A week had passed since I arrived at this facility.
“Hah… It seems like I’ve squeezed all the information I can out of this guy.”
In a torture room on the west wing, Lieutenant Gorgon continued to swing his whip, catching his breath while clicking his tongue.
Before him hung a demon with its back flesh shredded, its bat wings torn to shreds. Its arms were bound with two chains extending from the ceiling, leaving it powerless and suspended.
“Seriously, having to torture three bodies in a single day is too tight of a schedule. I could at least get rid of one of them!”
No sooner had he said this than he pulled a handgun from his holster, aiming it at the demon’s head.
“—Wait, Lieutenant!”
My body moved instinctively, stepping between the gun and the demon.
“Hey, what are you doing, Dark Healer?”
Veins bulged at my temples. I understood that it wouldn’t feel good to be interrupted like this.
…But, it was problematic.
The communication with the Demon Kingdom officials was ongoing. We were negotiating under the premise that we would escape with “all the captive demons.”
…If one of them were to be lost now, our already uncertain cooperative relationship could completely collapse!
I certainly couldn’t bring back a demon that had completely died. For the success of our asylum, we had to protect this demon at all costs!
“Isn’t killing on your own a bit much? This facility is under the jurisdiction of Colonel Schwizen, right?”
“…Hah.”
Lieutenant Gorgon pressed his fingers against his forehead and let out a deep sigh.
“Yeah, that’s true. I shouldn’t be making decisions about the treatment of captives on my own…”
A strained smile appeared on his face as he lowered the gun’s barrel.
I felt relieved… but only for a moment.
“Did you think I’d say something like that, you idiot?!”
Bam!
I was struck hard on the head with the bottom of the gun’s grip. Warm, slick blood trickled down my forehead.
“I’ll teach you a lesson, you meddling fool. The torture in this facility is entirely up to me. Do you understand what that means?”
“…?”
“It means that if I happen to push a demon too hard and kill it, that’s just a minor mistake in the course of my duties.”
Lieutenant Gorgon twisted his mouth into a grin and aimed the gun at the demon again.
So, I instinctively blurted out,
“What a pity! You’d be squandering your chance for advancement all on your own!”
I said it loudly.
Freeze.
Lieutenant Gorgon’s movements stopped.
His sharp gaze turned back to me.
“Hey, Dark Healer. ‘Squandering a chance for advancement,’ you say? What the hell do you mean by that?”
“…Heh.”
So, what does that mean?
Actually, I want to ask that myself.
After all, “a chance for advancement” was just a random lie that slipped out of my mouth.
Therefore, I hadn’t thought about any specific details.
“…Heh.”
While showing a meaningful smile, I desperately tried to think on my feet.
A chance… for advancement? Where?
How could Lieutenant Gorgon, a middle-aged man tasked with the dirty work of torture, possibly advance?
“…No way!”
While I was pondering, Lieutenant Gorgon gasped in realization.
“Colonel Schwizen intends to have me gather information through this role as a torturer and eventually recruit me into the elite Kingdom Army Intelligence Division…!”
“…That’s correct!”
I snapped my fingers and strongly affirmed his conclusion.
It seemed that Lieutenant Gorgon was interpreting things in a way that suited him.
“Impressive. You’ve really noticed, Lieutenant Gorgon.”
I took a deep breath.
I had to somehow steer the conversation toward a flow that prevented the demon from being killed.
“Listen, Lieutenant Gorgon. Colonel Schwizen is considering assigning you the role of ‘educator.’”
“Educator…? What exactly for?”
I nodded nonchalantly, as if to say I would explain it shortly.
In reality, I was currently piecing my thoughts together.
“Colonel Schwizen is… supposedly creating a new unit in the Kingdom Army Intelligence Division.”
While checking in my mind to ensure there were no contradictions in the flow of the conversation, I continued weaving my words to avoid arousing suspicion.
“A torture unit that extracts information from demons while keeping them ‘alive but not alive.’ And he intends to appoint you as the educator in that unit, someone who has gained experience here.”
I struggled to layer lies upon lies.
There was no turning back now.
“…Y-You’re not just making this up, are you?! How do you know that?!”
“I personally overheard Colonel Schwizen talking with other high-ranking officials on the train on the way here. He said, ‘Lieutenant Gorgon has excellent qualities as a torturer. I have high hopes for him in the future.’”
“C-Colonel… thinks that about me…?!”
“Yes. If you think it’s a lie, you can confirm it later.”
I said this confidently.
Of course, everything was a complete lie.
“Anyway, Lieutenant Gorgon, you are currently in a position where you are being tested by the Colonel.”
“!”
“What do you think the Colonel meant by bringing the Dark Healer to you?”
“To… heal the demons.”
“Exactly. However, if you fail to properly torture the demons here and end up killing one, what do you think the Colonel would think?”
“…It would be a major blunder. The Colonel would be disappointed in me… and I’d lose the chance for advancement as the educator…?”
Lieutenant Gorgon began to break out in a cold sweat.
“I-I get it! Quickly heal that one!”
“Understood.”
I felt a sigh of relief inwardly.
It seemed my spur-of-the-moment lie had become convincing enough to gain Lieutenant Gorgon’s trust.
As usual, I cast Dark Heal on the demon.
“…However, it seems I’ve misjudged you.”
Pat.
Lieutenant Gorgon placed his hand on my shoulder.
Huh? What’s this?
“I managed to avoid making a mistake at the last moment. I appreciate it.”
“…Oh, it was nothing really.”
For some reason, Lieutenant Gorgon’s usually dull eyes were sparkling.
“Let me introduce myself again. My name is Gorgon Svetlacha. I apologize for treating you roughly until now, Kiwi.”
“Eh? Ah, okay…”
“From now on, I will recognize you, Kiwi, as a ‘partner’ worthy of my trust.”
Grip.
Lieutenant Gorgon firmly shook my hand.
I didn’t quite understand what was happening, but it seemed that I was being trusted more than I had anticipated.
…Well, as long as I’m trusted, that’s fine.
“Is that so? I’m really happy to hear that.”
I fabricated a smile and said words that weren’t heartfelt, then gripped Lieutenant Gorgon’s hand firmly in return.
Let’s get along well from now on.
…Though, you’re likely to die tomorrow.
After all, I had told a clumsy lie to avoid the demon’s disposal.
Before the truth comes out, I needed to execute the asylum plan.
After finishing the treatment of the demon in the torture room, the next task was to torture the Demon Kingdom officials.
During that treatment, I left a message as usual.
The message was as follows:
“The plan will be executed at the end of tomorrow’s torture. During tomorrow’s treatment, if you are prepared, bend your index finger three times in succession.”
…Well then.
Tomorrow seems like it will be a challenging day.
