The heavy door opened just a crack. Peering through it, Cid saw only pitch darkness. He raised his eyebrows slightly, thought for a few seconds, then gestured for Sayaka Kirasaka and Asagi Aiba behind him to enter.
"Click!"
He pressed the switch on the wall, and light flooded the pitch-black room. Before him stood a vast array of large glass tanks filling the entire underground space. The tanks were filled with liquid, and submerged within them were mysterious, oval-shaped masses of flesh. Each one was wrapped from head to toe, with only a single, childlike face visible.
"Whoa!"
Seeing this, both Yukina Himeragi, perched on Cid's back, and the real Yukina Himeragi behind him inhaled sharply.
"Th-this is…"
Sayaka Kirasaka's eyes widened as she spoke, her voice trembling.
"The forbidden fusion of artificial lifeforms."
Recovering from the shock, Asagi Aiba gave the answer.
"I know these are Homunculi, but why are there so many of them here!"
If there had only been a few Homunculi, Sayaka Kirasaka wouldn't have reacted so strongly.
After all, while Homunculi have short lifespans, their programmed loyalty and malleability ensure that people continue to produce them.
But the number of Homunculi here was approaching three digits—a situation that completely defied the logic of artificial life production.
Setting aside the resources needed to produce so many Homunculi—and whether concentrating those resources would attract attention—the practical utility of the Homunculi themselves was significantly diminished.
Due to their short lifespans, Homunculi were mostly used as suicide troops.
Because of the loyalty programmed into them, buyers could freely give them substances with severe side effects that granted immense power.
For just a small sum of money and a power that was practically useless to oneself but too valuable to discard, one could obtain a subordinate with immense power and absolute loyalty, unafraid of death. Most people would gladly make such a purchase.
Items that grant immense power but come with severe side effects are not uncommon. Their very nature dictates this.
Those with a choice won't use them, and those without will only use them as a last resort.
But "not uncommon" is all that can be said. One or two are relatively easy to obtain, but acquiring enough to equip all the Homunculi filling an entire underground chamber—even with a monopoly on the black market—would take eight or nine years. Such massive purchases would likely attract the attention of some faction, risking a raid on your gold reserves.
Under normal circumstances, most people would only buy a few Homunculi because acquiring such a quantity is nearly impossible.
"How should I know? Maybe this guy just lost his mind."
Pointing at Gardos, Asagi Aiba suggested a possibility.
"Are you sure it's not you who's lost your mind? With the number on the field right now, Itogami Island would sink at least a few times over."
Asagi Aiba fell silent. She knew Sayaka Kirasaka was right. If all the Homunculi here had used those dangerous power-enhancing substances, the force they could generate if they went berserk would be enough to sink Itogami Island.
In the face of such danger, relying on the terrorist leader's mental instability was indeed her mistake.
"Calm down. The most important thing right now is to find the antidote. Don't worry about these Homunculi for now—they're still the original versions, and nothing dangerous has been implanted in them."
After comforting the two, Cid continued commanding the controlled Gardos to search for the antidote.
"Cid, do you know a lot about Homunculi?"
Following behind him, Asagi Aiba was puzzled by his certainty.
You can't judge a Homunculus by appearance—their powers are chaotic, and you never know what might be hidden inside.
"Ah, I suppose I know a little."
Recalling the Homunculus behind the Armed Apostle he had encountered before, Cid nodded. That had been his first encounter with a Homunculus.
Come to think of it, why do these Homunculi's faces look so familiar?
As he followed Gardos, seeing the childlike faces peeking out from the flesh masses in the glass tubes, Cid felt an unsettling sense of familiarity.
Huh?
Gardos stopped mechanically, pulling a syringe filled with green liquid from a cabinet, then turned and handed it to Cid.
"Is this the antidote?"
"Uh-uh…"
Gardos couldn't give a clear answer.
"Let me see."
With Cid's permission, Sayaka Kirasaka snatched the syringe from Gardos, held it up, and frowned as she examined it.
"There aren't any labels at all. Are we really going to trust this Beastman and inject Yukina with something that's obviously risky?"
"Hey, don't you trust me?"
Feeling questioned, Asagi Aiba's expression darkened.
Sayaka Kirasaka remained silent. Clearly, Asagi Aiba's earlier act of damaging Gardos's vocal cords had aroused her suspicion.
"Alright, alright. Kirasaka is just being cautious; she means no harm.
…Asagi, are you sure he's really under control?"
Sensing the tension, Cid stepped forward to ease the atmosphere.
"I'm certain. As long as he isn't subjected to too much stress, he'll follow whatever orders come from the outside."
"Alright, Asagi, I trust you."
Nodding, Cid set Yukina Himeragi down from his back, removed the syringe cap, and aimed the needle at her.
"Cid, maybe we should look around more. I just can't shake the feeling that this thing isn't entirely trustworthy."
Sayaka Kirasaka stopped him.
"But the problem is, this is the only thing we've found so far."
"But…"
Sayaka Kirasaka bit her lip, hesitating as she looked at the syringe in Cid's hand.
Honestly, if Cid or she had extracted it through interrogation, she wouldn't have objected. But since it was found by Asagi Aiba, she couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Putting aside Asagi Aiba's explanation, her earlier behavior suggested silencing a potential threat. If Cid hadn't vouched for her, Sayaka Kirasaka would have acted already—after all, she had seen her fair share of backstabbing before.
The idea that there's a spell to make people obey is only Asagi Aiba's word. What if that spell is actually some form of puppetry?
"Sayaka, trust Senpai's judgment."
Just as Sayaka Kirasaka wavered, Yukina Himeragi's weak voice reached her.
"But this…"
She was about to speak, but when she saw the intensity in Cid's gaze directed at Yukina Himeragi, she fell silent for a moment. Sighing, Sayaka Kirasaka finally released her grip on Cid's arm.
"Alright."
Don't worry. If this really is a problem, I'll just give Yukina Himeragi a new body.
Nodding, Cid inserted the needle into Yukina Himeragi's body.
After the injection, Asagi Aiba stepped closer, her expression conflicted as she looked at Cid.
"Sorry. I owe you both two favors now."
She knew she had acted suspiciously, so suspiciously that even if Cid suspected she was in league with these Beastmen, it wouldn't be unreasonable. In a sense, she really had been, only she'd been unlucky enough to be double-crossed by them.
It could be said that it was precisely because of her that the suspicion surrounding this antidote had multiplied several times over.
Yet even so, she hadn't expected Cid to trust her. Until now, she had always thought he treated her only as a tool, she had never imagined that his trust had reached this level.
It felt… a little like she was letting him down.
"I get the feeling you've imagined something pretty wild."
Narrowing his eyes, Cid couldn't shake the sense of déjà vu from the role-playing games he used to play with the Seven Shadows.
"…You didn't suspect me? That doesn't make sense, I saw the two of you together with my own eyes earlier."
Hearing this, Asagi Aiba first thought she was overthinking it, that Cid hadn't doubted her. But recalling the scene on the way here, where Sayaka Kirasaka had been eyeing her suspiciously while whispering with Cid, her uncertainty returned.
"You mean that? It does have something to do with you, but I don't think you're that kind of person, and besides…"
"She's standing up! Yukina's standing up!"
And does it even matter if you were involved?
Before he could finish the second half of his sentence, Sayaka Kirasaka's loud shouts interrupted him.
Turning, he saw that although Yukina Himeragi looked strained, she had managed to stand with her spear in hand.
More importantly, the deathly pallor on her face was rapidly fading, and her Spiritual Energy was flowing strongly through her body again.
"How are you feeling, Yukina? How's your body?"
Excitedly rushing toward Yukina Himeragi, Sayaka Kirasaka asked with genuine enthusiasm.
"Hmm… I still feel weak, but I can control my Spiritual Energy just fine. Using it to move my body, I should be able to exert about seventy percent of my strength."
Holding up a hand to stop Sayaka Kirasaka, Yukina Himeragi assessed her condition and gave a rough estimate.
"Ah! That's great! Yukina's back to full strength. With you, Sayaka Kirasaka, we can get out of here."
Smiling as he congratulated her, Cid was genuinely happy. With Sayaka Kirasaka and Yukina Himeragi's combined strength, escaping would be easy, and he could finally relax.
"Yeah, Senpai, let's leave together."
"Huh?"
Something in Yukina Himeragi had inexplicably clicked. She picked up her spear and nodded solemnly at Cid.
"Hmph. We can get out, but what about these Homunculi?"
Feeling inexplicably annoyed, Sayaka Kirasaka clicked her tongue and glanced at the Homunculi in the glass tubes beside her.
If their guess was correct, leaving wouldn't matter, these Homunculi inside the arena would destroy the island once the timer ran out.
"We have no choice. We can't exactly kill them, can we? We'll have to wait until we're out, then tell Natsuki-chan to come handle it."
"Well… that's the only option."
After considering everything, Sayaka Kirasaka realized there really was no alternative, so she agreed.
"But before we leave, this man must be dealt with."
Spiritual Energy surged along the blade of her massive sword. Her eyes, filled with murderous intent, locked onto the dazed Gardos as she slowly approached him.
Seeing this, Cid and the others did not intervene. He was merely a terrorist leader, and if Gardos were later found and regained his senses, realizing their plan had been exposed, he could activate the Homunculi, which would be disastrous.
Raising her massive sword and aiming at Gardos's head, Sayaka Kirasaka swung down with all her strength.
"Roar."
A dragon's roar rang out, its immense sound forming a shockwave that slammed toward Cid and the others.
Faced with the sudden attack, Sayaka Kirasaka had no choice but to react. She halted her swing at Gardos and held her massive sword up to block the blast in front of her.
Even so, the force still sent Sayaka Kirasaka flying, crashing into the wall. She coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.
"Ah!!!"
Woken by the sound, Gardos broke through the magic barrier and immediately felt the agony of losing both arms, letting out an involuntary scream.
But at that moment, Gardos' screams no longer drew Cid and the others' attention. Everyone's gaze turned to the source—the entrance to the underground chamber.
A burly man with a ferocious expression stood in the center, his excitement evident as he stared at Cid and the others, speaking without pause.
"Fantastic, fantastic! I never expected that just taking a walk would lead me to something this interesting. I'm going to have a lot of fun now.
Hey, are you here to…"
"Aaaah!!!"
Gardos' scream interrupted him. A flash of malice crossed Grendel's eyes as he almost instantly teleported to Gardos' side and stomped down hard.
"Shut up, you useless piece of trash. Make another sound and I'll kill you."
"Aaaah!!!"
Before he could even react, Gardos was struck again, his scream growing even louder.
A cruel smirk curled Grendel's lips as he increased the pressure of his foot.
"No, no, no, Grendel-sama, you can't kill me! I've already got the crystal, and the plan is almost complete!"
Finally realizing the threat to his life, Gardos shouted urgently, almost screaming.
The pressure on his foot paused, but Grendel still looked as if he could crush Gardos into a pulp at any moment. He glared down at him with utter displeasure as he considered his next move.
"Hmm! Heh!"
As if struck by a thought, Grendel chuckled and turned to Cid, a seemingly normal smile on his face.
"Want to live?"
The moment he said this, Yukina Himeragi and Sayaka Kirasaka exchanged strange looks. Why did this scene feel so familiar?
Ignoring their expressions, Cid, unsure of what Grendel was up to, thought for a moment and nodded in response as he normally would.
"Very well. Then let's play a game."
"A game?"
"Yes, a game."
Upon hearing Cid and the others' responses, a flash of malice returned to Grendel's face.
"Lately, that third-rate Demon King has been spouting nonsense every day. It's really baffling. I usually just let it go in one ear and out the other, but one thing caught my interest—it's a game."
At that point, Grendel dropped the pretense. Malice filled his expression.
"A game called the Trolley Problem!!!"
Awesome!!!