Thank you for the typo corrections.

What do we do with what we found here?

We had called back our classmates who had been playing by the underground lake and sat around the campfire to talk it over.

But in the end, we still hadn't reached an answer.

I didn’t even want to think about it. The idea of using fragments of human bodies to create homunculi—

As the rest of my classmates continued their back-and-forth discussion, I sat silently, my head lowered.

Red hair slipped into my field of vision—Riona was peering up at me from below.

“What’s wrong, El-tan? You’re sweating like crazy.”

I shook my head from side to side.

I had realized something. A certain possibility. But how could I tell anyone—absolutely anyone—something like this?

“It’s nothing. Just leave me alone for a bit.”

“Ehhh… Are you serious? You okay?”

Riona, looking unusually serious, reached out to show her concern, and I gently pushed her hand away.

“Yeah. Sorry. It’s not that I’m feeling unwell. I’m fine. Just… let me gather my thoughts.”

“Alright, if you say so. But tell me if it gets bad, okay? I’ve trained enough that I could carry someone your size on my back.”

“Thanks.”

I nodded and went back to thinking.

What would Kilpus make of this—no, more importantly, what would Lili think?

In a way, this was tantamount to resurrecting the dead. If we were to rob graves, just like the Nereid revived a homunculus resembling her daughter, we could potentially create a homunculus with similar physical abilities to Blythe from his bone fragments.

Until now, it had only been a technology used by the enemy, so I had never even considered it. But if such techniques were to be implemented close to home, it was inevitable Kilpus would come to similar conclusions. No—knowing him, he may have already thought of this.

The homunculus of Blythe is not Blythe. Just like Eremi Oldingham is no longer Blythe—he is someone else entirely.

Would it really be okay to report this to Kilpus?

Or should I crush the information here and now…?

But even if I suppressed it, would this group be able to keep the secret of what happened in the Lehan Dungeon for eternity? Sooner or later, wouldn’t it leak out?

And since dungeon exploration was a national project, it was likely that knights would come in for investigation after the students. Could we erase all evidence?

Impossible. We’re dealing with Kilpus here. He’d see through my lies in an instant.

I couldn’t settle my thoughts. In my previous life, I would’ve laughed this off as nonsense. But when it came to Blythe, both Kilpus and Lili probably wouldn’t stay rational.

They might even decide to bring him back.

Regret surged anew.

What a pathetic way to die. I’m disgusted with myself.

“This is so fucking stupid.”

With a scornful grunt that cut through the jumble of conversation, Void grabbed the stone tablet. Before Seneca or Ilga could stop him, he dashed toward the underground lake and hurled it with all his might.

“Ooooooorrrrrryaahhhhhhh!!”

The tablet spun through the air, drawing an arc, then splashed down into the lake with a heavy plonk, sinking beneath the surface. No one said a word.

Eventually, Ilga spoke in a stunned murmur.

“S-Scale… D-Do you even realize what you just did…? That could be considered high treason!”

Void turned around, picking his ear with a finger.

“Hah? Who cares. Think about it. Imagine a homunculus made from your remaining few strands of hair going to the battlefield and killing a bunch of humans. Meanwhile, the real you—now a full-fledged knight—sits cozy in a warm room enjoying tea time.”

Void scanned the group with eyes full of murderous intent.

“You all okay with that? You're no different from those damn bureaucrats in the Republic’s upper ranks!”

No one could argue back.

Except for one man. Ilga.

But—

“Look carefully, Scale. I am not balding. I just part my hair in the middle.”

A brief silence followed.

Seneca unsheathed her sword—still in its scabbard—and gently tapped Ilga’s parting with it.

“Ow!”

“Hey. Now’s not the time for jokes. I get you’re trying to lighten the mood, but don’t disgrace the Marquis Freiges.”

“Ugh… When you put it that way…”

Another round of silence.

Void ignored Ilga and spat his next words.

“Forget about the balding noble. Compared to the upper echelons of the Republic army, homunculi are still more decent as living beings. Am I wrong, old man?”

“No, you’re right.”

Bernald nodded in agreement.

Wait, you responded instantly to being called “old man”? That’s surprisingly honest. I was about to respond myself, but thankfully Bernald beat me to it.

“What about you, Eremia?”

“……Me?”

“Yeah. These guys want to hear what you think.”

“Why? I’m just ten years old.”

Without a word, Oujin placed a hand on my back.

“I’d like to hear it too. To Class One, Eremia is no longer just a ten-year-old. Please, tell us your thoughts.”