Heaven's Mandate (2)
“……”
Clatter.
Was it the faint clinking of chains tickling my ears that pulled my consciousness back to reality?
“……Where am I?”
I muttered under my breath, scanning my surroundings. In what looked for all the world like a shady, pitch-black underground dungeon, I was confined—both my arms and legs bound securely in iron chains.
Why on earth am I in a place like this?
I dredged up my most recent memories. When the final scene flashed through my mind, a small, hollow gasp slipped past my lips.
“Ah.”
Right. I lost to that masked bastard, didn't I?
I believe his name was Hamel.
“……Tsk.”
Remembering the duel, I clicked my tongue in bitter annoyance.
……Cowardly piece of shit. In a fair and honorable duel, he actually pulled out a blatant cheat code? If not for that dirty trick, I would've won hands down!
Right after venting my frustration internally, another realization struck.
“By the way……”
I lowered my head to take a proper look at my current state.
My clothes were shredded in various places from the aftermath of combat. Worse, with both arms hauled upward by chains dangling from the ceiling, my body was hoisted into an elongated 'I' shape, stretched taut and completely immobilized.
It was practically the spitting image of a pose and angle you'd find plastered on the cover of some raunchy, adult work.
“Haaah……”
To think the day would come when I'd suffer such humiliation. I almost felt obligated to spit out the classic heroine cliché: “Kuh! Just kill me!”
“That crazy perverted gentleman son of a bitch! How dare he string me up like this?!”
Just as I was thoroughly cursing the culprit who must have tied me up—
“Calling me a 'perverted gentleman'… hearing that really breaks my heart.”
A familiar, flamboyant voice echoed from the dark.
Creeeeak.
The heavy iron door of the dungeon groaned open, allowing a sliver of pale light to pierce the gloom. And stepping through the threshold was—
“Should I say… 'hello'? Well, seeing you tied up so obediently does set my mind at ease somewhat.”
The mastermind behind my capture. The man known as Hamel had arrived, still dressed in his pristine white suit, fedora, and smiling theater mask.
“Youuuuu……!”
I glared murderously at Hamel, radiating pure killing intent. Yet the bastard maintained his effortless composure, coming to a halt just outside my reach.
“My, my. Still so ferocious even in that state? Terrifying, truly terrifying.”
“…….”
“You were defeated and dragged here, so why not accept it gracefully? You lost to me, and right now, your life and death rest entirely in my hands. If you keep acting so vicious, who knows what I might do if my mood sours? Shouldn't you calm down a bit? Loser.”
“You piece of shit?! Hey, run it back! I only lost because I didn't have my gear! If I'd been in full equipment, you wouldn't even have dared run your mouth like this!”
My temper flared at his mocking sneer, and I lunged forward with all my might to tear into his throat. However, held fast by the chains hoisting my limbs, I couldn't reach him, ending only with the harsh clatter of taut metal.
“Whoa, whoa. Calm down now. We'll be having a very fruitful and constructive conversation shortly. Though before that, it seems we ought to clarify our respective positions, wouldn't you say? As I just mentioned, please don't forget that your life and death belong to me.”
“…….”
Having delivered his warning, Hamel pulled up a wooden chair from the corner of the dungeon and made himself comfortable right in front of my iron cage.
“Well, then. Where should we begin? You seem to have quite a lot to say, so shall we start with a little Q&A? Feel free to ask whatever you like. We have plenty of time, after all.”
Watching him lounge so casually, I sank into thought.
Does he have no intention of harming me right away?
Judging by his words, his relaxed demeanor, and the fact that all four of my limbs were still fully intact, I began piecing together the puzzle. If his deliberate goal had been to permanently incapacitate and imprison me, he wouldn't have relied on mere iron chains like this; he would've snapped my limbs or employed far more gruesome measures.
The fact that he hadn't… meant there was some reason he hesitated to damage my body.
With that suspicion in mind, I opened my mouth.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Hmm? Curious about me, are you? What would you like to know? My age? Ideal type? Hobbies? Where shall I begin?”
“…….”
When I glared at him with glacial eyes, he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
“Good grief, can't even take a joke. Hahaha!”
What is wrong with this guy? Was he always this kind of character?
Right as the bitter realization of 'I lost to a clown like this?' began washing over me, he crossed his arms and spoke in a measured tone.
“Let us reintroduce ourselves, then. My name is Hamel. Currently a member of Heaven's Mandate, formerly an adventurer, and thirty years ago, an expeditionary member who participated in the Conquest Expedition of the White Tower. In essence, you could consider me your grand senior in the adventuring trade.”
“……?”
“Aside from that, I have little else by way of introduction. What else are you curious about?”
At his declaration, I began sorting through my thoughts. Sifting through his words, he used to be an adventurer—and an exceptionally seasoned veteran at that. The Conquest Expedition thirty years ago referred to the massive dungeon raid comprised solely of the absolute cream of humanity's crop.
To put it briefly, a one-hundred-man expedition was formed, boasting elite veterans including five Platinum Adventurers. Two years after its inception, the raid finally conquered the 100th floor of the dungeon known as the White Tower. That was the historic Conquest Expedition.
However, history recorded that the vast majority of the expeditionary force perished in that journey. In short, this bastard was a survivor of that hell.
No wonder he was so absurdly strong. Right, there's no way I would've been taken down by some nobody without a pedigree.
Consoling myself with that thought, I pressed on.
“What in the world is Heaven's Mandate?”
“An organization formed in the past by those who uncovered a certain truth during that Conquest Expedition. Our objective is to challenge the White Tower once more. And to achieve its complete and utter conquest.”
“……I heard the White Tower was fully cleared during the Conquest Expedition.”
At my remark, Hamel waved his hand dismissively.
“No. Contrary to public belief, the tower was never cleared. Let us simply say that the expedition back then met a half-baked conclusion.”
“…….”
As I fell into stunned silence, Hamel traced the brim of his fedora and continued.
“At any rate, upon breaching the 100th floor, we received our rewards for clearing the tower—along with a certain truth. And that was……”
He paused deliberately, letting the silence hang, before his voice dropped into an eerie gravity.
“……That before long, this world will face annihilation. Utter and absolute ruin.”
“And why is that?”
When I asked, his reply was flat and unembellished.
“Because the tower has yet to be cleared. ……As an adventurer yourself, you're familiar with dungeons, aren't you? If a dungeon remains uncleared past its designated grace period, its boundaries collapse and its contents spill forth into the outside world.”
“Are you talking about a Dungeon Break?”
A Dungeon Break. It was the ultimate penalty triggered by failing to clear a dungeon—a catastrophe that occurred when an expedition failed, or when a dungeon's floor boss wasn't slain within a designated time limit, spewing thousands of monsters into civilization.
“Yes, precisely. The White Tower finds itself in an almost identical predicament. Even now, the tower has not been completely cleared. A grace period holds for the moment, but once it expires? The tower will inevitably collapse, and the world will once again devolve into a living hell.”
Hearing his claim, pure skepticism prompted me to ask:
“Then why keep that fact hidden instead of informing the public? If what you're saying is true, shouldn't you be inciting everyone to conquer the White Tower instead?”
“A splendid question. Truth be told, explaining that involves a great deal of rather intricate circumstances. But to give you the most fundamental conclusion: humanity, as it stands today, can never conquer the White Tower.”
“……?”
“To put it simply: rather than clinging to futile hope, isn't it better to live comfortably under a fabricated world, eyes shut tight and huddled together, until the end arrives? Do you understand?”
As Hamel concluded with that chilling question, I pondered his words before speaking up.
“And? Does the reason you captured me and brought me here have anything to do with that grand tale of yours?”
“Mmm. About that… Honestly, I don't know either.”
“What?”
“I was merely ordered to kidnap you. What exact purpose they had in bringing you here is something I'm not privy to yet.”
“……?”
Faced with such a baffling answer, my jaw dropped in sheer disbelief.
“Who ordered you to do it? The ringleader of this 'Heaven's Mandate' of yours?”
“'Ringleader' is rather uncalled for. We are not divided by rank or hierarchy. Only one thing moves us.”
With that, he raised a single gloved finger toward the ceiling.
“Heaven. Only the Mandate of Heaven moves us.”
“Haaah……”
Letting out an exhausted sigh, I scoffed.
“……Here I was, trying to listen seriously, and it turns out to be nothing more than the clichéd drivel and delusional ravings of a lunatic.”
I drew in a massive breath, filling my lungs to bursting.
“Listen up! If you think some cheap iron chains are enough to hold me down, you've made a fatal miscalculation! If you wanted to keep me tied, you should've brought chains forged from mithril at the very least!”
Immediately channeling every ounce of mana and internal energy through my entire body with a fierce roar—
Clang!
—The chains were supposed to shatter into scrap metal.
……Or so it should have been.
They won't break?! Why?!
No matter how violently I surged my power, the chains wouldn't budge an inch. Not only were they ridiculously sturdy, but for some reason, I couldn't even project my energy outward into the metal.
Don't tell me… even though they look like cheap iron, are they actually enchanted mithril?!
On top of that, straining and twisting violently against the unforgiving cuffs had scraped the skin right off my wrists. The raw wounds stung fiercely.
“Dear me, careful now.”
Watching my futile struggle, Hamel stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“Common sense dictates that I wouldn't try to bind you with cheap restraints without taking proper precautions, wouldn't it?”
“……You! What did you do to me?!”
“Hmm? As for that…”
Behind his mask, Hamel offered a sly smirk.
“In a situation like this, isn't it far more stimulating to the imagination if I keep my lips sealed?”
“You motherfucker!”
“Well, why don't you discover what I've done to you in due time?”
He lightly rotated his wrists, loosening his joints. Just as I wondered what he was playing at—
“Now then, I must attend to the task I was requested to carry out.”
The moment the words left his mouth, his fist plunged squarely into my lower abdomen.
“Guh-hk?!”
The shockwave tore through my gut, wringing a pained gasp from my throat. Right on its heels, a searing agony flared across my stomach, as if branded with white-hot iron. It was completely different from the blunt pain of an impact.
What the hell?!
I cast my eyes downward, and what came into view was—
W-What is this?!
Etched right across my lower abdomen was a glowing crimson tattoo. It looked almost like a heart shape… a design I had definitely seen somewhere before……
Like, for instance, in adult visual novels back on Earth.
And recalling the tragic fate that typically befell characters branded with such a crest, I barely forced my voice past trembling lips.
“You… crazy perverted gentleman bastard… what the fuck did you do to my body……?!”
Even as I tried to unleash a torrent of vitriol, the searing pain made it hard to string sentences together. Hamel adjusted his fedora once more and replied calmly:
“I'd appreciate it if you dropped the modifiers before 'gentleman.' Unlikely as it may seem, I consider myself quite the feminist, especially generous toward ladies. As a rule, I refrain from rough treatment of women, but this matter was an unavoidable necessity.”
“…….”
Right. Let me correct myself. This guy wasn't just a garden-variety perverted gentleman.
“You crazy, perverted, psychotic feminist gentleman bastard……”
“My, hearing that tears my heart to pieces. Well, regardless.”
The crazy, perverted, psychotic feminist gentleman turned to leave. As he reached the iron door he had entered through, he paused on the threshold.
“Stay obediently right there. I have to prepare for the next ritual. We shall see each other again then.”
“Hey! What are you planning to do to me next?!”
Behind his theater mask, he flashed that theatrical grin once more.
“Well, that… I shall leave to your imagination.”
With those parting words, he slipped away, the door clanging shut behind him.
Left completely isolated in the damp dark—
“Ah, nghhh?!”
I groaned as the burning sensation radiating from my lower belly flared out of control. It genuinely felt like living flesh was being branded in real time. To be completely honest, I was on the verge of blacking out.
No… I can't. If I lose consciousness now……
Fighting against the encroaching darkness, I desperately clung to the threads of my awareness and slowly lifted my head. If I stayed like this, there was no telling what that crazy, perverted, psycho gentleman would do to me once he returned.
If he came back and I hadn't prepared any countermeasure, God only knew what unspeakable horrors that perverted gentleman would inflict upon me. Judging by the spectacularly god-awful design of the crest he had etched onto me, the outcome was painfully easy to deduce.
For example:
—Kuh! Just kill me!
—You might break my body, but you'll never break my spirit!
—S-Stop! What are you trying to do to me?! Don't come any closer! Get away! You pervert!
—N-Not there?! Stop, hyahhh?!
.
(Omitted)
.
—Nggghhh?! I'm... I'm cumming, I'm...?!♥
—(Censored)
……Situations exactly like that. Not watching it through a screen in some degenerate fantasy work, but experiencing it firsthand with my own flesh and blood.
The moment that worst-case scenario crossed my mind, an icy chill ran straight down my spine. A creeping sense of dread and panic gripped my chest, and cold sweat began drenching my entire body.
Holy shit! I have to get out of here, NOW!
Whatever he had planned, I realized with absolute desperation that things could never, under any circumstances, be allowed to unfold as he desired.
But how the hell do I escape from here?
Gripped by panic, I racked my brains frantically for a solution.
Topic of discussion: How to escape this place?
First, let's summarize the situation as clearly as possible:
1. Escaping these chains through physical brute force is impossible.
2. For some baffling reason, I cannot project mana or strength outward.
3. Expecting rescue from anyone else is entirely out of the question.
Conclusion reached immediately:
1. Accept my fate as it is.
2. Accept my fate as it is.
“…….”
I stared blankly at the ceiling and let out a hollow sigh.
How on earth did things end up like this? Where did everything go so terribly wrong? Was it when I lost to that crazy pervert psycho feminist gentleman? Or when I threw all those tantrums because I desperately wanted to retire from being an adventurer? Or perhaps… the very moment I was blessed—or rather, cursed—with this second chance at life?
If only I could start over… If only I could regress back to when I was a kid, I could have prepared so much better. But do I even have a regression ability?
Right at that moment—
Wait a second. Regress back to being a kid?
A sudden spark of inspiration flashed through my mind. It was an idea born from a scene in a certain detective manga I read back on Earth.
A character was fed what was supposed to be a deadly poison, only for it to have the unforeseen side effect of shrinking their body. Using their shrunken form, they slipped right out of their restraints and escaped the facility.
Right now, while I couldn't project power outside my body, I was still able to manipulate it internally. If I could actually utilize that properly, couldn't this work?
Nothing to lose, let's give it a shot.
And so, amidst the searing pain that continued to ravage my lower abdomen, I focused my consciousness to its absolute limit. What I imagined was my body regressing in age.
I vividly envisioned myself back then—far more fragile, tiny, and completely powerless compared to now. Reversing the usual method of circulating energy to reinforce the physical vessel, I directed it entirely toward unraveling and weakening myself.
Shhh—
Slowly, my physical frame began to shrink.
Slip—
My diminished wrists slid cleanly through the slackened iron cuffs, sending me tumbling straight onto my backside.
Thud.
“Ow!”
Suppressing the dull ache, I pushed myself up from the cold floor. Looking down at myself, I paused.
“……?”
The clothes that had fit snugly moments ago were now comically oversized, draping loosely over an astonishingly petite frame. My arms and legs were slender enough that they looked ready to snap at a touch, and my crimson hair tumbled all the way down past my waist.
If memory served, this was my appearance around the age of thirteen. My childhood self.
Holy crap, that actually worked?!
Filled with awe, I opened and clenched my small hands, checking over my body. Nothing seemed broken or out of place. What was even more miraculous: the moment my body regressed, the searing pain that had been burning in my lower belly vanished without a trace.
Nice! I can move!
Glancing around, I dashed toward the doorway before that bastard could return. I was terrified the door might be locked, but miraculously, it remained unlatched. I braced myself for a guard waiting on the other side, but sensed no presence whatsoever—
Yes! I can actually get out!
A broad grin spread across my face as I scampered out of the room on tiny feet. Before me stretched a long, winding flight of stone stairs. Climbing to the top brought me into what looked like an ordinary residential house.
Stealthily slipping through the corridor, I pushed open the front door where daylight poured in. Outside lay the bustling streets of Lumeln.
……Apparently, the place I had been held captive was merely the basement of a common civilian house.
“…….”
Before turning away, I cast one last look back at the entrance and ground my teeth furiously. Recalling everything that had transpired down there—
……He said his higher-up was 'Heaven,' didn't he?
Heaven.
And the Mandate of Heaven—Heaven's Mandate.
Muttering that name under my breath, an unyielding resolve settled deep within my chest.
I swear to God, I'm going to hunt you bastards down. I'll track you down and squeeze out every single answer. Whether this has anything to do with why I was given a second life. What the hell you want from me. I'll hear it straight from your mouths. Mark my fucking words!
Vowing vengeance against that crazy perverted psycho feminist gentleman and everyone pulling his strings, I slipped into the crowd and made my escape.
Some time later.
Back in the underground chamber where Teresia had been imprisoned—
“Hmm? Good grief. How on earth did she slip out in that state?”
Hamel stared into the now-empty dungeon cell, bewildered by her disappearance during his brief absence.
“Shall I… recapture her?” Hamel murmured softly into the empty air.
Immediately, an eerie voice echoed directly into Hamel's mind, carrying the resonant weight of a telepathic transmission.
—No. Let her go for now.
At that command, Hamel pulled the brim of his fedora down low.
“Are you certain? Luck was on our side this time, making the capture easy, but it may not be so simple next time.”
To Hamel's voiced concern, the voice spoke once more.
—It appears the time to reap the harvest has not yet arrived. It seems Heaven intends to watch until the Cradle of God matures to full ripeness. So do not commit any unnecessary foolishness; return, Hamel.
Hamel gave an exaggerated shrug, sighing in mock resignation.
“Is that so? Good heavens. Then it seems I made a wasted trip. And committed actions rather unbefitting of myself in the process…… Very well. I shall see you shortly. ……All for the Mandate of Heaven.”
With Hamel's concluding words, his form dissolved into a haze of white mist and vanished into thin air.
The instant he departed, the underground chamber with its iron cage began to warp and distort. Before long, the dungeon shifted, reverting into a completely mundane underground storage cellar.
As if everything that had existed here was nothing more than an illusion.
Leaving the cellar utterly deserted.