kscans

Chapter 257 - The World We Returned To

The seven of us returned to the hospital room.

...Kuroda sat down in a convenient chair, Rumily got into bed to rest, and Milfy and Matilda sat beside her. The remaining three of us stood by the wall.

Kuroda began. "...Now, I imagine you don’t care for long stories, so I’ll keep it brief. First, the old men who visited today are, as you saw, important people. They are currently reviewing the footage of the surgery and the research findings. Those individuals have demanded that Rumily-san be handed over to them."

At this, I retorted, "Why? If they have the data, shouldn’t that be enough?"

I let my anger show. Everyone else was radiating the same anger and killing intent.

Kuroda remained unfazed. "...Of course, that was the intention. However, during her routine check-ups and blood tests, they discovered aspects different from those of an Earthling, and they wish to study those along with the progress of her leg. I protested, but they wouldn’t listen."

To this, Bardos said, "...Shinsuke, let’s go. We have no more business here." Everyone except Kuroda nodded.

As we started to grab our things, Kuroda said, "Please wait. I haven’t finished speaking. In fact, if I tell you this, the previous matter will be resolved."

"...Make it quick," I said.

I had no intention of waiting around.

Kuroda replied, "It’s simple. They want you to provide a live monster. While this world may not matter much to you, for us, it is extremely inconvenient. I have conveyed this to the old men. This is, you could say, a compromise. As someone who has often relied on Kaikawa-san, I cannot refuse this."

He had an apologetic look on his face.

...It was true that Kuroda had often asked for monsters. But I had always refused, citing the potential damage if one were to escape.

He probably saw this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

I said, "...I won’t be held responsible for what happens."

I was resigned to it.

...At this point, I didn’t care anymore. It wasn’t my problem if they got into trouble.

Kuroda said, "Thank you. And what can you acquire?"

Tina stepped in. "...Then how about a Mantis? In this world’s terms, it’s a human-sized praying mantis. It can fly, but only for a few meters and not for long. Its scythes are sharp enough to easily cut through iron. Furthermore, it uses wind magic. It releases a wind that generates a kamaitachi from its mouth. To capture it, I recommend a cage stronger than iron and stationing skilled, experienced combatants as guards."

She proposed a dangerous monster.

I said nothing. They wanted a monster. I would give them what they wanted.

To this, Kuroda said, "That is... a very fascinating monster. However, finding something stronger than iron in this world is quite difficult. Perhaps only gold would suffice. ...By the way, what kind of ore would you recommend?"

Tina thought for a moment. "...Let’s see. Mithril would be good. It’s not easy to obtain, but not impossible. Of course, we have no reason to go that far."

Everyone nodded.

Kuroda, flustered, said, "Such a legendary, or rather, fictional material doesn’t exist here. ...What about a Goblin? Don’t they also use magic?"

To this, Bardos said, "? ...A Goblin using magic? I’ve never heard of such a thing. As far as I know, they’re skilled with weapons and become abnormally strong in physical combat as they grow."

Milfy added, "I agree. In the first place, monsters use magic because they have a magic stone inside their bodies. They don’t chant spells like we do; they use it instinctively. It’s a basic rule for adventurers to be wary of monsters with magic stones."

She supplemented the explanation.

Kuroda grew even more flustered. "I, I see. That was a misunderstanding on our part. ...As for the Mithril, we will purchase it at a good price."

To this, I said, "...We will prepare it, but please take full responsibility for what happens after."

Kuroda, taking a breath, said, "...We will do so with all our might."

He agreed.

Tina said, "It seems we have an agreement. Then we will be on our way."

She picked up her bag.

I did the same and left the room.

Kuroda offered us a ride, but we refused. ...We wanted to let Rumily get used to her leg and do some sightseeing. After all, we might never come to Earth again.

At the hospital entrance, Kuroda said, "One last thing. There are still some who have not given up."

With that, we parted ways.

We walked through the city. ...Moving with bags on our backs. I thought we might stand out, but not really. Tina and the other three were beautiful. It was only natural that men would stare. Tina and the others didn’t seem to notice. And the next to stand out was Bardos. People of all ages and genders were glancing at him.

It wasn't a pleasant gaze. It was a gaze filled with fear. But Bardos didn’t seem to care.

When I asked him, Bardos said, "...I don’t care about people like that. There are more concerning individuals."

With that one word, I activated ‘Detection’.

...There were five red dots behind us. Maintaining a certain distance. Enemy.

I said, "...Let’s go somewhere with no people. This is getting annoying."

Everyone agreed.

After a while, we found an abandoned building with no one around. We went inside.

They followed us in without hesitation. We stopped in a fairly large hall.

Putting down my bag, I shouted, "Come on out! I’ll beat you all to a pulp!!"

...Out came a group of men in black suits. Not Kuroda’s subordinates. The atmosphere was different. The men in black silently raised pistols with silencers.

Bardos said, "...I’ll take them. You guys handle the surroundings."

To this, Rumily said, "...I’ll help. I want some serious practice."

She took a stance.

...The men in black fired all at once. Rumily dodged with swift movements, while Bardos took the bullets with his body. The men in black were surprised but didn’t give up, continuing to fire. By the way, the rest of us took cover behind some objects. They perceived Bardos as a threat and were firing at him, but that was a bad move. As the men in black were distracted, Rumily appeared behind them and aimed a knife-hand strike at the nape of their necks.

One of the men in black collapsed on the spot, unconscious. The others noticed and quickly turned around, but she was already gone.

From their side, she shouted, "...Wind Disc!!"

She unleashed a disc of wind.

...The vertically released blade of wind sliced through their guns and even cut the opposite wall. Since they were neatly lined up, it was easy. After looking at their severed guns, Rumily, and the wall, the men raised their hands and sat down in seiza.

They were surrendering. I was about to create a cage, but I sensed a presence and saw another group of men in black appear.

As I tensed up, a voice called out, "...Please wait. It is us."

Kuroda appeared.

I said, "...Just to be sure, they’re not your subordinates, are they?"

To this, Kuroda replied, "...Of course not. These are the men of those I spoke of at the hospital, the ones who were not convinced. My apologies. We will handle the rest. I have a car prepared. This way, please."

As we remained on guard, Kuroda said, "Please consider this our apology. By the way, we are already aware of Kaikawa-san’s address. In this day and age, obtaining personal information is simple."

I sighed.

...People in power can do that easily. It's better not to say anything to avoid being found out than to try and find a loophole.

I said, "In a way, I don’t want to accept it, but I have no choice. Well, even they will never figure out how to travel between worlds. ...Even if they know my address, it’s not a problem."

I had a confident look on my face.

Even if they plant cameras or listening devices, I can just remove them. What they’re doing is a crime, but even if I report it, it will be swept under the rug. At the same time, they won’t be able to claim damages.

Bardos asked, "Are you sure? I trust this person, but..."

To his hesitant question, I replied, "It’s fine. In this day and age, it’s all about using or being used. As long as Mr. Kuroda thinks he can use me, I’ll just use him to the fullest. Sightseeing has become difficult."

At this, the five of them looked disappointed.

Kuroda said, "There are souvenir shops, so it’s possible to stop by."

We nodded.

We got in the car and stopped at a souvenir shop, where we bought manju that would last a long time and karakuri dolls that were impossible to get on the other side.

Evening.

My house.

As we were getting out of the car, Kuroda said, "...Then, please contact me when the matter of the Mantis is complete. We will be waiting in full preparation."

He bowed once and left.

I said, "...Phew. I really hope this is the last time I have to send a live monster."

At this, Rumily had an apologetic look on her face, but Tina said, "It’s not your fault. The ones at fault are the people who make selfish demands without knowing anything. They’re common over there too, aren’t they?"

She was comforting her.

She was saying that people in power think the same way no matter what world you’re in.

I suggested they stay the night, but Bardos said, "I’ll pass. I want to get back quickly and put Leona at ease."

The other four agreed.

I said, "You’re right. I haven’t been to the other side for this past month. It’s better to find out what’s going on over there soon."

The six of us returned to the other world.

City of Alum.

Since it was evening, there weren’t many people, but for some reason, the air was tense. It felt like everyone was on guard. Bardos, perhaps sensing this atmosphere, headed straight for Leona. We headed to the guild. They might know something.

We arrived at the guild and went inside.

There weren’t many adventurers. It was late, so they had probably gone home. But the atmosphere was different from usual. It felt like they were dejected, or maybe afraid.

Just as I was thinking that, the receptionist noticed us.

"...Ah, Shinsuke-san and Tina-san. And Milfy-san, Matilda-san, and Rumily-san. You’re all safe?!"

To this, I said, "? ...Safe from what? ...Tina and I often leave here, and the three of you don’t take jobs from the guild. I don’t really understand what you mean."

At this, the receptionist said, "Ah, my apologies. I’ve been so busy dealing with things lately that I’m a bit flustered."

Tina said, "Busy? It’s still too early for the Monster Uproar, and I can’t think of anything else that would keep you so busy."

The receptionist said, "...You don’t know, do you? ...There are two things keeping us busy. One is bandits. They weren’t much of a threat before, but their numbers have grown and they’ve been appearing frequently. The other is our relationship with the merchants. Before the recent war, when the monsters weren’t appearing, the merchants made mocking remarks about not having to pay the guild for requests, and now some adventurers are refusing to take on escort quests. The only ones taking them are rookies, and they keep failing."

"...The merchants requested soldiers from the lord, but since the soldiers’ duty is to protect the city, they were refused. If they were to break that rule, it would cause problems. So they’ve been trying to persuade experienced adventurers, but it’s been difficult."

She had a tired look on her face.

I see, so the ones here now are those rookies. This atmosphere makes sense.

Matilda said, "But even if they’re rookies, shouldn’t there be someone leading them?"

To this, the receptionist said, "Of course. It’s only some who are refusing, not all of them. Some have agreed to take the quests with full understanding. But even so, they’re still failing. ...According to what I’ve heard, those bandits might be former adventurers."