ch41-ch60 · 053-ch52

Chapter 52

Toru stared at his mobile device, which had started ringing again almost immediately, and considered just turning it off — but he noticed the caller ID had changed.

He sighed and answered.

〈Uh, hello? This is Toru-kun's mobile, right? This is Saito Megumi. Um, I won't let Ilseria contact you ever again. She was incredibly rude... I'm, really sorry about that.〉

It was Anthem's leader, Saito Megumi, speaking in a cautious tone. He hadn't talked with her enough to identify her by voice alone, but there was no reason for her to lie here, and her speech pattern vaguely matched his memory.

"Ah... yeah. Something up?"

〈U-uh, yeah. Sorry. One of ours, Chizuru... Kagurazaka Chizuru disappeared from the hotel, and I figured you'd probably be out of the dungeon by now, so I was wondering if you might've run into her. Also, Ilseria probably mentioned it, but someone from the Labyrinth Agency should be coming to see you...〉

Megumi's way of speaking was like a girl talking to a scary upperclassman in a club, and it made Toru wryly smile despite himself. He didn't particularly want to scare Megumi.

Come to think of it, he noticed she'd switched from "-san" to "-kun" somewhere along the line, but that was probably easier for her to say.

"Well... Kagurazaka-san was in front of the dungeon. Already met Soma-san and Maisaka-san. Also had a bit of a hassle."

〈R-really? We've got a hassle too — well, we're not sure yet, but we can't reach Nanami-san...〉

"Nanami — Anthem's manager? Can't reach her?"

He made a conscious effort to say that clearly. He glanced at Soma and Risa, and Risa immediately started operating her mobile device.

〈Yeah. We were supposed to meet up with Chizuru and Airi and head into Noumi Dungeon... but Chizuru's gone, we can't reach Nanami-san, and Ilseria's an idiot. Um, really, I'm sorry about this?〉

"Well, I'd say if you're that shitty elf's owner you oughta do something about her, but that's not how it works, right? Shit being shitty is the shit's own fault."

〈Ahaha... I mean, that's true. But still, it couldn't have felt good. I'm sorry. We keep showing you nothing but our worst side, don't we. Keep causing you nothing but trouble, even after you've helped us so many times.〉

"No comment on that. Uh... here, I'll put Kagurazaka-san on."

He said, and handed his mobile device to Kagurazaka Chizuru. She looked apologetic, but started talking on the phone with surprising clarity — it was a little amusing.

He'd been told his sensibilities were different from other people's, but well, he supposed so.

"...No response."

Risa muttered, looking perplexed. She'd tried calling Hamamatsu Nanami from her own mobile, but apparently couldn't get through.

"Soma and I arrived in this town this morning and first secured a 'place we could use freely' that the Labyrinth Agency had reserved. An empty building near the prefectural office. We had Sasamori Takeshi brought to the basement there and interrogated him using Risa's special ability. Then we came here to assess the 'cursed blade user' — that's you. To determine how dangerous you are. We left Hamamatsu at the building to watch over Sasamori."

Either for Toru's benefit in understanding the situation, or to inform the Demon Lugardo, Soma spoke in a slightly raised voice. Lugardo sat cross-legged on the wet ground, frowning as he looked at Soma.

"...That manager might be getting attacked by Gilgeil."

"Ah! That's right, that's right! You mentioned Gilgeil, didn't you!"

Tia, who'd been in a suspended 'stay' state after the elf's call, rebooted and pressed Lugardo.

"Y-yeah..."

"That guy — when he's disguised as a human, he uses a cane, has a blank face but smiles with just his lips curved? When he transforms into his true Demon form, the cane turns into a segmented sword? He's a complete bastard with a shitty personality, right?"

"How do you know that...?"

"Gilgeil! One of the Demon King's executives! He's alive — I mean, a survivor of the Gargloa Kingdom has been living all this time! And he got caught up in the World Fusion and got transferred to this world...!"

Apparently an acquaintance of Tia's. It didn't seem like a pleasant acquaintance, and from what he could gather, it wasn't a cheerful story either.

"Then how do you know Gilgeil!?"

Lugardo said irritably. But he couldn't quite hide the fear in his voice. Well, after getting beaten as thoroughly as he had, of course he'd be scared.

Tia, completely unconcerned with the Demon's fear, turned back to Toru and waved her hands as she spoke.

"Um... how should I explain this? Demons are long-lived like elves, and I was told to go kill the king of the Demon country... The Gargloa Kingdom was resented by many countries, and they did all sorts of terrible things... With the cooperation of various countries, we fought them. Gilgeil was one of the executives of Gargloa."

"Ah... like one of the Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings, that kind of deal?"

When he threw out a guess on instinct, Tia nodded emphatically.

"Yeah, pretty much that kind of deal. But for him to still be alive and also end up in this world... The dwarven master said he'd never even heard of the Guidolin Kingdom that used me..."

Tia let out a hollow laugh — ha ha ha.

Toru didn't particularly empathize, but setting that aside, there were two things he needed to confirm.

"Can you guess what he's plotting? And is that guy stronger than you?"

"No way. He's the type who aims for five or six birds with one stone, not just two. He'd throw stones at unnecessary birds to hide his real target. If his strength is the same as back then, I'd definitely win. From what I heard, his fighting style hasn't changed much."

"May I cut in?"

Soma raised his hand. That drew everyone's attention, and Toru noticed that Kagurazaka had finished her call and was holding his mobile device with a troubled expression.

He took the device back, then gestured for Soma to go ahead.

"First, I want to go check on Hamamatsu and Sasamori. I should have set up cameras, but I didn't think finishing off Sasamori now would accomplish much. But it seems this Gilgeil character might do things that appear meaningless on the surface."

"Haah..."

He wanted to say "just go by yourself," but Soma's gaze remained fixed on Toru.

"'Cursed Blade User' Hayasaka Toru — I'd like to hire you. Sorry, but come with me. If nothing happens, I'll give you a weapon to replace that magic-conductivity-free bludgeon you use. If something does happen and combat breaks out, I'll add fifty million yen even if you don't fight."

"Fif— huh, seriously?"

The complete lack of hesitation in Soma's tone genuinely surprised Toru.

"If you come along, that holy sword woman automatically follows. That woman is stronger than this Gilgeil Demon or whatever. And I've decided not to go against my gut. My gut says 'bring him.' I might take a loss on the fee, but I don't care. All I can offer is items and money, but if you're willing, I'd like to ask."

Soma continued flatly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Risa beside him looked unconcerned, so apparently he was proposing it as a personal request.

"Ah... well, sure, I guess. If that Gilge-gilge-gil-whatshisname guy used Sasamori to cause the Dungeon Rampage, I wouldn't mind seeing his face. Hell, if I kill him, maybe I'll feel a bit better."

"As for you using force at the scene based on your own judgment — I'll permit all of it. I don't know if the law will allow it, so watch yourself there."

"Umm, excuse meee!"

A loud voice rang out from behind.

Kujo Reiko, still holding her expensive-looking umbrella, gave a small bow and spoke.

"It seems the situation has grown rather complicated, so we'll be taking our leave now. The butler is worried."

She smiled with an elegant "oh ho ho ho." Well, she was actually elegant. It's just that her character made even refined gestures and graceful smiles not look quite that way. How she wanted to be seen was unclear.

Setting that aside — as a time to withdraw, it wasn't a bad call. No matter how you looked at it, this was no longer an explorer's job, but the work of those who managed explorers.

"My bad, Toru-bro. I'll transfer the Kumanoi Potion money by 24:00 today. I've got your ID from when we linked the stream camera to the device, so I know where to send it. Submit the magic cores to the nearest Labyrinth Department. I'll contact you separately about the investment. Well then, we'll be off. Let's play again sometime."

"Hey, Joichiro! Don't steal my lines! Well then, Toru-bro-sama, Tia-sama, let's explore the labyrinth together again sometime."

"Ah... yeah, thanks. That was... appreciate it."

"Ah, I had fun too. See you again, Reiko."

"There's no need for thanks! For I thoroughly enjoyed myself as well! Now then, everyone — farewell!"

With a loud "Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!" laugh, Kujo Reiko departed, with Kashiwazaki Joichiro following three steps behind his mistress.

But since their parked cars were more or less in the same direction, Toru's group ended up heading that way too, making the exit slightly anticlimactic.

"Well, let's go too. We'll talk about what's necessary on the way to the site in the car. Kagurazaka, come with us. It's your clan's manager we're talking about."

"Yes, of course. If Nanami is in danger, we should hurry."

"Honestly, this is no kind of job. Black company, I tell you, black company."

"Um... what about Lugardo?"

At Tia's perfectly reasonable question, Soma shrugged theatrically, traced the brim of his hunting cap with his fingertip, and pointed at Lugardo, still sitting cross-legged on the ground.

"We won't get any more info out of him. It's clear he doesn't intend to harm humanity. Leaving him won't be dangerous for now, and honestly, it's not my job anyway. Confirming Hamamatsu Nanami's safety is part of my work, in a sense."

"I see. What will you do?"

Tia nodded lightly, then her gaze shifted to Lugardo. The Demon flinched momentarily, then answered sullenly: "Beats me."

Right — maybe squeezing this Demon for more information was pointless now. Since Risa's special ability had confirmed truthfulness, killing him would probably be unwise, but it left an unsettled feeling.

Not that there was anything to be done about it.

Even if there was some good course of action, he couldn't think of one off the top of his head.

◇◇◇

"Hayasaka Toru, I'll tell you upfront. For your contributions in suppressing this Dungeon Rampage and the purchase of the two monster magic cores that appeared — a total of 480 million yen will be deposited by the weekend. Of course, since this is explorer activity, that's after taxes."

The first to speak after they'd boarded the five-seater car was Maisaka Risa in the passenger seat. Toru was behind the driver, Tia in the middle, and Kagurazaka Chizuru behind the passenger seat — the car was fairly spacious, which helped.

"Also, I've had your explorer license officially issued as of just now. For now it'll be issued as a D-rank license, but it'll probably become B-rank soon. The procedural documents should be mailed to you, so fill in the required items and submit them to the city's Labyrinth Department. The licensing lectures for D-rank and C-rank are waived, but we can't waive the B-rank lecture. Check the nearest training facility and date from the documents sent, apply via your device, and then attend the lecture."

"Ah... sounds kinda like getting a driver's license."

"It is a license."

Risa replied normally to Toru's casual observation.

Incidentally, when it came to money, he was already numb to it and couldn't be properly surprised anymore. 480 million yen was an astronomical amount for Toru personally, but if that Great Worm and Five-headed hydra had been left unchecked, the damage could easily have exceeded 400 billion. So if someone said the compensation was too low, maybe it was, but whether that meant he'd want 400 billion was another matter entirely.

"Speaking of which, I haven't renewed my license or taken any lectures."

"You lot have national backing for your explorer activities. Support staff handle special renewal procedures. Clueless, aren't you."

"Indeed, I am clueless about the world."

At Risa's slightly barbed comment, Kagurazaka replied matter-of-factly, as if it were obvious. It wasn't sarcasm or defiance — just a straightforward statement, which left Risa no choice but to give a wry smile.

"...Well, fair enough when you put it that way. Rounding up fourteen-year-old kids, training them for the country, and then saying they're 'clueless about the world' — that's rich. Sorry."

"I don't mind because it's true. More importantly, Soma-dono, may I ask how far you consider this to be within your scope of work?"

Kagurazaka dismissed the apology as if it were nothing, then fearlessly directed a question at the S-rank explorer in the driver's seat.

Toru thought that when she was dealing with him, her weird side stood out, but maybe she was actually a fairly normal woman.

"I've been commissioned to confirm the truth of the scandal-ridden assembly member's statements. To pursue the self-proclaimed Cabinet Intelligence man if possible. To assess Hayasaka Toru's danger, and if there's a problem, to confiscate the cursed blade and holy sword from the relevant individual. To handle any troubles that arise in the process. To lend out Miasaka for the duration of the work, and to protect even at the cost of my own life. That's all."

"In other words, the work is already mostly finished?"

"Whether the current situation falls under 'troubles' is the point of contention. I'd like to hope nothing happens, but Risa keeps calling Hamamatsu with no response."

So something had happened, then.

"I don't mind, but Soma-san — why'd you go out of your way to pay so much to hire me?"

The atmosphere felt like question time, so he asked on a whim. Soma had mentioned his "gut feeling," but there had to be some basis for it.

Soma glanced at Toru in the rearview mirror and exhaled slightly.

"The holy sword woman — Tia, was it? Seeing her easily shatter my Stone Cage, she's stronger than me. And Hayasaka Toru — you think you could kill me. You don't seem like the type to misjudge that. Therefore, you two are stronger than me. We might end up facing this Gilgeil Demon or whatever. He's probably stronger than that Demon who called himself Lugardo. If I were trying to pull strings, I'd kill Risa first."

Maisaka Risa, whose name had been brought up out of nowhere, looked at Soma with a start. She'd probably used her special ability to confirm there was no lie in his statement.

"This woman's special ability is rare, and having someone with such a rare ability who's actively contributing to society is even rarer. So should I hide Risa somewhere before checking on Hamamatsu's safety? That would be pointless if that was their goal. Even though she's A-rank, she's weaker than Kagurazaka in practical terms. Lugardo could probably barely kill her. Gilgeil certainly could. So keeping her close is ultimately safer. To increase that safety, I hired you. Hire one and two come along — a good deal."

The way he said "a good deal" had a strange humor to it, and Toru chuckled.

"Honest, I guess, or not hiding it... but Soma-san, if you'd made that judgment and then judged me as 'unsafe,' what were you planning to do?"

"Obviously I'd have said something like 'I'll report my findings to the Labyrinth Agency' and gotten the hell out of there. But in reality, I judged you are not dangerous. People don't change much at the core. No matter what happens from now on, you probably won't cause trouble for society at large. That's my judgment."

"I'd like to keep it that way, if possible."

He let out a short laugh — "heh." Tia beside him looked at Toru with a curious expression, then suddenly turned to look behind them.

Behind them — more accurately, her gaze was directed toward the sky behind them.

Following her lead, Toru also looked in the same direction. They'd just finished following the mountain road and were entering the town proper. Distant forests were visible, and nearby there were utility poles.

"...Lugardo's following us."

Tia said. Toru couldn't tell, but if she said so, it must be true.

"But why did that man pick a fight with me? He didn't need to fight — he could have just stayed disguised as a human..."

"Hmm... maybe he's just an idiot?"

It was a merciless guess from Tia, but maybe that was it.

You'd get yelled at for saying that in a mystery novel, but people were mostly stupid, contradictory, couldn't see ahead, and made decisions on impulse.

What about that Gil-whats-his-name guy, though?

He wondered about that.