Chapter 8: The Killers’ Evening Meal

“―You are awfully drenched.”

That was the first line of the “Ogre”. His tone of speech was remarkably composed. And yet, a solid core was maintained in his voice, ensuring that his words would not be missed.

“Oh, yeah. I lent my umbrella to one of my students, so I got caught in the rain a little bit on the way here.”

“…I will call Eto. I will have her lend you a change of clothes until it dries up.”

“Oh, sure. Don’t mind if I do.”

“Don’t sweat it. You will catch a cold if you don’t―”

After saying this in a hushed voice, the “Ogre” rose to his feet and left the living room.

“…”

Being alone in someone else’s living space could not be more unnerving.

While seated quietly at the edge of the living room, footsteps could be heard coming from the kitchen, and an unexpected figure appeared.

“―Oh, it’s Kanaki～”

“Ms. Xenia…”

With plates in both hands, Xenia looked at me and a delighted expression spread across her face.

“Thank you for your hard work. So you are here today, too, Ms. Xenia.”

“It’s just a coincidence. There was leftover meat, so I figured I would rather have it here than let it rot. Eto is a voracious eater, you know. Oh, and Kanaki, feel free to partake as well.”

“…I see.”

From the array of meat dishes on the plates, I was convinced of it.

Each dish was so appetizing―that I doubted anyone would pay any attention to what kind of meat was involved in these dishes.

Right, apart from me, who knew her identity.

“…By the way, what kind of meat is this?”

“Oh. Even I would not feed Matthias meat from a corpse. Today’s meat is fresh.―The meat is from a ‘person’ I killed in my experiments with the brain-boiling magic I am currently working on, so it is undamaged and tender since I dismember it before the rigor mortis begins to set in♪”

I knew it.

“Um… Ms. Xenia, I believe I have told you many times that I am not interested in that side of things.”

“What, you’re so apatheticー. Don’t you think it’s a loss of life if people don’t eat it?”

“This is the first time someone’s ever been offended by me not liking to taste human flesh.”

“Give it a try. You’ll be addicted to it.”

“I have a feeling that would be futile, so I’ll pass.”

Disregarding Xenia, whose face showed signs of fury, I raised my hand to two individuals who had come from the hallway.

The “Ogre”―Matthias and his daughter, Eto.

“Teacher Kanaki, Teacher Xenia, good evening.”

“Good evening.” “Oh, good evening.”

“…Kanaki, is this okay?”

After receiving a change of clothes from Matthias, I noticed it was the school’s gym clothes.

The size seemed to be just right, but…

“Um, is this…”

“Oh, is it too small after all?”

Eto tilted her head and I shook my head that it wasn’t.

“Not really, but this is the school’s gym uniform, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is mine.”

Yeah, I figured.

“Um… I don’t think it’s a proper thing for me, a man, to wear the clothing of a female, Eto. Even you don’t like that, do you?”

“N-Not at all! If it’s Teacher Kanaki, it’s totally fine! If anything, please wear it!”

“Yeah, you do have an odd side occasionally, Eto.”

“Enough of this,” I thought to myself as I slipped on the gym jersey while restraining Eto from coming at me too forcefully. The fact that even jerseys could be found in this world was one of my thrills.

“…Oh, I can’t wash those clothes anymore…”

You shouldn’t have lent it to me if you despised it so much.

I turned to Matthias after being somewhat shocked to overhear Eto talking to herself.

“…What is it?”

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“I just recalled what I came here to do. I need to see the wanted posters that were handed out today.”

Every week, new issues of the wanted posters were released, but since I was ostensibly not supposed to have any ties to the underworld, I could only view them when I came to Matthias’ house.

“It’s up there on the top shelf. The issue that was released today is on the top one.”

“Thank you.”

Without interfering with the three people who had begun their meal, I took a seat at the end of the room and unfolded the wanted posters.

The first page of the wanted list usually featured the most current, or at least the most publicized, wanted person…

“Ah.”

“Is everything all right?”

Eto, who was enjoying her deep-fried meal, inquired.

“I am the first one on the list. Perhaps I was too flashy.”

It would appear that I was in peak season.

“Eraser” Rate B+ Remarks: The suspected culprit behind the serial disappearances of magicians that have been taking place in the medium-sized city of Seal in recent days.

“I mean, ‘Eraser’… as in the literal eraser?”

“? But I looked at that earlier too, and it doesn’t include a face, so a B+ rate shouldn’t be an issue as it won’t likely attract much notice.”

“Well, that’s why I’ve been trying to cover my tracks and avoid targeting major figures. Nonetheless, I’m finally on the wanted list…”

“In fact, you’ve been conducting kidnappings surreptitiously for a year and a half, and I am impressed that you haven’t been on the wanted list until now. I genuinely admire you since I am not adept at such strenuous stuff.”

“Well, I suppose you do, Ms. Xenia.”

I looked over the name on the second wanted poster.

Alice Raison de Trile, “Art of the Corpse Princess,” Rate S Remarks: Original semi-first-class magician.

On it was the face of a girl with an unfamiliar childlike face.

“I’ve been thinking for a while now, this is you, isn’t it, Ms. Xenia? How many years ago was this taken?”

“Haha, Kanaki. That question is going to provoke anger in me, you know?”

Eto, who was seated across from her, cowered at Xenia’s bloodlust.

“I’m just kidding. This is your main body, Ms. Xenia?”

“Yes. The body I am using right now is a corpse, operated by necromancy. Well, since it is completely animated by magic, it is the same as if it were alive.”

It seemed that “Perfect Undead,” an inherent magic that only Xenia was capable of using, allowed reviving a corpse’s biological function with minimal damage and enabling movement at will as if it were another person’s own self. It was like a sort of possession magic, and no matter how powerful “See-through” was, it was said to be absolutely undetectable.

“It would be wonderful to meet Ms. Alice, not Ms. Xenia, someday.”

“Hahaha. Even though I may appear this way, I’m actually a coward, so it would be tricky for you to meet the real me, you know? Well, when the time comes, I’m looking forward to seeing you as well.”

“―We are in the process of eating. You are chatting a little too much, Xenia.”

Matthias, who had been eating robotically and in silence, remarked in a stern mood at that point.

As could be discerned from the moment of seeing him, this man, of course, was not an honest guy.

At the end of the wanted list, I looked at the column that listed the small fry with a rating of C or lower, followed by the prominent figures who had not been discovered for more than five years.

“Soundless Ogre,” Matthias? Rate SS+.

This by itself was astounding enough, but the column of remarks written beyond it further magnified the astonishment.

Remarks: Has no magical power.

“What a monster…”

Whatever kind of magician the other party may be, he would assassinate them one after another, with only one body, in the flesh and blood, and cause supernatural phenomena. He was therefore an ogre. Matthias had taught me physical techniques for a time, but his movements were not truly human.

“Mr. Matthias, have you been out of work lately?”

“These days are peaceful. The more free time I and others have, the better the world will turn out.”

Matthias answered in a tone that sounded as if it would resonate when he said it.

He was not the kind of person who relished killing, like me and Xenia. Well, strictly speaking, neither was I attracted to the carnage itself.

Xenia killed for pleasure, I killed out of inquisitiveness, and Matthias killed for work.

We may seem different, but in terms of outcome, we performed exactly the same thing.

People like us faced challenges in life in this world. Right from the time we met, our relationship started without anyone’s first mentioning it.

In other words, we were killers, cooperators, and friends―

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