"Ugh, do I really have to investigate this place?"
In the pouring rain,
Nao Tomori held an umbrella in one hand and a camera in the other.
Her clothes fluttered in the wind, and her petite frame seemed like it might be blown away by the storm at any moment. Her small face was filled with hesitation.
She knew it was dangerous.
But.
If she couldn't gather evidence,
The [Special Operations Division] wouldn't take action against this old mansion.
She didn't fully understand why.
Something about "the owner of this mansion having a special status" or "they don't have the authority to barge in." In short, the implication was that the owner of this mansion was extremely dangerous.
But.
Not go?
"No, no."
"If I delay any longer, those people probably won't survive, right?"
Nao Tomori shook her head,
As if trying to shake off the cowardice in her mind.
She was a superhuman,
Possessing the ability to "erase her presence from others' sight." However, the drawback was that it could only affect one person at a time.
At the same time,
She was also the student council president of Stellar Ocean Academy.
Stellar Ocean Academy was a government-funded institution designed to gather and manage individuals with special abilities like her, providing them with a unified education.
After graduation,
Students could transfer to regular universities,
But they had to sign an agreement stating they would "never use their abilities again for the rest of their lives."
Alternatively, they could be assigned to positions suited to their abilities.
Recently, several students from Stellar Ocean Academy had gone missing. As the student council president, Nao Tomori naturally began paying attention to the matter.
A few days ago,
A classmate had reported to the student council that they had seen someone abducting the missing students and bringing them here.
Not long after,
That classmate also disappeared. So...
Nao Tomori had come here once before.
Relying on her intuition,
She felt that this mansion was extremely dangerous.
She reported it to the academy's higher-ups and the special government department that handled such incidents.
Normally, given her special status, the department would at least send someone to investigate and confirm the situation.
But this time was different.
This time, the response was: "The owner of this mansion has a special status. Without evidence, we cannot take any action."
And so,
Nao Tomori had no choice but to brace herself and come here again.
"It's fine."
"As long as I'm careful, even if there are people around, they won't notice me."
Nao Tomori tried to reassure herself.
Taking a deep breath,
She hid her umbrella by the door and tiptoed into the Matou mansion with her camera.
The mansion was large,
And very dim.
In the pitch-black storm,
The long hallway was illuminated only by a single dim wall lamp.
Nao Tomori walked cautiously,
Trying not to make a sound and staying alert to any doors that might open.
The mansion had an antique charm,
And it was enormous.
As she walked, Nao Tomori didn't see a single person. The mansion was eerily quiet, devoid of any signs of life, as if no one lived there at all.
But this didn't make Nao Tomori feel any more at ease. Instead, her heart tightened to the breaking point.
Just then,
Creak.
Nao Tomori's body stiffened instantly, and she nervously looked toward the upstairs.
The sound of slow, heavy footsteps echoed.
Soon,
Nao Tomori saw
A hunched, bald old man with limbs as thin as a mummy's, leaning on a cane, appear at the top of the stairs and begin descending.
"It's just an old man."
"Don't scare yourself, Nao Tomori. You could take on ten of these old men by yourself."
Nao Tomori mentally reassured herself and raised her camera to focus on him.
Her hands were steady.
She followed him as he walked toward the depths of the dark hallway on the first floor.
He stopped at a door,
Opened it,
And inside was complete darkness. From the outside, it looked like a basement.
A basement?!
Nao Tomori's spirits lifted.
Could this old man be some kind of pervert, kidnapping girls and keeping them in the basement for his twisted pleasures?
No matter what, as long as she could take photos inside and then leave to hand them over to the special department, this matter could be resolved.
To Nao Tomori's surprise, the old man didn't close the door after entering the basement.
She quickly followed him in.
But once inside, Nao Tomori regretted it.
The sight before her made her scalp tingle, and she nearly dropped her camera, barely suppressing a scream.
The basement was dark,
Only faintly illuminated by the dim light from the hallway.
But even with that faint light, Nao Tomori could see
That the basement,
Beneath the platform connected to the hallway,
Was filled with
A sea of squirming insects!
And the kidnapped students were all in that sea of insects!
Only their heads were visible.
Nao Tomori recognized all the missing students from her school, as well as many people she had seen reported missing on the news. But without exception, their eyes were completely lifeless.
Alive, but as if they were already dead.
"Matou's idea was quite clever."
The withered old man suddenly spoke.
His voice was hoarse, like the sound of bones rubbing together, and combined with the squirming of the insects, it made Nao Tomori's body tremble uncontrollably.
Run.
Run.
She wanted to run.
But Nao Tomori didn't dare move.
She couldn't move.
And she was afraid that even the slightest movement would alert this strange old man to her presence.
"To us magi, ordinary people are nothing but insects. But even insects have their uses."
"By extracting their magical energy,"
"We can turn them into 'batteries' to sustain a Servant's magical energy supply."
"This way, as long as there are enough 'batteries,' even a Master with no magical talent can sustain a Servant in high-intensity combat."
"Of course, not all 'batteries' are the same."
"Unfortunately, my descendants are all useless. They can't replicate the Matou clan's method of using patients from their affiliated hospitals to supply magical energy, compensating for quality with quantity."
"So, we have to rely on 'quality.'"
"And people with special abilities are always better than ordinary humans."
"One 'battery' can replace several ordinary people."
"Or even more."
"Recently, I've discovered that there's an excellent 'battery' near my home. Her magical circuits are exceptional. If she were willing to come, she could replace all the 'batteries' in this room and more."
"I've waited for a long time, until this old man almost lost his patience."
"But, fortunately..."
Matou Zouken's voice grew softer and softer.
As Nao Tomori listened, she gradually realized something was wrong.
Why does it sound like
He's talking to someone?
And that 'excellent battery near my home'—could he be referring to me?
The moment this thought crossed her mind, Nao Tomori's breath hitched. Before she could think further, she saw Matou Zouken slowly turn his head.
His face, like a withered tree—old, shriveled, and devoid of moisture—
Turned toward her.
And he gave her a 'kind' smile.
"You've finally come."