"Indeed. I was quite curious to see the expression on your face after betraying Abyss and being forced to accept your penalty."
"Is that so? And? Did I live up to your expectations?"
"Hmm... it’s hard to say. I would have preferred to see you in a bit more agony..."
The woman standing in the center of the trio carried out the conversation with Lost—a conversation that, by any stretch of the imagination, could not be described as friendly.
Positioned a step ahead of the two men flanking her, she appeared like an empress leading her subordinates. Clad in a habit befitting a sister of the church, her attire as a Messenger of God and her polite tone gave her the facade of a gentle woman.
"Drop is quite peculiar as well, isn't she? Consistently going out of her way to visit a man like this."
"Well, Lost doesn't have any friends other than Drop-chan, and it would be boring if he broke down over something this trivial~"
"Oh my. You say that, but could it be that you are the one with no friends other than Lost, Drop?"
"Hah?"
The nun, Dogma, laughed softly as she spoke. Drop’s anger became palpable at the comment, which had been delivered with a gentle smile but was clearly intended as a barbed insult.
In response to her reaction, the men standing behind Rai laughed uproariously before speaking.
"Gyahahahahaha! Did she hit a nerve? It can't be helped, though! It's the truth, after all!"
"Exactly. It’s quite pathetic to get worked up just because someone told you the truth, Drop."
"Tch...! You guys are annoying. Clinging to this woman’s heels like goldfish poop."
"Drop, your language is quite foul. Furthermore, could I ask you to refrain from insulting my friends?"
"Friends, huh...? You don't actually feel that way for a single second, you black-hearted woman."
Subjected to a three-way verbal assault, Drop glared at Dogma as if sparks were flying between them. It seemed these two women were the ones who truly shared a mutual loathing.
While Dogma maintained her calm smile without yielding an inch and Drop directed a silent but intensely hostile gaze toward her, Lost spoke from inside the cell to Rai and the others.
"Burn, Hypno—you came to visit as well. It makes me happy to see this dark room suddenly become so lively."
"Gyahaha! Like Dogma said, I wanted to see the look on the face of the guy who committed a Rule Violation...! I came here specifically to mock you!"
"I’ve thought you were a fool for a long time, but this proves you’re a top-tier idiot. Dragging the game out on purpose when you could have just ended it... you really are a moron."
The man with burn scars on his face radiated a crude atmosphere as he laughed loudly at Lost. He was followed by the man who looked like a young salaryman, who maintained a condescending attitude as he spat out words of contempt.
Lost, having been called a fool by both, let out a slow sigh.
"Well, I don't mind what you say to me... but Burn, didn't Dogma just say it? Could you please not mock my friend so much? And Hypno, as for you calling me a fool, have you two actually achieved any results? At the very least, my popularity with the Audience is significantly higher than yours, isn't it?"
"Hah...?"
"You seem quite full of yourself, considering your penalty was only lightened out of mercy. That popularity of yours was originally nothing more than the result of free-riding on Abyss's Plan, wasn't it?"
"Oh? What was that again~? Didn't someone just say something like this a few seconds ago~? 'It’s quite pathetic to get angry just because someone told you the truth!'"
""...!!""
As Burn and Hypno displayed their anger at having their mockery returned in kind, Drop took the opportunity to taunt them back, using their own logic against them.
Stung by the very same insult they had launched earlier, the two men grimaced and tried to take an aggressive step forward, but Dogma restrained them.
"Fufu...! Indeed, it is exactly as you say. Lost is currently undergoing a penalty, but he has achieved more results than we have. In contrast, we have prioritized gathering power and have not been involved in livening up the stage at all... It would be out of place for us to become enraged at being told the truth."
"My, my. It’s a bit creepy for you to admit it so honestly. That’s the part that’s the most frightening."
"No, it’s not as if I am admitting to everything. Lost, your actions certainly livened up the current game... but surely it is about time to bring it to an end? As Hypno said, you’ve dragged it out too long. At this rate, even the Audience will eventually grow bored."
While acknowledging Lost’s current achievements, Dogma offered her rebuttal as she stared at him. Bathed in that provocative gaze, Lost let a smirk twist the corner of his mouth visible beneath his hood. He spoke as if testing her.
"Heh? So, in other words, you all intend to move in order to end this game?"
"Yes, that is correct. All the preparations are complete. We intend to start moving toward the ending we have envisioned."
"Hmm... out of curiosity, what kind of ending is that?"
Lost posed the question to Dogma, who had declared her intention to follow in the wake of Abyss.
As if she had been waiting for that very question, she wore a maniacal smile and answered while looking him straight in the eye.
"If I were to describe the ending we’ve envisioned in a single phrase... I suppose it would be: a Hero Falling into Darkness."