Since the "Curse-Bound" Leonardo had already exposed the issue, letting doubt and fear spread would only make things worse. It was better to face it head-on.
Germain immediately woke up Shizuku.
"Mm... What is it? Is it morning already?"
She rubbed the corners of her eyes, dazed like a baby waking up, and lazily put on her thick black-rimmed glasses.
Germain called everyone together. They all gathered around the campfire, and no one was allowed to leave.
Leonardo's cold voice cut through the air again.
"Since when do we need your permission just to decide where to stay?"
"You've noticed something's wrong too, haven't you?" Germain's dark eyes under his pointed hat locked with Leonardo's.
"If you want to figure out what's going on, then listen to me for now. If my way doesn't work, we'll try yours."
Under Germain's steady gaze, Leonardo backed down. He said nothing and sat by the fire.
The others, sensing the gravity of the situation, gathered with serious expressions.
"No one stays on watch nearby?" came the strange, echoing voice of the Crusader, Reynard, from inside his helmet.
"No need," Germain answered firmly. "Everyone sit. We're all here now. Let's figure this out first."
Everyone sat in silence, eyes on Germain.
"My 'Teleport Lantern' is the only way to travel between the ancient ruins and this rainforest. And I can only bring three people at a time."
"Back in that recent meeting, we all agreed: each squad should have four members. No more."
"But when I noticed something was off, there were already seven of us. And just now, we became eight."
"In other words, four imposters have slipped into our group."
Everyone's expression changed at once.
"The reason we didn't notice something this obvious is likely because of the strange effects of this area—just like what happened in the Steep Mountain Range."
"The death of 'Twin-Tailed Snake: Hell Bell' only triggered the condition. If we don't identify the intruders soon, their numbers may grow."
"And when the time comes, they might suddenly attack—kill one or two of us. That'll trigger suspicion, infighting, and eventually lead to chaos and slaughter."
"That's probably what happened to the monsters we saw in daylight—those creatures tearing each other apart. They were once a team... just like us."
Everyone understood what Germain meant. At first, they were shocked, then nervously looked around at their companions.
Germain's sharp eyes scanned each of their faces, but he didn't spot anyone showing a strange expression.
"Now, look closely at the people around you. Really look. Is there anyone here you don't recognize?"
The group looked at each other again. After a while, one by one, they all slowly shook their heads.
Germain wasn't surprised by this. He calmly thought for a moment and gradually began to understand what must have happened to the Federation of Ochima's exploration team all those years ago.
Only 11 people survived, and 99% died before even reaching the swamp. That means the Federation of Ochima team must've had at least 1,100 members.
In a huge, chaotic group of over 1,100 people, if the enemy managed to infiltrate like they had, the number of infiltrators might've suddenly jumped to two or three thousand.
With such a massive team, once they realized there were enemies among them, suspicion would've spread quickly. Then more and more people would've ended up dead or wounded.
Their nerves stretched to the limit… and eventually, their sanity snapped.
Germain understood now was not the time for reason or calm explanations. This wasn't a peaceful or logical human world. He had to eliminate any sign of unrest right away.
He conjured a butcher's cleaver. With a sharp crack, the weapon twisted into shape. Then he slammed it into a piece of firewood in front of him — hard enough to stick in, but not enough to split it.
His voice turned cold and grim, and he tilted his triangular hat downward, hiding his eyes and face from the others.
"The 'Teleportation Lantern' is the only thing that guarantees we can all return. Since I'm the one holding it, that proves I'm the real one here. Anyone have a problem with that?"
It was the first time Germain had ever turned his Malicious intent on his own teammates. Only now could they truly feel the weight of that pressure.
Everyone sensed the atmosphere shift drastically. But the harsh reality left no room for kindness or doubt.
After some serious thought, no one spoke up to question whether Germain was real or not.
"Now, I'll be the one to judge — who is real, and who is fake," Germain continued coldly. "Does anyone have an objection to that?"
"What if you judge wrong?" Hart, the "Barbarian Warrior," rested her hands on her long-handled blade, her voice slightly annoyed.
"I'll give reasons that are convincing enough," Germain replied.
"No matter what, I'm ready to act with the belief that I'm the only real one here, and the rest of you are fakes. If I do make a mistake… I'll spend the rest of my life making up for it."
Hart muttered under her breath, "They're already dead... what's the point of atonement now…"
"Alright, alright!" Reynard, the "Crusader," clapped his hands with a dull thud, his gloves muffling the sound. He didn't seem as cheerful or open as usual.
"Germain did it to flush out the enemy. Before we came here, we all knew we might die. If it's to protect a comrade, I'd accept being wrongly killed without hesitation."
Hart stared at Reynard for a moment, then said, "Don't be so eager to act like the nice guy. I haven't even decided if you're real or not."
Reynard was at a loss for words. He coughed awkwardly and fell silent.
"Oh!" Bisky suddenly let out a sharp gasp and began digging through her belongings. "I know how to figure it out!"
She pulled out a camera and held it up for everyone to see. "The intruder probably messed with our perception, but photos never lie."
"I always take pictures of the Dark Continent's landscapes—and sometimes of you guys too. Anyone who doesn't show up in the photos? They're the most suspicious."
"But…" After a long silence, the "Cursed One," Leonardo, finally spoke. He stared hard at Bisky. "How can we be sure your photos are real?"
"What if you're one of the enemies and can alter the photos? Then you could decide who's suspicious and who isn't."
Bisky's hand holding the camera paused in mid-air. She snapped back, a little flustered. "You all know what my Nen ability is, don't you?"
"Not so sure anymore," Leonardo replied coldly. "If the enemy can alter our perception, they might have messed with our knowledge of Nen too."
"I'll summon Cookie for you to see, is that enough proof?"
"There are still three 'companions' on the enemy's side, right? Even if your ability isn't fake, theirs could be. That'd be enough to cover it up…"
"So you've already decided I'm the fake one, huh? Have you forgotten the side effects of your ability? We've always had to help you clean up the mess. If it weren't for Reynard and me, you'd have blown up the whole team like a bomb by now!"
"But you…"
Seeing that Leonardo and Bisky were about to explode into a full-on argument, Germain quickly stepped in and pulled out his phone.
"I've got some pictures saved on here too. Let's take a look first."
********
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