Void walks forward, carrying me on his back while submerged up to his thighs in the cold water.

The water's surface, illuminated by the faintly glowing moss, remains beautiful no matter how many times I see it.

“To continue—Atyura, who stepped into the rare dungeon, certainly managed to escape from the hands of the Republican army’s knight order.”

But she soon realized that was a naïve assumption.

The magical alchemists had sent another homunculus—just like Atyura—as her pursuer.

Heartless weapons. Beings that could never be complete as living creatures, yet were perfect as weapons.

“So that’s what the homunculus we fought really was, huh. —But wasn’t it meant to be pitted against War Maiden Lili?”

I turned to glance at Riona, who was walking behind us.

“Who knows. I’m from the disposable old generation, so I don’t know. They never told me anything.”

Old generation—undoubtedly referring to homunculi. Even so, that was some cruel self-deprecation.

I scowled and spat out in irritation.

“Stop putting yourself down all the time. It’s annoying. You are who you are.”

Despite my harsh tone, Riona broke into a smile. A delighted one.

“...That part of you—I really love it...”

I feel like the sincerity behind her words is becoming heavier than before. That might be a problem in its own way.

Putting her hand to her lips as if pondering something, Riona spoke.

“I think that girl was meant for both roles. To be thrown at Lili-chan and also to take out Atyura.”

“If that’s the case, then we can expect more homunculi to be lurking around these parts.”

“Yeah.”

I turned back to Void.

“Atyura didn’t fight, then?”

“Nah. That’s what she said. There’s probably a lot that goes through a homunculus’s mind when dealing with another of their kind.”

If Atyura had fought that nameless homunculus, it would’ve been torn apart long ago. That’s how superior Atyura’s physical capabilities are.

“That dragon was a homunculus too?”

“Seems like it. Well, if you’re gonna make a biological weapon anyway, it makes sense to use a strong base creature for higher potential.”

Most likely, that malformed and defective dragon was created from the flesh of the ancient dragon Blythe defeated in his past life. The Republic also participated in that subjugation, so they must have brought back a portion of the corpse, divided into fifths among the five nations.

Still, it was incredibly weak for that. The power gap between the ancient dragon and that defective one is even greater than the gap between Atyura and the nameless homunculus.

Of course, there’s no such thing as a flask that can cultivate an ancient dragon’s massive body, and since dragons aren’t as biologically understood as humans, the extent to which they can be recreated is limited. But one thing is certain—Nereid, who transformed humans into homunculi, was an incredibly talented magical alchemist.

If that guy had survived and been absorbed into the Republican army, they might have already possessed an ancient dragon. If that happened, not only the Kingdom, but even the entire world could’ve been conquered with ease.

Just thinking about it sends a chill down my spine.

As these thoughts swirled in my mind while swaying on Void’s back, Oujin spoke.

“The Republic must fear Atyura falling into the Kingdom’s hands. Especially with ruins like this lying around.”

“So it all circles back to that in the end.”

Riona muttered.

“I mean, it’s not really my place to say, but... Would His Majesty really resort to homunculus technology?”

“Hard to say. I’m not from this country, but I do like the Kingdom of Galliant. So I wouldn’t want them dabbling in inhumane tech.”

Honestly, I don’t know either.

Trying to read Kilpus’s mind is a waste of time. Even if we see the same scenery, the way he perceives the world is likely beyond my imagination.

Void spat out his words.

“Didn’t Margis say she’d submit the report along with Class One’s opinion? That’s good enough. If we don’t like the result, we can just knock that Kilpus bastard flat next time.”

“You... seriously...”

How can he say that in front of me? Just what kind of guts does this delinquent have?

Void snorted with a laugh.

“Well, even from the guy’s perspective, there’s different ways to go about it. If you can make a dragon homunculus, then why not use monsters instead of humans?”

Oujin let out a sigh, exasperated.

“That’s not exactly reassuring either. I don’t think humans can control that dragon. Most likely, they just figured they’d be lucky if it could kill Atyura and then abandoned the test subject once it got too unruly.”

“Maybe. —But if they start using humans...”

Void turned over his shoulder to glance at me on his back.

“Then you’d better be ready too, Eremia. No matter which side you choose.”

“...You don’t need to tell me.”

That was a warning with two layers of meaning.

One, to me as Eremi Oldingham, the son of Kilpus.

The other, to me as a member of Class One who might someday stand against Kilpus for the sake of morality.

Compared to Oujin or Riona, Void may have spoken more lightly, but deep down he’s probably the most unsettled by this issue. Because for turning humans into homunculi, it’s more convenient if they have no official registration. Which means—people from the slums.

I honestly can’t imagine Kilpus doing something like that... but he’s nothing if not rational.

Void kicked at the water as he continued.

“Well, this time there won’t be any report on the homunculus stuff. It’s just a delay, but Margis and that bald noble decided that.”

Ilga aside, if Seneca says so, then it should be fine.

For now, anyway.

“So just make sure you and Belzhein are on the same page about it.”

“Got it.”

“Yup yuuup~”

As I swayed on Void’s back, I thought to myself.

Would it be okay to talk to Lili about this? She probably respects Kilpus, but she doesn’t trust him completely. Especially since he used my—Blythe’s—death to try and make her the Kingdom’s new hero.

“Ahh—”

Void turned to look at me.

“If you’re still unsure, I think it’s fine to tell Ituka. She’s trustworthy. But make your own call. Just don’t forget to tell her to keep her mouth shut.”

“...I’ll think about it.”

Did it show on my face? He hit the nail on the head.

Maybe I slowed down too much trying to avoid being overheard. I couldn’t see our classmates’ backs anymore. The glow of the magic lamps was far in the distance.

“We need to pick up the pace a bit. You guys, let’s—huh?”

Just as Void muttered that and turned to look behind him—toward Oujin and Riona—

Oujin, who should have been walking at the very rear,

—had vanished without a trace.