Chapter 146: Return
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 146: Return
After a period of desperate damage control by the announcer...
The Haunted Centurion Armor and the Red Ogre Warchief lost the public's favor due to their lack of a significant "kill count," and the riot subsided once the truth was hammered home: the monster-like Yoo Eon was, in fact, human.
Regardless, Bestiari matches frequently ended in ways the audience didn't want. Since there were safeguards in place—like mages intervening before anyone actually died—the whole thing ended as nothing more than a minor incident.
Only then did the people begin to leave the arena, coolly dissecting the battle they had just witnessed.
—I’m telling you, destruction beams actually shot out of his eyes!
—He devoured that Living Mail and then suddenly started using an Aura Blade. Whoa…
—I was rooting for that Black Knight from the very beginning.
—Liar. You were cheering your head off when the Black Knight’s arm got ripped off.
Thanks to the legendary monsters and an equally legendary challenger, the mysterious figure known as the "Black Knight" became the talk of the town.
—But didn't they say something when they introduced him at first?
—I don't really remember. I think they said he was from Calax.
* * *
"Ah. You're here."
After the battle, I reunited with Theodora and Lady Lymain in the arena's basement. I’d considered checking their reactions a few times while fighting, but once I stepped into the ring, I simply didn't have the time.
"Um... Aven? How is your body?"
"My body? It's perfectly fine."
"But... your right arm..."
"Oh, this."
I rotated my right shoulder in a circle to show her it was no big deal. My arm had been torn off, but I’d severed the nerves before I could feel any pain, so it didn't even hurt. In the end, the blood from the wound allowed me to trigger Bleeding Berserk, making the victory even easier.
"O-oh, I see."
"I told you. You don't need to worry."
I turned my head toward Lady Lymain, who was standing beside her, and saw a peculiar expression on her face.
"Lady Lymain?"
"Y-yes. I am glad to hear you are well. However, I am told that your opponents were the 'merchandise' intended for transport to Pariorit."
"Yes... I didn't know at first, but Theodora told me."
Lady Lymain let out a long, deep sigh and looked at Theodora.
"Hiek..."
Even though no hand was raised, Theodora flinched and started cowering preemptively.
"It's alright, Lady Lymain. Everything I 'ate' can be restored to its original state."
"S-see! I told you!"
As Theodora explained the plan, Lady Lymain looked at me with a skeptical expression.
"Those were specimens being sent to Pariorit for research purposes. There must be no margin for error."
"Yes, it really is fine. I can bring them out to show you right now."
"I saw you slice the Red Ogre Warchief in half at the end. Can even that be restored?"
Showing her would be better than just talking. If I could stitch together muscle fibers from different species, reattaching parts that originally belonged together was easy.
—Thud!
The massive corpse of the Red Ogre Warchief spilled out onto the basement floor of the arena. I had used the Haunted Centurion Armor's mana core once, but I’d controlled it to prevent any foreign mana from contaminating it, so it didn't really matter.
"What about the armor?"
"Ah, the armor... wait. The armor...?"
Come to think of it, it was armor. The Haunted Centurion Armor was a type of Living Mail—a monster controlled by a mana core using a suit of metal armor as its body.
"How... did I eat the armor...?"
"What's wrong, Aven?"
"No, it's just... my ability didn't originally include swallowing metal."
It wasn't entirely without precedent. I had consumed the Crystal Lizard scales that Iris gave me before. But those scales were something the Crystal Lizard had created after eating and absorbing minerals itself.
"How did this happen...?"
"Are you unable to bring the armor out?"
"No, that's not it."
For now, I brought the armor out. Since the mana core had been disconnected, the joints of the full plate armor were severed, and it fell apart into individual pieces. It was normal for the armor to fall apart once the mana core of a Haunted Centurion Armor died, anyway.
I had placed the mana core under a magical preservation process to ensure it wasn't completely dead.
"Whew. Anyway, if there's no problem with the merchandise, that is a relief. Though I'll have to check the condition myself at the Pariorit laboratory to be sure."
"Ahaha, yes. Please give Theodora a little praise this time."
"One way or another, Aven, it seems you must go to Pariorit after all."
"Ah. I suppose... that's true."
Since the transport was happening via my ability, I had to go there personally to spit out these corpses and mana cores.
That aside.
"Lady Lymain, how did you find the match?"
"The match?"
"Yes, since you watched my fight. As the performer, I can't let the audience's evaluation go unheard."
"Hmm."
Lady Lymain stroked her chin and nodded.
"It was... exhilarating."
Oh?
"D-don't misunderstand! It was a... quite a thrilling battle. I simply meant it was entertaining!"
"Ah, so that's what you meant."
"Right?! I told you Mom would like it!"
"You tomboyish girl. Even so, how could you treat your future partner like...!"
At Lady Lymain's words, Theodora began shouting back indignantly.
"That's because you told me not to get married, Mom!"
"When did I ever say such a thing? Really, there's a limit to such wild assumptions."
"What?! You did say it!"
"How could you interpret a suggestion to 'think it over' like that...! Who do you take after...!"
"Haa!!? Mom, speak clear—"
Bonk—
* * *
"There are still a few days left on the schedule, but the sooner the transport is done, the better. If a problem arises, we must discuss compensation, so let us head to Pariorit."
"Understood."
And so, we went straight to Pariorit, where the client's laboratory was located, via a Teleportation Gateway. If we had traveled by high-speed carriage, it would have taken about three weeks, but unfortunately, the "cargo" wasn't in a carriage—it was in my stomach.
Well, whether it was actually my "stomach" or not was unclear.
When we arrived at the lab, the director came out to greet us personally. The Chairwoman of the Lymain family—a major pillar of the Golden Glove Syndicate, which was supposed to transport the research monsters—had arrived. It was only natural for the director to appear in person.
We sat on the sofas in the director's office, exchanging pleasantries and greetings, before Lady Lymain got down to business. Since it was a bit awkward to explain, she simply said they had discovered a skill similar to subspace storage and had used it to bring the specimens as a test. The director's reaction was as follows:
"Hmm, it is hard to believe. However, we do have research samples of the Haunted Centurion Armor here. The same goes for the Red Ogre Warchief."
Since they had samples and other research records, they could verify if any contamination or changes had occurred. If my skill had caused any changes that rendered them unfit for research, we would likely have to pay a penalty.
"Then let us go verify immediately. Your name was... Explorer Aven, correct? If this is successful, it would be a tremendous boon."
"Ahaha, is that so?"
"Yes. Many people have acquired subspace skills before, but in most cases, they couldn't store organic matter, or the storage capacity was very small. Furthermore, they lacked a preservation function, and the contamination or deformation after exiting the subspace was often too severe for research purposes."
I listened to the director's various stories as we walked. I couldn't hear exactly what kind of research they were doing, but I thought I heard something about studying the circuits engraved on the monsters' bodies.
"Thank you for following me. I believe you can bring the corpses out right here in the center."
"Yes, understood."
Despite being an elderly man, his eyes sparkled with intense curiosity as I prepared to use my skill. It was almost burdensome. Around us were mages holding staffs or short wands, seemingly prepared to stabilize and inspect the corpses the moment they appeared.
"Here I go."
The director nodded, and the mages surrounding us in a circle followed suit.
—Thud!
—Clatter...!
On a clean, circular metal plate, I brought out the Haunted Centurion Armor's suit and mana core set, followed by the corpse of the Red Ogre Warchief.
The mages nearby looked flustered as the items squirmed out from my fingertips.
"Ho ho... that is... quite a peculiar way for them to emerge."
"Is it?"
"Yes, it is certainly different from any subspace skill I have seen before."
They swarmed around the corpses, casting various spells or lightly scratching the skin with knives to collect blood samples. After about ten minutes of busy movement...
"No problems with the Red Ogre Warchief's blood."
"The muscle fibers are in a normal state as well."
"The mana has dropped slightly, but it's within normal parameters. No signs of mutation or external contamination."
"In fact, I've never seen a corpse this fresh. It's perfectly usable for research."
"I see."
The Red Ogre Warchief passed. Now, all that remained was the Haunted Centurion Armor.
"T-this... it's almost as if it's still alive...!"
"The mana circuits are still intact; it could probably be revived just by injecting mana!"
"No deformation or decay at all. It's in peak condition."
This one passed as well, fortunately.
"Heh, see?"
"Yes. This was quite an impressive achievement."
Theodora's shoulders puffed up with pride, and she looked like she wouldn't let them down anytime soon.
"Explorer Aven, that is truly a magnificent skill. If you wouldn't mind, perhaps a transport contract with our laboratory..."
"Hmm."
The director approached me, lowering his posture and rubbing his hands together.
"You should speak with Chairwoman Lymain about that."
"Ah...! Y-yes! Of course..."
"Hmm? With me?"
"It might be difficult while I'm in the Labyrinth, but when I'm on the surface and have time, I'll help if I can."
"That is..."
Lady Lymain closed her eyes for a moment, tilted her head toward the ceiling, and let out a thoughtful "Hmm." I had received quite a lot from the Lymain mother and daughter. If I could be of help in this way, then why not?
"Thank you. I'll make sure you're well-compensated for what is essentially a simple side job of taking the Gateway a few times."
"Thank you."
* * *
Back through the Gateway to Roanmarie. I could have headed straight for Calax, but I had luggage left at the inn. More importantly, it would be a bit much to ask Ravi to come to Calax all by herself.
Ravi also brought Wispie, who had been lounging at the inn reading the newspaper. She held the wisp tightly in her hands.
"Lady Lymain, thank you for everything."
"No, it was nothing. I shall call on you occasionally. A verbal thank-you is meaningless to a merchant."
"Haha, have I become a merchant too, then?"
Lady Lymain nodded at my words.
"Yes, now that I think about it, Aven isn't a merchant. I suppose I should accept a son-in-law's gratitude."
"O-of course... haha."
In the distance, Ravi was tearfully saying goodbye to Ms. Alfi.
"Sister Alfi! I'll definitely come back to Roanmarie later!!"
"Yes, I will be waiting."
"And next time, I'll buy you some delicious goat skewers!"
"I look forward to it."
And so, the Roanmarie schedule came to an end. It was a return to Calax after twelve days.
Me, Theodora, and Ravi. The three of us stood atop the Gateway. Or four, if you counted Wispie.
—Activating the Teleportation Gateway! Please be mindful of dizziness!