Republic of Heroes

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Chapter 60

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"Good morning, master." Yumi's presence always brightens his day whenever he sees her after having entered her bedroom. The smile is infectious, making him unable to help himself in returning the gesture with the sunlight entering in through the blinds that he left open after waking up.

She stood in front of his bed, appearance drastically changed after losing so much weight of engaging physical work nearly every waking moment in this new life of theirs. While Carter sat on his comfortable couch, not moving an inch with the exception of looking back at her and asking, "What is it you need?" He asked this while placing his bandaged hand inside one of his pockets, hoping Yumi wouldn't make a big out of it.

Smiling further, she bowed politely before answering in a caring tone, "I just wanted to check if everything is going okay with you ever since we started to live in this world you created for us." Her kind words made him chuckle slightly upon hearing this. "Yumi, I told you; don't worry about me," reassuring his loyal servant, "nothing bad will come to us if we stay here forever. He says that he isn't sure if this is true or not.

He and himself have changed even though it has been a month since they adjusted themselves into this once dwarf planet into an actual living world after many breakthroughs in inventing, building, and altering it to fit their needs as a whole. Even with his intelligence in creating such an advanced array of machinery at the expanse of his mental well-being.

This was a wise decision on his part, given that his life in this world is truly amazing, and it seems that everyone is having fun exploring their surroundings and discovering new things, but he still feels terrible and depressed all the time, despite his best efforts to be happy.

There is a price to pay for the guilt, trauma, and sins of resorting to escapism, but the other clones are doing their job perfectly at his place in his stead, where they are currently still progressing into the deeper layers of the interior of the planet as they are venturing on their own accord.

"I can see you have hurt your hand, master," her eyes scanned over him with a worried look etched on her pretty face; he can't blame her for being such a worrywart since she's his most dedicated maid and the pinkette is rather perceptive when it comes to seeing him. "May I take a look?" She asked in concern for her master's injury.

Sighing exhaustively, he got up and approached her without much thought. Removing his injured hand from his pocket. "Don't worry though; I already bandaged it." He raised it higher up so she could see the evidence.

"Allow me."

She reached forward and grabbed hold of his wrist delicately, inspecting his injury as if inspecting to see if she missed anything important before continuing her examination. Carter did not protest, allowing her to continue despite already having the bandages around his hand. "Could I open them to see your hand, master?" Yumi asked with a tender gaze, directed at the white fabric covering his entire fist.

Seeing no reason to object, he simply nodded, giving her permission to do so. She pulled on one edge gently, unwinding the white fabric in slow motion, revealing the damage underneath bit by bit until finally removing it altogether.

"What happened?!"

She said in gasp, looking at the many cuts and bruises that marred his hand after hitting the marble in the bathroom, "Who did this to you? Was it Sebastian or your clones? I'll personally execute that horrendous man on the spot if he dared harm you! Accident or not!" Her eyebrows furrowed together while the grip on his hand tightened slightly.

"Relax, Yumi. None of them had laid a finger on me," he said, shaking his head firmly. "I did this to myself," answering truthfully this time, not wanting to make his most loyal servant more worried and frustrated about not knowing who injured her master and employer.

Blinking in surprise, her expression softened with realization dawning upon her after hearing his response, "You did this? She blinked rapidly, still taken aback by what she just heard. "Is that true?" She released his hand from her grasp before staring at him directly.

"I...I punch the edge of a countertop in the bathroom," admitting to his actions that led to such an accident, "during when I felt extremely stressed about having left earth and dishonoring my parents legacy," he continued on while holding back tears and letting them roll down his cheek, "and yes, I know; it wasn't smart or rational for me to lash out, but at least no one was there to witness what happened afterward."

Her eyes widened as she looked at Carter's tearful expression, noticing his shame and sadness displayed all over his face. "Master, don't cry," she hugged him tightly while patting his head lovingly, "there's nothing to be ashamed or sad about," wiping his cheeks dry with both thumbs, she smiled comfortingly, "just know that I am here for you no matter what happens," assuring him that she would stay beside him forever.

"Thank you, Yumi," he said, sniffing a few times. Accepting her embrace, feeling safe in her arms while controlling his breathing steadily to regain composure over his emotions. "Forgive me for my moment of weakness," he said, apologizing as he forced himself to calm down his racing heartbeat. "I promise, I'll try my hardest not to fall back into this habit of mine again."

She let him go before wrapping her arms around his right shoulder protectively. "Would you want me to take care of you today, master? She asked quietly while rubbing her nose against his cheek affectionately, "You could use a little time for yourself."

Smiling softly, he nodded with approval as he took hold of her free hand, holding onto her like a lifeline while leading her out of his bedroom. "Yes, that would be most appreciated." He responded back in a content voice while exiting his room.

The hallway in this massive dome of solarpunk was surprisingly cozy, with warm lighting that allowed him to see his surroundings clearly.

With floors and walls were made of polished white stone, accented by small details carved into the walls, including plants growing in various pots and other decorations. The entire hallway also smelled like fresh flowers due to the many plants located in different places within this large structure of buildings.

Taking note of all the aesthetics, Carter couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the creation he made. "I have to admit, these clones of mine are truly talented when it comes to making our base of operations such as this," he commented in an amazed tone. "Everything looks perfect here as if it were straight out of some science fiction story, he said, smiling cheerfully.

Yumi giggled playfully, occupying him while gazing around curiously, taking in every detail as well. "Yes, they certainly did a great job of building this place, but I have a question in regards to these clones that I never bothered to ask before," she said, tilting her head, still holding onto Carter's arm, and resting her head on his shoulder while hugging him closely. "If you are the original while the rest are clones, are you all still connected mentally?"

Nodding confidently, "we do," he said calmly, "their consciousness are connected through hivemind, which basically allows any of them to share each other's thoughts or memories at will," explaining his concept of cloning to his lover, "but with the amount of minds working together and the shared experience of experiences of those same mind, they are essentially me," he confirmed before continuing his explanation, "around billion minds sharing the same memory and thought process, which means they can see things differently than me or perhaps feel like they have different opinions and desires that aren't related to the main idea."

Taking note of this, she gently removed her arms to hold his injured hand. Her curious expression turned to conflict. "I do not know if I should trust them," she said in a stern voice, "since technically, I'm not sure if I should consider them as you in the first place," clarifying her statement with honesty, "should I also love them the way I love you to?

The maid had a point as they walked through this peaceful and quiet hallway, contemplating her words as he noticed that even Yumi did not know what to believe in or how she should approach this issue of seeing so many of him with a single body and mind. But all of his clones are merely extensions of himself; they may have individuality, yet they all have the same goal and objectives as him.

Although some have their traits altered or removed to suit one perpendicular role assigned to these said clones, it's complicated, but all of them are just like me," he shrugged nonchalantly. "So in a way, trust them as you trust me," he made her promise of accepting his clones as a part of himself. "They may have few minor differences, but at least recognize them as part of me regardless of what you see in their roles."

Finding an opened elevator, they went inside before pressing the button to bring it to ground level. Its design is similar to a regular elevator but extremely massive in size, so it can accommodate a hundred people at once.

"You can love them or any of them in that matter because, at the end of the day, they are just extensions of myself as I have full control of them," he tapped on the side of his skull to make the point, "regardless of what may happen, they will listen to every single word and command I tell them to do."

Humming in both amazement and confusion, "This is so weird, master," making another point while watching the doors slide closed on their own accord, "it's  still interesting in its own right," the lift began to descend downwards, carrying the two of them to their destination at a steady pace.

"How do you also see them as, master?"

He turned his head, looking at her with bewilderment. "Well," Carter thought carefully of his words before responding back with the elevator finally having reached ground floor, opening its metal doors automatically.

The lobby is a grand display of lavish and stylish furnishings with a mix of modern and Victorian designs. The floor is made of white marble, accented with gold and silver trimmings, while the walls are painted a light cream color with a few portraits and tapestries hanging on them.

In the center of the lobby is a massive chandelier that dangles from the ceiling, casting a warm glow over the room, making it look like something out of a fantasy movie. There are several couches and chairs scattered around the space, each of them designed to accommodate large groups of people who would like to sit and relax.

Machines and devices of different sizes are located throughout the area, all of them providing necessary amenities for research and development to improve the overall infrastructure and living conditions of this solarpunk world.

Various types of plants and greenery are placed in a strategic arrangement, making them blend in with their environment. Their vibrant colors and soothing scent are a welcomed addition to the whole place, making it all the more inviting and relaxing.

Doors are nonexistent as anyone can enter or exit through any place that they choose, making it safe as the world for any enemies to infiltrate or attack in this world without notice since over quadrillion invisible and intangible microscopic machines are spread all over planet X.

There were thousands of his clones casually moving around, some conversing while others checking over the equipment or projects laid out for them. Most of all, every single one of them has different attire to differentiate from each other, ranging from formal to casual, business and military alike.

Yumi then spoke up at this sight, "How can I find you if I'm surrounded by so many of you, Carter-sama?" She inquired, still seeing him as an individual person while other hims are in their entirety. "It makes sense but confusing at the same time," she laughed weakly, trying to grasp this strange concept of him having numerous copies of himself.

Tapping his chin with one index finger, "That's really simple," he pointed at her as they stepped out of the elevator. "Just ask any of them where I am, and they'll lead you to me without hesitation," he smirked cheekily. "Trust me, their part of this hivemind I'm connected to," he added afterwards before changing subjects abruptly, "speaking of which, could I go on my own?

Hearing this, she protested this request, pouting angrily, "Master! Its too dangerous to leave you alone in a world that—" The maid stopped when he raised his other arm in the air to motion for her to cease speaking. "Everything on this planet is completely safe. Hell, I could even sleep outside without having to worry about anything at this point," he responded in an honest manner.

Taking a step back after removing her hand from his, she sighed in understanding, "Your right," laughing weakly at her own protectiveness. "I'm sorry for worrying too much; I guess old habits die hard," she said, scratching her cheek awkwardly, "but can you find way to heal your injured hand, master? It bothers me to know that you didn't get treated sooner than this," showing visible distress at seeing his condition.

Snorting bemusedly, he waved his left hand in a dismissive manner before walking away from her. "Don't fret, Yumi; I'll get someone to fix it soon enough," he glanced back at the pinkette. "For now, take care of yourself; I want to make sure that you will experience the happiest moments in this world of mine," he kindly offered to her.

Feeling her chest tighten up in joy and happiness, she said, "Thank you, Carter-sama!" Yumi chirped gleefully, "You really do know how to make a girl happy." She suddenly ran to him before kissing him teasingly on the cheek, causing the shell-shocked Carter to blush madly in embarrassment of this unexpected turn. "Now go and enjoy yourself; I'll just watch over you from the sidelines until you come back to me again."

After making that remark, Carter felt a little unnerved by those last words but quickly brushed them off as he turned around, closing his eyes with a beaming smile of his own. "I will," he responded in a happy tone.

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by 3 Armored Kittens · Prodromos v.1.1 - World Anvil 0.9.15.042 © 2017-2024 [en] | Anvil Time: 04:00, Nov 10 2024