SWNOVELXO Chapter 28: Chapter 28: The Fourth Guest
"How can I be sure you won't kill me after I've shared everything and lost my value to you?"
Seeing that Steven had finally taken an interest in his words, the robed man's hanging heart eased a bit.
At least as long as he still had information to offer, there was room for negotiation.
"Well, that depends on the value of the information you provide. If it's satisfactory, I might consider sparing your life."
Steven stroked his chin thoughtfully. If this matter didn't concern Gladiia, he would have long finished this guy off.
"How about this—I swear that if the information you provide is true, I will not harm you further. Is that enough to satisfy you?"
After a brief moment of consideration, Steven finally offered the promise the robed man had been seeking.
After all, he wasn't adept at interrogation techniques, so rather than wasting time, it was better to meet the man halfway and extract the information he wanted first.
As for the promise itself, Steven had no intention of breaking it—though there was always room to interpret things creatively, wasn't there?
Fortunately for him, thanks to Steven's casual and nonchalant demeanor so far, the robed man pegged him as someone who wielded immense power but still adhered to rules—someone who wouldn't easily go back on their word.
In his current predicament, his only hope was to bank on Steven's integrity.
"Very well."
"That girl beside you—she's also an Abyssal Hunter, isn't she? Although I don't know what kind of trauma she's been through to end up like this, the scent of her blood doesn't lie."
The robed man's headless body turned slightly toward Gladiia, and his voice emerged from the severed opening of his neck.
"Cut to the chase."
Steven was well aware that Gladiia was an Abyssal Hunter. After all, he was the one responsible for her memory loss.
"…We captured another Abyssal Hunter."
"Half a year ago, a terrifying energy surge erupted in the deep-sea region. Afterward, we found a stranded Abyssal Hunter washed ashore along the Iberian coastline."
The robed man omitted one crucial detail: just recently, they had observed another energy surge near the coast, which was likely the cause of the Inquisition's heightened interest.
Of course, if he had mentioned it, Steven might have been able to explain—it was probably caused by the commotion when he had crossed over into this world.
"We captured her and conducted some… academic research."
Knowing this would provoke anger, the robed man instinctively edged back a bit from Steven but was surprised to see him quietly waiting for him to continue. Steven showed no sign of fury.
On the other hand, Gladiia clenched her fists tightly, her gaze filled with inexplicable rage and murderous intent.
Despite her amnesia, her emotions erupted as though something sacred had been desecrated.
"Go on."
Steven's voice was calm. He had already deduced the nature of the so-called "academic research" based on the robed man's grotesque body and the nearby monstrosities.
But what did it matter? He wasn't interested in the plight of this unknown Abyssal Hunter—he only cared about Gladiia, who was the one he knew.
The only reason he was still listening was to find Gladiia's real family or companions.
"The Abyssal Hunter's constitution is truly fascinating. Even after injecting her with excessive amounts of concentrated Originium fluid, she showed no signs of Oripathy. It was absolutely incredible."
As the robed man reminisced, his tone grew increasingly fervent, almost manic, as if reliving his mad obsession with their experiments.
"So, her companion is still in your hands?"
Steven stroked his chin, calmly summarizing.
"No. She was rescued not long ago. A group claiming to be from a medical company stormed our lab and took her from us using violent methods."
The robed man's tone shifted as he recounted the event, his voice filled with bitterness and anger. Clearly, he harbored a deep hatred for the so-called medical company.
And understandably so—had those people not disrupted their experiments and taken the Abyssal Hunter, the robed man wouldn't have been assigned to this desolate place. Nor would he have encountered Steven, a harbinger of disaster.
"Go on."
Steven's interest was piqued. This "medical company" that had rescued the Abyssal Hunter sounded oddly familiar.
"That's all I know. The detailed research was handled by my three superiors. I was just an ordinary researcher."
The robed man wasn't lying—he wasn't directly involved in the study of the captured Abyssal Hunter, which was one of his many regrets.
"Where are your superiors? And which organization was it that rescued your research subject?"
Steven leaned in, intrigued by the unfolding mystery. He found the process of slowly piecing together information quite enjoyable, as long as he wasn't stuck.
Unfortunately, the once-cooperative robed man suddenly fell silent, refusing to divulge anything further.
Clearly, he understood that these were critical pieces of information—revealing them would leave him with no leverage to negotiate for his life.
He wasn't hoping to defeat Steven but rather to stall long enough for a superior to notice his distress and intervene.
"You might as well confess. Betraying the terrestrial species and siding with the Deep Sea monsters has already stripped you of your right to live on land."
"The people who rescued your companion were us—Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals Inc."
A soft voice interrupted from the doorway of the dilapidated church.
Unbeknownst to anyone, a fourth guest had arrived—a short-haired, cat-eared girl with light green hair.
Her sudden appearance startled everyone, as she casually answered Steven's question for the robed man.
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