Chapter 38: Like a Cirsium VII

The sky had turned red.

Once dusk had passed, night would come to the city. It would be a night brimming with the heat and craziness of people.

In order to accomplish great things, one had to anticipate the future to some extent and prepare for it. I asked the merchant company to arrange for a ship, asked Makina to manufacture something, and got promises from Ryutetto’s party members. I asked the military policeman that I knew to prepare various documents, including a petition. I got those documents stamped with King Lemuria's official seal.

Just these preparations alone had taken me from noon till evening.

I was currently on the way to where those people were with the proof in hand. And although it really couldn’t be helped, Otou-san, the person who had killed Irvin, was coming along with me.

If not for this person, I would likely be dead. Even though I understood that in my head, it was pretty hard for me to keep calm.

「When all is said and done, we're guard dogs」

Breaking the silence, Otou-san spoke to me.

「Those that keep an eye on the remaining beasts of St. Lyridias in order to prevent them from escaping the cage of humans, you see?」

「"Remaining", huh?」

It was the truth, but it was an ironic choice of words.

「According to the anecdote about Lyridias, her whole life was a fight against the beast disease. In search of a method of curing it, she traveled the continents, and when the information she found above ground wasn't enough, she explored the dungeons in search of the knowledge of the ancients. She contracted with every god and gathered every bit of wisdom. Inside Vindoobunikuru, there is the name Duin, the Silent. According to Rasta's investigation, it appears that she was actually Lyridias」

Rasta is the barkeeper’s name.

Or rather, that surprised me.

That’s a connection to an unexpected place, isn’t it? Did Lyridias hide her name because she wasn't concerned about fame? Or was there some other reason?

「After her hard work and perseverance, she obtained a miracle and attained godhood in her dying moments. In reality, she only sealed it temporarily. Those knights, who were under the wrong impression, increasingly increased, all the while praising St. Lyridias. The works of a woman who had given everything to cure the disease ended up causing the disease to become widely spread. It’s an ironic tale」

The works of the gods of this world are always full of irony.

They were the words of a person who had fought another disease. If only the beast hunter kings had rotted in obscurity quietly like he did. What a disgraceful thing it was to be heroes who didn't know when to quit.

They were deserving of contempt.

「Otou-san......」

......killed Irvin..................with a really practiced hand.

He wouldn't have become so practiced if he had only done it once or twice.

「......how many beasts have you killed so far?」

Since he brought up irony, I asked a question bristling with irony.*

「Hmm?」

Otou-san stopped in his tracks.

「Let me see………………It was much worse in the past, you see? When I was a kid, and when the governance of this place was entrusted to Dimast, the previous Margrave, those stupid knights who couldn’t even read maps took on foolish and reckless adventures, so beasts appeared almost every day.

Any that were found inside the dungeon were treated as monsters. Moreover, Dimast was using the beasts to conduct blasphemous experiments. Things like what happened this time occurred on a daily basis.

It was a rough time, you see? The adventurers who had gathered here were nothing but atrocious people. Oh, sorry. Perhaps it’s because I’m getting along in age, I prattle too much about useless things. Well, probably one to two hundred. I don't remember the number exactly」

A chill ran down my spine.

「But don't get the wrong idea. I only got lucky and took advantage of openings. It isn't through real ability. Most guys are disappointed when they hear this, but I'll tell you the deepest floor that I've reached. It's the 20th floor」

「Huh?」

As a rule of thumb, adventurers who had reached the 20th floor were called novice adventurers, and those who hadn't were called greenhorn adventurers.

To think that the person known as the father of adventurers was a novice adventurer.

「You're disappointed, aren't you? As I brought those dangerous knights back to the surface, and took care of the greenhorn adventurers while I was at it, there just happened to be those who became heroes and famous adventurers later among them.

Father of adventurers is the name that those guys used to lift me up in order to hide their own shame. I’m neither a great person nor am I much of an adventurer. Be it now or in the past, I’m only a common and insignificant mercenary. Even if you rely on me, I won’t be of much use」

「In that case, I'm counting on you to at least take arrows for me」

「Yeah, it is what it is」

Even so, this person should be stronger than me when it came to close combat.

And in the unlikely event that he gets killed, my heart won't hurt one bit.

「There’s one thing that I want to ask you」

「What would that be?」

Otou-san came to a halt.

And looked straight at me.

With a mechanical expression that didn't have a hint of emotion.

「The explanation that you gave Ryutetto's party members. It wasn’t a lie, was it?」

「It wasn’t」

I had explained to her party members that she had been killed by an unidentified enemy that had attacked us. That wasn’t wrong. I had to hide his name, but it didn’t change the fact that Sanperie was the cause. Even if I had told them the truth, I wouldn’t have been able to explain the reason for hiding the existence of the beast.

「Well, I'll leave it at that」

He probably found it suspicious. Even so, he was handling it like an adult by not questioning me further.

「We’ve arrived」

Otou-san pointed out a bar with his chin.

It was a small and slightly run-down bar. It was a bar that was beneath a hero-sama, but he had been banned from almost all of the respectable bars due to the problems he had caused all over the city.

I entered the bar.

I found the two people that I was looking for in the corner. They were eating dried food that looked unappetizing and drinking liquor that looked cheap.

「Hey~, long time no see, beast hunter Varner-sama and knight-companion Luxgaru-sama. Do you remember me? I’m the person who had formed a party with Irvin・Foz・Gasim」

Negotiations should start with a smile.

I flashed an ominous smile at them. The two of them were startled at the sight of my face and attitude.

「I’ve come today to talk a bit of business」

Luxgaru recovered his composure and spoke to me.

「I've heard about Irvin. It’s unfortunate」

「What do you mean by unfortunate? Who did you hear it from?」

Irvin's death had not been made public. The people who knew about it were me, the king, Otou-san, the Guild President and the Margrave. If someone among these people had leaked the information, it would probably be the Margrave.

With this one thing, their source of information had been revealed.

「No need for this superficial and troublesome probing of each other」

Varner put his foot on the table and swept the food and liquor off the table with it.

I'll kill you, you scumbag.

Were the words that I swallowed. Right now, what I should be prioritizing was not my pride.

「With the father of adventurers in tow, I’m sure that you didn’t come here to play around」

Varner smiled.

I smiled too.

This act of smiling at each other was called threatening.

The reason why he hadn’t wanted to probe each other is because he is bad at it, isn’t it?

「It's a negotiation, Varner・Kalbezzo」

「And? What are you offering? That big-breasted elf you have with you? If it’s her, then I’ll bestow the favor of a hero especially upon her」

I didn’t rise to the bait.

Silently, I thrust the symbol that I had taken out onto the table.

It was a medium of St. Lyridias that was in the shape of Φ. Engraved in small letters on its side was Varner’s name.

I heard a metallic clang.

Sparks flew in front of my eyes and a metal fragment hit my cheek. I couldn’t see anything but the end result. Otou-san had stopped the great-sword that Varner had whipped out using his sword.

I hadn’t been able to discern either the approaching blade or when he had drawn his sword.

Even though I had keen insight, that was something different from kinetic vision.

The surrounding adventurers turned their eyes to us and then quickly lost interest.

「From your reaction, I was able to tell the authenticity of this」

Keeping my trembling and cold sweat under control, I handed the symbol to Otou-san.

A clear sound rang out as the crossed swords separated.

「Beast hunter hero. Hmm, lighter than I had expected」

「Tch」

Varner clicked his tongue.

He had been humble about it, but Otou-san’s skill was the real deal. No, though it was through a surprise attack, he had killed Irvin. I would be troubled if he wasn’t at least this good.

「Otou-san, I’ll leave the rest to you. Should something happen to me, do as we had planned」

「Understood. ………………Are you really going to be alright by yourself?」

「I’ll be fine」

Otou-san took a quick look between the two of them, and then left the bar.

I sat down in a chair.

「Well then, your symbol, as well as the treasured sword Gadeddo are in my care. They will be delivered to Elysium via a ship departing the day after tomorrow, along with documents summarizing the suspicions against you for the murder of Knight Sanperie, documents summarizing your misdeeds, your detailed proposal for overthrowing King Lemuria, and all sorts of documents that are a mixture of fact and fiction. The recipient is the Third Pope. Moreover, just the documents will be sent to all of the Popes」

I could feel Varner's killing intent. He was still holding the great-sword drawn in his hand.

I had shown this guy earlier that he could kill me at any time.

However, if he got into a dispute with the other Popes, his position as a hero would be in jeopardy. That position, it must be pretty nice. Even though he was no longer a hero the instant he was concerned about a position like that.

「If anything happens to me or my party members, what I just said becomes final and unchangeable」

「State your conditions」

Cutting Varner off, Luxgaru stepped forward and opened negotiations.

「Leave Lemuria and return to Elysium. And then seek a pardon for the elder sister of Irvin・Foz・Gasim. When her person arrives in Lemuria, I’ll hand over all of the proof」

「Don't mess with me, you cur」

「Varner, leave this to me」

Luxgaru cut Varner off again.

Luxgaru had an earnest expression on his face. It was really unpleasant.

「Leaving Lemuria is fine, I suppose. But we can’t return to Elysium. At the orders of our own country, we have to investigate the movements of the north once more. We’ll use the messenger shadow rabbit and beg for the pardon in writing. Is that alright?」

If I wasn’t mistaken, the shadow rabbit was a winged rabbit that had a role similar to a carrier pigeon.

It was characterized by its black fur, and when it had stored up fat, it could fly continuously for about 10 days. Winged rabbits typically flew at terrifying speeds when they caught the high attitude airflows.

「That's fine. How long will it take for you to receive a reply?」

「It shouldn’t take more than four days」

So it took two days each way, huh? Considering the distance to the center continent, that’s astonishingly fast.

「In that case, I'm expecting good results. Well, it's a hero's pardon. It’s likely a safe bet that it’ll go well, but……」

I gave Varner a glare.

I got up from the chair, showed an opening, and then left the bar.

With quick steps, I escaped into the bustle of the night.

I disappeared into the crowds and crowds of people and then turned on the communications function of my glasses.

「Izora, is the surveillance plan for those guys flawless?」

『Yes, they’ll be monitored round the clock from now on』

「What's the progress of Makina's manufacturing work」

『100%, it’s complete. She also made spares just in case』

「That's a great help. Thank her for me」

『Please thank her yourself』

「Later, alright?」

『You’ve received 20 requests to call back from Shuna-sama, 83 from Bel-sama, 10 from Ea-sama, and 2 from Rana-sama. 1 from Misuranika-sama. Everyone is waiting for you to contact them. Would you like Izora to put you through to them?』

「Later, alright? Tell everyone to stay on standby」

It's no use.

I have no way of explaining the current situation. Things might turn out for the worst.

「Izora, I'm sorry about Irvin」

『Izora doesn't understand. Why are you apologizing?』

「For my lack of strength」

Other than that, there was another reason. No matter what kind of phenomenon we encountered, the death of a party member was the leader’s fault.

『That may be true』

I felt a little better when I was blamed by Izora.

『If everyone had run away from the enemy at that time, Irvin-sama might not have died. However, someone else might have died instead. And in the worst case, everyone might have been chased down and annihilated.

You lost Irvin-sama. But think of it in this way. At the cost of just one life, everyone else in the party was protected. Isn’t that for the best?』

「It's not for the best」

『You're greedy, aren't you?』

Izora's emotions were more subdued than usual. It was like she had returned to how she was when we first met.

「Izora, Irvin is dead. Aren't you sad?」

『Sadness, is an emotion that has been suspended temporarily』

Certainly, A.I.s have such a functionality. But is this okay? Even though the way she interacted with people had been so full of emotion……

「Are you alright with that?」

『Team member Souya, we're made to see our users in a special light』

「?」

She had changed the subject.

『It’s a perfectly natural thing. You humans are like gods to us. Humans were created by the gods to follow them. And yet, humans sometimes betray, curse, deceive and ignore the gods.

We’re the same as well.

We sometimes betray, curse, deceive and ignore humans.

But at our core, we’re made to have special feelings for all of you.

When Irvin-sama and team member Souya were placed in a dangerous situation, “I” thought only of team member Souya. Irvin-sama was a person that I liked. He was a person that met all of my preferences. However, my feelings for team member Souya were so strong that they blotted him out. I finally learnt the meaning of this thing called “seeing someone in a special light”』

I could feel some sort of resolve in her words.

『In time to come, you’ll likely face difficulties. It's a dreadful phenomenon that I cannot measure.

When you fought Sanperie-sama, you showed a startling power. It was another power, different from the protection of the hero. At the same time, Makina and I temporarily became unable to recognize you.

Information from the medical nanomachines shows signs of genetic modification. In addition, the iris of your right eye has changed color and there are also changes in the shape of the bones of your left arm. Who knows what kind of after-effects the slight memory loss you experienced after the battle will bring in future as well. In the worst case, you’ll end up not being able to receive any support from the Makina System』

She was talking about that thing where my regeneration point became abnormally active.

The power of the Lycans.

I had been told by Barfuru-sama, but when faced with it, it made me tremble. I had forgotten the name of my sister who I had been telling myself was the most important thing to me.

I can endure any amount of my own pain and suffering. That was one thing that I had confidence in. It’s something that I’m proud of. But something like my memory getting erased had never occurred to me. I don’t think I could endure that.

The works of the gods of this world are truly full of irony.

『Please take care of yourself. If you get hurt, there are people who will suffer just as much as you do. You’re not alone. But you’ll fight alone, isn’t that right? That’s your pride and your preference. I cannot change that. But I can stay close beside you. Finally, please don’t forget this one thing』

So much so that it stunned me,

Her voice was gentle.

『I love you』

Bombshell exploded. But before going more in detail, there’s something cultural that’s very important. I’m sure you’ve at least heard a bit about it, but for most part, the Japanese use the word “like” in many situation where “love” would be used in other cultures. “Love” is a word usually only used in very intimate settings or committed relationships. You’d use “love” for motherly love, for example, but “like” for most situations when dating, and maybe "love" after getting married. Izora uses “love” here.

The part where Izora said that she had turned off her ability to feel sad always makes me tear up. She wouldn't have done that if it hadn't hurt too much. And so, an A.I. came to know true emotion and through it, learnt the meaning of love. Even if it's a love that built into her, she decided to take it as love. And because of how warped that is, it's incredibly sad to me. Also, it was highlighted, but she used “I” for the entire sequence instead of calling herself Izora like she usually does.

* The question "how many beasts" is written "何人の獣" or literally "how many humans of beasts", in the format of "how many pieces of meat" or “how many ounces of sugar”. It's just how the language is when asking about quantities like this, it's always how much+unit of measurement+of+thing. That, of course, makes the question more ironic than it sounds in proper English.

I have to say, even I got confused by the timeline for a second. They ate a late lunch then fought and he passed out and the light coming was red when he woke so I assumed the entire talk was held in the evening. But it was the 54th day, so a day had passed and it was actually a red morning. And I’m pretty sure that having a red sky in the morning is on purpose, because according to the many sayings about it, that means a storm is coming. Such a small detail, and I love the effort of it, but how many people would have caught that, I wonder?

If you’re railing at the fact that Souya doesn’t simply rain hell on Varner, he’s prioritizing fulfilling Irvin’s wish of saving his sister. Though I’ve kinda noticed that Souya and Varner like to smile at each other lol. Second time already. XD But what do you think? Varner may not be the kind of person who would keep his word, but will Luxgaru force or influence him to keep his word? Will Irvin's sister be freed? And, what did Souya ask Makina to make? Stay tuned!