"....I don't know. That's all I can tell you."

Following the scream, I was brought to a separate room within the bunker. They told me I wasn't being 'detained' but seeing how I was inside of a small room with three pairs of eyes locked on me, it was more or less the same.

I was being detained.

"If you ask me why he was staring at me, I don't know."

The fact that the one who had screamed had been looking at me looked suspicious to everyone present.

It wasn't like I didn't get it.

But it was also true that I was just as clueless as to why and that I was innocent.

In fact, he probably only looked at me by chance.

Or at least, that was what I told myself. However, recalling the scene from before, I had an inkling that he had indeed been staring at me.

"I was in the wrong place at the wrong tim"

"I get it, you can stop."

A deep voice halted my words.

It belonged to a burly man with long brown hair and hazel eyes. Just his presence alone was suffocating.

And yet, there were two other such people in the room.

A woman who looked in her twenties, with long flowing black hair and blue eyes sat with her arms crossed, while next to her was a lanky man with a long nose, short black hair, and hazel eyes.

I didn't know who was who exactly, but I could tell from the pressure that their bodies were emitting that they were Post Leaders.

Strangely, I didn't feel nervous.

Perhaps it was because I had grown used to talking with big shots, but their presence didn't feel all that intimidating to me.

Atlas and Delilah were far scarier than they were.

"There is a likelihood that you are indeed an unlucky fellow who happened to be in view of the victim. There's no doubt about that."

"Then?"

"However, it is also true that they were indeed looking at you. Given the sensitive nature of the situation, we can't just let you walk free. It's also a matter of safety for you."

What bullshit.

Clearly, they just wanted to keep me locked up in this room.

"In any case, we still have to keep you in here. At least, until something else happens and we're sure that you're innocent."

"...."

I didn't answer to that.

What else could I say? I could just tell from the expressions that they were making that they had made up their minds.

Just as I was about to sigh at my circumstances, I had a sudden idea.

"Hmm."

Frowning, the three Post Leaders looked at me.

"Are you perhaps unsatisfied with the arrangement?"

The burly man asked with a frown. Looking up at him, I glanced towards the other two before shaking my head.

"No, I'm fine with the arrangements. It's just that, I'm still thinking about the person who screamed at me."

"Oh? Do you know something?"

The woman asked.

Her voice was crisp and sounded pleasing to the ear.

"....If you know something you can share it with us. We might be able to protect you in case the case is really related to you."

"No, that's not it."

I shook my head.

"I just thought that the symptoms sounded similar to something I have read in the past."

"...."

The room turned quiet after that.

Their gazes felt a lot more pressuring.

Still pretending to be in deep thought, I pinched my forehead.

"What was it again...?"

I tried my best to look like I was having a hard time remembering.

Acting wasn't hard for me.

In fact, I was an award winner.

"Ah."

And then, just when they were about to grow impatient, I smacked my palm with my fist.

Smack!

"Right, I know now!"

All attention was on me.

"....Tree of Ebonthorn. That's what it is!"

"Tree of Ebonthorn?"

Repeating my words, the three frowned. Swallowing, I looked at them with slight anticipation.

'Do they know something?'

Surely, they'd know something considering their strength and positions.

But,

"That doesn't ring a bell. Does it ring a bell to you Penelope?"

"No, it also doesn't ring a bell to me."

"I've also never heard of it before."

It was much to my disappointment and shock to find that neither three of them knew a thing.

.....How was this possible?

I had almost been certain that they'd know something about the tree, but they didn't. Was the tree something extremely rare?

"How certain are you that the symptoms you've mentioned belong to this tree that you've mentioned?"

The woman, whom I learned was called Penelope, asked.

Looking at her, I nodded seriously.

"I'm almost certain."

She squinted her eyes, and my body suddenly grew stiff. I found myself unable to move, and breathing also started to become rough.

Thankfully, the sensation didn't last for very long.

It left as fast as it came and Penelope soon stood up.

"Alright, I will go and look into this."

She then proceeded to look at the other two.

"What about you guys?"

"I will look into it as well."

"Same."

The two similarly stood up.

Glancing at me, the burly man placed his hand on the table.

".....For now, you will be staying here. Meals and water will be provided to you on a regular basis. You must understand why we're doing this."

"Yes."

The fact that I looked more suspicious in their eyes after I revealed to them about the tree was something that I took account of.

However, it was a worth-it tradeoff considering that they were probably not going to let me out regardless.

At the very least, things were going to proceed at a faster rate now.

There was only one problem that I could think of.

'If any one of them is responsible for planting the tree, then I put myself in a dangerous position.'

It was highly likely that the tree was something that had been artificially placed. The same was true for the incidents that were currently happening.

If that was the case, then I was putting myself in danger.

However, it wasn't as though I wasn't prepared for such a scenario. Rather, I looked forward to it.

"We will update you if we find anything."

The three proceeded to leave the room from that point on. Staring at their departing backs, the room soon fell silent.

"...."

For the next few minutes, I remained seated in my seat before letting out a long breath.

"Haa..."

Looking behind me, I stared at the window of the small room.

Though the room was meant to confine me, there was still a window that granted me a view of what was happening outside.

The world was red, and in the distance, I could see the walls of the city.

They were tall, and they stretched all around the city.

".....I hope that worked."

If there was anyone that could get the information on the tree it was the three of them. If they couldn't, then there was no hope left.

I could only hope they'd find something.

It didn't matter if I looked suspicious to them. I was ready to deal with the consequences.

The only thing in my mind was the tree.

The damn tree.

Looking down, I stared at my legs. They were completely entangled by the black roots, reaching all the way up to my pelvis.

"Haaa... Haa..."

I didn't have much time left.

***

At the same time, in the bunker.

"What in the world is happening? Where did they bring Julien?"

"They brought him to questioning."

"The hell?"

Though Kiera and Aoife didn't see eye to eye, at this moment, they were having a normal conversation. At the very least, the two didn't seem to want to tear each other's throats.

"....Why would they do that?"

"Isn't it obvious why?"

"Johanna wasn't looking at him when it happened to her. Why would they think he had any involvement in this?"

"I don't know. They're just trying to be safe."

"Safe my ass."

Leon stood by the side listening to the conversation with a blank look.

Evelyn was sitting down next to him.

"Hey."

Hearing her voice, Leon turned his head to look at her.

".....Do you think he had any involvement in this matter?"

Though she said that, Leon could tell that she herself didn't believe this. So he just shook his head.

"No."

He also knew that Julien had nothing to do with the situation.

'Tree of Ebonthorn.'

Could this be the doing of the tree Julien had mentioned?

Leon thought for a moment before shaking his head. That was unlikely. There was still no tree. The most likely scenario was that someone was trying to plant the tree, and was purposely creating chaos.

For what reason?

Leon wasn't sure. However, if he had to guess, then it was to create a distraction. That seemed to be the most plausible answer.

He knew that they didn't have much time left.

Clank

All of a sudden, the doors of the inner room of the bunker opened and three figures walked out. Leon straightened his back then, and so did the others.

"They're back."

However, upon seeing that Julien wasn't behind then, they all were able to guess what had happened.

"He's being detained."

"Yes."

Leon's eyes squinted.

'Not good.'

With Julien out, the situation was a little bit harder for him. Turning his head, Leon looked at Aoife. As if she could read his intentions, she nodded his head.

"Yes, I'll try to ask them about the tree."

She had just taken a single step when all of a sudden she stopped. Her head flicked to the left, and so did everyone else's.

"Hiiaaaaak"

A scream pierced through.

Leon's body froze on the spot.

His gaze fell on another person. With white eyes, they screamed at the top of their lungs.

But if that wasn't bad enough.

"Hiiaaaaak"

Another scream echoed from another area of the bunker.

One that was followed by another.

"Hiiaaaaak"

And then another.

"Hiiaaaaak"

Before long, several screams reverberated within the confines of the bunker. Witnessing the scene, Leon felt his heart chill.

But if that wasn't enough, with their white eyes, they all seemed to be looking in the same direction.

Leon swallowed his saliva.

'Oh, no.'

The inner area of the bunker.

Right where Julien had been brought.

Thump!

The screams didn't last for long. Having learned the lessons from before, the Guild delegates didn't allow them to scream for long, knocking them out rather quickly.

However, the damage had been done.

At this very moment, all gazes were directed towards the inner area.

Leon similarly stared in that direction.

Drip...! Drip.

But his thoughts were broken by a strange dripping sound.

Lowering his head, Leon looked at the ground and then wiped his nose.

That was when he noticed his finger was stained in blood.

'Blood...?'

All of a sudden, the world started to blur. Turning his head slowly, he felt everyone's gazes on him. Evelyn in particular looked concerned. She appeared to be saying something, but he couldn't quite hear what she was saying.

'What are you saying? I can't hear?'

Leon was confused.

Why was he suddenly like this?

Blinking his eyes, his mind started to grow blank.

He was starting to lose sight of himself.

And then,

He too screamed.

"Hiiaaaaak"