On the afternoon of our sixth day inside the headquarters, Shiro and I descended to the deepest basement level of the headquarters.
There, we found an off-limits room with heavy security. But with the help of Shiro and the use of the air ducts, we were able to dig our way inside.
The space was called the Compost Room.
“Lyra, we’re here to help. We came here looking for you on Gobta’s behalf.”
We learned that Lyra was the person in charge of that room.
While the room had heavy security on the outside, once we were in, we outnumbered the limited staff allowed access.
Lyra was in there, working alone. When we approached her to try to talk, she looked like she was going to try to run, so Shiro restrained her from behind. I quickly removed her hood and canceled the three lines of text imprinted on her head via Cleansing Prayer. But…
“…”
Something was still off.
I had heard about Lyra Boucher from her husband, Goburo. Aside from the fact that they had argued about Gobta’s games, she seemed like your average mild-mannered woman in her forties. Apparently, since Gobta had gotten older, she had started helping out part-time at a flower shop.
“…”
She didn’t say a word. Actually, it was more like she couldn’t hear what we were saying.
Shiro’s restraints were flawless. She didn’t hurt Lyra physically, nor did she need to cover her ears or mouth.
“Shiro, what exactly is wrong with her…?”
Shiro checked the back of Lyra’s head. “There are still some words here.”
I rushed over to see up close. We faced each other as we took it all in…
I hear nothing except the high priest’s words.
I speak nothing without the high priest’s permission.
I smell nothing.
Reading that sent a chill down my back.
“Cancel!”
I made the words disappear right on the spot.
The high priest was even using his Power of Words to control people’s senses.
“How disgusting.” Shiro was at a loss.
“This is so wrong…”
I wondered what crime someone would be guilty of for stealing away a person’s senses. I had no idea.
I started to think that this was even more evil than simple brainwashing.
“Lyra, can you hear us now?”
“…Ah… Uh…”
The woman in Shiro’s arms was bewildered. Based on her reaction, she may not have spoken with another person in quite a long time.
I used the Shard of Judgment to bring up Gobta’s case record window. I then showed Lyra his juvenile case and his photo.
“We came looking for you. For Gobta.”
“…G-Gob… Gob…ta…?”
Lyra stared intently at Gobta’s photo and case record. Shiro kept her hands on her. Then the mother in her forties cowered into a crouch.
It was going to take a while for her to regain her composure and be ready to talk.
“Master, isn’t this conclusive evidence? Though we already erased the words on Lyra’s head…”
“You’re right.” Shiro’s composed voice brought me back to my senses. “We need to save the evidence.”
Using the shard, I pulled up the evidence window. With this, I could take photos of our surroundings.
I looked around from where I was standing. This floor, called the Compost Room, was built differently than the rest of the basement levels I had seen so far.
Once through the heavily guarded front door, there were lockers and a disinfectant shower. Past that, there were multiple smaller rooms.
Inside the smaller rooms, the four walls were finished with some kind of coating. The floor was smooth and looked like it had good drainage.
“Please be careful. The floor is slippery. It has been made water-repellent using a spell circle.”
“Thanks, Shiro.” I appreciated her excellent observation. “What do you think this smell is?”
The air of the room was filled with a pungent smell like rotting garbage.
“…I believe it’s coming from that box.”
Shiro hesitated to say it, despite her signature clear communication style. I looked where she indicated.
There was a huge, dirty box, about the size of a car.
I approached it silently.
The box was metal and shaped like an ark. There were some tools hanging off its side.
“A saw, a hatchet, scissors, a hammer, a chisel, a carving knife, a brush…”
I had a bad feeling.
“Master, I will open it.”
“No, Shiro. Why don’t you look after Lyra?”
She didn’t show it on her face, but I could tell that she was exhausted from the work of bringing me here. Besides, I was worried about Lyra’s condition, too. I had to do it myself. I stepped onto the metal steps.
Clank, clank… I rose up to a position where I could look over the entire ark.
There was a plastic lid on top of the rectangular box. It felt warm.
Just on the other side of this plastic…
I already knew what I would find.
I knew why it was called the Compost Room.
And I knew why it was kept under such tight security, and why only an extremely limited number of church members were allowed in.
Now all I had to do was confirm it.
Just confirm it.
At least that’s how I tried to convince myself.
I felt my breathing grow irregular, and an uncomfortable sweat started to roll down my skin.
This was definitely going to haunt me for a while.
But still, I needed to confirm it.
Confirm the truth…
I opened the lid.
Human body parts.
Intestines, hair, eyeballs, skin, testicles, tongues…
They were all mixed together like garbage.
“Urgh!” A wave of nausea came over me.
The smell was a direct hit to my nerves. I felt a sour liquid come up from my stomach into my mouth.
I held my hand over my mouth and swallowed it back down. Then I pulled off the lid, and almost fell off the steps.
“Master!”
“Photograph…the evidence!”
I spoke as if giving an order to the magical window and clung to the side of the box.
If I don’t see it myself, the evidence window won’t save it.
I remembered my sense of duty. I had to find the truth and solve this case, together with my sister.
“I’m sorry.”
The next thing I knew, I was apologizing.
“I got summoned here and treated this world like it was a game. But I couldn’t save you.”
I was naive.
I had thought I was doing a pretty good job helping my sister and helping the people of this kingdom.
But this was the reality: defiling the dead at the very heart of the kingdom—and covering it up.
These pieces of flesh couldn’t tell us anything about who they were or how long they had been here.
Was it self-important of me to feel responsible for my helplessness? The sight of the dead bodies was sending my thoughts and emotions whirling. Someone from another world, sent here where people can’t be saved from this kind of fate. Holding trials couldn’t bring these people back. What was it all for? It was useless.
“Ack!”
I heard something. It was coming from inside the compost.
“S-sobeone’s sdill…alibe in dere!” Lyra said from behind me, plugging up her nose.
I jumped into the ark.
The flesh that had turned into black compost felt warm. The gas produced in the fermentation process puffed up from below and blew into my face. I gritted my teeth and dug with both hands.
“Agh… Urgh…! Hah…!”
A person’s face appeared.
Alba Nols was still alive.