Ajax is in his room. A large man is positioned at the exit and another is positioned near the window. These two men are wearing some sort of violet, metal armour. It shines with an otherworldly sheen.

Their faces are covered by large helmets with vertical slits allowing them to see Ajax’s every action. He cannot see their faces or eyes however.

They appear to be knights.

One of them is holding a large iron war hammer with the heavy end on the ground; the hammer appears to be rusted somewhat... or perhaps that’s blood that hasn’t been cleaned.

The other is holding an unsheathed, long, double-edged sword, with the leaf-green hilt in his hands and the tip of the snow-white (possibly ivory) blade partially stabbing into the concrete floor.

Ajax can perceive their ferocity. Ajax dreads them. He is inferior to these men. They could cut him down before he could think.

They have... interfered with him already.

He sits still in his bed. His wrists are in a wooden brace to prevent the movement of his arms while his hands face the holy knights. His left hand is cut across the palm; it had stopped bleeding a while ago.

Ajax has been instructed to make sure that his hands are visible to them at all times.

He has been given the instruction that the moment he moves his hands in an abrupt motion, even to scratch his face, they will be severed.

Similar instructions have been given concerning his voice. Should he speak, his tongue would be cut out.

He doesn’t know what they are fearing he will do with his hands or his voice.

Do they believe he can do something against them even with his hands in a brace? Do they believe he will dissemble and trick them with a mere word?

What they had already done to him was... degrading and cruel.

Ajax was asked to take off his clothes so that these men could search him. He didn’t want to comply but he had... no choice. Not before their strength. He didn’t resist.

He was even... cavity searched. The utter humiliation of it. The cold metal of their armour against his body, their hands touching him. It felt disgusting.

Wasn’t he... wasn’t he supposed to be a hero? Is this how they treat their fucking heroes?

I’m... a prisoner...

He tries to hold his breath in order to minimize his movements and force himself to let go of his fear.

If a person holds their breath, their heart rate will slow and their mind will slow as a result. Perhaps Ajax can quiet his terror through such a method.

He can only hope.

Ajax recalls what happened to place him in this situation.

Andal told me about the war and how the demons had already killed millions... The fact that 300 others were also summoned... that’s absolutely mind boggling actually, did Oromasdes say anything about others being summoned... Then, Andal asked me how much experience in combat I had... when I said that I had none, that I was a student in school about to graduate... he started behaving oddly... He sent out the woman for some reason and asked me to touch his ring... He wanted something to happen but... it didn’t? The woman came back with... those two men...

The two men who sought obedience from Ajax, with consequence of injury and death for defiance. Then, they had carefully... and with some fear in their own hearts... searched him.

Even though it wasn’t their explicit intention, they violated him.

Andal ran out of the room while they were... searching me... I’m not going to see my sister again... am I... is this... is this where I die... no, no tears, not now. I can’t show these two pricks any fear. I can’t allow that. Fuck...

After searching Ajax, the men had taken a sample of blood by using a small knife to cut his left palm and collecting the trickling blood in an opaque glass vial. Then, one of them had taken his blood and left the room.

When that guy returned... he had some kind of clear, glass sphere with him. Like some kind of witch’s crystal. He also told his companion that I’m not... a demon... Oh, I guess that vial was for some kind of blood test to make sure I was really a human? Then, what was that glass sphere for? What even are demons?

The knight had brought over the glass sphere, placed it to Ajax’s left while he was still on the bed and ordered him to touch it.

Ajax had done so but... nothing had happened. Nothing at all.

These guys started to get really confused at that point, right? They made me touch it over and over again like they were supposed to be expecting something. Was it supposed to glow like that gold cube did? They said something like... this guy has no... no... something... no mana? The word for that in English is ‘mana’, which is like MP in video games, right? So... so magic is real here?

Ajax is sitting on the bed without his clothes on and nothing to cover himself. The men here wish to keep him in their sights and make sure that he doesn’t make any unsatisfactory actions.

They... they really seem fear me... wait... if they singled me out... then... then what about... what about Shaula? What have they done to her? Oh my god... what if they... shit... shit shit shit!!

About 12 minutes have passed since the two men entered Ajax’s room and searched him. Andal had left Ajax under their guard for now it seems.

Ajax continues to hold his breath. However, he isn’t calming down.

Normally when he holds his breath, his heart rate slows and some clarity and tranquility return to his mind. That might be too much to ask for here.

His mind is only racing faster and faster thinking about what the others in this place might be doing to Shaula.

Should I speak up? But... these two guys said... they said that they would cut out my... Can I even do anything for her? Can I even...

Ajax can’t make any hand motions. He can’t raise his hand to ask his captors to let him speak. He looks around the room for anything that might help.

He starts sweating profusely. He continues to hold his breath.

It proves useless because this isn’t simple anxiety. This is due to the cruelty these people would normally give to those on the side of the enemy.

But Ajax is not on the side of the enemy. Rather, he isn’t on anyone’s side yet.

He has to speak. If Shaula is getting... searched like he was, then...

Huh? How long have I been holding my breath now? Has to be at least two minutes, right? I don’t feel like I’m short of breath-- no, one thing at a time.

“Can you tell me where--”

“I thought we told you not to speak.”

The armoured man at the door speaks in an impassive tone. This is the man who had left the room with Ajax’s blood.

“Shaula, Shaula Seikennith, I just want to know that she’s--”

“Shaula... oh, your spy friend...”

This man had learned about Shaula when he went to test Ajax’s blood.

“So... she’s here? Wait, no! She’s not a spy, she’s not from Omicron either! Neither of us are!”

“Silence, you brat! I don’t know who you are, if you’re a spy for the demons or not but neither you nor her have the benediction of Sapiora!”

The other guard by the window erupts in anger.

“Is... is she being searched? Is something... is she being searched like you searched me?”

“Don’t you realize how much time has already passed? She must have already been searched.”

The man at the door answers. Ajax feels nausea. She was searched... like he was? Was she... she was already... assaulted?

“Would she... at least... have been searched by women?”

Ajax didn’t know how these people on Omicron treated women. He had to at least ask this much. The man at the window replies,

“We’re not the barbarians you demon sympathizer scum think we are. We have a few female holy knights in our company and they would be the ones to search female prisoners and spies. Although... they might be patrolling the area, in which case, the maid in her room might be given the responsibility. Nadir was her name, right Kinser? Or... perhaps Archbishop Andal or Cardinal Gratia waiting with her, might handle the search in their stead. What do you think?”

“Yeah, Creta, it’s most likely that the cardinal would have performed the task directly since that spy might have some unknown strength. A woman of the Enkel nobility like Nadir would not be fit to do a strip or cavity search, she’d likely refuse it... but, Cardinal Gratia isn’t someone who sticks to such traditions. His holiness would not have done something untoward, so fear not!”

The man named Kinser is speaking sarcastically towards Ajax in that last sentence. Whoever Cardinal Gratia is, he’s... capable of... defiling Shaula...

Ajax fell into despair. Shaula... was most likely... already...

“Didn’t we give him the warning that we would cut out his tongue? Kinser, you want to do the honours?”

Ajax’s feels his heart sink into the inferno. Ajax is in hell. He truly is in hell.

“It’s alright. He doesn’t have any magical capacity anyways, he wouldn’t be able to recite any incantations.”

“Still, don’t you think he should be disciplined? We were pretty clear with our orders to him. I mean he’s not even a hero, he’s a traitor to humanity. Are we really going to let a guy like this defy our authority?”

“sigh... fine... go ah--”

A woman opens the door and enters the room. It is the woman that Ajax woke up to, the beautiful blonde who took care of him. She has a slightly... joyous expression on her face.

“The spy woman died.”

...what? Wait, n--

“The divine protection test was administered but one of the supposed heroes didn’t qualify. The cardinal made the decision that it was a spy from the demon side who infiltrated the summoning area. He dispatched her!”

Stop. Don’t say it... don’t say anymore...

Ajax’s mind races and his heart beats faster and faster.

What does she... it couldn’t be... no... it couldn’t...

“By spy, y-you mean Sh--”

“Silence, you demon sympathizer vermin!”

The woman looked at Ajax with a look of purest revulsion. She hated him to his soul.

The woman who was with Ajax when he woke up in this world. The woman who cried in joy at his wellbeing and prayed before him.

The man named Creta asks the woman.

“It was that Shaula woman, right Vonis?”

“Yeah, we’ve been checking some of the other heroes and they all seem to have the protection so it’s most likely only her and this filth who infiltrated the summoning compound. The cardinal apparently got impatient and stabbed her in the chest for resisting. Honestly, just how stupid can you be as a spy to die like that? The cardinal refused to apply healing magic on scum like that so he let her die. Good riddance!”

No... no... not her too... no...

The air chilled slightly.