367 364. Reread.txt (1/2)

Follow me. Come on.

After a truce with Tida, the ”Stealer of the Dark Reason,” we escaped from the city's pursuers with his guidance.

Tida's power was extremely useful.

I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it.

Once we are assimilated into the darkness, we move deep into the city without anyone noticing us.

In parallel with the movement, I am having the wound on my shoulder healed by my master. By using the 'compensated' book as an example, I've managed to get the blood to coagulate.

Once I'm no longer worried about bleeding to death, I make it to a large building.

Naturally, I go around to the back of the building and enter with the darkness.

From the building's construction and the nasal air, I knew that it was the same type of facility as the 'First Demonic Research Institute' that I had been in earlier. Perhaps it is the second or third institute.

On the way to walk through the corridor of the building, Tida, who was walking at the front, called out to her master.

'Kanami. You asked me to accompany you to the Hoosiers and help the 'Apostle'?　...... conditions. I want you to rescue the 'one who steals the reason for the fire' that is being held in this city. If you take that one along with you, I'll agree.

He then made a condition of exchange for the request that his master had presented during the move.

Upon hearing this, the Master thanked Tida for her help and returned the question to Tida's back.

'Thank you for thinking about it, Tida. ...... But does that mean that the 'one who steals the reason for the fire' is now in a situation where it must be rescued?

Tida did not immediately reply.

She walked on somewhat in silence and stopped in front of one of the great doors.

'Look through the gap there,'

He pointed to the door and urged.

Master looks inside through the gap in the large door for the answer to his question. Chinami, I follow behind him and see the same thing from the side of Master's face.

There was the same scene as the central sanatorium in the First Demonology Research Institute.

A large number of patients were lying on a large amount of rush mats, praying to the giant statue (monument) in the center.

''What's wrong with that?''

'The big stone in the middle contains the shredded right arm of the Flame God - or rather, the one who 'steals the reason for the fire'.

...... Huh?

The lord of the city shredded the limbs of the 'the one who steals the reason for the fire' when he was still a child and hid them in the worshipping statues in various parts of the city.

--Heh!

Admiration starts to show on my face - I suppress it and pretend to be shocked and rapt.

Then calmly look beyond the gap again.

Everyone is muttering and praying to the giant statue that resembles the God of Fire, muttering ”God of Fire ......”. But in reality, you're asking for salvation towards the arms of a child?

''By the way, that thing called the 'Flame God's Stone' contains the blood of the 'one who steals the reason for fire'. If I tell you this much, you'll get the gist of it, right?　All the miracles of this city have only come at the expense of those who steal the logic of the fire. ...... Rather than ......, it was originally the work of the Stealer of the Reason for the Fire that made this place rebuild. It's a good thing that the girl who performed the miracle is now being dismembered and burned like firewood. It's been a long time since the lord appeared.

Master's face goes from amazement to sadness as he listens to that Tida's story.

For now, I pluck the sleeves of my master's clothes in a worried manner.

''The One Who Stole the Truth of Fire'' is at the far end of the First Institute of Magical Disorders and continues to receive life-prolonging treatment as just a head. So the lord is holding her captive and imprisoning her to continue to exploit her power - miracles and faith. I, as a kindred spirit, want to save her.

It was told solemnly, and the master managed to squeeze out his voice, saying that this was no time to be in a state of rage.

'Shh, you're being restrained ...... with your limbs cut to shreds?　How can you live like that?

'Yes, I thought I was dead once, too. But we were alive. Now, the tips of the shredded limbs of the 'Fire Reason Stealer' have turned into monsters. That thing is a mixture of elemental monsters, so from the neck down, it's fire itself. I don't know what the theory is, but it seems to be able to serve as a substitute for human organs. --I'm not sure what the theory is, but it's the same logic behind my face.

'Oh no ......, that's better than dying ....... Ah, .......

Tida used her own muddy face as an example to explain the current state of The One Who Steals the Fire's Reason, using her own muddy face as an example.

Hearing the information that he has a fire body, I again said, ”--hey! I was tempted to be impressed, but I held on strongly and gathered the information I needed for the future.

It was an uncomfortable feeling I remembered from the earlier battle.

'Hey, Tida-san. Are you sure you can see that?

'Rather than seeing, I know - I know. Only the outlines of things are drawn in a hazy black and white world. Instead, you can see the 'demon poison' very clearly, so you rely on it for individual identification.

As I had expected, it seemed to be completely separate from human vision.

That's why, ah, the movement in the battle was awkward.

'Ah, I knew it. That's why you were moving a bit differently than people in the fight just now.

'Perhaps, but I'm getting closer to the monster beyond the example of the 'demon'. ...... I have mixed feelings about it, as it turns out that the monster's vision, which has been a mystery to me for a long time, has been revealed in places I never thought possible.

I see. So, since the one who stole the logic of fire is no longer a human being, he's being treated inhumanely.

'I don't know.　If it had been a complete person, it would have been treated the same. I'm sure the Princess of the Hoosiers would know the story well, wouldn't they?

...... hmm?　Haha. Surely people might do anything if they're cornered?

I mince my words.

I've been feeling for a while now that this Tida guy is too well versed in the affairs of Hoosiers.

I know he knows a lot about me, but I don't want him to reveal too much in front of his master. Right now I'm being marketed to my master as an innocent, small, cute, protective type of maiden (heroine). By no means am I an evil person who smiles when I hear about the shredded arms of a young child.

So I fearfully check my master's face.

Unlike me, there was an expression on his face that didn't have any room to spare at all.

''Are you really ......?　Really, that's such a terrible thing to do: ......?

Slowly, Tida continues to speak to the trembling, kind-hearted master.

''It's not just 'the one who steals the logic of fire' that's being sacrificed. This city is built on the sacrifice of many 'demons'. That doesn't mean that they are enslaved to gain labor power, but as laboratory animals.

Mo, lab animals (guinea pigs) ......?

Yeah. Originally, this city was a place to study such things. For a long time, they have been buying ”witches” from all over the world and repeatedly experimenting with them. Well, I heard that many of the targets of their research these days are seriously ill people who are dying.

Furthermore, Master's face turned pale.

I had a faint hunch, but it seems that Master was different.

Tida is relentless, pointing her fingertips at the ground.

'It's still going on in the basement. Do you want to go see it?'

Dimension.

Without hesitation, Master invoked his dimensional power and tried to verify the truth of his words.

Then, after only a few seconds, he put his hand over his mouth and fell to his knees.

He must have seen all kinds of things through a power that was not worthy of his master. He completely lost his blood, tears in his eyes, and his breathing was disturbed - and the air around his master became distorted again.

The power of the dimension is clearly amplified, and with unfocused eyes, he first mutters a word.

''--help (...)

It was a typical impression of a master.

It represents the goodness of the person. But knowing that it was based on a mysterious obsession, I felt that it also represented a person's weakness.

The Master stands slowly as he speaks of his mission.

'I will definitely help. If you don't help, you can't: ......

Seeing this, Tida nodded with satisfaction.

I'm sure she thought she had found a friend who shared her purpose.

'I see. If you say so, then we're in good company. I'd like to explain at length to Kanami first, starting with our birth and abilities, but before that--

Having spoken up to this point, a woman appears from the darkness at the back of the corridor.

She was fully wrapped in black robes and her footsteps were quiet, so I was slow to notice her.

'She is my collaborator. She comes from a noble family, has a high status in Fania, and is a very knowledgeable researcher. She's also the chief executive of this 'Seventh Magical Research Institute'.

Tida lightly manipulated the darkness so that the woman's figure was clearly visible despite the lack of light.

She was a young woman with darker shades under her blood red eyes.

She is a short, beautiful woman with unusual black hair hanging down ...... but more striking is the blood sticky on her unadorned black robe.

Just standing in front of you, the smell of blood makes it hard to keep your nose clean.

''Mr. Rands: ......

The woman called out her name at the opening. 'Probably Tida's last name,' she said.

Ah. ”Yeah, Kanami is my kind of associate, and now she's become a collaborator. I'd like to add her to our plan, so let's set up a meeting right away--

'I'm sorry, Mr. Langs!　Because I betrayed him: ....... All the accomplishments of Master Rands and the God of Fire are now that man's......!　You two really saved this city. ......!　Fear got the better of me and I really can't get back ......, I am aaaaah ......, aaaaah ......!

Tida speaks to her normally, but the woman looks half-crazed and goes on to say only what she wants to say.

Her swashbuckling attitude caused me and my mentor to miss the opportunity to greet her.

'Hah ....... We've already talked about that, haven't we?　You just did your job. No need to worry about it.

'But Master Langs' face will never return. Never again!

'I don't blame you for anything outside of work. These things happen all the time. You've done an admirable job of putting your family first.

'But I am ......!　Me!

There was no reason to blame you. There was only reason to betray you. ...... true.

With that, Tida finally waved her right arm lightly and let the example mud adhere to the woman's skin.

'......!'

As soon as she does, the woman stops swooning and becomes very quiet.

Apparently it has other uses as well as doubling the pain.

Also, I don't miss the deep contortion of Tida's face when she releases the mud now.

I thought she had raised her eyebrows at me for being a troublemaker, but she didn't. For a moment, I think she looked like she was going to cry.

From that information, I can see the weakness of Tida's spirit (mind).

But I still can't see the details.

The special shape of her face makes it difficult to read her facial expressions, which is my specialty.

If it were a book, it would be strangely frustrating, with little psychological description of the ground text.

Then the woman whose mind is controlled by Tida's mud begins to regulate her erratic breathing and tuck in her excitement.

'Hah, hah ......, fwiw ......'

It's quiet, but I can't shake the impression that he's a dangerous person in many ways.

Perhaps noticing the look between me and my master, Tida added.

''As you can see, she's a bit weak-minded. Be careful what you say to her.

'Yeah, yeah ....... Is that guy really the greatest person here?

Honestly, if a woman like this was my boss, I'd quit my job on my first day.

'She's brilliant. Decisive, very smart and very kind-hearted. ...... Well, I won't deny that sometimes she makes decisions too quickly and it can backfire on a lot of things. Sometimes his brilliant mind gives birth to demonic ideas that are used by others. Also, don't be vulnerable to threats from scary people, and don't easily break your heart and betray your friends.

I had to chuckle at the cons that outweighed the pros by too many of them.

When you get to this point, it falls into the category of better to take care of it as soon as possible. I wonder if Tida agrees with that, shrugging her shoulders as she replies.

''I guess the reason I'm able to do the Seventh Abbot is because I'm a member of the Lords Neysha family. Honestly, it's a patronage appointment.''

I knew it.

With that much backing, it makes sense somehow.

And the fact that they refer to such an important person as a collaborator shows how easy it will be to develop in the future. Perhaps, but the plan to retrieve the ”One Who Steals the Reason of Fire” that Tida talks about is almost over.

I read a lot of information from Tida's words and the situation, but the master next to me seemed to have something else in mind, and threw a story to the director that had nothing to do with the 'thing that steals the reason for the fire'.

''Um, you're the one in charge here, right?　Then, about what we're doing in the basement here right now: ......

”......!　I-I can't do that.

Before I could finish listening to everything, the director denied it.

In contrast to earlier, he gave a very decent response.

''I bear all of the 'demons' who were sacrificed in my research until today. I won't stop until the souls of the sacrificed 'demons' are able to rest in peace.

His words had enough weight in them for the Master to stop his pursuit.