EP.85 The Real Laborer, The Fake Instructor
"Hughes. That man is a laborer assigned to Tantalus. After being arrested for illegal gambling in Amitengrad Sector 13-3, he was sentenced to labor at Tantalus."
Tir, who already knew he was a laborer, was startled and glanced at Shay. Fortunately, Shay didn't immediately flip out and charge at him.
Shay merely narrowed his eyes and let out a low hum.
"...I see. That explains it now."
Shay had already been harboring suspicions about him in many ways.
Abilities with unknown origins. An attitude too light and friendly for an Imperial officer. Strange behavior—meddling in private matters while ignoring official duties.
Without ever stating his rank or name, he had only spoken smooth words—clearly, he was far from being an ordinary instructor.
Above all, even setting aside rescuing Tirkanjaka... the act of reviving her heart made the least sense.
If the Empire knew how to revive the Progenitor's heart, they would have tried to hold it hostage and control it rather than revive it. That is the Empire's rationality.
That was why his actions were entirely un-Imperial. That was why she wanted to confirm if he had other motives.
'But every time I tried to confirm it, he slipped away like an eel, so I couldn't be certain!'
For the Empire, which sought to standardize all things including humans, such a chaotic figure could not be an instructor. It went against the Empire's ideology.
It was more convincing that he was a criminal with bizarre and strange abilities who should be locked up in Tantalus....
"Wait. A laborer? Not a criminal who should be imprisoned in Tantalus?"
A laborer and a prisoner are completely different. Prisoners are those completely stripped of freedom and confined, while laborers are those who pay for their crimes by serving at the facility and doing all sorts of menial work. Therefore, those with relatively lighter crimes receive labor sentences and live as semi-laborers.
Not an instructor.
Not a major criminal to be locked in Tantalus.
Merely a petty criminal?
And even.
"Merely... caught for gambling?"
"That's right. Like a worthless Level 0 citizen, instead of thinking about working honestly, he's a parasite who only dreams of striking it rich."
Callis expressed the contempt lingering on her face without hiding it.
Tir, who had been cautiously watching, flared up at that attitude and came to his defense.
"A parasite for merely playing cards? Your words are harsh!"
Callis responded immediately, as if she had prepared the answer in advance.
"Of course, if that were all, he wouldn't have ended up in Tantalus. But after separately interrogating the five who participated in the gambling, the others testified that he was a man who enjoyed gambling and would lure good people into gambling dens."
"Gambling is ultimately just a game. How can you speak of crime over a game?"
"Furthermore, the other four unanimously accused him of clearly using trickery. On that day alone, he recorded a 90% win rate."
A pause.
Even for the most skilled gambler, a 90% win rate is abnormal. Even Tir, who wasn't well-versed in worldly affairs, knew this well.
Tir argued back with a noticeably less confident voice.
"...Couldn't that simply mean the other four were incompetent?"
"Out of frustration from consecutive defeats, even when the four colluded in the final round, they still couldn't beat him. That was the point when they were certain."
"...Colluding... is nothing to boast of either..."
Even Tir, who was full of favorable feelings toward him, ultimately couldn't continue her defense and trailed off.
Having perfectly dismantled her argument, Callis spoke with even more confidence.
"Those who have hit rock bottom try to use their circumstances as an excuse for their crimes. The Empire does not tolerate that. To prevent them from testing military law with sympathy, Level 0 citizens must be severely punished even for minor offenses!"
Callis raised her head and shouted with a louder voice.
"Level 0 citizen Hughes! You may have enjoyed a lax life until now, but today it ends. The supervisor has arrived. Come out immediately and report your current status! Otherwise, you will be punished for dereliction of duty!"
Her loud voice echoed through Tantalus, but no response came from inside. Instead, Tir stepped forward and spoke.
"He cannot answer. He has lost his memories and is half-foolish now."
"Lost his memories?"
Callis responded with a sneer.
"Is losing one's memories a reason to neglect duty? It cannot be. If that were acceptable, one could kill a person and pretend to have lost their memories to be innocent."
"It's not about turning away from what has happened, but being unable to do what should be done. The two are completely different. As different as the past and the future."
Though her tone was gentle, it was simultaneously an archaic rebuke that felt like a scolding. When Callis fell silent, at a loss for words, Tir carefully picked up the mana herb cigarette and moved.
"These supplies are for him. If his mind returns, I will listen to the rest of his story."
Before heading to Tantalus, holding the mana herb cigarette carefully, Tir suddenly stopped and asked.
"Wait. Did you say his name is Hughes?"
"That's right. Is there a problem?"
"...Are you certain you haven't made a mistake?"
"Before being assigned to Tantalus, I read all the documents containing the personal information of those stationed there. There is no room for doubt."
Tir made an uncomfortable expression. Shay snorted as if she had expected it.
"See? I told you the answer was strange. From the very beginning, the bean didn't make sense."
"...We can just ask him directly. The priority now is to wake Hugh."
"Let's go together. I have things to ask that guy too."
Shay's eyes, as she said this, were burning with intensity.
"Finally, a clue...! Now he won't be able to escape...!"
Tir couldn't fault her for that. Whatever happened, this was a matter for her to endure. What Tir could guarantee was only his physical safety.
Tir and Shay walked side by side. Back toward his nameless room.
Callis was a textbook example of an Imperial officer, but at the same time, like all humans, she valued her own life. She had come to Tantalus following orders, and had even been told she might die... but dying a meaningless death was certainly not what she wanted.
That was why, when Shay emitted killing intent, she felt a fear that seemed to stop her breath.
"Even if the Progenitor is one thing, he's a quasi-general-level dangerous figure... To radiate killing intent the moment we met."
The Progenitor was a historically famous existence, similar to a natural disaster.
Is there a need to fight and win against a typhoon? Is there a need to stand firm when lightning strikes?
One simply needs to bow low and wait for the typhoon to pass, to wait in low places for the lightning to cease.
True to her long life as a vampire, the Progenitor was indifferent to all things and didn't particularly care how much circumstances around her changed. She was the one who made no response when the Empire moved her from her coffin to the Bottomless Chasm.
The anecdote that she asked just once "where are you going," and when the transporting soldier unknowingly answered "the Bottomless Chasm," she muttered "then I suppose I won't be able to see the sky there" before falling silent—this was quite a famous story even within the Empire.
As long as one didn't touch the Progenitor's reverse scale, for example, as long as one didn't pray to the Heavenly God before her, there was no particular danger. Perhaps one could even become her ally.
"The problem is the irregular."
Ranked as Level 3 for now... but Shay was an unidentified powerhouse whose identity, status, and origins were unclear.
She was a dangerous figure that the Empire's Six Star Generals, the Absolute Spear Patraxion, had to personally step forward to subdue.
Having a monster who could kill her at any moment nearby was absolutely not a pleasant thing.
The only relief was that the laborer sent down first... Litmus hadn't been stained red with blood yet.
If even petty criminals were keeping their lives, Callis, as an Imperial elite, could do the same.
"...I don't know what he went through to become a fool."
Callis exhaled deeply and took off her formal hat. She prided herself on having strong nerves, but her body was honest—a stream of sweat was flowing down the nape of her neck revealed beneath her bobbed hair.
"My mission is survival, and reporting."
Because Shay had smashed all the golems, insufficient information had been gathered from inside Tantalus. Therefore, her superior, who was originally scheduled to come, sent her down instead. To go ahead and collect information, to experience any dangers firsthand with her own body.
She knew her situation was no different from Litmus's, but it couldn't be helped.
She had become a Lieutenant Colonel, surpassing countless other officers, in order to be used at times like this.
"To make humanity great again."
Reminded of their cherished wish, she made a firm resolution.
***
The 4th floor of Tantalus was the laborers' space. There were spaces where they had to work, like the dining hall and laundry room, and the quarters where they would rest after finishing work were on the same floor.
Shay headed toward one of the rooms and spoke.
"Come to think of it, this guy was staying in a laborer's room? Living in a place like this."
"Did you not even know where Hugh had been staying all this time?"
"I didn't even know his name, how would I know where he stayed."
Tir scolded Shay, who was looking around as if it were fascinating.
"How indifferent. How much time have you spent together?"
"Huh? Honestly, you didn't know either until you got your heart back, right?"
"...Mmm."
Without making any response, Tir opened the door to the room where he stayed.
He was still sitting on the bed, sitting blankly. When the door opened, he briefly turned his head toward it, but that was nothing more than a reaction to a stimulus.
He would answer questions and react to others' actions, but he remained in a passive state where he never initiated anything himself. Toward him, who had yet to find himself, Tir spoke warmly as always.
"Hugh, has everything been well?"
The cramped room of the laborers' quarters seemed full even with just two more people added. Tir crossed the narrow room and sat beside him.
Shay leaned against the door and muttered.
"It gives me chills thinking about it. He gave a fake name even while having no sense of self."
"There must be a reason for that. Now, Hugh. Look at this. Those supplies you needed...."
Tir took out a cigar made by rolling mana herb from a paper box. Then suddenly, Tir realized she didn't know how to use it.
For a vampire who innately never fell ill and was immune to poison and drugs, a cigarette rolled up to the size of a finger was too perplexing an object. Tir held the cigarette awkwardly and fumbled.
"How to use it... How exactly do you use this stick... It doesn't seem like something to eat..."
What was the most common way to use a long stick?
In Tir's experience, there was only one way.
Holding up the mana herb cigarette, Tir patted his shoulder with it—tap, tap.
"Hey! Wake up!"
And yet, the place she hit wasn't his head but his shoulder. Even then, no strength was put into it. Even if he hadn't lost his memories, he probably wouldn't have reacted much to this blow.
At the child's-play-like scene, Shay was so dumbfounded she could only gape for a few seconds.
"...That's not how you use it. And even if it were, what would change from patting someone's shoulder so softly?"
"Then how? Isn't there no other method besides this?"
"This is meant to be smoked.... Ugh, why bother with words. Just try putting it in his hand first."
When Tir skeptically and carefully brought the mana herb to his hand—
There was a reaction.
The moment the mana herb touched his palm, his hand flinched reflexively. He instinctively curled his fingers and gripped the mana herb cigarette. Then he slowly brought the cigarette up to his nose and sniffed it. As if checking its quality.
"It's started."
Even without Shay's words, Tir had figured out that much. She closed her mouth and simply watched what he did.
His movements with the cigarette in hand were as natural as if his body was accustomed to them.
He raised his fingers and drew fire with formal magic. When he lightly scratched the tip of the mana herb with a nail bearing a spark, a bright red flame seeped into the gap.
The flame that had hidden deep inside grew in power in the darkness, and soon, boasting its overflowing strength, it dyed the world crimson.
"Shay? Hugh lit that thing—shouldn't we stop him?"
"No, that's how mana herb is normally used. If you think about it, it's similar to incense."
A late cremation for the dead leaves began. Those who claimed to have seen a human soul each gave different descriptions, but the soul of tobacco leaves had only one form. A gray snake with vertical stripes, curling upward.
The smoker welcomed its soul with a rather reverent posture. The snake, coiling around the unseen and rising, filled the world with its color and its fragrance.
When enough smoke rose, he held the cigarette between two fingers according to ancient etiquette and gently brought it to his lips.
A movement as natural as flowing water. A vivid picture of how he would move next formed in one's mind.
Shay nodded.
"Ah, now I get it. This was what he was after?"
Shay practiced a qigong called Tianban Jing, so she understood his actions instantly.
The basic principle of Tianban Jing was engraving movements into one's body. Because the body responded before the mind, it maintained physical and mental stability in any situation.
In such Tianban Jing, to respond to mental attacks, what was emphasized was a somatic technique similar to what he was doing now.
"The rising smoke is like incense. Is this fragrance a ritual to turn the mind?"
"The smoke from burning mana herb surely has an effect too, but that's only part of it. What he's doing now is a kind of self-suggestion. He's trying to rekindle the mind's memories with the body's memories."
From drawing fire with magic to the motion of bringing it to his lips and inhaling—
The series of movements was too smooth to be those of someone who had lost his memories. It was clearly something engraved into his body after finding the optimal path through thousands, tens of thousands of attempts.
"It's a movement his body became accustomed to from smoking mana herb thousands of times. Because it remained deep in his unconscious, even after losing himself, his body reproduced it on its own. This movement stimulates the dormant ego."
"Then, will Hugh truly awaken with this?"
"Yeah. He emphasized it on the note, so it's certain."
As time passed, the cigarette grew progressively shorter. By now, the cigar was a clock that told time through its burning. Thick smoke filled the room, and when the ember that had consumed more than half the cigarette lightly tapped his fingers—
He set the cigar down on the desk.
"Finally!"
Along with Tir's expectant gaze, he—
"Cough! Cough!"
Let out a loud cough, and then still gazed vacantly into empty space with hazy eyes.
Overwhelmed by a sense of betrayal, Tir cried out.
"That's not it!"
"Huh? That's strange. That's not it? Is it a different mana herb? No, looking at how he smokes it, it seems right..."
While Shay examined the mana herb, Tir looked around. Just then, a small chime bell on the desk caught Tir's eye.
"In the first place, I've never seen him put incense in his mouth! If it's not even in my memory, how would his body remember!"
"That's because you can't get cigarettes in the Bottomless Chasm... He probably did on the surface..."
"Perhaps another trigger is needed? Now then, since we've burned the incense, let me try ringing this bell next."
"Ah? That bell is for calling Aji—"
Unfazed by Shay's dissuasion, Tir shook the bell with a desperate grasp at straws. Jingle, jingle—the small bell sound echoed, and a few seconds later.
"Woof! Woof!"
A dog barking sound came from afar. Aji, reacting to the bell sound, was running down the corridor toward them.
The beast's howling came accompanied by the four-legged beast's footsteps as an accompaniment.
Responding when it's not even mealtime... Should I say he's well-trained, or just a glutton.
Sighing, 'I' looked toward Aji and shouted, just as I always had.
"Aji! Let's eat!"