Showdown with Rahe, Captain of the 7th Division (1)
"...Hoo."
Rahe let out a small sigh. At a glance, her face looked expressionless, but anyone who knew her well could see at once that it was filled with grief and fury.
Apple lay collapsed on the floor. She and No. 13 had prepared several safety measures and brainwashing triggers in case of emergency, but every possible action that could activate them—covering her mouth, avoiding eye contact, and so on—had been completely blocked. In the end, she had been overpowered without any chance to resist.
The memories from when she had been brainwashed did not surface.
Yet she could instinctively sense that something had been done to her. That alone was enough for her to grow suspicious and take action.
Rahe was a veteran who had experienced countless battlefields. Check and Coco had also witnessed the historical villain terror known as the Great Disaster, but only at its very tail end.
Rahe, by contrast, had been active as a hero during the height of that terror, fighting across multiple fronts and earning remarkable achievements.
Through those many battlefields, she had inevitably encountered all kinds of espers, including those who wielded mental manipulation magic.
Some directly altered their targets' minds with magic. Others used alchemy to create drugs that turned people into puppet slaves.
Thanks to her experience dealing with such individuals, Rahe had quickly detected the anomaly and responded appropriately.
Interrogation...
Rahe bound Apple's arms and legs, covered her eyes and mouth, and thought. From Apple's earlier reaction, it seemed dangerous to let her speak. It would be best to proceed with caution during the interrogation.
Even without interrogation, guessing the mastermind behind it all was not difficult.
"Villain No. 13...!"
Rahe growled with rage, the face of a certain man rising in her mind.
* * *
Villain No. 13 received the call while drafting his Paradise Harem Roadmap—a plan for how he would manage and enjoy the beautiful women of the 7th Division, each with their own unique personalities, while coming up with fresh and entertaining brainwashing ideas to avoid falling into routine.
The Harem Paradise Roadmap was little more than a meaningless, pointless document, but he had enough free time to sit around making one.
While he was killing time in that leisurely manner, a call came in from Apple's number.
Judging by the time, it was right after she would have offered Rahe her post-meal coffee. For the past few days, Apple had been giving Rahe coffee laced with the brainwashing drug at this exact hour and performing brief, simple brainwashing sessions.
This call was probably just the routine report after today's session.
Thinking so, No. 13 answered the call without much concern.
Then he froze at the voice that came through the speaker.
[Good day, Villain No. 13. This is the first time we've spoken like this instead of through mail, isn't it?]
The call had come from Apple's number.
Yet the voice on the other end was unmistakably that of Rahe, captain of the 7th Division.
That alone was enough for No. 13 to realize something had gone terribly wrong.
"...Uh...."
[Ah, there's no point in replying. This is merely a recording of my voice. I am aware that you people use certain words, phrases, or voices to exert mental control over me.]
The recorded voice of Rahe spoke first, cutting him off.
Now that he thought about it, the voice had sounded strangely reverberant.
If Rahe had been speaking directly, it might have been a chance to turn things around, but now there was nothing No. 13 could do.
He remained silent and waited for her next words.
[The Apple you had under your control has been subdued by me. She is currently unconscious.]
[You have committed an utterly audacious act. You have made it impossible for me to forgive you.]
[I will give you credit. In recent times, as we have been seeking peace in various ways, no villain has angered me as much as you have.]
[I am truly furious right now.]
It was only a recording, a voice coming through a phone.
Yet the killing intent and pressure felt so vividly real that No. 13 broke out in a cold sweat.
"Ah, well, you see—" he began without thinking, only to remember that the person on the other end was just a recording anyway.
Unable to deny or make excuses, he could only listen as Rahe continued.
[If you still wish to look for a chance to recover, then so be it.]
[Let us meet face to face.]
[At the same place where you once returned Club to me. We will meet there.]
The proposal was unexpected. She wanted to meet in person—what was her intention? She had been avoiding direct conversation precisely because she feared being manipulated.
As if sensing his doubt, Rahe's calm voice continued.
[You need not worry that it is a trap. I swear it upon my star sign. I will not call anyone else to that location. Only I will be there.]
[You may bring as many of your allies as you like. A hundred, a thousand—bring whoever you wish. It does not matter.]
[I will give you two hours from now. If you do not arrive within that time, I will consider it as you not coming, and I will personally kill every subordinate I believe has fallen into your hands.]
[And I will also kill you, along with the organization you belong to. I will hunt you down to the ends of hell and slaughter you in the most horrific way imaginable.]
[...If you do not wish for that, then please come without fail. Let us have the conversation you so desperately desire.]
Rahe's message ended there.
After a brief silence, the call disconnected.
No. 13 considered calling Apple's number again, but stopped himself.
Then he clutched his head and let out a sigh.
"I'm screwed...."
What the hell had happened? How had things come to this...?
* * *
After sending the message to No. 13, Rahe bound Apple, loaded her into the car, and drove off immediately.
Her destination was the very place No. 13 had specified in his earlier mail. She had no other location in mind for a secret meeting with a villain, and meeting on her own home ground would make him more likely to accept.
Though she had sent a threatening message, the truth was that Rahe was the one feeling anxious.
It was a fact that Apple had been swayed by the villain, and Club, who had been kidnapped, was likely the same. If she broadened her suspicions, perhaps even Spade, Check, and Coco... In other words, it was possible that every member of the 7th Division had already fallen into his hands.
In any case, it was clear that at least some of her subordinates had ended up under Villain No. 13's control.
If No. 13 were to go into hiding now and never show himself again, then Rahe and the 7th Division would be in serious trouble.
Though things had improved compared to the past, espers in this country were still treated like tumors or boils.
Espers had no human rights. They were regarded as walking weapons or contagious diseases.
If it became known that her subordinates had joined a villain—even if they had been brainwashed—she could not imagine what would happen to them. It would surely be horrific. That much was certain.
Therefore, before this matter came to light and before any incident could occur, Rahe's best option was to persuade Villain No. 13 and restore everything to normal.
That was why she had chosen to meet him alone, even at the cost of putting herself at a disadvantage.
She had already considered the risks—that he might attempt mental domination upon meeting her, or that he might bring a large number of villains to overwhelm her.
Right now, meeting No. 13 was more important than those risks. She needed to extract information from him and, if possible, persuade him.
Persuasion. How should she go about it?
If money could solve it, that would be ideal, but if not, she would have to resort to violence. And if even that failed—
...Then me.
Rahe gripped the steering wheel, thought for a moment, then let out a long sigh and pressed down on the accelerator.
The engine roared louder as her car sped along the road.
If negotiation failed, she would have to kill No. 13.
But what if No. 13 did not come? Or what if he came to the meeting place but she failed to kill him?
...In the worst case, she would take full responsibility and deal with her subordinates herself.
Then she would find No. 13 no matter what, tear him and his allies apart, complete her revenge, and finally take her own life.
That was how she, as their captain, would take responsibility for this failure.
With firm resolve in her eyes, Rahe drove closer to the designated location.
There was still a little over an hour left until the time she had specified....
