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...
Upon arriving at Aria's home, Mika and his companions were warmly welcomed by her family.
Looking at this amiable family, outsiders would never imagine how dark their hearts were.
At the dinner table, after hearing about Tatsumi's experiences, Aria's father offered to arrange for Tatsumi to join the army.
Hearing this promise, the last trace of vigilance in Tatsumi's heart completely vanished.
After dinner, Mika and his group were assigned to guest rooms.
"Their disguise is perfect. If we didn't already know about this family's cruelty, we'd never see their true colors from their actions."
Recalling everything that had happened, Mika couldn't help but shake his head.
At night, after everyone had gone to sleep, Mika got up and left his room, then woke up Airmid and Mellie.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing has happened," Mika replied calmly, then turned and walked away.
"Follow me."
Walking down the silent corridor, Mika said to Mellie and Airmid behind him, "What do you two think of this family?"
"What do we think?"
"Although on the surface they're very hospitable and seem eager to help."
"But I always felt something was off."
"Me too," Airmid added.
"Intuition?" Mika asked.
"Yes!" Mellie and Airmid nodded.
"Then your intuition is quite accurate!"
With a sigh, Mika said no more and walked straight toward where Tatsumi was staying.
Although Aria's house was large and there were quite a few guest rooms, there weren't four adjacent ones.
Therefore, the four were arranged separately in different parts of the mansion.
"Footsteps," Airmid suddenly warned.
"I know," Mellie responded.
Soon, two fully armed guards appeared in front of Mika and the others.
The two parties walked toward each other.
But even so, the guards seemed not to see Mika and his companions at all.
"Illusion magic is really useful," Airmid remarked.
As for herself, although Airmid knew many abilities, her specialties were body enhancement and healing.
"Hehe, you can't envy me for this," Mellie said proudly.
Without any obstruction, the three quickly arrived at Tatsumi's door.
After a series of knocks, the door opened.
"Oh, it's you guys, big brother!"
"Up in the middle of the night, is there something you need from me?"
Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Tatsumi asked in confusion.
"Of course!"
"Come on, Tatsumi, follow me."
"I'll show you the darkness of the Imperial Capital, known as a living hell."
Hearing Mika's words, Tatsumi immediately woke up.
Looking around, he asked in surprise, "Here?"
"That's right!"
With that, Mika led the three of them forward.
"By the way, Tatsumi, you really have no sense of caution! Eating someone else's food without knowing anything about them, aren't you afraid the food might be poisoned?"
On the way to their destination, Mika asked with a light laugh.
"Poisoned!" Tatsumi shuddered.
From Mika's earlier words, Tatsumi realized that this family might not be as good as they appeared.
In other words, they might very well have poisoned them.
But after thinking for a moment, Tatsumi calmed down.
If there was poison, he would have been affected by now, not still fine at this moment.
Besides...
"But didn't you three also eat?" Tatsumi retorted.
"Hey, hey, hey, you started eating before us!"
Rolling his eyes at Tatsumi, Mika continued, "Besides, our physiques are special; ordinary poisons can't affect us."
As their strength increased, Mika and his companions had developed resistance to common poisons.
Of course, poisons produced by dungeon monsters are another matter.
"Also, I noticed that the food we ate came from the same source as theirs. Given their wealthy status, they wouldn't poison food that they also consume."
"That's why we ate."
"The three of us analyzed the situation to reach that conclusion, but you just got lucky. If you're not careful in the future, you won't even know how you died."
"I understand now. Thank you, big brother."
After listening to Mika, Tatsumi nodded seriously.
From his eyes, it seemed he had taken it to heart.
Seeing this, Mika nodded in satisfaction.
As the four continued forward, they soon reached the end.
It was a warehouse in the backyard.
Standing at the warehouse door, Mika said seriously, "We've arrived. Open the door, Tatsumi."
"The darkness of the Imperial Capital lies here."
Hearing Mika's words, Tatsumi, Airmid, and Mellie all looked seriously at the warehouse before them.
They were all curious about the darkness of the Imperial Capital.
Silently stepping forward, Tatsumi pushed the door, but it didn't budge.
Obviously, it was locked.
"Let me!"
Seeing this, the somewhat impatient Airmid stepped forward and kicked the warehouse door open.
The next moment, the scene inside the warehouse appeared before the four of them.
Dozens of people were confined in the warehouse.
Their bodies were covered in wounds.
Some were hung from the ceiling, others were tied to torture racks; each had endured countless torments.
Many bodies were already mutilated.
Even more people had been tortured to death.
"This is the true face of this family. They lure outsiders into their home and then torture them here for fun."
"Who knows how many young people with great ambitions have died at their hands."
"And such people and events are countless in the Imperial Capital."
Listening to Mika's words and looking at the scene inside, Tatsumi and the others slightly parted their lips but couldn't say anything.
Just then, a hoarse voice suddenly sounded.
"Tatsumi?"
"That voice... Sayo!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Tatsumi's eyes reddened.
He rushed into the warehouse frantically, running toward the source of the voice.
Soon, he found Sayo hanging from the ceiling.
At this moment, she was covered with wounds and bruises all over.
Obviously, she had suffered inhuman torture before.
"Tatsumi!"
After being rescued from the ceiling by Tatsumi and lying in his arms, Sayo weakly said, "You came to save us, Tatsumi!"
"Ieyasu is here too, in the cell over there."
Following Sayo's trembling finger, in a nearby cage, his other close friend Ieyasu was also covered in wounds, lying silently inside.
---
"Ieyasu!"
Looking at his friend in the cell, Tatsumi shouted loudly.
He couldn't believe that in just a few days, his two childhood friends had ended up like this.
Taking off his coat to cushion the ground, he gently laid Sayo on it.
Tatsumi drew his sword and quickly approached the cell where Ieyasu was imprisoned.
"Ah!!"
With an angry swing, he slashed the cell open.
"Ieyasu! Ieyasu! Ieyasu!"
Leaping into the cell, Tatsumi picked up the unconscious Ieyasu and shook him continuously.
Under his vigorous shaking, Ieyasu's tightly closed eyes moved slightly.
Seeing this, Tatsumi shook him even more excitedly.
Obviously, Ieyasu was not dead yet.
"Tatsumi!"
Slowly waking up, looking at Tatsumi before him, Ieyasu weakly called out.
"Am I dreaming, Tatsumi?"
"No, this isn't a dream. I've come to save you," Tatsumi exclaimed excitedly.
Hearing Tatsumi's words, tears welled up in Ieyasu's eyes.
Then, as if remembering something, Ieyasu urgently said, "Tatsumi, you must be careful!"
"Sayo and I were tricked by the young lady of this house. After eating the food they gave us, we passed out. When we woke up, we were imprisoned here."
"You must be cautious of this family!"
"Yes, I understand," Tatsumi said firmly.
Seeing his friend still warning him even in such a state, Tatsumi felt even more anger rising within him.
He felt it was unfair for his friends.
Their abilities were quite good, yet they fell victim to deception and drugs.
"So this is the darkness of the Imperial Capital?"
Recalling the merchant's warning, Tatsumi murmured to himself.
"Indeed, this is the darkness of the Imperial Capital!"
Sitting on a chair in the center of the warehouse, looking around, Mika couldn't help but shake his head.
"Just as people decay, empires also head toward destruction. Now, this thousand-year-old Empire has reached its end; the time has come for its demise."
"I checked around; there are less than ten people still alive in the warehouse."
After inspecting, Airmid came over and said seriously to Mika.
Seeing the unpleasant expression on Airmid's face, Mika nodded.
Although Airmid had experienced even more brutal scenes, such pure malice from humans toward humans was still hard for her to accept.
Gently patting her shoulder, Mika then said to Tatsumi, "Tatsumi, after we parted during the day, I toured the Imperial Capital and made a decision about the future."
"I want to change this Empire. Are you willing to help me?"
After carrying Ieyasu out and placing him beside Sayo, Tatsumi, hearing Mika's question, didn't understand why Mika was asking him now, but after witnessing the darkness before him, his thoughts had changed.
"I told you before, big brother!"
"As long as you support me, I'll definitely follow you."
"Even if it means opposing the Empire!" Tatsumi said firmly.
"Very good!" Mika nodded in satisfaction.
Then he said seriously, "Tatsumi, in fact, the three of us aren't from the countryside, but from a place even farther away."
"What is about to be shown to you is the power from our homeland."
"Airmid!"
"Yes!"
Unable to wait any longer, Airmid quickly raised her arms and began chanting magic.
"Drops of healing, tears of light, eternal sanctuary, summon the melody of light here."
"Three hundred and sixty-five rhythms, the healing calendar will save all things."
"Then, come forth, dispel evil."
"Bury wounds, send off illness, curses to the other shore, deliver to the pivot of light."
"In the name of the gods, I heal."
"Dia Fratel!"
Brilliant light shone in the dark warehouse, then fell upon everyone inside.
"What is this!" Feeling the warmth brought by the light, Tatsumi was stunned.
"So warm!" On the ground, Sayo, whose body was covered in wounds, couldn't help but say.
Hearing Sayo's voice, Tatsumi quickly looked at her and Ieyasu, but what unfolded before his eyes left him utterly shocked.
He saw the wounds on Sayo and Ieyasu slowly disappearing.
Whether cuts, whip marks, or burns, all injuries were gradually vanishing.
The two, who had been lifeless, quickly regained vitality.
"This is..."
"This is magic!" Mellie said seriously from the side.
"Magic?" Tatsumi became even more puzzled.
Coming from the countryside, he had never even heard of magic, not even as a fantasy.
"Yes, this is healing magic, magic that heals all injuries."
"Heal all injuries! So Sayo and Ieyasu won't die!" Tatsumi's pupils contracted, and he shouted excitedly.
Earlier, after seeing the injuries of Sayo and Ieyasu, he had concluded that they were beyond saving.
It was precisely because of this that he was so agitated.
But now, under Airmid's healing magic, both Sayo and Ieyasu didn't have to die.
For Tatsumi, this was undoubtedly the best news.
"Take this." Taking out some clothes and food from Gabriel's dimensional pocket and handing them to Tatsumi, Mika said, "Give them the clothes to wear, and let them eat something!"
"Judging by their condition, they probably haven't had a proper meal recently."
"Thank you, big brother!" Holding the clothes and food tightly, Tatsumi said gratefully.
"You've been calling me big brother; how could I not help you!"
"Go ahead!"
"Yes!" Nodding heavily, Tatsumi quickly went to give his two friends clothes and food.
"Mika, what about those people?" After Tatsumi took Sayo to a corner of the warehouse, Mellie asked Mika.
Looking at the few people Mellie pointed to, Mika frowned.
Earlier, besides those who had been tortured to death by Aria, there were six people still alive. Now, under Airmid's magic, they had also recovered and were hiding in a corner observing the situation.
"No need to do much. Erase their relevant memories and send them out of the city!"
In the short term, Mika wasn't ready to expose matters related to 'Falna' on a large scale.
But he didn't plan to kill them either; he wasn't that cruel.
So erasing their memories became the best method.
In the magical knowledge from the Type-Moon world, there were techniques for memory erasure.
It was also based on this that the Holy Church could keep the Holy Grail War from being exposed.
...
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