Chapter 148: Frey's "Family"
During the time Kobayashi was entangled with Charlotte and Frey, Raishin Akabane was nowhere to be seen, because he had a visitor.
"Long time no see, Komurasaki."
"Yes! Long time no see, Brother Raishin!"
Komurasaki. The one known as "Flower" among Shouko Karyuusai's three greatest masterpieces.
Her facial features were very similar to Yaya's, so delicate they could almost take one's breath away. But the difference was that, rather than beautiful, she was more cute.
Her carefree expression, plus the maple-red twintails tied on both sides of her head, made her seem even more like a child compared to Yaya. The way she dangled her feet and happily waited for her milk was so cute it was reminiscent of a kitten.
He handed her the milk and asked, "And so? What did Miss Shouko say?"
"Is Raishin talking about the matter with Miss Frey?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.
She didn't make him wait long. After taking a small sip of milk, she said cheerfully, "It's all been prepared. We were already in motion before you even said anything."
As I thought, they've had their eyes on Frey for a long time. But for what reason, he didn't know for the time being.
He was just their dog. Obeying orders was his only option.
After a brief thought, he said, "Since you're here, that means your power is needed, right? In other words—we have to go somewhere next?"
"As expected of Raishin, your comprehension is so good."
Komurasaki showed a naive and innocent smile and said cheerfully, "We actually haven't grasped all the intelligence yet, but as long as we go there, whether it's about Miss Frey or the things we want to know, we can find it all out."
In other words, they wanted to use him to investigate the inside story of D-Works. It might even be related to the secrets of this country.
To state it again, he had no right to refuse.
"I understand. Then let's set off now."
He obeyed the command.
After a great deal of effort to persuade Yaya, and promising her numerous things, they immediately set off and ran out of the academy.
Komurasaki's Magic Circuit, [Yae-Gasumi], could deceive the five senses of all kinds of creatures, making them unable to perceive her existence.
Her hidden ability was to dominate all of the enemy's sensory information, creating a hallucination so real that even pain could be felt. That is, its essence was a mirage; it did not make people see things that did not exist.
When confused by Yae-Gasumi, sounds would not come from their source, figures would not appear where their real bodies were, auras would seem incredibly distant, the senses of taste and smell would be mixed with the scent of blood, and the sense of touch would either be eroded by a fierce foreign sensation and turn into intense pain, or there would be no sense of touch at all.
It could be seen as a super, super, super simplified version of the Zanpakutō, [Kyōka Suigetsu].
Thanks to her powerful magic, the two of them hid their figures and passed through the academy's heavy guard, heading straight for a small car not far from the school gate.
The two of them got in.
Even though there was no one visible, the driver did not panic. As if he had been told in advance what to do, he knew someone had gotten in from the rocking of the car's body and immediately drove off.
The car passed through the city streets and headed for the suburbs.
Just as it reached the end of the paved road, the sun was covered by clouds and it began to rain lightly. The rural road immediately became a muddy mess.
Probably to avoid being discovered, the car stopped before the destination was in sight.
The two got out and walked for another stretch.
Under Komurasaki's lead, a building that looked like a wealthy farmhouse appeared before his eyes.
The two connected two-story buildings were built of stone, and their appearance was quite exquisite. In the courtyard, there was a tall silo for storing feed, as well as a wooden livestock shed.
"A cattle shed?"
"It is, but there's no smell."
A brief conversation between the two.
Raishin asked, puzzled, "Where is this? Why did you bring me here?"
"This is an orphanage. It's Miss Frey's home," she explained.
An orphanage?
He was just about to ask when he saw a sign standing at the entrance to the property. It did indeed say "Orphanage."
They passed the sign and entered the property. He immediately saw a crude little hut. It was probably a place for farmers to rest. Inside sat a man in charge of keeping watch, a shotgun by his side.
If this were an ordinary farm, why would they need a shotgun?
He had noticed something unusual.
The man in charge of keeping watch was yawning on one hand and looking at the village road in the distance on the other. His leisurely appearance did not make him a qualified guard at all.
Then, the two of them silently bypassed him and walked towards the building in the depths of the property.
It was a magnificent building.
Not only was its scale huge, but it was also quite sturdy. The person who had built it must have spent a lot of money.
Looking at it this way, it seemed reasonable for the guard to be armed with a shotgun?
...If only the windows weren't barred with iron.
"Look, puppies!"
Pulled by the sleeve by Komurasaki, he looked down. It turned out this was not a cattle shed but a kennel. From the huge entrance, one could see cages made of iron mesh, and many breeds of dogs were kept inside.
Great Danes, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Dobermans, Sheepdogs.
And their mixed breeds were also among them.
These were all breeds that could be used as police dogs or military dogs.
He also noticed that their fur had no luster, and there was iron armor on their limbs and shoulders. It seemed these dogs were all automatons.
Are these all the same model as Rabi?
The two walked into the kennel. They made no attempt to hide, but the dogs did not notice their appearance. It seemed their activation level was rather low. Of course, even if they were fully activated, Komurasaki's invisibility ability could deceive their senses.
Even when touched by her, the dogs did not open their eyes, but only twitched their eyelids and ears.
...They look just like real dogs!
A strong sense of unease instantly struck him, and he was frozen as if struck by lightning.
What's going on? If they are automatons, aren't they a little too realistic?
"Raishin?"
"No, I'm fine."
He shook his head.
In his heart, he already had the answer. He just didn't want to face it.
They continued to walk deeper into the building.
The dog cages on both sides disappeared, replaced by thick walls. Arriving at the deepest room, his eyes couldn't help but widen.
Because he saw a man and a gorgeous woman.
"Kobayashi?!" he couldn't help but whisper in surprise.
He quickly covered his mouth, then remembered that he was currently invisible, and that his voice could be shielded, so he relaxed.
But—
"You've finally come, Akabane-kun. I've been waiting for you for a long time."
"..."
He fell silent.
He didn't know what to say, especially since his tone was that of someone who had been specially waiting for a long time. It was hard not to suspect that he had deliberately set a trap and was waiting for him to jump in.
Normally, given their friendship, he shouldn't have suspected him. But who could he blame when the incident with the deceitful Felix, who had used a mask to frame Charlotte, had just happened?
He couldn't help but be on guard.
"Sorry, sorry. My words were inappropriate and caused a misunderstanding," he quickly waved his hands and explained to the stiff and tense Raishin, "Don't be nervous. I also followed you here. Besides, did you really think your magic would go undetected?"
"...How could it be? My magic was actually... actually..."
Komurasaki stared blankly at him.
As one of Shouko Karyuusai's three greatest masterpieces, her [Yae-Gasumi] was a top-tier illusion magic. She never thought it would be broken.
She was dealt a huge blow in an instant.
To be hit over the head right after entering my stable period (adulthood)?
He walked over and accurately placed his right hand on the loli's head, comforting her softly, "Don't be discouraged. Your magic is very powerful. It's just that I'm a special case. I'm immune to illusion-type magic."
Even if he wanted to be confused, the Aqua necklace on his chest wouldn't agree.
He then turned to Raishin and apologized. "Sorry, I followed you. But I don't have any extra manpower or intelligence channels, so after overhearing what you were going to do, I secretly followed you."
Raishin's figure became visible.
Seeing that he really had no ill intentions, he sighed. "And so, what are your thoughts?"
"My thoughts..." he thought for a moment. "My country has a saying: 'If you're going to save someone, save them completely.' Since I've already decided to save Frey, I naturally have to eliminate the obstacles that are troubling her."
"So our goals are the same?"
"Mmm, that's right."
Raishin was implying that he wouldn't hold the fact that he had followed him against him. He was naturally happy to see this.
"And, did you find anything here?"
"Find anything? I suppose so."
In the deepest part, there was a small stone room. Only this room looked strangely sturdy. The heavy door was made of steel and had been sealed with magic. The small window was also barred with iron, as if it were imprisoning something.
—A prison cell.
That was the only way to describe it.
Raishin suggested, "Want to open it and see?"
"Ah, what I'm looking for should be inside," he nodded.
Raishin gestured with his eyes for him to open the lock. But he shook his head and refused, using the thief-class-exclusive [Lockpicking] skill. With just a click, in three seconds, the heavy chains were unlocked.
Raishin gave him a deep look.
After spending a few days together, the feeling he got from him was becoming more and more mysterious.
He gently pushed open the door.
"...It's empty?"
"No, there's something."
When the three of them walked into the room and quietly closed the door, a voice suddenly came from within—
"What is it, boy?"
The voice was hoarse, like an old woman's, and the way it spoke was very old-fashioned.
When their gazes turned to the depths of the room, they saw a dog. Its ears were pricked straight up, and it was sitting there. Its appearance was almost identical to Rabi's.
"The... the dog is talking?" Komurasaki exclaimed.
"That's right. I am a dog. The reason I can talk is because my vocal cords are similar to a human's. But even if I am a dog, my home should be respected. And you have entered my territory without permission. Are you so rude as to not even greet me?"
That old-fashioned tone was very much like an elder teaching someone a lesson.
He could feel that its life force was already on the verge of being exhausted, like an old man flickering in the wind. At the same time, it was also a Bandoll.
He bowed slightly and said politely, "I am Kobayashi, an unqualified puppeteer. And beside me is my automaton, RyuZU."
RyuZU also followed with an elegant bow.
Raishin and Komurasaki also stated their names.
"To dare to state your name... should I say you are bold, or audacious?"
"Naturally, the former. But I believe you also have no intention of harming us, do you?"
This was a kennel. Even if they were far away, as long as it let out a howl, the kennel would be thrown into a commotion, and they would also be exposed, leading to endless trouble.
And the reason it didn't do so...
"It's revenge," it said with a bitter laugh. "I've already been scheduled for disposal. I don't know if that's fortunate or unfortunate, and I've also been imprisoned in this place. Therefore, I have no need to be loyal to those guys anymore."
"Why?"
"What a boring question. Isn't it a simple matter? Because there is no longer any need to maintain my existence. After all, it takes quite a lot of money to keep me alive..."
"Don't be ridiculous!"
Raishin suddenly shouted emotionally. When everyone's gaze turned to him, realizing his slip-up, he apologized in a low voice.
He also said, "Did you know? Frey is being used as a hostage because of you, which is why she's constantly trying to assassinate me."
His voice was light, but Raishin knew that he was angry.
"Frey? Assassination? What does that mean? What happened to that little girl? No, why must that little girl do such a thing? What did you do to her?!"
Hearing the familiar name, it instantly became alert. Its expression suddenly changed, revealing its sharp teeth, as if it were about to pounce.
"Hey, hey, hey, listen to me carefully," he sighed. "It's you. You are being used as a hostage, which is why she came to assassinate me. Okay?"
"...Me?"
The old dog's body swayed. It seemed it hadn't expected to hear this explanation.
Seeing this, he invited it, "How about it? Want to come out with me? You might say that you don't have much reason to go out, and that it's not bad to just wait for death here. But outside, there is a kind girl who is worried about you and has no choice but to use assassination on others, waiting for you."
It hesitated for a moment.
Finally, it jumped off the platform and came to sit in front of him, at the same time extending its neck.
On it was a very sturdy collar, reinforced with metal. From the collar extended a line that glowed with a pale, bluish-white light and extended to a nearby pillar.
That should be a chain formed by forcibly absorbing its mana. It was probably used to restrain it.
"Can you unlock the collar?" it asked.
He did not answer, but he held out two fingers, a ball of water-blue mana condensing at his fingertips.
Swish—
In an instant, the collar was cut.
Seeing this, Raishin raised an eyebrow. He could also have unlocked the collar and removed the chain, but the tools he would have had to use were too primitive. It probably would have been a long and bitter fight.
"Your name?"
"Yomi."
"Are you Frey's family?"
"...I suppose so."
"Mmm, I understand. Since you're family, then I will do my best to protect you."
He nodded.
Hearing this, Yomi grinned... if it could be called a smile when it opened its mouth and bared its teeth.
"Come with me. I'll show you the inside of the orphanage."
"Thank you."
"But, what you see here will be this world's hell."
It let out a gaze as if it were testing a person, its forcefulness astonishing, making one think of the guard dog of hell.
Komurasaki couldn't help but fall to the ground.
And he just smiled and said, "Hell? I've seen it many times before."
But this time, it was a little different.
(End of Chapter)