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Chapter 92 After Three Nights
"Leader? What's that?"
Huh, a joke... right...?
The leader had a blank expression. It's as if it was his first time being called the leader. And it's like we're meeting for the first time too.
Oh, I see.
Because my face was covered, he did not recognize me and must be cautious. If I take off the veil and hood, he'd understand when he sees my face.
"Come on, Leader! It's me, Kyrie! You don't have to pretend anymore..."
"Kyrie...? Hey, miss, you seem to know me, but what's this about a leader?"
"The leader is the leader, you know!? Our leader and older brother figure!"
"Hey, Kyrie, calm down. Also, you're too loud, lower your voice a bit."
"Oh... sorry..."
Maybe I got a bit too emotional...
The leader was alive, but it seemed like he didn’t know me, and my thought circuits got all tangled up. After cooling my head, taking a deep breath, and calming my emotions, I asked again.
"Hey, you are undoubtedly the leader, right? The leader of the Resistance, Balge Littner?"
"Sorry, I don't remember a thing."
"You don't remember...?"
Not even remembering his own name? What about Stige, Gilius, or Strah?
"Your memories are gone? Why..."
"I don't know. My earliest memory is from a moment when I was about to die from a high fever."
The leader shared the beginning of his current self. It's a memory of being feverish, swaying in a carriage. After nearly dying multiple times and finally recovering from the fever, he realized he had no memories.
"I ended up here after a month-long journey without knowing why. Then, the experiments began."
"Experiments...?"
"Yeah, that's what these guys here called it. Even though they called it an experiment, it was just relentlessly fighting monsters. Multiple times a day, I kept killing everything from dragons and chimeras to tentacles or blobs, I don't even know."
But the leader kept winning. He was surprisingly strong, much to the surprise of the people here. The leader I know shouldn't be unreasonably strong like that.
"After about a week of such days, I got fed up. I couldn't stand blindly following those incomprehensible guys and risking my life in incomprehensible ways any longer. It made me inexplicably angry."
...Yeah, even without memories, the leader is still the leader. A rebellious spirit that stands up against unjust violence and pressure. Even if he's lost his memories, his core remains the same. It's somewhat reassuring.
"So, you escaped?"
"Yeah, I don't really understand the details, but I wanted to expose the wrongdoings of these unpleasant guys. I knew the ins and outs of this place, so after escaping, I sneaked back in like this and have been investigating various things."
In other words, the leader knows a lot about what's going on here.
"Now, let's wrap up talking about me. Explain things again for both of you. Are you both acquaintances of mine? Who am I, and where am I from?"
"Well, first of all..."
"Hold on a second, Kyrie. Explaining everything at once will just confuse him. Let's go step by step, bit by bit."
Right, I was trying to explain everything from the beginning. Toka's advice is truly that of an older person. First, I introduced myself and Toka, then slowly revealed details like names, family, and hometown, and finally, I asked if anything triggered memories. But the leader just shook his head.
"Sorry, I still can't remember anything..."
"I see... But you know, it's good that you're alive. Strah... your sister. Show her that you're doing well. She was really down."
Knowing that the leader is alive, Strah, Gilius, Stige, and everyone else will surely be happy.
"I really want to do that, but I can't leave here now. I've rescued some people who were captured for experiments and hidden them in the city. I can't leave them alone and go far away."
"I understand. It can't be helped. I'll tell Strah and the others on my own."
"Thanks, Kyrie-chan."
Even though I only told him my name, he still addressed me the same way as before. Even with lost memories, he was still the same person.
"Now, it's our turn to ask questions. You mentioned gathering information earlier. Do you know where the Minister—Gustav Maximilian is? He's a chubby, seemingly mild-mannered but quick-tempered middle-aged guy."
"Gustav, huh? I know him. He's one of the people in charge of the 'Artificial Hero' experiments."
"'Artificial Hero'...!?"
What's that? I've never heard such a dangerous term before.
"What is an 'Artificial Hero'? Tell me more."
"Yeah. You know about the Gift Spheres, right?"
"I do. Toka has one too."
In response to my words, Toka lifted her necklace. The leader nodded at the gleaming black light.
"By using the power of that thing, they're conducting research to artificially create heroes."
"Heroes, really? Not just enabling people to use Gifts but true heroes who become stronger every time they kill something?"
"No, it seems they can't receive blessings. But as for Gifts, in addition to their own, they can also use the Gift Spheres. If someone already strong becomes like that, they might be unstoppable."
If such technology were completed, Paladis, which is already formidable, would become untouchable.
"Toka, the situation seems much worse than I thought."
"Yeah. It would be good if they could behave themselves without causing trouble, but the likelihood of that is low."
Dealing with Taltus and giving them Gift Orbs too. They are definitely up to no good.
"...But to crush such an elaborate plan, we're not adequately prepared. For now, knowing about it is enough."
I'll discuss it with Joanna when we get back and decide whether to crush them or leave them be. Since she's from Paladis, she should be reliable.
"You're calmer than I expected, Kyrie."
"I'm not a hero of justice. My own goals take top priority. Hey, leader, please. Tell me Gustav's whereabouts."
Before returning to Stige, I have to kill at least this guy. I will make Gustav, the minister who directly ordered the attack on my village through Carion, regret being alive by subjecting him to a living hell.
●●●
"Is there some commotion?"
"…Levia, huh. Another one of those intruders. Dealing with them is pulling our manpower apart, it's quite annoying."
Former minister of the Deltirad Kingdom, Gustav.
Seated at his research desk, he calmly sips his tea without flinching as Levia appears silently behind him.
"So, another intruder. I'm not interested; you all can handle it."
"Of course, we'll take care of it. However, there's one report that caught my attention. It's not unrelated to you."
"...I'll hear it out."
"There's a different intruder this time. The exact number is unknown, but one of them has summoned a magical golem. It seems related to the [Mechs]."
"Golem...? What does that mean? The [Mechs] should be with Blum now..."
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