I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 408: Let's Catch the Culprit

The place Evelyn arrived at, catching her breath, was a sealed room.

We all huddled together in the narrow room with an old computer - Han Yeoreum, the children, and Ariel who had followed along uncertainly.

Feeling awkward in the situation, I poked Evelyn's side.

"Evelyn, I don't understand any of this."

"Ah... sorry. I was thinking about gaps in memory manipulation."

"Gaps in memory manipulation...?"

"Yes. Memory manipulation tends to have more holes than you'd expect."

Gaps in memory manipulation.

What could that mean?

As my tail curled into a question mark, Evelyn started up the old computer and began explaining.

"Imagine your memories were manipulated, Gyeoul. Say you played with friends, but it was changed to show you playing alone. Can you guess what gap that would create?"

"Um... that's... um... the friends?"

"Correct. Because your friends would still remember playing with you."

So the memories of playing together would conflict with memories of playing alone.

I was starting to understand what Evelyn meant by gaps in memory manipulation.

"What if the memory manipulation was widespread enough to alter the friends' memories too?"

"Gaps still form even with widespread manipulation. Even if you altered the memories of all humanity."

"R-really...?"

How could gaps form if all the friends' memories were manipulated?

The question was easily answered.

"Imagine one of your friends took photos while playing and posted them on social media."

"Ah... so evidence remains even after manipulation?"

"Yes. That's why when manipulating someone's memories, you need to erase all traces from that time - CCTV footage, photos, even the placement of objects."

"That sounds really difficult."

"It is. That's why memory manipulation is surprisingly easy to detect. Our staff are trained in protocols for dealing with it."

I see.

Just as I was nodding in understanding, Saebyeok raised an eyebrow ever so slightly and asked:

"But you didn't detect it this time."

"No. The gaps were almost invisible this time. That's actually what led me to a conclusion."

"What conclusion?"

"One of two things: either Yeoreum's information ability is a lie, or someone very meticulous is manipulating memories."

So she still doubted whether we were telling the truth.

Though in this situation, it would be stranger not to be suspicious.

I grabbed Evelyn's hand, putting all my desperation into the gesture.

"We're not lying... please believe us..."

"Twust us."

Gaeul ran over and grabbed Evelyn's other hand.

Evelyn gave a slight smile in response.

"I'll try to believe you."

"You will...?"

"Yes. You have no reason to protect Ariel otherwise. Except that she was framed."

Ariel flinched when her name was mentioned.

She hesitantly spoke in a tiny voice.

"S-so how do we find the culprit...?"

"Hmm... if there is one, they're probably one of our researchers."

"A researcher...?"

Had Evelyn already figured out who it was?

Everyone in the room except Saebyeok opened their eyes wide.

"The memory manipulation was too perfect, with no visible gaps. Only our researchers would know enough about these gaps to achieve that. And a very intelligent one at that."

"Ah... I thought another expendable employee like me did it."

"That's impossible. If an expendable employee used memory manipulation, we would have quickly- wait, expendable employee?"

Evelyn's eyes went wide.

As she silently rolled her eyes back and forth, I poked her again.

"What's wrong?"

"...'Expendable employee' is a term that disappeared twenty years ago. We're a government agency, so we're sensitive about human rights issues. Almost no one uses it except researchers from that era. At least not in our facility."

"Then how did Ariel know about expendable employees...?"

"Maybe whoever manipulated Ariel's memories commanded her to be an expendable employee. It stuck in her mind like a suggestion."

So the culprit must be a senior staff member who was both meticulous and intelligent.

The pool of suspects seemed to be narrowing.

"Is this one of those gaps?"

"Yes. A perfect gap."

Finding a gap was good news.

Ariel looked like she might cry from relief.

"That's great news, Ariel."

"Yeah... thank you so much... I thought I was going to die horribly..."

Click click.

Evelyn, who had been typing on the keyboard, turned to look at Ariel with a puzzled expression.

"Horribly?"

"Yes... they said they'd plant bombs in my organs..."

"What... we don't do experiments like that. Regulations require us to try to keep subjects alive as much as possible."

"What...?"

"Remember our conversation when you first met Gyeoul? I was trying my best to keep you alive."

Huh?

Ariel tilted her head.

I tilted mine too.

Neither of us could remember that conversation.

"...There were more gaps than I thought."

Hmm.

Evelyn typed on the keyboard.

The personnel files of facility staff began appearing on the old computer screen.

**

A senior researcher with a high position and advanced age.

And for some unknown reason, full of hostility toward Ariel.

Enough to plant memories of dying horribly.

Evelyn had deduced the culprit from these few pieces of evidence.

"So this person is the culprit?"

"Probably."

"Probably...?"

It was a middle-aged woman who was the director of another research facility right next to ours.

Evelyn traced her lips while examining the woman's face.

"Ariel was transferred from that facility. From a facility with no deaths to our facility with many deaths."

"...Now that we know the truth, it seems she was deliberately sent here to be killed."

"Yes. Being right next door makes surveillance easy. And as facility director, she'd have easy access."

"Oh dear."

Phew.

Han Yeoreum let out a long breath.

She patted Ariel's shoulder.

"Ariel, how did you make an enemy of her?"

"Well, I can't remember..."

"Ah, sorry."

Han Yeoreum apologized and touched the sword at her waist.

It was a habitual gesture she made before hunting monsters.

"Evelyn, are you sure?"

"Not completely, but the probability is high. She's senior staff and considered something of a genius. And her personality..."

"Her personality?"

"No, it's nothing."

When Evelyn waved it off, Han Yeoreum didn't press further.

She just raised her hand to the door.

"Then I'll go take care of this."

"W-wait! They can manipulate memories...! If they manipulate your memories..."

"Evelyn, they can't manipulate an information ability user's memories."

"What?"

"When strange memories or information are forcibly injected, the ability rebels against it."

Wow.

So information ability users had that kind of passive ability.

Maybe this fight would end easily.

'So that's why the portal called me.'

It was to bring in Han Yeoreum, who was immune to memory manipulation, through me.

To resolve Ariel's desperate feelings of injustice.

Portals really were amazing.

Thinking this, we set out to infiltrate the neighboring facility.

**

Handcuffs were placed on my arms, legs, and neck.

On top of that, my whole body was bound with strange belts and I was locked in an extremely sturdy steel transport cage.

The one leading me was none other than Han Yeoreum.

It was our strategy for entering the neighboring facility.

"You're from Facility 132?"

"Yes. Here's my ID."

Han Yeoreum showed her ID to the soldier guarding the entrance.

Click. Thanks to the ID Evelyn had made, we avoided any problems.

After confirming entry permission, the soldier looked at the other soldiers around me.

"Soldiers from other facilities cannot enter. We'll handle transport from here."

"...Understood."

The soldier who turned away without hesitation was the one whose shoulders I had massaged.

Though there had been some friction, we were able to reconcile thanks to Evelyn.

"Grrrr...!"

As I was dragged by soldiers from the other facility, I deliberately thrashed around aggressively.

Several soldiers took notice.

"You wanted to borrow our MS?"

"Yes. I heard it has a calming effect. We have a new MS that needs calming."

This must be the moment.

Rawr! Rawr!

When I violently shook my bound body, the soldier nodded.

"It does look like it needs calming."

"Yes. I'd like to calm it down quickly. It's already killed three 'expendable employees.'"

"...Is that so?"

Surprised by this unexpected information, our escort soldier flinched.

Glancing at me repeatedly, he spoke:

"Our MS can only be handled by the director. We'll need her permission, but it should be possible. The MS is meant for this kind of use."

"That's a relief."

The soldier escorted us to the director's office.

I waited outside under guard while Han Yeoreum went in. Shortly after, she emerged walking with the director.

"This MS killed three expendable employees?"

"Yes. They were around my age too. Such a shame. Ariel was one of the names, I think?"

Sigh.

As Han Yeoreum sighed, I could see it.

The director's lips curling up ever so slightly.

Though the movement was tiny, she couldn't hide it from me who could read even Saebyeok's expressionless face.