Drip, drip. The rain still fell on the abandoned factory.
Elise looked at nurse Eri, who was asleep on the bed in the corner, and then silently spread out her palm.
[We are being watched, so please follow me quietly. I will protect you.]
She intended to protect Eri. From that damned reporter, from her father, from her own family and the media.
Elections.”
Now, only a month remains until the elections.
Would the Shion Ascal incident, if it broke out, affect Petra's re-election?
Probably not
Shion's family affairs would be butchered, Petra would succeed in being re-elected, and her father would attempt to join the Round Table.
Continuously, he would become an even greater monster than he is now.
Elise took out the rabbit doll—Cookie—from her waistband and placed it on the ground.
“. You’re watching, aren't you?
She asked, looking at the doll.
Cookie didn’t respond, but Elise pressed on.
"You’re watching. Answer me.”
Then Cookie tilted its head up slightly.
—When did you know?
A man’s voice flowed from the voice.
It’s ‘Yael’.
Her own calling him a brother would be a stretch, blood relative.
“I’m a mage. A much more exceptional mage than you think.”
To be honest, she had found out relatively recently, about a month ago.
She hadn’t removed him because she was curious about what this person intended to do.
But Yael hadn’t done anything in the meantime.
"You couldn’t have failed to notice, right?”
I’m proud of you.
Yael let out a snicker. Elise glared at him.
"Proud? What do you think?”
This person probably knows what I want to do. And what I'm planning to do.
—You probably know better than I do?
Hah."
Elise let out a faint sigh.
“. Will they come to hate me?"
—Who’s going to hate you?
"Everyone.”
Shion Ascal and Ken Petra.
No, the entire Petra family.
—Father will hate you. That’s the kind of person he is.
.What about Shion?"
Elise asked about Shion.
—Well, you’ll have to ask him yourself.
She picked up a small envelope. Inside, she placed a USB detailing how Ascal’s mother died. She also enclosed the only witness Eri’s business card.
Then she created a [Delivery Box] .
—What are you going to do?
“I’m going to send it to Shion.”
—Not to the media?
I can’t let the media hurt him.”
Elise smiled resolutely.
Shion's mother, and her birth, if the press gets wind of that story, it's bound to turn into a complete mess.
Whether it's a political public opinion war to shake up the election, or just simple gossip to increase page views, they’ll recklessly tear open Shion’s scars for their own purpose.
"The choice will be left to Shion.”
So, the choice is Shion’s.
"And then.
—...And then?
Elise placed the envelope into the [Delivery Box] .
"Our family deserves to be punished.”
The Petra family is not a good one.
Her father may have raised the family with the passion of a warrior, but in the process, he committed far too many sins.
He harmed too many people.
In the end, Ken Petra became not a warrior but a monster.
—Deserves... punishment?
The day Shion’s mother died, the day I was born.
Maybe that was the beginning.
"Yes.”
Elise continued softly.
"Shion will come to hate me, and us."
She must be punished as much as he hates.
For him, who was orphaned by Petra, a punishment that she can accept, definitely.
Snap-!
Elise flicked her finger. The [Delivery Box] flew through the window of the abandoned factory and into the sky.
—If that’s the case.
Then, Yael spoke with a confident tone. Elise turned to look at him.
—I have something prepared.
“...Prepared?"
—Yeah. It was originally meant for me, but I'll give it to you.
Yael had a dagger. A weapon to defeat the completely monstrous father, when all else fails.
—Let’s set things right I’ll send it to you.
Yael lay on the bed in the psychiatric ward, a happy smile on his face.
In fact, he had always been happy lately.
Because he could see Elise changing through the eyes of the doll.
Moving away from the monster, away from the family, becoming a warmer person, he could watch her.
It was all thanks to that guy.
Shion Ascal.
So sometimes, he felt resentful. And sad.
If only they had been an ordinary family.
If his father, mother, Elise, and him had not been a family entangled with nobility, but one content with what they had.
Could they have not lived with more excitement, more joyful?
Could they not have rejoiced in small achievements, shared more honest emotions, and leaned on each other as time passed?
—Will it go well?
Elise, reflected in Cookie’s eyes, asked.
"Of course. You can do it.”
Yael encouraged her.
"You’re not a mental patient like me, nor a monster like father.”
Yael had information. These were the old records he had materialized through his [Spectrum] .
It was the reason why his father hadn’t been able to kill him until now.
He had been hiding all the corruption of the Petra family within his magic.
Of course, if this information gets to Elise and the press blows it up, Ken will move swiftly.
He will surely find out that the source is himself and will definitely try to kill him.
It doesn’t matter now.
The most important thing is that Elise will be completely freed from them.
"You’ll do well."
Yael upgraded his magic connected to Cookie. His veins turned blue with heat, and blood wept from his eyes, but he managed to transmit the magic.
"My sister."
Magic codes flowed from Cookie's eyes. Elise read them blankly.
The magic itself was digitized and flickering, the [Spectrum] of a family member she was seeing for the first time.
"Ah, the laptop."
This wasn’t the time.
Elise hurriedly opened her laptop. Then Yael's magic codes flowed into it Countless pieces of information were saved onto the disk.
"This.
Within it were many sins.
The sins of the family.
The sins of the father.
And his sins as well.
“Is all this real?”
Elise looked at Cookie. But there was no answer in return. The magic connection had been severed.
'Ah...'
She closed the laptop. She instantly understood the meaning of Yael’s words to set things right.
She also came to understand why Yael had been locked up there all this time.
Silently, she gazed at the rainy sky, lost in thought for a moment.
Many thoughts spread through her mind, but soon a corner of her heart felt empty, and then seemed to fill up again.
She quietly smiled.
Drip, drip.
The rain streaks clinging to the window were beautiful.
The deep darkness of dawn.
Quantum Mechanic—Jesco glared at Face's underling, groveling on the ground.
“...It’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding, Boss!”
He cried out desperately, claiming it wasn't their doing, that it was all Crow’s work, with tears of blood smeared across his face.
"If it’s a misunderstanding, then why hasn’t your so-called brother shown up?
Jesco pointed the gun barrel at the man’s forehead.
This was Face’s hideout A building with three underground floors and four above, which he had procured for Face after much whining and nagging.
But Face himself was absent
He had fled.
"Please, please... Right now, brother is with Crow...”
"Your brother was supposed to be me. Not that bastard Face.”
Jesco detonated the gun barrel at the man’s forehead. The head exploded like a watermelon. It was Jesco’s [Spectrum J , a bullet charged with magic.
"Boss. Maybe you should calm down a bit...”
His subordinates cautiously approached him.
"Calm down?”
Jesco turned to look at them and snickered.
“I am calm. Calmer than ever before.”
When rage reaches its peak, it settles into a cold calm. Right now, he suspects everyone here. Whether it was Crow's doing, Face's doing, or if the two were in cahoots.
"Track down Crow.”
Jesco closed his eyes for a moment
A sandstorm rose in the darkness. Within it, he saw himself and Belkman.
The guy was still smiling at him, but soon he turned his back and left Away from him, to some unseen place...
Jesco opened his eyes again. He fiddled with a desert tombstone, pondering quietly.
"Now, it’s time to recover the money they’ve siphoned off."
The desert does not forgive betrayal.
You do not understand that.
Face, along with nearly all of his underlings, had located Crow’s residence. Crow, too, had brought all his forces to confront him.
"Hey. Four-eyes."
Face's greeting was rude from the start. Crow raised an eyebrow.
Typical of an uneducated brute.
“...Face. Do you realize what kind of mess your madness has caused?”
"Spouting nonsense.”
Face took a step forward. Instantly, their respective underlings drew their weapons.
"Four-eyes. I know what you're trying to do. So I want in.”
"Stop spouting your delusional bullshit—"
“Fuck! The boss has lost it. If we leave him be, he’s going to kill us both."
Crow clenched his teeth.
Indeed, Jesco was on a rampage. Not only Face and Crow, but even his most loyal followers were being slaughtered mercilessly.
"Shit. Because of some desert-born technician, he’s gone mad and is killing everyone, that’s what!”
Face bellowed out loud.
“...Where have you hidden the technician?”
Yet Crow remained expressionless.
Naturally, because Crow himself suspected Face.
"Could it be.
Unaware of this, Face's face turned grave for a moment as he cursed under his breath.
"You. Have you already killed him?”
Crow let out a hollow laugh.
"You’re the one who killed him."
"Ah, fuck!”
Face smacked his forehead in frustration, shaking his head as if to say it's all gone to hell.
"So you killed him. Makes sense. That Belkman or whatever his name is wouldn’t listen to you.”
A guy who wouldn't even give up a measly 0.5% of the profits wouldn’t work with someone like Crow. Crow must have tried to persuade him, or perhaps accidentally killed him during torture-
Face's logic solidified in his mind.
"Enough with the act, just stop it. Face, you killed him and-"
Suddenly, an explosion occurred.
BOOM!
One side of the wall in the vicinity crumbled cleanly, and a cloud of dust rose. Crow and Face, protected by their subordinates, turned to look at the source.
“...You were here."
It was Jesco.
He walked in, massaging his neck with a pistol, looking around at everyone.
"Come here. Both of you.”
Dragging his feet, he stood in the center. But no one approached him. Only the loud sound of swallowing could be heard.
Crow spoke.
“...Boss. Please, calm down.”
"Calm down?”
Jesco closed his eyes without realizing it
"Calm down calm down calm down. I don’t even know how many times I've heard that damn phrase.”
"Brother! There’s been a misunderstanding between us. This, it’s all Crow’s doing! This bastard hid the technician, and when he wouldn't cooperate, he tortured him to death!”
Face pointed accusingly at Crow. Jesco asked in a cold tone.
"Torture?”
"Bullshit, that’s crazy talk! Boss! It was Face who killed him! You know how obsessed Face is with the percentages!”
"Fuck that! The more money we bring in, the better for me even if the percentage stays the same!”
Face and Crow argued back and forth. Accusations flew about who killed the technician, their voices escalating like barking dogs.
Jesco watched the two of them and then nodded quietly.
“...There's no need for any more discussion."
A deep sigh escaped through Jesco’s teeth. He swung his pistol from side to side, alternately pointing at Face and Crow.
"Both of you. I’ve never liked you from the start. You know that? You're fucking morons.”
“...Excuse me?”
"No, no, big brother. We've served you for years—”
"You’re parasites, worthless without me."
Jesco clenched his teeth. His expression twisted as he continued.
"One of you is never grateful, always complaining, always fucking wanting more, and the other pretends to be smart, pretends to be loyal, while creating backdoors to siphon off money?”
Face and Crow fell silent.
"Compared to him...”
Jesco’s words trailed off. A small moisture formed at the corner of his eyes. He was reminded of someone suddenly.
"Belke."
Born in the same desert, in the same homeland, they met again in a far-off land.
That guy had been genuine from the start.
There was no deceit, and he was ready to share his fate with Jesco.
That's why he was...
"Far more valuable than all you rotten pieces of trash put together.”
Jesco spat out his words like venom as he raised his pistol.
The roar of magic power resounded.
The bullet detonated.
It was the beginning of carnage.
