Chapter 124

Chapter 124

Questions and Collapse (1)

“Currently facing target. Compatibility judgment on hold. Awaiting response from ‘Mother.’”

Even though the humanoid otherworld species was speaking “Korean,” which could be called my mother tongue, it kept muttering words that were hard to understand, such as target and compatibility.

It seemed to be communicating with “Mother.”

More importantly, how had it come to speak Korean?

Was I not currently in the situation of having become Zeto, the game character I created?

Even though I had not spoken Korean, let alone uttered any particular words at all, the otherworld species began arbitrarily spewing Korean while talking about scans and whatnot.

[ I do not know what it keeps muttering... Disciple, how about we simply break it already? ]

Perhaps irritated by listening to the creature’s muttering, Sierra urged me.

“...”

But I did not move rashly.

I had yet to obtain proper information, let alone learn their intentions.

“...Compatibility confirmed. As of the current time, the compatible subject possessing the ‘crown’ is recognized as the ‘king.’ Command hierarchy changing.”

The otherworld species, which had briefly gone quiet, said that, then bent one knee toward me.

“Unit Number X-05 greets the king. According to orders, I will bring the ‘king’ to ‘Mother.’”

The creature politely held out its enormous palm, as if telling me to climb onto it.

[... ]

“...”

At the creature’s behavior, Sierra was dumbfounded, and I was just as dumbfounded.

I was not even wearing anything resembling a “crown,” but judging by its words and actions, it seemed I truly was the king the humanoid otherworld species had been searching for.

It was not as if I had never anticipated the situation at all, but the fact that it said it would take me away bothered me.

Who was “Mother,” and what did these creatures want from their “king,” for them to have searched so desperately?

When I thought of a mother goddess, nothing came to mind except the World Tree of the elves, the Earth Mother.

But there was no way the mother of these creatures, who seemed extremely far removed from nature, referred to the World Tree.

The destination would be the ancient ruins.

If these creatures had a base, in other words, something like a “mother base,” there was nowhere else.

While I was wondering whether to follow or not...

Perception touched the presence of someone approaching this place at incredible speed.

“Energy response detected. Appears to be hostile force ‘Panterain.’ Judging by measured energy scale, survival impossible upon entering combat. Mission will become impossible to complete....My king, please choose quickly.”

The humanoid otherworld species that called itself “X-05” bowed its head and urged me.

Yes, there was not much time left.

The one it called “Panterain” seemed to refer to Eisel, who was running this way.

Just as it said, if Eisel arrived, there was a high possibility that this creature would be mercilessly smashed to pieces.

Finishing my thought in a single instant, I drew the cursed blade in my hand.

—Shing.

There was not much time.

I immediately ran up the creature’s arm and leapt onto its shoulder.

“...”

Then I whispered so quietly that not even Sierra could hear. If it was a robot from future technology, perhaps my whisper would reach it.

Immediately after, the arm I extended smoothly like flowing water slashed down.

—Graaaash!!!

A straight lump of metal was cleanly cut away.

—Thud...

The creature’s arm fell to the ground with a heavy sound, raising sand dust.

“Command confirmed. Performing evasive maneuver, then rejoining base.”

Moving its enormous body rather acrobatically to distance itself from me, the otherworld species said this without being flustered by my sudden hostile action.

Though to begin with, for robots, for machines, could there even be such a thing as “flustered”?

The otherworld species bowed its head toward me.

Should that be considered a farewell?

Not long after, lightning magic poured from behind me toward the creature.

It was Eisel’s magic.

The creature moved its body again and narrowly avoided Eisel’s magic.

Then, as the creature rose from the ground, its body let out a small puff of smoke with a hiss, and with a clank, propulsion devices attached all over its body revealed themselves.

“So it could fly too.”

It had shown subtle differences in appearance from the humanoid otherworld species I had seen in the game. Was it a superior unit?

—Keeeeeng!

A thunderous engine sound filled my ears.

Soon, blue flames poured from the creature’s propulsion devices, and before Eisel could release lightning magic again, it leapt.

—Crash!

Kicking off the ground, the creature flew into the air and rose into the sky at a wondrous speed.

High, high into the sky, piercing through the clouds, the creature vanished from sight.

“Zeto!”

Turning my head at the urgent call, I saw a platinum-haired girl sliding down the sand dune.

After fully descending the sand dune, Eisel ran over in one breath and softly wrapped her arms around me.

Had she been worried?

She had run so quickly that she was panting, and her body trembled faintly.

“...Are you hurt, are you hurt anywhere?”

Eisel lifted the robe wrapped around my body and checked my condition with her eyes.

“There is no way I could be hurt, is there?”

I smiled at her worried gaze.

““Zeto!””

Then the others appeared on top of the sand dune.

Lucia, perhaps still not fully awake, ran toward me with a half-asleep face.

At their question asking what had happened, I shrugged and opened my mouth.

“...Unfortunately, it got away. I had suspected it, but even I did not know it could fly.”

It was not especially unfortunate, nor had it gotten away, but the severed arm of the otherworld species lying at my feet and guarding its place supported my words.

They too had witnessed the otherworld species flying into the sky.

At my answer, Sierra, standing with her arms crossed, tilted her head.

...It seemed I would need to provide Sierra with additional explanation.

“A flying otherworld species, huh. Even I have never seen one like that.”

Ishmir, touching her chin, said this with a somewhat serious face.

Until now, there had been no otherworld species capable of flight, so they had somehow been able to stop them within the desert. But the moment they could fly, the story changed a little.

While various discussions about the otherworld species continued, my head was filled with other thoughts.

The otherworld species that came from what was called another world, presumed to be the future Earth.

And the king they were searching for.

An Earthling possessed into a game world.

Compatibility, crown, and all the other hard-to-understand explanations from a “flight-capable” humanoid otherworld species I had never seen even in the game.

Questions surged in like waves.

Before long, they would be answered.

***

The “knight” who had lost an arm entered a dark space, dragging its massive body.

The knight approached a sphere emitting faint light.

A black sphere embedded in one side of the wall had long cylindrical tubes connected to it, and something seemed to be supplied into the sphere through them.

“...Mother.”

The knight knelt on one knee and bowed its head.

The knight was imitating a human knight.

Because it was programmed that way.

Soon, a voice came from the sphere called “Mother.”

“Return of Unit Number X-05 confirmed. Reviewing data.”

One long cord attached to the sphere moved by itself and plunged into the back of the knight’s head.

Through the cord that connected properly, as if finding its place, the sphere received the “data.”

Originally, there would have been no need to use such a “classical” method, but now that they had left a normal environment, it was a bothersome process that had to be gone through.

Soon, the sphere examined the data.

The “data” was the memory and video captured through the knight’s eye from the moment the knight met the “king.”

The knight was holding out its hand.

To their “king,” who wore a snow-white “crown.”

To the being who had led them here.

Sadly, the king did not answer the knight’s call. The king, who smoothly cut off the knight’s arm, whispered softly.

The king spoke in the old language of a forgotten nation and gave a quiet command.

“Withdraw. I will come find you.”

Then the knight, having received the king’s command, withdrew.

The video ended.

That was the amount of information the sphere required.

The sphere replayed the video several more times, quickly analyzing and calculating the situation.

But the amount of information was small, and above all, because this had been “first contact,” much calculation was needed.

Combining it with the information it already possessed, the sphere cut away and organized the countless branching possibilities one by one.

“...”

At last, the sphere understood the king’s intention on its own.

“The previous order to track the ‘king’ is withdrawn. For the time being, all units will shift into concealment mode and are forbidden from engaging hostile forces.”

The sphere issued orders to the units under its command hierarchy.

It was to wait for the king’s visit.

The sphere thought and judged for itself.

There was a clear difference between it and the other machines.

Soon, the sphere’s unseen gaze reached the “knight” bowing its head before it.

“Damage to the left arm of Unit Number X-05 confirmed. I will request parts procurement....You did well.”

It understood the meaning of the words “you did well.” But it was only a matter of knowing the meaning.

The knight, who had no such thing as “emotion,” bowed its head once more expressionlessly, then raised its body.

Soon, the knight left the space.

The sphere watched the knight and pondered the words it had spoken.

Merely confirming the video data of its encounter with the king had caused a great change to occur within it.

Emotion.

That very thing, identical to what humans possessed, was slowly sprouting within the sphere.