At Vivers’s words, Aran slowly opened her mouth.

    “If I volunteer, will I be selected?”

    “Hard to say. But either way, in an experiment where most people die, you’ve survived twice in a row, Aran.”

    In truth, among the executives who had undergone experiments with Dragonblood, Aran was the only one who had survived.

    There had been one executive who had succeeded in the experiment and discovered Kiaros’s blackout period—but that person died within a week after revealing the secret.

    “You want me to volunteer, don’t you?”

    Aran spoke with a blank expression.

    “There are cases where the experiment succeeds, sure. But most of the time, they all die.”

    “Aran.”

    “So I didn’t know, 23 years ago, that test subjects were always in short supply.”

    “Aran, Aran. That’s ancient history now.”

    Vivers gave a soothing smile.

    He had been the one who took advantage of the twenty-year-old Aran, whose only desire was to become proficient in magic.

    He’d demanded not just the Magic Tower Lord’s blood but also a large sum of money. He’d hidden the reality that test subjects were scarce and instead lied that money was needed to get the opportunity to participate.

    [This is all the money I have... I stole it from my dad.]

    [It’s not enough. Hmm, should we lend you some? The interest is a little high, but you can pay it back.]

    [I don’t want to repay it... Then just give me a year.]

    [A year later? Why?]

    [I met someone on my way from the south. I really like him. He’s the second son of a noble family. If I marry him, I’ll have him pay the debt for me. Then I’ll take the experiment, get good at magic, and return to the Tower with him.]

    [Haha, really? Is that so? Well then. If he’s a noble’s second son, he must have money.]

    [My dad’ll probably give my husband even more money. My dad’s rich.]

    At the time, Aran had truly known nothing.

    The Magic Tower Lord had only taught her that “a husband is someone who serves you,” so she thought that was what marriage was.

    [Dad scolds me a lot now, but if I go back having mastered magic, he’ll definitely be proud of me!]

    And so Aran married Cedric without a second thought.

    And when she realized Cedric had no money, her naive little world finally shattered.

    [I’ll just take the experiment. If I get good at magic and return to the Tower, Dad will fix everything somehow!]

    She’d already come too far. She believed she needed solid results to return to the Magic Tower.

    She underwent the experiment while pregnant. But there were no effects.

    [It’s amazing you even survived... Hey, would you be interested in joining the Reformist faction? We can help you achieve your dream. We’ve got tons of other experiments ready too.]

    [But... the cost of the experiment...]

    [Cost? What cost among comrades? Don’t worry. We’ll take care of it. Instead...]

    [Instead?]

    [Forget your family. From now on, we dream of something bigger.]

    Aran had no choice but to nod. Her daughter would probably be raised well by Cedric.

    Truthfully, people like Aran were quite common in the Reformists.

    Those who fell into the Reformists’ hands almost always rose to the rank of executive. They became addicted to the power that came from the experiments.

    “Aran, in this new world, you’re going to rise incredibly high. You can’t still be hung up on the past, can you? We’re each other’s family now.”

    Vivers smiled softly.

    “Even when you lost the monster test subject you were managing last time, I didn’t scold you, did I? Even though that subject ended up in Kiaros’s hands.”

    “It didn’t cause any major issues, did it? [N O V E L I G H T] That one monster couldn’t possibly have exposed us.”

    “Well, anyway.”

    To Aran’s grumbling excuse, Vivers replied with gentle coaxing.

    “I abandoned my own son, too. He was a disappointment in many ways... but hey, that’s how normal humans are. I don’t even remember his name anymore. Because I’ve been reborn.”

    “??.”

    “This time, I think you should undergo the experiment, Aran. It’s only because you haven’t gained power yet that your resolve keeps wavering. Try it once more, yeah?”

    Aran said nothing. Vivers grinned and added,

    “And pass on your job managing monster test subjects to someone else. Clear your mind a bit before the experiment.”

    “...I still want to manage the monster test subjects. Even if I did make a mistake once.”

    “Really?”

    “And actually, I’d like to manage the human test subjects too.”

    Most test subjects didn’t survive long, so there weren’t many to manage.

    Vivers stroked his chin.

    “Not until that loudmouthed muscle-brained subject joins us. That guy—he was your husband, wasn’t he?”

    “That was... a foolish mistake from a long time ago. I’ve forgotten it.”

    “Well, anyway.”

    Despite undergoing multiple experiments, there had only ever been one person who refused to become a member of the Reformists.

    And that was Cedric Roafi, still locked away in prison.

    Even as he continued to grow stronger, he stubbornly refused a seat among the executives.

    “I know you visit that subject sometimes. I’ve let him live because it’d be a waste to kill him, but I do worry he might have a bad influence on you.”

    “If I really had any feelings for that man, would I have just stood by when I joined this place to pay off my debt? He doesn’t even know that I’m Aran.”

    “Hmmm.”

    “I just think... he’s an excellent test subject. I go to persuade him—to become an executive like me.”

    “Then persuade him.” Sёar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Vivers shrugged.

    “Convince him, and we’ll think about it again. All right?”

    “??.”

    “The age of the Dragonblood is ending. Ours is about to begin. You know that, right?”

    Then he gave Aran a couple of light pats on the shoulder and walked out of the meeting room first.

    ***

    Tomorrow was finally the day we’d catch the High Chancellor. My heart was pounding.

    I examined my room from corner to corner, running through everything in my head.

    Tomorrow, I’ll have Kibon hide here.

    With so many secrets in play, there were too many variables to consider.

    The High Chancellor is definitely going to go after Kiaros. Kiaros doesn’t know the High Chancellor is a test subject, so he probably won’t be on guard.

    If I could, I’d fill the room with knights. But doing that would be the same as telling Kiaros, “You’re in your blackout period. I don’t trust you.”

    As I was thinking that, Kibon walked in.

    “You called for me.”

    “Oh, yeah. Come, sit down.”

    I first had Kibon sit at the table. It was the seat where Kiaros and the High Chancellor would be sitting tomorrow.

    If I draped the tablecloth low enough, Kibon could probably hide underneath it without much trouble.

    “Hey, Kibon.”

    “Yes?”

    “You’re strong, right? Her Majesty the Empress even acknowledged it. Just how strong are you?”

    “If the Minister is thinking of having me do something physical, whatever it is, you can rest assured—I’m more than strong enough.”

    Oh my god... that cute little bluff...

    I chuckled silently and asked,

    “If some absurdly strong monster of a man charged in like the wind, could you hold him off, even for a bit?”

    “If an absurdly strong monster came flying in like lightning, I could hold him off for quite a long time.”

    He was extremely confident. But since I had no way to verify that, I had to double-check.

    “You’re not just deluding yourself, right? Is there anyone else who agrees with your assessment?”

    “Yes.”

    “Who?”

    “...His Highness the Crown Prince...”

    He hesitated a little, which was a minor red flag—but I decided to trust him anyway.

    “Well, yeah... It’s not like you’re the type to lie and deceive me, Kibon.”

    Anyway, I decided to go with Kibon for now.

    The plan was: when the High Chancellor lunged at Kiaros, Kibon would jump out from hiding to block him for a moment. While that happened, I’d scream—and the knights outside would rush in to subdue him.

    In the original novel, the High Chancellor hadn’t performed especially well in battle. Once the war began, he went into hiding entirely.

    So it wasn’t like he was some untouchable superhuman.

    He probably plans to kill Kiaros and me in one move. But if Kibon appears out of nowhere and engages him, we’ll buy enough time.

    Kibon looked at me steadily and asked,

    “But... why are you asking me this all of a sudden?”