Chapter 79
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: String (6)
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A man with both arms bound by whips and dozens of needles stabbed into his back.
The man before me, unable to even twitch, was clearly startled upon hearing Garn's voice.
Thinking back to when we first captured him, most of the traps holding him were ones I'd personally modified.
At first, I was busy replicating Philip Deran's designs exactly, but eventually, I had some spare time, and after handling the traps a few times, their structures became familiar enough to tweak easily.
Of course, there were things I couldn't modify on the spot. Ones that couldn't be altered just by changing attributes. Like the whips of fire.
In contrast, the trap with the three massive nails was something I'd newly devised. I'd rushed it a bit, so it pierced his shoulders instead of his palms and dantian.
But I could just adjust it.
Garn wasn't really alive either. It was just my voice, mimicked through the communication orb.
I couldn't perfectly replicate a human form in a short time, so naturally, the voice coming from the orb was just my mana transformed.
In other words, I was currently playing a one-man two-role act right in front of this guy.
All that talk about affiliations and such was, of course, complete lies. If I had to pick one, it'd probably be something like the Ivan Universe.
"Garn! Is that you, Garn?"
- ...Who is this?
"It's me, Jackal. How the hell did you end up like...?"
Jackal trailed off mid-sentence.
"Damn it."
He must have realized it was a pointless question.
His follow-up was a more refined one.
"Was it you who mentioned Zmol...?"
I had no idea how close they really were.
His shocked reaction upon recognizing Garn suggested they might have been closer than I'd thought, or maybe he was just startled to hear a familiar name in this desperate situation.
Jackal might not have had much interaction with me either, for that matter.
I had to walk the tightrope between them.
It wasn't unfamiliar. It was something I did all the time in chat rooms. And with me holding all the cards like this, it was actually easier.
- Yeah, it's me. Jackal, looks like you got caught too...
I'd only learned the name Jackal moments ago, but situational empathy was something anyone could muster. It bridged emotions, regardless of how deep or shallow the connection was.
And I mimicked the reaction Jackal had shown just now.
- Asking why you're caught... would be pointless, right?
"Yeah... But I still can't believe you betrayed us and joined them."
Can't believe it... Did that mean he never expected Garn to betray them?
Was Garn more trustworthy than I'd imagined?
Well, considering he thought of his family even in his dying moments, it wasn't entirely out of character.
At that point, Jackal glanced at me cautiously and said,
"Is it okay if Zmol finds out? I only overheard it just now, but I heard you have people you need to protect. Doesn't Zmol know too?"
Jackal didn't seem to know the full details either, but he clearly knew more about Zmol than I did.
Did Zmol really know all of Garn's circumstances?
'Does Zmol feel like their leader?'
I'd thought he was just the strongest among them, but he seemed to hold a more important role than expected.
If Zmol knew everything about Garn's situation, would Garn have asked me to leave a letter for his family?
If he trusted Zmol to take responsibility and care for them if a member fell in battle, maybe not.
But if he didn't fully trust Zmol, then making that request made sense.
In fact, Garn had said right before dying that he didn't know much about Zmol. Though whether that was sincere or a lie, I couldn't be sure.
Jumping to conclusions here would be hasty.
And I knew from experience the best response for times like this.
- What reason would I have for turning?
Turning the question back on him.
"...Did they promise to protect you?"
Seeing Jackal come to his own conclusion, I cut off the communication.
This was enough.
The conversation was starting to venture into territory I didn't know, so from my position, now was the perfect time to pull back.
As the communication ended, Jackal asked me,
"Where's Garn right now?"
"Locked up."
"What?"
I shrugged nonchalantly.
"Until this operation ends. He'll be released once it's over."
"And the operation is... dismantling the Moonlight Afterglow?"
"That would be included, yeah."
Jackal hesitated before speaking.
"Then I want to see your group's leader. The strongest one."
"You think you're in a position to make demands?"
"...Don't we need some trust? That you'll actually let me live."
I snorted.
"You'll see them when the time comes anyway."
He wouldn't. There was no such powerful figure, and unfortunately, Jackal was already beyond saving.
His fate was sealed.
"I just need assurance that you can really take down the Moonlight Afterglow. For me too-"
"Then just die."
As I stepped into his domain's range and drew up my mana, he swallowed hard and spoke.
"...Fine. I'll talk. But the info I know probably isn't much different from what Garn knew."
"That's fine. Just tell me everything you know."
Jackal suddenly frowned and said,
"Planning to compare and kill me if they differ?"
"Didn't you just say with your own mouth that it won't be much different from what Garn knows?"
"...There could be slight differences."
"I won't kill you over a single word, so relax."
Jackal, who had started to relax, froze up again. Anxiety and fear crossed his face.
"And what Garn knows might be slightly off anyway. He wasn't that close to Zmol."
...He must be terrified.
He was spouting contradictions just to leave himself an out.
Or maybe the truth was starting to slip out.
"So you were at least closer to Garn than that."
"Closer than Garn, yeah. And since I'm talking, can you do something about this? At least let me out of this position."
"Tell me everything, and I'll release you. The smoother this goes, the better for you."
In truth, this was the strongest way to restrain a Transcendent right now. It was one reason he was as good as dead.
"First, what's the Moonlight Afterglow's goal?"
"I can't answer something that grandiose. But I can tell you what I've been doing all this time."
His answer matched what Garn had said. Garn didn't know the group's lofty goals either; he'd joined because they promised to protect him.
I glanced at the wary Jackal and said,
"What have you been doing?"
"Usually following Zmol's orders, but the longest recent task was surveilling an orphanage."
"Surveilling?"
I couldn't help but ask back.
Having a Transcendent surveil an orphanage?
"Not just simple surveillance. It was picking out talented kids."
"Talented kids? What happened after you picked them out?"
"Killed them."
"..."
I barely managed to keep my expression in check.
"Yourself?"
"Used others."
"Same method as with this Shadow Devourer this time, I assume."
Similar to the attempt on Roselin's life.
'Was Roselin in an orphanage too?'
I knew she'd lost her parents to Parthan.
Did she end up in an orphanage after that?
"This time was special, but the method's similar enough."
"Special how?"
"We'd tried to kill that kid several times before, but failed every time. Normally, Parthan would step in by now, but..."
"He's dead."
"Yeah. All the indiscriminate killings of civilians were Parthan's job. Especially nobles or anyone with backing."
"Because of the pact?"
Jackal conveyed agreement with his eyes, unable to nod.
"We usually ignored each other, but Parthan was different. Everyone dismissed him. Said he'd drop dead soon. But seeing him survive despite that made us feel like we were truly protected."
"Why do that?"
"No idea. Just followed orders."
Picking out talented kids and eliminating them.
What reason could there be for that?
Well, unless it was some absurd plan to eradicate humanity from the roots...
"How big is your group?"
"About ten, excluding Zmol. As far as I know. No way for me to find out more."
Yeah, a group that size couldn't pull off something so outrageous.
That left the Hero as the obvious suspect. Zmol had definitely put Hero-related items up at the auction house, and it had to be connected to the Moonlight Afterglow.
'Can't pinpoint who the Hero is exactly?'
With just fragments... Like knowing the Hero would soon awaken, and doing all this. Roselin might just be an unlucky target caught in it. She was undeniably talented.
If so, losing her parents to Parthan was pure misfortune.
What a cruel fate.
"You don't know much about Roselin either, huh?"
"No clue. ...I'm serious, I really don't. Even if I was curious about my missions, they told us to ask after everything was done."
He added that, probably uneasy about repeating "I don't know."
It wasn't wrong.
The Roselin matter wasn't over yet.
That's why he'd been caught mid-operation.
"Then let's move on to Zmol, since you know him well. Do you know he operated under the name John?"
"Yeah. First off, Zmol's been really busy lately."
"Busy?"
"...Honestly, my gut says he looked anxious. He was supposed to meet the lumberjack today, but I took it over last minute."
"Where's Zmol?"
"Garn didn't come back from his mission, so he went himself..."
To find Cedric.
"Why do you think Zmol's anxious?"
"Probably..."
Jackal glanced at me and continued.
"This might not be certain."
"Doesn't matter. Spit it out."
"Zmol, who gathered us, seems to be taking orders from someone else too. Maybe something went wrong with them."
Zmol answers to someone.
Jackal wouldn't know who, obviously.
Something went wrong with them...
"Another possibility is Cedric."
"Cedric?"
"Zmol's been wary of him for a while. Every time he lost Cedric's trail, he'd agonize over it seriously."