The Mine, Red Ginseng Candy, and Heavenly Demon Hitler (5)
“Haaah!”
Heavenly Demon Gamma Ray Burst. Before that overwhelming destructive power, my body had been reduced to dust and the world itself had ended.
Or so I thought—until I saw the face of the male researcher I had met in the mine.
I checked. The Watchman soul whatever-it-was I had been holding now had the talisman stuck back on it. From the looks of things, the researcher had reattached it.
“How long has it been?”
I had fought for what felt like ages, yet it barely registered. It felt like I had just woken from a dream.
“Only a few seconds have passed. Are you all right?”
“No problem.”
Ah, shit. I had been spouting off about stopping the catastrophe all by myself and then immediately collapsed. Embarrassing as hell.
I stood up coolly, as if nothing had happened. Just in case, I fired off a radar pulse. Sure enough.
“The Order Maintenance Force is coming.”
And not just a few—they were blanketing the entire mine.
Dealing with that yokai that had manifested Heavenly Demon Hitler—whatever porn-related name it had—could wait. I wrapped the talisman-patched object carefully in a cloth bundle and stowed it away.
I scanned the surroundings for anything else worth taking. A golden sword gleaming in the light caught my eye. It was old and blunt, but still looked damn cool.
“What’s that?”
“The Sword of the Ancient Hero, discovered deep beneath the mine. It can restrain a Watchman’s soul for extended periods. The sealing talisman was made by transferring the mana dwelling in that blade.”
Probably at least a legendary-grade item. I decided to take it.
“Only a hero can wield it. You can lift it, but you cannot grasp the hilt.”
“Doesn’t matter. Carry this and follow me.”
“Yes.”
I ignored the researcher’s additional explanation and ordered Bianca to take it.
“Stay close behind me.”
There were about thirty children held captive in the lab. Adding Bianca and this researcher made thirty-two people total that I had to escort safely out of the narrow caves.
No comrades to help me like usual. Maybe I should have contacted Tribo right away with this necklace. No—the mine was a long way from home. Odds were he wouldn’t make it before the situation was over.
Fine. Let’s do this. Prioritize protecting the kids.
“There they are!”
Soldiers in brown armor came pouring in, armed with spears, shields, and bows. They looked like veterans—no frantic rushing, just forming ranks and advancing steadily.
“What happened to Lord Joseph Mangrove? Answer me!”
The lead soldier bellowed. Looking closer, I recognized the scarred face—the same man I had seen at Amelia’s house.
I had personally witnessed the horrific crimes the Order Maintenance Force had committed in collusion with the Magic Tower. Investigating their connection to Amelia was now mandatory. An “interview” would be necessary later.
“What should we do?”
Bianca raised the club she had looted from the lab. Her eyes no longer held the fear I had first seen. These were the eyes of someone ready to die. Meeting her little sister again must have given her courage.
“Protect the children above all else.”
I answered, then raised my voice to give the scarred man the reply he wanted.
“I smashed that old bastard’s skull in. He was bawling for red ginseng candy and his mommy right to the end. You’re next.”
“You insane bastard! Kill him!”
Boring, predictable reaction. But when they died, they would thrash like frogs under a boot—that would be more entertaining.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
I swung both swords like a ninja, batting aside the flying arrows as I advanced. Steel met steel, scattering tiny sparks. With the children behind me, dodging or retreating was not an option.
A narrow space actually worked in my favor.
Starburst Scream
I swung both blades mercilessly, carving through the Order Maintenance Force shield and all. The skill name was slightly different, so it probably wouldn’t trigger any copyright claims.
“Aaaargh!”
I slashed diagonally downward through the body of the scarred man who had somehow slipped to the rear. Aged tomato juice sprayed everywhere, painting red toppings across the brown armor.
“N-no!”
“Fuck!”
A few who realized they couldn’t win tossed aside spears and shields and started running. Perfect. Fear would spread like wildfire and shatter their formation. All I had to do was chase them down and kill every last one.
Only after I had wiped out every single attacker did I look back.
“H-how could this…”
Bianca was trembling as she cradled the researcher lying on the ground. An arrow was buried in his chest.
“A-a stray arrow… he was trying to protect the children and…”
Bianca had tried her best to stop the bleeding, but far too much blood had already poured out, and the color was dark and thick.
“Researcher.”
I approached the man whose life was ebbing away. I had been debating how to deal with him, but the situation had slipped beyond my control.
His lips twitched as he muttered.
“Even a… guy like me…”
I leaned in to catch his final words.
“No matter how much of a piece of trash someone is… as an adult, don’t we at least have the right to save a few kids…? Right…?”
So that had been his motive.
“What’s your name?”
“Sam… Stanfield…”
With that, the researcher’s breathing stopped. I turned to face the children.
“Remember this man’s name.”
“…”
“He is the benefactor who gave his life to save you. Remember him for the rest of your lives.”
The children slowly nodded. Whether they understood the meaning or not didn’t matter. They would when they grew up.
“We’re leaving.”
I hoisted the researcher’s body onto my shoulder and led the way out of the mine. To keep the blood from soaking into my clothes and leaving a stench, I made sure to bind the wound with a scrap of cloth first.
“Thank you so much. Thank you. I will repay this debt no matter what.”
Bianca, clutching her little sister, sobbed tears of gratitude. She was crying hard enough to wash her sister’s hair with the tears alone.
Hey, I had something to say, but it’s hard when you’re bawling like that.
“White Dolphin resistance, was it?”
She showed no sign of stopping, so I just spoke.
Bianca and her sister. For some reason they reminded me of Lamina and Diana. If Lamina had lived, what would it have been like? Would Diana have spent every day smiling?
“That’s right.”
“I want to meet them. Is that possible?”
“…It is. I’ll make sure of it.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Bianca nodded. Good enough.
Bianca left to return the rescued children to their parents or to safety. I left to get some rest. I took the shiny golden sword—the so-called Hero’s Sword—back myself.
After arriving home and sleeping through the night, I gathered the party to explain what had happened yesterday. Now that the briefing was done, it was time to say the words I had been turning over ever since we left the mine.
“Diana.”
“Yes?”
“Your sister is dead. She’s gone.”
Before I could even add the part about her living on in your heart, the reaction came.
“…That’s a lie, right?”
“Do you think I would lie to you?”
“No. That can’t be. But before… you said she was alive…”
“That was bullshit. I’m sorry. At the time I thought it was better not to tell you the truth.”
I laid it out as honestly and plainly as I could. If it was a secret that could never stay buried forever, better to come clean.
“Diana, I’m sorry. We didn’t know what to do. I think we were afraid of seeing how you’d react.”
Orphe pulled Diana into her arms. Since we had already agreed on this, her help came quickly.
After hours of wailing at the top of her lungs (being a reptile, she didn’t actually shed tears), Diana looked at me with vacant eyes.
“Why are you telling me this now?”
“…One last time. I’m only going to ask once.”
This was the real point.
“Do you want to live as an ordinary person? Or as a mutant ninja dinosaur?”
Something Diana had probably thought about a lot herself…
“An ordinary person.”
Whoa. Not even 0.1 seconds of hesitation. This cold-hearted little brat.
“…I see. Understood. The reason is…”
“Fighting is scary. Killing someone, or being killed… it terrifies me. My sister wanted to become human. She wanted to do the things she loved, to love and be loved… I want that too.”
She talked ridiculously fast. Did she think I wouldn’t listen if she slowed down? Honestly, if it dragged on I might start nodding off.
“What do you want to do?”
“…I want to be a baker.”
“So you can bake bread and eat it all yourself?”
“N-no.”
Well, fine. Choices should be respected.
I shot Orphe a look that said, You handle the rest of this.
“Starting tomorrow, we’re sending you to a boarding school. Not in Neo-Solitron—somewhere a little farther away.”
Orphe continued. The long explanation boiled down to this: at that school she could learn how to live like a human, and we would cover the costs.
A boarding school. On Earth, that would be the kind of ultra-elite elementary school rich people send their kids to.
Having received a clear answer, Diana said she wanted time to grieve and quietly went into her room.
“Why did you do that?”
Orphe’s words probably carried several meanings. Why decide to tell her her sister was dead? Why set Diana free like this…?
Of course I had my own reasons.
Lamina, once a man-eating yokai, had chosen to remain a sister. The mad-scientist researcher had chosen to remain an adult. Diana, who had yet to commit any evil, might be able to make an even better choice than either of them.
“Just because.”
Spelling out all these petty thoughts would be embarrassing. I brushed it off and turned my head.
“Mm.”
Orphe smirked as if she found it amusing. It wasn’t annoying.
“What did you say that was?”
Orphe pointed at the golden sword—the loot from the mine.
“I told you. The Sword of the Ancient Hero.”
“…Didn’t you say you just picked it up in the lab?”
Had I? I tend to skip explanations when I’m lazy.
“The Sword of the Ancient Hero…”
Orphe exchanged a glance with Tribo, who had been sitting quietly.
“May I try holding it?”
“Suit yourself. But if you’re not a hero…”
Orphe gripped the hilt. A flash of golden light burst forth, and the blunt blade sharpened to a keen edge.
“Nin?!”
What the hell?
As expected. Because it was a blood-bound contract, even a descendant can wield it.
Tribo nodded while spouting nonsense in his usual deadpan tone.
Looks like that researcher bastard had been lying to me after all.