Chapter 60

Thanks to Lirina and Rick’s constant attention, a peaceful tea time passed by.

However, even during that peaceful time, I found it hard to ignore that the topics Rose discussed—presumably intended as small talk—were incredibly gruesome. No matter how fragrant the tea was, it wasn’t enough to cancel out the nature of her stories.

“So, by using magic to directly tinker with a specific part of the brain, you might be able to turn a subject into an obedient doll in exchange for intense pain. Though, they might just suffer a total personality collapse from the agony instead.”

She spoke of these horrors with elegance, teacup in hand.

“Is this laboratory filled with nothing but such inhuman experiments?”

Ray’s statue-like face shifted as he furrowed his brow, but Rose merely offered a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“The experiments themselves have been approved by your country. It’s not as if you don’t know that.”

Stung by her rebuttal, Ray closed his eyes and fell silent.

Slaughter Rose.

It was an open secret that the mad scientist, one of Django’s three disciples, was originally a medical practitioner from the country of Pace.

While the origins of the other mysterious disciples—“Unarmed Hauser” and “Kijiitsu the Genocider”—remained unknown despite the best efforts of every nation to investigate them, there were endless proofs that Rose was a former Pace medic, no matter how much the country officially denied it.

As a nation boasting the largest territory and population—and thus leaning heavily toward totalitarianism—there were countless rumors of inhumane research being conducted within Pace. Rose was said to be the researcher and doctor who spearheaded studies into the human spirit; experiments involving mind control, hypnosis, and brainwashing, as they would be called in my old world.

Experiments where she borrowed death-row inmates and used magic to directly control their brain matter. Experiments with suggestion and cognitive alteration. Medications, torture, and psychological manipulation designed to extract confessions efficiently.

Under the name of research, she drove dozens of people to a maddening death, earning her the nickname “Slaughter.” Even the high-ranking officials who ordered the research grew to fear her and tried to eliminate her. It was then that she fled the country and became a subordinate to Django, who was gaining power at the time.

Since then, with Django’s backing, Rose had used her old connections to maintain contact with Pace. She continued her inhumane experiments with their cooperation, and in return, she provided some of her results back to the country.

Or so the rumors went.

Naturally, the country of Pace denied all of this, claiming the existence of such research was a complete fabrication. Honestly, until now, I had thought the rumors were likely an exaggeration.

However, based on that brief exchange—especially Ray’s reaction—it seemed the rumors were, at the very least, partially true.

A terrifying thought.

“If I may speak as an assistant, Master Rose’s research also has aspects that save people.”

Rick defended Rose while pouring tea into Bob’s empty cup.

“No matter how much magical research advances, the human spirit remains a mystery. If Master Rose’s research progresses, it might become possible to heal mental trauma, for instance.”

“At the cost of killing the hearts of hundreds of others, I suppose,” Bob interjected with a thin smile, clearly trying to provoke them.

“That is what it means to step into an unknown field. Massive sacrifice is to be expected.”

Without breaking his composure, Rick finished pouring the tea.

“Lirina, your brother is looking more and more like a cold-blooded human every time I see him,” Hauser said with an exasperated sigh.

“He’s just getting closer to being a perfect butler! You know, since butlers are always supposed to be calm and collected,” Lirina laughed.

Feeling fed up with the peaceful yet somehow eerie atmosphere, I looked toward Kirio for some silent support.

“Hmm, hmm, hmm…”

To my shock, Kirio’s eyes were sparkling as she took notes on everything Rose was saying.

As expected, as a healer, she was deeply intrigued. However, watching her eyes light up while listening to such dangerous talk sent a chill down my spine. Especially because it was Kirio. There was still a bottomless quality to her. I felt like she might try out one of Rose’s experiments on me while wearing that same innocent smile.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

At that moment, the sound of a door opening was followed by a voice.

I turned around to see a middle-aged man wrapped in a mantle.

Django of the Wasteland. One of the Six Detectives was finally here.

“My apologies for the delay.”

Behind Django, an old man with healthy-looking, pure white hair bowed. He was an old man I didn’t recognize. He wore Isu-style clothing—similar to a kimono from my previous world—and based on the high quality of the fabric, I assumed he was an Isu nobleman.

“Eh?”

And then, as I saw the tall man standing closely beside the elder, my mouth moved on its own.

The rugged features, the height, and the spear on his back. There was no mistaking him.

“Watch Houou?”

At my question, Watch tilted his head slightly.

“I’m just Watch. I’m not a noble, and ‘Houou’ was a pseudonym. Have you forgotten?”

Ah, right. Now that he mentioned it, that was the case.

No, no, that wasn’t what I meant.

“Still, it hasn’t been long enough since that incident to call this a reunion. I’m surprised we’re meeting again so soon, Van.”

As he spoke with his usual lack of a smile, the Shadow of Isu shrugged his shoulders.

“This may go without saying, but I will emphasize it nonetheless.”

Once everyone except Rick and Lirina had taken a seat, Django was the first to speak.

“Any facts or information revealed in this place are not to be made public until a consensus is reached by everyone here. This is an absolute condition. If you do not agree to this, today’s discussion is cancelled. We will dissolve this meeting and act as if none of this ever happened.”

“Do you really think you can pull that off? You’re treating an important figure from my country like a criminal. This could become an international incident,” Bob immediately snapped.

“An international incident? Which country does my old man belong to, exactly? There’s no way to make this international.”

Hauser cut him down instantly.

“Besides, what the old man is trying to say is that if the facts revealed here were published as they are, that would be the real international incident. After all, he knows all sorts of dark secrets.”

“You are free to ignore the proposal, but in that case, if Shark’s dirty laundry comes out here, it might just be shared with the rest of the world. Think before you open your mouth, you brat,” Django barked, his face contorting into an expression that sat somewhere between a snarl and a grin.

“Tch.”

If it were me, I would have frozen in fear, but Bob was nothing if not thick-skinned; he merely clicked his tongue and fell silent.

“Understood. As far as the country of Pace is concerned, there is no issue.”

Ray turned his cold eyes toward me.

Realizing he was prompting me for an answer, I spoke up.

“It’s fine with the country of Shark as well.”

Beside me, Bob glared at me intensely. He likely didn’t appreciate me answering as if I were the representative.

Well, it was his own fault for picking a fight and nearly getting cut down for it.

“Now that we have everyone’s consent, let’s start with the introductions. This is the elderly gentleman in question. The spearman beside him seems to be an acquaintance of Van’s, but he is merely a guard. The one involved in this matter is the gentleman here.”

With that, Django stroked his beard and signaled the old man with his eyes.

The old man nodded magnanimously.

“Hayanosin Yazaki. I serve as a nobleman of Isu,” he said, giving a polite greeting that felt unusually humble for a noble.

The Yazaki family.

If I recalled correctly, they were high-ranking nobles of Isu—a prestigious lineage that could be traced back to the very founding of the country.

“For the past few years, Master Django and I have maintained a relationship of detective and client.”

“Ooh?”

For some reason, it was Neitz who spoke up. An amused smile played across her lips.

Why was she the one acting impressed here?

“If you say ‘the past few years,’ does that mean you have been commissioning work from him on a continuous basis?”

At Ray’s cold and precise question, Hayanosin nodded.

“I had commissioned the subjugation of the Blue Wolves.”

The room fell into a profound silence at those words.

“…The Blue Wolves?”

In the stillness, Kirio echoed him in a whisper.

“That is correct.”

“Why? No, wait—it’s not exactly strange. The Blue Wolves are a massive problem for every nation. But you asked a private detective? You, a high-ranking noble?”

Bob tilted his head in confusion.

His phrasing was crude, but I agreed with the sentiment. Doing such a thing would be a complete blow to national prestige.

He should have used his own country’s detectives or Knights.

After all, Isu was home to Masakado—one of the Six Detectives who served as both the Knight Commander and the Head of the Detective Agency.

“Your suspicion is perfectly natural. However, the answer is quite simple. First, I have a reason why I absolutely must see the Blue Wolves annihilated. Second, I had faith that Master Django was the one who could achieve it.”

“Ho? I would certainly love to hear what part of this private detective—who is surrounded by nothing but dark rumors—is so trustworthy.”

Ray rested his hand against his elegant chin.

“Well, as for that…”

Hayanosin looked toward Django and then Rose. Both gave him a faint nod in return.

“It stems from the fact that I learned of Master Django’s investigative style.”

“Style? Is his method that revolutionary? More so than our Van’s?”

Kirio got a little defensive, acting as if no detective superior to me could possibly exist.

“Revolutionary… yes, revolutionary indeed. Especially when it comes to organized crime.”

Hayanosin closed his eyes, as if immersing himself in a memory.

“I was introduced to that investigative method as the ‘Kijiitsu System.’”