EP.4 The Fuse -2
EP.4 The Fuse -2
The government agency's training facility housed a training system built to simulate a wide range of scenarios.
Infiltration, hostage rescue, escort, extermination—it could generate all sorts of situations.
"Three hostiles spotted in the northwest alley! Da-hye, move that way!"
"Roger!"
"Khan, hold out five more seconds, then pull out! I've got traps set on the right path, so don't forget—take the left when you come out!"
"Confirmed."
Three agents and their Companion Animals moved in a flurry of activity.
The enemies appearing were dummy dolls, and the escort target was a dummy as well, yet they approached the training as seriously as if it were a real operation. That was exactly the mindset of combat-specialist agents.
"They're cool..."
Their seamless teamwork was dazzling. Even in a desperate firefight, they anticipated one another without a word while sharing every development clearly.
Agent Khan used a shield the size of his own torso and a pistol to intercept projectiles, block enemy advances, and deny absolutely every attack aimed at the escort.
Agent Lee Da-hye used an assault rifle and a combat knife to swiftly eliminate hostiles, her outstanding marksmanship neutralizing threats and securing the escort's safety.
Finally, Agent Miria used a submachine gun and various traps to handle situations the other two couldn't cover, all while using her superb situational judgment to guide their coordination.
The three agents and their three Companion Animals displayed dazzling teamwork.
Watching it from the control room, I found myself genuinely impressed.
I was getting a real-time look at combat sequences from agents you couldn't see even if you paid for it.
"They look like they're fighting on pure instinct, but they're still prioritizing the escort's safety above all else while countering enemy attacks. That's remarkable."
A fight I could never even attempt.
If I'd been in there, I'd have been in the position of that dummy doll they were protecting.
"What do you think, Miho?"
"What are you referring to?"
"Those three agents training over there."
"It's presumptuous of me, but may I give you my honest opinion?"
"Yeah."
"Honestly, to me, it looks like child's play."
"Th...that does?"
A battle that fierce and flashy was a sight you couldn't see anywhere else...?
"If it were me, I would simply hide you with an illusion, dear husband, then manifest about a ton of rebar over the clustered enemies and drop it on them. That would be the end of it. No need to complicate things."
"That's a terrifying idea..."
But considering the abilities Miho possessed, that method was both logical and efficient.
"So personally, I don't think you need to be protected by them. As long as I stay by your side and guard you and Tia, the matter is settled."
She had a point.
Even borrowing just one of my Companion Animals' powers would end a situation without them having to struggle like that.
I had three cheat-level forces on my side. I could not imagine myself ever being in danger.
Even so, my own preference was to hide that strength if I could, so I planned to avoid borrowing the Divine Beasts' power whenever possible.
And if I did borrow it, I intended to use it only to a degree the people around me wouldn't notice.
"For now, don't reveal yourself unless I'm in genuinely serious danger, or unless I specifically ask for help."
"You could lean on me a little more..."
"Sorry. In return, if a situation comes up later where I do need to lean on you, I'll lean on you a ton."
"Alright! But you have to lean only on me, okay? Promise?"
"Y...yeah."
"Hehe♡"
I sure hoped the terrorists would attack in moderation...
If they pushed me far enough to call on Miho, they would meet an even more gruesome end.
My mind drifted back to that dawn when Miho had wiped out the terrorists.
Lumps of meat lined up in rows at Miho's feet.
I never wanted to witness such a brutal reminder of the ways a human could die again.
If it hadn't been for Miho's figure, beautiful in the moonlight, I probably would have vomited my guts out right then and there.
"Tia~!"
"Kkyoo?"
I had recalled a lethally toxic image, so now I needed healing.
Same word, healing, but a different meaning.
"Good girl, good girl. I'll pet you a whole bunch."
"Kkyoo-it~!"
Tia fluttered her wings in delight at being petted. She was cute no matter how many times I saw her.
Seeing Tia's adorable antics every day, I thought I'd now reached a point where I couldn't live without her.
"I'm so, so glad you're with me, Tia!"
"Kkyoo-it!!"
Among all my Companion Animals, Tia alone preserved my sanity...
Did Tia actually have some kind of mental-care ability, maybe?
"Now that I think about it, what is your ability, Tia?"
"Kkyoo?"
Once before, Tia had been about to show me, but we'd stopped because it felt like it might get frightening.
But now, no matter what ability Tia had, the fact that she was a cute baby dragon wouldn't change, so I figured it was about time to find out.
"Can you show me what ability you can use?"
"Kkyoo!"
She wanted to show me directly?
Mm...it should be fine, right?
"Alright, show me right here, Tia."
"Kkyoo-it!!"
The baby dragon was overjoyed that she finally had a chance to demonstrate her ability.
Her eyes gleaming, Tia brimmed with enthusiasm as she spread both wings wide and began gathering strength throughout her little body.
"Oh!"
It wasn't just Tia—I was getting excited too.
Every Divine Beast ability I had seen so far had been extraordinary.
Miho had limitless illusions and the power to manifest them into reality.
Yata had the ability to foresee infinite futures.
Both were Divine Beast-class powers that could affect the world.
So what would Tia's ability be?
What if it was a duplication ability? I'd love to be surrounded by cute baby dragons and bask in bliss.
Or maybe a non-violent ability? An ability that stops anyone from fighting didn't sound bad either.
Either way, I just hoped it would be an ability that suited Tia well.
"Kkyooo-it!!"
A moment later, Tia released her power-gathering stance and let out a single cry that sounded almost like a roar...and then she started beaming.
"Did that do it?"
"It's done?"
"Kkyoo-it!"
Tia affirmed my question, but nothing seemed particularly different. Just as I was growing puzzled, a gentle breeze began to blow inside the fully enclosed room.
"Oh? Don't tell me your ability is controlling the wind, Tia?"
"Kkyoo!"
A no? Then what?
"Dear husband, I'm going to secure a safety measure for a moment."
"Huh? Safety measure?"
"Yes, because things might get a little dangerous."
"Dangerous...? Miho, do you know what Tia's ability is?"
"I just realized. So if you'll excuse me for a moment..."
From out of nowhere, Miho produced a rope and bound herself and me together, pressing our bodies together as tightly as possible.
"Mi-Miho?!"
"For your safety, this was the only option. You'll understand why...in just a moment."
"I'll understand in a moment?"
Come to think of it, the wind seemed to be getting stronger.
What I had initially thought of as a gentle breeze was gradually intensifying into a strong wind.
"Wait...no way?"
"It seems you've caught on now."
The strong wind abruptly transformed into a storm, beginning to sweep away every object in the control room.
"Waaaah! Fuck! What the hell?! How do we stop this?!"
The storm showed no sign of stopping—its intensity only kept climbing.
"Kkyoo!"
Even inside that storm, Tia flew about freely, having the time of her life.
"Tia! Stop!! Stop that wind, now!!"
"Kkyoo?"
What did I mean, why?! Because—!!
But as if to announce that it was already too late, the storm even shattered the bulletproof glass separating the training ground from the control room and swept into the training area itself.
"I'm sorry!!"
***
"So, to summarize...while you were observing the agents' training from the control room, you grew curious about the dragon's ability and ordered her to use it...is that correct?"
"Yes."
"Impressive. Thanks to you, I've now been given a very clear demonstration of why we cannot allow the terrorists to take the dragon."
"I have no excuse..."
Fortunately, Tia had stopped before the storm could rage in earnest, so there were no casualties.
Even so, that didn't change the fact that the three agents had been caught up in a completely inexplicable accident.
"I'm sorry, truly sorry."
I bent at a full ninety degrees and apologized.
"It's fine. You said it wasn't intentional."
"Yeah! You didn't even know what power she had, right? In that case, I think it's completely understandable."
"Just please refrain from using abilities as much as possible."
The three agents forgave me.
I was so sorry and so grateful I didn't know what to do with myself.
"At any rate, this incident means the training facility will have to undergo repair work, so it'll be out of commission for a while."
Ugh!
"Well, a subordinate's fault is also their superior's fault, so I will take responsibility for this matter."
Director Edwiner looked my way and smiled faintly.
It pained me, but it seemed I'd just gained one more reason I couldn't refuse his orders.
"So, have you sufficiently grasped the dragon's ability?"
"Yes, I've definitely confirmed that."
Tia's ability, as I'd learned from Miho, was air manipulation.
Literally, every bit of air that was indispensable to living creatures—all of it fell under Tia's control.
Climate manipulation was a given, but she could also freely control atmospheric pressure, even the very air we breathed. A power that was both simple and terrifying.
It meant she could convert all the oxygen in our bodies into something like carbon or nitrogen, or use air pressure to burst every blood vessel and organ in a living being, killing them.
Even from just that, it was obvious that Tia's ability was the most destructive and lethal compared to my other two Companion Animals.
It felt almost like a hidden side concealed beneath her innocence.
"What a tremendous power. Just imagine what would have happened if the egg had fallen into the terrorists' hands."
If it had, the world might have met its doomsday.
"Thank you! Thank you so much...for abandoning me back then and getting the egg out of there!!"
Agent Da-hye, who had always seemed slightly lacking in common sense, must have truly grasped the dragon's danger now. She erased any lingering discontent with me and fervently expressed her gratitude.
...Well, after experiencing it firsthand just moments ago, she had every reason to.
"What do we do now? A being with such dangerous power absolutely cannot be taken by them, can it?"
"We need reinforcements. I believe we need more personnel to protect the dragon."
"Unfortunately, that's not possible."
"Why not?!"
"Calm yourself, Agent Da-hye. There's a reason we have no other choice."
According to the Director, if a large number of personnel were assigned to guard me, the government higher-ups would take issue with it and inevitably investigate me, thereby confirming the dragon's existence.
Once Tia's identity was confirmed, they would insist that the government take her into protective custody. If they succeeded, Tia and I would be forcibly separated.
Tia possessed immense power, but she had not yet fully matured.
In such an immature state, if she were forcibly separated from me, there was no telling how she might rampage.
It meant she might use her power to annihilate a government agency just to reunite with me.
"However, those thickheaded old fogeys will never listen to that danger, no matter how many times it's explained to them."
The highest council members' sole concern was factional power struggles. Even knowing it would ruin a government agency, they would press forward for the sake of that power.
"That's precisely why I had to push so hard, even unreasonably, to recruit you as my direct subordinate. If I hadn't placed you under my command, some other branch of the government would have tried to exploit you."
I had thought he cared only about profit, yet he had considered even that...
"In any case, you should assume there will be no reinforcements."
In conclusion, we had to fend off the terrorists trying to seize Tia with only these three agents.
"I'm truly sorry to be a superior who can offer you no help. I offer my sincere apology to you all."
Watching him bow in apology the same way I had a moment ago, only one thought came to mind.
This wasn't even his fault, so why did he have to apologize?
Maybe I wasn't alone in that thought; the other three agents were all looking at the Director with regret in their eyes.
Yet none of them opened their mouths.
After all, what the Director's words ultimately meant was that we had to fight with death on the line...
I hated this atmosphere.
'No choice, then.'
It looked like I would need Miho's help on this assignment after all.
When I thought that and glanced at Miho, she seemed to realize exactly why I was looking at her and answered with a bright smile.
"Understood! Dear husband."
The escort mission and the fighting would start tomorrow.
So that every single one of us could return here alive...
I intended to lay a single fuse.