Chapter 84: The Real Instructor, The Fake Instructor
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 84: The Real Instructor, The Fake Instructor
The last line written on the note was as follows:
‘When the supplies arrive, use them on yourself.’
He was the only one who could answer all the questions, but he was now sitting blankly, having lost himself. The only clue left was the supplies.
Tyr headed toward the golem tied up in the cafeteria.
The golem’s ankle was bound by a chain of shadow, as if it were a pet. When Tyrkanzyaka snapped her fingers, the shadow chain dissipated into smoke, as if it had never been there.
Tyr handed the speaker to the now-free golem. The golem, its speaker now loose from being torn off so many times, fitted it into its mouth and spoke weakly.
『…What can I do for you?』
“I have a question. It’s about the supplies.”
The golem’s body creaked with anger. It slowly looked up at Tyr, clenched its fists, and said.
『The supplies will arrive shortly. However.』
The signaller’s voice flowing from the microphone was filled with firm resolve.
『I will be the one to receive the supplies, but I will not be distributing them to Tantalus.』
To Tyr, who had been waiting for those very supplies, the words were a bolt from the blue.
“W-Why? Isn’t it your duty to hand the supplies over to us?”
『In the event that a trainee within Tantalus is uncooperative, I have the authority to delay or suspend the distribution of supplies. I am simply exercising the authority granted to me.』
“U-Uncooperative? When was I ever uncooperative?”
『Binding this unit and removing its speaker is a situation that even a child from an elementary citizen school would deem uncooperative.』
She had no rebuttal. Tyr had no intention of cooperating with the golem then, nor did she now.
“Such… a cowardly trick.”
『Without such authority, how could I possibly control a being as powerful as yourself?』
Tyr extended an arm. From the shadows, countless dark knights rose, beginning to pack the cafeteria.
Displaying a fraction of her dominion as the Progenitor who commanded a countless legion, the Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka threatened the golem.
“I am the Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka. The Queen of Shadow, the root of all vampires. The one who bears the name Kanzyaka, a monster that will swallow the world. Do you dare threaten me?”
But the golem merely scoffed.
『I am Captain Abbey, a Signaller of the Military State. A signaller receives no orders from anyone but High Command. Not even in the face of death.』
Words filled with an indomitable will. The golem spoke valiantly, as if it had no fear of death.
『If you have no need for the supplies, then destroy this unit. I will lose my eyes on Tantalus, but you will lose all supplies from this point forward.』
“You little…! A mere golem…!”
『Even if you were to destroy my actual body, I would not yield. For I am a signaller of the Military State!』
Tyr was the one in a hurry. Without the supplies, she couldn’t carry out his request.
To think that the Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka, a supreme being and the root of all vampires, had to back down from a threat made by a single golem.
It was a blow to her pride, but she had no choice.
Tyr was a vampire who needed nothing in life, but he was not.
“I will ask one thing. Are you certain the supplies are with you?”
『Affirmative. A moment ago, said supplies arrived here with an overseer. I am scheduled to receive them after the overseer has completed their environmental assessment. From that point on, the decision to distribute the supplies is entirely at my discretion! If you wish to receive them, you will cooperate with my instructions!』
“…Fine. How do you wish for me to cooperate?”
『First! Cease all hostile actions against this unit. Answer all questions I ask with the utmost sincerity. Periodically provide opportunities to observe the situation in Tantalus! In addition, there are 48 other detailed clauses…!』
It was then.
Pang!
The faint sound of something bursting in the air could be heard. It was a sound like snapping a thick, wide sheet of fabric.
Or, perhaps, like the sound of a parachute opening.
The golem and Tyr both stopped talking. For a moment, they stared at each other. Tyr opened a window and looked outside.
A supply crate was falling outside the window, suspended from a large parachute.
『…Huh?』
A dumbfounded voice came from the golem’s microphone. Immediately after, the sound of the crate hitting the concrete ground followed. It was, without a doubt, the sound of hope being shattered.
『Why? The supplies were sent without authorization?』
The upper hand had shifted. Tyr watched the parachute fall below and slowly closed the window. With a click, the latch caught, and the cafeteria once again became a sealed space.
In the completely dark room, only Tyr’s sinister voice echoed through the air.
“The supplies have arrived. What will you do now?”
『…』
The golem, speechless for a moment, chose the only option it had to escape the crisis: shamelessness.
『I-I, holding your cooperative attitude in high regard, have pre-approved the delivery of said supplies. Therefore, I hope that you will also abide by the terms we just agreed upon.』
“Agreed? Have we ever done anything resembling an agreement?”
But its voice lacked the confidence to be truly shameless, and the supplies had arrived too soon for it to cry that an agreement had been made.
In truth, it wouldn’t have worked no matter what it did.
“Are those your last words?”
『W-Wait a moment. There must be some mistake.』
“The mistake seems to be with you. Seeing as how sound is still coming from that useless mouth.”
『N-No… Mmph!』
A whip made of shadow coiled around the golem’s entire body. Bound by the whip tightening from all sides, the golem could only watch as Tyr exited the cafeteria.
Shei stood ten paces from where the supply crate had landed, staring at it.
The arrival of supplies itself wasn’t a problem. Although Tantalus was empty, a facility of this size would normally receive supplies several times a day.
And since he had already foretold it in the note, its eventual arrival was an expected fact.
But Shei was now on high alert, because she could feel an alien presence from within the supply crate.
Why on earth…
Why was there a person inside the crate?
“Has it arrived?”
“Yes. But something… is strange.”
Tyr, cloaked in darkness, flew down and landed beside Shei. Impatient, Tyr immediately moved to check the crate but was stopped by Shei.
“Wait, Tyrkanzyaka. There’s something inside.”
“…Hm? I know that as well. Isn’t it a box for putting things inside?”
“No, not a thing… a person.”
Just as Shei muttered this, the lid of the crate shifted, and a hard, sharp voice came from within.
“I was told there is a laborer assigned to Tantalus as maintenance staff. It should still be working hours, so why has no one come to receive the supplies?”
Clank, clank. The lock was released from inside the crate. When the lid of the supply crate opened, a woman dressed in the uniform of the Military State appeared.
Her starched uniform was without a single wrinkle, the shoulders were sharply creased, and two shining medals were pinned to her chest, clearly visible even over her uniform. It was as if she were proclaiming to everyone that she was an officer of the Military State.
She was the very model of an officer, a world apart from a certain suspicious instructor. The kind of person Shei would feel an instinctive revulsion toward…
Tucking her service cap under her arm, she looked around at everyone and spoke in a heavy voice.
“Tsk, the discipline of the Military State has grown lax. To think they wouldn’t even come out to receive supplies meant for them.”
A voice that was tiresome just to listen to. Hard, authoritarian, and formulaic, her words struck Shei’s ears.
Should I cut her down…
As Shei was seriously contemplating this, the officer put on her service cap with a crisp motion. Her bobbed hair, cut as sharp as a knife, formed a clean line. After adjusting her angle, she lifted her chin high and spoke.
“Greetings. I am Lieutenant Colonel Callis Kritz, assigned as the instructor of this Tantalus as of today. Effective immediately, I will be taking overall command of this facility. This is my report.”
“An instructor?”
“That is correct, trainee.”
A question arose.
It wouldn’t be strange for a facility the size of Tantalus to have two instructors.
But there were at most four trainees inside at present, and even that number could decrease depending on one’s judgment. The dismembered undying and the Dog King were ambiguous cases to be treated as people.
So why would two instructors be dispatched?
“Rest assured. I have no intention of harming any trainees. On the contrary, the ‘model’ trainees remaining here are potential future collaborators with the Military State. I am here to guide you all to a better path.”
Moreover, her attitude suggested she couldn’t care less about the previous instructor… If she was newly assigned, it would be normal to report to the existing person in charge first, regardless of rank.
A rising suspicion suppressed her vague hostility. As Shei quietly observed the situation, Tyr, paying no attention to the person, was using her shadows to rummage through the supply crate.
“More importantly, where are the supplies?”
Tyr searched for the supplies. A giant hand made of shadow flipped the entire crate over and shook it violently, but not even a speck of dust fell out, let alone any supplies.
Puzzled, Tyr soon sent a strange look toward Callis.
“Could it be that you are the supply…? Hmm. How should one use a person…?”
Perhaps even a machine-like officer of the Military State could feel her life was in danger. Callis, in a manner unbecoming of an officer, hastily searched her pockets.
“If you mean the supplies, you must be referring to this.”
Callis pulled a square paper packet from her inner pocket. With a flick of her thumb, she pushed the top, and the lid popped open to reveal thick, rolled cigars wrapped in paper.
“Mana herbs. A Level 3 luxury good. Tsk, a luxury that even an officer has trouble smoking without permission from above, yet they’re distributing it for a mere laborer… The military must be giving this place special treatment because it’s Tantalus. It’s just another place where people live, after all.”
Muttering in discontent, she handed the packet of mana herbs to a nearby shadow hand. The hand snatched the herbs and flew straight to Tyr.
Mana herbs were a psychotropic herb that relaxed the body and calmed the nerves. They had a slight mana recovery effect and were usually rolled in paper and used in the form of a cigar.
That must be the supply ‘he’ requested, Shei concluded.
He didn’t know if it would be enough to recover lost memories, but then again, who knew? Something might be hidden inside.
“Wait. More importantly. A laborer?”
Only then did Shei mutter, sensing something was off.
A laborer? What did she mean? The only person here who needed mana herbs was one highly untrustworthy instructor…
Highly untrustworthy…
Could it be?
“Yes. A laborer. Did no one know?”
Callis clicked her tongue and spoke.
She revealed the truth about him that Shei had been so curious about.
“Hughes. That man is a laborer assigned to Tantalus. He was arrested for illegal gambling in Amitengrad District 13-3 and sentenced to labor in Tantalus.”