kscans

Chapter 119 - Interlude: The Turning Wheels, the Flowing Stars. And So the Three Musketeers Begin to Run

Interlude: The Turning Wheels, the Flowing Stars. And So the Three Musketeers Begin to Run

Side: None

Saitama Prefecture, a certain location.

In a mountainous area, far from easily accessible, stood a building that was completely out of place with the surrounding lush, natural scenery.

Its form could be described as a Western-style castle. A thick wall surrounded it, a castle complete with four spires.

If one were to see only this, they might think it a remnant of a theme park built during the bubble economy.

However, anyone who actually came to this place would not hold such an impression. Especially not an Awakened Person.

Every single stone that formed the castle walls was imbued with mana, and multiple layers of invisible barriers were deployed. Their strength was such that they could likely withstand a direct missile strike.

The castle protected within was also fortified with numerous barriers, boasting an incredibly strong defense against both physical and magical attacks.

This was the headquarters of [Turohorse]. A utopia for the Awakened who had gathered from all over the country.

The interior had been expanded with spatial magic, boasting a space equivalent to twenty-eight Tokyo Domes.

At its center, several men and women had gathered.

Humans, beastmen, elves, dark elves, dwarves. Awakened of various races were seated around a circular table.

They were the core members of [Turohorse], the NPO established to protect the rights of the Awakened.

As for what they were doing...

"Let us move on to the next item on the agenda. Regarding the budget for each party..."

They were having a perfectly normal meeting.

"...Sasayama-san's party, are these numbers correct?"

"They are. I've calculated them multiple times, and had my secretary check as well."

"Wow, that's incredible. Your efficiency has improved considerably."

"However, has safety not been compromised as a result? By reducing the number of tanks, the attackers are put at greater risk."

"We've fortified their defenses with magical tools, but... they're disposable. If they were to face a wave attack, they might die before they can pull out a new tool, no?"

"I can't deny that. In my case, my unique skill can handle it, but it might be dangerous for others."

"But we can think of it as a specialized combat method. I was worried at first, thinking you were spending a lot on the budget, but if this is the case, it seems fine."

"Now, regarding Katayama-san's party... it's very stable."

"Yes. A party with a warrior, a mage, a hunter, and a healer is a classic for a reason."

The meeting proceeded in a friendly atmosphere, with occasional laughter mixed in.

Sometimes, words grew sharp over budget allocation, but they compromised with each other and never let it carry over.

"And now... I have some sad news to report."

With those words, the man seated at the head of the circular table stood up.

"The other day, the clan 'Arisida' requested to withdraw from [Turohorse]."

"What..."

"That's..."

"It is extremely regrettable, but we cannot stop them. We do not pursue those who leave, nor do we refuse those who come. That is the principle we have upheld to protect the rights of all Awakened. We cannot betray it."

"Where are they now?"

"If all went according to plan, they should be arriving at a port in China around now. Let us hope for the best in their new lives."

"Yes, indeed."

"They were just a bunch of puppets anyway. They'll probably be more effective over there."

"Sasayama-san, you shouldn't speak like that..."

"That's right. We are all fellow Awakened!"

"...My apologies. They were my former subordinates. I became a little too emotional."

The man at the head of the table smiled at the dwarven man who apologized with a scowl.

"Everyone gets frustrated sometimes. It can't be helped."

"I appreciate you saying that."

"Well, the meeting is over. Thank you for your hard work, everyone."

"Thank you."

"Well, I'm heading home from here."

"Ah, Shimoyama-san, you have your child's class observation day today, don't you?"

"I do. I'm a little worried about how she's doing at school."

The last man to leave the meeting room. The one who had been at the head of the table also headed to his own room with a gentle smile.

With a light step, he approached a room protected by multiple layers of defensive magic and electronic locks, making it nearly impossible to enter.

And for good reason. This was the room of the representative of [Turohorse].

It was the private room of 'Yaguruma Shun.'

His handsome features relaxed as he hummed a tune and unlocked the door.

"Hey, I'm home! Have you all been good?"

Beautiful women greeted him as he spoke cheerfully.

"Ugh, aahh... uuu..."

"Ah... ah..."

All of them had vacant eyes.

Their movements were unsteady, and no proper words came from their mouths.

At first glance, they looked like they were suffering from drug addiction or something similar. But their skin and hair were well-kept, and their appearance was far too clean for severe junkies.

He smiled at them and embraced the nearest woman.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Couldn't you wait, Tetra?"

"Ah... ah..."

"And Nona, too. Hehe, you're all so helpless. Alright, then. The sun is still high, but it wouldn't be manly of me not to respond to this!"

With those words, Yaguruma violently ripped off his tie, followed by his suit and dress shirt, which he tossed to the floor.

His slender body was revealed, covered in countless bite marks. All of them were small, the marks of women's teeth.

He wrapped his arms around the shoulders of the women he called 'Tetra' and 'Nona' and headed for the bedroom.

The 'furniture' that picked up his discarded clothes had faces as pale as a corpse. Their fingertips trembled slightly, but they worked so as not to make a single mistake. So as not to make a single sound.

Because they were 'furniture.' They knew that if they showed otherwise, he would pull them close and whisper words of love to them.

Yaguruma Shun—a Level 38 Necromancer.

[Turohorse]

An NPO for the Awakened. A utopia for the Awakened.

Non-Awakened have no human rights.

＊　　　　　＊　　　　　＊

Washington D.C., United States.

In a room in the White House, several men in suits were gathered.

There was a single desk and a leather chair behind it. A man sat there with a dignified air.

He was the 48th President, Fudge Valentine.

With blond hair, blue eyes, and clear white skin, he was a man whose firm skin and vibrant eyes belied his sixty years of age.

"...So. Have you still been unable to locate him?"

His words were heavy, but the man he addressed replied calmly, without flinching.

"No, sir. Public Security did secure him once and was planning to dispose of him quietly, but he escaped. Based on the tools left at the scene, there's a possibility of Chinese involvement, but we cannot rule out the possibility of a setup."

"Any sign that the information has been released?"

"None. With the cooperation of the Japanese government, we are monitoring everything, including social media, but there have been no leaks regarding that plan."

"...But whoever helped him escape may already know. Find him, no matter what it takes. The means do not matter. But do it secretly. Do not report the details to the Japanese government."

"Yes, sir."

Next to the man who nodded, another man wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.

"But Mr. President, agents from other countries are actively operating in that country. With their eyes on us, I believe it would be better to seek more active cooperation from the Japanese government."

"No. With that country's counterintelligence capabilities, it's safer to assume that any information given to Japan will be leaked to another country."

"I agree. That country is a paradise for spies. But that also means a spy's enemy is another spy."

"I see..."

The man wiping his sweat sighed before turning his gaze back to the President.

"However, we are running out of time. Even aside from that plan, the protests against the White House are increasing. The anti-Awakened movement, in particular, is gaining momentum by the day, and a firefight could break out at any moment."

Currently, in the United States, the movement to exclude the Awakened was gaining strength.

One group condemned the Awakened as an existence against the will of God.

Another shouted that the Awakened were dangerous and should be placed under the control of the United Nations.

And another demanded that the government stop spending vast sums on hiring Awakened and instead tackle domestic problems.

It had been almost two years and three months since the 'Day of Awakening.'

During that time, the United States and various other nations had been recruiting powerful Awakened. The methods ranged from forceful ones that couldn't be made public to common tactics like money and honey traps.

That was how valuable strong Awakened were. The U.S., China, and many other countries were in a bidding war.

Furthermore, there was also extensive support for Japan, which was in a tight spot economically due to the dungeons. Of course, it wasn't just goodwill; there was something expected in return, but it was still straining the national budget.

Although research into more efficient power generation methods using magical tools sent from Japan was underway, the world was running out of leeway.

"I know. How is that coming along, Doctor?"

"It is proceeding smoothly, Mr. President."

Where the President's gaze fell, on a monitor fixed to the desk, was an old man with an aquiline nose and white hair slicked back.

"The experiments conducted in various locations have yielded results largely as expected. It will not be long before I can return to your side."

"Understood. Send me a detailed report later."

After a small sigh, the President stood up.

He walked to the window and gazed outside, bathed in the sunlight filtering through the bulletproof glass.

"...Are you gentlemen aware? For everyone in the world to live the same lifestyle as an average man in New York, it is said that all of Earth's resources would not be enough. In fact, we would need another four or five Earths."

President Valentine continued as he toyed with his prized blond hair.

"We need a new frontier. Space development is too slow. Foolish humanity has grown too numerous. We must become pioneers once again and create a new home for ourselves."

He turned to face his subordinates.

His eyes shone with hope, and the sun illuminated him as if it were a halo.

"America will be that pioneer. We must be. It is for the sake of humanity. Please, I ask for your cooperation for the future of mankind."

"Yes, sir!"

"Of course, Mr. President."

The President nodded in satisfaction at his subordinates' replies and turned his gaze back to the old man on the monitor.

"I have high expectations for you as well, Doctor Tesla."

"I promise you results worthy of that name, Mr. President."

The old man bowed respectfully. He had another name, but he was being called that in connection with the current plan.

"Pioneering is the soul of America. Now is the time to show it to the world... No. To all worlds."

＊　　　　　＊　　　　　＊

"...Hmm."

Saitama Prefecture. Deep in a certain mountain.

"We're lost!"

"It's not a 'we're lost!' situation!"

A girl with gray hair in a ponytail shouted at a girl with long hair in a two-side-up style.

"We went into the mountains because you said you 'heard a voice calling for help from this way'! What are we going to do now!? For some reason, our phones don't work, and we're completely lost!"

"That's right!"

"........."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, so put the weapon away!"

The two-side-up girl held up her hands to placate her friend, who had deployed her [Arcane Gear] and was holding a large scythe.

"Let us calm down. Once night falls, we should be able to determine our general direction from the position of the stars."

"Oh, the weather forecast said it's going to rain from this afternoon until tomorrow morning."

"It's hopeless! We're all going to die here!!"

"You're the one who needs to calm down."

The gray-haired girl held her head in exasperation as the elven girl began to cry like a child.

"Seriously... I don't want to use it outside a dungeon, but I guess I have no choice but to use my 'kin' to search the area."

"Guess that's the only way. Good luck!"

"Just so you know, I'm your senior. I'm older than you."

"Yessir! Do your best, Pai-sen!"

"Somehow that's annoying..."

Just as the gray-haired girl put the butt of her scythe on the ground with a grim look on her face...

—Rustle.

In an instant, they all deployed their [Arcane Gear]. They warily aimed their greatsword, scythe, and staff in the direction of the sound.

There was no hint of carelessness in their eyes. Like warriors who had engaged in life-or-death battles countless times, they exuded a tense aura.

And then, rustling through the leaves, a figure appeared.

"...What are you all doing?"

It was a single girl with a short bob haircut.

"President! Akasaka President!!"

The two-side-up girl immediately dispelled her greatsword and hugged the girl.

Seemingly oblivious to the fact that the other two were now glaring at her even more sharply, the two-side-up girl looked up at the girl she called 'President' with sparkling eyes.

"Why are you here, President? Hah, could it be our friendship power...!"

"No, you idiot. I'm just... doing some personal investigation."

Blushing slightly, the President looked away.

Then, as if to change the subject, she turned her gaze to the elf and the other girl.

"And what are you two doing here? There are no campsites or anything around here."

"We're lost."

"We got lost!"

"That's right!"

".........Haaah."

At their overly direct replies, the President pried the two-side-up girl off her and held her head as if fighting a headache.

"Why is your timing always so good and so bad... Anyway, I'll take you to the foot of the mountain. There should still be one more bus, so you can take that home."

"Nope. Since we're here, we'll help you, President! You're looking for something, right? Did you drop a contact lens?"

"...It's none of your business as civilians. Leave me alone."

The hand that had been holding her head now ran through her hair.

In response, the three of them answered with serious expressions.

"You say 'civilians,' but you're just a high school student and adventurer like us, aren't you, President?"

"Are you a chunibyo? That's a little cringey for a high schooler."

"I'm your senior. Show some respect."

"Shut up! And you've been held back a year, so technically you're not my senior! Go home and study!"

"You shouldn't have said that!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Calm down!"

The two-side-up girl grappled with the gray-haired girl, who had thrown down her scythe and raised her fists.

Munyu, her surprisingly large breasts were pressed against the other girl.

"■■■■■■■———!!"

"She's making a sound like a monster we fought the other day!?"

"This is bad! It's having the opposite effect on her, flat as a horizon! Get away quickly! Come to me instead! Let's be friends, fellow big-breasted girls!!"

"Hey, won't that just make it worse?"

"■゛■゛■゛■゛■゛■゛———!!!"

"See?"

The President let out a loud sigh at the gray-haired girl who had now forgotten human language.

"Fine. Fine, I get it..."

"President, if you keep sighing, your happiness will fly away."

"Quiet. Whose fault do you think this is... Well, whatever. I'm here without my fa... Dad's permission too, so I guess we're both meddling."

"I think it's okay to call him 'Papa.'"

"Sh-u-t, up!"

The President stomped her foot and barked, then cleared her throat with a small cough.

"I'm just going to do a little investigating, then I'm going home right away. That's my plan, so you all do the same. Got it?"

"Okay!"

"As long as we don't get lost, I'm fine with it!"

"■゛■゛■゛■゛■゛■゛.........!!"

"...You should probably let her go now."

"Oh, okay."

The group of three girls and the President with the last name Akasaka.

They turned their feet in the same direction.

"Our destination is the headquarters of [Turohorse]. I'm going to solve at least one of my Dad's worries!"

As the President declared her determination, the other three smiled warmly at her.

"You're quite the daddy's girl, aren't you, President?"

"It's heartwarming."

"Let me give you some advice as your senior. You should tone down the father complex."

"That's it, I'm sending you three idiots back, even if I have to beat you!"

The three girls ran off, chased by the President, who had deployed her [Arcane Gear] and started to rampage.