“─────!?”
At the sudden voice, Elteel sharply turned around.
Lonzder, standing beside her, also glanced back in the same manner.
There, they saw—
“Iris…san?”
Iris Norton.
A woman with black hair clad in a black suit. At a glance, she shared some similarities with Lonzder, but the impression she gave was entirely different. Lonzder, whose emotions swung wildly, whose expressions were vivid, and who—as they had learned today—had an unexpectedly sentimental side, was undeniably endearing. In contrast—
“Still as dreary as ever, I see.”
“……”
Iris didn’t respond, standing rigidly by the wall.
No emotion, no discernible will, her expression unchanging.
Only her pale ice-blue eyes pierced through them—
Like a blade of ice.
“……Since when were you there?”
“From the beginning, Sirius Flame.”
The short reply made it impossible for Elteel to hide her shock.
There had been no scent.
Meeting Norman, the post-bath relaxation, growing slightly closer to Lonzder, the surprisingly delicious meal, Norman’s favorable reaction to the rarely worn men’s shirt and denim—all these factors had undoubtedly dulled her senses.
But even so, Elteel’s nose wasn’t so dull that she’d fail to notice the presence of another person.
“……Tch. You’re just as incomprehensible as ever.”
Lonzder, biting down irritably on her cigarette, likely hadn’t noticed her either.
Elteel didn’t like her. Neither did Lonzder, Shizuku, nor Cklares.
Within [Cartesius], opportunities to directly interact with her—the one in charge of gathering intel on the city—were rare. They had only spoken a handful of times, and she had never outright said anything unpleasant to them.
Unlike Sphere or Jim, who looked at them like lab animals.
There was no concrete reason.
To put it simply────it was a woman’s intuition.
Elteel, and surely the other three as well, were fundamentally incompatible with Iris Norton.
“……Norman-sama, does this woman know something?”
“Seems so. Iris, care to explain? Or rather, aren’t you gonna sit down?”
“I’d rather not share a table with the likes of you.”
Dismissing him with those words—
“Sirius Flame. EnhanceDiah.”
Her icy gaze fixed on Elteel and Lonzder.
“What you saw was an anti-Unlaw weapon────codename: [Nine Herbs].”
●
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
“………………[Nine Herbs]? That’s a thing?”
At those words, Lonzder’s grip on her cigarette tightened.
This was the first she’d heard of it.
“…………Ahh, now that you mention it, there was something like that.”
“Norman, you knew?”
“Nah, just something that idealistic old man who attacked me and Cklares last month mentioned. Said the capital’s [Twins] were making something like that.”
“Those damn brats……”
The [Twins]: the [Artisan Meister] and the [Doctor].
A pair of Unlaw in Balldlum’s capital, working on technological development.
Lonzder had met them once—an experience she wouldn’t call pleasant.
“As much as it disgusts me to agree with Hamish……”
“A bit harsh, no?”
“Until now, we’ve dealt with Unlaw by using other Unlaw—but the risks are obvious. So [Cartesius] sought an alternative, and the [Twins] provided it. A weapon capable of eliminating [Category III] Unlaw.”
And then—
“One of them is [Viblade]. That’s the name of the weapon Whisper possesses.”
“Viblade… Viblade Plantain? [Nine Herbs]… Ah… I see. What a tasteless name. In the first place, it’s strange that something would explode with a name like that.”
“Could you explain?”
“It’s the Druid’s Nine Herbs, the original source. One of the old traditions from Bristen. Nine types of medicinal herbs that cure illness and curses. Plantain is one of them.”
But now that it’s mentioned, this answers one question.
“That [Viblade] had plant motifs on it – so that was plantain?”
“I see… Wait, that plantain exploded incredibly violently, didn’t it? Even though it’s a medicinal herb?”
“Right, that’s what I think too. I don’t know if it’s because they have terrible taste or just slapped names on randomly. What do you think?”
“I don’t know. What I’m telling you about is the specifications of [Viblade] and the circumstances behind it.”
Iris continued monotonously, her tone unchanging.
“[Nine Herbs] are weapons—and bodily modifications. The [Doctor] performs physical alterations to accommodate specialized armaments, and the [Artisan] crafts weapons tailored to those modifications.”
And—
“[Viblade]’s wielder underwent bodily modification to grant their blood explosive properties.”
“What the hell… That’s even crazier than Unlaw.”
“Well, there was that guy who kept talking even after getting beheaded.”
“………………Right.”
An unpleasant man came to mind. Knowing that, it almost made sense.
“Alongside the blood, they’ve supposedly enhanced physical capabilities—senses, reflexes, reaction speed. Like the basic augmentations of an [Deviant State].”
At that explanation, Lonzder nodded in understanding.
Their simultaneous attack being countered—that had been the reason.
“You’ve already seen the weapon. That staff has a cylinder in its hilt for storing blood. When swung, the gears inside release the blood. Trigger pressure and swing speed adjust the output and velocity.”
“A cylinder… So that guy wasn’t high on drugs—he was high on his own blood? That’s seriously messed up.”
“A guy getting off on explosions is messed up to begin with.”
“Just how bad were those explosions?”
“A single drop could blow a normal person to pieces.”
Lonzder recalled the earlier fight.
The first blast, she’d simply tanked with her ability. Then, a few drops had landed on her leg—
“Since this mutt was pinning me down, I drove my foot into the ground to detonate it. Still went off spectacularly. My ability can handle it to a point, but any more than that…”
“Wait, hold on—Elteel was pinning you down? I need details—”
“Shut up, Hamish. And die.”
Lonzder wholeheartedly agreed with the first part.
“Either way, we understand [Viblade] and Whisper now. If that’s all, we can adjust accordingly. But────”
The real problem started here.
“Iris, why was this information withheld? And why does Whisper have it in the first place?”
●
“Owen Whisper was arrested by EnhanceDiah, imprisoned in Rubyvas Territory, and later transported to a certain location.”
Elteel listened without interrupting.
She wasn’t the type to overthink things—better to leave the mental labor to those suited for it.
In that regard, her current partner was perfect.
“He was transported to────”
“The capital.”
Lonzder muttered the answer, and Iris gave a slight nod.
“[Nine Herbs] requires compatibility due to the bodily modifications and weapon complexity. Though named [Nine], there aren’t nine users.”
“So Whisper, stripped of rights as a prisoner, became a test subject until they confirmed his compatibility.”
“Correct. He later escaped the capital’s research facility and came to Balldlum.”
“And? Why hide this?”
“It’s a weapon to kill Unlaw. Need I say more?”
“Figures. [Cartesius] always plays dirty.”
Though her words carried clear disdain, Iris’ expression remained unchanged.
Listening to their exchange, Elteel had a thought. Leaning toward Norman, she whispered—
“Norman-sama, Norman-sama.”
“What is it? A secret?”
Nodding, she lowered her voice further—
“─────Don’t these two talk the same way? And their outfits…”
“Pfft—!”
Norman burst out laughing, earning icy glares from both parties.
“We heard you, Elteel.”
“Oh, really?”
“This damn brat… Norman, discipline your dog better.”
“Nah, no need for that.”
“Norman-sama…!”
“……………………”
A gaze colder than absolute zero locked onto Norman—and Norman alone.
But Norman, as always, shrugged it off with an easygoing grin.
“Tch… Whatever. Our only expectation was for you to eliminate Whisper quickly. After that, recovering [Viblade]—even if just the remains—would’ve sufficed.”
“How convenient.”
“That’s our position. ……Though, admittedly, we may have overestimated your efficiency. I didn’t expect you to retreat so soon.”
“Hah. Weak taunt, Iris. Confirms you’ve got no charm after all.”
(So she was self-conscious about it…) Elteel noted.
“Go back and wait for your report. The Hell Hound and the Gem will handle this flawlessly.”
●
“By the way, Norman. How’d you convince her to come here?”
After the discussion ended and Iris left, Lonzder asked.
“I’ve been tailing her since yesterday. Asked if she knew anything until she gave in.”
“You…”
“Norman-sama, your persistence is awe-inspiring…!”
“You…”
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