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After that, it should be Robin's...

Before we get there, Ms. Mayer.

Hm?

There's something else I want to ask you.

What's up? I don't know nearly as much as Silence.

Not a problem. This is something you know just as well as she does.

What do you think of the whole 'Diαbolic Crisis?'

If I'm not mistaken, you were part of that project, weren't you?

Eh, don't have a clue.

We Engineering folks usually just hand out the equipment, maybe give some professional advice when the equipment gets made. We don't usually try to figure out what the experiment is all about.

I just know how it turned out in the end. Silence brought Ifrit with her to Rhodes Island, a place she barely had a working relationship with.

After that, Saria ended up taking responsibility for everything that happened and left Rhine Lab.

If you're trying to learn about what went down there, you're asking the wrong girl.

No, it's not the incident itself that I wanted to know more about. I mean, incidents like that one are a dime a dozen at Rhine Lab.

Hm, so why are you asking?

I'm asking because I want to know, from your perspective, what kind of a person do you think Silence is? And how about Saria?

Hm, I think Silence's a pretty serious girl. Honestly, I've always felt that's the way all researchers should be.

You're right. She's very smart. She's very perceptive, too. Plus, she's had more than a few successful projects under her belt.

From what I heard, the Structural Director's hoping to prime Silence to take over.

Wow, you mean Silence's gonna be calling the shots at Structural? That's so cool!

Yeah, even I wanna butter her up now~

As for Saria, I don't actually know her that well.

I mean, Defense isn't like the other departments. I hardly ever saw her in Rhodes Island, let alone talked to her.

But the biggest impression I have of her is she's really cautious, going from what I know about the 'Diαbolic Crisis.'

I mean, she was the one who hit the brakes on the whole project. She even took the blame for everything and quit, even though experiments going wrong isn't actually that uncommon there.

There were rumors among my coworkers that the 'Diαbolic Crisis' was some kinda conspiracy. I don't know that much about that stuff, though.

Besides, Ifrit's having a great time at Rhodes Island all around, so I guess it wasn't a big deal.

Hm? So the test subject is doing well at Rhodes Island?

Yep, like she's always on top of the whole world.

Oh, and here I thought... Well, gotta hand it to them, then. Rhodes Island sounds like a pretty impressive company.

But well, there's one thing I can tell you. Saria didn't leave Rhine Lab just because of the 'Diαbolic Crisis.' It's just one of a whole string of events that led to it, and there's more to it.

It might have been the straw that broke the burdenbeast's back, though.

The primary reason was that she had a beef with Control.

Huh? Control?

That's right. Saria and Control actually got along okay at first, you know?

But, like you said, Saria was way too cautious. She thinks all scientific research should be contained.

That's not how Control saw it, though. There would've been no Rhine Lab if she did.

How should I say this? Let's try an analogy.

Let's say we have a line. Saria's line.

Rhine Lab's always done things above board. They've come close to crossing the line, but they've never actually done it, so Saria never said anything.

But that whole string of events, the 'Diαbolic Crisis' included, meant that someone was trying to cross that line. They might even have crossed it already.

Saria wouldn't have that.

But Control didn't care.

Why's that?

Ms. Mayer, tell me. Do you actually care about the whole thing with Anthony that Ms. Silence and I were talking about at all?

Hm... Well, now that I know more about what happened to him, I guess it's not a bad thing that he got out. Something like that, I guess?

You see? You're honest and kind, but you couldn't care less. You care more about your research, your 'Mibo.'

I've gotta hand it to you, though. Mibo's a really great design. Mind if I touch it?

Sure thing, have at it.

Aha, so cute.

You were working on your designs too just now, right?

Yep, I got a couple new ideas. I'm gonna try them out as soon as we're back at Rhodes Island.

Hehe, see, Control's like this too.

She can see very far ahead of her. Sometimes, I get the feeling that not even the sky above can keep her from seeing beyond it.

There probably isn't a single person in the world who knows just where it is she set her sights. Even I only have a vague idea of what's going on in her mind.

Eh, I've only ever caught a glimpse of her when she's giving speeches. Never knew she'd be like that too.

That's right. There are lots of things that she just doesn't care about. To her, as long as her research isn't being blocked, that line might as well not exist.

That drove a wedge between her and Saria.

But why are you telling me all this? Shouldn't you be talking to Silence?

I'm not sure what I'd do with this information.

I'm telling you this because you don't know.

I figured that you two probably could've gotten along, so I wanted you to get a better idea of the kind of person she is.

Besides, I actually want to be friends with you myself. I like researchers like you, so pure.

If I'm not mistaken, you voluntarily signed up for Rhodes Island?

Yeah, I wanted a change of atmosphere.

Mind telling me why?

Hm... I guess there wasn't really much of a reason.

Alright. If you ever come back to Rhine Lab, though, you should think about transferring to our department.

Hm, I'll give it some thought.

Don't worry. We've got time.

Alright, why don't we get back to that story?

You... sure about this?

Yeah, I want to... try.

Mm...

Well, hello there.

Where am I...?

This here's my room, and it's also the prison clinic.

I know who you are...

I know who you are too... The name's Domma.

What am I doing here...?

Right, there was a fight, and I got dragged into the mess...

You passed out, Ms. Robin.

Anthony...?!

How come you know my name?

Domma has a list of prisoners here.

You're a hitman too, aren't you?

Domma found this weapon on you, and you were there. I could only arrive at this conclusion.

Of course, if you really aren't, you are free to prove me wrong.

Regardless of whether that is truly the case, I hope you could at least listen to what I have to say. Everything I'll be telling you is under the assumption that you came here to kill me. I mean no offense, and I hope you don't get the wrong impression.

I know who sent you here. They are the ones who orchestrated my family's downfall. They are also behind my imprisonment here for the past six years.

And I've made my decision to break out of this prison to get to the end of it.

I can tell your combat prowess is superb, and I'm hoping you'd be willing to abandon your contract as a hitman and come help me.

It's as simple as that.

I...

You don't need to give me an answer right away.

I need a lot of time to prepare. You have a lot of time on your hands as well.

If you want to kill me, you are free to keep trying. You could also give up.

If you are interested in helping me, just pay the clinic a visit and let Domma know.

Mr. Anthony, Captain Barton was wondering if you are doing okay. Are you hurt?

Nothing serious; just a few scrapes. Let him know to wait a little longer. I'll be finished here soon.

Right, not a problem. Take your time.

I need to deal with Barton.

You should head back and think this offer through, Ms. Robin.

Heh, I thought Anthony was just some simple, kind-hearted guy, but it sounds like I'm not giving him enough credit.

Hm? What makes you say that?

We know for sure that Robin was there to kill him, but he didn't have any concrete proof. Yet he still made her that offer.

Really? I thought that was pretty reckless of him.

If Robin wasn't there to kill him, and she tipped him off to the jailers, what happens then?

Hehe, that's the part that I like about him.

Think about it. You're a fresh fish. No one knows who you are. Meanwhile, Anthony's built a reputation, a prestige for himself over the years.

Whose words do you think carry more weight?

Let's take a step back. Say Barton and the guards there really believed her. Could they have done anything about that?

They couldn't have acted on that information.

Well, now that you mention it, I guess there wasn't much they could've done even if she ratted him out.

Hehe, you think it's reckless, and you'd be right under normal circumstances. It's a risky move if he didn't have his 'prestige,' or perhaps 'influence' is the better word to use here.

But what I think is really interesting is that—Those who know how to build prestige for themselves don't usually do something like that.

Hmm, and why's that?

That's because what he said was also a threat. He was telling her, 'You could tell him, but it's not going to do you any good.'

When you hear that, it doesn't really sound like something that someone who's really got prestige would say, right?

Heh, you're right. It does sound like a threat.

That's what I mean. Besides, did Anthony ever say anything about what he did to appease Barton?

Hm? Oh... he said he volunteered to be put in solitary for half a month.

Everyone knew that he wasn't the one at fault, but he chose to be punished to get this thing behind them, huh...?

I can almost imagine that grin on Barton's face when Anthony told him he was willing to accept punishment.

But he still held back.

Tsk tsk, such a hard guy to deal with.

I think he probably just figured Robin wouldn't rat him out.

Hm... it's possible. I won't deny it.

By the way, Ms. Silence is really taking her time, isn't she?

Yeah, you're right. I'll go take a look.