My heart pounded loudly.
The sound ringing in my ears made me wonder if I had misheard.
So I opened my mouth desperately and shouted.
Even if revealing this information would only raise suspicion.
"I-I saw the future just once! That's how I knew...! I, I hate Mysterious Persons enough already, but a Half-Mysterious Person...? Just because I was dragged away against my will..."
"You seem to misunderstand. The term 'Half-Mysterious Person' refers to Kanna's physical condition. Kanna, are you aware that Mysterious Persons are pursuing you?"
"Ah..."
I couldn't say anything.
"You mentioned your body acts as a Totem. Is the previous incident also related to you?"
I realized they weren't trying to ostracize me based on some information.
They weren't trying to label me with grand titles like "betrayer of humanity" or anything like that.
It was simply that my very existence posed a danger inside the Wall—that's what frightened them.
"I... I..."
I needed to explain myself. To clarify things.
I should have said I had nothing to do with it.
But before that, I needed to explain in detail whether my mere existence harmed humanity, and what could be done to prevent it.
But I wasn't prepared for any of that.
I had never absorbed a Totem before, and since it was all the doing of Mysterious Persons, I had no idea if current human technology could remove it. How was I supposed to know what to answer?
I clenched my fist.
My right hand, wrapped in bandages—having never even held a weapon, let alone attacked an enemy—trembled.
"I may be like this now, but I'll try to find a way somehow."
"Please specify concrete measures."
"..."
No such measures existed.
"Recently, the Wall has collapsed three times. Civilian casualties total around 6,000. Heroes have also fallen—two from the Academy and three at the Wall. Without a solution, this will continue."
I knew people died in battle.
But thinking about the number of deaths before I even tried to escape made my heart ache.
In other words, they thought excluding me would help humanity more than keeping me alive.
It hurt deeply that they came to this conclusion not because I seemed like a Mysterious Person or because a Mysterious Person said so, but based on facts I myself had admitted.
I felt like my mouth was the root of all evil.
But if I had denied everything, I might have been even more suspicious, so it couldn't be helped.
Still, I didn't want to be treated like this.
I hesitantly turned my head.
The people in white hazmat suits were holding something.
What they took out from a sealed box marked "confidential" was a machine.
It was a cube-shaped iron frame with glass panels suggesting something was inside.
Though invisible, something clearly existed within.
Another researcher held something resembling a gun.
It didn't seem like the kind that fired bullets, but rather something used to measure body temperature.
I felt slightly relieved that they weren't doing anything dangerous.
"What is this?"
"We will first conduct an Unrefined Mana response test. This is to check the physical condition of the subject, Kanna Aurora. If your constitution changes, you will no longer be a Half-Mysterious Person and your human rights will be restored."
A chill ran down my spine.
It seemed absurd that they could give and take away human rights at will, but considering the origins of Mysterious Persons and how they ended up alone outside the Wall, it wasn't so strange.
They were probably pressuring me because it was their job to prevent casualties and maintain peace inside the Wall.
The person in the hazmat suit looked at me through their goggles.
They pointed the scanner-gun at me as I stood up from the chair.
I flinched momentarily, then heard a click followed by a beeping sound.
After checking the readings, the researcher spoke.
"The readings far exceed the baseline. Unrefined Mana flows through her body."
Having Unrefined Mana flowing through my body meant I could survive in environments with unrefined magical energy.
I had the same constitution as a Mysterious Person, and ironically, my body was now restricted by the Mana supply inside the Wall.
The advantage, if you could call it that, was that I could directly absorb Unrefined Mana left by others.
It meant a body that couldn't easily become stronger now could.
Of course, that's why I was here in the first place.
The researcher who had placed the glass-sided cube down connected a valve to a hole in one corner and turned it vigorously.
A clicking sound indicated preparation was complete, and they pointed the machine on the opposite side of the valve toward me.
Thinking it might be an air hose, I watched quietly as the researcher instructed me.
"Please tell us when you reach your limit."
"What?"
"Stage 1."
A slight breeze blew with a hissing sound.
I felt a tingling sensation in my body.
"Stage 2."
"Stage 3."
I could feel Mana accumulating.
I realized the cube contained Unrefined Mana, and I remained still as my condition seemed to improve.
But as it continued to build up, my body began to sound alarms.
"Stage 9."
"W-wait a moment."
"Is that your limit?"
"Yes, yes..."
Just as even the best container overflows when filled beyond capacity, my body was trembling.
As I hugged my shivering body and tried to sit down, the researcher stopped and slightly raised their head.
"The amount of Mana she can hold is far less than a Mysterious Person. We cannot definitively classify her as one."
"Then we'll designate her as a Half-Mysterious Person at most. Please continue."
"Yes."
After that voice, I thought the two researchers were finished, but more researchers began bringing in various equipment.
With heavy thuds, objects whose purpose I couldn't guess were set up around the previously empty space except for my chair.
As I stared blankly at the scene, I swallowed hard.
The first researcher who had brought the cube looked at me quietly and asked.
"From now on, I'll ask about the moment you were taken by the Mysterious Person. There may be consequences for lying, so please clearly state when you don't know something. The same applies to ambiguous areas."
"Yes."
I swallowed my tension.
I could feel somewhat relieved that they weren't going to torture me outright.
"Please tell us the circumstances of when you were taken by the Mysterious Person."
They probably already knew everything from gathering information, but they seemed to think hearing it from me directly might be different.
I was really shocked when they mentioned revoking human rights, but I just needed to somehow clear my name of being a Half-Mysterious Person.
"I noticed facts about the monsters and was telling others about their weaknesses. Then a Mysterious Person who was hiding nearby saw this and took me away."
"So you don't remember anything after that?"
"No."
"Where did you wake up?"
"In a cave."
"Was this cave outside the Wall?"
"Probably..."
After several questions and answers, I nodded.
The researcher looked around with a thoughtful "hmm" and asked another question.
"How long were you there, and what happened to you?"
"I'm not sure about the date. But I think I was there for more than four days. The incident happened the day before the exam, and I returned on Sunday."
Having to dig through memories I considered traumatic was painful, but there are moments when you must endure despite the pain, and this was one of them.
"And they interrogated me about how I knew about the monsters, then tortured me."
"Could you elaborate on the torture?"
"...They crushed my hand and cut off my limbs. They starved me and dragged me somewhere."
"So you didn't eat anything during that time?"
"No."
The researcher heard this and tilted their head.
Then they gestured to another researcher, received a file, and began writing something.
"Your arms and legs are attached. Did the Mysterious Person reattach them?"
"...Yes. After repeatedly cutting and reattaching them, they finally reattached them before sending me back."
"Then it would be fair to say your limbs were implanted by the Mysterious Person."
"..."
I stared at the researcher with wide eyes.
"If this is why your body acts as a Totem or exhibits characteristics of a Mysterious Person, I think removing them would be best. If the Wall is destroyed again or people die because of this, it wouldn't be good for you either, Kanna, as someone who dreams of becoming a Hero at the Academy."
"Huh?"
A dumbfounded voice escaped my lips.
The researcher was suggesting that my limbs were the problem and it would be better to cut them off.
"While we don't wish to amputate the limbs of a promising Academy student, with today's technology, prosthetic arms and legs are available. Perhaps you could be satisfied with those."
"W-wait a moment. What if removing my limbs doesn't eliminate this quality?"
"Then you would be placed in isolation, or in the worst case, it could lead to execution."
"...Oh."
I hung my head.
I thought execution might be better, but then again, if I could live with just my limbs cut off, would that be preferable? If it meant getting away from the Mysterious Persons, then maybe.
"..."
No, I don't know.
The feeling of having to lose what I possessed was so painful that I felt tears welling up.
I clenched my fist tightly and remained silent, ignoring the researcher who awaited my answer.