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CHAPTER 265: THE MOMENT WORDS LOSE THEIR MEANING

The third layer still bore the scars of fierce combat.

Countless frozen statues of monsters littered the desolate plain. But the chill running down my back wasn’t due to Drake’s breath alone.

In fact, the atmosphere among the party was noticeably different from usual. Even Drake, who was normally quite talkative, kept his mouth shut.

Our gazes were fixed on a man lying on the ground, bound from the neck down in a cocoon of tree magic. Standing over him was Kinu, looking down coldly.

The man’s equipment marked him as a seasoned adventurer. The weapon lying nearby was well-maintained, testifying to his credentials.

Despite his situation, the man’s eyes still burned with defiance, his silence resolute.

How does Kinu intend to make him talk from here…?

「Hello. What’s your name?」

「……」

「It’ll go a lot faster if you just say it, you know? One way or another, I’ll find out everything eventually. And don’t even think about biting your tongue off—I can keep casting Heal to make sure you won’t be able to sever it.」

「…………」

The man maintained his silent resistance, glaring defiantly at Kinu and refusing to utter a single word. From where I stood, it even looked like he was keeping calm, as if accustomed to torture.

But then Kinu made her first move—and even we, watching from the sidelines, couldn’t help but shudder.

「…Alright. Then let’s move to the next question, Rojam. You’re affiliated with Calvados, aren’t you?」

「!?」

「Hm? The name’s correct, isn’t it? Rojam?」

Until now, Kinu’s 【Sagacity】 skill should have only allowed her to read surface thoughts and emotions. Yet, without the man having said a word, she spoke his name—Rojam—as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I hurriedly appraised him myself and confirmed his name: Rojam Grade.

「H-How…?」

「That’s not for you to worry about. The fact is, no matter how stubbornly you try to stay silent, I can read your thoughts like an open book.」

「Impossible! I’ve undergone special training since I was a child—」

「Oh? You’re starting to talk a little now. Then let me ask—if you were trained so thoroughly, why were you trembling when you attacked me? When you received your orders… you were scared, weren’t you? You were told, ‘Do whatever it takes to crush Seiha’. Deep down, you feared this exact outcome might happen. But you couldn’t disobey your orders.」

「That’s…」

Rojam’s eyelids twitched for just a moment.

But Kinu was not the type to overlook even that.

「Honestly, I already know who gave you your orders. But I want to hear it from your own mouth. Because that’s the only way you have any chance of surviving.」

「Wha… That can’t be…」

「You were given orders you couldn’t refuse, abandoned by your party who left you to die without lifting a finger, and forced to resign yourself to your fate while still desperately clinging to life out of fear of death. …I do pity you a little, I admit.」

「I… I…」

「Choose now. Either tell me who gave you the orders, or spend the rest of your life without ever having the right to choose anything again. Frankly, I don’t care which you pick.」

At this point, Rojam had only one option left.

In this ultimate psychological state, where not even suicide was an option, Kinu kept accurately stating his innermost thoughts, leaving him floundering. And the more he tried to speak and cover his confusion, the deeper Kinu’s probing went.

She wasn’t giving him time to think—cutting him off before he could finish, weaving subtle suggestions into every word she spoke.

Now, Rojam was likely convinced that everything Kinu said was correct, leaving his values, ethics, beliefs, instincts, and doubts completely nonfunctional.

And so the puppet opened its mouth—

「Th-The one who ordered us to attack Seiha was… M-Master Garcia… of the Calvados Coalition…」

The result was inevitable.

The man who had been so defiant now spoke with respect, cementing a complete hierarchy the moment he uttered the name aloud.

「Mhm, I thought so. But I’m glad you could speak the truth with your own mouth.」

Though she said this, Kinu averted her gaze from him as though she’d lost all interest, and began walking toward us.

In contrast, Rojam desperately clung to her with his words.

「Hey! What about me! What… what should I do from here!? How… can I start over!?」

「Like I said—you were given orders you couldn’t disobey, abandoned by your comrades, and left in a pitiful state. …But you know—」

At that point, the warmth vanished from Kinu’s eyes. Her tone and expression shifted completely.

Her words, and her gaze, turned cold and quiet—yet carried undeniable force and clarity.

「This is the life you chose, isn’t it? If you hated the role Calvados assigned you, you could’ve run. But you didn’t. By your own will, you stayed. And as a result, you’ve been reduced to Garcia’s disposable tool, one that only harms others. Do you truly not understand that? …If so, I don’t even feel pity anymore—only contempt.」

「B-But…」

Rojam couldn’t find the words to continue.

Seeing that, Kinu let out a faint sigh, almost resembling mercy. And then—

「Start over? Impossible. You destroyed your own chance to do so—with your own hands, by your own choices.」

In mere minutes, he had been brainwashed into believing everything Kinu says is right, casting aside even his pride as he desperately sought salvation—only to have the ladder pulled away at the very end.

「Since you can’t decide for yourself, I’ll tell you. …Remain as you are: a broken tool, and rot away.」

The moment he heard that, the blood drained from Rojam’s face, leaving him hollow, as though only his skin remained while everything inside had collapsed.

The light that had once burned in his eyes just minutes ago was gone—there was no focus left in his gaze at all.

「Nngh… ah… aaah… aaauaa…」

His throat convulsed. His lips moved as if trying to form words—but no sound emerged.

It was the moment words lost all meaning.

His every thought had been drowned in despair. Not even the mind’s defensive mechanisms could stabilize him.

「Well then, as promised… Nelfie, release him.」

With those final words, Kinu took a teleport stone from her magic bag. She lightly tossed it toward the now-unbound Rojam, and his body vanished—transferred out of the dungeon.

「Mhm. Thanks for waiting, everyone.」

Smiling softly, Kinu’s expression returned to that of the gentle angel we knew.

The smile she offered us was warm and kind, radiating compassion.

But when that smile was turned upon an enemy, it became merciless and cruel.

That was the true nature of a bewitching demon—the nameless monster with nine tails, the ‘Mad Beast of Lunacy’ spoken of in legend. I saw a glimpse of it just now.

Something sleeping within Kinu is beginning to awaken, little by little. And I… I can’t help but feel excited to see where it leads.