Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary! Chapter 715: Anomaly Hearing [2]

"First docket of the day."

A voice rang out from beside the platform. A thin man with glasses stood at a podium below the bench, a stack of files resting in his arms as he read from the one on top.

"Case number, VILE - 1122. Designation, the Listening Set. Current classification, Sigil. A petition has been filed by the Silver Lantern Guild for reevaluation."

’Silver Lantern?’

I glanced at the table beneath the platform, where the group with the unfamiliar emblems sat. One of them, a middle-aged man in a navy suit, rose from his seat and bowed toward the bench.

Beside me, Geneva leaned in slightly, her voice just enough for me to hear.

"It seems like they want to drive up the anomaly’s value in order to profit from it. There are always people like this, so it’s not really surprising. This one isn’t even about compensation, but likely because they plan on selling it."

"...Oh."

I gave a small nod, my eyes moving across the platform. I knew that most anomalous objects, such as the one in this case, could be sold to other Guilds if they turned out to be useful. Their classification also mattered when it came to the price.

"Bring it in."

Magnus Hale’s voice carried through the entire hall. Despite it being low, it almost felt as though it thundered across my mind.

A section of the floor beside the circular platform slid open, and from below, four figures in dark, heavy uniforms rose along with a sealed metal case. Without a word, they carried it up the platform, placed it down in the center, and unlocked it.

The moment they stepped back beyond the pillars, a low hum filled the air. Faint light ran along the metal, and a transparent layer flickered into place between the pillars.

’A cage? Right, that makes sense...’

The case opened on its own, its walls folding down flat.

And sitting there, in the middle of the Grand Gallery, under the gaze of hundreds...

Was a radio.

It was an old wooden box, its dial was cracked, and its speaker was covered in a thin layer of dust.

"...That’s it?"

"That’s the anomaly?"

Whispers rippled through the benches, only to die instantly as Guild Master Hale’s gaze swept the room once.

The man from the Silver Lantern Guild cleared his throat before speaking.

"Esteemed Bench. The Listening Set was recovered eleven weeks ago from a residential building on Harmia Island, following a noise complaint. Since its recovery, our Guild has confirmed the presence of thirty-one distinct voices transmitting from the device."

He paused.

"All thirty-one have been matched to standing missing person reports. Across Harmia, Sirmia... and Malovia."

Malovia?

My ears perked up.

’It’s been a while since I’ve gone back. I wonder when I’ll be able to get back...’

In the midst of my thoughts, I felt a few gazes flick toward our section, but I kept my eyes forward.

"The Silver Lantern Guild requests permission to demonstrate."

The old woman on the bench gave a slow nod.

"The Bench will allow it."

The man stepped toward the pillars, stopping right at a white line drawn onto the floor. Then, facing the radio, he spoke clearly.

"State your name."

Static crackled from the old speaker. It was harsh and uneven. Then, through the noise, a woman’s voice bled out.

"Mara... Mara Ellis. Please, I don’t know where—Hieeeek! Hieeeeeek!"

A heart-wrenching scream reverberated across the entire hall.

"No! No! No!"

Each scream was louder than the last, as if trying to claw directly at my soul. It was disturbing, until...

The static cut her off.

The hall had gone completely silent. Even the reporters in the corner had stopped moving, their pens frozen above their notepads.

The man stepped back from the line, and just as he opened his mouth to continue—

The radio spoke on its own.

"Sister... where are you?"

It was a child’s voice this time, the sound bouncing off every wall of the room.

The man from Silver Lantern stood there, his lips pressed thin, before he quietly returned to his seat. Somewhere behind me, I heard someone exhale shakily.

’...I see. So this radio seems to be able to transmit the emotions into whoever is listening.’

My eyes drifted toward Geneva. Her expression hadn’t changed, but her hands, resting on her lap, had curled slightly. I had a feeling the reason for it was not because of the radio, but because it reminded her little brother.

"The Bureau may respond."

At the clerk’s words, a woman in gray rose from the opposite table, adjusting her glasses.

"The Bureau does not dispute the recordings. However, we remind the Bench that not a single body has been recovered. As far as we’re aware, the radio could just be a medium that shares records of incidents that have occurred in the past. Nothing about the radio suggests that it was responsible for the thirty one victims. The Bureau’s assessment stands at Elcid."

"Elcid?"

"Well, it makes sense. I did feel something, but it wasn’t really anything crazy."

"I agree."

The murmurs around us continued. I listened in without making much noise myself.

The Silver Lantern representative shot up from his seat.

"Permission to rebut. Three days ago, one of the voices referenced the collapse of the Verne Bridge in Sines. An event that occurred two days prior These.. are not just recordings from the past, but from the future. Imagine what will happen if we hear the voices in advance and prepare for what is to come? This is by no means a simple item; it’s—"

"Which is precisely the classification you’re after, isn’t it?"

The voice came from the bench.

The old woman was looking down at the file in front of her, flipping a page with a wrinkled hand.

"The recovery occurred eleven weeks ago. Your petition reached this building eight days ago. For a Guild so concerned with the lives of thirty-one people, you certainly took your time."

"We... were gathering evidence, esteemed Bench."

"Gathering evidence?"

She repeated the words flatly before looking up.

"You state that the voices reflect the future, but if that’s the case, why haven’t you been able to save any of the people that you heard inside of the radio?"

The man’s jaw tightened.

"It’s not exactly easy to... determine the location of the victim and what is happening. We’ve also only just found out about this feature."

"...Is that so?"

"Yes, yes it is."

Silence.

The man had more to say, but after opening his mouth, he closed it and slowly sat back down without saying anything else.

’Both sides get cut down, huh.’

The Guild wanted a higher verdict for the price increase. The Bureau wanted to maintain the classification to save face...

’This is really a mess.’

Then, for the first time since the case began, Magnus Hale spoke.

"Bureau."

The woman in gray straightened.

"The device was logged eleven weeks ago. A field office on Harmia received it and filed it as Sigil. Correct?"

"...Correct, your Bench."

"Of the thirty-one missing, how many disappeared after those voices were heard?"

The woman hesitated. Her eyes dropped to her documents, though it was clear she already knew the answer.

"...Nineteen."

The hall erupted.

"Nineteen?!"

"Are you saying that nineteen of the thirty-one voices belong to people who eventually disappeared?"

The gavel came down once, and the noise died as quickly as it had risen. Hale hadn’t even raised his voice. He simply sat there, elbows on the bench, staring down at the radio in the center of the room.

The radio sat there quietly.

As if it was listening.

"This Bench finds as follows."

Everyone straightened.

"Thirty-one individual voices have been confirmed to be present in the box. Of those, nineteen appear to be voices that were heard before the incidents even occurred. Nevertheless, since the radio poses no real threat, and the amount of information that can be gathered from the box is difficult to determine, the classification of VILE-1122 is to remain as..."

A pause.

"Sigil."

Bang!

The gavel fell.

The reaction was immediate. Reporters scribbled furiously, and the Silver Lantern table turned grim, one of the younger members covering their face in frustration.

The gavel struck again, killing the celebration on the spot.

"Disposition. The Listening Set will remain under the Jurisdiction of the Silver Lantern Guild, unless they wish to transfer the rights to other Guilds or individuals. Priority investigation into the whereabouts of the thirty-one will be transferred to international authority."

Hale’s gaze then shifted, landing squarely on the Silver Lantern table.

"Furthermore. The Silver Lantern Guild’s eleven-week delay in reporting a suspected mass abduction will be referred to the Bureau for review. As will the Harmia field office’s original filing. This Bench expects both findings on its desk by the next session."

The atmosphere turned even grimmer for those from the Silver Lantern Guild.

"...The nineteen who vanished on your watch have names. I suggest both parties learn them before we meet again."

"Verdict rendered. Take it away."

The four figures in dark uniforms climbed the platform once more, sealing the radio back into its case. As they carried it down and made their way along the side of the hall, the case passed directly by our section.

A short burst of static escaped through the seal.

Just one.

Then, silence.

Until—

"BANG!"

A loud strike echoed from within the radio, causing everyone to pause.

The workers all stopped working, attention shifting to the radio as it continued to crackle.

And eventually—

"BANG! BANG!"

The sound of something smacking down echoed twice more, followed immediately by a deep voice.

"I hereby declare you... Guilty!"

"BANG!"

The entire room flinched.