CHAPTER 59
I followed Inferno into a Regular Army building.
Just in case, I sent Aranseol to Babiyen to keep her from getting involved. Aranseol protested, but I stubbornly shook my head and refused. I’m more at ease when I take risks alone.
Inferno led me to his private office.
The room had blackout curtains. Since he has no eyelids, it seemed daily life would be difficult without them.
As soon as we entered, Inferno used a magic tool to brew some coffee.
“Want some?”
“A cup, please.”
I decided to accept his goodwill. Even if he poisoned it, I’d just revive again.
“Life is a funny thing. You try not to get more involved, but you just keep getting tangled up.”
Inferno clicked his tongue and handed me a cup of coffee.
That day, Inferno had released me from prison with a short piece of advice. He said he owed a debt to Rapiel. Releasing me, her disciple, was his way of repaying it.
"And when you get tangled up like that, the nature of my job means it’s always something dangerous."
"Are you talking about the killer?"
“Yeah, you got mixed up in some bloody business. The Regular Army was investigating this case very carefully.”
“When people are dying, is there really time to be careful?”
“Because even more people could die.”
Sacrifice the few to save the many.
You can’t save everyone.
The Regular Army had always focused on preventing greater loss of life. Some criticized them for it, but the alternative was far worse, so there was no other way.
But for me, it was a different story.
I had already been killed by that murderer’s hand. Furthermore, she had killed not only Bulldog but his wife as well.
We were the "few" in that equation. For us, the ones who had to be sacrificed, it was a story we couldn't just let go of.
“An acquaintance’s wife was murdered. That woman nearly killed him and me as well. To be honest, I don't understand why you didn't catch the killer sooner. Isn't this a perfect example of the Regular Army's incompetence?”
I was asking where the "greater good" was in any of this.
After hearing my question, Inferno took a sip of his coffee.
“In the last year, the Regular Army has arrested members of the terrorist group Black Dawn 104 times.”
Then, he shared a fact with me.
“Of those, 51 arrests were made before the terror attack could occur—that's nearly half. Those are attacks that the members of the Regular Army prevented by investigating and chasing them down relentlessly. If those attacks had happened, each one would have resulted in thousands of casualties.”
Those Black Dawn bastards, they were carrying out terror attacks even more persistently than I thought.
“There are many attacks that never even surface. Unlike Earth, this 1st World, Astrape, is much larger. In contrast, there are fewer inhabited places, and the terrain itself is harsh. There are countless minority tribes where the Regular Army can't even set foot. Thanks to that, if the Black Dawn bastards decide to hide, it's not easy to find them.”
Deep annoyance was etched on Inferno's face.
"And Black Dawn aren't the only ones causing trouble. The laws governing the locals are weak. Plus, unlike on Earth, there are many who possess military power. From small bands of thieves to human traffickers, or even larger criminal organizations. Do you know what happens if we use our manpower to shut them all down?”
Inferno ground his teeth.
“We can't even properly catch a single No-Named Killer. That case is, relatively speaking, a minor one. The best we can do is have a small number of Regular Army soldiers move to contain it so the number of victims doesn't grow.”
Piles of documents were stacked in Inferno's office. I could also see several pairs of worn-out shoes. The traces of a life spent eating, sleeping, and working almost exclusively in this room were palpable. It was proof that he was checking documents and standing on the front lines every single day.
“Sorry. I've had a lot on my plate recently, so I'm a bit hot-headed. I know it sounds like an excuse to you, since you were involved in this.”
Inferno apologized and slumped into his chair. The exhaustion was plain on his face. He looked like he hadn’t gotten a wink of proper sleep since we last met.
“That's why I called you here, to try and resolve this, albeit belatedly. The No-Named Killer. If you know anything about her, I'd appreciate your cooperation. I heard from the adventurer Arshel that you were chasing the killer.”
“Yes, we were chasing her.”
It seemed the Regular Army didn't suspect that we were the ones who killed the No-Named Killer. That meant it was safe to assume the Radiance Faith wouldn't suspect us either. It seemed he called me in simply to hear what I knew about the killer.
“Did you find the killer’s body?”
“Yes, we also confirmed the bodies of the Radiance Faith bishop and his followers.”
As he continued, Inferno's gaze changed. I had deliberately leaked information in our conversation. The news of the No-Named Killer's death had not yet been made public. The Regular Army was clearly investigating it separately without an official announcement.
“Was that woman truly the Sin of Wrath?”
The moment I asked the next question, Inferno exhaled.
“You were the ones who took down the killer.”
He stated it as a conclusion and sighed.
“Yes, that’s right.”
I admitted it readily. The conversation wouldn't proceed otherwise.
“That woman was not the Sin of Wrath. In the first place, if she really were the Sin of Wrath, the number of deaths would have been on a different scale.”
Even within the Regular Army, the Sin of Wrath had a terrifying reputation. I had no idea what kind of person they were.
“That was just someone who used an Ability to change their appearance to look like the Sin of Wrath.”
"And that was Black Dawn's intention, I presume."
“Tsk, you’re already in deep, aren't you? You're going to get yourself killed for real.”
It's fine. I've already died a few times.
Inferno looked at me with a strange expression, likely because I knew more than he expected.
“I was just bluffing. I don’t actually know much myself. I just happened to overhear a conversation.”
I was just playing along. I still knew next to nothing.
"Have you figured out Black Dawn's motive?"
“Their goal was likely to spread fear that the Sin of Wrath would reappear.”
Inferno's guess was the same as mine.
"From Black Dawn's perspective, how important of a card is the Sin of Wrath?"
“She’s basically on the same level as the Regular Army’s Commander-in-Chief.”
The Commander-in-Chief. The very person who led the war to victory, said to be the strongest No-Named in the history of Transferees. If the Sin of Wrath held that kind of position in Black Dawn, I could understand the magnitude of her influence.
“In that case, can’t we think of it the other way around?”
I offered another hypothesis.
“The Sin of Wrath is still not in a perfect state.”
"Hmm?"
The Sin of Wrath was someone who could make the world tremble in fear with her name alone. And yet, she herself had been missing since the war.
“Lieutenant General Inferno, do you believe that just because they’re Black Dawn, they’re all perfectly united?”
A group, even if its goals are the same, is always made up of individuals with different intentions. That wouldn't be any different, even for Black Dawn.
“If the central figure who gathered them was the Sin of Wrath, then now, 60 years after she disappeared, Black Dawn’s solidarity must have weakened considerably.”
The Commander-in-Chief is the focal point of the Regular Army. If the Sin of Wrath holds a similar position, she must have been the center of Black Dawn. With her gone for so long, there must have been many changes within the organization.
“The recent string of terror attacks is proof of that. As the solidarity within Black Dawn weakens, they try to divert attention by fighting an external enemy.”
The simultaneous terror attacks by Black Dawn. There were surely other objectives, but strengthening their internal cohesion must have been one of them.
“The No-Named Killer case is the same. The Sin of Wrath is alive and well. She will return soon. This is all part of the Sin of Wrath’s plan. Doesn’t it seem like that's exactly what they want to say?”
It was as if they were trying to brainwash themselves.
Perhaps because my story sounded plausible, Inferno was lost in thought, his hand on his chin.
"Have you investigated Black Dawn on your own?"
“Not particularly.”
"So, you came up with this just from the information you were given."
Inferno let out a dry laugh.

“You must get told you’re smart a lot.”
“I am on the clever side.”
“And this smart guy deliberately sticks his head into a situation like this. You’re insane.”
Inferno slowly swept his bangs back.
“You have something more you want to say to me, don't you?”
And just like that, he realized why I had brought this up. If I had nothing more to say, there would have been no need to raise the topic.
“Do you know about ‘Modified Bodies’?”
Hearing my next words, Inferno's face hardened.

Right after she died, the killer had reverted to the appearance of the Sin of Wrath. Because of that, there were likely no traces left on the corpse to indicate it was a Modified Body.
"The killer was one of those Modified Bodies."
“Those crazy bastards. Still…”

A curse escaped Inferno’s lips. His voice was laced with anger and frustration toward Black Dawn. As befitting a Lieutenant General of the Regular Army, he seemed to know a lot about Modified Bodies.
From what I'd seen so far, Inferno genuinely wanted to crush Black Dawn.
Putting aside whether he was someone I could trust, the man himself had merit.
I don't trust the Regular Army. In the end, any group is bound to have individuals with different motives. But Inferno's hatred for Black Dawn was believable. Because I also despise Black Dawn, I could see it clearly.
Most importantly, through this series of events, Inferno had likely guessed the general nature of my Ability. He hadn't just been looking out for me occasionally because I was Rapiel's disciple.
“Lieutenant General Inferno, what do you intend to do about Black Dawn?”
His answer to my next question came without a moment's hesitation.
“I’m going to hunt down every last one of them and crush them.”
The connection of his debt to Rapiel. The sense of duty that made him help me just for being her disciple. His hatred for Black Dawn.

Based on all these factors, I made my decision.
"What if I told you I have an Ability that allows me to personally interrogate the killer?"
Upon this path of thorns,
I take another step.