Hello again, all those who have been following this story.
I have added a new picture to the spoilerific sub-gallery to show the looks of something that appears in this chapter.
Other than that, on with the show. See you again in the afterword.
[X][X][X]
The Skies of New World. Unspecified Time.
The morning was still young on this particular region of New World. The weather was fair and there were few clouds spread across the sky. This was the time in which most people would begin their daily activities. Yet right now an angel-like figure was flying straight at high speed and altitude.
This was Guardian, the ARKS operative currently on a solo mission to search and retrieve another ARKS named Mel Rose somewhere in the New World, a planet which Guardian nicknamed "Pandora" for the time being. The mission was supposedly simple, but the circumstances and unfolding events so far had made it not-so-simple. After having to hunt down infected merfolk under the ocean for a while, a sudden mission had popped up; readings of Dark Falz Elder had been detected and now Guardian had to investigate.
Despite being regarded as a hero among ARKS, Guardian was still a human with basic needs. All humans had a very basic, yet mandatory need called sleep, and Guardian had not slept at all last night thanks to the hunt.
And yet, despite the tiredness, Guardian still pressed on...
[X][X][X]
*Yawn*
I felt really sleepy, having hunted infected merfolk for hours without rest. I really could use some sleep, but now I had an urgent mission. I couldn't really blame Xiera, since she had no idea what I had been doing all this time. No thanks to the communications not having been properly calibrated yet.
Nevertheless, this urgent mission raised a number of questions. Just what is this supposedly Dark Falz Elder actually is? How and why such readings could appear on Pandora? Since this flight would take a little while, I thought it wouldn't hurt to directly ask the Dark Falz Elder within me.
"Hey, Gettemhart. You're still there, right?"
"Of course I am? Where else I can go anyway?"
As expected, Gettemhart, formerly known as Dark Falz Elder, sounded displeased as he answered.
"Any ideas about this?"
"Do I look like someone with ideas?"
I just internally rolled my eyes hearing his answer.
"Heh, of course"
"Just go there, see for yourself, and kick their ass"
That's Gettemhart for you, always thinking that violence would solve everything. Nevertheless, since the designated area was already close enough, I decided to land by reverting back to my human form and free falling down to the ground. Normal humans would definitely die falling from this height, but all ARKS operatives including myself could fully depend on our photon armor to completely prevent fall damage.
BAM!
Still, it was natural that free falling from that height would make a significant impact to the ground around me. I had a smooth landing on my feet anyway, so I just stood up without care and began looking around. The environment around me was a relatively lush forest. There were no signs of intelligent life within sight, and no visible wild animals either.
I opened my photon interface to check on my position and the distance towards the designated coordinate. The distance was close enough for me to get there within a few minutes, and so I decided to do so immediately. I summoned my assault rifle from my photon inventory and did the mobility Photon Art.
Shift-Nachtangriff!
ZOOM!
As I had predicted, I arrived at the designated coordinate within a couple minutes. After cancelling the Photon Art and putting my rifle back to inventory, I activated my photon interface and looked around. Indeed, this area had lingering Darker Factor readings, and also traces of a Dark Falz having been present in the area. The latter point was very intriguing since supposedly there should not be any genuine Dark Falz left other than clones made by Profound Darkness, yet this reading I detected right now had a positive match with genuine Dark Falz Elder.
I was unable to think clearly about the findings. The exhaustion was starting to seriously overwhelm me, and so I decided to turn the interface off and sit down on the ground right under a tree. Despite the Darker traces, the place still felt comfortable somehow. Perhaps it really was, or my mind and body were already desperate for some rest that anything would feel comfortable.
I was already drifting into sleep state when suddenly...
"Oi! We got company!"
I was quite surprised by Gettemhart's sudden warning. It was so unlike him to warn me like that. Nevertheless, I immediately stood up in full alert to see who was coming. I got my answer soon, and there was no way I would believe my eyes on what I saw.
From behind the trees, a very familiar figure calmly walked to me. It looked exactly the same as Gettemhart from the time when Dark Falz Elder was still the dominant mind. I wanted to think that this Elder was a clone, but its behaviour of not being immediately and aggressively hostile spoke otherwise.
Without giving me a chance to think further, Elder stopped, folded his arms, and began speaking.
"Another ARKS, eh? Here to hunt me down?"
Did he just say 'another'? Does that mean he has met Mel Rose?
Those two questions popped up in my mind, but there was no way Elder would merely call me 'another ARKS' if he had met Mel Rose. I got no chance to think about it further anyway because suddenly Gettemhart shouted from inside.
"That's not me! But that's me!"
Gettemhart's words made my head hurt, but it somewhat made sense. There was no way a clone made by Profound Darkness would behave like that, which meant this Elder was genuine. But there was no way this Elder could be genuine since Gettemhart, the one and only Dark Falz Elder, was still within me. Nevertheless, I spoke to answer Elder's question.
"That was not my primary objective, but your appearance here can't be left alone"
As I spoke, I took my rifle from my inventory and pointed it at Elder.
"Your bravery is commendable. I shall entertain that resolve"
Elder then immediately transformed into his Falz Hunar form and flexed his shoulder, as he always did every time.
"Hey, chump! Use my power! I want to kick that jerk's ass!"
"What did you just call me!?"
"You may be a Guardian of ARKS now, but to me you are still a newbie chump. Come on!"
"Uuuurgh! Fine!"
I threw my rifle away, making it disappear back into my photon inventory, and folded my arms standing straight. A red fiery aura emerged around my body as I unleashed Gettemhart's power.
Dark Blast Elder!
A blood red vortex engulfed me, and my body transformed into an altered form of Falz Hunar. Compared to Falz Hunar, my Elder form was bigger, being five meters tall and more human-like in body shape, but with a long tail similar to a lizard's. This form also had more prominent wings than Hunar, which unfortunately were still only decorations. Lastly, unlike Falz Hunar, this form didn't have a sword, so punching and kicking were all it could do.
But this form was very good at those.
"HA!"
I immediately launched myself at Elder, who seemed to be caught by surprise, and used this form's mainstay attack move.
Infinity Rush!
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
I punched Elder over and over in very quick succession. My wings shined brightly with energy after two seconds of punching, and my punches became even stronger.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA! Hahahaha!"
Gettemhart sounded really excited down there, leaving me wondering where the hell he got that kind of shouting from. Nevertheless, I finished the attack move with one hard straight punch.
"Not yet! Keep going!"
I followed up with a roundhouse kick which is then quickly followed with a jumping uppercut which launched Elder alongside me. Not giving any chance, I did a vertical diving punch straight at his chest core, sending both of us towards the ground.
BOOOM!
A huge explosion occured, decimating every object within a large radius around the point of impact.
"Time for the big finish!"
I jumped back away from Elder who quickly stood up, gathered energy around my fists, and launched all of them in one go.
Ultimate Impact!
BWOOOOM!
The attack I launched took form as a huge shockwave. Elder was engulfed in it, along with every object behind. When the dust settled just seconds later, I finally realized that all the fighting I had just done had basically changed the surrounding landscape. Now everything around me was no better than an utterly devastated wasteland. Right at the spot where Elder had been, there was him lying down and defeated, already back in his human host form.
"What have we just done!?"
"We kicked his ass! That's what!"
"Don't you realize that we have just destroyed an entire forest!?"
"So what? We beat him up good!"
I just facepalmed as I reverted back to my human form. It had been a really bad idea to use Dark Blast Elder and I began to regret my decision to play along with Gettemhart. Deciding to just move on, I approached the beaten up Elder and began asking a question immediately.
"Who, or what are you?"
Without getting up from the ground, Elder spoke.
"...I am Dark Falz Elder"
"That is nonsense!"
"...You can deny all you want, but my existence is undeniable. Still..."
Elder slowly stood up. Despite having been badly beaten up, he stood straight with his arms folded, showing no fear at all in front of the opponent who had just defeated him in a one-sided beatdown.
"Your power was interesting, and strikingly similar to mine"
"Yours is the one similar! What are you really!?"
"Do I need to repeat myself? I am Dark Falz Elder"
"Hey, chump! As much as I hate it, this jerk is really me! Tch..."
My mind was already at the brink of exhaustion from lack of sleep to begin with, and now both the Dark Falz Elder in front of me and within me were basically saying that there were two Dark Falz Elder in existence for some reason.
Without giving me a chance to speak, Elder began speaking again.
"I've had enough. I was already exhausted from the start, only to suffer a beatdown from someone similar to me. I suppose there will be a more appropriate time and place to do battle with you"
Whoosh...
Elder disappeared with a red vortex, leaving me wondering how there could be another Dark Falz Elder. But what I needed the most right now was a place to sleep. This devastated wasteland was no longer a suitable place for resting. Not even close.
Beep! Beep!
Xiera contacted me again.
"Guardian, can you hear me now?"
"Loud and clear"
"Great! I'm glad we can communicate properly now! So, are you alright over there?"
"Not really. I could use some sleep right now"
"Hang in there, Guardian! But first, did you find anything regarding to the Urgent Mission?"
"I found Dark Falz Elder, a genuine one. This doesn't make sense"
"Actually, Guardian. It does make sense"
"What?"
Of course I couldn't comprehend the meaning behind Xiera's words. Her tone just now sounded as if she had found something worrying, and that has never been a good thing.
"Scouting devices for spatial recon are back in operation, and the readings indicate something very important. First, this planetary system is in a different dimension than ours."
That was not surprising for me, since ARKS had established an alliance with some locals of a planet in a different dimension. So the whole 'parallel-dimensions' thing wasn't anything new for us.
"I know this is not surprising for you, but hear me out. This dimension, if I have to explain it simply, is like a limbo between multiple dimensions. The unnatural energy distortions I told you about were actually rifts connecting to multiple other dimensions! Now here's the biggest part!"
Xiera sounded excited but also worried at the same time. I myself had a sudden hunch of what she was about to say next, but I kept myself silent and let her continue.
"The readings are unclear, but the indication is strong that there is one parallel dimension where ARKS exists! Not our ARKS!"
"So the Dark Falz Elder I just fought..."
"Correct, Guardian! It must be the Dark Falz Elder from that dimension!"
"Come to think of it, I found a wrecked Gate Ship with no food terminal. Are you thinking what I am thinking, Xiera?"
"Yes, Guardian. It seems there are also ARKS operatives from that dimension on this planet, and this other ARKS is a few years behind ours in technology"
With the reveal from Xiera, many questions were answered. The Gate Ship back then was not the one used by Mel Rose, but the ARKS operatives from the other dimension. If I had to take a wild guess, the three people fighting the Kraken alongside Fydan might have been the ARKS operatives since the giant falling fireball which had almost struck me back then could have possibly been the fire element Photon Tech Ilfoie, amplified massively by Pandora's mutated photon.
"Please find them as well, Guardian. Other dimension or not, ARKS help each other"
"That goes without saying, but I can't do anything if I don't know where to look"
"If the planetary recon devices are fully repaired I will be able to give you their location, but it will take some time. Do whatever you can until then, Guardian"
The communication ended, and I just sighed. Without knowing where to look, like how my mission had been from the beginning, there was no way I would find the objective without some kind of incredible luck. Now that I think about it, why am I down here on Pandora now instead of waiting until all the necessary recon was done? Granted, I had purified an infection source and eradicated infected creatures, so at least I have done something meaningful. But all those had been because I had found them by chance, totally unplanned.
Nevertheless, I activated my photon interface to see if I could get any readings within range. Elder probably had escaped far away from here, so I expected to find nothing important.
And indeed, I found nothing. Neither Darkers, Elder, nor other ARKS.
Having essentially nothing to do other than walking blindly while waiting for Xiera to give me more recon info, I decided to just lie down on the ground near a fallen tree, which could be the tree I had been resting under before the battle with Elder. It was not as comfortable, but I was already so exhausted anything would do as a bed.
It didn't take too long until my mind drifted off right then and there.
[X][X][X]
"So let me get this straight. You commandeered a Gate Ship all by yourself because you couldn't wait for ARKS to get here, and that Gate Ship went down?"
Hikaru just nodded hearing Ryu's question, and Ryu facepalmed in response.
Pomf!
Ryu smacked Hikaru's head with his fist. It was clear as day that he was not serious in the slightest, and with Hikaru's hat being so fluffy the impact sounded fluffy as well.
"Stupid! Don't you realize how reckless and dangerous that was!?"
Pomf! Pomf! Pomf! Pomf!
Ryu smacked Hikaru's head repeatedly, but he didn't seem to be totally angry. In fact, his facial expression was somewhat disjointed, his eyes raised in anger while his mouth grinned like he was happy. Hikaru herself grinned while this was happening. Mel Rose and the two persons alongside her who were also in the room seemed to be trying hard not to laugh, which made Ryu feel very embarrassed.
"Also..."
"Also what, oniichan?"
"There are other people here! Have some dignity and get off my lap!"
"Nope, I don't care"
Indeed, Hikaru had been sitting on Ryu's lap sideways while hugging him. Ryu's rejection just now made her hug him tighter instead. Ryu just sighed, seemingly having no choice.
Right now, other than Ryu and his sister Hikaru, there were also Lily and Alice in the room. In addition, Mel Rose and the two persons Ryu didn't know yet were also there. They were all in one of the conference rooms within the Adventurer's Guild.
"I'm sorry that you all have to see this embarrassing side of us. Come to think of it, we haven't had a proper introduction. I am Ryu Seika, this warrior is Lily Vangraf, and the magic caster is Alice Vegelshaft. Thank you for accompanying both my sister and my fellow ARKS all the way here"
"No, it's all right. We have talked a lot, and she really missed you. So there is nothing embarrassing. I am Hekkeran Termite and this is Imina, and we are the ones who should be grateful because both Rose and Sheep have saved our lives, multiple times even"
"Really? Great job, Hikaru!"
Ryu looked delighted hearing Hekkeran's words, and he caressed Hikaru's head. Hikaru seemed really happy and she hugged Ryu even tighter.
Click!
The door of the room opened, and Ryu quickly urged Hikaru to get off his lap. Thankfully, this time Hikaru complied and sat next to him, though she was still clinging to Ryu with her arms.
As expected, the one entering the room was Pluton Ainzach. His face looked very worried, but it was clear that he tried his best to remain calm as he walked into the room. Everybody in the room stood up, a common courtesy when someone of high position entered the room.
"Ah, let us all sit down"
Everybody sat back down on their respective seats again, and Ainzach also sat down on the one vacant seat. Ainzach took a glance at Hekkeran, Imina, and Rose. He then also took a glance at Ryu and Hikaru, but he quickly and fearfully averted his eyes as he professionally began to speak.
"Alright, so... where should I begin... Ah, first and foremost, I would like to apologize on behalf of the guild for all the commotion back then. No excuses there"
Ainzach's speech was filled with worry and guilt, possibly because of the fact that an unfortunate chain of events had royally pissed off an Adamantite Rank adventurer. Ryu himself knew about how the guild as a whole seemed to avoid displeasing high rank adventurers like an absolute taboo, like the one occasion back then when an unofficial and uncertain job had been posted just because the concerned person was someone Momon knew, and by knowing this he felt that he wanted to puke.
"Also, Ryu-dono. I truly apologize on behalf of Theo for the wrongful accusation regarding your sister, and I am grateful that you have found mercy in your heart to heal him back"
Ainzach bowed deeply as he said that. Ryu was in fact still felt angry about what happened, and still wanted to punch Rakheshir for what he had done to Hikaru. But thankfully he had calmed down enough to control himself and healed Rakheshir back with a single cast of Resta. Of course, despite having been healed back to health, Rakheshir would not be present in this room. Nobody would want to meet the person who had beaten him up so badly, and Ryu himself didn't want to see Rakheshir's face for the foreseeable future anyway.
"I also deeply apologize for what I am going to say next, but... but the fact still remains that you have committed a violent physical assault on a citizen, in front of many witnesses. The guild won't be able to cover that up"
"Heh... so, am I going to jail or what?"
Ryu said those words with sharp expression. He fully intended to screw this town and run away if they really wanted to put him in jail for beating some sense into a racist bigot.
"No way, Ryu-dono, no. There's absolutely no way anybody would do that, and no jail would contain someone as mighty as you"
"Then get to the point!"
"...According to the rules, Ryu-dono will be required to pay a fine to the government officials, a tithe to the Temple in accordance to the severity of the injury inflicted, and..."
"And what?"
"...And a compensation according to the victim's demand in the case the victim survives. B-But please hear me out, Ryu-dono! Theo has declined his right to demand compensation, so that part is waived!"
Ryu sighed quite heavily. Taking a stand against prejudice had ended up like this, and there was no chance that the prejudice would stop after this.
"...How much in total?"
"I-I have talked to the officials from both the temple and the government. The total is... twenty five gold coins"
"Can I pay through you, or do I have to pay them myself?"
"They are waiting in my office now. You can pay through me if you wish not to see them..."
Ryu then took his money pouch from his photon inventory and threw two platinum coins along with five gold coins onto the table all at once. The coins were spread all over the table, and a few even fell down to the floor.
"There!"
Ainzach hurriedly picked them all up and gathered them in front of him. He then wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to Ryu.
"H-Here, Ryu-dono. A receipt saying that I have received the money for this purpose"
Ryu took the paper from Ainzach, glanced at it for a brief moment, and put it into his coat.
"So, what's next?"
"Umm, Ryu-dono. If you would, please enlighten us about your sister. Why is she... different from you?"
Ryu sighed again before wearily speaking in response.
"This is an old wound, and I really don't want to speak about this again, but I suppose it's necessary now. Sorry that I'm going to talk about this again, Hikaru."
Hikaru, while still hugging Ryu from the side, shook her head.
"It's alright, oniichan"
Ryu nodded and began speaking again.
"In the past, Hikaru was a human like me. She is now like this because one day, a madman abducted her and subjected her to human experimentation."
Ainzach couldn't hide his surprised expression, while the others didn't show such reaction. Lily and Alice already knew about Deuman race from him, and Mel Rose was a given since she was an ARKS operative too. As for Hekkeran and Imina, Ryu could assume that Hikaru had told them her story.
"She was used in an experiment, the goal of which was to merge the blood of a dragon into her flesh. And as you can see, this is the result"
"W-Wait, Ryu-dono! You're saying that Hikaru-dono is... part-dragon?"
Ainzach looked even more surprised than before. His eyes went as wide as human eyes could possibly be, and his mouth went agape.
"Back in ARKS, her race is named Deuman. But yes, part-dragon if you want to say it like that"
"...This is great! We have to get moving quickly!"
Ainzach looked really excited, leaving Ryu confused.
"Huh?"
Alice, having noticed the confusion, began speaking to Ryu.
"Ryu-san. You are aware that a lot of people have seen that you have an allegedly demon sister, aren't you? I believe I don't need to say what kind of rumor will spread soon"
It only took Ryu one second to realize what Alice meant with her words.
"...They might think that I'm a demon too"
"Exactly, Ryu-dono! Rumors spread like wildfire, and in the long run only bad things will come if an Adamantite Rank adventurer is rumored to be a demon in disguise! That's why we have to get ahead of the rumors!"
Ryu couldn't help but agree with Ainzach. Experimentation Deumans like Hikaru were few in numbers, but thanks to some events involving time paradox, natural Deumans also existed within ARKS now, in a number which rivaled other races existing there. If the false rumor about Deuman spread, ARKS would possibly be falsely accused as an army of demons by the locals, and that would complicate a lot of things.
"So you want to spread opposing information, using the fact that she's part-dragon."
"That's right! Unlike demons, dragons are very much revered by people like noble beings! If the spreading rumor is that both of you are related to dragons instead, people will look at both of you in a very positive light! I say we should get moving immediately, but what do you think, Ryu-dono?"
"Hmm, if the alternative is that bad, going with it would be the best option. What do you think, Hikaru?"
"I'm fine with either"
"Why you always leave every decision to me? Heh, fine. We will go with it"
"Great! I shall get it going immediately, then"
Ainzach stood up and was about to leave the room, but he stopped and spoke once more.
"Feel free to use this room for as long as you need. I will be pulling an all-nighter today, so you will find me in my office in case you need me for something"
Ainzach then left the room in a hurried excitement. Ryu leaned back on his seat, slightly slouching.
"Hahaha... at this rate people will think that I am part-dragon as well"
Hikaru laughed a little hearing what Ryu had just said.
"What's funny?"
"Fits with your name"
"Oh, right..."
The others seemed to be confused with the exchange, either tilting their head or showing an obvious confused facial expression. Therefore Ryu felt that he needed to explain.
"My name was taken from a word in a foreign language, and it literally means dragon. In any case, will people really believe the part-dragon thing? We know that it is true, but what about common people who don't?"
After Ryu spoke his question out, Alice began speaking in response.
"As long as it is plausible, people tend to believe positive news more. After all, the current ruler of Dragon Kingdom is part-dragon, so there is already an example known by people"
Ryu was mildly astonished hearing her since he had never learned much about Dragon Kingdom before. He only knew about the name and the location being south of the Empire, which meant southeast from here. Other than that, he knew nothing.
"Also, Ryu-san, people already regard you as a hero. Rather than rumors of you being a demon in disguise, the story of your sister having been once kidnapped and forcefully turned into essentially a demihuman will touch their emotion significantly, and therefore they will likely believe it"
"Hmm... When you put it like that, then I guess that it'll work. Oh, by the way..."
Ryu then looked at Mel Rose. He had been wondering about one thing, so he thought to ask directly.
"Are you Meru or Rose right now?"
Mel Rose seemed to be very surprised, while the others except Lily couldn't hide their confusion.
"Huh? I..."
From the way she awkwardly responded, it was easy for Ryu to notice who was currently in control.
"I was wondering since you are wearing Rose's clothing, but I guess you are really Meru"
Right after Ryu spoke, Mel Rose seemed to be twitching for a brief moment, and then she spoke.
"I have never told anybody about this, you dummy!"
"Uhh... what? Rose?"
Ryu was confused, but he soon realized that he might have just made a mistake. He had essentially revealed to everyone else in the room that Mel Rose was basically two persons sharing one body.
"My... Our condition is not something people would easily believe, you know"
Hekkeran slowly raised his hand, seemingly hesitating. Next to him, Imina showed an even more confused facial expression than before.
"Umm, pardon me but... Could any of you explain this?"
"Y-Yeah... It seems there's something about Rose that you know but we don't"
Rose sighed, seemingly accepting the fact that now she had to explain about her condition. But before she could begin speaking, Ryu spoke to her.
"I think I owe you an apology. Really sorry about that"
"Heh, don't sweat it. I'd eventually have to do this anyway"
Rose took a deep breath, and then she bowed her head towards Hekkeran and Imina.
"I'm sorry for not telling any of you about this. I was scared that none of you would believe this condition of ours"
Rose raised her head, her eyes still avoiding contact with others, put her hands over her chest, and began speaking again in hesitant tone.
"This body is shared by two minds. I am Rose, and the other one is Meru. Together, we are Mel Rose. Only one mind can control the body while the other stays inside, and we can switch at will"
Only Ryu and Lily were not surprised by the reveal, since they had known about it beforehand. As for the others, Hikaru included, it was pretty clear that they needed a brief moment to let the information sink in. Hekkeran was then the first one to speak.
"Wait, so the shy girl who has been with us most of the time..."
"Yes, it was Meru"
"Rose, which one of you were the one tortured by those scums?"
Hikaru's sudden question startled Rose. There was a brief silence before she spoke again.
"...Me"
"What about the one asking me not to leave you alone?"
"...Me"
"And not long after that, Meru took over and it stayed like that for a long while. Am I correct?"
"...Yes"
Rose's eyes were still avoiding contact. Her fingers were fidgeting and her body language clearly implied that she was nervous. Hikaru stood up from her seat and approached Rose, who was still sitting on her seat looking down and sporting worried expression.
...And then Hikaru hugged Rose from behind, bowing down and putting her arms over Rose's shoulders around the neck.
"Wha...?"
"You poor thing. It must have been lonely down there not being able to speak with others"
"Huh?"
"You had to endure all that pain, but you chose to stay inside, away from anyone else you could have shared that pain with"
"Yeah... I guess that is true... But Sheep..."
"Hmm?"
Rose reached her hand to Hikaru's hands and held them gently.
"Your kindness still reached me back then, and that was why I could heal from the pain. I thank you for that, Sheep"
Both Hikaru and Rose smiled warmly to each other. Hikaru then released her hug and gave Rose a light pat on the back before returning to her seat. As this was happening, Imina began speaking.
"Rose, could you switch with Meru?"
Rose nodded and closed her eyes. In an instant, her clothing changed to what Ryu and Lily remembered as Meru's, and she then opened her eyes again before starting to speak nervously.
"H-Hello..."
Imina put her hand on her own chest and spoke in response to Meru's nervous greeting.
"I have been knowing you as someone else, so I'd like to have a proper introduction with you. I am Imina. Nice to meet you, Meru"
"Ah, I am Hekkeran Termite. Nice to meet you too, Meru"
"I am Hikaru Seika, but you can call me with just Sheep. Pleased to meet you, Meru"
"I am Alice Vegelshaft, Liz for short. Hello there, Meru"
The others followed up with what Imina had started, and Meru's facial expression showed astonishment with her eyes slightly widening and her mouth slightly open. She then nodded while showing a warm smile, with a drop of tears leaking from one eye.
"Nice... to meet you all too!"
[X][X][X]
Good grief! I'm glad that it turned out okay, but that was really unexpected.
Ainz's right hand was on his own forehead as he watched what had been happening in E-Rantel through a combination of scrying spells and [Crystal Monitor], courtesy of the best Nazarick resident in the matter of recon and information gathering.
"That is enough. Thank you for your hard work, Nigredo. You may go"
"The pleasure has been mine, Ainz-sama"
Nigredo, who still sported the rugged, uncanny appearance all over her body as she had always been, bowed in respect as she deactivated the [Crystal Monitor]. She then walked away from Ainz in steady, refined, and elegant steps, contrasting sharply with her looks.
Blam.
After the door of Ainz's office closed gently behind Nigredo, Ainz, who was now completely alone in the room, slipped down into slouching position. Everything had been tiring him so much, for a moment he felt that he wanted to run away from them all.
Me slouching like this has been getting increasing more and more lately...
Ainz had been watching everything happening ever since the Worker team had entered E-Rantel. He had made use of Nigredo's power this time because unlike Carne Village, he had nothing planted in E-Rantel to make the scrying easier and more secure. Thanks to the scrying, Ainz had seen a lot of new information. Especially Ryu's fits of rage.
I never expected him to go bonkers like that. Does he have a sister complex or something like that?
Ainz had also watched all the conversations that had happened inside the guild, and from there he had obtained some interesting information. Hikaru being part-dragon was interesting, since that meant there were dragons outside of this planet as well. Ainz wanted to see them if he ever had the chance. Not that he would have such a chance, but he could still dream. His time as Momon traveling in this new world had awakened the explorer in him after all.
There was also something fairly intriguing about Ryu's name. He had said it himself that his name came from a word in a foreign language which meant dragon.
That so-called 'Foreign Language' could possibly be Japanese. But he told me back then that he had never heard of Earth. It might be just a coincidence that there's a language within ARKS similar to Japanese language of Earth... Ahh, whatever. This one matter isn't terribly important.
Lastly, the discussed method to counter the rumors among people was interesting as well since the figure of Momon was also regarded as a hero by the people. Ainz could keep this in mind and possibly take advantage of it in the future if the need would arise.
After resting his mind for a brief moment, Ainz stood up from his seat and began walking towards the door of the office. Demiurge's plan was still ongoing, and tomorrow would be the time to proceed to the next step, which was to have the twins send a message to the Emperor of Baharuth Empire.
[X][X][X]
Afterword:
And now all ARKS operatives are gathered in one place, excepting Guardian whose presence on New World was still not known to any of them. Will they meet anytime soon? Nobody knows, yet.
See you again next time.
