In a Different World with a Smartphone Chapter 386: The Wings of the Dead, and Madness Once Again.
“Funu funu, so basically, that [G.o.dslaying Poison] is a poison that would react against anyone who Touya-kun holds goodwill towards?”
“On a side note, it seems that we are in the danger zone as well, Elka-kun. We probably wouldn’t die, but we would still faint or become light-headed from it, apparently.”
The professor looked towards me with a grin while saying that. This girl… I’m a bit p.i.s.sed somehow.
Since there’s no way we can talk about the G.o.ds, it became that [G.o.dslaying Poison] is a poison to that effect.
Poisonous to myself and anyone I hold goodwill towards, and harmless to the others.
It’s a bit irritating to admit it, but just as the professor said, it’s likely that the poison would work on those two as well. I mean, if you ask me whether I “like” them or “hate” them, I’d have to answer “like”. Even though my irritation keeps rising up like a flood as I looked at the loli professor in front of me who’s still grinning over here.
“And so, we became unable to move about within Eisengard. We can’t send people in even if we wanted to scout the inside.”
“Is that so? I mean, isn’t it fine even if Brunhild doesn’t move? For example, if we send someone from, say, the [Black Cats], who is completely unrelated to you, wouldn’t he be able to scout that place?”
“… Are? Right, that does sound possible.”
I kept telling myself that I have to fight against the variants under the evil G.o.d, so I’ve been under the impression that I have to do something myself; but yeah, now that I think about it, if it’s just scouting then I can do that as well.
“Still, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s dangerous. I feel a bit bad about asking others to do that… It’ll be terrible if something happened.”
“Well, I can understand how you feel. So? You said that golems wouldn’t receive the influence of that [G.o.dslaying Poison] or something?”
“Yeah. Which is why I’m here to ask if you can make a reconnaissance or spy-type golem… Or if you know about a Legacy that fits that role.”
Dr. Elka sank into thought before slowly raising her head and bringing up two fingers.
“There are two problems. Even if we send out a Factory-made golem, or a golem made by me, without a master by its side, it’s possible that it won’t be very useful. I think you understood by watching the Soldats from that time, but in the first place, non-Legacy golems can’t make complicated decisions by itself without its master around to give it orders.”
Muu… That’s true. Those remote-controlled Iron Machine Soldiers back in Horn Kingdom were horrible. If it can’t decide on things by itself, when faced with an unexpected situation it could fail to deal with it properly and face some severe consequences.
“And second. The above would leave us with no other options besides Legacies, but golems who can handle complex decision-making like that would have to be ones that acc.u.mulated experience over a time period measured in years. Basically, it would have to be golems that have already operated under a master for several years at least. If it’s worked with the master for years, that master would obviously have attachments towards that golem; and to ask for that golem to be sent to a dangerous place, or to give that golem over to us…”
“The master would never allow that… Huh.”
Most Legacies would be in a dormant state when they were first excavated. Since they havn’t been activated in a long time, they’ve lost their memories of the past, and were effectively reset into a blank slate. Through their meeting with a new master, they would learn various things from the beginning again.
The three sisters that I obtained, Ruby, Sappha and Emera also learnt various things as time pa.s.sed, and became able to make independent decisions.
There’s no way I would send those three, who have no combat power whatsoever, to Eisengard; and even if they were proficient in combat, I would never send them to a dangerous place just because someone else told me to.
Of course, I’d refuse if they asked me to sell the three to them.
Dr. Elka’s sister Norn, and Nia from the [Red Cats]. They also shouldn’t want their golems, Noir and Rouge, to be put into that kind of situation.
“What should we do…”
“Should we obtain a Legacy model that’s good at reconnaissance, and start training it now?”
“The other side might do something while we’re wasting time with that. If possible, I want to obtain information from within as soon as I can…”
“Haste makes waste”; maybe that’s the only option… Or should I ask the [Black Cats] or someone else, and have them send personnel in to scout? But there’s a high chance they’ll meet variants on the way. They would need to be as strong as an average red-ranked adventurer…
“Besides those… It’s also an option to steal a Legacy that’s rich in experience.”
“No no, as expected that’s…”
That’s a crime, isn’t it. I’m not desperate enough to start robbing others.
“Of course, I don’t plan on robbing from innocent people. There are lots of Legacies being used by criminals. And most of them are stolen goods to begin with, as well. I’m talking about those.”
Ah, so that’s what you meant. If so… Well, I guess it’s okay?
“Fumu. I get what master’s trying to say. It’s the ‘Wings of the Dead’, isn’t it.”
The golem who’s been lying down on the floor of the [Laboratory], Fenrir, raised his head. [Wings of the Dead]?
“The [Wings of the Dead] is a bandit group that’s active in Holy Kingdom Alent. They’re a lawless bunch that’s attacked and plundered from several villages already. One of the reasons why they’re quite hard to catch is because they hold a Legacy that’s good at reconnaissance and spying; the exact type you want, Touya-kun.”
“I see. And you’re suggesting we take that golem away from them?”
It feels a bit bad, but the golems themselves have no sin. I do feel a sense of aversion to be using something that was used by a band of thieves, but now isn’t the time to be dragged back by that. Above all, there’s no way we can allow a group like that to remain free.
“I’d be glad if you would undertake that proposition. The golems being worked by that group happen to be my siblings, actually.”
“Eh? Is that so?”
Fenrir said that while shaking his tail.
“I think they were called ‘Anubis’ and ‘Bastet’, if I’m not wrong. To be precise, rather than being the same generation model as Fenrir, they’re closer to being successor models. Since the maker is the same, you can call them his little brother and sister.”
If they’re the same as Fenrir, does that mean they’re animal-types too? It’s true that if they look like animals, they should be useful for surveillance. Wait, if it was a wolf-type like Fenrir, then it could be hunted down.
The talk would go faster if Fenrir would go to Eisengard for us, really.
However, Dr. Elka doesn’t actually belong to Brunhild; she’s a guest of ours, at the end of the day. I’m not shameless enough to ask a guest to send her precious golem to a dangerous place for us for reconnaissance.
I guess we’re going with taking away those two Legacies from that band of thieves.
“We don’t know where they are, though. A band of thieves would obviously be hiding in a way such that the knight order of that country cannot find them, and there’s too little clues for me to use my search magic…”
“A band of thieves would know another well. Don’t we have someone in that profession nearby?”
“Ah.”
Remembering about the ones the professor was referring to, I immediately headed towards the place where those girls were staying at.
“[Wings of the Dead], huh. We havn’t directly met them before, but we know about their rumors. They’re a bunch of sc.u.m who attack villages and take everything that could be sold for money; and on top of that, they would kill every single man, and sell all the women and children to illegal slave merchants.”
“Even though they’re also a band of thieves like us, our stances are fundamentally different. As we basically have no connection, there’s not much information we can give you; however, we do have an idea on where their hideout might be.”
While saying that, the chief of the [Red Cats], Nia, as well as the vice-chief, Est-san, pointed to a certain location on the map as we sat in the inn [Silver Moon].
On the new world map, it’s a location in Holy Kingdom Alent, a desert area not far from Flame Kingdom Taubaan.
“The rumors say their hideout is somewhere in this area. Those guys attacked a lot of different locations, but there must be one spot where they keep their spoils. I think it should be somewhere around here, since there’s an oasis nearby.”
Nia circled out an area with a particularly large oasis in the desert with her finger.
“Do those [Wings of the Dead] guys have anything like a symbol? Something that could identify someone as a member of that group.”
“I heard that members have a winged death G.o.d tattooed somewhere on their shoulders.”
Nice. Simple and easy to tell.
“Search. People who have a winged death G.o.d tattoo.”
“Searching… Search finished. Displaying.”
Pins fell down on the map. It’s a bit spread out, but this place where the pins are concentrated must be their main camp.
“As unreasonable a magic as always, yours is… If something like this was used by others, wouldn’t thieves become extinct from this world?”
“This magic isn’t as omnipotent as you think. Your world is just underdeveloped in terms of magic culture, and so it lacks countermeasures. With the two worlds becoming connected and exchanging information, that gap will probably be filled in soon enough, though.”
To those who aren’t in the know on the situation, they probably don’t know a thing about the merging of the two worlds yet.
Eventually, there will definitely be quarrels and conflicts between the two worlds (they’re part of one world now, though). While observing and investigating Eisengard, I must also hurry up and prepare for a meeting with the leaders of the larger countries.
In any case, since this group of bandits have apparently done horrible things, there’s no need to hold back against them. Let’s quickly catch them all and hand them over to the holy capital’s knight order.
Your golems shall be gladly received by me… Kukuku.
…Somehow it feels like I’m the one who’s the bandit. Well, I mean, I’m doing exactly that to them, so.
The bandit group, [Wings of the Dead], has their base set up in a rotting ruin on the side of an oasis.
“Y-y-you b.a.s.t.a.r.d, who are you!? You working for the Holy Kingdom!?”
“Wrong but you’re not far off. The part about you guys being caught by me wouldn’t change either way.”
Around us, the figures of bandits who’ve been knocked unconscious by me could be seen. The only one left is the man in front of me.
Judging from the att.i.tudes of the ones who are now lying on the ground, the guy in front of me is the chief. He’s wearing a pretty high-cla.s.s leather armor and mantle, too.
On a side note, the golems which were my objective have already been captured using [Prison] and stored inside [Storage]. They were Fenrir’s successor models; both “Anubis” and “Bastet” looked completely like a black dog and a black cat respectively.
It’s true that if they used these kinds of golems to conduct spy activities, the bandits would know everything they want about the knight order coming to arrest them.
They had attacked me in concert with each other; their combat abilities were rather high too, so it can be said that they’re suited for a.s.sa.s.sinations as well.
“A-are you looking to claim our bounties? Then we’ll give you even more gold than that! I’m not lying! I-inside here, we have most of the money we’ve gotten from—gugaa!?”
I drove a paralysis bullet into the chief, who’s trying to win me over while smiling vulgarly, without hesitation.
“I’m thankful for the offer, but I think I’ll be donating them to some orphanages later instead. Pray for the children’s happiness inside your cells.”
I piled up the fallen bandits into a mound, and transferred them altogether to the knight order’s guardroom with a single note that read “These guys are the bandit group [Wings of the Dead]. Catch them.” Just like how I dealt with those [Kurau] bunch back in Horn Kingdom.
If I go there properly, I should be able to receive their bounties as well, but the procedures would be troublesome, and my purpose here is rather clandestine, so I opted to stay anonymous.
The king of a country going to another one and destroying a bandit group there just because he wanted golems; that sounds a little bit… Besides, I’ve also got to consider the Holy Kingdom’s honor.
I found the treasures the bandits have been storing in a room deep inside their hideout, and proceeded to chuck them wholesale into my [Storage]. The belongings of a bandit would go to the one that defeated him, so there’s no problem with this. I’m planning to give the valuables to orphanages within the Holy Kingdom; still, there’s quite the sum gathered here… Crus.h.i.+ng bandits is surprisingly profitable…
It might be good to incorporate this into our knight order’s training. It counts towards bonus pay for them, and also makes the world a better place; two birds with one stone, isn’t it?
Well, this time they coincidentally had the easy-to-find tattoo so it went smoothly, but things probably wouldn’t be so easy every time.
When I finished gathering the treasures and went out of the ruins, the blinding sun shone directly into my eyes.
Why is it that in a desert, the sun always feels so hot… Nn?
I can see a small dot of some kind in the sun. It’s falling towards this direction… That is…!
I dodged the downward swing of the scythe by jumping sideways. A stone pillar that was at the entrance of the ruins was cut through cleanly in a diagonal direction, and fell grandly onto the sands below.
“Gi…”
The thing that appeared from within the dust cloud, was a golem with a small purple body and a disproportionately large scythe in its hands. The purple [Crown], Fanatic Viola. Which means…!
“The bandits that were my target was a miss, but Luna is super lucky! I’m so glad to be able to meet To-yan all the way out here in this kind of remote desert! As expected, the strings of fate are tied snugly around our necks, aren’t we? I want to tighten it more!”
That person was standing on top of one of the still-standing stone pillars with a parasol in hand.
Adoll-like young girl, with amethyst-like long hair, gothic clothing and a tiered skirt. The eyes, seemingly smiling in enjoyment behind a pair of gla.s.ses, harbored clear madness.
Luna Trieste. The master of the purple [Crown], also known as the “Lady of Madness”.
“… Why are you here?”
“Iyan~. Isn’t it obvious that I’m here to fight to the death with those bandits? Before this, you see, I found a village that was burnt to the ground with every villager killed. I thought that was interesting, so I came here to ask them to play with me too. But now that To-yan is here, I don’t care about that anymore!”
Luna jumped down from the stone pillar she was on and threw away the parasol she held in her hand.
No, she only threw away a part of it; a thin blade appeared from within the middle pole of the parasol, and glittered under the harsh sun.
The silvery blade a.s.saulted me like an elastic whip. Fast. Although she’s not as good as Yae or Hilda, she’s nevertheless very skilled.
I dodged the endless onslaught of slashes by paper-thin differences.
“Ahahahaha! Amazing! It’s not connecting at all! But it’s not enough! To-yan should do it too! Slash, stab, pierce, punch, kick, gouge, kill away!”
“Sorry but I’m not into any of those! [Prison]!”
“!?”
An invisible wall surrounded Luna and repelled her thin sword.
“Are aree? What is this? To-yan’s magic?”
“Restraining magic, [Prison]. That wall is never going to break. Give it up.”
“Viola, can you do it?”
“Gi.”
The purple golem thrusted its large scythe towards the [Prison]. Not gonna work. Even though it’s slight, I’ve incorporated divinity into it; that [Prison] is never going to break from anything they do.
With a dull *Giin*, Viola’s large scythe was repelled away. See.
“Ahaha, it’s true. Alright, Viola step aside for a bit. I’ll try and break it too.”
“I told you it’s impossible. Just be obedient… Wha!?”
After she threw away her thin sword with a *poi*, Luna’s right arm began to be enveloped by a dull gold-colored metallic substance. “That”, which was multiplying with a *paki paki* sound, transformed Luna’s right arm to a golden spear from the elbow up.
“Here goes!”
When Luna thrusted out her right arm, a loud, metallic striking sound rang out across the desert, and the [Prison] broke into pieces.
“It broke, it broke! Kufufufu, it hurts so much! Every time I try to use this power, my entire
body feels like it’s being chopped up into pieces. It feels so good I might leak… Holding it back is hard.”
Oi oi, you’re kidding me…
In front of my eyes, dull gold-colored fragments could be seen protruding out everywhere on Luna’s body. She looked uncannily similar to a Phrase ruler-cla.s.s.
And, from that body, I could unmistakably feel the sinister divinity of the evil G.o.d.
– Pixel