Survival Report
The interrogation dragged on endlessly.
“······And Henderson said nothing else?”
“No, nothing.”
The Imperial Academy’s investigative division, the Imperial Police, and even the Imperial Guard. Each group had summoned me separately for their own questioning, peppering me with the same questions until an entire day had slipped away. Did these people not understand the concept of sharing investigation results? Why did they insist on working in such an inefficient manner?
“Have you finished as well, Miss Emilia?”
“Yes. They said I could go now.”
When I finally emerged after wrapping everything up, Emilia happened to be coming out at the same time. I heard they had even subjected her to a psychological evaluation. They were apparently worried she might have been traumatized after witnessing such a brutal fight. But given the battlefields Emilia had already seen, something like that wouldn’t have shaken her. I wasn’t particularly concerned.
One thing had become clear from this incident, however. Lady Lichtenburg had turned completely hostile toward me. The moment she was cornered, she had immediately deployed Henderson to eliminate me. I never expected that. At this point, it was practically a declaration of war.
Unfortunately, the only evidence that Lady Lichtenburg had tried to kill me twice was circumstantial. Mobilizing the Imperial Police to crush her was impossible.
I’ll have to show her what happens when she messes with me.
Even so, I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. No matter what it took, I had to make her abandon any thought of opposing me. Only then would she stop being an obstacle in the future.
And I had come up with a brilliant way to do exactly that.
“Let’s head back to the Imperial Academy.”
“Yes, Mr. Heinkel.”
I would use Erika. The daughter Lady Lichtenburg cherished more than anything else in the world.
Status: Contained
Casualty: Henderson (Crow)
Perpetrator: Schluss Heinkel
Classification: Level 1 Secret
“Goddammit. We still don’t have any intel from Emilia······.”
In a café that doubled as a bar—the Intelligence Bureau’s operational base—Eric clutched his head in frustration. Starting at one o’clock this morning, the number of people passing through the Imperial Academy’s main gate had exploded. They were concealing their identities thoroughly, but the Bureau’s meticulous investigation had confirmed that some of them belonged to the Imperial Police.
“Fuck······. What the hell happened in there······.”
For police to storm the academy at dawn, someone had clearly died. And not just anyone—a major figure. Had one of the professors been killed? Or perhaps a student?
“Why isn’t that bastard showing up······.”
Schluss, who visited the café almost every day, hadn’t appeared. Could it be that the one who died was Schluss Heinkel himself? Or maybe Emilia······?
Just imagining it sent a chill down his spine. If Emilia had died, Hurtlocker would lose his mind completely.
Ding······.
The door burst open, and a man wearing a fedora stepped inside. Even with the mask and the hat pulled low, Eric recognized him instantly. It was Hurtlocker—the man who had successfully infiltrated the Crows not long ago.
“Any new information?”
“······.”
Eric shook his head as he looked at Hurtlocker. More than twelve hours had passed since the incident, yet no one had managed to uncover what exactly had caused such chaos at the Imperial Academy. Not even whether Emilia, who was embedded inside, was still alive······.
“I’m sorry, Hurtlocker. I know you’re anxious, but if you can just trust me and wait a little longer, I’m sure we’ll—”
“It’s fine. I already found out.”
“What?”
Hurtlocker sat down at the bar and spoke indifferently. Eric, who had been heading toward the cabinet, froze with his eyes wide open.
“The one who died was Henderson.”
“What? Wait a second. Henderson? That bastard was targeting Schluss Heinkel, right? Ah······ no way.”
“Yes. It appears he infiltrated the Imperial Academy to assassinate Schluss Heinkel and was intercepted.”
“By the guards? Or by Schluss Heinkel himself?”
“How could the academy guards possibly handle Henderson?”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me······.”
Eric staggered, suddenly dizzy. The fact that Henderson—who had been lying low for years after assassinating the Crown Prince—had suddenly accepted an assassination request was shocking enough. But the idea that the man considered unrivaled had launched a nighttime ambush only to be killed instead······ the shocks just kept coming.
“Source of the information?”
“Rumors circulating among the Crows.”
“······.”
Rumors. Not exactly the most trustworthy word. But when the word “Crow” was attached, the story changed completely. In their closed society, the Crows had only one method of communication: word of mouth. Therefore, if they were saying Henderson was dead, it was as close to the truth as it could get. After all, they were the ones who inevitably obtained the fastest and most accurate information about incidents involving their own.
“Then the reason no information about the incident has been released yet is······”
“Yes. I believe it’s a measure taken to consider the social repercussions.”
That also explained why both the Imperial Police and the Imperial Academy were pouring so much effort into security. If word got out that an ordinary commoner who was merely an undergraduate student had suddenly slain one of the Empire’s greatest enemies, the shock would be immeasurable. Just looking at how dumbfounded Eric was right now proved that much.
“There’s no way Henderson would have stormed in at the crack of dawn saying ‘please kill me.’······ So he went all out in his assassination attempt and still failed?”
“Yes······. He probably struggled desperately until the very end.”
Eric sensed something off in Hurtlocker’s subdued reply. Henderson never hesitated to use any means necessary to complete a contract. If he had been driven into a corner and faced death, he would have resorted to every dirty, underhanded trick in the book.
And the kind of dirty trick he could have used inside Schluss Heinkel’s mansion was······
“Hey. Don’t even think about it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Never mind, you idiot. It’s not that.”
Taking a hostage—specifically, the attendant. Both Eric and Hurtlocker had arrived at the same conclusion. Since Eric had thought of it so quickly, Henderson would have considered it from the start and carried it out without hesitation. The fact that Henderson had still died meant the hostage tactic hadn’t worked.
In other words, Schluss had abandoned the hostage’s life.
“What do you mean it’s not? Can you be certain? That Emilia will come back alive? Can you really tell me that for sure, Director?!”
“······.”
Hurtlocker’s voice grew louder and louder until it nearly became a scream. Eric couldn’t meet his eyes and simply lowered his head. He wanted to say not to worry, that Emilia wasn’t dead, but even he couldn’t be certain.
“Let’s just wait for now, Hurtlocker.”
“Wait for what?! For a death notice? I can’t wait that long! I need to see with my own eyes whether she’s dead or alive. Don’t try to stop me. I’m heading to the Imperial Academy right—”
Beep— Beep······.
At that moment, a mechanical sound came from beneath the bar. The instant Eric pulled out the artifact, Hurtlocker’s mouth snapped shut. It was none other than the communication artifact that received Emilia’s regular reports.
“Huh. Four characters. Sur······ viv······ al······ re······ port.”
“······.”
A survival report. A short message announcing that she was alive. When Eric finished deciphering it and looked up, Hurtlocker had already turned his back. The tips of his ears were flushed bright red with embarrassment.
Emilia Siegfried — Status: Alive and well
No abnormalities detected.
“Why······ why hasn’t there been any word yet······.”
Lady Lichtenburg sat with her legs crossed, biting her nails. The Crow she had sent to assassinate Schluss Heinkel had gone completely silent. It had already been a full twenty-four hours. At this point, there were only two possibilities.
First, Henderson had abandoned the contract and fled.
“No way······.”
It was an absurd notion. For a Crow to unilaterally abandon a contract they had accepted? Anyone who did that would be hunted down and executed by the other Crows. That was precisely how the Crows maintained their reputation—by eliminating traitors. So that possibility made no sense.
The second possibility was······
“He failed? Henderson?”
That the Crow known as Henderson had failed in his assassination and been killed. This, too, seemed just as absurd. The man had infiltrated the imperial palace and assassinated the Crown Prince. How could he possibly have failed to kill a mere commoner······?
“Mother. I’m home.”
“Oh, Erika! You’re back?”
The moment the door opened and her daughter’s voice reached her, Lady Lichtenburg’s face brightened instantly. The grave expression she had worn moments ago vanished without a trace.
“I’m going to rest now.”
“Wait! Can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“Did anything unusual happen at school today?”
“Hmm······? Not really, no?”
At Erika’s slightly bewildered response, Lady Lichtenburg realized her mistake. It might seem strange, but she would have to mention the name directly.
“Schluss Heinkel. That commoner—did he not show up or anything······?”
“No. He attended class like normal. Why do you ask about him?”
“······.”
Erika’s confirmation struck Lady Lichtenburg like a blow to the chest. Schluss was alive. Which meant Henderson had failed. The biggest problem was that Schluss undoubtedly knew she had been the one who sent the Crow. By now, he would be seething with murderous intent. The most terrifying part was that, as a commoner with nothing to lose, there was no telling what he might do. He might even harm Erika.
The thought made cold sweat break out across Lady Lichtenburg’s back.
“Erika. You don’t feel like dropping out, do you?”
“What? Drop out? No, not at all. Why would I drop out?”
Of course. It was the most natural response. Lady Lichtenburg let out a deep sigh. Erika had wanted to attend the Imperial Academy more than anything. She couldn’t force her to withdraw.
“Listen carefully, Erika. Mother looked into Schluss Heinkel a bit.”
“Yes, yes.”
“And it turns out he has quite an undesirable past.”
“An undesirable past? What kind?”
“Well······?”
An undesirable past. Perhaps a criminal record? Or maybe he frequented brothels? Erika listened attentively, hoping for information that would lend credibility to her mother’s theory that Schluss was a worthless human being who had sold his lifespan to a demon.
Unfortunately, Lady Lichtenburg hadn’t prepared any specific details, so she faltered for a moment.
“He has committed acts so horrific and immoral that they can’t even be put into words!”
“I-I see.”
Couldn’t even be put into words······? Had he committed dismemberment murders or something? Erika’s face had already turned deathly pale.
“So, I’d like you to stay as far away from that commoner as possible, my dear.”
Lady Lichtenburg spoke cautiously. From what she could tell, Schluss Heinkel and Erika were close enough that she had even invited him to their home. She truly didn’t want to interfere with her daughter’s friendships, but she had no choice. Not if it meant keeping Erika safe.
A brief silence fell between them. Just as Lady Lichtenburg’s lips began to move again, Erika spoke first.
“I understand, Mother.”
“Y-You’re not going to ask why?”
“It’s your word, Mother. I’m sure you have your reasons. I’ll do as you say.”
“Erika······!”
Overcome with emotion, Lady Lichtenburg pulled her daughter into a tight embrace. Completely unaware of the thoughts running through Erika’s mind.
I’m sorry, Mother. I know Schluss is a terrible person. But if I want to ensure he meets the right kind of end, I have no choice but to stay close to him.
She would help Iris prevent the future in which Schluss sacrificed himself and died. She would make sure he died at the end of his natural lifespan, then reveal to the world that he had made a contract with a demon. For that plan to succeed, she could not distance herself from Schluss.