Chapter 123

Chapter 123

Abnormal Phenomenon (End)

“A... a, achoo—!”

Amon, wrapped tightly in robes, sneezed loudly.

The desert had a severe temperature difference between day and night.

Now that the needlessly hot sun had set and night had come, Shady, full of energy, was playing on the cold sand.

All the otherworld species we met during the day had been cleaned up by Eisel.

“Did Eisel have some grudge against otherworld species?”

Extending her hand from inside the robe, she wiped out the otherworld species in one stroke, as if irritated.

Part of it was because they were not enemies fitting our group’s level.

In the end, no humanoid otherworld species appeared.

In truth, if we revealed our strength, we would be able to subjugate a humanoid otherworld species alone, but... neither I nor Eisel were showing all our power.

Ishmir said, “So there were monsters at the academy,” and added that a humanoid would likely be perfect for us to carry out “joint combat.”

“We met plenty, but not a single humanoid.”

Now that I knew they spoke “English,” I truly wanted to meet one, but there was a reason they were more expensive than beast-types.

“Sniff, damn it... I simply cannot get used to the desert.”

Amon sniffled.

“...Still, the inside of the tent is warm. Let us endure, at least while standing watch.”

I roughly pointed toward the magical tent over there and said that.

Inside the tent, the women, except for Amon and me, would be sleeping.

Soon, Amon looked at me with deep eyes.

Why was he suddenly acting so burdensome?

“...Zeto, you truly know only how to say positive things. If I live with that mindset too, can I become strong like you?”

“...If you reduce your grumbling a little... perhaps you can become strong.”

“It was a joke. Growing strong through mindset? Impossible. A man always speaks with his body.”

Amon clenched his fists and checked his muscles.

“Was Amon not a mage?”

“I am a mage. However, since olden times, we Caligus have trained our muscles while learning techniques to handle mana. Well, it would be a story that someone like you, who can twist mana and remain perfectly fine, cannot understand.”

“Haha, training muscles while handling mana. That does make me curious.”

“Unfortunately, it is a family secret, so I cannot teach you.”

“I was joking too. In truth, I am not particularly curious.”

““...””

Silence flowed for a moment, and Amon and I burst into loud laughter.

Amon had become much friendlier than I expected, which made me think I might be able to aim for his repentance route later with ease.

It would not be bad to sow the seeds in advance around now.

“Amon, when you face hardship someday, please come find me.”

“Is that a joke too?”

At Amon’s question, I waved a hand and smiled.

“No. I am simply saying it as a ‘friend.’ You have a strong tendency to solve everything alone.”

“Well... understood. There is much to learn from you, so perhaps that would not be such a bad choice either. Though I do not know if such a thing will happen.”

No, it will definitely happen.

I turned my head away from him and barely held back the words, “Because a demon will come for you.”

Meanwhile, Sierra was floating in the sky, taking in the moon that dazzlingly illuminated the golden grains of sand.

She seemed to have been observing Ishmir all day...

I had not yet had a separate conversation with her.

She likely had many things she wanted to say.

Starting from how Ishmir had been doing, to how she had ended up losing her eye. Whether anything had happened all this time.

Whether she had been eating properly.

Would Sierra, who could not even ask a simple greeting, feel frustrated?

Or would she be grateful that she could meet an old acquaintance again, even in this way?

As someone who did not know what kind of relationship Ishmir and Sierra had, I could not guess.

“Close enough that she could grope her breasts... perhaps?”

If it was to that extent, they must have been close.

[ Even so, this is... ]

Sierra, standing still and staring at the moon, murmured softly.

It seemed to be self-talk.

Somehow, I felt I might be able to hear her thoughts on Ishmir now... but judging by the first words, did the two of them have some kind of history?

When I raised my head and paid attention to Sierra, she continued speaking.

[...Can a person truly remain this unchanged? At least several decades should have passed. Other than losing one eyeball, she has not changed at all. A person should, by nature, have their thoughts grow as they age, and only then do they become an adult... Aside from drinking and smoking, nothing has changed. Because nothing has changed, I am all the more confused... ]

Sierra, looking at the moon, let out a long complaint.

...It seemed best to let her have some time alone.

“Sand. Sand. Lots.”

While listening to Sierra’s complaint that was not quite a complaint, I watched Shady roll around on the sand.

We were standing watch, but there was no need to pay attention to the surroundings. It was enough to keep sending out Perception.

It was then.

Something unusual touched the wave.

An otherworld species.

But it was very different from the otherworld species we had met until now.

“...Amon, please go wake everyone.”

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

Amon, standing beside me, frowned.

“It is an otherworld species. And I suspect it is a ‘humanoid.’ I will go first and buy time. Amon, please bring everyone.”

After saying that, I infused mana into my legs and ran up the steep sand dune.

Behind me, Amon said, “Wait...! Zeto!...Damn it, I do not know anymore!” and soon after, I heard him running toward the tent.

At my sudden movement, Sierra looked down from the sky in the direction where the otherworld species was.

It seemed she had discovered the otherworld species too.

Soon, she came beside me as I ran fiercely and spoke.

[ Why are you going alone? Judging by its appearance, it seems to be the dangerous humanoid otherworld species. ]

Just as Sierra said, this was independent action.

Even if we woke those in the tent and responded afterward, perhaps it would not be too late.

But...

“...There is something I wish to confirm.”

What exactly they were after.

What the cause of the “abnormal phenomenon” was. I judged that I needed to grasp that in advance.

In any case, my current self was in no danger of having my life threatened by a single humanoid otherworld species.

Just then, as I rapidly approached it, I climbed atop a massive sand dune.

At last, its form entered my eyes.

Having found me, the creature suddenly stopped its legs, and behind it, sand dust scattered greatly.

Maintaining a wary posture, I descended the dune and approached before it.

The humanoid otherworld species I had finally met.

Unlike the “mess” I had seen yesterday, stitched together from all sorts of parts, well-arranged lumps of metal, like a single sculpture, hissed and showed off their majesty.

The creature had something like a ragged piece of cloth draped over its shoulders like a cloak.

Was it imitating a human?

Was it trying to resemble a human?

Its outer shell, with the cloak fluttering loftily and the shape of armor, looked like that of a “knight.”

“...Ha.”

Standing before it, I let out a hollow laugh.

Since discovering me, it had not moved at all.

The same went for me, but the creature had not made any attack against me.

Considering the nature of otherworld species, which indiscriminately attacked humans, this was terribly strange.

Why?

I could not know the reason, but I did not have a good feeling. So I laughed hollowly.

Because I wondered why premonitions like this were never wrong.

“Where is the king... was it?”

Their objective.

Searching for their king.

Whether my existence would be helpful in finding that king, or whether that “king” was none other than me, I did not know.

Either way, it could not be considered a very good thing.

King of slaughter machines.

Was there any position more perfectly suited to cause misunderstanding?

Soon, its crimson eye flashed, and red light poured out from it.

It was not an attack.

The laser pouring from the creature’s single eye slowly scanned me from bottom to top, and from top to bottom.

“A scan...?”

After scanning my appearance like that, the creature began to make sounds.

There was no part that could be called a mouth, but the creature was definitely making sounds.

It was not the noise-filled, incomprehensible sound I had heard in the game.

The creature’s voice was a low baritone with a mechanical tone mixed in.

As for the language... it was “English.”

[ What on earth is it muttering? ]

Sierra, arms crossed and listening to the creature, voiced doubt.

...The unfortunate fact was that I had been thinking the exact same thing as her.

It was not as if I understood all English.

Simple English was fine, but the creature was fluently spouting highly complex English words.

I could understand a few easy words, but they did not help me grasp the creature’s “intent.”

Soon, after murmuring English for a long time, the creature suddenly seemed to close its mouth and fell silent.

“...”

A brief silence flowed.

I did not attack, and neither did the creature.

Would this short silence between an otherworld species and a human remain in history?

Then, as if the power had been turned off, the red light leaking from the creature’s eye vanished.

In a situation where I could not predict at all what would happen, I placed my hand on “Sierra” and waited quietly.

—Piiiiing!

Not long afterward, the creature’s eye flashed again.

Then it began speaking aloud once more.

But this time, I could understand its words.

Because...

“Language scan complete. System restart confirmed. Download of ‘Korean’ data complete.”

...the creature had begun speaking Korean.