kscans

Chapter 32 - America!

Summoned by a man I'd known for ages, I entered a certain building and took the elevator without stopping at reception. When I reached my destination floor, I stepped out of the elevator and entered a room, again without knocking. Inside, an elderly man with glasses looked at me, his expression sour.

"Harry, you should knock. Better yet, go through reception. I wasn't told you were coming."

The old man stood up with his rebuke, moving away from his desk and toward me.

"I hate all the hassle. More importantly, Norman, it's been a while. You been well?"

I ignored Norman's complaint, clapping him on the shoulder as we shook hands.

"You can see for yourself. Everything's falling apart. I failed a hospital checkup just last week."

"That's 'cause you smoke."

"I quit five years ago."

"Hyuu."

It was a shock that Norman, a man who had been such a heavy smoker, had quit.

"Live a long life, then. So? What do you want? What's the special occasion, calling me out here?"

Norman was my former superior officer, my C.O.

"Wait a moment. I've called for Claire as well."

Claire?

"Hey now, you called Claire too? Does that mean this is about being an Adventurer?"

Both Claire and I are former military. More than that, Claire and I came up at the same time. And just like me, she was once this old man's subordinate.

"That's right. We'll talk once Claire arrives."

"Huh."

Thinking what a drag it was to wait, I lit a cigarette and sat on the sofa.

"You're really going to smoke in the room of a man who quit?"

"Didn't you used to say you'd never quit smoking even if it killed you? Go on, have one."

"You'll understand when you get to my age."

Norman gave a wry smile and sat on the sofa across from me.

"How's the kid?"

"He's doing well. The foolish boy. He joined the military."

Hyuu. So that kid is already that grown up. Time really flies.

"Well, he is a fool. Takes after his old man."

"He even smokes. He only picked up my bad habits."

"Sounds promising. He'll probably knock up some girl and get a beating from you before long."

"Let's not talk about that."

A wild son will do wild things. Though I'm still single myself.

"What a pointless conversation. It's bringing back unpleasant memories."

A voice came from the doorway, and I turned to see a blonde woman standing there.

"Claire, you could at least knock."

And when did you even open the door? I didn't hear a thing.

"Honestly... none of you have any manners."

Norman's face twisted with annoyance.

"Isn't that the fault of the superior officer who was supposed to teach us? I seem to recall being called a little piece of shit quite often."

Claire said this as she sat down next to me and started to smoke.

"Brings back memories. Hey, listen to this, Claire. Norman here says he quit smoking."

"That's the funniest thing I've heard in years. And here I thought you were called the Norman Who Smokes While Showering."

It really does bring back memories.

"Talking with you two gives me a headache."

Norman shook his head.

"So? Why were we called here? Are you planning to leave us your last will and testament?"

"You should leave your assets to your son."

His wife is still around, isn't she?

"You kids and your smart mouths... Of course not. This is important."

He's calling us kids when we're about to turn forty.

"What is it?"

"It's a job."

"Go through the Guild. We're Adventurers, you know?"

Claire and I retired from the military and became Adventurers. It feels strange to say it myself, but we're now A-rank Adventurers and quite popular in America.

"This is a crucial matter. Read between the lines."

A crucial matter, huh...

"What is it?"

"Do you two know of the woman currently causing a stir in Japan?"

Norman pulled a photograph from his pocket and placed it on the table. Claire and I leaned forward to look at it.

"Who's this kid?"

"Her hair's so long."

She was blonde, with hair that reached her waist. The woman was drinking a cola in front of a vending machine.

"This woman put an Item Bag up for sale at a Japanese guild auction."

"What!? This little kid is Eleanor Ocean!?"

"So this is that Golden Witch..."

I'd heard the name, but this was the first time I'd seen her. She was certainly golden, but much younger than I'd expected.

"She's not a kid. She's Japanese, so she just looks young... assuming she really is Japanese, that is."

Norman's words were heavy with insinuation.

"What about her? And why were non-Japanese bidders forbidden! I wanted an Item Bag that could hold 100 kilograms too!"

So she's another one who wanted an Item Bag. Me too. You can never have enough Item Bags.

"We'll talk about that later. It's not a problem."

"I'll hold you to that."

"Yes..."

Claire, who had been getting worked up, seemed to cool down.

"So, Norman, what about this woman?"

"I want you to see this."

This time, Norman took out his smartphone and showed us the screen.

"A growth chart for your son? Or are you bragging about your wife?"

"I wouldn't show something like that to you two. This is from a Japanese TV program this witch appeared on yesterday."

A witch appearing on television? She's a modern witch, I guess.

"What about it?"

Claire frowned.

"Just watch."

Norman pressed the play button.

『Yes. It's a pleasure to be here. Well then, let's get right to it. Eleanor-san, you recently put an Item Bag up for auction, didn't you?』

A woman who looked like an announcer was speaking in Japanese.

『Fufu. That's right. I did.』

Huh!? What was that?

Just as I felt a strong sense of wrongness, Norman stopped the video.

"What do you think?"

Norman asked.

"W-wait a minute! One more time! Let me hear it again!"

Claire was flustered.

"Norman, me too."

"Understood."

Norman operated his phone and pressed play again.

『...What sort of demonstration would that be? I am merely an Adventurer. There is no reason for me to put on a demonstration. Besides, I am a rookie, so I have no sponsors.』

Hey, hey! What is this!?

Norman hit the stop button and put his phone away.

"What was that? English? Japanese? French?"

"To me, it sounded like English, Japanese, and German."

"What?"

"That's what I said, 'what?'"

I don't get it. The language this woman was speaking seemed to fit every language at once. Honestly, it was creepy.

"I showed this video to people of all nationalities. Every single one of them was able to understand the meaning of what this woman was saying... but only the witch's words."

That's true. The announcer was definitely speaking Japanese.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Yeah. It makes no sense."

There was no way to understand it.

"Next. Frankly, I'm disappointed in you two. Have you grown complacent after reaching A-rank and making some money?"

Norman suddenly started belittling Claire and me.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Choose your words carefully, Norman. I don't care who you are, when I get angry, I get angry."

He used to be terrifying, but now he was just a shaky old man.

"Oh, is that so... Well then, you are of course aware that this witch is holding another auction?"

Eh?

"What do you mean?"

Claire frowned again.

"You idiots! Always keep your ears to the ground! This woman just put a 1000 kilogram Item Bag up for auction! Now, not just Japan, but the whole world has its eyes on this Golden Witch!"

A thousand kilograms... you say!?

"You're not joking, are you?"

"I wouldn't call you two here for a joke."

"Hey now, 1000 kilograms is impossible. Even the one I have is only 200 kilograms."

"Mine too."

A thousand kilograms sounds like nothing but a joke.

"And I'll tell you one more thing. It seems there will be two of them this time as well. In other words, she's put two 1000 kilogram Item Bags up for sale!"

...What?

"That's absurd!"

"It is! It's impossible!"

"According to this witch, it is the impossible that is impossible."

Are you serious...

"Who is this woman?"

I swallowed hard and asked Norman.

"Let's go back to what we were just talking about. This woman's words sound like any and every language. Got it?"

"Yeah..."

"Right. I don't understand it, but I accept it."

I don't understand it either, but since it's a fact, I have no choice but to accept it.

"Actually, this isn't the first time I've heard such a language."

"Huh? A mystery language like this exists?"

Needless to say, I'd never heard of it.

"Yes. It was thirty years ago."

Thirty years ago...

"No way!?"

"That's right. It was the language spoken by the beings who appeared when the Gates first opened in this world. The former President had many people attend the negotiations with them. And the same phenomenon occurred. Just like what you two are experiencing now."

Which means...

"This woman is from Frontier!"

"No way! Why is she here!?"

People from Frontier have had almost no contact with us since the initial negotiations. They're shrouded in mystery. We don't even know what kind of race they are or what they're like. We don't even know if they're human. The only ones who know are the leaders of each country and a select few individuals.

"At the very least, the possibility is extremely high. Why she's in Japan, what her status is among the people of Frontier, all of that is completely unknown. However, we have decided to proceed under the assumption that this woman is from Frontier."

"Are you serious..."

"We've been suspicious of this woman ever since she held her first auction, and we investigated her thoroughly. As a result, we found that all of her information was fabricated. To begin with, there is no one named Eleanor Ocean anywhere in the world, let alone in Japan."

The only possibility is... Frontier.

"This is bad, isn't it."

"Yes, it's bad. Have you finally woken up?"

Of course I'm awake. This would sober me up even if I were dead drunk.

"So? What are we going to do? Secure the woman?"

This woman is dangerous. Our country should take her into custody.

"No, the opposite."

"The opposite? No, we should secure her."

I think so too.

"This witch's fame is now on a global level. We can't just forcefully abduct someone like that. But fortunately, the witch is in Japan. Japan and our country are best friends. We can work something out. The problem is..."

Other countries!

"Well, they'll definitely need our help with that. We can't just ignore our best friend's crisis."

"Exactly. We're keeping Russia and China in check, so they're fine for now, but the problem is those other countries."

The countries that broke the treaty with Frontier and had their Gates sealed...

"I see. You want us to be her bodyguards."

"That's right. Japan is our greatest ally. And vice versa. We've already spoken with the Japanese government. Go!"

"That's fine, but what's our official reason?"

He's right. It would be suspicious if A-rank Adventurers like us just showed up in Japan.

"The auction I just mentioned. Your mission is to get them to remove the restriction that only Japanese nationals can participate. That's your other directive. A 1000 kilogram Item Bag is fit for an Adventurer from our country to possess. Am I wrong?"

He's not wrong.

"There'll be financial support, I assume?"

"I can provide it, but ownership will then belong to the government. If you're fine with that, I'll put up the money."

No way in hell.

"Tch! I wonder how much I have in savings?"

"Fufu. My condolences. At least one of them will be mine. My daily efforts will speak for themselves."

This woman must have a huge stash saved up.

"Harry, Claire, you will both proceed to Japan immediately! Protect the Golden Witch and win the auction for the Item Bag! I'll say this once... this is a direct order from the President!!"

""Yes, sir!!""

Claire and I shot to our feet, stood at attention, and gave a salute we hadn't performed in years.