Part 9
The area is enshrouded in a gloomy white fog and illuminated by a quartet of red cylinders of light.
“What a low compatibility rate… The fault must lie with the base specimens. This is what happens when we can’t get our hands on any possessed.”
There’s a skinny man standing before the cylinders. He jots something down in the file he’s holding, then sighs.
“Is there still no word from the specimen procurement team?”
It’s hard to see, but there’s something floating in the red light.
Human beings.
There are four people, each of them floating in one of the cylinders and hooked up to a series of tubes. The tubes expand and contract like living creatures as they suck something out of their victims. Inside, all the life has drained from the people’s faces.
“We’re running out of time. At this rate…”
The man strides restlessly from one cylinder to another.
Then there are footsteps audible from the fog.
“How are we looking, Slender Willow?”
The voice’s owner stops before reaching the fog’s edge.
The thin man, Slender Willow, hurriedly straightens his posture. “We were able to retrieve four specimens from the student body that were compatible with the magic. We’re absorbing their mana as we speak, and I believe we’ll have the seal down sooner or later…”
“‘Or later,’ hmm? Did we have four specimens last time I was here?”
Slender Willow gulps. “Well, the Shadow Garden’s been running interference, you see…”
“So I’ve heard.”
“And by the looks of it, they sent someone with skills on par with their upper leadership.”
“Oh? One of the Seven Shadows, perhaps?” The man remains out of sight, but his interest seems piqued.
“In all likelihood, yes. It could be a Seven Shadow we’ve never been able to get a visual on before.”
“That would make it Zeta, then.”
“Yes, sir. She appears to specialize in fleeing.”
“I don’t have many reports of people having fought her. I always just assumed she couldn’t hold her own in a fight.”
“She killed the Wicked Smile, so if nothing else, she’s more powerful than a Named Child.”
“Faaascinating. Well, this should be interesting, then. By the way, I hear you called in a replacement for the Wicked Smile?”
“I wanted to be on the safe side, so I brought in the Dark Spider, one of our most powerful Named Children. Now the plan will be able to—”
“The Dark Spider is dead.”
“…What?”
“He got skewered out in front of the school.”
“Um… I’m afraid I don’t—”
“It’s true.”
“I-it is? I mean, not that I would ever doubt you, sir, perish the thought. Was it Zeta who killed him, too?”
“Hard to say. We don’t know who the killer is, but what we do know is that the Shadow Garden works fast. I’m jealous. If only I had underlings that competent.”
“Ha-ha-ha…”
“How do you intend to get the plan back on track?”
“I was going to ask headquarters to send in more reinforcements.”
“The credit collapse dealt a heavy blow to our finances. We could hire more Second and Third Children, but I doubt this is the kind of problem we can solve by throwing fodder at it.”
“B-but…”
“The Shadow Garden already knows about these ruins. It’s only a matter of time before they breach our defenses.”
“Well, we’ve already located more viable specimens. There’s Claire Kagenou, and if you give me the go-ahead, there’s Alexia Midgar as well. If we got our hands on those two, I believe we would be able to bring the plan to fruition almost immediately.”
“Alexia Midgar, hmm…?”
“Is that problematic?”
“…No, go ahead. Zenon’s already laid hands on her. We can afford to get a little messy. After all, we of the Fenrir sect have controlled the Midgar Kingdom for a long, long time.”
“I’ll give my men the orders, then.”
“No, Slender Willow, I want you to do it yourself.”
“I beg your pardon…?”
“You’ve gotten too attached to the mission site. You got yourself that role at the academy—now it’s time to put it to use.”
“But, sir, my arm…”
A fierce wind blows across Slender Willow’s neck, leaving a single thin wound in its wake.
“Use your position to make them let down their guard.”
“…Yes, sir.”
“I’m going to be busy adjusting the ruins. Get it done, and get it done right.”
“Yes, sir.” Slender Willow scurries away.
“Now, then.”
Something appears projected in the fog. It’s an image of two girls. One is a golden-haired therianthrope, and the other is a strawberry blond human.
Both of them belong to the Shadow Garden.
“So that’s Zeta…as well as the vaunted Saint. To think that the Shadow Garden ended up taking her in. I’d be interested to see what a certain nation would do if they had that information.”
In the image, Zeta and Victoria advance through the white fog.
Behind them, there’s another figure as well.
The third figure is wearing a different robe from the Shadow Garden’s, and their face is hidden beneath a hood.
“They’ve already broken through our third layer of defenses. Depending on how things go with Slender Willow…,” the man mutters as his presence vanishes.
The image continues playing in the now-empty space.
In it, a pair of golden eyes is fixed directly on the screen.
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