第１８９７堀：道中も忙しくなりそう (Part2)
"Does that mean there is something you are reluctant to tell us?"
"It’s not like you, Yuki. Is there some inconvenience in sharing it with us?"
"You’re uncharacteristically hesitant. Is stating the conclusion really that distasteful?"
It wasn't just me; Sia and Nina seemed to find my brother's reaction strange as well, prompting them to press him further.
"Well, there’s no use in hiding it, but it’s the kind of news that ruins one’s appetite. Are you prepared for that?"
"Hm? If it’s about the torture that was being carried out in the church, isn't that old news?"
"Isn't it a bit late for that?"
I agreed with them. Or perhaps, he was simply trying to be considerate of me. My brother has always cherished me, and he might fear that such gruesome details would be too much for my mental well-being.
So...
"Brother, you don't need to hold back for my sake. Ever since I came here as an adventurer—no, ever since I joined the military for your sake—I have steeled my resolve."
The girl who once trembled while being chased by thugs in Weed is long gone. I am capable of cutting down my enemies. Though Archbishop Dodona once pointed out my slight hesitation in human-to-human combat, I can state with certainty that I am capable of doing what must be done.
When I declared my resolve to him, he replied:
"That’s not the kind of resolve I meant, but whatever. There are ways to handle things like disguises and such."
"Disguises?" we echoed in unison.
Before I could process his words, he began to explain.
"The reason I was hesitating is because of the information we extracted after seizing the Clearstream Church in the capital of Giadana."
"So, something did turn up, then?"
"Yeah. Well, it was predictable, I suppose."
"You’re dragging this out, which is rare for you. Just spit it out."
"Fine. To put it simply, we’ve uncovered the methods and logistics behind the demi-human torture at the Clearstream Church. We don't know the ultimate objective yet, other than the fact that they are harvesting magical energy into magic stones."
"Regarding the methods, isn't the goal simply to inflict pain? It’s nearly identical to the Biden incident, isn't it? They are supplying magic through blood. We already know that the magical content in blood increases when the subject experiences intense emotions like fear."
As Sia noted, it is a known fact in Weed’s research that torture and bloodletting increase the magical potency of blood due to the subject's heightened emotional state. It is believed to be a result of the subject's own consciousness. However, if that was already known, what was this "new" information?
"It’s not the method itself. It’s the rules. The locations, the personnel, that sort of thing."
"Ah."
We understood what he meant. It wasn't the *how* of the torture, but the *conditions* under which it was performed.
"By seizing the Giadana capital, we began forced investigations into Clearstream Churches across various regions, but so far, we haven't found any evidence of torture taking place in the smaller ones. After squeezing the people from the capital's church, we learned that they essentially gather victims at the major churches in each nation's capital, or in the next largest cities."
"Huh? Well, now that you mention it, that makes sense. It’s not exactly something you can do just anywhere, is it?"
"Indeed. If they don't gather the demi-humans in a large, secure location, they’d be exposed and ruin their reputation immediately."
"…In other words, we have to ignore the possibility that there might be imprisoned demi-humans in every town we visit from here on out?"
"Ah."
We were planning to visit several towns on our way to the Iana Kingdom. Naturally, each of those towns would have a Clearstream Church...
"You can't ignore it, can you?"
"…True. Once you understand the reality, you can't just turn a blind eye."
"And we’re planning to head to the capital of the Iana Kingdom, which means there’s a high probability that a torture facility exists there, right?"
"Exactly. Can you ignore that?"
"..."
I finally understood why my brother didn't want to talk about it. We are essentially the only ones heading to the Iana Kingdom right now. That means we are the only ones who can save the victims we encounter along the way.
But if we do that, we won't be able to achieve our primary objective: reaching the Ioa Kingdom to observe the situation in the north.
What should we do? As I pondered this, Nina spoke up, urging the conversation forward.
"So that’s why you mentioned disguises and such. Since we’re going to adopt that strategy, send us the personnel to help with the rescues. Or, are you talking about transport?"
I see. That was why he brought it up—he had already devised a solution. We needed to listen carefully. When you think about it, it’s only natural. Torture is a specialized act; if not performed by experts, the subject would die in an instant. It requires professionals. Therefore, gathering them in one place for efficiency is logical.
And perhaps, it would be Vilier and the others who would be tasked with raiding those very locations.