21-40 · 033
Chapter 32: Recovery
“Phew… is it over?”
In the underground office, I let out a deep sigh of relief and sank back into the sofa. The constant supply of magical power to the crystal ball, the ‘Phantom Crystal of the Nameless,’ combined with the tension of the ongoing situation, had pushed my physical and mental stamina to its limit.
“Great work, Toru-kun. That was an unbelievable sight. …So, how are you going to collect all those weapons? You said earlier you had a plan, right?”
Rin pointed at the screen showing a swordsman gleefully stroking his Legendary Level sword, asking in a serious tone.
“Collect? No, the Divine Stele of Universal Transfer is one-way only. It doesn’t have a function to pull things back.”
“…Huh?”
Rin froze like a wind-up clown toy. After a few seconds of silence, she let out a scream that seemed to shake the underground space.
“Whaaaaaat!? So that inventory worth hundreds of billions was literally just scattered!? Are you an idiot!? You’ve practically handed it over for anyone to take in the chaos!! Oh my god! How much loss are we—”
“Calm down. I said I can’t retrieve them directly, not that I don’t have a plan.”
“Huh?”
I held up a hand to stop Rin’s shouting and, mustering the last of my strength, channeled magic power into the crystal ball once more. On the giant screens across Shinjuku and on the explorers’ smartphones, the ‘Master_Eye’ owl logo appeared again. I’d have to rely on her power once more… but well, I’d find a way to repay her later. After everyone had just witnessed her strength, no one would dare try to run off.
◇
“—Good work, everyone. That was a magnificent battle. I offer you my highest praise for your courage and strength.”
As my voice, transmitted through the hijacked network, echoed, the cheers on the battlefield fell silent, and the three hundred explorers all looked up at the screens.
“As promised, it seems our company’s inventory helped turn the tide. I’m glad. …Now. The threat has passed, but the weapons you are holding are only loaned to you temporarily.”
“Huh…? Ah, Eye-sama, so we don’t get to keep…”
“Wait! I just decided this would be my lifelong partner—”
The explorers on the battlefield hurriedly clutched their weapons. Naturally, after using such extraordinary cheat weapons, they wouldn’t want to let them go.
“They’ve become used goods after the fierce fighting, but that doesn’t matter. I’d like you to promptly return them to my exclusive client on the scene… Seira Jinguji-sama.”
Looking down at the reluctant explorers through the monitors, I deliberately lowered my tone slightly as I continued.
“Of course, if anyone takes advantage of the confusion and runs off with one, I’ll accept it as an unavoidable loss. After all, they’re used goods now; I can’t sell them at the original price. …However—”
The screen image switched to a close-up of a ‘young girl’ captured by the news helicopter’s camera.
“Do you remember? The news report from the other day. To unjustly take what belongs to me, to break faith with me… is the same as making an enemy of the person on that screen. I trust you will make the wise decision.”
Whether she understood my intent or not, Seira, who hadn’t a drop of the Abyss Hydra’s blood on her, appeared on screen, her platinum-blonde hair swaying in the night breeze. She gave the camera a bright, beaming smile. Then, she lightly tapped the ‘Holy Sword Excalibur,’ still radiating powerful magical residue, against her shoulder.
“Eep…!”
“Y-you idiots! Line up! Form a return line now!”
“Seira-sama will cut us down! Eye-sama, we’ll return them immediately!”
The explorers who, mere seconds ago, had been thinking “maybe I can get away with this” scrambled to line up before Seira and began returning the weapons with the deepest bows. Making an enemy of an S-Rank explorer would leave them with nowhere to go, not just in the guild but anywhere in Japan. They knew that all too well.
◇
“…I see.”
Rin, watching the monitors, let out a breath that was both exasperated and impressed.
“You used the strongest S-Rank as a debt collector. After seeing her power, no one would dare run off.”
“Well, if someone had managed to sneak away with one or two in the chaos, I’d have let it go. They did fight hard, after all.”
After all, it was the explorers on the battlefield who had actually stood their ground and handled the situation. I felt they deserved some reward for that.
“…Besides, now that they’ve tasted that overwhelming power, they’ll probably be desperate to win them in the next auction, even if they have to go into debt.”
“…Ahaha! Exactly! You just did a promotional giveaway with samples! By accident, anyway!”
Rin burst out laughing, holding her stomach. I laughed along with her, then closed my eyes to rest my exhausted body.
And so, the massive Stampede at Shinjuku Dungeon that had threatened Tokyo with destruction came to an end.