*****

The journey on the Interworld Train to the terminal station served as both an aptitude test for Rob as a citizen and as an investigator.

「However, based on the records from the Kingdom of Hanover and your actions since we began protecting you, the analysis has concluded that you are unfit as an extraordinary ability user, let alone as an ordinary citizen.」

In the Alliance, while simple possession of an extraordinary ability only required notification for approval, they mandated aptitude tests regarding the "possession and exercise of extraordinary abilities" for those whose abilities exceeded a certain level.

「Tests, huh... Did you know about this, Arcelia?」

「...No, this is the first I've heard of it.」

Arcelia had never heard of conducting tests for citizens, investigators, or ability users during a mission.

「Investigator Rigot’s mission was only for protection and recruitment. Because her dispatch was decided in a hurry and I happened to be the conductor, the test was decided retroactively. And, this was also the final examination for Investigator Rigot.」

Arcelia was stunned. She immediately wondered what the results of her final exam had been. However, because she could half-anticipate the outcome without even asking, she couldn't bring herself to prompt him for more.

「Huh. So, what's the verdict?」

Ignoring Arcelia's internal conflict, Rob asked bluntly. Arcelia was half-annoyed by Rob's lack of delicacy, but the other half of her, honestly, was glad he said it.

「...Unfortunately, I must say you are unfit as an investigator.」

Arcelia barely managed to hold onto the strength in her body, which felt like it was about to give way, at Cubas’s cool and straightforward response.

「Everywhere I turn, it's a deception. Must be nice to be in your position.」

Finding out that he hadn't just been testing Rob, but had also been secretly testing Arcelia, the person sent to retrieve him, Rob wasn't pleased.

「Only students need to be told 'we will hold a test now' every single time. As adults, I believe you understand that much.」

「Well, maybe that's how society works. If so, you'll tell me the details of why you reached that conclusion, right? Surely you aren't going to say you protected me but are discarding me because you don't like me?」

「Yes. That is the purpose of this inquiry. We, too, wish to exchange words with you and deliver our final judgment.」

With that said, Cubas began to speak.

「Let us raise specific cases one by one. First, the incident where you helped a lady who was about to be arrested in the 412th World for possession of a Fake Elixir in the act.」

「I don't know anything about that. I saw something like that happening, but I didn't do anything in particular. Or do you have some proof?」

Rob remained adamant in his stance that he hadn't done anything.

「...No. Even the footage from the familiars did not capture that moment. Therefore, let us proceed under a hypothetical scenario. Consider this a test question in the form of 'If, hypothetically, you did help her.'」

「Well, assuming that's the case, is there a problem?」

「What if the late husband of the lady you helped was a spy, and he had entrusted her with important information?」

In the 412th World, the four continents—North, South, East, and West—each had a unified nation, and they comprised a world conference. While there were no open wars among the four nations, intense clandestine struggles were being waged beneath the surface.

Amidst this, the widow's late husband had infiltrated the West Continent's Kingdom of Entoire as a spy for the South, but he died helplessly, leaving behind his fortune and the classified information he had uncovered.

The widow had learned that her husband was a spy at that time, but all she could do was jump onto the Interworld Train to protect her children.

However, the train was to return to the Kingdom of Entoire.

Realizing there was no place to hide, the widow planned to bring the classified information to the Alliance and seek asylum.

To extract more favorable asylum conditions from the Alliance using the classified information as a bargaining chip, she returned to the Kingdom of Entoire alone to recover the detailed documents of the classified information she had left hidden there.

「――In other words, the fact that that somewhat tyrannical knight tried to arrest her, even by using a Fake Elixir, was a natural course of action for a country that had to deal with a spy. If, hypothetically, you helped that lady, can you say your motive was correct? Can you say the widow’s actions were justified?」

Rob listened silently to the truth behind the incident, not even flinching.

「I'll answer assuming this is hypothetical. ――All I saw were bad guys using methods that were practically in violation of agreements to frame a woman as caught in the act. If they wanted to catch her so badly, they should have done it through proper procedures.」

「If the opponent is a villain, is it acceptable to use any means? Is that what you call justice?」

「In the first place, it was a raid conducted through coercion and unjust methods. It is difficult to save someone through proper channels. At the very least, no such methods come to mind for me. In an absolute monarchy with a king who allows slavery to run rampant, once a crime is decided, it almost never gets overturned. If that's the case, I think that method was also one of the options.」

「Even if tens of thousands of people were hurt and died because of that lady's information?」

「Then let me ask you in return: is it okay for that widow to be sacrificed to save those tens of thousands? At that point in time, the widow was at least not at fault. If she had been, they would have caught her through proper channels. Therefore, the widow is in the right. Even if she wasn't, it’s just a war of tens of thousands against one. It is the result of people, as beasts, tearing into one another, and even if that single widow wins, that is not evil.」

「I understand. Then, next, regarding the 961st World...」

Cubas continued to ask questions about the actions Rob had taken in several other worlds. After about two hours of repeating the inquiry, the questioning finally came to an end.

Around Cubas, several small screens of light were floating.

Invisible to Rob, these were the written opinions of the executives participating in this inquiry, and Cubas synthesized them to reach a conclusion.

「――As expected, you are unfit as an extraordinary ability user. Even if you accept the collar on the surface, you wield that power without regard for the conveniences of society. Furthermore, you do so consciously. The Alliance must remain neutral. The Alliance Law must be obeyed. We cannot have it twisted by the self-righteousness of a hero――」

Cubas paused there, and water bubbles welled up with a glug.

「――To someone like you, that extraordinary ability of yours, the 'Phantom Firearms,' is extremely dangerous.」

*****

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