We are living to eradicate the Nightmare. Don’t you understand?

"Master Stelcis. We've transferred some of the incoming citizens to the dock."

A voice was cast from behind her, and Stelcis turned her indifferent eyes towards it. In what seemed to be a control room, she was standing in front of several monitors.

The images were coming from surveillance cameras, and she could see anxious-looking citizens dressed in hospital gowns, sitting on chairs as if they were intimidated. The room was small and rectangular. Looking at them with her arms crossed, Stelcis snorted.

"There are no children, are there?"

"There are very few children left at the time of acceptance… Even those that are left could be detected if they are forcibly separated from their parents at this time."

"I understand. How many are there this time?"

"Thirty-five."

"Begin now."

At the sound of her quiet voice, the men and women sitting in front of the monitor silently operated their instruments. Immediately, the door of the room where the citizens were locked in was remotely closed and the windows were sealed.

The citizens were saying something in a panic, but their voices did not reach the control room. Next, the ventilation ducts began to pump white smoke into the room. One by one, the citizens who had been coughing in agony fell to the floor and began to convulse.

"Stop."

With Stelcis' voice, the instruments that were being operated ceased pumping in the white smoke. The citizens on the ground were twitching and convulsing, their eyes white and incapable of moving. They seemed to be conscious, and she could see them moaning.

A few moments later, the door opened and people wearing anti-poison masks and suits came into the room in disarray. One after another, they began to place the fallen citizens into plastic bags like those used for dead bodies. As she watched them being carried away with a blank expression, Stelcis pressed her hand to her head as if to suppress a headache and sighed.

"Leave half of them in Mock's room. The other half goes to the underground storage. Make sure you clean up thoroughly."

"Please leave it to me."

Looking around at the men and women who nodded, Stelcis held her temples as she said, "I'm going to take some time off. Don't let anyone pass. As for Alice and the others from the outside, get them out of the shelter on time."

"What if they resist…?"

She smiled darkly at the apprehensive question.

"There will be no resistance. No intelligent doppelganger would… do that."

"Ha… hah."

Stelcis smiled at her companion's absent-minded reply.

"If it happens, contact me immediately. When that time comes, I'll take care of it.

"Understood."

She gave a slight tilt of her head to the man and woman who nodded and disappeared into the elevator at the back of the room.

◇

Philrain was walking with a frightened look on her face, surrounded by men. She anxiously supported Alice, who was holding her eye through her eye patch, as if her right eye was hurting.

Staggering to her feet, Alice halted. Iberis was sitting in a wheelchair, and Raffi was on her lap.

Alice averted her gaze from them and bit her lip. Raffi almost opened his mouth but gulped down his words.

One of the men stepped forward and handed Iberis a small bag. There was a jingling sound of glass from inside.

"This is the core of the Original Nightmare. You may take it and leave this shelter immediately."

"…"

Iberis silently plucked the small bag and looked at Philrain.

"Let's go."

"Eh…? B-But…"

Philrain looked around at the men with a strained expression on her face. But they had an iron-faced attitude and refused to make eye contact with her. Iberis moved the wheelchair forward, grasped Philrain's hand and dragged her.

"What are you hesitating for?"

"Yes… I am sorry."

Nodding, Philrain stepped forward holding Alice in her arms. As explained beforehand, a side-car type air bike was supplied as sympathy for them.

Iberis focused her attention on her legs as she confirmed that Phillaine had climbed into the side section with Alice. The fluctuation gathered together and the Bandersnatch formed her legs section. Setting the folded wheelchair on the bike, she tossed Raffi to the side and silently straddled the bike. Then, suddenly, she started the engine and launched it.

"Lady Iberis…!" Philrain raised her voice wildly. The moment she stepped on it to avoid being knocked off, the air bike lifted off and flew towards the entrance of the shelter in the opposite direction of the exit at high speed.

"Hold on!" Iberis shouted. The girls flew into the shelter through a gap in the barrier that was about to close, carrying Philrain and others who screamed from the sheer speed. The men hurriedly took out their stun guns from their pockets and began to follow them in disorganized pursuit.

"Oh no…!"

One of them exclaimed into a small communication device.

"The little girls have fled into the shelter! Raise the alert level to maximum! Lower all barriers!"

"Contact Master Stelcis!"

"Evacuate the Mock Turtle! They're aiming for her!"

With angry voices behind her, Iberis pressed the gas pedal to full acceleration. Iberis' mouth twisted into a snarky grin.

"Lady Iberis, what… are you… doing!" Philrain shouted, her eyes rolling around.

Iberis gave a small laugh and then retorted. "What…? That's a foolish question, Phil. Are you really a member of a venerable priestess clan?"

"Eh…?"

"I'm going to go hunt down the Original Nightmare that is the core of this shelter."

"… What are you saying!"

At a glance at the raised voice of Philrain, Iberis smashed the iron bars on the side of the service entrance… and slid the bike into a section of the air duct.

"We are living to eradicate the Nightmare. Don't you understand?" Iberis' eyes flashed with a strange color, and her hair began to move in a rainbow of fluctuating colors. "This place is no exception…!"