls were pale gold, and several oil paintings hung on them.
The floor was dark brown wood, polished to a shine.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the Tokyo skyline shimmered in the sunlight.
A woman stands by the window.