Chapter 301
The place they arrived at was nothing but a barren wasteland. It wasn’t just destroyed by mutants; it seemed as though nothing had ever existed there in the first place.
And that wasn’t all.
“Why isn’t anyone else here…?”
The other members of the unit, who should have arrived by now, were nowhere to be seen. It was as if Wilhelm had misunderstood the orders and ended up in an isolated location by himself.
At that moment, a long shadow was cast over Wilhelm’s head.
“Oh, finally…!”
Wilhelm exclaimed in relief. He spotted a figure standing atop the high canyon surrounding the vast plain.
The anxiety he felt from thinking he had made a mistake vanished instantly when he saw other members, even if they were late.
But that relief didn’t last long.
“…Lord Claude?”
Wilhelm froze in place. Looking down from a dizzying height was the stern face of the man he deeply respected.
Even though they were unmistakably allies, Wilhelm felt like a trapped mouse.
***
Claude had always been wary of Daniel’s presence. It was a near-instinctual rejection, like an Esper’s innate aversion to another who lingered too close to their Guide.
However, Claude genuinely believed in Daniel’s plea that he wished for Rose’s safety. This was also the instinct of an Esper determined to protect his Guide at any cost.
Thus, if the strange behavior of the mutants that he had felt all along was indeed due to someone’s intentions, as Daniel suggested, and if that person was someone within his own unit, then…
But with four days since Rose’s disappearance, he had to be cautious. They couldn’t afford any more mistakes.
So he set a trap. He divided the unit into several groups and appointed temporary captains. Each captain was given different information about where the significant event would occur. Thus, every captain thought they knew the destination of the others, but they didn’t.
If, as Daniel theorized, there was someone who could influence the mutants and was involved in Rose’s disappearance, they might station mutants at the false rendezvous points to hide crucial clues about her whereabouts.
As expected, once all the captains reached their positions, one fell into the trap.
By dawn, the long shadow of a solitary figure, kneeling on the expansive plain, stretched out.
Wilhelm, having been through the ordeal, was thoroughly subdued. And everyone around him looked on with disbelief.
It was now evident that Wilhelm had the ability to control mutants and that he had used this power to sow chaos on the battlefield for some reason.
Tears streaming down his face, Wilhelm pleaded,
“Lord Claude, I am sorry for hiding my ability. It’s natural for you to feel betrayed by someone who has been your loyal subordinate. But please believe me. I never intended to harm you. You know how much I respect and admire you. I…”
Wilhelm’s face, drenched in tears, looked pitiful. He seemed too innocent to be involved in the disappearance of his superior’s Guide.
Of course, Claude was unmoved by this.
“Answer me.”
Claude’s voice cut through Wilhelm’s words mercilessly. But the distraught Wilhelm didn’t hear it.
“I swear, all my actions were rooted in my desire to serve you, Lord Claude…!”
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