Chapter 80

By the time all four men who were moving the machines were brought to the base, it was already the middle of the night.

In her tent, Regina expressionlessly scanned each of the four men.

“It's the four who went missing. Though one of them arrived as a corpse.”

“There was a minor problem during the arrest process.”

The agent whose neck Wilhelm had bitten with all his might ended up passing away on the way here.

“I understand.”

“Well, then, we should begin the interrogation. About why they were struggling to carry that machine.”

Silence filled the tent.

I had expected it to some extent.

There's no way an intelligence agent would be loose-lipped.

They probably had training against torture, so to make them talk, what should I do….

“This works out well.”

“Pardon?”

“I was just running short on test subjects.”

Regina gave a faint smile.

Test subjects?

Is she talking about the truth serum she mentioned before?

But from the way she spoke, it seemed like it had already been verified.

While I was lost in thought, Regina had already taken action.

A syringe was plunged into the neck of a pale-faced agent.

“Is that the truth serum?”

“No. It's a new poison I'm experimenting with.”

Ah…

Poison.

So that's why blood is trickling from the eyes and ears of the guy who got injected.

His face was contorted in pain, but he didn't struggle.

After about 5 minutes like that, he collapsed.

After checking his pulse, Regina began to take notes with a serious expression.

“I'm making it for use when I need to kill someone horribly as a warning. Last time, the problem was too much movement, but this time, there's too little.”

“I-Is that so.”

I had momentarily forgotten that the Eight Council played the role of villains, and this was a stark reminder.

Regina, who had laid out her apothecary tools on the table, looked at me and smiled lightly.

“Would you like to interrogate them while I create an improved version? I think we only need one of the two.”

“Please, feel free to work.”

She had set the stage, so there was no reason not to accept.

I could see they were still hesitant even after watching their colleague die a gruesome death.

There was no need for me to rush.

I would just ask them one by one, and if they didn't answer, they would pay the price.

“What were those machines you were moving?”

“……”

“Ms. Regina, by any chance, do you have a drug that inflicts pain but doesn't kill.”

“I have plenty of those.”

“It's a machine made by Professor Zain.”

In the end, one of them confessed first.

The other one grimaced at his colleague's betrayal but soon realized there was no other way.

“It's a machine that sprays fog in the River Troll's territory.”

“What was the reason for retrieving it?”

“There's no way we'd know that. The order we received was only to deal with the trolls and destroy the machine at a designated location.”

So it wasn't an ordinary fog, as I suspected.

The next question was more of a confirmation than a question.

“It was a machine provided by Professor Zain.”

“We're in a cooperative relationship, so it's not strange to receive it.”

“Because he is not a man who would simply give away his inventions. Technology for those who need it most. That's the phrase that eccentric is always spouting.”

“We don't know anything.”

The agent who had confessed first protested.

It seemed so.

I didn't press further and moved on.

“What was the reason for acting without informing your direct superior, Ms. Regina.”

“We carried out all of Lady Regina's orders. We just received another mission as well.”

“You mean a mission from the Duke?”

“We simply had another mission.”

Whether it was their last shred of pride, they didn't mention the Duke, but at this point, it was as good as a confession.

“What was the disposal procedure?”

“We were told to wait until the mana ran out, then leave only the shell and retrieve all the internal components.”

It must be the disposal procedure set by Professor Zain.

The components would probably be sent back to Professor Zain.

If so, the question of how to send them remains.

“What were your plans for the retrieved components?”

“That is….”

The two, who had been spilling secrets until now, fell silent as if on cue.

It was easy to guess the reason they went silent after having confessed everything else.

“Weren't you planning to hand them over when the Duke arrives tomorrow?”

Neither of them spoke, but their silence was answer enough.

With this, I had found out all the information I needed to know.

“Have you decided how to deal with them?”

“They were cooperative, so let's treat them like gentlemen.”

“Is that so?”

Regina, who was fiddling with her herbs, got up and approached the two living men.

With an elegant swipe of her hand, blood gushed from their necks.

On the faces of the two men dying in a pool of blood, there was a sense of relief rather than anger at being betrayed.

“If my father came, he would have dealt with them more horribly, so this is quite gentlemanly.”

Regina said nonchalantly as she cleaned up her apothecary tools.

Indeed, having failed the mission and spilled secrets, they likely wouldn't have had a peaceful death.

“When will the truth serum arrive?”

“It should arrive by dawn at the earliest. A proper conversation will only be possible after I see my father off.”

“Then all that's left is to wait.”

“Yes, we must wait.”

Worry clouded her face, which had maintained its composure until now.

I didn't know what the problem was, but I felt it wasn't my place to interfere.

“Then I will go and manage my subordinates.”

“It was Wilhelm, wasn't it. Please tell him I wish him a speedy recovery.”

I gave a slight nod and went outside, where only a bonfire shone brightly in the darkness.

As I approached the bonfire, the first thing I saw was Wilhelm lying in a tent.

Thanks to Regina sending medicine and a doctor, he received timely treatment, but he didn't look to be in good condition.

“How is he?”

“I don't know about the rest of him, but they said it's uncertain if he'll be able to use his left arm again.”

Ede replied with an uncharacteristically gloomy face.

It was understandable, as he was a wreck when he arrived.

It was enough to make me doubt if this was the same Wilhelm from the original work who committed all sorts of dirty deeds.

“Did the investigation go well?”

“I heard all the information I needed to.”

“And how were they dealt with afterward.”

“Ms. Regina slit their throats herself.”

Ede furrowed his brow and pouted.

“They died too easily. They should have died in more pain.”

“It was a peaceful death in exchange for providing information, so don't worry about it.”

This side of him was Avenger Ede again.

It's just that he usually grins foolishly.

Now that I had checked on Wilhelm's condition, it was time to deal with Noah and Karl, who were staring at me.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Let's move.”

Noah lowered his voice.

Unlike Noah, who was merely expressionless, Karl's face was incredibly fierce.

I don't think he looked this fierce even when I first met him in Novosibir.

“You know who Professor Zain is.”

As we moved away from the bonfire, Karl spoke as if he couldn't hold it in any longer.

Did he see the signature written on the machine?

“Yes, of course I know him.”

“There's a lot I want to ask, but first, what is your relationship?”

“Am I obligated to answer?”

“I'm asking because I trust you. What is your relationship?”

Karl's voice grew louder.

I frowned unconsciously at the sudden reaction.

“What's with that attitude?”

“Calm down, I'll talk, so you just take a breather.”

Noah pushed the agitated Karl aside and stepped forward.

It should normally be the other way around, what's going on.

“That guy, Professor Zain, he's a colleague, right.”

“We're not on friendly terms like colleagues. I'd call him a business partner I happened to start working with.”

“So you're in a cooperative relationship, nonetheless.”

“Hmm.”

From the flow of the conversation, I had a slight inkling of what the problem was.

No doubt the Professor had been stirring up shit somewhere again.

“He's a genius born from the Vestol Assembly and an eccentric old man. Most of the technological superiority Vestol boasts of comes from the Professor's hands.”

Noah tilted his head as I suddenly recited Professor Zain's personal details.

“He's also famous for creating strange inventions and distributing them all over the place. The machine you secured this time was probably delivered through such a process.”

It was better to just pour out the explanation beforehand than to engage in a pointless back-and-forth.

Noah, understanding why I had spoken up, got straight to the point.

“That Professor guy helped the ones who attacked Karl's hometown.”

“You mean the slavers from the Northern Federation?”

“Yeah. Them. To be honest, you're probably not curious about the details, so I'll skip that. What we're curious about is whether we can continue to trust you.”

I could feel he had softened his words as much as possible.

He was asking how they could work under me when I was associated with someone who colluded with slavers.

I didn't expect to get tripped up by something like this.

I'll have to check later just how far the Professor has distributed his inventions.

“If you're dissatisfied, you are free to leave at any time. I have no intention of stopping you. However, I must say this.”

“What is it?”

“The Eight Council, to which I belong, is united by a single goal, but we each go our own way in terms of methods. Therefore, the Professor's methodology and mine are completely different.”

“So we can trust you?”

Not just Karl, but Noah too looked at me with suspicion.

Well, it would be hard to believe me right away.

“I believe I have sufficiently shown my methods through my actions. Do you not remember who saved you and Karl's sister.”

“That… is true.”

Noah nodded.

Karl didn't seem convinced yet, but his aggressive posture, as if he might pounce at any moment, softened.

“Besides, if you want to stop Professor Zain from helping such vile people, there is no better choice than me.”

“Because you're business partners, you can stop him? But you just said you don't interfere with each other.”

“That is usually the case. However, I am currently acting for the Commander, who is temporarily absent. This is not a usual case.”

“Hmm….”

Noah glanced back.

Karl, with his arms crossed, looked back and forth between Noah and me and let out a short sigh.

“I understand the situation.”

“Do you need time to think?”

“No, as you said, you've shown us with your actions. Though I'm still not sure about this organization you're part of.”

“It's settled then. As it happens, there was something I needed to ask of you.”

“This feels ominous.”

“It's nothing much. I just need more cards to play when I meet the Duke tomorrow.”

When I grinned, they both grimaced slightly.

Their intuition is sharp.

***

Duke Leitche appeared around the time the morning was ending.

One by one, ravens appeared in the sky, and soon, they covered it completely in black.

“He'll be arriving soon.”

“Yes, it seems so.”

Unlike the others who were captivated by the somewhat eerie scene, Regina and I reacted calmly.

This was because we both knew it was a method Duke Leitche often used for a dramatic entrance.

Soon, countless ravens formed a bridge from the sky to the ground, and someone walked down from it.

“How long has it been, Count Valheit. It feels like it's been several years.”

“It has been a while, Your Grace the Duke.”

The Duke, who was walking down on the ravens, hopped off.

The Duke, dressed in a dark green military uniform, let out a few dry coughs and then spoke in what he considered an authoritative voice.

“A pleasure to see you, Count Valheit. I'm glad to see my daughter is healthy as well.”

“It is an honor to see you, Father.”

“Come now, don't be so stiff over a little joke. We've met on a good occasion, so let's be comfortable.”

Duke Leitche, who was approaching with his arms wide open, paused.

His gaze fell on the two demons standing next to me.

“I didn't know there would be demons as well.”

“They will be joining us for this meeting.”

“Demons?”

The Duke, who had been looking back and forth between Karl and Noah with a reluctant expression, smiled brightly again.

“Well, if the Count wishes it.”

He brushed it off lightly, but a look of disgust flashed across the Duke's face.

The effect of bringing these two had already appeared.

‘Now then, how should I handle him?’

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