episode_0171

**Episode 171: The Fuse**

Drip! Drip!

In the dark, confined room, Alisa, who had been slumped unconscious, flinched and opened her eyes at the regular dripping sound.

“Ugh, um… where am I…?”

Unable to immediately grasp the situation, she stared blankly around before recalling her memories from before she fainted and trying to stand.

Clank!

But she couldn’t move her body.

Currently, her entire body was tied to a chair, which was fixed to the floor.

Her arms and legs were also tightly bound to the armrests and chair legs, making any attempt to break free impossible.

“Damn it! What is this?!”

Furthermore, the handcuffs binding her arms to the armrests seemed to have a built-in magic-blocking function, as she couldn’t wield even a speck of magic.

After struggling for a long time, Alisa realized there was no way out for now.

“Haa… First, I need to figure out where I am.”

She focused her attention on her surroundings.

She gathered every piece of information from the cramped space to draw a conclusion.

A dark, confined room.

Water droplets leaking from the ceiling.

A faint stench seeping into her nose.

When all of this was put together, there was only one answer.

“The underground waterway.”

It was the perfect place for cunning bastards like the Dark Cult to hide.

The problem was why they brought her here, but recalling the conversation before the battle, understanding the reason wasn’t difficult.

They must have abducted her to extract information about Eunrang.

“Idiots.”

They probably wouldn’t imagine that what she knew wasn’t significantly different from what was already known.

Of course, she had learned a little about his personal information through a brief conversation at the imperial party, but uncovering Eunrang’s true identity with just that was almost impossible.

And most importantly, she had no intention of ever telling them.

Just as she steeled her resolve, the door opened, and Gaen entered.

“You’re awake.”

“You! I’ll kill you!”

Rattle! Rattle!

Alisa feigned an agitated appearance to make them drop their guard.

However, Gaen showed no interest in her reaction.

“Stay still. Soon enough, you’ll be thrashing about, whether you like it or not.”

Scrape─ Scrape─

It turned out he wasn’t alone.

Behind him, a Dark Elf followed, dragging a tray filled with gruesome torture tools.

Alisa noticed that although there were significant differences, the Dark Elf looked exactly like Shakra.

When their eyes met, the Dark Elf spoke.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Idra. As you might have guessed, I’m Shakra’s younger sister.”

“……”

“Do you know? The fact that Eunrang raped and murdered my sister.”

“What?”

“He raped her before killing her. He thoroughly trampled on her dignity and humiliated her. Do you follow Eunrang knowing that?”

Alisa’s eyes shook.

She couldn’t understand what Idra was saying.

Only after a few seconds, when the meaning sank in, was she engulfed in fury.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Do you think I’d believe you if you just fabricated such a thing?”

“It’s the truth. Why don’t you believe it? Do you not want to admit that Eunrang is such a person?”

“Shut up! I won’t fall for such lies.”

“Your trust is strong. Good. I look forward to seeing what kind of expression Eunrang will make when he’s betrayed by someone like you.”

As if the conversation was over, Idra quietly handed a pair of pliers to Gaen.

Gaen took the pliers and slowly approached.

“Then, I’ll ask. What is your relationship with Eunrang?”

“Shut up. I have no intention of telling you.”

“I see. Then, let’s start with a light appetizer.”

As if he hadn’t expected her to answer from the start, Gaen, without hesitation, clamped the pliers onto her fingernail and brutally twisted it off.

Snap!

Her well-maintained fingernail was instantly torn off and flew away.

“Ugh!”

Alisa groaned in pain.

For her, who had always trained in swordsmanship, this level of pain was quite familiar.

Nevertheless, an uncontrollable groan escaped her, but her mind showed no signs of breaking. On the contrary, her defiance towards the two of them only grew stronger.

Gaen nodded.

“Hmm… For a noble lady, your pain tolerance is quite strong. Good. Then, let’s pick up the pace. I’ll ask again. What is your relationship with Eunrang?”

“……”

Snap!

Another fingernail was likewise torn off.

This time, Alisa gritted her teeth, suppressing her groans, and glared at Gaen.

Perhaps impressed by her stubborn attitude, Gaen continued to pull out her fingernails without further questions.

Finally, after all the fingernails on one hand were pulled out, he moved to the other hand, and when that still didn’t work, he proceeded to pull out all her toenails.

Alisa quickly became a complete wreck.

Yet, even in such a state, her will remained unwavering.

Idra looked at her and smiled sadly.

“You love Eunrang, don’t you?”

“…What?”

“I can tell from your eyes. You love him. That’s why you’re enduring this much. How pitiful.”

Love is an emotion that makes people blind. It narrows one’s vision, preventing them from accepting the truth even when it’s right in front of them.

Idra felt pity for Alisa, who endured torture for Eunrang without knowing what kind of person he truly was.

Alisa, finding it absurd, let out a sneer.

“Ha! And how do *you* feel about it?”

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

“How does it feel to not even be able to confess to the person you love? You’re making it so obvious, but the person themselves has no idea, do they? Even I, who just met you, can tell.”

Throughout the torture, Idra’s gaze had often drifted towards Gaen.

Just as Idra had perceived Alisa’s feelings, Alisa too had immediately noticed what kind of feelings Idra harbored.

At Alisa’s question, Idra’s face stiffened.

Briefly flustered, she picked up a random torture instrument from the tray and handed it to Gaen.

“B-Brother-in-law! It seems the fingernails aren’t working anymore, so let’s use this.”

“…Alright. If it’s too difficult to watch, you can leave.”

“No! It’s alright. If I leave, she’ll probably try to sow discord. We can’t have that.”

“Understood. Then, watch from behind.”

Sending Idra behind him, Gaen held up the torture tool and warned her.

“You’d better think carefully. From this point on, there’s no turning back. Even with the Cult’s treatment, there will be lingering after-effects.”

“Ha! Do you think I’d be scared by that? Do whatever you want. I won’t open my mouth even if I die!”

“Is that so? Then there’s no helping it.”

Gaen pressed the torture tool tightly against her thigh and pushed a button.

Whirrrrrr!

Along with a flash of light, the sound of something rotating was heard.

The waves emitted from the torture tool began to randomly churn her muscles and bones, turning them into a pulp.

Horrific pain stimulated her brain.

“Aaaargh!!!”

Even Alisa couldn’t endure it, and a terrible scream escaped her.

Such torture continued until dawn.

*

“Alisa didn’t come to school?”

I was utterly surprised by what Abel told me.

Alisa hadn’t returned home yesterday, and what’s more, she hadn’t even come to school.

While one might say she spent the night out because she was late for curfew, not attending school is a different matter.

Because there’s no reason Alisa would skip class without a word.

In fact, the opposite is more common.

If she carelessly skipped class, the news would reach her family, and she’d hear all sorts of unpleasant things.

She wouldn’t want to hear such things, so she’d force herself to come, even if she didn’t want to.

Then, there’s only one answer.

That she was unable to attend school due to an external force, not of her own free will.

What could it be?

“Uni. Did she say anything to you?”

“…No. She just said she was going to practice sword dance. I only just found out she didn’t come home.”

“Damn it.”

The fact that Alisa was an honor student was frustrating at this moment. If she had a roommate, I would have known about this sooner.

Soon, after exchanging various opinions, we realized there was no progress and parted ways.

I immediately headed towards Deborah.

“Deborah. I have a favor to ask.”

“Pardon? A favor?”

“Yes. Is the Ring of the Future Usurper available for use right now?”

“Ah, yes. It is. But why?”

“Come with me for a moment. I’ll explain there.”

I entered a secluded classroom with Deborah and then explained Alisa’s disappearance.

Deborah was startled.

“Really? This is serious.”

“Yes. So, I’d like you to look into the future with the Ring of the Future Usurper. There might be a clue.”

“…Alright. Just a moment.”

Deborah asked for understanding, then closed her eyes and poured magic into the ring.

The gem on her ring finger glowed.

Now that I think about it, I remember the day Deborah first wore the ring to school. Back then, the classmates made a fuss, asking if I had given it to her.

Just as I was thinking idle thoughts to clear my head, the magic subsided, and Deborah opened her eyes.

“I found out what happened.”

“You found out?”

“Yes.”

Deborah nodded heavily.

While I wanted to cheer, I couldn’t honestly be happy given her stiffened expression.

“What did you see? Can you explain?”

“…First, the ones behind this are the Dark Cult.”

“The Dark Cult?”

“Yes. They abducted Alisa. …In the future I saw, Alisa was found as a corpse. There were traces of torture all over her body.”

“Torture… you say.”

My breath caught in my throat for a moment.

If this prophecy isn’t wrong, it means Alisa is suffering even at this very moment.

Why on earth was she abducted?

I could guess the reason from Deborah’s awkward expression.

“Is it because of me?”

“Pardon?”

“I asked if it was because of me. Alisa being abducted.”

“Ah, no. It’s not, though?”

“Don’t lie. It’s because of me, isn’t it?”

“……”

Deborah couldn’t open her mouth.

That was as good as an answer.

‘It’s because of Eunrang,’ I thought.

If I were to find a connection between Alisa, me, and the Dark Cult, there was nothing else.

I had always worried about this.

That someday, the people around me might suffer harm because of me.

But I had imagined Deborah or Isis as potential targets, never in my wildest dreams Alisa.

If I had known this, I would have kept a closer watch on Alisa too.

“Haa… Deborah. Do you know the location?”

“Only that it’s in the underground waterway.”

“You don’t know the exact location?”

“No.”

Deborah had an apologetic expression.

I let out a small laugh and patted her reassuringly.

“Why are you making that face? That alone is enough.”

“Ruan…”

I, who had been stroking Deborah’s shoulder, took my hand away and stepped back.

“Deborah. I’m going to go find Alisa.”

“Pardon? Now?”

“Yes. Class isn’t important. Please tell the professor.”

The moment I turned my back after saying that, Deborah urgently grabbed my hand.

As if she wouldn’t let me go, she squeezed my hand with all her strength.

I patted the back of her hand.

“Deborah. I can only go with a clear mind if you stay here. If any information comes through, contact me. Okay?”

“But…”

“Don’t you trust me? I won’t get a single hair harmed, so don’t worry. I’ll contact you periodically.”

As I repeatedly coaxed and persuaded her, Deborah, as if realizing she couldn’t cling to me forever, let go of my hand.

“You promise? If you don’t keep your word, you’ll be in trouble.”

“Of course. I’ll be back.”

I, who had replaced my farewell with a smile, turned my back and left the classroom.

‘Where are you? Where are you?’

As I recalled the possible locations where Alisa might be.