The Noose Tightens
About five minutes earlier.
After parting ways with Joyeon, Sosia headed straight back to the emergency room to find Delpiari. There’s so much more I can do now, but time is still running out. Even if it feels suspicious, I need to locate Delpiari as quickly as possible and get to the cafeteria.
Following House’s directions, Sosia made her way to a quiet corner of the emergency room where Delpiari stood alone, motionless. She approached him with practiced naturalness.
“Mr. Delpiari.”
“Ah, Saintess. I see you’ve finished speaking with your son.”
...He must have seen us step outside. It’s fine. Talking with my son isn’t something that would raise much suspicion.
“Yes. He slept in today, so I came to tell him to speak up if he’s feeling unwell before it’s too late.”
“Aha, a mother’s love. Even the Saintess would worry if her son were injured. Heh heh heh.”
“He may be grown, but he’s still just a child to me.”
After exchanging a few natural remarks about her brief outing with Joyeon, Sosia moved straight to the point.
“Mr. Delpiari, would it be possible to receive the help you mentioned earlier?”
“Oh my. It seems an opportunity to assist the Saintess has already arrived. I wonder what it might be. Heh heh.”
“It’s nothing difficult. I just need some help with heavy work in the cafeteria. It would be best if your companions came along as well.”
“Heavy work in the cafeteria, is it~ Simple enough. But isn’t there something else you should be doing?”
Delpiari continued to smile in that grating way as he questioned her. Sosia pondered his intent for a moment before giving a neutral reply.
“There’s always plenty to do here. Caring for patients, maintaining cleanliness, and dealing with monsters roaming outside.”
“Patients, monsters, cleanliness. All important tasks. However— from what I can see, Saintess, you don’t seem particularly clean yourself.”
“...Pardon?”
Delpiari reached out and placed his hand beside her face.
“...Binding.”
Binding (E-rank) has been used.
With the notification, Delpiari’s hand emitted a faint glow. He slowly brought his clenched fist toward Sosia’s face before opening it wide. Caught within threads of mana was a baby roach.
“......”
Sosia’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“A bug crawling on the Saintess’s body~ That would be quite the scandal if word got out. Heh heh heh.”
“...So you’re a mage.”
“Ah, not quite. I’m just an ordinary person who can do a little of this and that. Combat, magic, commands, planning... even scouting. All of it. Heh heh heh~”
“......”
Listening to him, Sosia became certain. This man... already knows we’ve figured out their identities. How much does he know? How did he find out? Only Joyeon, Arty, and I are aware of the full situation. Even Joyeon’s undead don’t know the details, so how...
While Sosia was lost in thought, Delpiari addressed the baby roach still trapped in his hand.
“House. That was your name, wasn’t it?”
He even knows House’s identity...?!
“If you pass even a single word of information to your master or his companions from now on, the Saintess dies. Don’t try anything foolish. I’ll overlook you crawling on the walls and watching, just like now. Simply observe. The moment you attempt anything, you’ll watch your master’s precious person die. Keh heh heh.”
Delpiari’s threat toward House was devastatingly effective. Among everything House had learned, Sosia ranked equal to its master, Joyeon—an existence it must never harm. Even after Delpiari released the binding spell, the roach neither fled nor attacked. It remained perfectly still.
Satisfied by the lack of movement, Delpiari dropped the baby roach to the floor and crushed it beneath his foot. Realizing from his words that both House’s abilities and identity had been completely exposed, Sosia understood that Delpiari had also been using some ability to spy on them just as they had spied on him.
After casually disposing of the roach, Delpiari placed a hand on Sosia’s shoulder as though preparations were complete.
“Well then, shall we talk while we walk? You mentioned there was work for me in the cafeteria. Heh heh.”
Unable to resist, Sosia was forced to follow.
“There’s a spell called Sense Steal. Unlike outright theft, it merely shares senses. Using it once shares a single sense; using it three times shares three senses.”
“......”
“It’s a spell that’s rarely used. After all, if someone possesses even a trace of mana, they’d immediately notice their senses being taken. Even non-mages can detect it... But lo and behold~ A human with absolutely no mana in their body has appeared. Heh heh heh.”
“......”
“You still don’t realize it, do you? Your sight, hearing, touch, smell—even taste... All five of your senses are currently being shared with me. Heh heh heh.”
“...Why are you doing this?”
“It seems you’ve decided to speak again. Since you’re keeping me company, I’ll tell you... Naturally, there’s no particular reason.”
“...This is a hospital. A place anyone can use equally, whether modern human or mage. Yet...”
“We’re thieves. Modern humans or mages, it makes no difference. If there’s something worth taking, we take it. If we want something, we have it. And this place... has far too many things we want. Keh heh heh.”
Delpiari glanced around before continuing.
“At first, we had no particular interest. Some of our foolish subordinates got badly injured during an operation and needed treatment. That’s when we heard rumors about the Neutral Saintess’s hospital. And wouldn’t you know it—this place kindly treated our idiotic underlings with the utmost care.”
“Then we’re your saviors.”
“Ahaha. Ordinary people might think that way, but we’re thieves. People who can treat severe injuries without using holy magic? Of course we’d want that for ourselves. And besides...”
Delpiari licked his lips as though recalling something pleasant.
“There are quite a lot of beautiful young ladies here. Especially that woman named Arty who hangs around with your foolish son... Just her alone makes this place a worthy target. Heh heh heh heh heh.”
In short, they had sent the dying Ragon here on a whim, struck gold, and decided to plan a raid. Information gathering through Ragon, followed by sending additional personnel to assess the situation in greater detail. Delpiari himself had come to apply Sense Steal on Sosia—the most important modern human—preparing for any unforeseen developments. Then they would finish everything with their usual monster-luring tactic. Kelts Pitra had adapted to the changed world in their own way.
“Hm? Saintess! Where are you headed?”
As Sosia and Delpiari walked the corridor toward the cafeteria, people called out to them.
“Ah, hello. The Saintess is on her way to lunch. Heh heh.”
“Eh? Lunch? But I thought Jack said the cafeteria wasn’t available today...”
Sensing something amiss, several people turned around. There stood Jack and May, busy turning others away.
“Aah, did you hear some reason why the cafeteria is unavailable?”
“Ah, no...?”
“Actually, a monster resembling an insect was discovered in the cafeteria. Fortunately, our party dealt with it, so it’s safe to use now. On your way, could you tell Jack to come over here?”
“Ah, yes.”
Several people heading to the cafeteria ran over to Jack and May to relay Delpiari’s message. Upon seeing Sosia with Delpiari, both Jack and May trembled slightly in alarm.
“Would you relay a new order to those undead? Tell them to rest here until lunchtime ends.”
“...I am not their master.”
“Oh right! Of course the Saintess wouldn’t be the master of the undead. They belonged to your son... So? Are you saying you can’t do it?”
Biting her lip, Sosia spoke to Jack and May.
“...Please rest here... I’m asking you.”
Jack and May exchanged glances but said nothing and made no move. They could only watch as Sosia and Delpiari passed by.
Even as they continued toward the cafeteria, Delpiari kept greeting people who recognized Sosia, drawing them along to the cafeteria with them.
And now, the present.
Inside the cafeteria.
Arty and Tiasia remained seated in one corner while Joyeon sat in the center. Behind him stood the Trigia Party, ostensibly guarding him but in reality keeping watch. Across from him sat Sosia and Delpiari, with Delpiari’s party standing behind Sosia. To outsiders it looked like an odd scene, but Delpiari had already explained things on the way, so no one paid it much mind.
Joyeon remained silent, blankly staring at the pitch-black bracelet fastened around his wrist.
Delpiari spoke to him in a low voice.
“I wouldn’t recommend trying to force it off. It’s a high-grade restraint that completely halts the flow of mana. We brought something special because we know how dangerous you are. Keh heh heh.”
“......”
“How interesting. Mother and son are quite alike. Neither of you speaks until your thoughts are organized. No matter how much you rack your brains, this situation won’t resolve itself. Heh heh heh.”
At Delpiari’s words, Joyeon finally opened his mouth.
“...What the hell are you people thinking?”
He hadn’t been thinking when he spoke. The words simply spilled out from frustration at his mind refusing to work and his inability to grasp the situation.
“What we’re thinking... That’s quite a broad question. What kind of answer are you looking for?”
“Why are you doing this... This is a hospital that treats anyone. So why...”
“Still too broad. In that case, I’ll say this: we want something, so we’ll obtain it by any means necessary.”
“What nonsense... Do you even realize what you’ve done?”
“This question is a bit more specific. To answer it~ We’ve confirmed what we want through internal scouting, and to eliminate any future trouble, we’re preparing to sweep everything else away with monsters. That’s the plan.”
“Monsters...”
“Ah, you needn’t worry about the monsters. Do you see this?”
Delpiari pulled out a badge from his pocket. It gave off the same scent as the brooch he had given Sosia.
“The only way to avoid War Trolls. The scent of a flower called Peace Lavender. It’s the only fragrance that can dampen their fighting spirit.”
“Scent...? You’re saying you can avoid War Trolls with nothing but flower fragrance?”
“Of course. After all, there are hundreds of humans here who can keep the War Trolls entertained. Did you think this was our first time doing something like this? Keh heh heh heh.”
“......”
Through Delpiari’s words, Joyeon was finally able to piece together some understanding of the situation. This bastard... he knows everything... The situation is far too unfavorable. Mom’s been taken hostage, there are too many people who don’t understand what’s happening... Where the hell are Jack and May? Have Kahn and Ron not finished luring the monsters yet?
“Your thoughts are written all over your face. Keh heh. For your aching head, I’ll tell you one thing.”
“What.”
“Your two undead are currently luring monsters, correct?”
“...?!”
He knows that too? Just how much does he know?
“You see, War Trolls can be made to stop their pursuit with nothing but a simple flower scent. Conversely, there’s also a scent that makes them chase you until you’re dead, even if you don’t attack them. Keh heh heh heh.”
“What are you talking abo—”
Restoring the damaged follower’s body.
It was the same notification Joyeon had seen once before when Jack’s hand bones had been shattered. At the same time, he felt mana trying to flow out of his body on its own.
The Dominator’s mana is restrained. Body restoration has been halted.
Yet because of the bracelet on his wrist, the mana couldn’t escape. More than the fact that his mana was blocked, Joyeon was shocked by the words about the follower’s body being damaged.
It’s Kahn and Ron. But why? How could tireless skeletons get caught by War Trolls? Is it because of the Saber Leos? Why all of a sudden?
The situation continued to shift at a pace Joyeon couldn’t comprehend.
Kwang!
Suddenly, one of the sentries burst through the cafeteria doors.
“M-Monsters! Over three hundred monsters are charging toward the hospital! Everyone evacuate!!”
At the sentry’s cry, the cafeteria instantly descended into chaos.
“Monsters... How far away are they?”
Sosia, who had been silent until now, shouted at the sentry.
“F-Five hundred meters! They’re five hundred meters out! You can already see them from the main gate!”
Grinding her teeth, Sosia glared at Delpiari.
“So from the very beginning, it was impossible to divert the monsters elsewhere.”
“Keh heh heh. Correct. The scent of female War Troll blood. While coming to the cafeteria, I told my companions to spread it throughout the hospital as planned. Effective range is about five kilometers. Your undead were probably leading the monsters along nicely before suddenly seeing the War Trolls turn back and getting caught off guard.”
While Delpiari spoke, panicked people rushed over to Sosia asking what to do. From the corner, Arty and Tiasia were dragged over by Ragon and his companions. Arty’s face had gone deathly pale after hearing the situation, while Tiasia glared at Delpiari as though trying to kill him with her eyes alone.
In the midst of extreme chaos, only the members of Kelts Pitra—who had experienced such situations many times—remained composed.
“There’s no need to worry too much. Saintess, Miss Arty, and the other Chosen have all received gifts from us at Kelts Pitra. If you simply listen to what we say, you’ll be able to leave here alive. Ah, of course it’ll be difficult for Joyeon. Heh heh heh.”
“Do you really think we’ll listen to you?”
“You’ll have to, if you don’t want to die. There may be many adventurers here, but they’re all carrying the burden of patients. Do you think they can defeat three hundred and fifty War Trolls? Do you think they’ll stay and fight instead of running? And do you think we’ll just stand by and let that happen? Keh heh heh heh.”
“......”
“Don’t worry so much. We’ll treat everyone here with the utmost... care. Keh heh heh.”
A situation where nothing could be done. The only thing left was to kill a few of Kelts Pitra and die together in mutual destruction. And for Ju Joyeon, who had never faced such a situation before...
What do I do? What should I do? Mom and Arty are being dragged away by those thieves. No, I’ll die before that happens. Tell Lara to kill everyone here... No, that’s impossible. What do I do? Where are Jack and May? House? Kahn and Ron... What can I do? Why can’t I do anything? Am I just going to be played by these thieves until the end? Die fighting monsters? A gun? Should I shoot them with a gun? No. That won’t work either. What can I... Why can’t I do anything... What I can do right now... Magic... No, I can’t use it... The kids... They’re all gone too... Mom’s been captured... I... I, I... How... How do I... This situation... The reason this happened...
Joyeon’s mind began to swirl chaotically, like porridge being stirred. Never since the worlds merged had he felt this powerless. He hadn’t expected to face a situation like this. Even when killing someone at the modern university, it hadn’t been this wretched. The stress was so severe that the world seemed to shake before his eyes and he felt like vomiting. For Ju Joyeon, who had only lived twenty years, it was stress he couldn’t possibly endure.
Crack.
And then something inside Joyeon’s mind finally... snapped.