novel
| ← Ch.033 | Ch.035 → |
Translator: Hand of Vecna ✎ Editor: Two More Free Thoughts
The country of the flügels, Gjallarhorn.
Because of wing color, conflicts had continued from the past... This caused the capital city to be divided into the east and west districts. Currently, a non-flügel girl was standing in the white town.
A young girl with ocean-blue hair that reached her knees and eyes of the same color, Dina.
She stood in front of the clock tower in the center of the white town, crossed her arms, and pouted her lips.
"... So slow."
She was waiting here to exchange information with a certain person. The necessary information had to be clearly acquired while hiding her own vital information and misleading the other party to think that he was the one who benefited. She repeatedly practiced going through the conversation in her mind, but when it came to the actual event, the other party did not appear.
"Seriously, making a lady wait for so long. That's why this race is..."
Complaining, Dina walked off. It could not be helped if the other party did not come. She did not want to move recklessly, but now she could only go and find the person. While walking around the town where there was nothing but whiteness, she observed the people living in this country.
As a flying race, the flügel's way of life was fundamentally different from humans. It was natural for buildings to have entrances on the second or third floor. Of course, there were also stairs or ladders on the outside. Although a misstep would send one falling off the cliff, the inhabitants did not seem to be bothered by it.
On the other hand, the walkways were unnecessarily wide when compared to a human town, since flügels were more likely to collide into each other because of their wings. Everything, both good and bad, began with the wings.
This was what made flügels flügel. There was actually a saying in the world that a flügel without wings is just an ordinary person. This was why they were so fixated on the shape and color of the wings, despising those that deviated from the conventional forms.
"... Oh?"
As she was observing the town, a strange figure came into Dina's view. It was a suspicious person who was completely covered by a cloak, similar to what Ruphas used to wear. Although the color was completely white, the purpose of hiding his face and wings should be the same as Ruphas. After observing Ruphas for so long, it was evident that hiding the wings would make the cloak bulge unnaturally. Still, it wasn't something that could be noticed with a glance. Only people like Libra could see through it with one look.
—Could this be an opportunity to get unexpected information?
Sensing the strangeness of the white-cloaked person, Dina's beauty distorted with a mysterious smile. Although she was currently waiting for someone, the man was the one who failed to arrive on time. She was there at the prearranged time and place, so he would have no cause for complaints. Making her conclusion, Dina changed her goal to follow the white-cloaked person.
The cloaked person moved to a relatively deserted area, while Dina followed carefully to avoid being noticed.
No problem, there was no chance of being discovered.
To deceive, cheat, and infiltrate without being noticed were Dina's specialties. She was confident that she could even deceive people like Ruphas Mafahl or the Demon King without being noticed. Therefore, it was not difficult for her to follow the white-cloaked person since he was an easy target.
The white-cloaked person entered a small, dusty hut. Dina moved in front of the hut and opened the door slightly. She narrowed her eyes and looked inside.
Besides the white-cloaked person, two, three, four... five people in all. Based on the clothes they are wearing, they seem to be of the upper class.
These six people were probably very influential and authoritative in this capital city. For them to gather secretly in such a place, wasn't this really suspicious? Dina placed her ear outside the door and concentrated on listening to the conversation within the hut.
"You are late, Reid."
"Sorry. The other meeting took too long."
It seemed the white-cloaked person's name was Reid. When he took off the cloak, white wings appeared as expected. He had a well-trained body and appeared to be in his mid-forties by human standard. He had a sharp look in his eyes that revealed his unusual presence. He was obviously not an ordinary citizen.
"So what did the king say?"
"It's no good. We cannot rely on that opportunist king as expected. He repeatedly ignored my advice. He just doesn't understand that those filthy wings would keep increasing if the situation remains like this."
Dina realized that this was a gathering of people who were dissatisfied with the black town. It was a faction that adhered to the traditional white wing supremacy and refused to acknowledge the other wings. They had no doubt about their own nobility and looked down on people with mixed wings. Therefore, it was unbearable for them when the mixed wings—or filthy wings, as they called them—built their own town as if they were peers.
"Then, as expected..."
"Yes. We would have to crush the growing filthy wings with our own hands."
While listening, Dina covered her mouth with her hand. This was a dangerous topic. For them to use the word "crush", it might be impossible to calm them down. It seemed the extended period of tolerance had reached its melting point.
"But that..."
"Of course, this would dirty our hands, but someone has to do it. Justice could not be defended with only pretty words. Even if someone has to become evil, we must complete our mission. Did we all not gather here today with that determination?"
Justice. This word was a joke to Dina. Apparently, these people were the self-indulgent types. In the name of justice, one could be forgiven no matter what was done. They must have thought that they were so noble to do what others dare not do and to dirty their hands to enforce justice.
Ah, how ridiculous. There was no evil as unscrupulous as those who would cloud their eyes with the word "justice".
"Besides... We have information that the filthy wings are preparing for war against us. It would be too late for us if they attack first."
Eyes clouded with justice, hearts filled with suspicions... This is getting serious, Dina thought.
They were convinced that they were right and that they would become victims of the other party's attacks. They had become like a bomb on the verge of explosion. It was unclear if Merak was aware of this or not, but the fuse of this country's destruction had already been lit.
"I have already called for our comrades who shared the same ambitions, forming a volunteer army. Everyone is of one mind. There is no difference in our concerns for this country."
Reid's powerful speech stirred the people here to raise their voice in cheers. If they were the minority, it might be possible to stop them. But if they were the majority, it would be impossible to stop. Group psychology could corrupt one's normal judgment, causing the erroneous belief that one was absolutely right. And so it was the final countdown to chaos.
"In addition, we have an ally from outside. Although he belongs to a wingless race, Jupitar-dono agrees with us. In fact, the information provided by him has been a great help to us."
Jupitar—Was this the criminal responsible for lighting the fuse?
Dina concluded thus, but it felt strange that the principal person was not here. For an important meeting like this, he ought to be here to urge them on. Yet he was absent. Was it really okay for him to stop at this point?
Well, whatever. She got some interesting information anyway, so there was no need to stay here any longer.
This would be a good present for Ruphas.
Without messing up her gentle smile, Dina vanished like a fog from that place.
♑
Jupiter unleashed blades of wind at Libra's face, arms, legs, and chest. But she remained unharmed. As a demon of the Seven Luminaries who threatened the world, Jupiter was attacking with all his might. However, Libra continued to advance expressionlessly as if it was just a light breeze.
It might be possible to scratch the machine guns a little after they were deteriorated over two hundred years. However, Libra's body was fully repaired by Ruphas. In her current state, she did not receive a single scratch.
It was a tornado that could uproot huge trees, yet she ignored the wind bullets coming from all directions as if she didn't even know they were there. His most powerful skill, which reduced his own HP to use, could not even move her one bit.
On the other hand, Libra's attacks were all instant-kill. If he was hit, Jupiter would surely die. A scattershot of instant-kill attacks was no joking matter. And the accuracy was rising as time went by. She was learning her opponent's movements and making adjustments to compensate. Even so, this fragile balance was maintained only because Libra was not going all out.
If she activated Brachium, everything would be over in an instant. Yet, she did not do so because Libra decided that Brachium should be kept in reserve. In other words, there was no need to use Brachium because the gap in their abilities was too wide.
Everyone in Gjallarhorn, including the king, could become Ruphas' enemies. Libra always thought so and prepared herself to respond accordingly. In other words, if she activated Brachium, it would be targeting the entire country of Gjallarhorn instead of Jupiter. If they became her master's enemy, she would instantly target the capital city with Brachium and erased the entire country.
For that reason alone, she kept Brachium in reserve so she can activate it when necessary. Of course, there was probably nothing they could do when if the people of this country became her master's enemies. They were on completely different levels in the first place. However, reality sometimes exceeded expectations. There could be unexpected strength when the masses were united.
A one-in-ten-thousand chance. Libra was already familiar with such unreliable and unreasonable reality two hundred years ago. Therefore, she would not make the same mistake again. She would not let such one-in-ten-thousand chances happen again. If it began to germinate, she would immediately pull it out by the roots. Therefore, she did not activate Brachium, allowing Jupiter to hang onto his life by a thin thread.
"This is unacceptable. Our compatibility is terrible."
Jupiter smiled like a wild beast enjoying a fight as he murmured calmly. His body was full of injuries. The injuries were light, but they were accumulating. The attacks did not hit him directly. He fully utilized his evasion skills and dodged the attacks perfectly. But even so, the shockwaves alone were enough to damage his body.
On the other hand, Libra was hit directly several times, but she merely poised without taking any damage. It was as if she was saying that she did not even need to dodge.
Metal—in other words, steel.
A body as hard as steel. A blade that could cut down trees. A heavy weight that could not be moved by the winds.
Steel could be melted by fire, but never hurt by the wind. Against Jupiter, Libra was a natural enemy that would not be damaged and could kill him in one hit.
However, only Jupiter could have continued fighting until now. Among the Seven Luminaries, he was the best in terms of evasion and movement. Besides, he could still make attacks of his appropriate level. If he was one of the other Seven Luminaries, such as Mars, he would be a corpse already. Even so, being good at fighting was not the same as victory. At most, he could continue to fight, but his chance of victory was basically zero.
"I can't win this. Although it's frustrating, I will have to retreat."
"... !"
Hearing that the enemy intended to retreat, Libra withdrew her left arm and readied her machine gun. If the enemy continued to attack, she would defend with her steel-like hardness and defeat him with the Right Scale. But if the enemy escaped, flight would be required.
Libra's maximum flying speed could reach Mach 5, but this was provided that she moved in a straight line and only after sufficient acceleration. In other words, her initial velocity was not as fast and she was not as maneuverable as someone who could control the winds freely.
If he intended to escape, it would be very difficult to catch him. It would be impossible to pursue and capture him. Therefore, it would be better to switch to long-range attacks and shoot him down from behind the moment he tried to flee.
"Unfortunately, I'm more familiar with this town than you!"
In cold sweat, Jupiter ran towards the exit of the city. Libra immediately gave chase, but the buildings in this city were too densely packed. This inconvenient situation was due to the flügels assuming that people wouldn't be walking along the streets. This became a maze for Jupiter to flee and hinder Libra's pursuit.
He fled into the corners, hid inside buildings, and got lost in the crowds. The tight corners were advantageous to Jupiter, who had high maneuverability. In addition, Libra had not acquired information regarding this capital city. Given the difference in speed, it was impossible for Libra to catch up.
For example, an Olympic gold medalist, who knew nothing about the city, would have a hard time catching a kid, who was very familiar with the city streets, in a game of hide-and-seek. This was known as a geographical advantage.
Further pursuit was a waste of time—based on their speed and maneuverability, her calculation determined that the chance of a successful capture was abysmally low. Without sufficient information on the city, further pursuit would only end in failure. It would be more meaningful to bring the information acquired from this battle to her master quickly. Libra thought so and terminated her pursuit.
"......"
Chink.
A metallic sound was heard as Libra moved her head. She could hear the sound of a pebble from two hundred kilometers away. She searched for Ruphas' voice and breathing sound and located her. As for Jupiter... it was useless as he was blocking sounds with wind walls. It would be impossible to track him with sound.
"Current location, black town... temple."
Libra discovered the location of her master, who did not seem to be in a battle for now. She listened for other voices to check if there were hostile people.
Yesterday, her master woke up at night with an irregular heart rate. Libra did not really understand, but she knew people could have dreams. This was her master organizing her memories. In some cases, one could remember some painful memories. Based on her master's reaction... Libra thought that she probably saw some unwanted dreams.
As expected, this country had bad influences on her master.
Thus, she concluded that she must eliminate all obstacles to her master while they remained in this country. Libra could not be affected by emotions. She would not be influenced something as surreal as dreams. She would not lose her normal composure. She was essentially a tool. Her existence was meant to benefit her master and remove any obstacles.
The enemy's appearance and combat style were recorded. He was a low-level, troublesome opponent who used evasion to run around everywhere. She would not lose. A victory would be easy if she had a reliable method to capture him. Unfortunately, he escaped this time, but the next time would be different.
She had to prepare weapons and strategies to deal with his speed, so she could reliably deal with him in their next encounter. She could eliminate him with Brachium, but she thought it was unnecessary. At the most, it would be enough to use it as a bluff and a threat. There was no need to fire.
As a doll who regained her owner, Libra pondered.
Weapons to defeat the enemies, methods to eliminate them, and actions from the previous battle.
She reviewed, calculated, and repeated simulations, searching for that which would benefit her master most.
This was the meaning of her existence as a doll that was created.
※ Foot Notes
Dina's Hair-Length is specifically mentioned to reach her knees (海色の髪を膝辺りまで伸ばし). The images from the light novel show her with chest-length hair though, so maybe it's a difference between web novel and light novel, I don't really know...
Conspiracy... When you are meeting for a conspiracy, lock the damned door! Fools! 🤦
Jupitar is an alias of Jupiter. The name the flügels know him by is ジュピター, while his name used among the Seven Luminaries is ユピテル. Both ジュピター and ユピテル are different renderings of ユーピテル ("Jupiter"). Think of it as an alternative spelling.
Mach is a number indicating the ratio of the speed of an object to the speed of sound in the medium through which the object is moving. The speed of sound through air is 343 meters per second, so Libra could fly up to 1715 meters per second (Mach 5).
A WILD LAST BOSS APPEARED!
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