After entering the Central Administration Building, they made their way up to the sixteenth floor.
They crossed what looked like a lounge before heading down a narrow hallway that ended at a small door.
"Bring Monet."
Sot gave the order to one of the personnel before ushering Ethel inside.
The room looked exactly like an interrogation room.
"Is it really necessary to interrogate a law-abiding citizen?"
"When there's a chance of finding another Concept Wielder? I'd say a few unconventional methods are justified."
Concept Wielders were exceptionally rare in every city.
Not all of them joined the Combat Corps, and not every Concept was suited for combat. Even so, no city would willingly pass up the opportunity to recruit one.
That said, dragging someone here by force certainly wasn't standard procedure.
"There are only nine Concept Wielders in Helios' Combat Corps."
Sot folded his arms.
"And only three of them are Completes. Even another Lost One would be worth having."
Concept Wielders were further divided into two categories.
Lost Ones and Completes.
Completes possessed absolute mastery over their Concepts. They stood at the pinnacle of all Concept Wielders and could unleash the ultimate expression of their power—
Concept Release.
Lost Ones, on the other hand, could wield only a portion of their Concept's true potential. Their abilities were weaker and bound by greater limitations.
Even so, they remained vastly different from ordinary Aura Users.
The three Completes serving Helios were the captains of its three Combat Corps divisions.
Compared to the other Six Cities, that number was neither exceptionally high nor particularly low.
"So you dragged me here just to earn yourself another achievement?"
"An achievement?"
Sot snorted.
"Who gives a damn about that?"
The utter disdain on his face made it clear he meant every word.
Maybe I misjudged him.
For a brief moment, Ethel wondered if Sot genuinely wanted to strengthen the city's defenses.
The thought lasted exactly one sentence.
"If I have to risk my neck fighting those damned monsters, then dragging another poor bastard into this mess sounds fair to me."
Ethel's opinion of the man instantly hit rock bottom.
Cruel as those words were, they reflected the harsh reality faced by Completes.
The recruitment advertisements always welcomed Aura Users.
Completes, however, were never given a choice.
Every Complete was legally required to serve in the Combat Corps, regardless of personal wishes.
It was an inhuman system.
One born from humanity's desperate struggle to survive.
The room fell silent.
Sot made no attempt to begin the interrogation.
He simply leaned against the table, watching Ethel from the corner of his eye.
Several minutes later, the door opened.
A thin young man with blue hair entered, carrying a stack of documents in both arms.
"Sorry I'm late."
He apologized cautiously.
Sot clicked his tongue in annoyance.
The blue-haired man visibly shrank under the glare.
"Work."
Sot's single impatient word snapped him back to reality.
The newcomer hurried over and took the seat across from Ethel.
"Hello. Nice to meet you."
He offered an awkward smile.
"My name is Monet. I work in logistics."
"Nice to meet you too."
Ethel returned the smile.
"I'm Ethel."
"Ethel... That's a wonderful name."
Monet smiled warmly.
"I like it too."
"Let's... let's get this over with."
Feeling Sot's hostile gaze on his back, Monet hurriedly moved on.
"I majored in psychology at the academy."
"I don't have any combat ability, so I've always worked in logistics."
"Every now and then, though, I get assigned to interviews like this."
"Psychology?"
Ethel nodded.
"I suppose that makes sense."
"Honestly..."
Monet scratched his cheek sheepishly.
"I don't think psychology is nearly as useful as people make it out to be. Human minds aren't that easy to understand."
He shuffled through the papers before him.
"So..."
"Captain Sot believes you're a Concept Wielder?"
"That's right."
"But you believe you're just an ordinary Aura User?"
"If someone knew they were a Concept Wielder, there's about an eighty percent chance they'd volunteer for the Combat Corps."
"Exactly."
"Still, we have to complete the procedure."
"I understand."
Monet gave a small nod.
"So..."
"You're an ordinary Aura User."
"You're not a Concept Wielder."
"Correct?"
"Correct."
"So?"
Sot finally spoke.
Monet answered without hesitation.
"He's a Concept Wielder."
"...Wait. What?"
"I'm sorry."
Monet immediately bowed his head.
"I deceived you."
"I'm a Lost One."
"Concept: Truth."
"My Concept allows me to determine whether someone is lying when they answer my questions."
"I'm sorry for misleading you."
His apology was so sincere that it was almost impossible to stay angry with him.
"Oh—but only when someone answers a question I ask directly!"
Monet hurriedly added.
"So don't worry. Even if you're lying in front of me, I won't know unless I'm the one asking. And if you simply choose not to answer, my Concept won't work at all."
"Idiot!"
Sot barked.
"You still haven't found out what his Concept is!"
"Ah..."
Monet froze.
"I forgot..."
Turning back toward Ethel, he asked timidly,
"Would you mind telling me what your Concept is...?"
Ethel remained silent.
Whether Monet had been telling the truth or not, revealing his Concept was out of the question.
"You moron!"
Sot snapped.
"You know perfectly well we can't detect someone's Concept unless they're actively using it!"
"And you thought the job was finished?"
"S-Sorry..."
Monet lowered his head like a child being scolded.
This was the last advantage every Concept Wielder possessed.
As long as they never used their Concept, they were indistinguishable from ordinary Aura Users.
The only way to identify a Concept was to scan it at the exact moment it was activated.
Only then could the scanner determine both the Concept itself...
...and whether its owner was a Lost One or a Complete.
Until that first activation—
Even the wielder might not know they possessed a Concept at all.
"Let's see how long you can keep your mouth shut."
Sot glared at Monet.
"Keep asking."
"We're not leaving until we get his Concept."
"..."
Watching the scene unfold, even Ethel began to feel sorry for the blue-haired man.
This had crossed the line into outright workplace bullying.
"Hey, isn't that a little—"
"Head. Left."
The familiar voice echoed inside his mind.
Instinctively, Ethel tilted his head to the right.
Bang!
A gunshot rang through the room.
Sot had fired the scanner directly at Ethel's head without warning.
"You..."
Ethel stared at him in disbelief.
Then his eyes fell upon the device in Sot's hand.
Realization struck instantly.
"I already had a pretty good idea what your Concept was."
Sot never looked up from the scanner's display.
"I just needed to confirm it."
"I even chewed him out to lower your guard."
Judging by Monet's stunned expression...
He clearly hadn't known about the plan either.
A moment later, the result appeared on the screen.
Concept: Heart.
Classification: Lost One.
In that instant—
The secret Ethel had tried so hard to keep was laid completely bare.
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"Well?"
Sot casually draped an arm over Ethel's shoulders.
"Why not stay?"
After everything he'd done, he could still act as if nothing had happened—recruiting him with a grin, even throwing an arm around his shoulder.
This guy is seriously unbelievable, Ethel thought.
"I'm going home."
"Running away?"
"I'm a Lost One. I'm under no obligation to fight."
"I think your Concept would be pretty useful."
"So you're trying to recruit me?"
Sot snorted.
"Do I look like I need your help?"
"Then why are you trying to keep me here?"
"So you can enjoy the same miserable life I do."
"...Goodbye."
Ethel shrugged Sot's arm off and stepped into the elevator.
Just as the doors began to close, Sot thrust a hand between them.
The doors slid open again.
"...Are you ever going to leave me alone?"
"I'm trying to do you a favor."
Sot looked genuinely offended.
"And this is the thanks I get."
"What is it?"
"Tia's out on an expedition."
"She'll be back tonight."
"And trust me..."
"...she's definitely coming to see you."
"If you don't want to get burned to ashes, you'd better watch yourself."
With that warning, Sot finally let the elevator doors close.
The woman he had mentioned was none other than Tia Eos.
Captain of the First Division.
A Complete who wielded Concept: Sun.
The strongest fighter in Helios.
Known throughout the city as the Sun Princess.
To the people of Helios, she was the perfect captain.
After The Heroes' Fall plunged the city into decline, she had carried its future on her shoulders and led Helios back to prosperity.
She was the city's greatest hero.
"...Someone that earnest is going to be much harder to turn down."
For his own reasons, Ethel had no intention of joining the Combat Corps.
Yet beneath his calm exterior, he had always been hopelessly softhearted.
Rejecting someone like Sot was easy.
Rejecting someone as sincere as Tia...
That would be another matter entirely.
"...Whatever."
"Home first."
With heavy steps, Ethel started the long walk home.
Too much had happened today.
All he wanted now was to collapse into bed.
Seventeenth Floor.
Central Administration Building.
Inside his office, Sot quietly watched a surveillance monitor.
A map of the Lower District filled the screen.
A lone red dot moved steadily through the streets.
"Concept: Heart..."
He stared at the display.
"Some kind of extrasensory perception."
"If it's developed properly..."
"...it'll become an invaluable Concept."
The mocking grin he always wore was gone.
Alone in the room—
Sot's expression was utterly serious.
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and then Add to home screen.