17
Chapter 17
I felt my head grow dizzy.
Come to think of it, it was only to be expected.
Even to me, the scene unfolding before my eyes was completely absurd.
'......I guess they aren't the protagonist's companion for nothing.'
I knew she was strong originally, but I didn't know it was to this extent.
If you swing your sword first, you'll end up killing them without thinking, so a preemptive strike is out of the question?
What does that matter?
You just grab the spears and swords with your bare hands and bend them.
Magic?
Why dodge that?
You can just cancel it out with punches.
They say if your head is dull, your body suffers, but the reverse is also true.
If your body is excellent, you don't need to make your head suffer in the first place. Even if you act completely brainless, everything will work out smoothly.
Golems are attacking?
Just smash them.
The path is blocked?
Just smash it.
Every obstacle blocking my path was instantly shattered to pieces. Of course, none of the debris flew in my direction.
Because Ciel was spreading her shadows to shield us.
......Is this what they mean by having a reliable companion?
Strolling leisurely all by myself in the middle of this chaotic mess made me feel like the Boss of some massive Mastermind organization.
Thinking such thoughts, I continued to push forward. Before I knew it, my target appeared right before my eyes.
Red hair, with a Noble atmosphere.
I could tell right away.
That this person was the Rubia I had been looking for.
'......Still, no matter how you look at it, wasn't this a bit too much?'
I couldn't help but think that the moment I saw Rubia's state. Then again, if someone tore down the door and walls of my house to find me, I'd probably have the same reaction.
But even so, I couldn't undo what had already been done.
In this situation, I should just push forward with sheer force.
"I apologize for using such forceful methods."
Since she looked a bit older than me, I spoke in a polite tone, taking Rubia's hand and helping her to her feet.
"Could we talk for a moment?"
I asked with a friendly smile.
*****
Rubia felt like she was going to lose her mind at any moment.
Come to think of it, it was only to be expected.
All of her many Guards had been neutralized. The security Golems she had spent a fortune preparing were also completely smashed.
For someone like him, would crushing Rubia's skull be difficult at all?
'Why did he come? What is his goal? Money? Kidnapping? No, if that were the case, he wouldn't have chosen such a conspicuous method.......'
Her mind felt like it was going to explode at any second.
However, a single sentence from the man's lips blew all those distracting thoughts away in an instant.
"The Mana Poisoning Cure development project."
Instantly, Rubia's face contorted.
That was only natural. It was the decisive proposal she had prepared to gain recognition from the Empire's High Command.
"According to the information I have, 'someone' is planning to sell that to the Empire."
It was obvious enough that this someone was referring to her.
He even knew what she was planning. He had come looking for her using such extreme measures.
There was no way he wouldn't know that she was the one planning it.
He was probably just beating around the bush to hint at it.
"However, that will cause a problem."
What problem could there possibly be?
She had developed a cure for an incurable disease that existing medicine could only slow down. How could that be a problem?
Was he an Assassin sent by those who profited from selling existing medicine at outrageous prices to threaten her?
Such thoughts crossed Rubia's mind.
But what came out of the man's mouth was yet another unexpected story.
"The Mana Poisoning Cure will actually be used to increase the number of Mana Poisoning patients instead."
Why would a cure increase the number of patients?
It was a completely incomprehensible statement.
"By any chance, are you aware of the special cases that occasionally occur in Mana Poisoning patients?"
......Indeed.
She had read a few reports about it, so she knew.
When someone contracted Mana Poisoning from exposure to unrefined Mana Stones, there were rare cases where their mana capacity and the quality of their mana would explosively increase.
"The Empire will intentionally cause that."
"What could that possibly......."
Rubia stopped speaking mid-sentence.
What if.
It was truly a hypothetical scenario, but.
What if the Empire intentionally tried to cause such special cases?
What if they deliberately exposed children to unrefined Mana Stones, and if their mana didn't improve, they cured them only to induce the disease again?
What if they were doing so to obtain a powerful military force?
The first two or three times wouldn't affect the subject's life.
After all, the cure was excellent enough for her to be proud of.
However, it was inconceivable that a medicine curing such a severe disease would have absolutely no side effects.
But if something like that was used excessively, over and over again,
"It seems you've caught on."
They die.
A medicine created to save lives would instead bring about even more death.
Rubia knew what kind of nation the Empire was. She had at least a vague understanding of how things worked around here.
That was why she could understand.
The fact that the Empire didn't see people as human beings.
That they wouldn't hesitate to commit mass murder as long as it benefited them, even if it meant sacrificing countless lives.
"This is just my guess. But the Empire will likely round up newborns to use as test subjects. They'll mobilize every method at their disposal, whether legal or illegal."
It was the natural course of events.
Even now, the Empire was overflowing with children who were abandoned without their births being registered. People desperate enough to sell their own children for pocket change were everywhere.
Besides, newborns didn't complain. No matter what was done to them, they wouldn't resist. No matter how inhumane the act, they wouldn't expose the truth.
So, what would happen?
What would happen if they fed children a cure that was essentially borrowing against their own life force, over and over again?
Rubia could easily picture it in her mind.
The sight of a newborn, barely out in the world, transforming into something that could no longer be called human.
The sight of them being stripped of the life and future they should have been given, having it all stolen away.
"Well, it is the Empire, after all. I'm sure they'd find a way to recycle the kids who break."
Those words made Rubia's face grow even paler.
It was because she had heard things while climbing to such a high position.
Stories related to the Holy See.
Rumors that made her want to vomit just from hearing them.
"However, the problem is that it doesn't end there."
Looking into Rubia's trembling eyes, the unidentified man continued his story.
"The person planning this project is incredibly capable. They identified the demand for the cure, gathered the researchers, and funded them to produce these results."
Words praising her.
However, because she could roughly guess what would come next, Rubia's expression darkened even further.
"But, if you get tangled up with the Empire... that talent will be used for terrible things."
With those words, the unidentified man spoke.
He told a story of someone who unknowingly became deeply involved with the Empire, gradually getting their hands dirty with darker and darker deeds.
The ultimate result they would reach after repeating compromise after compromise and rationalization after rationalization.
It was as vivid as if he had seen the future with his own eyes.
Rubia listened to the description of the person he spoke of.
She listened to the story of someone crossing a point of no return, slowly becoming corrupted.
It didn't feel like someone else's story at all.
She knew for certain that this was wrong. No matter how she looked at it, she felt this wasn't the right path.
But could she truly maintain this conscience forever? Even after dirtying her hands for the first time, would she still be able to recognize right from wrong?
Rubia continued to listen to the story of her own future.
It was undoubtedly a successful life.
A life more successful than anyone else's.
However, did a life like that hold any real meaning?
She had wanted to live a happier life than anyone else.
She had wanted to become happier than anyone else.
She had only made it this far because she believed that rising to the top would bring her happiness.
But was that really true?
Was it truly?
"This is the reason we came to find you. We are here to ask you to stop the person who is about to make an irreversible mistake."
The unidentified man spoke.
He was asking her.
What choice she would make.
"Will you help us?"
This was by no means a rational proposal.
Therefore, what she needed to do was already set in stone.
She just needed to lie and pretend to accept, safely navigate her way out of this situation, and then find a way to shake these people off.
A smooth path to success was currently laid out right before her eyes.
All she had to do was run down a road where success was guaranteed.
All she had to do was run, and yet.......
It kept gnawing at her mind. Those words, the future the man had whispered about, kept weighing on her heart.
She couldn't bring herself to believe that happiness lay at the end of the path she was currently walking.
The man extended his hand toward her.
If she were to genuinely take this hand.
Her future would change.
Her promised success would vanish.
The power she could grasp by just pushing forward a little more would disappear as well.
Yet, despite all of that.
Rubia grabbed his hand without a moment of hesitation.
The worst villainess of the Empire.
It was the moment the Mastermind, who would have driven countless people to their deaths, became the backer of a secret organization.