The Attackers
After peeling off the mask that had fallen away, I looked at the face, but it didn't easily ring a bell.
It wasn't one of the major characters, that much was clear, but it was annoying.
Shan, is this face on the list you remember?
[Yeah... it might be possible.]
Shan had memorized various information like a squirrel gathering acorns, in case things didn't go smoothly.
Among them was a list of villains managed by the Management Bureau.
[Hmm... No matches in the list. For now, it doesn't seem like a villain.]
That couldn't be right?
From the way he acted, it couldn't be one of the heroes I had met before.
Then who was he? Naturally, I thought he was a villain.
It was a bit inconvenient.
"No choice."
I pulled out the ichor from inside him and wrapped it around his head.
The head was floating in the slime.
"...!"
By supplying oxygen through ichor to the head that had been severed not long ago, the closed eyes opened again.
Inside the ichor liquid, it made bubbling sounds and tried to say something.
"You're dead."
I made him look at his own body whose head had been cut off.
Looking at the enlarged face with disbelief, I calmly spat out.
"Are you going to become the Management Bureau's formalin and be locked in a state where you won't die or live forever? Or will you just talk?"
Fortunately, the guy quickly understood his situation.
"You know there's only one chance, right? Think carefully before speaking."
After moving the ichor at the mouth, the intruder with a pale face gasped and begged.
"Huuu... I'll, I'll tell you everything... Please, at least not formalin...!"
"Then tell me everything. Who you are and what your purpose is."
.
.
.
One of the thorns, huh.
[Thorns...?]
It's the term used to call employees at Evergarden.
[That's the company name, right?]
Yeah.
This guy really wasn't a villain.
His name was Perfume Five.
He was an ability user who used the scent from his body to induce mild hypnosis or suggestion.
Evergarden.
One of the legitimate hunter companies that traded with the Management Bureau similar to New Order, and he belonged there.
The reason I said 'belonged' is because about a month ago, he and the deputy president left Flower Garden.
Not just one or two, but quite a few had allied with the deputy president.
Specifically for the entrance ceremony attack.
Evergarden was a half-friendly group led by a girl named Roseria, close to neutral forces or player-friendly forces.
And from what I knew, no group that could attack the Academy.
"Reason for the attack?"
"I only followed the deputy leader... I didn't know the reason, and I didn't ask either."
"Can I believe that?"
"I-It's true. You can check my brain."
"Loyalty that brings tears."
From how he spoke like that, it seemed there was some restriction or something important that he couldn't speak even if dead.
"Please... I've told you everything I know. Please... kill me."
"Tell that to the Management Bureau people."
"What? Hey, the promise is different! Y-You're going to kill me...!"
"I never said I'd kill you."
After recovering the ichor from Perfume, I picked up his head.
In the Management Bureau, even with just a head, there's technology to extract various information and verify truth.
[Are all company people like this?]
"No, New Order is special. Normally, it's the opposite."
The Management Bureau and Beelzebuth were supposed to be enemies, but not all hunter companies were in opposition to players.
While living at the Academy, companies also observed school events and held job fairs.
Of course, to scout talented kids in advance.
Depending on the job, they could do Management Bureau work or even replace duty by working at the company.
But a company attacking the Academy?
It was something I hadn't experienced in the original game, so it was surprising.
[Tiss, should I tell Emily about the current situation?]
Yeah, that would be better.
Even in situations where all communication equipment was broken, Shan could communicate with distant people.
Shan's nickname was 'The Whisperer'.
After awakening the power of her innate ability, Shan could whisper her voice to the desired target.
Given Shan's personality, she didn't use the power to talk to people who didn't know about it, and usually only used it to connect with the net, but originally it was close to nodelete telepathy.
Shan, please.
[Ugh... I, I hate calling... It's trembling but... no choice.]
While Shan was relaying the situation to Emily, I approached the fallen Levi to stop the fake Talon Man.
.
.
.
Interesting.
It was just that the current situation where I could legally bully the weak was interesting.
The examinee in front of me, thinking this was the exam, trembled with fear while falling and getting up, falling and getting up, without knowing anything.
Yeah, this is reality.
The intruder poured out the frustration of having fallen into villainy after staying as a hero applicant without being able to step over the threshold, by bullying the examinees.
The examinees were weak. And he was strong.
So, wasn't it proof that his choice was right?
After two years of being New Order's subordinate, the power and experience he had accumulated was evidence that he was superior to the examinees.
I wanted to play with him more and kill him, but I had to hold back.
After this mission ends, I can officially join New Order.
Then, I would receive more power from Beelzebuth-nim.
'It's not about killing the examinees, but drawing in as many as possible as per the command, so I should start now.'
Mark, the intruder impersonating Talon Man, knocked down Levi and laughed boisterously, extending his hand.
"You're accepted. Examinee."
"Eh? H-Huh, accepted?"
Levi blinked with a face covered in bruises and scrapes.
Mark thought she was surprised about the acceptance news, but she wasn't.
Her gaze turned towards a small-bodied girl handling tentacles that had suppressed the Watcher, approaching silently behind Talon Man.
Levi, after making a gesture of raising three fingers to her mouth to stay silent, decided to stay quiet for now.
Mark took out the Geas Scroll and explained to Levi as received from above.
"The test is still ongoing elsewhere, so you can't reveal this fact. If you sign the oath scroll according to procedure, I'll give you the acceptance certificate...
At that moment, his ability activated.
An attack was coming. If I don't dodge, I die.
With a warning from instinct level, I quickly twisted my body, but...
"Kuhk...!"
The enemy's attack was much faster.
"Crazy...!"
Mark looked at the small monster in front of him, with ears, tail, and tentacles shaking, and fell into despair.
His body realized that he was not a match for the strong one and sent a red light to run away.
"Not bad."
I had intended to pierce the heart, but before the attack hit, it only pierced a hole in the shoulder.
It was a clean strike that erased the sound.
Even so, dodging meant...
"Prediction type."
"Damn...!"
Mark, who had revealed the characteristics of his ability, chose the method with the highest survival probability instead of weak resistance.
"D-Don't come closer!"
"W-What kind of situation is this...?"
"Shut up!"
"Hiiik!"
Mark choked Levi's neck with his uninjured arm and shouted at Tiss, the monster that appeared in front of him.
Was he judging that running or fighting, this way had higher survival probability?
Unfortunately, Mark didn't know that no matter which of the worst or second worst he chose, the result wouldn't change.
"There, examinee."
"N...?!"
"It'll hurt a bit. Sorry."
"What nonsense... If you come closer, this guy dies...!"
Without hesitation, at the fastest speed I could produce, I made ichor into a spear and threw it.
It pierced the heart of the guy strangling Levi's neck, along with Levi.
[T, Tiss?!]
Don't worry.
If I had taken another examinee as hostage, I might have hesitated, but Levi is fine.
She's not dying easily.
Puff puff.
With a sound that didn't match the cute pink cloud that appeared beside, after a while, a healthy Levi jumped out from the cloud.
"Uwaaa... S-Saved."
Levi's innate ability was 『Illusion Rabbit』
She could create clones identical to herself.
And she could switch between the clone and herself anytime.
She used the ability as soon as I said it would hurt, and threw the ichor.
Because of her property of not dying easily, she often played the role of sacrifice in various comedic events.
-Levi is dead! You bad guy!
Other people saying this would naturally appear in the next scene.
"Huaaa! I, I almost died!!!"
"Anyway, I didn't die."
"You're too much!"
Levi, looking at the clone with eyes crossed like in a cartoon, complained to me.
"Iya... What to do? What to do? Y-You were going to kill the same punishment unit with the punishment unit."
"That guy isn't a punishment unit member. It's an intruder who came in by impersonating the punishment unit."
"Eh...?"
"The thing you were about to sign just now wasn't the real acceptance certificate, it was a Geas Scroll. Check it."
While Levi was checking the scroll, I removed the mask he was wearing.
[I have info on this side. Name is Mark. B-rank villain.]
I had heard something like that before.
[A vigilante who was active as a hero applicant named Mark in Area 7, after Kevin's death, became a villain after throwing away the applicants. It seems he mainly worked as a subcontractor for New Order.]
New Order uses the form of subcontractors when using people as disposable tools.
Meaning, not belonging to New Order but actually a subordinate following New Order and the president's orders.
After Evergarden, New Order?
Could it be, Beelzebuth...?
Levi's eyes widened as she picked up the fallen scroll.
"Eeeek!!! What is this! W-Wasn't this a Geas to make examinees cause a riot at the entrance ceremony!? It even says to forget that fact! This is just a scam contract!"
"Yeah, if you had signed without knowing, you would have been an accomplice."
"Uwaaa...! Levi. I almost had my life mortgaged in an instant!"
Leaving Levi, who was grabbing her head and making a fuss, I looked around.
As expected, the test had already been pushed to the back.
Using the gap where communication was blocked, battles were occurring in various places in the ruined city as intruders infiltrated.
The examinees who still didn't know anything were resisting the intruders as best as they could while gathered, and the active ones disguised as punishment units were fighting to stop the intruders approaching them.
Tiss! Emily sent a reply from there. They're quickly recovering communication now. And Baba Yaga and Lionel are also heading to the site now, so please continue to stop the intruders.]
Since both arrived, I was relieved, but...
"It seems the test will end early."
"N...? W-What...? W-What happens to me then?"
"It's complicated to explain, but probably acceptance..."
Crack.
"Uwaa!"
Instantly feeling immense killing intent, I grabbed Levi and threw my body back with all my strength.
Whoosh!
At the place where we were, dozens of steel flowers bloomed.
Even the petals, stems, and leaves were sharp, blade-like steel flowers.
[Tiss... B-Be careful. That guy... is strong.]
I know.
Someone who knows the ability to make steel into flowers.
Meaning, a person with influence even in the original story.
Her identity was Cheon Geomhwa, the deputy president of Evergarden.
Her hunter rank at the time she was working as a hunter for the Management Bureau was A+.
"If you return Perfume's body, I'll let you live and send you away."
She looked at me with killing intent and approached.