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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!”
The hooded figure struggled as I approached. My head throbbed. Judging by their physique, it wasn’t Hertlocker. It must have been someone he had captured.
‘Appraisal.’
“Damn it.”
It was Sergei’s assistant.
“She was on the list you gave me. I caught her trying to escape from the university after you sliced Untier in half.”
“…”
Hertlocker was leaning against the wall, his hands in his pockets. So, Sergei’s assistant was also a member of the cult. I had suspected it after seeing her performance in the Whist Forest, far exceeding her abilities as described in the original story.
She must have received the power of a Majin. I had assumed she hadn’t participated in the Untier incident, but it seemed she had simply escaped.
She shouldn’t have been caught…
“What did you do to her?”
“Nothing yet. I just tied her up, covered her face and ears, and locked her up here. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“…”
“Hey! Don’t take that off!”
I knelt before Erwin and removed the hood. She squinted in the sudden light, then her eyes widened as she saw my face.
I untied the gag.
“Y-You…!”
“It’s good to see you alive.”
“Wow. The change in your tone…”
I ignored Hertlocker’s muttering. Dealing with Erwin was more important.
“You could have easily broken free from those restraints.”
“How could I…? Why did you even lock me up—?”
“With the power of a Majin, you could have easily escaped.”
“…”
Erwin fell silent, her eyes darting about, searching for an escape. But there was none.
I had already seen through her disguise. If she continued to deny it, I would have to resort to… less pleasant methods.
“I could have, but… I didn’t think I could win, so I gave up. Is that what you wanted to hear?”
She spoke with resignation, her jaw clenched. It was the answer I wanted. I didn’t have to resort to violence.
“I have many questions. First, could you tell me about the group you’re affiliated with?”
“You think I’ll tell you…?”
Erwin turned away, her lips pursed. As expected. She wouldn’t say a word if I asked her directly.
“This is troubling. Your family might be in danger.”
“Ha. Schlus Hainkel, how are you even going to find my family?”
“I don’t know, but Professor Sergei does.”
“Schlus Hainkel! You wouldn’t!”
“If you’re not cooperative, I’ll have to call Professor Sergei. I’m sure he knows more about… persuasion… than I do.”
“Ugh…!”
I hadn’t known she had a family. It seemed my random threat had hit its mark. Two things were now clear.
First, Sergei wasn’t involved with the cult.
Second, threatening Erwin with Sergei’s involvement would ensure her cooperation.
“Now, shall we revisit my previous question?”
“I-I’m not one of them! I infiltrated them to gather information for the Imperial family!”
“I see. Then may I ask His Majesty about this?”
“Th-That… I wasn’t directly ordered by the Imperial family… I was conducting my own investigation… It’s true. I was about to leave the cult—”
“Who said you could leave?”
“Ah?!”
I grabbed her hair.
She was suddenly spewing excuses, but I didn’t care if they were true or not. Whether she had infiltrated the cult as a spy or had been a devout follower from the start was irrelevant.
What mattered was that she would become my spy.
“You’re not leaving. You’re staying in the organization and working your way up the ranks.”
“N-No! They make you kill people…”
“Then kill them. Kill them and climb the ranks. Do you think you have a choice?”
“Ah…”
“Listen carefully. Let me explain your situation. If you run away, your family will die. Even if you try to hide them, they will die. If you disobey my orders or ask for help, you and your family will die. Do you understand?”
Erwin’s lips trembled as she lowered her head. There was no need to be gentle with her. She was trash, joining a subhuman organization for her own ambition.
Even if she had been a spy, it was her fault for being caught.
“Answer me.”
“Y-Yes…”
I slapped her lightly, and she finally responded. She had been spacing out. I released her hair, letting her face hit the ground.
“Don’t even think about doing anything stupid. I can always kill you and tell the Imperial family that I eliminated a terrorist.”
“Ugh… Yes…”
I had a new spy.
A spy who could infiltrate deeper than Hertlocker. I didn’t know if she would be as obedient or as useful, but she was definitely weaker than me. That was a plus.
“You bastard… You’re good at threatening people.”
“Isn’t that what the intelligence agency does? Killing innocent civilians because of the risk of information leaks?”
“Ugh…”
This wasn’t the time to be concerned about ethics or human rights. I couldn’t afford to be squeamish when dealing with the underworld. I would use Erwin to gather information about the cult and, if possible, eliminate them.
That was my strategy.
“First, I need to know how many of them are still at the university. I hope you’ll cooperate.”
“Th-That is…”
I began to question the now more cooperative Erwin. I would gather basic information today, teach her a code, and then release her.
Sergei must be worried about his missing assistant.
But first, I had to plant something.
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“P-Professor…”
“Erwin!”
Sergei’s large frame practically flew across the room as the door opened. Erwin was almost suffocated as she was engulfed in a bear hug.
“Are you alright?! I was worried! You haven’t been in contact for days! And you haven’t been to the lab!”
“I’m fine. I was stuck on my research, so I took a break.”
“Without telling your advisor?”
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would take this long…”
“It’s fine! You deserved a break! I’m just glad you’re safe!”
“Thank you…”
Erwin bowed repeatedly, her conscience gnawing at her. She felt guilty for deceiving the kind professor.
“Ha ha ha. I was worried you might be one of those graduate students who betrayed the Empire.”
“Of course not.”
“Good. You may go and rest now.”
“Yes…”
But Sergei hadn’t completely dismissed his suspicions. Erwin felt a surge of pressure from his knowing smile as she left the lab.
-It seems your professor thinks you’re a man.
“Shut up.”
A crackling voice echoed in her ear.
Schlus Hainkel… the bastard who had had her captured and enslaved.
-Are you going home?
“…”
-You must be looking forward to seeing your adorable siblings.
“I said shut up.”
Damn him.
She was so frustrated. She had simply encountered a group of people spreading suspicious propaganda and had infiltrated them, hoping to earn a reward from the Imperial family… But the cult was planning something far more sinister than she had imagined.
Receiving the power of a Majin, overthrowing the Empire, worshipping Majins as gods… Any sane person would have run. But she had been filled with a strange sense of confidence and patriotism.
Her greed for information had led to her capture.
-Ah, this is a shortcut to the back gate. I didn’t know that. Thanks.
“…”
His voice was irritating.
Calling her Schlus Hainkel’s ‘slave’ wasn’t an exaggeration. He could access her senses whenever he wanted. She couldn’t even plan a rebellion. If he sensed anything suspicious, or if she lost contact with him, he would detonate the spell he had planted in her heart.
“Haa…”
She had no privacy. Her every move was being watched. She had only wanted to serve the Empire.
How had it come to this? Her only mistake had been receiving the power of a Majin. And even that had been forced upon her.
“That bastard…”
-I can hear you.
Overwhelmed by frustration and resentment, Erwin felt tears welling up in her eyes.
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