Reincarnated as the Villain Who Experiments on Orphanage Kids – Why Are the Test Subject Girls Begging Me for "Night Experiments"? - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Priere’s Secret

[Side: Priere]

A little while after we started taking down the monsters…

“Priere, we’ve cleared out all the monsters around us.”

“I took mine down too.”

“Surprisingly easy, huh.”

“As expected from everyone.”

We, the first squad, gathered in front of the fountain.

It looked like none of us had even a scratch, and from their faces you could tell they still had plenty of energy left.

There were a lot of monsters, but for us who’d been drugged and pushed for five years, they were no big deal at all.

“Well then, how about we head back to the slum district once?”

There weren’t any monsters left here anymore.

A few stragglers were hanging around, but the adventurers and knights were handling them, so there were more than enough hands.

Besides, the SJO Squad is an organization that works in the shadows.

We want to avoid standing out as much as possible.

So I suggested we move, and right when I did…

“……………………”

Tap, tap.

The sound of footsteps on the cobblestones echoed.

When I turned around, there was a man standing there.

He looked about mid-thirties. His face had wrinkles, his eyes were sharp, and he had that rough, gritty look.

But every little movement felt refined somehow.

He was wearing flashy, luxurious clothes, and an orange badge on his chest stood out.

The man walked toward us with a bold stance and touched the sword at his waist.

“……⁉︎”

That was probably no ordinary sword. I could tell with one look.

That sinister magic power. The light pouring out of it.

—The Holy Sword replica.

“You guys the ones who took down the monsters?”

The man slowly stared us down.

We still had some distance, but the air felt like any twitch of a finger would start a fight.

“What if we are?”

I wasn’t about to get swallowed by his pressure. I answered strongly.

“You?”

The man frowned.

“Kids who look like this took down those monsters? Who the hell are you?”

“………………”

“Wasn’t in the reports.”

“Rebellion’s information network isn’t all that, huh.”

“Hou.”

The man who had been scratching his head in disbelief narrowed his eyes for a split second.

“It shows how low the organization’s level really is.”

“You’ve got a mouth on you, missy. How old are you?”

“Like I’d tell someone like you?”

“Oh, you’ve really got a mouth.”

The man drew his sword with a sloppy grin.

His attitude seemed light, but his gaze stayed locked on me the whole time.

“You’re leaking killing intent, you know?”

“‘Course I am, ’cause I plan on killing you. Doesn’t matter if it’s women or kids if you’re messing with the organization.”

The man’s mouth twisted obviously.

“I may not look it, but I’m a former knight. Not the justice-of-the-people kind who protects folks, though. I’m the kind that buries things in the dark.”

He pointed the tip of his sword at us.

“I’ve cut off plenty of heads with this sword. Sorry, but this is the end for you.”

“You’re talking too much. How about showing it with actions instead of just words?”

“Ha— you’ve got a sharp tongue.”

The man laughed sloppily and scratched his head again.

And then…

“—Brats who get cocky get crushed.”

The next instant, he kicked off the ground.

—Fast!

“!”

I instantly readied my sword.

Right after, a loud clang of metal crashing together rang out.

—Heavy.

The force was more than I imagined. He kept slashing without mercy—second strike, third strike.

His expression stayed relaxed, like he was just testing the waters.

“Kuh…!”

I gradually got pushed back while blocking his blows.

The squad members around us watched with worried faces.

I’d signaled them not to jump in, so they kept their distance, but some looked ready to help any second.

“Missy, you got time to look away?”

“Uh…”

I endured. I just kept enduring the attacks.

If things kept going like this I’d slowly lose ground, but there was no opening to switch to offense.

Cold sweat ran down and dripped off.

“You’re pretty good for your age—but still weak.”

The man grinned.

Right then, a torrent burst from the tip of his sword.

The orange surge scattered huge shockwaves all around.

I leaped backward on instinct and barely dodged it. Right after, the spot where I’d been exploded.

With a massive aftershock, my hood nearly flew off.

I quickly held it down while calmly analyzing what just happened.

It looked like magic but wasn’t— a torrent of magic power. It definitely came from the sword tip.

“…So this is the Holy Sword.”

I caught my breath and gripped my sword again.

Fighting the Holy Sword while keeping distance wasn’t smart.

I needed to close in right away. Just as I thought that and stepped forward—

“Haha. Looks like you’re misunderstanding something, missy.”

“…Huh?”

“This ain’t the Holy Sword.”

The man gave his sword a light swing. Orange magic power swirled and rushed toward me.

“This is a modified Holy Sword—the Evil Sword replica.”

The moment the man smiled, orange magic power burst out over a wide area again.

“!!”

I twisted the foot I’d been stepping with and leaped far to the side to dodge.

“Just dodging won’t decide the fight, y’know?”

But the man’s fierce attacks didn’t stop.

Even if I dodged, another attack came flying right away, so I had no time to stand still.

Luckily I’m the speed-specialized type, so as long as I focused on dodging I wouldn’t get hurt. At least I wouldn’t lose.

Still, the repeated torrents were wrecking the street.

The ground was gouged out, the fountain stones were smashed, and a burnt smell rose from the monster corpses.

“…”

Honestly the situation wasn’t great. These were clearly on a different level from the monsters before.

So this is what a Rebellion member is like.

“What’s wrong?”

The man asked with a frivolous smile while resting the sword on his shoulder.

“Where’d all that confidence from earlier go?”

I couldn’t exactly say I had any confidence left. I was completely on the defensive.

To anyone watching, it had to look like I was in a total pinch.

But there was no problem. I still hadn’t gone all out.

“Where do you rank inside the organization?”

“Huh? Getting chatty ’cause you’re cornered? Well, whatever. My mission’s almost over anyway, so I’ll have time.”

The man kept his relaxed attitude, sword on his shoulder, and introduced himself.

“I’m a Rebellion executive—Jimbara. Former knight, and before that I was in an orphanage. I pride myself on being the fifth strongest in the organization.”

“…I see.”

“What’s your name, missy?”

“I won’t tell you. If I have to, you can call me SP.”

“Huh? SP?”

The man looked confused, but it’s decided as ‘Priere of Sai-sama’ so SP. There’s no other way to shorten it.

“Anyway, I get that you’re somewhat strong. But that also means that’s all you’ve got.”

“Huh? What?”

Suddenly the man’s expression changed.

Probably because I let go of my sword.

With a clatter the sword fell, and I faced him bare-handed.

“Hey hey, throwing away your weapon? You giving up already?”

“No. Actually, it’s the opposite.”

My mouth sounded relaxed, but the man narrowed his eyes like he was on guard inside.

I met his gaze straight on and smiled sweetly.

“Since we’re here, let me reveal a little about myself.”

And then, to the confused man, I confessed my secret.

“Actually… my hobby is human experimentation.”

※

[Side: Sai]

“Hey Sai, what do you look for in ramen?”

“Yes sir! The slurp texture!”

“Then you gotta make sure it doesn’t get soggy, right? If you don’t deliver the noodles in perfect condition to the customer, there’s no point in being alive, yeah? We live for the noodles, right?”

“Yes sir! We’re slaves to the noodles! And the customers are gods!”

“That’s right. We’re slaves. So swing those arms like your life depends on it! Drain the water till your arms break! You don’t even need arms. Alright, go all out! All out!”

“Yes sir!”

“Your voice is too quiet!”

“YES SIR!!!”