kscans

Chapter 136 - Disturbance at the Church.

The next morning, we finished our preparations and set out.

Altorine's request was a grave matter of state. If it was something that could throw the world into chaos, I wanted to stop it. As her friend, I wanted to grant her wish.

Tina looked at me. "You want to grant her wish as a friend? I understand... but of course, don't be reckless. It'll all be for nothing if you end up ruining yourself. In the end, the one you must protect is yourself. Just remember that. No... swear it to me."

She pleaded with a serious expression.

I couldn't argue. Sacrificing myself for a friend, no matter the reason, was just wrong. Only a madman or a lunatic would do such a thing. It reminded me of a common cautionary tale back on Earth—the plight of the joint guarantor. It's a system where person B has to bear the debt person A racks up, with absolutely no benefit to B. If A decides to borrow endlessly, it all falls on B. Frankly, it's a nuisance and completely unforgivable. There were even cases in the past where a joint guarantor became so desperate they committed robbery.

That story was a stark reminder that granting someone else's wish carries a high risk. No matter what it is.

Honestly, the upper echelons of the Church were the nation's core. Getting involved with people in such high positions was nothing but dangerous. It wasn't something a mere hunter should stick his nose into. But she had pleaded so earnestly. I would help her, but only to the extent that it wouldn't bring harm upon us.

That was the only way. Everyone puts themselves first; to deny that is to deny being human.

I feel like I've strayed far from the point, but I told Altorine I would help within my limits, and she accepted. After leaving the Royal Capital and traveling for some time, I created an iron cart and got it moving. We were attacked by monsters along the way, but we repelled them all, stripped them of any useful materials, and loaded them onto the cart as we went. We planned to sell them at the Church.

Three days later, we arrived at the Church around noon.

We told the gatekeepers we were there to sell materials and they let us through. We brought the partially butchered materials to the disassembly shop and received a small sum of money. Then, we walked through the city, observing our surroundings. The residents seemed to be going about their lives as usual, and the parts of the city that had been destroyed in the recent incident had been repaired, returning everything to normal.

If the higher-ups were plotting something, this would not end well. As I was thinking that, I noticed a commotion in one area.

The Church headquarters. Something had been posted on the board in the main square.

The notice read: ‘Knight Commander Altorine is under suspicion of treason and is currently being interrogated.’

Seeing this, the residents murmured amongst themselves.

"Lady Altorine, treason? That can’t be..."

"She’s a national hero who resolved the riots."

"There’s no one who cares more for this country than her."

The air was filled with expressions and words of disbelief.

This had to mean she’d failed. She probably dug too deep trying to get information and got caught. She did say she would press on with the investigation before we arrived, but it seems she went too far.

After we moved away from the crowd, Tina spoke. "What should we do, Shinsuke?" Her voice was laced with anxiety.

I remained calm. "First, let’s calm down. We need to identify where Altorine is being held. Knowing her, she probably isn’t even considering a jailbreak. That means I’ll have to be the one to go rescue her."

At my words, Tina’s eyes widened. "‘I’ll have to be the one’? You’re going alone?" she asked, shocked.

"This time, the danger is too high," I said. "If I slip up and get caught, there’ll be no one left to rescue me. You’re my insurance for that."

It was a plausible enough excuse.

To be honest, I just didn't want to put Tina in harm's way. This wasn't a flashy battle against monsters; it was a ninja's job, infiltrating without being seen. I'm no ninja, but I couldn't think of any other way.

Tina sighed. "It’s a convincing explanation, but I can tell your desire to keep me out of danger is written all over your face."

She saw right through me.

Still, I pressed on. "But, if by some chance—"

Tina cut me off. "If you get caught, security will just become tighter. Not only that, but they’ll start searching the city for accomplices. It would be impossible for me to rescue you."

She stated it plainly.

She was right, of course. The moment an intruder was discovered, a rescue would become hopeless. That meant I had to take Tina with me. If one of us was found, the other could do something about it.

It was a poor gamble, but it was our only option.

"Alright, I get it," I said. "The problem, then, is our attire. Armor isn't suited for infiltration. And it’s not like they sell stealth gear in this city. I might be able to find something on Earth, though."

I mulled it over. If there was any shop in Japan that sold that kind of clothing, I knew just the place.

"For now," I said, "let’s find a secluded spot and draw a magic circle. We’ll go back to the Kingdom, hop over to Earth, get prepared, and then infiltrate."

Tina nodded in agreement, and we immediately set our plan in motion.


Altorine's Side

Evening. The Church interrogation room.

It was a room for questioning criminals, but the walls were lined with instruments of torture. It was more of a torture chamber.

In one corner, Altorine was bound to an X-shaped rack.

She was still in her armor, though her weapons had been confiscated. Normally, she would be made to wear prisoner's clothes, but she was only under suspicion and officially being interrogated. She hadn't been branded a criminal yet.

Standing before her was a female inquisitor dressed head-to-toe in bondage gear, holding a horsewhip.

"Fufu. To think the day would come when I’d get to interrogate you," the inquisitor purred. "I’m so glad I stuck with this job. I was getting so tired of all the men lately."

She caressed Altorine's face like a cat.

Her words revealed a deep-seated sadism.

Altorine asked, "May I ask something? Why haven't you removed my armor? For a torture enthusiast like you, stripping me naked should be a simple matter, no?" Her face was a mask of indifference.

She was right. Being bound to a rack in full armor—wouldn't that dull the effect of any torture?

The inquisitor responded to the question. "Oh? For you to say such a thing… do you have certain proclivities yourself? But I jest. To be frank, my orders from above are to avoid injuring you as much as possible. Your official status is merely a suspect under interrogation."

"If I were to harm you, the people who worship you might rise up. As it is, no one in the city believes you’ve done anything wrong just because you were arrested. It must be nice to be so popular," she added with a stifled laugh.

No matter what the higher-ups said, Altorine’s reputation would not be tarnished.

"In that case, what is that whip for?" Altorine asked. "Why are you holding it?"

Faced with the obvious question, the inquisitor replied, "Oh, this? I just thought it added to the atmosphere. I have no intention of using it. What I’ll be using on you is… this.♡"

She placed the whip on a nearby table and picked up a vial of pink liquid in its place.

Seeing it, Altorine’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly she was terrified. The color alone told her it was a dangerous drug. The inquisitor forced the liquid down Altorine’s throat. Though unable to move, Altorine resisted by keeping her mouth shut, but her efforts were in vain.

After she’d been forced to drink it all, a change came over Altorine’s body. A searing heat spread through her, her breathing grew ragged, and her entire body began to ache.

The inquisitor explained, "This is a drug that stimulates arousal. It was apparently developed to help partners be more honest with each other during their nightly activities. Normally, a small amount is sufficient, you see.♡ But if you drink the whole bottle, your lust becomes uncontrollable. You’ll become a wanton slut who’ll give her body to anyone, and in the worst case, your mind will break. For now, your body just feels hot. But by morning, it will have fully permeated your system, and you won’t be able to control yourself. As for a cure… drinking this will make it stop."

She taunted her with a vial of green liquid.

"Give… give me that… let me drink it…" Altorine demanded in a weak voice.

The inquisitor smirked. "Fufu. No can do.♡ Besides, once the drug fully sets in, the antidote won’t work anymore. In that case, your only option is to wear this collar for the rest of your life. It’s engraved with a formula to control your mind."

As she spoke, she revealed a golden collar.

"Of course, this has a little trick to it as well. The collar’s effect can be deactivated from a distance. In… other… words♡, if you ever try to defy me in the future, you’ll become a pathetic, wanton slut right in front of the masses." The inquisitor burst into laughter.

Altorine’s mind was filled with terror. Once the drug fully permeated her system, she would be physically incapable of defying the higher-ups.

The inquisitor placed the antidote on the table in front of Altorine.

"You’d better break free from those restraints quickly and drink that antidote, or you’ll be in big trouble~~. I’m so looking forward to tomorrow. The High Priestess has put me in charge of your training from now on.♡ You’ll be my new plaything.♡ Won’t it be maddeningly fun?♡ Well then, see you tomorrow.♡"

She left the room, her laughter echoing behind her.

Altorine strained against the fetters, her body burning, trying to break free. But the restraints were sturdy, and her passion-addled body was weaker than usual.

Escaping on her own was impossible.

Even if she called for help, this was a prison area that knights couldn't easily enter. And besides, she was under suspicion of treason. The knights would worry, but that was all. No one would come for her.

The situation was hopeless.

Altorine had no choice but to accept her bleak future.


That night, long after most of the populace had gone to sleep, we found an abandoned house on the outskirts of the city. We geared up, preparing to begin our infiltration.