The Extra's Dimensional Library

Raze walked into the office.

Inside were five figures. His dad sat across the table with a grim expression, looking as if he were being heavily pressured—and who wouldn't be, when the people sitting opposite him were Lady Rose and Queen Marine? Behind the Queen stood Mark and Sophia. She hadn't brought any security detail as the Queen, but she didn't need to. Mark and Sophia were captains of the Vermilion Knights Chapter. That alone was more than enough protection.

Raze bowed the moment he stepped inside. He greeted Her Majesty and Lady Rose politely.

Lady Rose spoke first. "It's nice to see you again, kid—when you're not running all around," she said with a small smile.

Raze let out a faint smile of his own, then looked at the Queen. She gave him a gentle smile and spoke.

"It's been a while, Raze."

When his father heard the way the Queen addressed him, he understood immediately—his son had met the Queen before. Panic flickered on his face as he wondered what could have possibly led Raze into a situation where he would meet her personally.

Trying to keep the meeting on track, he quickly stepped in to speak first.

"Raze, the Queen wants to speak to you concerning what happened in the town where you were found. So I hope you will cooperate with her," his father said, looking him straight in the eyes in a way that clearly meant, Don't mess up.

"You don't have to worry, Baron Grimhold. Your son and I are pretty close anyway," Queen Marine said, then looked at Raze. "Isn't that true?" she asked.

Raze smiled and placed his hands behind his head. "She basically funded the development happening in Ribest, but I offered her something in return," he said.

His father looked completely shocked. What could Raze have possibly given the Queen in exchange for funding an entire town?

Raze walked in further and stood beside the table. "So, what is it you want to know from me?" he asked.

"Not know per se," Lady Rose spoke up. "It's more like informing you about what you managed to find in that town."

She folded her arms. "It turns out that beyond the fact that certain nobles have betrayed us, others have allowed demonic beasts into the kingdom. They're all working together to spread the abominations throughout Vermilion. The town you found is called Oden. It's small and hidden, which explains why something like that could happen without us knowing."

Lady Rose leaned back slightly. "In essence, we discovered that numerous experiments were being carried out on the people of Oden—using them to create prototype abominations. That demonic beast was trying to find a way to turn humans into demonic beasts, or at least lower variants she could control. The end result always became abominations, which were mostly uncontrollable… but the demonic cult had a way to control them. So they took the formula off her hands. In return, they kept her operation quiet, protected the town, and ensured everything went according to plan… until you showed up."

"So you mean to say the origin of the abominations came from her?" Raze asked plainly.

"The method the demonic cult uses is far more refined than what we found in Oden. But yes—it's a foundation, a rough version of the process they perfected," Lady Rose replied. "Regardless, because of what you found, we were able to gain insight into abominations—how to stop the spread, detect early infection, and maybe even create a cure before victims reach the final stage, this is all still theory though."

Queen Marine spoke after her. "What you and your friends did is truly impressive. But due to the current state of things, announcing it would put you directly in danger. Those nobles working with the demonic cult would immediately target you. It pains us that we cannot publicly acknowledge the people who helped us in our time of need… but protecting the four of you comes first."

She paused, then added, "That being said, the kingdom is in your debt. We will repay that debt however we can."

"Hm… I see," Raze replied. "But then again, for information like this, the Queen of Vermilion wouldn't need to come here herself, would she?"

Queen Marine smiled. "It seems nothing gets past you. I'd like to have a private chat with you, one-on-one—if that wouldn't be an issue."

Raze looked at her. Speaking alone with the queen was like throwing himself at a hungry tiger. That would be risky. "I'll do it if Lady Rose is there, Your Majesty," he replied.

Marine smiled at his answer. "That works too. We'll speak later, in private," she said, then stood.

Baron Greenhold immediately jumped to his feet. "Oh—no, no, no, Your Highness, allow me be the one to leave, please," he said quickly before hurrying out.

Sophia gave Raze a sharp look before following him. Mark walked to the door, then turned back to Raze and gave a slight bow.

"Thank you for protecting my sister," he said, and then walked out.

Queen Marine immediately spoke after they left. "Raze, I'd like to know if there's anything you know about the Abomination," she said.

"You're coming off too strong, Marine," Lady Rose cut in.

"Oh—sorry," the Queen replied with a small smile.

Raze looked at them. "Why would you think I know anything about the Abominations?" he asked.

But Marine held his gaze without wavering. "Call it a hunch. Call it a feeling. I'll call it the fact that I know you do," she said firmly.

Raze raised a brow, confused by what she meant. She wasn't yielding, so Lady Rose stepped in.

"Marine has a sort of guided instinct that pushes her in the right direction. You could say it's part of why she became Queen in the first place—and why she was able to win over her sibling. Once you point her in a certain direction, she doesn't relent until she's certain her feeling was right," Lady Rose explained.

She has come to know your type of person, someone that's very curious and smart, so she believes you must have somehow looked into the abominations one way or the other, and at this point, she needs all the input she can get from people she can trust. And also, there is one last issue to add. "