TRPM 266

chapter 266

The captured Shadow Sorcerer was immediately dragged to the nearest police station and interrogation began.

Through that process, it was confirmed that the Shadow Sorcerer had indeed been affiliated with the organization until not too long ago.

“It’s certain. I didn’t see them often, but I definitely saw that face back when I was on the Moon.”

Fortunately, we had Sophia, who had infiltrated the organization before.

According to her, the Shadow Sorcerer in the interrogation room was one of the organization’s top-class awakened elites.

“I didn’t know she was a Shadow Sorcerer. I also didn’t know she had some ability like erasing magic.”

“So all you knew was that she was an elite?”

“Yes. When I was on the Moon, I didn’t have clearance to view the abilities of the elites. And after moving to headquarters on Mars, I was too occupied with other investigations to dig into the elites’ abilities.”

It was regrettable that Sophia knew so little about this Shadow Sorcerer, but at least her words confirmed that the woman had indeed lived on the Moon.

Of course, that didn’t guarantee the rest of her story was true.

Well, some police have the ability to discern truth from lies anyway.

As I was thinking that, the interrogation began.

“(Before we get into the main questioning, do you have any way to prove you’re from the Moon?)”

“(Not me. But maybe that artist who came before me could confirm it?)”

The Shadow Sorcerer said this, knowing Sophia was nearby.

“(But where should I start… Are the people watching this interrogation safe to hear what I have to say?)”

“(It’s fine. Everyone beyond this wall already knows about your organization—Oracle.)”

“(Well, Oracle isn’t the actual name of the organization, but that doesn’t matter.)”

She adjusted her clothing on the chair, seemingly uncomfortable.

“(Then I’ll speak, assuming you already know some things. I lived on the Moon, which was one of the organization’s forward bases. Within the organization, I was what they called an elite.)”

“(Elite?)”

“(Ah, you don’t know? They’re the top-class awakened of the organization. Most of the time they’re holed up on the Moon, so they rarely go out on missions. Anyway, I was one of them.)”

This was information Sophia had already told us.

“(Ah, but I was a bit different from the other elites.)”

“(Different how?)”

“(Most elites were simply scouted, but I was abducted and lived as an experimental subject before becoming one.)”

The interrogator’s eyes lit up at that.

“(Could you explain that in detail?)”

“(Well… it’s not really important…)”

“(We’ll decide if it’s important.)”

“(Fine… The organization always kidnaps people and uses them for research. In my case, I was treated differently because I had the special ability to erase magic in the air. Normally, though, people are used as materials to create chimeras called ‘doppelgängers.’)”

At the mention of doppelgängers, everyone’s expression darkened, recalling past encounters with them.

“(Anyway… The researchers had wrung out all they could from my ability. Then one of them suggested I become an elite. I couldn’t refuse—accepting meant moving from test subject to a respected position overnight. Refusing meant I’d likely be disposed of.)”

Everyone could see she hadn’t had a choice.

“(After becoming an elite, nothing much happened. I stayed locked in my room, or wandered the base for a change of pace. But then recently, headquarters ordered all elites to go to Earth to capture the traitor—Oracle. That’s why I came here.)”

A few people audibly gasped.

From her mouth came the words: Oracle betrayed the organization, and the top-class elites had been dispatched to Earth.

I already knew this from Association President Richard, but clearly some others here hadn’t.

“(Once I received that mission, I deliberately committed theft.)”

“(Out of nowhere?)”

“(Not out of nowhere. I never wanted to be in the organization. I’d been waiting for a chance to escape. I thought if I got caught stealing and locked up, not even the organization could touch me.)”

But contrary to her hopes, the British court only sentenced her to dungeon-related community service.

For her, that was the worst outcome.

Dungeons were the perfect place for the organization’s influence to reach.

So, to increase the severity of her crimes, she deliberately escaped. After that—

“(I had another idea. If I went to Korea, where the Artist made sure the organization had no influence, I could finally break free.)”

Whether captured or not didn’t matter.

So long as she was outside the organization’s grasp.

That was why she boarded a plane to Korea.

“(That’s all of my story. Do you have more questions?)”

“(Yes, then…)”

The interrogator pressed further about the organization and Oracle.

But most of what she revealed was either already known to me or useless to me personally.

The locations of overseas hideouts, Oracle’s suspected whereabouts—what good would that do me?

Of course, that only applied to me.

“Once the intel’s organized, pass it on to the international police.”

“Understood.”

For others, this intel would be invaluable.

Not only for dismantling a terrorist group—

Their technology alone would tempt many organizations.

Any group that struck the organization could seize that technology.

Many factions would soon begin tearing at them.

Assuming they could handle those so-called elites, that is.

I turned and left the interrogation room.

As I said, the info was useful to others, not me.

If anything truly important for me came up, Yeon Mirae or Sophia would tell me later.

… Which means I suddenly have free time now.

I’d even filed an absence note, thinking this criminal pursuit would take longer. Yet it was already lunchtime.

At this rate, I could just head to school and catch afternoon classes.

Still, since I’d already handed in the absence note, I wasn’t planning to go.

“So, what should I do for the rest of the day…?”

As I muttered while stepping out of the station—

Woof!

“Huh?”

Sarangi, basking in the sun outside the station, barked at me.

“Ah, I forgot about you.”

Whimper?!

Sarangi had helped me track the Shadow Sorcerer so easily, but once the park operation began, I had completely forgotten about him.

Being clever, he’d followed me on his own.

Grrr… Woof!

“Alright, sorry.”

He growled, as if protesting being forgotten.

In his small puppy form he wasn’t very intimidating, though even as Fenrir he wouldn’t have been threatening to me.

Woof! Pant, pant…

After a while, his anger subsided, and he wagged his tail with tongue lolling.

“You want praise?”

Woof!”

I chuckled and patted his head.

He had, after all, been crucial in quickly tracking down the Shadow Sorcerer.

“Good job. Well done.”

Pant, pant…

…Hm?

I noticed something small, like a bug, stuck to his head.

…On Sarangi?

He hadn’t noticed. Which meant it had attached itself extremely stealthily.

…That makes no sense.

A bug stealthy enough to bypass Fenrir’s senses?

I checked it through Sammae.

What kind of bug is this… Hm?!

And then I realized.

This wasn’t an ordinary insect—

“A familiar?”

A kind of servant creature, controlled by a shaman.

Meaning, someone was actively controlling it.

“Damn, too late…?”

The controller realized I had spotted the bug and immediately severed the link—erasing every trace so cleanly I couldn’t even attempt a trace-back.

“…No ordinary opponent.”

I knew my shamanic skills weren’t outstanding compared to true shamans, but the one who had just controlled that bug was on an entirely different level.

Who had attached it to Sarangi, and for what purpose?

I burned it away with Sammae Evolution.

******

“(Heh heh… I’d heard he was a copy-ability user, but to think he could also use shamanism?)”

A ragged old man muttered.

He had been the one controlling the bug, and now marveled as the cursed item he’d used was consumed by flame.

“(Ho! Such pure fire that burns away both the filthy and the corrupt…! No crude curse could withstand it… Heh heh!)”

Indeed, any half-baked curse would be purified by those flames.

The old man laughed. His opponent was far more interesting than expected.

Whirr…

As he examined the charred remains of the charm, the door behind him opened.

Unlike his surroundings cluttered with ritual items reminiscent of a primitive tribe, the door was sleek and modern.

“(Great Shaman, I’ve brought what you requested… Wait, were you casting again?)”

The woman who entered addressed him as Great Shaman.

And the old man—

“(Heh heh… Oracle, I just met the Artist you adore so much.)”

Called her Oracle.

“(Adore? Hardly.)”

“(Heh heh… You think of him constantly, lose sleep over him—if that’s not love, what is?)”

“(That’s not love, it’s fear… Forget it.)”

Knowing further talk was pointless, Oracle gave up.

“(Heh heh… Anyway, that must have been a difficult set of materials. And you brought them all…?)”

“(Yes. For others it might be impossible, but with my ability to manipulate space-time in earnest now, it wasn’t too difficult.)”

So… we can finally begin?

“(Heh heh… Of course we can begin…)”

The Great Shaman murmured, accepting the materials Oracle had brought.