"............."
Sitting down within a chair in a company room, Ellen Matters was fidgeting with her legs while having an impatient look on her face.
She has pale Nordic blonde hair and a pair of blue eyes resembling the collective moonlight. As young as she is, it's difficult to imagine her having a daunting title like DEM Industries' Second Executive Director. She was a beautiful girl with an appearance resembling an alluring enchantress.
But the beautiful aspect of these feature were now distorted unpleasantly by excessive stress.
The cause is obvious.
"Hey, are Ellen and Otou-sama childhood friends?"
"How was Otou-sama like when he was younger?"
"Say, isn't Artemisia hard to pronounce? Isn't there a nickname?"
"What would be good? Arumi?"
"Hahahaha."
"Ellen, what kind of shampoo do you use?"
"Ah, there's split ends on your hair."
......Etc.
The inside of the normally quiet office room had been competently transformed into the gossip and chatter of an all-girls school's classroom. As a rough estimate, there were over 20 girls noisily clamoring about.
With pale-blue eyes and dark gray hair, all of them inconceivably shared the same appearance.
Nibelcol, by relying on the power of the Demon King, Beelzebub and DEM Industries' superior craft, pseudo Spirits had been brought into existence.
Those girls, all with the same appearance and voice, threw out pointless chatter from all directions before gossiping on to the next topic. Moreover, they've been acting this way every day since they were born. For Ellen, who couldn't be too severe in response, this was indeed an unbearable environment.
"......Nibelcol, is there something else you can do more quietly?"
As Ellen finished impatiently, a Nibelcol replied back with a dumbstruck expression as if not knowing what they were being told.
"Eh? I'm just having an ordinary conversation."
"Hey, isn't that the feeling you get when you're getting old......"
"Are you on the brink of hysteria? How scary."
"............"
Faced with the Nibelcol's incessant noise, Ellen unnervingly twitched her eyebrows in frustration.
Then, sitting on the opposite of her, Artemisia extended out the palm of her hand as if trying to appease Ellen.
"Now, now......they don't appear to be saying anything with ill intent."
"That's the issue here. Children that aren't disciplined are no different than a monkey. You have to look at the results rather than if there is malice attached."
In response to Ellen's indignant tone, the Nibelcol pouted their lips in dissatisfaction.
"What's with that tone? It looks like Ellen seems to be the one with the issues."
"That's right. We're just chatting normally, so there's nothing wrong with that."
"There should be a limit on how much you envy those younger than you."
"If you didn't have the realizer manifestation device, then you would just be an ordinary person."
"Bean sprouts director──"
"! Wait, who the hell made up that last nickname......"
As Ellen made a rattling sound by jolting up from her seat, the Nibelcol all smiled happily at the sight, laughing out "Kya ha" while skipping and fluttering around inside the room.
"So it's to this extent──"
Speaking out, Ellen prepared to invoke the realizer manifestation device──but suddenly stopped just the occasion before the launch.
The moment Ellen got up, the door flew open as a man came into the room.
The man gave the impression that all of the world's darkness had compacted itself into a human shape. He has dusky ash colored hair and a pair of eyes resembling metallic rust. Although he looked about thirty years old, the oozing sense of intimidation and dread he was emitted wouldn't match that assumption.
Sir Isaac Ray Pelham Westcott, the king of magicians who had established DEM within a single generation.
"Aah, it looks like everyone has already gathered just in time."
"Otou-sama!" The moment they saw him approach, all of the Nibelcol in the room flocked around Westcott all at once.
"Have you finished your work?"
"Hey, listen Ellen here is being terrible."
"Yeah, we haven't done anything wrong, but she's throwing false accusations at us."
"She'll throw a hissy fit at the slightest inconvenience in her life."
"Her appearance is a bean sprout, but her brain is like a gorilla."
"Who is......!"
This time she couldn't restrain herself. With a roar, an invisible voluntary territory expanded from Ellen's body, tightening the body of a Nibelcol that was close at hand. The Nibelcol let out a painful cry before fading away. After that, a single worn out piece of a paper floated down onto the ground.
That is to say, Ellen did not alter her body with the realizer materialization device. The girls originally came from pages from the Demon King book Beelzebub. Once life activities were terminated, they will naturally revert back to their original form.
Nevertheless, the Nibelcol were all one part of a single whole collective. As a life born from magic, their concept of the individual is vague, with the total memories and personality shared among each other.
For Ellen, this degree does not fall under death. It was a sensation similar for her to lightly tap her fingertips against something. In fact, the rest of the Nibelcol did not lament over their companion's annihilation, only merely turning a discontent expression towards Ellen.
"Kya, how horrible."
"I can't believe it."
As if returning to before, they continued to make a noisy commotion to complain. Ellen turned a sharp gaze towards the others. However, at that moment, Westcott opened his mouth and spoke out in a very composed tone.
"Calm down, Ellen. There's no need to reduce the number of allies, right?"
"......Ha, I'm sorry, Ike."
After saying that, Ellen released discretional territory. Although her frustration against the Nibelcol had not been put to rest, what Westcott had said was also reasonable.
Westcott exposed a thin smile before walking towards where that piece of paper fell down on the floor──reaching out to touch the object that was just a Nibelcol just a moment ago.
The moment after that touch, the paper emitted out a faint light just before a girl suddenly appeared from within the sheet.
It was the exact same Nibelcol that Ellen had strangled with her territory just earlier.
"Blee!" The Nibelcol quickly pulled her tongue out towards Ellen before retreating to behind Westcott.
"............"
To tell truth, Ellen felt the desire to strangle her again, but somehow she managed to calm down those thoughts by taking a deep breath in.
Ellen cleared her throat out with a cough before turning her gaze towards Westcott.
"......So then, Ike. What did you want to say?"
"Aahh."
As Ellen spoke out, Westcott nodded his head as if remembering something. Then, he immediately raised his right hand, summoning a lacquer black book there.
Demon King Beelzebub, the omniscient Demon King that Westcott had stolen away from a Spirit.
"Although it took some time, I was finally able to investigate the reason. Sure enough, Nightmare was hampering by already knowing our attack plan."
"......What do you mean?"
"It means that Nightmare had already been informed about when the attacks will occur......no, to say it more accurately she had already experienced it before. On top of this, she's been overturning a pre-known event and avoiding the fate of Kunshu Lucas' death──though depending on the power of the Angel of time Zafkiel."
"What......"
Hearing what Westcott had just said, Ellen unintentionally knitted her brows downwards.
However, she soon understood immediately: the horror that is the power of an Angel. If viewed as impossible, it would be denying meaning to the very same thing resting on Westcott's hands right now.
"......So that's it. This is tricky. Then no matter how we move, the other side will find a way to counter it?"
"Hmm. After all..."
"That girl was acting strange, as if she had already predicted the time when we would appear out."
"Hey, otherwise, it would be impossible for Ellen to be the reason that we failed."
"......Today's pests surely don't know their place, shall I bring out the insecticide?" As Ellen glared at the Nibelcol, they all cried out "Kya! Otou-sama, I'm scared!", as they all tightly hid behind Westcott.
"In short, as long as Zafkiel is in Nightmare's hands, we'll always return to a situation of losing the initiative."
"That surely is the case but well...that's also a disadvantage."
"May I ask what do you mean by that?" As Ellen asked, Westcott raised the corners of his mouth.
"For us, it has only been a few times repeating combat, but for Nightmare it should be well over a hundred times. Repeating the same events again would make the mind exhausted beyond imagination, even more so each time being forced to watch the death of a dear friend."
"............"
Having heard this, Ellen envisioned repeating an endless trial and error to avoid having a beloved from being slaughtered.
Even the strongest Wizard Ellen was left shivering in fear. For Nightmare, Tokisaki Kurumi to have endured that kind of thing up until now, it was enough to sincerely respect her despite being an enemy.
"......Does that mean we'll have to wait for until Nightmare gives up?"
"Well, I suppose that's certainly the case. Then it's only a matter of time, it wouldn't be too much trouble to wait."
Even so, Westcott continued on.
"In this way having eternal time will be all the more terrifying. After repeating thousands of times, she will still not be able to see through our plan and come up with a solution. In that case, in order to let her give up as soon as possible, we have to do use our full strength."
"Full strength?"
"Aah, quite literally. Mobilizing all of DEM Industries' resources to completely decimate Kunshu Lucas and Itsuka Shidou. Even if Nightmare already knows what will happen, it will be to the extent of being absolutely impossible to prevent from occurring. Her hopes and ideals---everything will become severed."
After saying that, Westcott's smile grew darker.
Immediately afterwards, several pieces of paper fell into the room from the ventilator exit attached on the celling.
As the worn out sheets of paper flutter in the air, they emitted out a faint glow just before touching the floor, having already transformed into the appearance of a girl. Needless to say, all of the figures were Nibelcol.
"Otou-sama, Otou-sama, quick look."
"We caught this."
After speaking out, the Nibelcol presented what they held behind their hands in front of Westcott.
Looking at that sight, Ellen faintly narrowed her brow.
"......"
"This......"
Right beside her, Artemisia also widened her eyes in surprise.
But that was to be granted, since that Nibelcol was holding out a freshly decapitated head of a girl.
Raven black hair styled with uneven distributions, porcelain white skin, and a clock like pattern protruding out from the left eye that had remained unclosed. Since not much time had passed from when the head had been freshly decapitated, blood was oozing out from the incision made to detach it from the neck.
Such distinctive features were truly unforgettable. Tokisaki Kurumi, the Spirit Nightmare that they were talk about just until now.
With the power of her Angel, she can create clones made from her own past. For those that were sneaking around here, perhaps their goal was reconnaissance or assassination.
"Hoh, what a meritorious feat, Nibelcol."
As Westcott gave his praise, the Nibelcol let out a cheerful and bashful "eh" sound. It might have even resembled a cute interaction between parent and child were it not for the blood from the severed head dripping on her hands.
"But several of them that grouped together managed to escape."
"If that's the case, then Otou-sama's conversation might have been overheard." The Nibelcol spoke out with a look of guilt on their face. However, Westcott merely smiled as if not minding at all.
"I don't mind, as long as Zafkiel is in her hands, she'll find out eventually. Let's assume that both Nightmare and us mutually know each other plans before going into all-out warfare."
Westcott spread out his hands in a playful manner before lifting his chin up to look onto the sky.
"I wonder if there is a single one remaining here. Nightmare's vanguard, if you are still here, there is something that I would like to tell your master." Then, he continued on while keeping his devilish smile.
"I will kill Kunshu Lucas and Itsuka Shidou. No matter how many times you go back. No matter how many times you reset the world. No matter how many times you revise history. I will do it so thoroughly so that you will never be able to overturn it. Well, try and fight it if you can, Tokisaki Kurumi."
Although there was no voice to respond to the declaration, for some reason Ellen felt that the shadows entrenched around them were faintly shaking in anger.
◇
"......Oh no, this is bad, this is really bad."
Inside his own room at home, the boy flung out his arms against his head in distress.
Yet, that was to be expected. As for the reason why──
"......Mu."
From his peripheral vision, boy gently shot a glance at the corner of the room---towards the direction of the bed.
To be precise, he was looking at the girl sitting on the bed.
"............"
A girl, so beautiful to the extent that she looked handcrafted, was looking at the room back and forth with a dazed expression. Although she was wearing the jacket the boy had on earlier, she was not wearing anything underneath that. Every time she moved, he could catch a vague glimpse of her dazzling and glossy skin.
That's right. It had been an hour since that mysterious explosion. The boy had inconceivably brought the girl found at the center of the explosion back to his room.
"......No, no, no."
The boy shook his head back and forth in an attempt to deny the dangerous thoughts roaming in his imagination.
It can't be. It absolutely did not come from a motive fueled by a guilty conscious. It should be owed to a force majeure......otherwise there would be no alternative out of this incident.
While the boy was repeating such excuses within the interface of his mind, he vaguely remembered what just had occurred an hour ago.
"A-Are you alright? Did you get hurt?"
On the ground level where it seemed civilization was in the midst of the brink of collapse, the boy's sight was snatched away by a girl who looked just like a goddess or angel. After at last slipping out from his paralyzed state, he issued out a question. Of course, he tried to look away in order to avoid seeing the girl naked.
Although it was not clear who this girl is, the only definite thing was that this situation was beyond normalcy. He considered his first priority to confirm the status of the miraculous survivor.
Although the girl noticed the boy's voice, she only responded by glancing back at his line of sight, slowly casting her eyes onto his face without speaking a single word.
"Un......"
The boy, while staring at those gem-like eyes, felt his face grew more and more red.
Then, the girl finally opened her lips.
"......, Ah......,um......"
However, this level certainly could not qualify as speech. A groan──no, this did not come from any pain, but rather from a slight shiver of the throat.
"......? S-say, can you not speak......?"
The boy furrowed his brow as he pondered this thought over. Perhaps she could not say anything due to the shock from the explosion.
Her not wearing any clothes might also come from being involved in that explosion; well, he didn't think that it was too unreasonable. Though, after having said that, her skin showed no traces of any scars. ......Or she was a special girl caught by a secret society of evil. The scenario of being placed naked within a cylindrical pod was often seen in Sci-fi works like this. The previous explosion was due to an experimental failure by this clandestine group and she, while being trapped underground, happened to escape by chance......
"......Ah, it really doesn't matter why already."
The boy shook his head to discard the phantasmal story that had developed in his head. Then he removed his outer jacket in order to cover the girl.
Indeed she might catch a cold at this rate──more than anything else, in a holy sense, he could not endure remembering her nudity exposed to the elements.
"......?!"
The moment the coat landed on her shoulders, the girl's eyes jolted in surprise, with her entire body beginning to tremble slightly.
"Ah, s-sorry, did I scare you? But this way it really is......"
As the boy flustered out a defense in a hurry, the girl's eyes flickered while blinking as she began to pull on the coat hanging down her shoulders.
"............"
Eventually, after she seemed to understand that it was something warm, the girl made a relaxed expression.
"U-umm......Can you walk? No, it should hurt to walk barefoot, right? If you don't mind, I can carry you. Anyway let's clear out from here. Do you know where your house is......"
"......?"
Hearing the boy's words, the girl stared at him with a startled look.
"......Did you not understand?"
The boy scratched his face while making a wry smile; then, he bended down to squat next to the girl.
Such were the events leading to the present.
"This is different. It's different."
The boy murmured out as if trying to appeal to someone.
The boy initially wanted to bring the girl to a hospital. However, while carrying the girl, he soon walked a few blocks forward towards a building still standing. There, he found that the town had fallen into a quagmire comparable to the end of the world.
It was a matter of course if thought calmly. Since without any prior indication, a space ranging of tens of kilometers had been desolated. Shock waves emanating from the fringes also destroyed the surrounding environment, resulting in a huge number of casualties. As a result, the nearest large hospitals that should have accommodated for them were also flattened by the previous explosion.
With the situation being in such a state of mayhem, the boy thought for a moment before deciding to choose his own house as a refuge for the girl to take a break in. There ought to be nothing strange with this decision......or at least that is what the boy had kept telling to himself.
Although the boy's house is a family of four, his parents had been away from home for a long time now due to a business trip. There shouldn't be any issues with resting here for the time being──
"Nii-sama! Are you alright?!"
At that moment.
Accompanied by a loud voice, the door to the room was vigorously pulled open.
Looking closely, a girl had come rushing in. Her defining characteristics were her hair tied together in a single ponytail and a beauty mark resembling teardrop. Although today was supposed to be a day off, she probably had come back from club activities. She was wearing a black sailor fuku while carrying her backpack in one hand and a bamboo sword bag in the other.
Having probably made a furious dash to return back here, large beads of sweat were dripping down from her forehead while her shoulders were shaking up and down.
"Mana."
As the boy responded back by calling out her name, he breathed in a sigh of relief seeing that his little sister was safe.
"......Eh."
Then, he immediately held his breath afterwards.
Since calming down after seeing the boy face, his little sister's expression was blinking with an astonished tint. However, this reaction also isn't impossible of not being comprehended.
There was a half-naked girl in her older brother's room, even if it were not her; anyone else would display the same expression.
"Y-you know, Mana, this is......"
"............"
Mana looked alternatively between the boy and girl's faces. Then, after a moment of silence, she slowly walked towards the boy.
"Pon!" She gently placed her hand against his shoulder.
"......It's alright. Mana is Nii-sama's ally. Afterwards, make sure to properly atone for your sins later."
"What do you mean, that's completely not alright!?"
He could not help but raise his voice above an unbearable cry; however, it didn't seem that Mana was listening. The boy shook his head as he attempted to unravel the misunderstanding.
"Wait, wait! Why is it like this?! Even if misunderstood, it should at least be "Kya, Nii-sama brought back a girlfriend home, how rude of me to barge in!" Shouldn't it be like that!?"
"It's impossible for Nii-sama to do such a thing! Don't make light of your little sister!"
"You sure are asserting your views onto me!"
"Well, then wouldn't what you said earlier be the same thing?"
"......That's different though."
"Look, this doesn't look like precisely as what one sees!"
Confronted against Mana's interrogation, he replied back while diverting his gaze. In response, Mana angrily took a deep breath before talking out her favorite bamboo sword from her bag, Dorōmaru, against the boy. As he hurriedly raised his hands in a panic, the bamboo sword stopped mere inches from his forehead.
"Confess honestly! Where did you kidnap her from?"
"Hey!? T-this is a misunderstanding! I only brought her back here because she was alone!"
"Aaahhhh, then what you are saying is the same thing as kidnapping her!"
"I thought so too after doing that, aaaahhh!"
He responded back to Mana's outcry with his own scream. Certainty, when pressed against, the literally meaning behind his judgement had truthfully leaked out.
"A-anyway, listen to the story! This girl......she was at the scene of the explosion!"
"......Eh?"
As the boy shouted out his defense appeal, Mana finally loosened her grip on the bamboo sword.
"What the heck is going on?"
"That's it. When I was caught up in the explosion earlier. There, I found her." The boy briefly described his encounter with the girl and clarified the circumstances that brought them here.
After listening, Mana made an "hmm......" sound as if gesturing in deep thought while quietly glancing at the direction of the girl.
"To be sure, if considering Nii-sama has not struck his head or seen a hallucination......"
"Ah, you're still considering the possibility of me lying."
"Nii-sama wouldn't tell Mana a lie, since you're Mana's Nii-sama."
As the boy was about to stagger out a sentence, Mana replied back in a pronounced manner......it really seemed that it was impossible to determine whether or not this little sister believed in her older brother.
"Anyway, if you think with that premise, there are too many abnormalities. Who is that girl and why would she be at such a place?"
"W-who knows?...Even if I were to ask such a thing."
As the boy replied back with a troubled face, Mana sharply focused her line of sight at the girl.
"......Could it be that this child caused the explosion? Is that possible?"
"Ha......? D-don't be foolish, there's no way a human could have done──"
"Achoo---"
Without noticing earlier, the boy and Mana heard a lovely sound coming over from the bed.
It seemed that the girl had let out a sneeze. Speaking of which, although the girl was dressed in the coat, she wasn't wearing any clothes underneath that.
"A-are you alright?"
"Aah yes, what are you going to do now Nii-sama? It can't be helped. Mana will bring some of her clothes, so please wait──"
"......A-ah......"
At that moment.
Just as Mana was about head to her room, the girl stared intently at Mana while her nose was sniffling.
Then, at the next moment, light particles surrounded the girl as a sailor fuku, with the same design as Mana's, materialized onto her body.
"Wha......?
"Huh......?"
After being faced with such a supernormal phenomenon occurring right in front of them, the boy and Mana looked at each other with stunned expressions.
◇
"......Why....Why are you not responding?!" The man cursed, cursed and cursed the entire time. But his reaction was only understandable. Every test of interacting had failed.
"Everything worked out... he is the most powerful Magician to have scraped the entire world. Yet why...Why are is he not doing anything?!"
After months of work and patience, the boy inside the capsule had woken up from his seemingly eternal slumber. From the outside, he looks like a ordinary human boy around the age of six or seven. Dark black bangs that touched his forehead, and a pair of purple eyes.
But inside this boy---It wasn't what one could describe human. The human body is more than just limbs, clumbs of muscles, bones and million paths where blood can pass through. There is something that makes a human a human.
A soul. The key part that was missing inside this little boy. Without a soul, there is so personality. With no personality, there is no life. It wouldn't be wrong to assume that this little boy was dead. After all, he is just a body with nothing but a body. One could say that this boy is merely a vessel waiting for a soul to possess and control. However, such a thing was not in reach of human hands.
"Screw it all...!"
"......" The boy only stood there, covered in only but a white medical gown down to his feet. Of course, the boy did not understand. There was no one inside the boy to process the brain's thoughts.
For hours, the man in the lab coat tried to talk to the little boy, showing him all kinds of stuff to interact with. However, there was not a single thing, not even the curses of an adult which would scare most children his age that had budged him.
But---
"...?" As unexpected as it was, the little boy was tugging the man on the coat. "...!" The man soon realized what happened. The boy had done an action on his own.
"W-What is it, Lucas?" The man crouched down on his knees to look at the boy, Lucas, face to face.
"............." Slowly, without blinking, saying anything or expression changing, he pointed his finger towards the end of the tunnel. The door to the outside world.
"You want....to go outside?"
"...." At the question, Lucas slightly nodded his head. It was hard to see if he even nodded or not, but since the man was so close, he knew it was a definite nod.
As the man held Lucas' hand as they both walked through the dimly lit laboratory towards the exit door that lead to the outside world. Stepping in front of the door, the man put his hand on the door handle and pulled it down.
The door slowly slid open, and the light from the sun blinded his eyes slightly. He had been spending many, many hours inside the dark lab every single day without much exposure to the sun, so it was only natural to be a bit taken a back.
While the man's vision re-adjusted to the bright sun light, the little boy, Lucas, had already took a few steps onto the grass. Their current location was currently on a small hill just next to a small village. From there, the whole village and the people living there could be seen.
".....Be--"
"...!" The man in the lab coat had suddenly overheard a sound escape from Lucas' tongue. He immediately rushed to Lucas' side to make sure he wasn't hearing any noises from the kids in the village nearby.
"....Beau....ti....ful."
"........." The man was left speechless. Just being at the moment had made the man realize something.
Aah....How silly I am.
The meaning of this boy was to use him as a weapon under his control. A weapon so powerful that no country could comprehend. To create a world with only magicians.
However, he had not come to realize something. This boy. His creation. The man already had a son, and he never viewed Lucas as a being, but instead a weapon.
In this moment, he realized that his plan was selfish. He realized he's a selfish man with a selfish goal. He could not use his son for his own selfishness.
"Yeah.....It really is beautiful." The man said, patting Lucas head and sitting down next to him to enjoy the amazing view in combination with the gentle wind that blew his blond hair. Although the man had evil, vile plans, his nature had not allowed him to proceed with such matters. From this point on, his goal had changed.
His goal was not to create a world only of Magicians anymore. His new goal was---
To give Lucas a happy life.
◇
"Guah.....?!" Sounds of birds cheeping, and the wind blowing could be heard, and the sun shone directly on his closed eyes as if to act as an alarm.
However, the sun was not the cause for home to wake up, but the person that had sneaked into his room while he was still asleep.
Feeling a strong blow against his abdomen, Lucas forcibly jolted his eyes awake.
"W-What the heck was that for?!"
Immediately, he soon realized that there was a familiar figure standing upright on his stomach.
After a few seconds, as his brain gradually woke up, Lucas finally understood what happened to him.
"....Kotori."
"What? If you don't want to get woken up like this then you should get used to getting up on your own." She snorted, and kicked off his stomach.
It seems he had been violently woken up by Kotori. His current location wasn't his own house, but a room in the Spirit Mansion. Lucas was advised to temporarily move locations for faster communication and higher security.
Of course, Kaguya and Yuzuru came along, and they were given their own temporary apartment.
"I swear, you're not any better than Shidou. If you continue like this, you both will end up sleeping for eternity."
"Well....I'd rather sleep for years than be woken up by you---Ghaa?!" When Lucas said, so Kotori leisurely jumped and kicked him in the guts one more time.
She then kicked off from Lucas' stomach to make a graceful landing on the floor. At the same time, because of the impact, Lucas let out a brief scream as his body curled up in pain.
Lucas let out a pained sigh.
“…So what time is it now?”
As he spoke out, Lucas reached to grab the smartphone beside his bed. The bright sunshine was already gleaming past his window. Although he did not agree with Kotori’s wild method of waking up, he had certainty been asleep for longer than usual.
“……Eh, nine O’clock already?! Is this for real....school has already begun!”
After staring at the screen of the smartphone, Lucas winded his eyes in surprise. He quickly jumped out of the bed in a panic, planning to make a dash out of the room.
However, Kotori threw a kick from the side and pushed back Lucas, hindering his progress forward in the process.
"W-what now? You should also hurry to school. At the very least to catch up before the second class period──”
“……Ha.”
As Lucas finished, Kotori breathed out a heavy sigh.
“What the heck are you panicking for? It can’t be because you’re planning to go to school, right?”
“No, of course not……hm? Is today a day off?”
Due to how chaotic the days have been recently, his memory of the week had become somewhat unreliable. He looked at the phone screen again……However, it wasn’t a special day off, but rather a usual school day.
Consequently, Kotori sighed once again before continuing to convince Lucas.
“Hey, are you still asleep now? Right now your life is being targeted──no, if you believe in Kurumi, then you should already be dead, right? Why bother going to places where security is lacking and you are liable to be harmed.”
“Ah……” Lucas' eyes narrowed upon hearing those words.
It was exactly as stated. Although checking the time caused his body to reflexively move, there shouldn’t be any priority for school during this emergency.
“Sorry……but...”
Still……there was one matter. Despite being in full agreement, there was still one matter of concern left at school for Lucas.
“Kurumi……she might be there. If that’s the case, I must have to go.”
That’s right. Lucas was being targeted by the large organization called DEM and could not tread lightly as a result.
Lucas still hasn’t been able to say a single word of gratitude to Kurumi. If perchance Kurumi came to school to see him, he couldn’t ignore this.
Kotori, who seemed to understand Lucas' feelings, sighed and nodded her head in acknowledgement.
“Yes, I’m also aware of this. For our part, we cannot idly sit by with the matter regarding Kurumi. Even now, several self-automated cameras have been dispatched to the school from Fraxinus. If they capture Kurumi’s appearance, then I’ll permit a special case for contact. Of course, in order to avoid the risk of going to school, you’ll be dropped directly down to school from Fraxinus.”
“Ah……thank you. I can’t thank you enough.”
After saying that, Lucas lowered his head to bow to Kotori. Kotori awkwardly scratched her cheek while shyly averting her eyes.
However, at the next moment---
“Ara, ara, how pleasant, for you to exhaust so much effort for me.”
“Ha──”
“Eh……?”
Suddenly, an unexpected voice was heard from the right side, causing Lucas and Kotori turned to the source of the voice at the same time.
Although unknown for how long, they both saw a figure of a girl emerging over there.
With brilliant black hair and porcelain white skin, her legs up to her knees were immersed inside a shadow entrenched beside the bedside.
“……Kurumi!?”
Her face could never be mistaken. In a stunned state, Lucas had involuntarily called out her name,.
No──that wasn’t quite right. Lucas stood breathlessly as he watched her figure slowly emerge from the shadow.
The person here was indeed Tokisaki Kurumi. There was no doubt about that. However, Kurumi, who was now in front of both of them, wore a rose hair ornament instead of having her usual hairstyle. Her choice of clothes resembled Gothic Lolita style---Most of all, her left eye was covered by a medical eyepatch.
He was quite familiar with those particular outward characteristics. It was the past Kurumi of five years ago, and also the clone who had, a few days ago, told him the truth about Kurumi.
"Greetings Lucas-san, Kotori-san.”
After completely emerging from the shadows, eyepatch Kurumi elegantly lifted the hem of her skirt for a small curtsy forward.
However, even when given such an attentive greeting, Lucas did not relax his vigilance at the slightest.
After all, the girl standing in front of him wants to eat his very life.
"What are you doing here, Kurumi? You aren't here to ask me on a date again, are you?"
"Ara, it seems I've made quite a foe of myself. Aah, I'm so sad to see you hate me so much." Kurumi put on a pained face, but Lucas did not let down his guard regardless of her reaction, even if it were a real cry.
"Although I am quite interested in another date, that is not the reason I've come to visit. I have two pieces of information to share with you today."
“……Important information?”
As Lucas narrowed his brow in surprise, Kurumi made a “yes, yes” remark while stroking her fingers against her lips in a lustrous gesture.
Then, she spoke out her words in a quiet manner while staring intently at both Lucas and Kotori.
“On February 20th, 4 days from today, DEM will devote all of its efforts towards killing---Lucas-san and Shidou-san.”
Having heard that utterance, it stirred feelings of excessive despair.
“What?”
It was not as if he hadn’t recognized the meaning behind those words. However, Lucas was rendered dumbstruck over abruptly being informed of plans to kill him.
“……What do you mean?”
Beads of sweat fell down Kotori’s cheek while she kept her attention on Kurumi. Meanwhile, Kurumi lowered her eyes downward before continuing to speak.
"Even if you ask that, it’s exactly how I just said. As the world’s top manufacturer of the realizer manifestation device, the organization possesses the strength of the world’s strongest Wizards, the intelligence capabilities of the all-knowing Demon King, tens of thousands of automatic dolls, and countless Pseudo-Spirits. It’s the same thing as saying that they are trying to pour all of that for the sake of killing──just two highschoolers.”
"......" Lucas was left at a literal loss for words.
Indeed, DEM had been so far aiming at Lucas' life and according to Kurumi’s words; they have actually killed him numerous times now. Lucas' death automatically meant the death of also Shidou, who had no way of protecting himself against DEM alone.
However, this was no more to say than an assassination, where the elimination of Lucas' life occurred while their own side was not prepared.
“And then----”
With Lucas being completely unable to speak, Kotori, crossed her arms with a grim expression before interjecting.
“Why did you bother conveying that thankful message, Kurumi? What on earth is your goal?”
“Ara, ara. What heavy suspicion, Kotori-san. I’m only worried about the safety of Lucas-san.”
“Hmm……” Kotori narrowed her eyes as she glared at eyepatch Kurumi in an attempt to ascertain her true motives. Faced with the ambulanced exuded by Kotori, eyepatch Kurumi forced out a bitter smile.
“It seems that Kotori-san has a slight misunderstanding.”
“……Misunderstanding?”
“Yes, yes.”
Eyepatch Kurumi nodded her head while continuing to speak with a somewhat artificial tone, as if she was rehearsing for a play.
“The one here right now is a doppelganger, me. The one that you call the real Tokisaki Kurumi does not know this. I chose to divulge that information under my own personal discretion.”
“Huh……?”
“What did you say?”
Both Lucas and Kotori’s faces were flushed with a bewildered look. That was natural, the eyepatch Kurumi standing in front of them was a temporal clone made from Kurumi’s past. Generally, they were supposed to be the vanguard that moves in accordance to the original Kurumi’s instructions.
Eyepatch Kurumi, who seemed to find the reaction of both of them slightly amusing, slightly turned her face around before continuing to speak.
“Me intends to deal with this matter through only myself. Cycling and repeating back numerous times in order to secure a future where Lucas-san survives.”
“……”
“However, the actions of me has become known to the enemy. Therefore, this all-out war, this battle for absolute annihilation that will take place. DEM’s strategy is not only killing Lucas-san, but also crushing the aspirations of me, who has the power to cross through time. A surprise ambush, a clever and malicious scheme, a trivial tactic that cannot be subverted, a steel-fisted tempest. Deus. Ex. Machina., a name befitting the concept of a god of the machine, a dominating military tactic on the chessboard that forcibly leads the story to its end.”
“…………I see.” After a full empty beat, Lucas spoke out to break the silence.
“That is to say, the reason you came here was to tell me to take refuge……is that right? Let Ratatoskr protect me and Shidou while you Kurumis go to fight?" Lucas gritted his teeth as he said so, and continued.
"Are you crazy?! Do you really think you can take on the enemy all by yourself?! You don't hold the power to even defeat Ellen, how on earth do you think you're going to protect me against the full force of DEM?!" Lucas angerly shouted.
"....." Eye-patch Kurumi kept silent at the words that left Lucas' mouth. There was nothing she could say back at him, the points Lucas made were true. Kurumi is not strong enough to handle this situation alone. However---
"Lucas-san. The weak me you remember is not the present me anymore. After all, Me has taken it from you---all of it."
"Huh?" At the words Kurumi spoke, Lucas' brain was confused. Several questions had filled his mind, which he immediately spoke.
"Taken it? What are you talking about?"
"...I realized something. When you were regained consciousness after your first fight with Ellen---"
".........???" Indeed, Lucas remembered that moment. In his first fight with Ellen, he faced a miserable loss, only surviving by miracle. However, inside Lucas' memory, no such thing as 'regaining consciousness' was found. As far as he remembered, he was in the void inside his mind, the complete darkness known as unconsciousness.
"What are you talking about? I never regained consciousness!"
"---? Impossible. We have clearly seen you conscious." Kurumi shook her head in contrast to Lucas' words. It seemed both sides had a different view, but nevertheless, Lucas still wanted to know what Kurumi meant by "Taken it from you."
"No, forget it. Just what exactly did you take from me?"
"........Your power."
"Huh?" When Kurumi answered, Lucas' confusion only grew larger. "Hey, hey. What do you mean? My power? I'm still at full streng---"
"Not the power you use, but the power you so abandoned."
"What...What power? Kurumi, please elaborate!"
"I've come to realize once who've passed me down some of your power. I found something lingering inside of you, something not of use. That is---the power you abandoned; the void that was left inside you: the power of the darkness."
"Darkness....Dark Magic?" Lucas repeated the words she spoke. The confusion did not solve itself, but again grew larger. After all, Lucas has never had the power to use Dark Magic. Heck, Lucas never even heard of such a thing. But---if perhaps what Kurumi said was true, just what power did he hold back? Clearly, it sounds like he had a power that seemed to have given Kurumi a big boost in power.
While thinking about possible solutions, while swaying her skirt, Kurumi quickly retreated to the corner.
“Now then, my purpose here has been fulfilled. Please be sure to stay alive for me, Lucas-san.”
After saying that, eyepatch Kurumi slowly fell in to her own shadow, continuing to sink deeper inside.
“Kurumi!”
Just before eyepatch Kurumi completely disappeared, Lucas hurriedly cried out from behind her.
“Yes? What do have to say, Lucas-san?” Eyepatch Kurumi, who had been emerged into the shadow up to her waist, turned around to respond to the call. It almost looked like a girl bathing in a lake…… well, the fact that the lake had a pitch black color gave a slight ominous feeling.
He cleared out his throat while looking directly at eyepatch Kurumi’s eye.
“Thank you for coming here to inform me just now. If possible can you also convey a message to Kurumi from me? Thank you. It’s thanks to you that I’m still alive right now. I’m deeply sorry I couldn’t express my appreciation beforehand. I’ve also heard what you are trying to do right now. I can’t thank you enough for protecting me. But---”
Lucas sharpened his gaze with a flare of determination in his chest before continuing to speak.
“Although I’m sorry, I still have mettle as a man, so I cannot accept your help. So after neatly resolving the matter of DEM, then I will surely stand in front of you once again to seal you reiryoku…… no, not like that.”
Lucas closed his eyelids for an instant before suddenly opening them again.
“This time, I’m going to snatch away your lips. Please be prepared for it, my cute little honey.”
Right afterwards, he felt hampered by a great deal of embarrassment from having said that.
“…………”
For a few seconds, eyepatch Kurumi could only stare blankly at Lucas.
“……U-fufu.”
Finally, it reached the point where she could no longer bear to suppress her laughter.
“Ahahahahahahahaha! So that’s the reason……how cleverly said. Me really is a blessed person.” After laughing for a while, eyepatch Kurumi was finally able to calm down while wiping the tears in her eyes.
“……However, that truly is a harsh request, Lucas-san. Like what was mentioned before, I came here in secret from me. To convey that message would be tantamount to confessing an arbitrary action done on my own initiative without prior consolation. Disobedient limbs that move at their own leisure must be eliminated. Do you want me to die?”
“Ah……” After hearing that, Lucas widened his eyes in alarm. Just as precisely as she said those words, he lowered his panicky head down in apology.
“Sorry, I didn’t intend for it to be like that……”
“Yes, yes. I did not think someone as gentle as Lucas-san would consider something like that. However, although this life is insignificant, it would undoubtedly be scattered as a stepping stone for me if there is the event of reckless behavior. Although I’m sorry, I cannot guarantee conveying that message.”
“……Yeah. My bad.”
As Lucas finished speaking, eyepatch Kurumi turned around and began to giggle.
“Ahaha. Truly such an outrageous person. Your words, has it yet to be decided if I should wager my life to convey that message to me?”
After pleasantly saying those words for the bottom of her heart, eyepatch Kurumi faded away into the shadow.
“…………”
“…………”
Soon after, silence filled the entire room.
Both Lucas and Kotori were quietly in thought while gazing at the spot where eyepatch Kurumi had disappeared into.
“……Hey, Kotori.”
“……Yeah.”
As soon as Lucas opened his mouth, Kotori quickly replied back as if anticipating the reaction.
“It’s just as you say, Lucas. It would be a disgrace to Ratatoskr’s reputation if we handed everything over to a Spirit.” Kotori then took out a single Chupa Chups from her pocket, rotating it with her finger before throwing it into her mouth.
“Kurumi, DEM, let’s show them properly our method of doing things.”
◇
“…………”
While sitting on a bench in the longue area of the aerial ship Fraxinus, Reine looked at the sky without saying anything.
That’s right; it was the sky. Instead of using materials reserved for construction walls, the lounge area was overlooked by tempered glass that offered a high degree of transparency. As a result, the blue skies, with its hazy clouds and glimmering rays of sunshine, were reflected onto the ship.
This airship, driven by the realizer manifestation device, relied on the voluntary territory to protect the hull of the ship. The importance of body armor was less compared to a more conventional warship. Therefore, even if it cost some battle strength, it was considering the possibility of accommodating the Spirits for a long time in case of an emergency. As such, rest areas like the comfortable lounging area and other entertainment areas were available on the ship.
……As such, although placed for reasonable motives, in the end it was ultimately provided for because Kotori and Elliot Woodman like to play around in such recreational spaces.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t automatically a bad thing. In the first place, aerial warships and the realizer manifestation device were originally impossible to exist in this world.
The phantasmal realizer manifestation device, which was beyond human comprehension, was brought about through the existence of Spirits.
In this manner, it would be perfectly justified to provide such a space for the Spirits. Indeed, the Spirits who visited here after the renovation of Fraxinus were very excited to see this scene.
“……Fuu.”
Besides──it wasn’t as if Reine disliked this place either.
She gently sighed, leaning on the bench while looking at the sky.
Afterwards, she took out the stuffed bear plushy from the pocket of her <Ratatoskr> uniform and lifted it high, high, up in the air with both hands.
“…………”
Then, she started intently at the tiny bear with sky as a backdrop.
The plushy had endured the test of time. Although its style was still very cute, due to the traces of stiches on its body, it resembled a zombie or Frankenstein’s monster in appearance.
“……One more left, no…….two.” Reine silently muttered to herself.
Immediately following her whisper, the communication device in her pocket gave off a slight vibration.
“……Un.”
Reine supported her body back up and switched out the bear plushy with the communication device in her breast pocket. Then, immediately upon hitting the call button, she heard a familiar voice.
“──! Ah, Analytic officer Murasame. It’s Shiizaki.”
It came from one of the crew members onboard Fraxinus, Shiizaki. From the tone of her voice, she could hear a slight degree of tension and anxiety. It seemed that something had happened.
“……Un, what’s wrong?”
“Emergency situation, please head to the briefing room. This morning, Tokisaki Kurumi appeared before Commander and Lucas and told them that DEM is preparing an all-out attack. Our next step is holding a conference to plan out countermeasures……”
“…….Fumu.”
Reine raised her brow while stroking her chin with her other hand.
DEM’s all-out assault. The possibility was not out of their expectations. DEM’s leader Isaac Westcott possessed the Demon King Beelzebub within his grasp. It was only a matter of time before they saw through Kurumi’s secret maneuvers in crossing the time barrier.
“……Understood, I’m heading there now.”
“Ah, thank you.”
After finishing the conversation with Shiizaki, Reine pressed the button to end the call.
Then, after putting the communication device back in her pocket, she then stood up from the lounge bench.
“……Is it coming, magician.” As Reine spoke out ever so silently, she let out a narrow sigh.
◇
There were several figures currently within the conference room onboard Fraxinus.
Inside the center of the room, there was large round table where the commander, Kotori presided over. Left from that starting point, Lucas, Shidou, and the Spirits were all seated in position one after the other. On the opposite side, there was Kannazuki, Reine and the other crew members of Fraxinus.
At the center of the room, the letters spelling out the name Maria was on display for every direction.
Kotori had requested for everyone to come here to discuss countermeasures against DEM.
Although Lucas and Kotori originally didn’t want to get the Spirits involved in this matter, the situation was so dire that they couldn’t even say such an opinion. After all, DEM was intending on using all of their power to kill Lucas and Shidou. With their inferior numbers, it would be impossible for Ratatoskr to not count the Spirits among their fighting force.
More than anything else, if they held such a conference without the Spirit’s knowledge, their mental state would likely be destabilized.
In the past, there was the option of withdrawing the Spirits from the conflict by withhold information……However, the existence of the Spirit known as Tobiichi Origami made this indefinitely harder. Even for Ratatoskr, it would be impossible due to her superhuman instinct and technological capability to eavesdrop on every conversation from behind the scenes.
As a result, the Spirit · Human Countermeasures Meeting was formally announced. After looking at everyone from the circle, Kotori gradually stood up from her seat.
"Thank you for gathering here, everyone.”
As the clear sound of Kotori’s voice reverberated through the conference room, everyone turned their attention onto Kotori’s direction.
“I think everyone here has already heard the story. This morning, Kurumi appeared in front us, leaving information that DEM industries is planning a large scale attack. Their purpose is....the inversion of the Spirits through killing Lucas and Shidou.”
“……”
After listening to what Kotori had said, all of the Spirits and crew members took in a deep a breath.
“Of course the possibility of Kurumi lying isn’t zero, but from this current situation the creditability of this information is not low. As for Ratatoskr, we cannot delay creating countermeasures as soon as possible. Maria.”
“Yes.”
In response to Kotori’s command, the clear voice of a young girl resounded through the speakers set around the room. It was the Fraxinus management AI, Maria.
“The first option that can be considered is to evade DEM’s attack and evacuate everyone to a safe place. Since Ratatoskr has bases all around the world, there should be no shortage of alternative locations. However---”
“Yes, the opponent has the omniscient Demon King Beelzebub. Even though it has not been able to demonstrate its full performance due to Nia’s jamming, if he focuses solely on either one's whereabouts, he should still be able to find us.”
“Exactly. the thief has truly plundered a troublesome Demon King. If someone had been a little bit more firm, this situation wouldn’t have turned like this.”
Maria’s words came out mixed with a slight sigh. It was full of human warmth that went directly against the excessive calculating power of an outstanding artificial intelligence program. Despite only having the letters on the screen flash, it honestly felt as if a girl had spoken while shrugging her shoulders.
“Hey hey, this is really embarrassing, sorry, sorry──”
It was Nia who peevishly sulked while using both of her hands to support reclining down her chin. Originally, Westcott’s Demon King Beelzebub was a part of Nia’s Angel Rasiel.
Needless to say, it was snatched away due to DEM’s exceedingly sinister scheme, and should not be blamed on any misconduct or negligence on Nia’s part.
Although everyone had already known this……for some reason, Maria had spoken to Nia in a particularly barbed manner. Nia, who was initially struck by such a reaction, gradually regained her composure and narrowed her eyes while fluttering her hand in the air.
“Well, even if said that much, things won’t change. Let’s talk more constructively.”
After telling Maria to change the conversation, Nia stuck out her tongue, making a “blaa!” sound just like an elementary school child.
Despite Maria seeming a bit frustrated, she may have felt that arguing further would have meant lowering down her mental age, so she continued on as if nothing had happened.
“Since a withdrawal strategy is ineffective, there are two remaining moves.”
“One of them is negotiation.”
“……Well, that’s not really too realistic.”
Faced with what Maria had said, Lucas replied back with sweat dripping down his face. The others also nodded their heads in concurrent.
Well, that of course couldn’t be helped. The adversary was the natural enemy of Spirits, whom had brought their blade against them numerous times now. Moreover, since their purpose is to kill Lucas and Shidou and inverse the Spirits to seize the Spirit Sephira Crystals. Thus, there was no probability of negotiations with Ratatoskr, whom was aimed at protecting the Spirits.
“Muu, saying it like that──” As Tohka spoke out while stroking her chin, Kotori gave a firm nod of consent.
“Yes, there is only one option remaining, that is---to beat down DEM.”
“……!”
After hearing what Kotori had said, a sudden burst of tension filled the briefing room.
At the time of being foretold of an attack by DEM.
Then, at the time of being called into this room.
That choice had been floating around everyone’s mind for a while now.
However, when explicitly stated by Kotori as a commander, all vague suspense, thinking, probability was overshadowed by a single fact brought into reality.
“Of course, I understand that this is not a simple task. Although our side has a slightly better performance with the realizer manifestation unit, the other side possesses an estimated ten times more our size in Wizards. When the Bandersnatch and Nibelcol are added, it’s difficult to image how much more the gap has widened. If they all advance for their purpose without concern collateral damage or causing a social scandal, it would be difficult to stop them.”
“…………”
Caught in the moment, everyone stood breathless. However, Kotori did not blame them for that. Rather, she nodded her head to show her sympathy.
“However, we have to fight. Although the decision to attack is sudden, the enemy has already striven to crush our escape route numerous times now. The result has been Lucas' death for over 200 times now, each time followed by Shidou's death.”
“Muu……”
As Tohka tightened her lips, the other Spirits also all showed a stringent expression.
“Without Kurumi, our story would have already been over with the worst ending of their death. And now, the enemy intends to take the next by also defeating Kurumi. Kurumi may not be able to necessarily redo the world again the next time Lucas dies. We have no other choice but to go on the offensive, seize tomorrow with our own hands.”
“Exactly. Well said, Commander Itsuka.” Suddenly. As Kotori was amidst of her passionate speech, an unexpected voice was heard coming from the speakers. This wasn’t Maria’s voice. The low reverberated sound no doubt belonged to an older gentleman.
“Ah……”
Looking at the monitor at the center of the round table, Kotori widened her eyes in surprise.
Up until now, only the words spelling Maria were shown, but now it also displayed the image of an old man wearing spectacles.
“Elliot." Lucas could not help but call out that name. That’s right; this person was the decision-making body of Ratatoskr and chairman of the Round Table, Elliot Woodman himself.
“Hello, long time no see everyone. I’m sorry I couldn’t contact you until now.”
“No, don’t say that. Is your body feeling better?”
“Ah, it’s fine now. It looks like I made you worry.”
Woodman let out a smile and pushed his glasses upward as if to change the conversation topic.
“Well, although I would also like to have a leisurely chat, it seems that the current matter at hand does not allow for this. I have a rough grasp on the situation. Needless to say, we intend to provide as much of Ratatoskr’s cutting edge technology as possible. However, the absolute quantity of the enemy cannot be subverted. If there is a direct conflict, we will eventually be defeated.”
“That……”
When he heard that, Lucas felt the urge to bite against his own lip.
But soon, Woodman continued to speak.
“However, DEM industries is an organization entirely governed through Isaac Westcott’s charisma and Ellen Mather’s execution power. In other words, if we remove the two of them, no matter how many wizards or automatic dolls remaining, it will no longer be large problem. His organization grew too much; it is no longer a sturdy monolith anymore. If those two people disappear, the anti-opposition party within the company can clean up the rest.”
“……!”
Hearing what Woodman had said, Lucas took in a breathtaking gulp.
However, the quickly understood it still was a tremendous difficult task to begin with.
In any case, the opponent was the man who had gained the power of a demon king and the world’s strongest Wizard. In the case of the former, he was also shielded by a myriad of Bandersnatch units and Nibelcol, making even a creating a direct confrontation exceedingly difficult. Although the target had been narrowed down, a method to handle the enemy’s overwhelming forces had not changed.
However, at that moment.
“I see. Then, it may be worth trying that.”
From the speaker, Maria’s voice echoed through the briefing room.
“Huh……?”
“Maria? What did you mean by that?”
As Kotori inquired in a surprised tone, Maria replied back without skipping a beat.
“I would be troubled if there is too much expectation and I do not have any definite evidence at all. This is at best a speculation as to whether it will be realized or not.”
“Don’t try and sell it off. What are you thinking about?”
Kotori spoke out while anxiously tapping her fingers against the round table. Then, Maria replied back with a voice that sounded as if she was letting out a large sigh.
“It may be possible to neutralize the Nibelcol.”
“……!? Wha──” After hearing what Maria had said, Lucas could not help but let out a cry from his throat.
Of course, Lucas was not the only one to give such a reaction. The Spirits and crew members all raised their eyes in astonishment.
However, among them, there was one person who did change her facial expression.
“Is that really true, Maria?”
Origami’s composed voice blew through the turmoil of the shaken crowd. In response to that, Maria replied back from the speaker.
“Uhuh, it’s true. Although, I not sure if it can be realized by including that point among them, but.──”
“That is enough considering the current situation. If this goes well, I may have a solution for the rest.”
“……!” Everyone poured their gaze onto Origami. Lucas, not being an exception, also turned his attention to the same direction.
“Origami? What did you just say……?”
When question by Lucas, Origami placed her hand under her chin as if deep in thought before continuing to speak.
“It will certainly be difficult to achieve this goal. However, if Maria is able to hamper with the Nibelcol, then I have an idea of how to handle the Bandersnatch.”
“What did you say……? What the heck is that!?”
As Kotori asked questions with astonished eyes, Origami gave a slight nodded before opening her mouth to speak.
“Bandersnatch is a very new weapon for even DEM. Although the concept has existed for a while, there had been no realizer manifestation device with sufficient performance to realize that ambition.”
“……! That’s it, Ashcroft β! They must rely on that ultra-powerful realizer manifestation unit to bring about that result!”
It was Mana who had reacted to what Origami had said. She made an exaggerated clap with her hands before placing her fingers against her forehead to further contemplate on what had been said.
Ashcroft β. Lucas exactly knew what it was. DEM had built a new realizer manifestation device of the same name, which considerably shortened the technological gap between Ratatoskr and DEM.
However, he still didn’t quite know what Origami and Mana were thinking about. Lucas slanted his head while that question floated in his mind.
“What is the matter with that realizer manifestation device?”
“Only the two of you understand right now, please explain. Maria as well. What exactly can we do to weaken the Nibelcol?”
Seeing a perplexed look on Kotori’s face, the characters spelling out MARIA, at the edge of the screen where Woodman was projected, lit up.
“Yes, I will clarify it now. In the first place, the Nibelcol are a pseudo lifeform created by DEM’s technology and composed primarily of reiryoku from Beelzebub. Assuming that is the case ──”
“……! Stop, stop! Wait a second!”
Just as Maria was about to present the main focus of her thesis, it came to abrupt halt due to Nia interrupting in a panic.
“Nia?”
“What is going on? Even if your pervious life was a pig, please stop making abrupt strange noises.” Maria let out a faint, but also scathing remark.
However, Nia did not express even the slightest blow of mental shock or irritation. Rather, she kept her serious expression spoke out while waving her finger.
“Oririn, Manacchi, and 2D heroine from an eroge, can we stop this discussion here?”
“Why?”
“That’s a strange thing to say when we’ve obviously came here together to share information.”
“First of all, I’d like an explanation for that last name designation. Depending on the answer, I’ll drop you out of the airship.”
As Origami and Mana both gave a puzzled look to Nia, the letters spelling out MARIA on the screen were violently flashing as if to express her anger.
In response to the three of them, Nia shrugged her shoulders, keeping in tone with her mischievous manner of speaking.
“Well, I would love to know if there were any difficult to deal with strategies, right? But who do you think wants to know that information the most in the world?”
“……?”
As Lucas felt bewildered over what Nia had just said──
“! Ah……”
However, the moment he became aware of the meaning of those words, his shoulders began to tremble.
Origami and the others probably had noticed as well. Each person showed a different response from slightly pursing their brow to tightening their lips.
That’s right. Presenting their strategy here would be synonymous with Westcott being able later to search that information through Beelzebub.
Judging from everyone’s reactions that her intentions had been properly conveyed, Nia gave a subsequent nod.
“That is the situation at hand. Of course, I’ve applied jamming to prevent the instantaneous obtaining of information from Beelzebub──but it is still possible that the threat still remains. Only events from the future and people’s thoughts cannot be read. If we want to make a reversal in combat, then it’s best to not even talk to your allies until the war has begun.”
“…………”
Although Nia was speaking in a relaxed tone, there was a uniform degree of tension displayed on everyone’s facial expressions.
Of course, perhaps the enemy could even eavesdrop on the current conference.
Despite everyone knowing it mentally, there was still no corresponding feeling of realism.
“We cannot discuss strategy at a war meeting.” It felt just like trying to pulling a cart before the horse.
In an attempt to shake off the stiff atmosphere, Nia continued on in an enthusiastic demeanor.
“Well, I guess it’s not a simple thing that can be done easily. Still, I would expect that our excellent AI-sama can at least handle something of this level, right?”
As part of her habitual retaliation, Nia replied back without hiding her sarcastic tone in the slightest.
“…………”
Maria remained silent for a moment before the audio file let out a solemn “ha” sounding sigh.
“……Although it’s a bit regrettable, it’s true that you saved us for potential harm, Nia.”
“Ahaha! You ought to know! Straightforwardness is a virtue for children. Isn’t that right standing picture AI-chan?”
“……Yes, Nia. Could you please touch the console on the table?”
“Huh? Like this?”
Following Maria’s instruction, Nia placed her hand on top of the console.
Then, at the next moment, accompanied by the crackling sound of an electrical spark, Nia leaped into the air on the spot like a cartoon character.
“Gyan!?”
It seemed that a light current had flowed through to the console. With tears in her eyes, Nia was slowly exhaling on her left hand in attempt to cool it down.
“W-what are you doing?! This kind of manners after having your failure pointed out is not adult-like at all!”
“What are you talking about? I have frankly reflected on this incident and paid tribute to Nia. The shock was just a reasonable retaliation against me for making a fuss and chatting me off.”
“Uwa─! Quibbler! You’re the quibbler king!”
Despite Nia continuing to complain, Maria had chosen to simply take no heed to it anymore. Although there were only 6 English letters on the screen, it felt that they could only see a girl with a scowl on her face.
While watching such an interaction unfold, Kotori could only helplessly shrug her shoulders.
“Anyway, as far as strategy is concerned, it’s just as Nia had said.”
“If we discuss the details here, the enemy will be able to find the corresponding countermeasures. Origami, Mana, sorry but please devise the plans for the Bandersnatch on your own. For the moment, we’ll also share information on Maria’s countermeasures for the Nibelcol just before the war begins.”
“Understood.”
“Well……there’s no other way to handle this.”
As Origami and Mana nodded in consent, Kotori responded in the same manner before turning her attention to the screen displaying Woodman.
“That seems to be it. Sir Woodman, does this seem to be okay?”
“Ah. I appreciate the calm response. Let me also do everything I can in my possession. Please look forward to it. It’s truly been regrettable that I haven’t been able to talk to everyone for a while.”
As Woodman replied back in a jesting manner, his words seemed to have an alleviating effect on the facial expression of Kotori and the others.
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