You can only watch yourself gradually stepping into decay, but besides sitting back and watching it all happen, you can do nothing.
That place is Hell, and you are firmly trapped within it."
The cigarette burns halfway, ash scattering in the wind.
"Cigarettes and alcohol are the only consolations in Hell. We use them to escape the harsh reality, numbing our own nerves."
Lebius does not understand trench warfare. Since the Fall of the Holy City, there has not been any war between nations as fierce as the Scorched Earth Rage. Plus, with the advance in modern technology, trench warfare has become outdated, buried in history.
Looking at it this way, aside from Undead like Bologue, there are few veterans left in this world who have personally experienced trench warfare.
Lebius understands what Bologue implies, so he asks, "Are the pressures of the Time Axis Disorder Event comparable to trench warfare?"
"More or less, in terms of pressure, it’s quite similar." Googlᴇ search novel·fıre·net
Lebius remains silent, he has read Bologue’s file, but some experiences cannot be fully encapsulated in words.
Bologue asks suddenly, "Team Leader, was your childhood happy?"
"Sort of. I was born into a moderately well-off family. My mother was a teacher, my father, a doctor," Lebius replied openly to Bologue’s question without concealing anything, "Why bring this up?"
Lebius gradually falls into Bologue’s channel; he feels that discussing childhood feels quite out of place in this serious and oppressive environment.
"So, do you think Aimou’s childhood was happy?"
"Yes, Aimou. Don’t just regard her as an Alchemy Puppet, consider her as a human, think about her experiences."
Lebius follows Bologue’s narration and begins to think, he imagines a poor picture.
"Yes, quite terrible," Bologue continues, "I know Aimou’s experiences, and I can probably infer her thoughts."
"She can’t figure out who she really is, human or Alchemy Puppet?
This divide inevitably leads her thoughts into pathology, and she’s just a child. Children need emotional support from relatives, but her emotional demands from Teda... You know Teda’s response, such a repressive life, even humans would go insane, let alone Alchemy Puppets."
Bologue is like a veteran psychologist, precisely grasping Aimou’s inner thoughts, and Lebius’s perception of Bologue changes further; He gradually realizes that he might never have truly understood this team member.
"I remember books mentioning this condition, called childhood emotional neglect. Of course, Aimou’s situation might be more complicated."
Feeling Lebius’s surprised gaze, Bologue continues, "This can cause many individual problems, like inferiority, lack of confidence, suspicion of others, a psychological barrier as solid as an iron wall."
Bologue agrees with the point about the "psychological barrier like an iron wall." Look at Aimou; she only dares to reveal her feelings when she is sure she won’t retain memories.
"Doesn’t know how to interact with people, can’t grasp distances, constantly self-doubting, unable to clarify her own feelings and needs, pleasing others for a little sense of security..."
Bologue mutters a slew of symptoms like reciting, and after finishing, Bologue remains silent for a second or two before summarizing.
"In other words, we are dealing with a rebellious Alchemy Puppet suffering from severe psychological illness, linked to the Devil, and possessing Fantasy Species along with excellent Fighting Techniques."
Lebius thought about it and nodded in agreement. "I didn’t expect you to be a psychology expert after all."
In Lebius’s eyes, Bologue’s title as an expert has become somewhat close to omnipotent.
"Psychology expert? No, no, no, I’m not. I just understand this thing a little bit," Bologue explained, "When I first got out of prison, Geoffrey found me a psychologist who asked me to attend psychological counseling once a week."
"Later, confirmed my mental state was stable, so we chatted about conditions, academic problems sometimes. I always felt that learning more skills would surely be useful someday. See, it’s getting used now."
For a moment, Lebius didn’t know how to evaluate Bologue, then the topic returned to the Time Axis Disorder.
"So you know how to deal with Aimou, right?"
"Yes, luckily Aimou is still a child, which means her childhood is not over yet, and everything has the possibility of remedy."
Bologue stared directly at the burning fireball, letting the splendid light fill his entire pupil, and then looked at the cigarette in his hand.
The burning of the cigarette is like a timer, and now it has burned out, it’s time to start the next step.
"To remedy a terrible childhood is actually quite simple.
Sufficient patience, mostly recognition from others, wholehearted sincerity, and love..."
Bologue added immediately.
"By the way, it also requires absolute violence to make her honestly listen to me."
Bologue took a deep breath, threw the cigarette butt into the fire, and shouted.
"Let’s begin! The doctor is going out for a visit!"
Aimou made up her mind to embrace a new life, so the plot’s direction was changed accordingly.
Lebius chose to venture into the Alchemy Workshop, facing Teda and the King’s Shield Guard directly, while Bologue followed the tracker’s guidance to search for Aimou.
And here they are now, Bologue and Aimou maintain a fragile peace, still bickering like friends, but in the next second, they might just start fighting.