The Decisive Battle: Rahe, Captain of the 7th Division (3)
"You've come after all. Honestly, I thought there was about an 80% chance you wouldn't show up."
—After threatening to kill me so brutally like that.
Rahe spoke, and instead of replying in writing, No. 13 glared at her with emotion.
Rahe noticed No. 13's gaze but deliberately looked away again.
This was according to the template for dealing with mind control ability users; eye contact is an important element that can trigger mental domination along with words, so it should be avoided as much as possible.
"I have a question. Apple—is she currently under your control through hypnosis, brainwashing... or some kind of magic?"
To Rahe's question, No. 13 tapped the board with his finger as if pondering.
Then he wrote something on it and showed it.
[Yes]
The answer came surprisingly straightforwardly.
She had expected him to dodge or at least sneer and stall for time.
"Then what about Club?"
[Yeah]
"...And the other members? Spade, or Check and Coco?"
[That's right]
Good heavens. Could that be true?
She had somewhat suspected it, but it was hard to believe it was actually the case. Apple and Club aside, for the veterans Check and Coco to have been caught as well....
It was hard to believe in many ways, but she didn't let it shake her seriously. It was thanks to some mental preparation and the various experiences she'd had so far.
However, there was something that bothered Rahe more than that, and she frowned at the fact.
"You're surprisingly cooperative?"
[You're scary, you know]
At the honest writing that followed, Rahe smiled coldly.
Whether he realized it instinctively or not, No. 13's response was correct. If it hadn't been, she didn't know how she might have threatened him.
At least right now, Rahe had no intention of being picky about means or methods....
'But it's so straightforward that it's rather suspicious.'
Anyway, it's hard to believe that even Check and Coco among the members fell to him. There's also the possibility that it's just a bluff.
Rahe continued with a few more questions. No. 13 answered simply with [Yes/No] and responded to Rahe's questions.
No. 13's attitude was cooperative, but Rahe, except for the first question, didn't ask anything that would be difficult to answer.
[How did you notice?]
"About Apple? Or the mind control side? Either way, I'll answer that it's due to 'experience.' Does that suffice as a response?"
When No. 13 asked a question midway, Rahe also answered without much fuss, as if in return for his straightforward reply. Providing information to the opponent isn't very wise, but this much should be fine....
As Rahe and No. 13 took turns asking and answering questions, some time passed.
Rahe sensed that it was time to move on to the next part.
"No. 13. There's no need to test the waters anymore. Shall we get to the main point?"
Rahe's atmosphere changed once again.
Just a moment ago, the atmosphere between villain and hero had been somewhat friendly and light.
But now her demeanor shifted instantly to something solemn and stern. In her gaze, there was the authority and killing intent befitting a captain.
"Release all members of the 7th Division. Then I'll let you go unharmed as well."
* * *
As already mentioned, the situation was absolutely disadvantageous for Rahe.
Now that the 7th Division members had all been captured as hostages without her knowledge, it couldn't be helped.
It wouldn't be difficult to kill No. 13 right here, but he probably didn't come unprepared either. If she failed to subdue No. 13, a major disaster would occur. Even if she succeeded in subduing... dealing with him, she couldn't know what his comrades might do. In that case, the situation would worsen even more.
Therefore, the best option was to negotiate with No. 13 here and make him give up the hostages.
But Rahe didn't have many bargaining chips that could satisfy the villain No. 13. And what he, as a villain, desired would likely be things she couldn't grant in most cases.
Naturally, in terms of power dynamics, she was in the inferior position, so Rahe's statement might sound reckless and foolish. It could even become a trigger that provokes the opponent's anger, as if she didn't know her place or understand the situation.
However.
Rahe was no fool ignorant of the ways of the world, nor was she an incompetent commander who couldn't even understand such power dynamics.
The reason she made such a statement was because it was a situation where she had no choice but to say it.
If she took a low posture because she was at a disadvantage, the situation would only worsen further.
That's why she deliberately took a high posture, demanding firmly from No. 13 as if she were in the superior position.
Of course, if someone else had said the same thing as Rahe, they would surely have been met with ridicule and been counterattacked instead.
But because the one here was Rahe, that didn't happen.
"......Ugh...!"
For a moment, No. 13 felt as if something heavy had been placed on his shoulder. Or as if a sharp blade had been pressed against his neck.
It wasn't that he had been physically attacked.
It was just that an absurd killing intent and pressure were emanating from Rahe, who was staring straight at him.
A terrifying killing intent in her gaze, as if she could kill someone just by looking at them.
If he didn't listen to her demand, she would immediately pronounce a death sentence—as if such a tyrannical, one-man-army aura was explosively radiating from Rahe.
"I'll say it once more."
"Take your hands off all members of the 7th Division. And swear that you will never involve yourself with the 7th Division again."
"If you do that, I swear I won't lay a hand on you or your organization either."
Rahe reaffirmed her demand.
Her words, exuding such overwhelming pressure, became natural no matter how arrogant or unreasonable they were.
Even though it was a statement that didn't make sense in terms of profit and loss and wasn't worth listening to originally, if one let their guard down, they would find themselves nodding along.
If No. 13 had been an ordinary person with somewhat weak nerves, he would have fainted from that aura alone, and even a decent awakened individual would have had their mind go blank from the killing intent and unconditionally complied with Rahe's demand.
However.
No. 13 was likewise no ordinary villain.
He had lost his magic power due to the whims of the stars, but he had once been a successful villain who claimed to be among the 'strongest.'
He was a veteran who had accumulated experience no less than Rahe's through various incidents.
Although he had become a pathetic wreck who could barely do anything alone, the experience and courage accumulated from the past were undoubtedly real.
Thanks to that, No. 13 faced Rahe's killing intent head-on without shrinking back.
Even though he was confident he would lose in two seconds if they fought, his eyes declared that his spirit would never break first.
Rahe remained silent for a while, continuing to pressure her opponent, but eventually, seeing that No. 13 didn't seem scared, she gave up and let out a sigh. The pressure hadn't completely disappeared, but it had lessened somewhat.
"...How unfortunate. Threats don't seem to work on you."
[Yeah. Give up.]
No. 13 wrote briefly on the board and showed it. Rahe glared alternately at the board and No. 13's face as if annoyed, then let out a resigned sigh.
"Very well. If threats won't work, shall we try a deal?"
[A hero? With a villain?]
"It can't be helped. And there are plenty of cases where agreements have been inevitably reached with criminals, including villains."
Of course, the principled Rahe had never once made such an agreement with a criminal or tolerated them.
But this time, her subordinates were at stake. It couldn't be helped.
"Tell me what you want, No. 13. If it's something I can grant, I'll do it. It's a bit awkward to say this myself, but I've saved up quite a bit of money from special merit allowances and national rewards. It's a considerable amount. If you want money, I'm willing to give all of it to you and your organization. I think it's an amount that won't leave you regretting your decision."
At Rahe's proposal, No. 13, just like before, tapped the board with the marker as if stalling for time.
This time, No. 13's silence lasted quite a while.
Was he taking time to think of what he wanted? The longer his pondering took, the more Rahe glimpsed the possibility that a negotiation might work out.
It might be possible. They might be able to work something out through negotiation.
As she waited expectantly for an answer, No. 13 finally stopped pondering and began writing something on the board.
Along with his surprisingly neat handwriting, his desired demand was revealed to Rahe.
[What I want is you]
"...Does that mean you'll dominate me like you did with Apple?"
[Yeah. If you do that, I'll release the subordinates.]
Rahe lowered her eyes as if pondering.
From a third party's perspective, it was something that didn't even need consideration. Objectively speaking, the value of one captain and that of her unit's members could never be equal.
Members could be replaced as many times as needed. But captain-class personnel didn't come so easily. Moreover, if that captain-class power fell into the hands of a villain, it would become an even bigger problem.
'But....'
Just as Rahe was pondering, No. 13 suddenly wrote something additional on the board.
[Not for life. Just do it for three days. After that, I'll release you without doing anything else.]
There were traces of something erased and rewritten at the 'three days' part. It seemed he had originally intended to write 'one week.'
It wasn't becoming a slave for life, and if there was a set period... it was worth considering. Moreover, with only three days, even if he tried to do bad things using Rahe, there wouldn't be much he could do.
That much should be fine, right?
It was unsettling to fall under a villain's control, but it was for her subordinates.
"...Very well. Let's do that."
The time for deliberation wasn't long.
Rahe nodded to show her consent.
