The Fall of the Hero (3)
The thick, reinforced double doors swung open, and Rahe stepped through.
The place where No. 13 had been hiding was a cramped, sealed room. It felt somewhat stifling, but the ventilation seemed adequate, so breathing wasn't difficult.
On the desk in front of No. 13 sat a tablet PC and a monitor. Had he been monitoring the factory's interior through those?
"Welcome, Rahe. Come on in. Thirsty? Want something to drink? Or how about some squid-flavored peanuts? They're what I was eating."
"How shameless can you be…"
He had gone to all this trouble to lure her here, even adding unnecessary procedures just to bring her inside carefully.
Yet the man waiting within greeted her with a perfectly calm expression and relaxed posture.
She had half-expected him to ambush her the moment she entered, or at least to brandish a weapon and stay on guard. Instead, his leisurely, unhurried demeanor made Rahe frown.
"It's over, Villain No. 13. Release my subordinates."
"Hmm… That doesn't sound like a negotiation."
"You're right. This isn't a negotiation. It's an order."
She had been willing to negotiate before the door opened, but now that it had, there was no reason to maintain the same stance.
Still, if he cooperated… well, she might be willing to spare him after cutting off one arm and one leg and ripping out his tongue.
"I've already restrained all the subordinates you treated like your own limbs. According to the reports, you've lost your powers. Do you still have any means of resistance left?"
"……"
"If not, then give up. Cooperate now, and I'll at least guarantee your life."
No. 13 stared at Rahe for a moment, then casually picked up the snack in front of him and began crunching on it.
What on earth was this man thinking?
Why did he look so relaxed? Was he trying to provoke her? Or did he have something else planned?
Either way, she had no reason to play along with his pace any longer. Rahe gathered her mana without further delay.
She had left her weapon outside, but even without a sword, there were countless ways to tear No. 13 apart.
Yet the moment she tried to release her killing intent, a voice from right beside her stopped her.
"Captain Rahe. Please calm down. Dangerous acts or violence are not allowed."
At those words, the mana she had been gathering subsided.
Calm down. She had to calm down. Dangerous acts or violence were not allowed. Since she had been told they were not allowed, they were not allowed.
"Sorry, Rahe. Were you mad because I was eating alone?"
"What… Stop joking around. I'm serious."
"Whoa, whoa, don't get angry. I'm serious too."
"Where exactly are you being serious?!"
Where was he being serious? No, seriously, what was wrong with this man?
The last time she saw him, he had been trembling in fear before her power and running away. So why was he suddenly acting so relaxed?
As if he was certain of victory.
This was the inside of a sturdy air-raid shelter. The only exit was the door at her back.
In this narrow space, No. 13 had no way to dodge her attacks. Even if bombs were planted, she could handle them.
Right now, Rahe held absolute superiority. This man had no chance of winning.
"No. 13! This is your final warning! I won't forgive any more pointless stalling! Release my subordinates right now! Otherwise, you'll regret it!"
Rahe shouted fiercely, her killing intent clear.
But No. 13 merely twitched an eyebrow and replied calmly.
"Rahe, weren't you supposed to calm down? You said violence isn't allowed."
"That's…! That's… uh… well…"
Somehow, Rahe's mind went blank.
Right. Now that she thought about it, violence wasn't allowed.
Then how was she supposed to make this man suffer?
No. 13 chuckled and finally stood up. He approached Rahe with his hands clasped behind his back.
She could only watch as he walked toward her at a leisurely pace. He soon reached her. Rahe looked up at him.
"Hm? Rahe. Violence isn't allowed, so how exactly are you going to make me suffer?"
Rahe instinctively took a step back.
But a hand reached out from behind and grabbed her shoulder, preventing her escape.
Rahe turned her head. Behind her stood Apple, the one who had guided her here.
……?
Apple…?
"Wh-why…?"
"What's wrong, Captain Rahe? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Apple smiled sweetly at the stunned Rahe.
Why… how…?
Why was Apple here?
Rahe had clearly subdued the traitor and locked her securely in the car. So why…
No, more importantly—why had she followed Apple's guidance in the first place?
She hadn't felt anything strange while being led. She had naturally followed Apple's directions and even obeyed her occasional instructions without question.
Why had she done that? Why hadn't she found it odd?
Since when—had she—?!
"I really thought I was done for this time. When I only had two options left, my heart nearly stopped. I thought it might actually fall out."
"……!"
Rahe, frozen in place, flinched as something touched her cheek and turned her head forward again.
No. 13 had reached out and was gently stroking her cheek.
Rahe reflexively tried to slap his hand away, but stopped as she recalled the earlier command that violence was not allowed.
'No, why…! No, I have no reason to listen to that! I shouldn't have to…!'
"You're doing great, Captain Rahe. Violence is a bad thing, after all. We won't harm you, so please relax and stay still. That's right—right now, your arms and legs won't move. Just stand there quietly."
She could feel her heart pounding. She needed to do something immediately, but her arms and legs refused to move, as if paralyzed.
"You really are terrifying, Rahe. The title of captain isn't just for show. Who would've thought you'd come flying in with your ears and eyes completely shut? You're a real monster."
"…Let go… Take your hand away…! Let go right now… Stop messing around…!"
"Still, I'm glad it worked out somehow. Now that the switch has been safely activated, even you won't be able to resist, Rahe."
"Don't be ridiculous! Take your hand off me, Villain No. 13!"
No. 13 obediently removed his hand from her cheek.
Instead, he leaned in and whispered into her ear.
"Rahe, the strength is leaving your legs right now. It's draining away, and soon you won't be able to stand anymore."
The moment No. 13 whispered, it happened.
Strength immediately drained from Rahe's legs, and she collapsed helplessly onto the floor.
No. 13 crouched down in front of the disbelieving Rahe, meeting her gaze at eye level.
"You should understand by now, right? Rahe, there's no hope left for you."
"This… Don't joke around… This can't be… I am the captain of the 7th Division… Everyone… I…"
"I understand how you feel. But there's a limit to what one person can do alone. It's time to give up."
Rahe tried to gather her mana, but the moment she thought of attacking No. 13, her body automatically dispersed it, as if refusing to allow it.
"Then this is the last one, Rahe. If you recite the keyword I planted in you, you'll become a doll just like before. Not this half-conscious state, but a perfect doll that obeys only me."
"Don't worry. I take very good care of my belongings. So you can rest easy and fall asleep, Rahe. I promise."
Rahe repeated over and over that this was ridiculous. No matter how hard she tried to force strength into her limbs to stand, nothing worked. She couldn't even crawl away on the floor.
And to that Rahe, No. 13 whispered like a death sentence.
"『The universe is filled with blessings』—Sleep, Rahe."
It was a sentence she had never heard before, yet it felt strangely familiar.
The moment she heard it, Rahe's consciousness sank rapidly into darkness.
'No… No…'
Her final desperate cry was buried in the darkness along with her rapidly fading awareness.
Rahe's head slumped forward as she sat on the floor, the light disappearing from her eyes…
* * *
No. 13 seated Rahe in a nearby chair, bound her limbs, and quickly checked her condition.
She had definitely fallen into that hypnotic state. The command using the 'main keyword' he had implanted in her had successfully dragged her deep into the swamp of hypnosis.
After confirming that Rahe had been neutralized without issue, No. 13 finally relaxed his tense body and let out a deep sigh of relief.
He had put on a bit of a show, but the truth was he had been incredibly nervous the entire time, worried something might go wrong.
"Good work, Master No. 13."
"Yeah… You too, Apple. You really worked hard."
No. 13 praised Apple while wiping the sweat from his face with a towel she had brought.
Just as Rahe had said, Apple had been locked inside the car nearby.
While Rahe had been chasing after the scattered Spade and Club, Check had quickly gone outside the factory and freed Apple.
Rahe had decided not to be too wary of Apple, who lacked combat ability.
As a result, even after all the 7th Division members had been subdued by Rahe, Apple—the last one to intervene—had successfully activated the trigger planted inside Rahe.
Rahe had become a hypnotic slave who would obey any command, and what followed was exactly as they had planned.
The reason No. 13 had deliberately stalled for time at the door was to confirm whether Rahe would properly follow his orders. And she had, even discarding her weapon and stripping naked as commanded. Since her actions hadn't seemed like an act, No. 13 had allowed her inside.
'If it weren't for Dorothy's advice, my life would've ended today.'
Following Dorothy's words, No. 13 hadn't been satisfied with merely brainwashing a few 7th Division members. He had diligently repeated various hypnosis experiments and training sessions.
Using that experience, he had implanted over twenty different hypnotic switches in Rahe, which was how he had managed to survive today.
If he had ignored Dorothy's advice and prepared only a single trigger to subdue Rahe…
Or if he hadn't practiced consistently and the brainwashing he had implanted in Rahe had been even slightly incomplete…
Then the outcome would surely have been different.
All of it had been unfortunate for Rahe, but…
