If I had to describe last night’s events in a single word, none fit better than upheaval. First of all, the largest noble faction collapsed in a single night. The head of one of the great noble houses of the Holy Principality of Lendia, second only to the royal family, was captured, and his house erased. The knights suppressed the entire noble district, silencing all objections or interference from other families, and ended the matter in one swift, decisive strike. The operation was conducted in complete secrecy, unknown even to other court nobles, much less to the knight order itself. And to make matters even heavier, it was revealed that the neighboring kingdom of Golda had been involved in the affair. “…I see. You did well to protect our knights. As for the captured candidates for heroes from another world… I will respect your judgment.” “Indeed. But perhaps you should speak with the captives again. We have already extracted some information, but…” “…You’re right. I should at least drive the point home one last time.” (Shizuma) Now, with the night behind us, I had been summoned to the castle to hear the details of what had transpired. …Of course, that included the two who escaped. “Shizuma, do you have any idea where the two fugitives might have gone?” “They likely returned to Golda. I believe they had collaborators present at the mansion that night. Have you interrogated them yet?” (Shizuma) “No, not yet. That is why I wanted you to speak with them first.” “I see. Understood.” (Shizuma) “…Shizuma, what do you intend to do after this?” “Well, after I hear what they have to say and report back to Kokuri-san, I’ll return to the brigade. Seimu-san should be back soon, after all.” (Shizuma) My part in this was done for the moment…or at least, officially it was. At that moment, Kres-san, who had been quietly attending this secret audience, slowly raised her hand. “Your Majesty, may I speak with Shizuma as well?” (Kres) …Huh? Kres-san wants to talk to me? “Shizuma…is it truly impossible for you to remain in this country? I don’t mean this in a strange way, but I want you in the knights. That night, your strength shocked even me. And more than that, you made the best choices to minimize casualties. Yes, you have a tendency to act on your own judgment, but even so…I want you to stay here.” (Kres) Ugh… even Kres-san is saying this now… “…I’m sorry. I can’t stay in one place. I want to return to the brigade.” (Shizuma) “…I see. I understand. I won’t press you further. My apologies for interrupting, Your Majesty.” (Kres) Because there was already one other who said they wanted me here. So I asked the queen about them. “What happened to the members of Killcrawler?” (Shizuma) “…Three severely injured, seven lightly. None of the members died, but several residents of the Underside are still unaccounted for.” After the knights withdrew from the Alheus estate last night, we regrouped with the sentries at the entrances to the Underside scattered throughout Lindblum. Of course, I was among them. But then…there was a massive explosion underground, tearing open a hole large enough to escape outside Lindblum. During that chaos, the Killcrawler unit on patrol engaged mysterious figures, and suffered heavy losses. “…Judging from the reports, those two fugitives were likely my classmates. But the third person…” (Shizuma) “Indeed, we have yet to identify them. That is why we are relying on you to draw information from the captives.” Even if Isaka was the strongest among them, I thought Killcrawler could handle him. But judging from this scale of damage, their supporters…the ones backing them…must be far more dangerous than I imagined. “Then I’ll head to them immediately. They’re in the dungeon?” (Shizuma) “No. They’re confined in Kokuri’s research institute.” “I see. That makes sense. That mutated one is there too, isn’t he? Chances are one of these kids has undergone the same process. Comparing their human and monster states might allow us to analyze the transformation. After all, ‘heroes from another world who can be disposed of if necessary’ are rare and valuable test subjects. They can’t let them go so easily.” (Shizuma) …So their fates are sealed. Death might be kinder than what awaits them. After the audience, Kokuri-san led me to her research institute…the facility I heard about many times before. It wasn’t directly connected to the castle, but stood as a separate, academy-sized building within the castle grounds. Inside, all the staff bowed as Kokuri-san passed, moving briskly about their work. The atmosphere screamed elite research facility. “They’re isolated in my private laboratory. The monster is there as well…though on a separate floor, of course, for safety.” (Kokuri) “This place is huge…” (Shizuma) “Yes, we cover a wide range of fields. Some departments even work on things like new kinds of bread. Recently, we’ve been focusing on genetic modification.” (Kokuri) “Oh… That actually sounds kind of interesting.” (Shizuma) “…To be honest, Kres isn’t the only one who wants you. I do too. Knowledge from another world is never wasted. Even the heroes I have locked up…I’d happily keep them as long as they’re useful.” (Kokuri) “…Well, do as you like as long as they have value. But you’ll need some kind of mechanism to kill them instantly if they resist or try to escape.” (Shizuma) That was my candid opinion. They might not have my potential, but they definitely have the capacity to grow stronger. Still, if guided properly, perhaps their path could be corrected before they stray too far. Not that I intend to actively plead for leniency. “Now then, come inside. It’s been years since I’ve let a person through here.” (Kokuri) …A chill ran down my spine at her words as I looked at my former classmates locked in their cages. She didn’t even consider them people. Beautiful as she was, her abnormality was clearer than ever now. “…Uh, they’re moving their mouths a lot in there. What’s that about?” (Shizuma) “Oh, I’ve blocked their voices with a spell. You’ll need to speak with them, right? I’ll lift it now.” (Kokuri) As soon as they saw me, Kazunuma and Samie rushed to the bars, clutching at them desperately. Only Hishida sat quietly, watching me with weary resignation. Their voices reached us when Kokuri-san waved her hand over a sigil. “Shizuma! Help us! We want to negotiate our release!!” (Kazunuma) “Let us out! We won’t do anything bad anymore, I swear! We were tricked, that’s all!” (Samie) “Shut up. You don’t have any rights left. This is a research lab…you’re test subjects. They can cut you open or turn you into materials, and it’s all allowed.” (Shizuma) “Answer all my questions, and I’ll vouch for your usefulness. But once you’re worthless, I’ve already recommended you be executed. You still don’t get the situation you’re in, do you?” (Shizuma) I organized the questions in my mind: -What did you hear in Golda? -What experiments were done to you, including Muraki? -Who were your collaborators in this country? -Why did you attack the auction? -Why did Alheus support you? -What is Golda’s ultimate goal? -Do you know who’s behind Golda? That should cover the essentials. Not that I expect them to answer everything. Looks like I doubt their intelligence more than I imagined. “Experiments…? What are you talking about? Just tell me what happened to Muraki!!” (Kazunuma) “You’re playing dumb? Did nothing unusual happen to you in that country?” (Shizuma) “I don’t know… I don’t know…” (Kazunuma) Kazunuma only muttered the same denial over and over. Then… “Wasn’t it that ‘power-drawing’ procedure? Only the boys went through it. They said girls were too weak physically, so it was impossible.” (Hishida) Hishida-san answered instead. “I see. So something was done after all. Kokuri-san will get the details from you later. By the way, she’s one of the strongest people in this country…you don’t want to cross her.” (Shizuma) “Hmm…I guess that’s the case. Don’t worry, as long as you’re useful, I won’t dispose of you.” (Kokuri) She said it so casually, which only made it more terrifying. “What about the other questions? Hishida-san, you’ll answer, won’t you? You seem more capable of conversation than those two.” (Shizuma) “…Yes. At this point, proving my usefulness is the only way to survive…isn’t it?” (Hishida) And so, she began to speak far more than I expected. She explained how, after they were beaten to the Dungeon Core in the Scorched Ravine, they hid it from the king. When it came out, the king fed them some fabricated tale to stir their spirits. The others believed it, but Hishida-san found it suspicious, and remembered it until now. Kokuri-san laughed several times while listening…it must have been absurdly false. But at the same time… “Hmm. What bothers me is this: how did Golda know even a fragment of how to use a dungeon? That’s a secret we uncovered through decades of research. And Golda has never cleared a dungeon. Strange, isn’t it?” (Kokuri) “So that means there must be someone behind Golda?” (Shizuma) “Perhaps. Hishida, was it? Continue please.” (Kokuri) Kokuri-san has acknowledged Hishida-san’s value enough to call her by name. Her next words…were what I was waiting for. “Marquis Alheus…showed deference to a certain gentleman collaborator. He must have been of higher standing.” (Hishida) “Oh? Then there’s likely a powerful organization behind this. Did you see this man in Golda too?” (Kokuri) “Yes. During the ‘power-drawing procedure’ on the boys. I first saw him there.” (Hishida) “I see… So he may be tied to that technique. In that case, this person could be connected to everything that’s happened here.” (Kokuri) Kokuri-san concluded. “Alright, I’ve decided their fates. Hishida…you stay. There’s still much we can get from you. As for that boy…he likely underwent the same procedure as the one who turned into a monster, so we’ll keep him for comparison.” (Kokuri) “A monster…!? Muraki really…became one…?!” (Kazunuma) “That’s right. But if we study it, we may discover a way to reverse it. This transformation technique has been under analysis for a while. I would like to research it.” (Kokuri) “…If there’s a chance Muraki…Shigeru…can return to normal, I’ll cooperate however I can.” (Kazunuma) At least those two still had value, in Kokuri’s eyes. She sat silently the whole time, seemingly not grasping a thing. “Does she have any skills at all, Shizuma-kun?” (Kokuri) “No idea. Better ask the other two.” (Shizuma) When I turned to them, they both quickly looked away. “She’s…the mood-maker. Keeps us cheerful.” (Kazunuma) “Yes, she…brightens the group.” (Hishida) “…So nothing. And you? Do you have anything to say for yourself?” (Kokuri) So that’s all she was…just the noisy one. Now that I think about it, she was flippant even when making wishes at the mansion.  Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥 And now, when her life’s on the line, wouldn’t it actually be better for her to not say anything? “W-Wait! I can be useful! Really! That guy…Shizuma…he betrayed us and ran away! We’re way more reliable than him! So please—” (Samie) In that instant, Kokuri-san touched the sigil again, cutting off all sound from the cage. “Shizuma-kun, I’ll dispose of that.” (Kokuri) “Understood. Make sure the others see it. They still don’t grasp the gravity of this.” (Shizuma) …Idiocy is a curse. To walk toward death like that without realizing. And so I turned my back on my hopeless classmates…some with a chance of survival, and one without. “Kokuri-san, I’ll leave reporting all this to the queen to you. I’ll head back to the brigade now. I’ll…bring Seimu-san.” (Shizuma) “…Alright. But make sure he returns quickly. There’s a gathering soon. Within three days, if possible.” (Kokuri) “Got it. I’ll tell him.” (Shizuma) With that, my role…Shizuma’s role…in Lindblum finally came to an end. (´・ω・｀) Since I’ve started working on the book publication, updates may soon drop to once a week.