Point-of-View: Arturo Lagusa

  During: After Infiltration Arc

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  "Really, that's his weakness? We'll definitely have to exploit that," Nodded Valaque, with a look of amusement.

  "I'm still quite concerned about how much information he managed to gather while he was here. There is a good possibility that we may come under attack as a preemptive move from the allied nations, I'm sure he surmised that we're not ready for a full scale attack any time soon……we should double the rates of production and research," I suggested, after thinking it through.

  "Good idea. Are there any others we should be wary of, any especially powerful S-Ranks?"

  "I do not think so. According to intel we've received from spies, none of the S-Ranks of the allied nations should pose any problems to us. There is the matter of the Water Magic user Dista Matist reported, the one that devastated the ambush we set on the Rustlands group that were on the way to Goldway, but she was quite delirious and badly injured when she was retrieved from the rubble she was buried under, so it may have been an exaggeration," I recalled.

  "Yeah, if they had someone like that on their side, we definitely would have heard more about him by now," Added Rion in agreement.

  "Sicario, take some security measures to make sure that no more spies can infiltrate us. Oh, do you think you could make something like security cameras?" Inquired Valaque hopefully.

  "……you're joking, right? I mean, no, that's impossible, my lord," I replied with a shake of my head.

  "Tch, you should be more respectful-," Began Hacte with a scowl.

  "Nah, it's fine, it's kinda stifling if we're too formal and stiff. No worries," Interrupted Valaque with an indifferent shrug.

  "But, you know……security cameras would be pretty cool," Mused Kuua with a wistful sigh.

  "Yeah……ooh, doesn't this world have those crystal balls you see in anime?" Asked Valaque, giving me another hopeful look.

  "You already know those don't exist here, you've been here for over three decades. This world doesn't have any way of taking pictures or videos, it's inconvenient but there's nothing we can do about it," I replied patiently.

  "Yeah, I guess you're right. Tch, I really hate this world, I can't wait to destroy it," Growled Valaque, his expression darkening.

  He got this way sometimes.

  "So, um……what are 'security cameras'? Wait, I almost forgot……that Kuro guy's appearance changed, didn't it?" Remarked Azeria.

  Oh, that's right, I had almost forgotten too.

  "Hm, it happened when he walked through the magic nullification field……so that means he must have used some sort of transformation spell, maybe?" I wondered with a frown.

  "Woah, that's pretty cool, that's some ninja shit right there!" Exclaimed Rion with a look of intrigue.

  "Yeah, that's pretty sick……Arturo, make us some transformation spells!" Said Valaque with an excited grin.

  What a troublesome leader……

  "Fine, I'll try. But I don't think I quite grasp how to do so, I'm not sure how to stitch the command lines for it. I'll give it my best though," I replied, with no intention of doing so.

  I just didn't see any significant practical use of creating such a spell, it was not worth the effort.

  "His true appearance was how he looked after he walked through the gateway, what about the appearance he had on before walking through?" Inquired Hacte.

  "Considering that he was Dr Reel's assistant, it probably means that he copied the appearance of one of our lapdogs and then likely killed or captured the original, before taking his place as an imposter," I surmised, though it was mostly conjecture.

  "I wonder how a spell like that would work……did he see the person whose appearance he wanted to copy and then imagined it while activating the spell or something?" Wondered Rion curiously.

  "If that is the case……then I won't be able to recreate the spell, I have no idea how to implement a feature like that," I frowned, genuinely unable to comprehend how to go about doing that.

  "It doesn't have to be exactly the same, just make some sort of transformation spell, in fact, all the better if it works differently to their version," Remarked Valaque with an undeterred shrug.

  He really wants a transformation spell, doesn't he……

  "Now that I think about it, a transformation spell would be really cool……I could totally turn into a dude and see what it feels like!" Suddenly exclaimed Kuua, startling the rest of us.

  "Hm, gender-bending, huh……yes, I want to try that too! Arturo, your number one priority now is to make this spell!" Valaque joined in on her excitement with a sparkly look in his eyes……

  he only wanted this spell to play with, not for any practical use. But……I suppose I would be lying if I said that I was not intrigued by the idea of what it would feel like to be the opposite gender.

  "Heh, I bet I'd be a totally hot dude!" Grinned Kuua, rocking back and forth on her chair while using her tail to prevent herself from falling.

  "I wonder how I'd look as a chic," Wondered Valaque curiously.

  "You'd be totally cute, boss! But I guess there's only one way to find out for sure," She smirked, looking at me.

  I see……she had done this deliberately in order to make it harder for me to slip out of making this spell……she's sharper than she leads you to believe, she must have realized that I didn't plan on making it……tch, now I have no choice, Valaque wasn't going to be satisfied until I make a transformation spell.

  On another note, Hacte had gotten pretty quiet……he didn't seem to know how to act informally with Valaque and was probably feeling out of place. That's what you get for being a suck-up. Azeria had looked a little miffed and left out while we were talking about security cameras, but seemed okay now.

  "Maybe we should set up magic nullification fields at each of the gateways, that'll make it impossible for any other spies using a transformation spell to infiltrate," Suggested Presde with a stifled yawn.

  "Hm, not a bad idea at all……I shall get to work on that right away-," I began.

  "After you make the transformation spell……right?" Interjected Valaque with a frown.

  Well, he certainly had his priorities straight, didn't he.

  "O-of course, I'll get on that soon," I replied reluctantly.

  "Oh, that's right, didn't you say that the Anima Orb experiment resulted with a resounding success?" Recalled Valaque with an excited look.

  "Ah, yes. And the result was even better than we hoped for," I answered, before explaining what happened.

  "Four dinosaur Animas in one person!? I'm so jealous! All I have is a stupid pufferfish Anima," Sighed Valaque.

  More specifically, his Anima was a porcupinefish and it was retractable. He could extend out spikes from any part of his body, and these spikes would secrete a powerful venom that could be lethal depending on the dose. Of course, it wasn't like he could shoot those spikes out or something, the best way to use them was if someone was about to land a punch on him, he could extend out the spikes at the spot they were aiming for, the spikes would pierce his opponent's fist and the venom would be in their bloodstream.

  He didn't like his Anima because his clothes get torn every time he uses it, and he didn't think it was cool enough.

  "Well, er……it's not like any of the rest of us have any particular cool Animas, so-," I began.

  "Huh, are you kidding me? Your retractable mantis arms are badass, man! Azeria's black and orange fox thing is cool too, cheetah and crocodile are also pretty awesome Animas. As for the remaining two……no offense, Presde, but your slug antennae are kinda gross. Rion, your turtle Anima is……useful but kinda unremarkable. Again, no offense."

  Well, I did specifically request a retractable praying mantis Anima since I thought it would be useful. As it turned out, I didn't really think it through……my retractable mantis arms were strong and all, but I could not hold or grasp anything with them.

  I was capable of transforming only one arm if I wanted, but my body felt too off-balance and unstable when I tried that.

  "Well, it is a moot point. Changing Animas is too risky, so for better or worse, we are all stuck with our current Animas," I replied with a shrug.

  "So, hey, how strong is the guy who got the four dinosaur Animas implanted in him?" Inquired Valaque curiously.

  "No idea, for now he's still restrained. We acquired him in the most recent batch of test subjects we received from Platinberg's slums, so he wasn't a pawn, just a regular test subject. As a result, he does not have any loyalty towards us. However, he's too strong for even our most powerful paralysis spells, he breaks free of them within minutes. He is currently restrained using heavy chains and shackles,"I replied.

  "Hm, what type of person does he seem to be?"

  "Well, so far……I've only seen his angry side, which is understandable given his situation," I answered with a shrug.

  "Do you think he could be strong enough to be added to the Retribution Tier? Six isn't a lot, you know, the more powerful members we have, the better!"

  "Ooh, in that case……bring him here, let's talk to him!" Suggested Rion with interest.

  He probably just wanted to see the dinosaur Animas.

  "Great idea, bring him here, Arturo!" Agreed Valaque, also looking quite excited.

  It was the middle of the afternoon and quite hot, I really didn't want to walk all the way to the Research Tier building……

  "Understood. Hacte, go get him. He's restrained in the Lab 25 basement," I delegated, unloading the burden onto my least favorite member of the Retribution Tier.

  "What? But you are the one who was told to do so-!" He began in protest.

  "It doesn't matter to me who does it, just get it done!" Snapped Valaque impatiently.

  He was always quick to turn impatient and had a short fuse, but it was understandable considering that he had lived in immense hardship for several years in this world. Understandable……but still annoying.

  "I outrank you, Hacte……do you really want to defy-?"

  He didn't let me finish, standing up and leaving with a huff, hiding his anger since Valaque was here. He exited the hall and shut the door behind him.

  "Man, I really hate that guy," Sighed Rion with a groan.

  "Agreed," I nodded affirmatively.

  "Come on, guys……I know he's kinda narrow-minded, arrogant, too serious, annoying, a kiss-ass, and hard to deal with at times……but, uh……huh, I was going somewhere with this, but I can't remember……," Valaque trailed off, furrowing his brows, "Anyway, my point is……despite his flaws, he's not all bad. Like the rest of us, he's suffered in this world too."

  "Yeah, we've all been through shit in this world, that's the whole reason we're planning to stick it to that being that reincarnated us by wiping out this world as it is……but none of the rest of us have such fat sticks up our asses," Pointed out Kuua.

  "Couldn't have said it better myself," Nodded Rion in agreement.

  "I don't know anything about the whole reincarnation thing, but if there is a divine being that put me in the hellhole I was in before I became a successful Karma test subject like you all say there is……then I have every reason to despise such a being," Growled Azeria in agreement……

  oh, uh……this was just occurring to me for the first time, but……I was the only one here who didn't have any reason to hold a grudge against that being. My reincarnation went just fine, and I joined the then-Magic Research Group of my own free will……so far, I haven't suffered at all in this world. Hm, I should probably not say anything about it, if the others realize it on their own then fine, but if not, there's no reason to bring it up.

  After all, it may make them think that I'm not as loyal to the cause as they are……and they would be right. I am certainly on the side of The Valaque Empire, but only because it's the winning side right now. However, if that changes……

  It didn't take long for Hacte to return with the dinosaur guy, and we all headed up to the rooftop of the castle. Speaking of which, a castle is seriously impractical. The six Retribution Tier members each had their own mansions, but even that was overkill. I barely used a fifth of the space in my mansion, the rest of the space was left empty and collecting dust.

  And the castle was so much worse, it had three floors with a rooftop, balconies, several rooms and bathrooms, it could easily fit a few dozen people. We did occasionally post tasks for the pawns and lapdogs to clean these buildings, but honestly, they're just a huge waste of space. There were plenty of dusty spots in this castle, it was way too big for one person. Valaque was the only one who lived here, the only time other people were in it were when we had meetings like this or when lower ranking members took on tasks to clean the place.

  Anyway, we were now up on the rooftop. The dinosaur guy was chained to an operating table with wheels, Hacte propped the table up while we all gathered in front of it.

  "Take off the gag and muzzle," I ordered Hacte, who begrudgingly did as I said.

  "Who are you people?" Growled the man, glaring at us threateningly, with a hint of fear in his eyes as well.

  "First, let me ask you this……do you have your memories of your previous life?" Inquired Valaque, stepping forward.

  "Wha……how did you know?" He exclaimed in surprise.

  "Wait, really? I was just taking a shot in the dark, honestly! Hah, how convenient……that makes things a lot easier," Grinned Valaque, after an initial look of surprise.

  "Seriously? So I'm still the odd one out?" Sighed Azeria.

  Hm, guess the fact that didn't have her previous life's memories made her feel more left out than I thought. Well, she is still just a child, still in her teens.

  "No, you are not……don't forget Hacte also does not have-," I began pointing out.

  "……that's even worse!"

  Yes, I suppose it is.

  "So, what's your name?" Inquired Valaque.

  "Rex Archer……well, that was my name in my previous life, I forgot the name I was given in this world ages ago," He replied.

  "Rex? Woah, that's fits crazy well, since you're packing a quadruple dino Anima! You know, as in T-Rex!" Exclaimed Valaque excitedly.

  "Yeah, uh……speaking of that, what exactly did you guys do to me? Not that I'm complaining……okay, maybe I should complain a bit, that was agonizingly painful, but……I do feel insanely powerful, at least a lot more than I did before."

  "It's an experiment we're working on, Anima extraction and implantation. Thanks to that, you just became the first human, or at least the first known human, in this world to have a dinosaur Anima……and you have four! And I know what you're going to ask next, so I'll answer it right away……yes, dinosaurs aren't extinct in this world, and where might they exist, you ask? Under Platinberg!"

  "……now I have more questions. Well, I'll set that aside for now. Do you mind taking these chains off? I'm chafed all over, it's not the most pleasant feeling in the world, you know……plus I need to itch my nose too,"Asked Rex hopefully.

  "Do not push you luck, you're just a lowly-," Hacte began condescendingly.

  "Hacte, that isn't helping," Valaque cut him off.

  "Y-yes, my lord."

  "Alright, now then……let's get rid of those chains," Said Valaque with a slight smirk.

  The chains suddenly shattered, with a simple two waves of Valaque's hand. Clever, he used that opportunity to show off his power in order to intimidate Rex. In that instant, he froze a vertical line across the chains before swiping a thin fiery slash along that frozen line, the rapid fluctuations in temperature causing the chain to snap. Rex might have felt a hint of cold and heat for a fraction of a second, but I doubt he actually noticed, it happened too quickly to register. I had only noticed thanks to the perception enhancement of the Lightning Boost technique.

  Anyway, Valaque then began talking to Rex in an attempt to win him over. First, he asked about his hardships in this world. And then, he slowly started convincing him that all of that was the fault of the being that reincarnated all of us. Once that was done, he moved onto the goal of The Empire……get revenge on that being by devastating this entire world, in return for the suffering we had all gone through. We, excluding me, of course.

  It had to be said, Tirayze Valaque was exceptionally charismatic and good at winning people over, he knew just what words to say and delivered them perfectly. What intrigued me the most was that he spoke in such a way genuinely, it was not a calculated or scripted thing. It likely just came to him naturally.

  "I see……that does sound pretty sick, and after the shit I've been through, being one of the bad guys is definitely an appealing notion……but I don't know about being a subordinate, especially since I might be stronger than all of you," He responded with a smirk, after thinking it all over for a couple of minutes.

  "You insolent……!" Hacte began to yell, before trailing off as Valaque gave him a warning look.

  "That's perfectly understandable……alright, then. Rex, you may fight any of us that you wish. Don't worry, we won't kill you. If you beat any of us, you will be given a position in The Empire that outranks the person you beat. How does that sound?"

  "Hey, now we're talking! This world has really sucked ass so far, I thought I was going to live the Isekai dream when I first came to this world, but then got reincarnated in the butthole of Platinberg's slums with weak magical powers. Well, my magic still feels weak but my body feels crazy strong now……and these dinosaur parts feel amazing, they feel so natural to me even though I've only had them for a couple of days. Alright, in that case……I'll fight you, since you're the leader and all," Smirked Rex, challenging Valaque.

  "Of course, if that's what you want, but I should warn you……you don't stand a chance," Replied Valaque, with a look of amusement.

  Well, now……this should be interesting……

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  Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism! Also, check out my Instagram account @aimdaqs for posts relating to this book.