I wonder how long I slept.

When I opened my eyes, I was still staring at the mansion’s ceiling.

I don’t know how much time passed. But since I’m still tied up and the surroundings are quiet, it doesn’t seem like too much time has passed.

‘I think the dream was longer than the time I was asleep.’

I just quickly saw Frondier growing in one scene, but after seeing that time, it felt like I had a very long dream.

'Those guys...'

The first thing I checked was the status of Thompson, Skyler, and Cain.

Fortunately, all three were still unconscious. Just that fact alone told me that not much time had passed since I fell asleep.

And then I checked downstairs.

'...That person.'

That uniform and hat. The sharp eyes contrast with the slender body line and face.

‘Must be Esther.’

The warden of the Morion prison, Esther.

I didn't know how she had made it this far, but it wasn't surprising. If she was chasing the Kraken, she would reach here in no time. There was no one as skilled as Esther in tracking down criminals.

'What is she doing?'

Esther, with a serious face, examined the fallen bodies around her. She seemed to be paying attention to the injuries.

Since there were quite a few victims in the mansion, she must have been trying to figure out what had happened.

However, this situation was difficult for him.

But for me, her actions were troublesome.

"Did you notice that this is the work of Manggot?"

It's unlikely that anyone could determine the cause of the wounds and the signs. But it's Esther we're talking about, so even if she couldn't pinpoint it precisely, she might be able to make a rough inference. Especially if she could discern the nature of the mana or aura contained within the wounds rather than just the marks.

And if that possibility points to Manggot, naturally, even I, who is unharmed here, would be suspected.

I quickly called out to her.

"Hey."

When he called her, she was surprised by him, contrary to what he expected.

“Can you untie me?”

I made a random request to hold Esther's gaze. Actually, I do need to untie this rope.

But Esther, upon hearing my words, kept silent for a moment before speaking.

"I have one question."

"What is it?"

"Did you have something to do with all the dead people nearby?"

I was about to answer no to Esther's question, but I closed my mouth.

After saying no, there was no way to answer the question of who did it. A frank answer that Manggot did it would be foolish here.

After thinking for a moment, I said, “Well?”

In times like this, playing dumb was the answer. It was best to suggest that there was something going on.

“You expect me to do all of this, with my own two hands? Is that even possible? Tied to a chair, unable to move?”

I kept a smile on my face as I said this.

Esther was asking me this, which meant she must have considered the possibility to some extent. She was supposed to be cool-headed, yet she was entertaining ridiculous ideas.

Esther’s face hardened.

"Stop kidding around. I am,"

"The warden of Morion, Esther, aren't you?"

Esther’s eyes opened wide.

She looked like she was thinking, ‘How did you know that?’

“That outfit, the hat, the design itself is a common uniform, but you can clearly tell from the wear and tear on the clothing what kind of work you do. Especially your hands and arms; you’ve had a tough time dealing with unsavory characters. The left side of your pants is particularly damaged. It’s probably from where you keep your radio, right? You could be a police officer, but the police around here don’t wear clothes like that, and more than anything, they don’t work alone at a crime scene. Besides, based on the relationship between the people here and recent incidents, it’s most likely Morion.”

I blabbered on as best I could.

I guess you could say I filled in the gaps between what I already knew and what I could see right in front of me with Esther. Since I knew the answer, people would have to accept it, regardless of how sloppy the explanation was.

“……Even if you found out I was from Morion based on that, how did you know that I’m the warden? And my name, on top of that.”

Thankfully, Esther was believing what I was saying.

She must’ve done this kind of reasoning and investigation often. Since she had similar experiences, she was more inclined to believe a similar story, rather than an ordinary person would be.

I said,

“Of course I know. Because I called you here.”

“……You called me?”

That much was slightly true.

When Kraken extracted Renzo from Morion, I had anticipated Esther's intervention.

However, I hadn't expected her to appear just at the right moment like this.

"Yes. Right here, right now, where most of the humans of Indus have been annihilated, and their leaders are held captive. Because to completely eradicate Indus, we need you, the warden of Morion prison."

"…Wait, are you saying you lured me here? That I came here following your lead?"

Esther asked incredulously.

I just smiled at her.

I didn't say yes. I simply smiled.

Esther covered her mouth with her hand.

"Then, since when…? Don't tell me, you anticipated that I would look into your records? That you've foreseen this far since then?"

"Can you guess?"

"…It's unbelievable."

I couldn't tell what 'that time' Esther mentioned was, but she deduced it herself, so no further explanation was necessary.

Sometimes, being too smart means your own intelligence can be your downfall.

Such a series of coincidences led Esther to think absurdly.

"Let me say this again."

I spoke to Esther, who still looked at me with a mixture of suspicion and fear.

"Will you untie this?"

At my words, Esther frowned and glared at me.

It must seem suspicious for someone she's just met to ask her to untie them.

Given her position as the warden of Morion, her glare could indeed be terrifying.

But I casually brushed it off. I wasn't tense at all.

I could entrust my body to her without any worry.

Because I know that Esther is a good person.

Since she will eventually be on my side, I can smile comfortably.

At least, this smile of welcoming Esther was genuinely sincere.