The atmosphere in the conference room, where Luke was summoned to investigate the witch weaponization plan experiment, was solemn to the utmost degree.
Someone spoke to him.
“Luke Aegis. If you know anything about the witch weaponization plan, please disclose it all. Even if you have a history of cooperating and committing crimes regarding this plan, we will grant you leniency if you confess here. Don’t even think about hiding it.”
Upon hearing those words, Luke let out a small sigh that could be genuine or feigned.
Sylvia felt his gaze sweep across the crowd, lingering slightly longer on the position where Astra sat.
When their eyes met, he gave a bitter smile and let out a small sigh.
Understanding his feelings, Sylvia also inwardly released a bitter smile.
Astra, who already knew quite a lot about the plan, was present in the room.
If he attempted to deceive them poorly, it was unavoidable that it would clash with the information Astra knew.
That was bound to be quite a headache.
However, given the situation, Sylvia could only hope that he would act wisely. She soon witnessed Luke taking a deep breath before opening his mouth.
“…One day, at a college reunion, I met my former classmate Satoru. At that time, I was troubled by the limitations of saving people through medicine alone. So, I consulted Satoru about that, and he told me he was researching something. He said if he completed it, I could achieve my goal as well. At that time, I was willing to do anything, as long as I could save people, so I agreed to help him. It was there that I first heard about the plan to create weapons that could control the power of witches. I thought that with such weapons, it would be possible to defeat the lesser demonic beasts without sacrificing people, and thus, I decided to participate in that plan.”
Luke’s words began like that.
One by one, the things done to create weapons from the materials of witches flowed from his lips.
Experiments close to torture that were conducted on test subjects.
Sylvia could see the faces of those listening to his story gradually turning to shock.
Most of the members of the Central Committee were cowards who prioritized their own safety, but fundamentally, they weren’t that bad.
As they had a generally accepted moral compass, the contents of the experiments were surely shocking to them.
There even came a moment when someone turned pale and slightly gagged while listening to the story of the emotional homunculus.
However, even so, no one regarded Luke as a mere criminal.
Yoon Si-woo was continuously informing them that his words were the truth.
Since the motivation behind his actions was solely to find a way to defeat the demonic beasts without harming people, it was not easy to simply blame him for the method being wrong.
“And that was when discussions arose about disposing of the tenth test subject and preparing for the next one.”
And at that moment, Luke, who had been speaking all along, paused briefly with those words.
Sylvia instinctively understood from the small deep breath he took.
It was probably just about to start.
And so, Luke made his first false testimony since entering this conference room.
“A large fire broke out at the place where the experiments were conducted. I don’t know what caused it, but it was a huge fire that consumed all the test subjects and facilities. Since the most important material, the witch’s essence, was gone from the plan, we were in a situation where we couldn’t continue the experiments. I thought it was a good thing. I had been feeling doubtful about whether this was the right path while continuing the experiments. So, I declared to Satoru that I would withdraw from the plan due to that incident.”
“It’s the truth.”
The false words were transformed into truth by Yoon Si-woo.
However, no one thought to doubt Yoon Si-woo.
To be precise, it wasn’t that they couldn’t doubt him; rather, it was that they wouldn’t.
To doubt him would be tantamount to denying the innocence he had previously proven.
Sylvia thought it was a favorable battle.
Just as she was thinking that Scarlet’s identity might not be revealed and would quietly pass by, the First Elder gazed at Luke with a look of suspicion.
“…So, are you saying you completely distanced yourself from the plan afterward? Satoru showed signs of rebellion even when we ordered him to cease the plan. He claimed to have found something thought to be gone. So we suspected that the test subjects we thought were lost in the fire might have actually escaped. We were suspicious that Satoru was trying to recover that test subject and continued the plan independently after cutting off contact with us. Your cooperation must have been indispensable to his plan. Did Satoru really leave you alone? Isn’t there something you know about him?”
At the persistent questioning, Sylvia slightly stiffened her expression.
Claiming the test subjects were lost in the fire would have been shot down by that last question.
Of course, she could understand why the First Elder was so fixated on Satoru’s whereabouts.
To avoid tarnishing Astra’s honor any further, he would need to stop Satoru from doing anything reckless.
Not knowing Satoru was already dead, he was probably anxious about him causing a big incident.
In fact, Sylvia had hoped he would just keep quiet, but from the First Elder’s perspective, it was an action for Astra and himself, so she couldn’t stop him.
At that moment, when Sylvia was anxious that this might reveal Scarlet’s actions if mishandled, Luke smiled bitterly and opened his mouth.
“…Yes, well, as you say. Once I quit, I began receiving relentless calls from Satoru. He believed the test subject had escaped and wanted to find that subject to continue the experiments. Although I repeatedly rejected him since I didn’t wish to help him anymore. However, some days later, he called to say he had recovered the test subject and wanted to restart the experiments.”
“!! Is that true? Where is that Satoru? We need to find him and make him stop the experiments immediately—!”
The composure he usually had seemed to have vanished, replaced by a face filled with urgency as he shouted at Luke.
Interrupting such words, Luke muttered in a calm voice.
“There’s no need for that.”
“What do you mean by that? If Satoru is conducting such experiments again—!”
“Exactly, there’s no need. No one will be conducting experiments anymore.”
Sylvia looked into Luke’s eyes as he murmured that.
A gaze that seemed familiar.
The First Elder, who just claimed to have no faults, had those very eyes.
Upon seeing that look, Sylvia suddenly felt as though she understood what he was about to do.
So, she tightly shut her eyes in despair.
She didn’t need to see what he was going to do; it was clear enough.
“Satoru is dead.”
Alone, he,
“I killed him.”
He intended to take it all upon himself.
“…It’s the truth.”
Sylvia heard Yoon Si-woo’s trembling voice painfully assert that it was the truth.
What kind of feeling is it to turn someone they know into a murderer with just one of their words?
Yoon Si-woo surely wouldn’t have wanted that.
However, it must have been a choice made by Luke to protect Scarlet, so he had no choice but to speak.
From the standpoint of someone who knew, it was a regrettable matter, but those unaware could only be utterly bewildered by his words of having killed someone.
“…You’re saying you killed him?”
“Yes. I killed him. I had no other means to stop Satoru from continuing.”
“No, even so, to commit murder…”
As people muttered about how he could do such a thing, Luke replied.
“It was unavoidable. Satoru crossed the line.”
“Crossed the line, you say…”
“Satoru was trying to create a demonic beast. Using the essence of witches he had collected from the magic and test subjects.”
“Gasp!”
People gasped in shock.
That one statement altered the severity of the situation.
Despite many attempts, it was proven that demonic beasts were utterly uncontrollable.
This was the reason why the private use of magic was regarded as terrorism and could be met with immediate execution.
What if the essence of witches was added to the demonic beasts, resulting in the creation of something uncontrollably powerful?
That could truly be a disaster.
“Satoru had completely lost his mind due to a series of failures. He was like someone who had forgotten how to stop and was trying to produce some result by any means necessary. To stop him, there was no other choice.”
So much that most people would consider the act of killing as something they did well to prevent such a threat.
Sylvia had no choice but to acknowledge that this method of placing most of the blame onto Satoru was somewhat rational.
It would tarnish Astra’s reputation a bit, but perhaps it was Luke’s consideration to make it to be seen as a personal whim of an individual.
Even while contemplating taking on the murder charge himself, it made her think of Scarlet’s actions, leaving her with a bitter feeling.
Regardless, even if most accepted that it could be deemed justifiable, there would always be a minority that wouldn’t condone such extreme methods.
The head of Dolos, Diakonos, spoke to Luke.
“Still, there was no need to kill him, was there?”
“…Ha, are you really saying that at Dolos? If it weren’t for Dolos, I wouldn’t have had to go that far. The magic he was trying to use for the experiment was found in your company’s storage. What were you thinking when you handed it over?”
“I do remember that you allowed it for research purposes. I sent it believing it was someone from Astra; I never thought it would be used for such a purpose…”
Seeing Diakonos’s expression hardening, Sylvia felt this was a sign that Luke had crafted an explanation after much thought.
It wasn’t just a mere justification; he had also thought politically.
With that remark, all three great houses were entangled in this issue, and it was likely they would feel burdened to question it further.
She could sense people around her hesitating to voice their thoughts.
“How did you handle Satoru’s corpse?”
“I burned all of them along with the experimental equipment.”
“So, what about the witch’s essence that Satoru recovered…?”
“To prevent such experiments from continuing, I disposed of it in the sewers. I have no idea where it flowed to after it rained heavily the next day after I threw it away.”
“…I see. Well done.”
In the end, it was only the First Elder who posed a few more questions to Luke.
After that, no one else had any further inquiries, and the meeting concluded naturally.
“…Then let’s discuss the punishment and further investigation concerning those involved in this matter again tomorrow, and dissolve this session. Luke Aegis and the First Elder of Astra, please follow me for now. It seems that you will need to spend today in custody.”
As soon as the meeting ended, the First Elder and Luke received handcuffs on their wrists.
After all, they had committed crimes and thus would seem to be confined to a solitary cell until their sentences were determined.
Despite being treated like criminals, they both didn’t seem displeased, judging by their expressions.
Murder, concealing a body, participating in and abetting illegal experiments.
Neither Sylvia nor anyone else knew how severe the sentences would be.
Although they could tell that it would likely be lighter than the actual charges.
The only concrete victim was Satoru, and he bore the largest responsibility for the incident.
Moreover, both were members of the three great houses.
Nevertheless, it could be said that the suspicion towards Scarlet was nearly eliminated with this outcome, so the objective was indeed achieved.
However, Sylvia didn’t feel a sense of accomplishment.
She quietly gazed at Yoon Si-woo, who was seated across from her, looking exhausted.
Her own face was likely reflecting a similar weariness.
Ironically, Luke’s expression seemed the brightest among them all while being transported.
Perhaps it was because he had already fully resigned to everything from the start.
If only she had realized it a little earlier, could she have changed his mind?
The next day, Luke, who had been held in solitary confinement, was found dead.
It appeared the cause was a lethal pill hidden in his mouth.
From his pocket, a letter seemingly written in advance was discovered, leading to a ruling of suicide.
The letter contained sentiments like he had long been tormented by guilt over the experiments he had conducted.
He felt responsible for not stopping his foolish accomplice, and that he intended to atone for this by following him.
At the end of the letter, a simple statement was jotted down.
“Brother, I’m sorry for being a useless younger brother.”
“M-my foolish brother…”
Mark, upon reading that letter, lamented the foolishness of his younger brother and wept for a long time.
Sylvia, receiving the news of Luke’s death, sat there for a while in a daze.
It wasn’t a question of why he did it.
In fact, she could roughly guess why he acted that way.
To ensure it.
To completely conceal Scarlet’s existence.
Originally, the investigation was scheduled to start today.
In terms of investigation, magic was quite an excellent means.
Unlike psychometry, which renders the place’s memories volatile over time, magic used for investigation could trace actions from weeks past, as long as sufficient time and costs were invested.
There was just one condition, though.
That it only applied to living people.
There was no magical method to delve into the past actions of the deceased.
Necromancy had been obsolete for ethical reasons for a long time.
Thus, Luke chose the most foolproof method to eliminate the slight chance of his actions being tracked down, which could shed light on Scarlet’s existence.
He had already harbored enormous guilt about Scarlet, so it wasn’t as if he couldn’t understand his feelings.
She understood.
She understood, but could not at all condone it.
It was a way that didn’t factor in the feelings of those left behind.
Would Scarlet truly wish for you to sacrifice yourself like that?
Did he perhaps know that?
Feeling a pang of resentment, Sylvia quietly asked the empty air.
“…Did it really have to come to this?”
Naturally, there was no response to that question.
In the midst of that bitter expression, her phone suddenly vibrated, and Sylvia could not help but be startled.
“…How is this possible?”
She received a text from the number that Luke had used to contact her with the message.
[The place we met last time, under the desk drawer.]
Could it be a ghost sending a message?
After a moment of panic, Sylvia quickly reached the conclusion that it couldn’t be.
There was only one explanation.
It meant that the message was pre-scheduled to arrive at this time.
Regaining her composure, Sylvia hurriedly left the mansion.
If it mentioned the place they met last time, only one location came to mind.
The abandoned building where she had gone to consult with Scarlet.
Rushing to that place, Sylvia opened the firmly shut shutter and entered.
Turning on the light, she spotted a mobile phone lying on the desk.
It was the very phone used to contact her.
Ignoring that, she searched under the desk drawer as per the message’s instructions and found a letter.
On theoutside of the envelope, it appeared to request her assistance with a message like this.
[Miss, could you deliver this letter to Scarlet?]
Sylvia made a face upon seeing that.
What would make her want to fulfill a request from someone who had left like that?
Thinking that she would tear up the letter if it contained trivial content, she opened the envelope.
“…Hah.”
Sylvia couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.
It seemed he had some knowledge after all.
He likely intended to do this from the very start.
Looking at the commencement of the letter, starting with an apology, it was clear.
Reading the letter, Sylvia pondered his feelings while writing it.
Thinking, and thinking, and after much consideration.
Finally understanding him, Sylvia could only clutch the letter to her chest with tearful eyes.
“…You know I’m sorry, so I’ll deliver it.”
“Be happy,”
was the last line written in the letter.
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