Volume 6 Chapter 23 I Can't Do Math. But I'm Good at This
The day after taking Keith's word, Randy appeared at the building with the training ground──more accurately, in the underground dungeon there.
There was only one reason he came here.
He had heard that the captured people by Abel had woken up.
"Even if they woke up last night... That's *a lot of sleep*, isn't it?"
Randy frowned and sighed at Abel, saying, "You hit them too hard."
"I went easy on them. Better than with the young lord."
Though Abel had a blank expression, his tone clearly conveyed his dissatisfaction.
No wonder.
If someone like Randy, who was bad at controlling his strength, said such a thing, anyone would think, "I'm better than you."
Annoyed by the implicit accusation, Randy clicked his tongue and averted his gaze from Abel.
"So? In the end, did their brainwashing get resolved?"
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Abel silently shook his head.
"Yeah... If all it took was a punch, they'd handle it themselves."
Randy let out a deep sigh, but ordinarily, when someone is subjected to brainwashing or mental interference, there's no way to deal with it.
Yet, thinking "we can handle this ourselves" was a given with Victor.
Victor's men had experienced having their brainwashing or mental interference undone.
This is because everyone faces such situations at least once in the Beast Forest.
They'd get punched by their comrades, have a nosebleed, and be shaken as someone asks, "Are you awake?"
Both Abel and Randy have had more than enough of such experiences.
Thus, the equation of mental interference = overwritten by physical force holds true for Victor, but it is especially effective against the one-dimensional mental interference that beasts apply.
It resembles how, in games, confused allies are often punched back to their senses by their comrades.
However, even if they lived in rough situations, there are far more people who have never had such experiences.
Therefore, it's no surprise, yet Randy and the others concluded that the reason those individuals can't return is that the mental interference is of a higher level.
This time, it's undoubtedly the people from [Pilgrim of Truth] who have performed what seems to be brainwashing through mental interference.
It was the same with Waldner, but according to Ellie, "It's difficult to break the spell on those who are physically labor-oriented."
It's a more advanced interference compared to beast.
It's not something the affected individuals can do anything about.
Although the paths are different, they have nonetheless reached that conclusion...
"Ah... Maybe I should have brought Liz with me..."
Looking up at the low ceiling of the dungeon, Randy heard Abel tilt his head and ask, "Where did she go?"
"Just to the mansion, you know."
Randy scratched his cheek and continued, explaining that Liz had casually gone to ask Clarice about the design of the workshop.
Since it's a surprise, she can't talk about the workshop, but through the flow of conversation──like asking about workshops she might want to work at in the future──she might be able to extract information smoothly.
After all, I've heard that yesterday, during a discussion about Clarice's future, the two of them got quite excited.
If she can carry that momentum forward, it might be possible to have Clarice herself think about the design of the workshop.
Additionally, there's the letter sent to the Marquis family yesterday.
Recently, Victor has also been doing well, so communication with the Marquis family via the super-fast mail bird has become possible.
Letters that used to arrive the next day now arrive on the same day.
In other words, if things go quickly, it wouldn't be strange to receive a reply from Marchioness Flora.
"Well, since there are things to consider regarding Madame's intentions, it's unlikely we'll get a reply today."
After all, she is a legendary designer.
It's not something that a boy and girl who don't even know the reason she put down her needle can just say, "I want to meet you," and meet right away.
No matter how close her mother is to her, that is.
"What if it doesn't work out?"
"In that case, I'll just throw Keith in and have him apologize, and that'll be the end of it."
Shrugging, Randy shook his head, saying that he couldn't force someone who didn't want to do it.
"But the master will make him apologize."
"Well, that's true. He should get punched at least once."
With a mischievous grin, Randy faced the men who had been thrown into separate cells.
"Now then... It's been a while since yesterday."
One of the men, crouching in front of the cell, widened his eyes and said, "You are..."
"Do you know about my business?"
Randy tilted his head, and the man furrowed his brows at him, saying, "Of course."
"Aren't you in the *same group*?"
Abel murmured behind Randy, leaning his back against the wall, "Well, you know, we had that issue in winter."
What Abel meant was that the men in front of them might belong to Shadler.
Naturally, if they were [Pilgrim of Truth], they should know about Randy, but there was no reason to brainwash their own allies in the first place.
So, Abel was suggesting that if these were hostile Shadler members who knew Randy, they would be easier to contact.
"Well, that makes sense."
Randy nodded in agreement.
Someone other than [Pilgrim of Truth] recognizing Randy, and acting like this,
Considering their *accessibility and lack of resistance towards a purpose*, it would be wise to suspect a relation to the Shadler family.
"For now, should we ask them?"
Randy scrutinized the faces of the two men and sharply asked, "Where do you belong?"
The men's eyes dimmed slightly at Randy's question.
They appeared vacant, as if they were not focused at all.
"I see. You can't talk about unnecessary things... Is that how it is?"
With a sigh, Randy realized the oddity of his own words.
The opponents, despite their circumstances, were professionals.
Even the members of that dark guild had not spoken in front of Randy.
To be precise, he had killed all of them before they even had a chance to speak.
Anyway, people of that ilk would not easily disclose their affiliations.
"Is there really a need to constrain something so obvious?"
Turning around, Randy saw Abel shrug and say, "Who knows."
Abel's answer sounded careless, but it was an important piece for Randy at the moment.
He wasn't sure if it was necessary.
Yes.
In fact, he understood *nothing at all*.
Not even the reason for sending in brainwashed individuals.
(At first glance, this seems unnecessary. The opponent likely anticipated that we would capture them.)
Tapping his fingers on the floor, Randy said, "If we think about it normally..." and turned his gaze to the men.
"Whether you are [Pilgrim of Truth] or not, there shouldn't need to be brainwashed awareness emerging to hide your affiliation."
Even if they are not the [Pilgrim of Truth], they've been accused of destructive activities in towns or streets of other territories or countries.
If they reveal their true affiliation, they would immediately cause trouble for their *company*.
"What exactly is brainwashing... mental interference?"
"Is it *making us believe they are our allies*?"
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