Chapter 49 The Revealed Truth, And—
"Adel-sama, father..."
"Has he woken up?"
The next day—
Maia called out to me, and we headed towards the room where Van was restrained.
"G-ghhh... Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill!"
Even though Van was restrained, he was screaming as if he had lost his sanity.
Well, he probably had actually lost it.
Van's eyes remained dyed in red.
――It seems just losing consciousness won't bring him back to normal.
I locked eyes with Van and summoned Igarima.
"Why bring out the scythe, Adel?"
"I'm not sure if it will work, but I'll give it a try."
"Huh...?"
Raising Igarima, I commanded.
"(Erase, Igarima) —"
"G-ghhhh...!"
Suddenly, a wind swirled around Van.
It was the method used to dispel the poison released by Archbishop Klaus that had previously attacked Teti.
Van's Execution Coefficient is higher than Klaus's.
It would be good if it had an effect...
As the wind calms down, Van raises his head.
The red color has disappeared from his eyes.
"...I see. So, I have indeed lost."
Van shifts his gaze to me, Teti, and Maia, seeming to understand the situation.
"The (magic thread) of the Blood Spider, huh? Quite thorough. Even though I've lost my Job ability."
"Do you remember?"
"Vaguely, yes..."
"Father... There's something I must ask Father."
"Oh dear. After two years, those are the words you choose to say upon our reunion, how dull."
"I can't imagine you wanting such a thing."
As I interject in the conversation, Van snorts and looks up at me.
"So, what do you want to ask?"
"Is it okay? You're responding quite easily."
"Okay. For me, there's no longer any benefit in staying silent. Would it be irrational to speak after undergoing torture?"
"...I see. Have you been betrayed by an ally?"
"Heh. You catch on quickly."
Van is someone who, for the sake of achieving his own goals, makes cold and rational decisions, as I heard from Maia.
So, if such a person is not remaining silent, it likely means that there are no longer any allies.
"First, why were you being manipulated?"
"Before answering that question, it's better to mention this. ――The one who attempted to manipulate my mind was your father, Charles."
"...I see."
It was a possibility that I had considered. That Van was connected to my father, Charles.
This means that Van might have some knowledge about the movements and goals of the royal family.
"When I was restrained, there should have been magic potions in my pocket, right?"
"...Yes. Maia has retrieved them."
"Do you know that the person who created that magic potion is named Marc?"
I nod silently in response to Van's question.
I have seen the effects of the magic potion several times as my targets were cornered.
"Marc mixed the blood of individuals with high abilities into the special magic potion he created. They call it the 'Droplet of Soma.'"
――The Droplet of Soma...
It must be the same thing that Archbishop Klaus mentioned when I rescued Teti.
I remember that damn bishop described it as a "potion that manipulates the human mind."
"It seems you are aware. What was given to me by Charles to drink was the Droplet of Soma. My mind was manipulated by it."
"..."
"Charles and Marc are currently planning something using the Droplet of Soma."
"A plan?"
"Yeah. Their plan is to create a new world where they control and dominate all of humanity with Droplet of Soma. They called it the (Total Domination of Humanity Plan)."
"..."
Certainly, Droplet of Soma is a drug that can manipulate individuals with abilities as strong as Van's. It might be possible to use it on the general public as well.
However, there are things I don't understand.
It was Teti who voiced my question.
"But how can they obtain so many Droplet of Soma? Without my blood, Droplet of Soma shouldn't be able to be created..."
"Children of the beastmen. Indeed, after the awakening of the beastmen, their blood shortly after can be used as the raw material for Droplet of Soma. However, it is also possible to use alternatives."
"Alternatives?"
"The blood of the dragon race, in other words, the blood of dragons."
We were left speechless by Van's words.
"But Father. Dragons are supposed to be monsters classified as SS rank. Did they defeat one?"
"That's right. Marc was the one who took on the task alone."
Marc Richard, huh...
He's got the skills to take down a monster classified as SS-rank all by himself.
That's definitely a big deal.
But you know what――
It all makes sense now.
I'm putting together all the information I've gathered so far and what Van told me.
――Charles, my father, is in cahoots with Marc Richard, developing the Droplet of Soma.
――Their goal is to control all of humanity, creating a new world where they reign as absolute rulers.
I have a feeling Marc might have his own agenda, but I'll have to ask him about it myself.
Either way, we absolutely have to stop this ridiculous plan.
"But with this, it seems like the long line of assassins will come to an end, huh... If my job ability disappears, that would be a shame. Your ability truly surpasses human understanding."
Van says with a heavy sigh.
"It's fine to indulge in sentimentality, but I really hate people who do unreasonable things to others. I won't forgive you guys for tormenting Maia in the past and killing many people."
"...That's how it is. You're that kind of person."
"..."
"Charles should be in the palace with Marc right now. It seems like he's moving to spread Droplet of Soma... Anyway, he only sees (Total Domination of Humanity Plan)."
Van felt like he was indirectly saying to stop the plan.
"I won't allow myself to be manipulated into becoming Charles' puppet again. I'm a bit reluctant, but there's no choice but for you guys to win."
"I'll do that even without you telling me."
I said, then Maia stepped forward.
"...I haven't properly told you yet, Father. I'm walking a different path from you."
"...I see. Do as you please."
Van said, with a slight lift at the corner of his mouth... just a tiny bit, it seemed.
And then, while Maia, Teti, and I were in the middle of discussing how to infiltrate the royal palace.
"Adel-san, something big's happening!"
Fran, the informant, burst into the Silver Apple Inn with great urgency.
Fran rushed over to me immediately.
From her extreme agitation, it was clear that something bad was happening.
"What's wrong?"
"Anyway, please come outside!"
Following Fran's urging, we stepped out of the tavern.
And there, what we saw was...
"This is..."
A (black mist) enveloping the entire capital city.
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