I decided to sneak out of school and see what this so-called base camp looked like. Arthur suggested that he go first and send me his GPS location so I could follow after. Given how tight security was around the school, sneaking out together wouldn’t be ideal.
I just nodded.
When I finally arrived at the location… I could barely hide my disappointment.
What the hell is this place?
A junkyard. A literal pile of garbage.
“Ah… Boss! You finally made it!”
I looked up to see Arthur waving at me from the top of a heap of scrap metal. Is he alone? Usually, he’s surrounded by his group of troublemakers, yet now it was just him.
I approached him.
“This is what you call a base camp? A dumpster?”
“Whoa, whoa—Boss, don’t get mad! This isn’t our actual base camp.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Then why the hell did you send me GPS coordinates here?!”
Arthur grinned sheepishly. “Well, the entrance is here.”
I crossed my arms. “You literally just said this isn’t your base camp.”
“Yeah, because this is.”
Before I could ask what he meant, a deep rumbling sound echoed through the junkyard.
Right before my eyes, the massive mountain of garbage split in half, revealing a hidden metal hatch rising from the ground. The heavy steel doors groaned as they opened, revealing what looked like an elevator.
What the—? How the hell did these delinquents manage to build this?!
“Come on, hurry up before someone sees!” Arthur grabbed my wrist and dragged me inside.
Sure enough, the box was an elevator. But not just any elevator—this thing looked high-tech as hell.
I glanced around, my mind racing.
Did I die again and reincarnate into a steampunk world without realizing it?
I mean, wasn’t this world supposed to be a normal one—just with a few historical alterations?
I frowned, my thoughts spiraling. Was I mistaken this whole time?
The elevator continued to descend, the hum of machinery filling the enclosed space. This ride was taking longer than expected, which only fueled my growing unease.
I glanced at Arthur, who seemed completely at ease.
"Say, Arthur…" I finally spoke, keeping my voice steady. "Who made this?"
He tilted his head, thinking.
"Some special individual that Iris found… What was his name again? I kinda forgot." He scratched his cheek. "But I heard he’s super smart."
Special individual?
I looked down at my own hand, slowly clenching and unclenching my fist.
I should have realized it earlier. There’s no way it was just Iris and me. There had to be others out there. People like us. But even then, it had never crossed my mind to gather them—let alone build something this elaborate.
I took a deep breath. "Was Iris gathering a lot of these ‘special individuals’?"
Arthur grinned. "Right now, there are only five, including Iris."
Five…?
"And why exactly is she gathering them?" I asked, my suspicion growing.
Arthur blinked at me, his expression blank for a second before he tilted his head with an innocent smile.
"Isn't that your instruction, Aneki?"I grabbed my forehead upon hearing that… This is giving me a headache.
Sigh…
As I exhaled, the elevator finally came to a stop, and with a soft chime, the doors slid open.
What lay beyond was… not what I expected.
A grand throne room.
Massive pillars lined the sides, stretching up to an arched ceiling adorned with intricate golden engravings. The floor was polished to perfection, reflecting the dim glow of elegant chandeliers. And at the very center of it all—elevated on a platform—was a throne.
And standing right beside it…
A little girl.
One I hadn't seen in quite a while.
"Welcome, my Lady, to our headquarters."
Her voice was calm, composed—carrying an air of authority that shouldn’t belong to someone her age.
Iris.
The same girl I met a few years back.
I narrowed my eyes. My Lady?