Thanks to the confessions of the "Big Three" top executives, who proved far looser-lipped than expected, the full picture of the Revolutionary Party was rapidly coming to light.
Northernon Quetos's interrogation—or rather, inquiry—pressed on, and the three men took turns answering his questions.
Aboard the Hurricane, Jin and Deus Ex Machina were monitoring every detail of the proceedings.
Naturally, the video feed was supplied by a Peeper, while the audio came courtesy of a Magi-mic.
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Their names were Pedro Rakitova, Cherenko Rakitova, and Yakov Rakitova—three brothers.
They had originally served as secretaries to the Council of Ten. When Markitus invaded, their masters were wiped out entirely, leaving the brothers at a total loss until a certain individual approached and recruited them.
"And who was this individual?"
"...His true identity is unknown. He always wore a mask. He called himself 'Ivan Ivanovich,' but that's almost certainly an alias."
A man with neither a known face nor a real name—he seemed to be the true mastermind behind the curtain.
"That guy introduced us to a man who called himself Vladimir Hangazone Melkana of the Melkana royal family."
According to the masked man, he was the son of the older brother of Mikailinov Hangazone Melkana, the final Duke of the Mercana Principality. In other words, he was Mikailinov's nephew.
It had been widely assumed that all of the Duke's relatives had perished during Markitus's invasion, making this a surprising revelation.
"He's twenty-one years old, 185 centimeters tall, and weighs eighty kilograms. With blond hair and blue eyes, his appearance alone was great, making him the perfect figurehead to prop up on a pedestal."
"A figurehead, you say...?"
"Yeah. For better or worse, he's a textbook spoiled rich boy. Butter him up a bit, and that's all it takes."
"I see. And where is this man now?"
Northernon assumed that this particular question would go unanswered, but—
"He's in the Jagus Principality."
An utterly unexpected answer was given.
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"Hmm. Just when I thought one mystery was solved, another one pops up," Jin grumbled.
"It seems the head of the Revolutionary Party was literally just a decorative figurehead."
"Yeah. Sounds like a hopeless ruler who's content as long as he's being pampered."
"Literally an ornamental puppet, indeed."
Jin and Deus Ex Machina exchanged exasperated glances.
"So he's just being flattered and indulging himself in the Jagus Principality?"
"Please wait a moment, My Lord. I shall look into it."
Laojun began investigating the place where Vladimir Hangazone Melkana was most likely to be within the Jagus Principality—namely, the royal capital.
"I have located an individual matching that description. He is on the fourth floor of the Royal Palace in the royal capital, Jagus."
"Is he under house arrest?"
"Yes. However, the man himself seems quite content with the arrangement. Or rather, he has taken a liking to this indolent lifestyle and appears to be saying that he wants to stay like this forever, since it is carefree and comfortable."
"Oh, boy..."
It reminded Jin of Liu Shan, the second emperor of Shu, who lived out his days contentedly after losing his country. Jin had enjoyed the Romance of the Three Kingdoms manga, so the historical anecdote came readily to mind.
"If that's the case, it seems fine to just leave him alone for now..."
"Yes, My Lord."
"Which means the real problem is that masked man, huh..."
"Most likely, he's the user... of the Brainwashing Magic."
Elsa's deduction aligned completely with Jin and the others.
"Then the real question is: where is he?"
That, however, was something even the "Big Three" did not seem to know.
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Meanwhile, at that very same moment, inside the Revolutionary Party headquarters.
Provisions looted from various regions had been stockpiled here, and part of the World Security Guard Pandor Continent Squad remained behind to haul them out.
At the same time, they were conducting a thorough investigation of the hideout's interior.
Directing the operation was the squad's vice-captain, Yumis Isle.
"Those sacks tear easily, so please handle them carefully, Arma."
"Understood."
Five of Deus Ex Machina's subordinate Arma golems were on site, assisting with the transport.
"Nothing of note on the ground floor, I take it."
The ground floor was where the villagers turned into agricultural slaves and the brainwashed underlings had lived. There was nothing left behind beyond a few meager personal belongings.
"Nothing of note on the first basement floor either."
There was nothing of any real value there.
"The second basement floor... Ugh..."
Yumis Isle grimaced.
More than half of this floor was occupied by the residential quarters of the non-brainwashed mid-level members.
Consequently, personal items were strewn about in complete disarray, including things a young woman would rather not lay eyes on.
"L-Let's move on to the third basement floor!"
"Understood."
Accompanying Yumis at the moment was Deus Ex Machina's Squire Rei, who should be more than capable of handling almost any situation.
Down on the third basement floor were the executives' private quarters and the command room.
"Vice-captain, I found treasure."
"Just as I thought..."
The executives had been quietly hoarding personal fortunes.
"Carry it all out. We'll return it to the people of this continent later."
"Understood."
Yumis Isle personally inspected the command room.
"No particular new discoveries here... Please carry out the documents along with the bookshelf."
Set against one of the walls stood a large bookshelf packed with various books and files.
For now, the plan was to transport everything back to Operations Headquarters for examination.
"...Oh?"
Once two of the Arma golems had hauled the bookshelf away, she noticed something unusual on the wall behind it.
"A hidden door?"
A faint seam etched into the stone made it appear as though an entrance was concealed right there.
"Still, without knowing how to open it, there's not much we can do. It'll be best to wait for a specialist."
If someone forced it open and triggered an irreversible disaster, it would be a catastrophe—such was Yumis Isle's calm, measured judgment.
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"They have uncovered an interesting location."
Aboard the Hurricane, Laojun, having learned of the hidden door found by Yumis Isle, immediately began probing the space beyond with a Peeper.
"How does it look, Laojun?"
After about a minute of silence, Jin prompted.
"Yes, My Lord. Beyond that hidden door lies a ruin of the Progenitors."
"I see. So that's what it was."
Undiscovered ruins left behind by the Progenitors were scattered across various regions.
It seemed likely that the Revolutionary Party had stumbled upon this one by sheer chance and repurposed it as their hideout.
"Does it look like anything the Progenitors left behind is still in there?"
However, matters did not prove quite so convenient.
"No, My Lord. It is almost entirely bare. It appears to be an abandoned ruin."
"That's a shame."
"However, there is a distinct possibility that whoever discovered this place before us carried something away."
"I see."
Jin couldn't help but wonder if that person might have been the masked man.