Dark Moon
"Drink! Drink!"
"Bring more booze!"
"I want more meat."
"Where are the women?"
I clenched my fist.
I'd gone out of my way to book a first-class train cabin, and the seats behind me were deafening. Somehow, even though first class was supposed to be private rooms, the soundproofing was nonexistent.
I finally snapped and summoned a train attendant.
"You called for me, sir?"
A uniformed attendant bowed politely.
I pointed a thumb over my shoulder.
"Hahahaha! What the hell is that dance!"
"It's the latest craze out of Divine France! They say they offer it up at origin festivals."
"With a whore's dance like that? Comedy for the gods, is it? Fucking hilarious!"
The attendant's face stiffened at the voices pouring in from the rear cabin.
"You hear that? It's been like this for a while. Go make them shut up."
"…Sir, if you close the window, the noise should lessen considerably."
"Why should I close my window because of those assholes? The ones without manners aren't me — it's them."
The attendant still didn't move. Instead he let out a heavy sigh and bowed his head.
"My apologies, sir. The gentlemen currently occupying the rear cabin are members of the Pluto Gang. Please bear with the noise a little longer. I'm sure you understand that nothing good comes of picking a fight with a gang."
"I see. If you won't do it, I will."
"Pardon?"
I stretched a hand toward the wall. A magic circle etched itself across the surface.
Air Boom
BOOM!
I shattered the wall and stepped into the rear cabin. Seven rough-looking men mid-drink twisted their necks to stare at me.
"The fuck is this guy?"
"Looks like a hit, boss."
"Nah. Some brat-looking punk without a weapon? What kind of hit is that?"
"Well… we can just ask him. This is my specialty. Give me three minutes. Heh heh heh."
The underling beside the boss snatched a pistol off the table, aimed it at me, and pulled the trigger. The bullet flew toward my thigh — and bounced off.
"Huh? A barrier…?"
"Fuck! What are you doing! He's a mage! Kill him in one shot!!"
The gangsters shot up from their seats and opened fire.
Ting-ting-ting-ting-ting-ting!
The bullets couldn't pierce the barrier. It was a 5-Class barrier. Ordinary rounds wouldn't so much as scratch it. There seemed to be a few magic rounds mixed in, but even those lacked the power to break through.
Click-click.
The gangsters' faces went deathly pale the moment their magazines ran dry.
"Is the welcome over? My turn, then."
Air Boom
I fired off a rapid series of Air Booms with the power dialed down to the absolute minimum.
Pop! Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop!
The gangsters' limbs exploded. Arms and legs cartwheeled through the air like fireworks, spraying blood in every direction like a sprinkler system.
"AAAAAAARGH!"
Screams filled the cabin.
I walked forward. Thanks to the barrier, not a single drop of blood touched me.
Crunch.
I stepped on a corpse sprawled across the floor.
"You get burned at the stake."
The gangster's torso burst into flames. He screamed a horrible, animal scream.
"You… drown."
A massive water bubble sealed itself around another gangster's head. With no arms or legs left, he couldn't even thrash.
"You freeze to death."
I killed each of them a different way. Last remaining was the one who looked highest-ranking. The man slumped in his chair reeked of piss.
"M-Mage, sir. W-why are you doing this? D-did another gang put a contract on us?"
"Shut up. You were too loud. Haha."
A laugh slipped out of me before I could stop it.
Yeah. I knew.
The noise was just an excuse. I'd been irritated, and these gangsters had simply become convenient targets for me to take it out on.
"Thanks. You've improved my mood a little."
"You… crazy bastard…!!"
His voice was thick with terror. I flicked a finger and used telekinesis. His body rose into the air. I spun him like a top — nothing else, just spinning him.
"UAAAAAAAGH!"
The human top sprayed bodily fluids in every direction. It was a filthy sight. After about fifteen seconds, he stopped screaming.
I kept spinning him.
Crash! Bang!
The corridor erupted in noise, then the door burst open and armed troops poured in.
"Don't move— holy shit!"
"London Guard! Drop your weapons and surrender immediately!"
"HQ! Suspect is estimated to be at least a 3-Class mage or higher! We need backup!"
I tossed the gangster's corpse from midair onto the floor and cast a spell on the train window.
Air Boom
KRAAAASH!
I leapt out through the shattered window.
"Fire!!"
The London Guard opened up. Of course, none of it pierced my barrier.
Wrapping myself in telekinesis, I landed on the ground without difficulty. Wasteland. Nothing but hard rock greeted me.
Messing with the London Guard is a headache, unlike gangsters. I'll just walk to Neo London. About four hours should do it.
The train vanished into the distance in moments. Follow the tracks and I'd reach Neo London.
"Heh."
A laugh escaped me.
"Heheh."
It was disorienting. I didn't find anything particularly funny, yet the laughter kept coming.
"Heheh… heh heh heh… HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
I walked along the railway laughing like a madman.
I still didn't know why I was laughing. I just laughed.
How long had I been laughing?
In the distance, twelve bikes came roaring toward me. The riders gripping the handlebars wore end-of-the-world fashion. Local bandits, by the look of them.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
I kept laughing whether they came or not.
They braked in a line across my path.
"Either a real lunatic or a guy pretending to be one. Doesn't matter which — once you've crossed us, you're finished. We'll strip you of everything you own, then sell you off as a slave."
The mohawk in green sunglasses spoke. He had presence. Their boss, clearly.
Whoooooosh.
My Mana Load activated.
That precursor sensation of the air going weightless — it always felt good, no matter how many times I experienced it.
"Hhk! Fucking shit! Th-this is…!"
The boss recoiled in horror. He'd felt the precursor. At minimum a 3-Class mana awakener, then.
"This goddamn feeling of every hair on my body standing on end…! He's a lightning-type mage of 5-Class or higher! Run!!!"
The boss bellowed.
Too late.
No matter how hard they floored the accelerator, there was no escaping my eyes in this wasteland.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Thunderbolt
A colossal bolt of lightning crashed down from the clear sky. The boss and several bandits were swallowed by the strike. A massive crater scarred the ground, residual lightning still crackling across it.
Thunderbolt
KRAAAAAAAAAASH!
Another bolt hammered into the wasteland. Its force surpassed a cruise missile striking earth.
Thunderbolt
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
I kept laughing as I fired Thunderbolt after Thunderbolt, driving lightning into the heads of the fleeing bandits. A clean, exhilarating rush punched straight through my chest.
After six consecutive Thunderbolts, I collapsed onto my back. I'd burned through every last drop of mana. Exhaustion left me barely able to move. My overworked Mana Load burned in protest.
"Fuck. My body's dying, but my mood is perfect!"
The emptiness that had dogged me every day since then was gone — for now. Of course, by tomorrow it would come crawling back.
"Ah, I want to have sex!!"
One week earlier, upon arriving in Neo London, the first thing I did was find a place to live.
Neo London was divided into districts — A through Z, twenty-six in total. The closer to District A, the wealthier; the closer to District Z, the poorer.
I bought a house in District S.
District S was where the middle class and lower class coexisted — the bottom of the middle class, the top of the lower class.
It was a shabby two-story house with a basement. The previous owner claimed the building was only twenty years old; to my eye it was at least thirty-five. The price was 48 million credits. It took most of what I had.
I'll set up a workshop in the basement. Somewhere with at least minimal security is ideal. No gangs nearby, so it should be quiet.
I'd stretched myself thin buying in District S partly because I wanted to focus on the workshop.
The problem was that after repairs, appliances, and furniture, I had only 700,000 credits left.
Naturally, a mage's workshop required magical materials and tools — and those were obscenely expensive.
Fuck. I'm short on money. Money. The renovations ate so much that I only managed to furnish the bedroom. Magical research needs money. Starting a business needs money. Money. Money…. Should I rob a bank?
I immediately shook my head.
This was Neo London.
Plenty of people here were stronger than me. Even if I covered my face with an infinite mask, magic or superpowers would expose my identity in no time. Bank robbery was insanity.
And living a normal working life like everyone else wouldn't earn me real money either.
A few methods come to mind… but I'll need to think them through.
I stepped outside.
I'd been taking a daily walk — partly to learn Neo London's geography, partly to clear my head.
The cityscape of Neo London was alien. Leave the residential area for the commercial district and glittering neon signs blazed everywhere. Airships drifted across the gloomy sky, and wall-mounted displays endlessly looped advertisements that made no sense.
The truly absurd part was the carriages running Neo London's roads.
In a city supposedly the most technologically advanced in the world, people rode horse-drawn carriages instead of cars. Granted, the carriages had a futuristic look to them.
To drive an automobile in Neo London, you needed separate permission from city hall.
Citizens dressed like the early nineteenth century. Men wore gentleman's suits; women wore dresses. That was the baseline.
…I already knew this from the original source material, but seeing it in person is overwhelming.
And butlers and maids were a common sight on the streets.
Cat-eared butlers and elf-eared maids strolled around as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Most of them were armed. I spotted a butler with a cannon strapped to his back and a maid with a sword at her hip.
In Neo London, butlers and maids were premium personnel. Their base salary started at over 300,000 credits. There were even dedicated certifications. Elite butlers and maids commanded a base salary of at least one million credits.
"Papers! Latest edition, just out today!"
A boy in a newsboy cap worked the street. Newspapers. An anachronism in an age of advanced internet — yet they sold like hotcakes. Neo London's citizens apparently considered reading a paper newspaper a mark of refinement.
"Hey, cool mister. Need a paper?"
"No."
My flat refusal sent the newsboy scrambling away in a panic.
After the newsboy came a flower girl. A pretty little thing in a dress, offering blooms to passersby.
"Mister. Need a rose?"
I nodded.
"As it happens, I was just craving the scent of a rose. One, please."
"Thank you, handsome mister!"
I paid with my smartwatch.
Neo London — where cutting-edge technology coexisted with stuffy old culture — had a certain charm to it. Especially Big Ben, visible far off at the city's heart. A Big Ben of steel, glittering with holograms and neon. Across its face, the words Neo London stood out sharp and clear.
I was strolling and sightseeing when I spotted a woman and stopped short.
A maid had caught my eye.
She was a silver-haired maid pulling a black suitcase, a black umbrella in her other hand. Her beauty was so striking it drew every gaze on the street. A knife was sheathed at her apron.
The moment I saw her, a sense of familiarity hit me. I couldn't look away.
Our eyes met. She smiled faintly and started toward me. I, as if under a spell, walked toward her as well.
"Hello, Master. Might you be in need of a maid?"