Chapter 97 Secret

Part 2

The kneeled men had their arms tied on their back and their head covered with a paper bag.
Their facial expressions aren’t visible but their bodies are obviously trembling because of the tension and a foul smell of sweat and blood is floating in the narrow passage.

The opponents are genuine professionals who were always cautious and formed a group with other people to move but they were easily beaten.
Finding them was even harder than the fight.

However, the information obtained as a result of an interrogation was different from what Liz expected, after she struggled to find their hideout and went through the trouble of being really, really careful to control herself to capture them, so that they wouldn’t end up dead.

They didn’t have any information that connects to their client.
The request method was from a letter and the reward was prepaid.
The client would have probably appeared if they could have seized what they wanted but now it is already too late to switch strategy.

They don’t seem to be lying.

Not many would be able to remain silent when questioned and being exposed by Liz’s High-Level murderous intent and Sytry’s forbidden potions to make them spill out the truth.

Liz, who had lost all her tension after having spent the last few days investigating for nothing, complains to Sytry.

“You know, what does it mean you don’t know anything despite being one of them?”

“Since the division of labor was completely set, I was planning to stay a little bit longer…”

To Liz’s words, Sytry made a trouble look under her hood.

The Magic Society called 『Tower of Akasha』 is a secretive one.
Excellent exiled Mages proceed with their research according to their own theory but there wasn’t any interaction between laboratories, so no detailed information comes in.
Dedicated personnel are assigned to cooperate between each branch and information that members know are basically only what is happening inside the laboratory in which they belong to.
Sytry participated in many studies as Noto Cochlear’s best disciple but she never went outside of Noto’s laboratories.
I was planning to reach out to an outside one someday but the research conducted by Noto Cochlear was highly evaluated in the 『Tower of Akasha』 so we had many equipment and budget for research so the need to go to a new laboratory was thin.
If I didn’t receive an order to return from Cry, then I would have been engrossed in working on their research subject.

However, even if this happens, all I need to do is to gather information little by little.
The Branch Chef, Noto Cochlear might know something but that former wise man lost all of his memory and is now in prison.
It can’t be helped.

’

The opponent is a huge organization that has been the enemy of the world since a long time ago.
No matter how strong Liz and Sytry are, what they need is a different influential power than physical strength to face it.
It is certain that they are deeply rooted in the upper-brass of Zebrudia but it isn’t going to help even if we make a thorough investigation and condemn them.
When that happens, the law will probably not be Liz and Sytry’s ally.

We aren’t afraid of deadly traps but we aren’t that interested in it.
Liz makes a big stretch like a cat and says in a fed up tone.

“I am sick of this.
Let’s give up? It is a waste of time and Greg is safe now, probably.
I don’t have time to take care of cowards.
And thanks to Cry-chan, I got the Golem so I don’t care what happens afterwards.”

“Onee-chan… Moh1, you are always like this!”

“If you want new material, there are three new one here, so why don’t you use it?”

Liz shows the three prisoners who have already lost the energy to resist with her chin.
Sytry unhappily argues back.

“How do you want me to carry them!? If I carry them from here, we will stand out, right? In the first place, I want a Mage type for the next sample ――”

“Don’t care.
How about capturing someone around here?”

“No way ―― Even Onee-chan knows about our Party rules, right?”

《Strange Grief》 have three rules.

Everyone should get along.
Prohibition to touch the general citizen.

’
Democracy.
If opinions are in disagreement, it will be decided by majority (By the way, Leader’s vote count for five).

Those are a little bit too cautious, so I sometimes hate them but I think that those are rational rules.
And as long as the second rule exists, Sytry can’t reach out to the general citizen.
Even when she was with the Tower of Akasha, Sytry didn’t directly deal with the civilians in the abandoned area who had been kidnapped for human experiments.
And for that reason, Noto, her former Shisho, had once evaluated her as 『Still Sweet』 but there was nothing Sytry could do.

The clouded eyes of the residents of the abandoned metropolitan area are observing the consequences of the turmoil caused by Liz and Sytry from outside the alley and through the windows from the buildings.

To her impatient little sister, Liz smiles and claps her hands with a *pachin* sound as if she had come up with a good idea.

“… Yosh, it’s decided! It is a little vexing but let’s ask Cry-chan?”

“……”

“It is fine, Cry-chan is kind, and I am sure that what happened this time is among Cry-chan’s expectations.
If Syt is scared then I will apologize and ask him for you! That way I don’t have to waste time for nothing, I will have time to have a date with Cry-chan and I will have time to train Ti, isn’t it a great idea? It’s decided!”

Before Sytry said anything, Liz quickly reached her conclusion and confidently crossed her arms together.

I think while looking at her smile.
If I speak from my mind, ―― I wanted to avoid disturbing Leader as much as possible.
However, if it takes too much time then it can result in being an annoyance for him and since I became a Hunter I had been bothering him over and over again.
Since long ago, I had been discussing things with him, he never rejected me once and it wasn’t like our relationship would be troubled if I brought him one more trouble.

I was worried for a while, but no better idea came out.
After all, the conclusion that Sytry reached was the same.
When two people’s opinion are disagreeing, they will also roughly reach the same decision.

By reading the conclusion from her sister’s expression Liz stretches her back greatly and points at the three prisoners.

’

“Ah, what do we do with them?”

“Uuuun, it isn’t like we can take them home…”

When Liz asks this, Sytry looks down at the three prisoners again.
Their arms were tied up and they had drunk a truth serum and their body was full of wounds but if we let them on their own for a while even if their heart won’t recover, their body will.

If I speak from my mind, I don’t really care.
The laboratory is far and the risk is too high to bring them back.
It will add another grudge but having one more now isn’t going to change anything  for 《Strange Grief》.
Sytry puts her finger on her lips and blinks her eyes.

“If we kill them and leave them here, the residents will gather here, and I don’t think there will be any bone left tomorrow though…”

“Fuuun.
So let’s do that then?” 

It is a casual tone as if they were deciding what they should have for dinner.

A sound of something rattling out *katakata* is coming out of nowhere.
It is from inside the paper bag.
It is the sound of teeth clattering.
The reason why they don’t speak up is because they don’t have the energy to do that.
However, maybe they could hear the conversation as their body is shaking non-stop.
Even if that conversation was like an everyday conversation they could feel that they were serious from their casual tone.
Those two don’t care about their lives.
They are humans who can get their hands dirty without emitting any murderous intent.

’

The bodies of the three people who are kneeling start to waver.
And at that time, Sytry came up with a good idea and said in a bright voice.

“Ah, but wait, Onee-chan.
It may be better to make them our minions rather than killing them.
I just wanted subordinates who are used to getting their hands dirty, they are too crude to be a Kilkill-kun but wouldn’t it be better to reuse them rather than throwing it away?”

“Eh? Minions? I don’t need weak minions though?”

“So ー I will get all three of them then! Ah, but… If I hear the intention of the person in question and they don’t want to, then I would have no choice but to dispose of them… But it looks like Cry-san doesn’t seem to like killing…”

Sytry kneels in front of the three people and lightly touches someone’s exposed neck.
There is a choking sound coming from the paper bag.
Unlike the paper bag worn by Kilkill-kun, nothing can be seen from the dirty paper bag that has no eye holes.

His breathing calmed down and Sytry gently asked.
From behind her, Liz makes fun of them.

“Hey everyone.
It is fine to keep working as a mercenary… So won’t you become my subordinate? Of course I won’t force you.
It is only if you are motivated, though.”

“Eeeh, you don’t want to, right? Becoming Syt’s subordinate.
Your life will only be pitch black ―― So wouldn’t it be better to die… Heyy? Oi2, say something.
You useless piece of shit!”

TL notes:

Thanks for reading!
When Sytry was talking about minions my mind went to Despicable Me minions XD
Looks like Sytry has new lab rats to play with.
Tchao à plus!

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Footnotes

Moh: It means come on! Most of the time it is used when someone is sick of somethingOi: Another word to say Hey!