บท 59: Chapter 59: Caged Renard
"Hm… Huh… Right…"
The Hephaestus Familia home doesn't have many inhabitants so modifying one of them for tool making is easy. Magic tools littered the room. Though, I miss my laboratory just as much.
I am currently sitting at my desk, closely examining the red orb in my hand.
"Engraving circuits using the deceased's eyes…"
I could perfectly see the Daedalus Orb's fine details with the glasses. It was made from a material found on the twenty-seventh floor called [Blue Sand]. The glasses were made from the substance while the rim is composed of mithril.
That was enough to sustain several functions placed in it.
"They really gouged their descendant's eyes…"
The truth behind [Daedalus Orb] revealed itself. The base material used was none other than organic eyes. A specific circuit was engraved into it that serves as the 'password' behind each door.
I gently placed the orb on a cloth and removed my glasses. Then, I picked up the Daedalus' Notebook that I got from Dix Perdix.
"One hundred floors… What a monster."
Daedalus aimed to create something similar to the dungeon—and to surpass it. A total of one hundred floors were designated within the notebook, though they could only construct up to twenty floors at present.
I switched pages until I saw the portion for the key.
"Hm… Correct. Yeah…"
In the end, I understood how it works. This little cross-verification is what I needed.
Simply, Daedalus Orbs work on a certain frequency. They are akin to a 'voice-modulated' password door. Mimicking the structure of the circuits isn't enough—they have to possess a 'characteristic' from the eyes of Daedalus.
"Fu… That's one less trouble."
Right.
Recalling the [Memoir Manifest] I haven't used, I stood up from my seat.
"It's like gacha…"
During three weeks, I gained two useful items: Hatsune Miku's data and a precision tool that helped me build the bullet maker. The latter is more of a mold, but it worked since I was in the forge.
As for the others, they're either bills, a painting, pictures, smartwatches, cursed tools, and so on.
The book made of light appeared into the world.
"Praeteritium, Ostendo tu Ipse." (Bygone events, reveal yourselves.)
It swiftly moved pages before transforming into the recalled object. To my surprise, it became bigger until it took half of the space of the room.
"..."
The light died down. It revealed a huge complex machine unseen in Gekai itself.
"Sh—!"
A 3D Metal Printer.
It is the machine I used to create some weapons. It was made part-by-part which showed its precision.
For short, there are too many things I could do with it.
I sprinted outside as fast as I could.
*****
Swooosh-!
A white blur passed by Ein.
"Nobu..?"
By the time she could react, the blur passed by her once more. She was about to leave her room when she saw this sight.
Through the continuous feasting of magic stones, Filvis reached the status of a level four. It was halved during cloning, hence Ein has a status equivalent of a level two or three.
The sight she saw was quite stunning.
"He could act like that—?"
Rarely did he show his excited sight. His bright pupils and the large smile drawn to his face made him look more like a normal child.
"...Cute."
Just as always, Ein showed her thoughts honestly.
****
"So that's how it is. It's that powerful."
Currently, we are inside the Hephaestus Familia forge in the Northwest district. It is the forge inside the luxury shop.
After obtaining metallic dust, I used the 3D Printer to create the parts of my beloved weapons. When the time ran out, I managed to re-create three weapons and their blank bullets: an M9, HK416, and M4A1. Some modern forging tools were made as well.
These are the only ones that has purely metallic composition. The other advanced weapons like High-Frequency Vibration Blade and Smartphones needed resistors and capacitors that couldn't be produced by the printer.
"What do you plan with it?" Hephaestus-sama asked.
"For now, I would like to give it to Artemis Familia. It's a useful weapon."
After all, I am planning to create them en masse. With the separate components, I could use them as reference for the mold. The magic gun I have is out-of-consideration before since it is the sole gun. Now that I have three, it wouldn't matter if something goes wrong.
"Hm… Let me try creating them."
"Ah? Alright."
The goddess of forging took action. Hephaestus-sama chose the M9 as it is the easiest out of the three.
She started with the gun barrel. It involved several uncommon aspects of forging. It has to be fitted as well to ensure the proper size. Then again, she used the modern smithing tools very proficiently.
She said that she never built a gun back in Tenkai, but Hephaestus-sama's actions are like an expert gunsmith. She never needed any precision tools in the first place.
An hour later, she presented the components neatly on a table.
"Correspondence."
Upon cross-checking, they are exactly the same ratio as the one built by a 3D Printer.
"Nothing less from Hephaestus-sama…" I muttered.
She began assembling them into a complete gun. I could see the fine details—down to the screws—perfectly recreated.
Click.
A few seconds later, it was completely assembled.
"To think humans could invent this… They really are full of potential."
Hephaestus-sama's next words surprised me.
"I'm relieved. Even if gods disappear, humans could stand on their feet."
"...True."
It reminded me of the inevitable parting. There would be time when Gekai no longer has gods. The issue of longevity is not an issue for me due to [Mana Furnace]. Lord Nettesheim lived for a millennium and is still up and kicking today. I wouldn't leave Hephaestus-sama nor Lady Artemis that early.
"I'll let Hephaestus-sama know that I won't die that early."
"I know…"
Be it Evilus, Dionysus, or something else, I won't die. I won't allow the people close to me suffer due to my death. Even in my future iterations, I have a gist as to how it went after my death.
I can't bear to think of them coming true.
"Do you want to test it?"
I shifted the topic to something lighter.
From the corner of the forge, I activated a magic circle. The ground rose, revealing a hidden stash of crates. When opened, hundreds of M9 bullets are stored.
I took nine bullets and inserted it to the magazine forged by Hephaestus-sama. The bullets clicked as I inserted them.
Click.
The magazine was inserted. I checked the safety pin before giving it to her.
"This is the specialty of our world, Beretta M9. The safety pin exists to avoid accidental fire..."
After the explanation, Hephaestus-sama understood everything.
Click.
She cocked the gun and turned off the safety trigger.
Bang-!
A crack appeared on the forge's walls. It is something caused by pure impact. The projectile which broke the speed of sound sprouted such destructive force. If shot on the head, even level two could die.
"Amazing."
Bang-!
Bang-!
As I watched her adjust her aim, an image entered my mind.
'A mafia boss...'
Guns fit Hephaestus-sama more than I expected…
*****
Dian Cecht Familia.
It is the most prominent production-type familia in terms of potions. They are the main supplier of potions and everything health-related. They also serve as the go-to place for severe injuries.
They also have the technology to create a working prosthetic.
Today, they are visited by an enigmatic man—rather, the most famous star of Orario.
"Good afternoon, Miss Airmid."
"Good afternoon. Are you here for your orders?"
"Yup."
Sirius, Akasaka Nobu, often frequented the place. Just as his magic swords are gaining fame, he sought for a place that produces high potions before ending up here.
Upon Airmid's return, she and several other familia members carried numerous crates. It totaled five small crates, each containing twenty high potions worth 250,000 valis.
Nobu took out a cheque verified by the guild. A total of 25,000,000 valis is written. When dealing with large transactions involving huge amounts of valis, it could be used for a cheque due to the guild acting as a 'bank'.
This system was laid out based on the gods' knowledge.
"Here's the payment." He said. "There's an extra to treat others to a meal."
"...Still as always."
Nobu smiled lightly at her words.
"Where else could I buy high potions en masse? Honestly, I am surprised you haven't asked much about it."
"I respect your privacy."
"True. Then again, I'm not using it for anything else other than dungeon diving."
From their past meetings, Airmid already knew a little about Nobu's personality. He is someone who doesn't spare money for his safety. Though, it is also attributed to the fact that he is loaded with money.
Nobu placed all five crates on the narrow trolley he had brought. This was widely used on the Hephaestus Familia. It wasn't difficult to have one of it.
"Then, I'll be departing. Miss Airmid should take some time to relax as well."
"I will."
Nobu left the shop. Dozens of people strolled on the streets. This liveliness slightly affected him.
"Japan isn't like this… How do I say it… There's something different."
Since he foiled Valletta's ambush, he could breathe more freely. There is no longer a danger above his head. Nevertheless, he didn't fully relax.
With Valletta's disappearance, there's no doubt Evilus would begin doubting him—which extends to Enyo.
It is for that reason that the entire Hephaestus Familia home is fortified with one hundred spells. Nobu in his full preparations could obliterate level six adventurers.
Just as he mused, he sensed a person running to his direction. He moved the trolley and moved out of the path. Unfortunately, the person herself tripped. It prompted Nobu to catch her with his left hand.
As he did so, a fluffy golden tail covered his sight. He saw the yukata worn by the girl.
"Huh..?"
"A-ah..?"
The girl lifted her face and looked at him. Her emerald pupils met his golden eyes. Albeit stunned, Nobu removed his arm after she regained her balance.
Suddenly, he noticed a black collar on her neck. He immediately frowned upon seeing that.
He went with his suspicion and ran a [Correspondence] to it.
'Cursed collar? It has something similar to 'mind manipulation' on a milder scale.'
Nobu might be unfamiliar with the item, but its 'functions' is clear to him. A single [Correspondence] showed him 'psychological magic' as well as a tracker engraved.
The notion of being forced against your will is extremely unpleasant, especially after the events of his eighth iteration.
Nobu saw her eyes. It bore similarities to Filvis' when she wanted to die. Fortunately, the girl is less worse than that.
Again, his empathy strikes once more.
'It's better than doing nothing.'
Nobu made his decision.
"Miss… Do you need help?"
"Ah..?"
Scantily dressed amazons appeared. They stood out from the crowd with them running at his direction.
When they saw the fox girl, they rushed over to their direction. They hadn't seen Nobu in front of her due to the girl's tail.
"...Help..?"
The long-lost hope of escaping from that cage prevented the girl—Sanjou Haruhime—from feeling hope. Still, she felt it once more from the boy's strong gaze.
"...Help..."
She uttered a single world—
"Understood."
—and the boy responded in kind.
Out of his pockets, Nobu pulled out two smoke grenades.
Click.
Click.
He pushed its trigger before discreetly leeting it slip to the crowd.
Swoosh-!
Swoosh-!
White smoke came out of the canisters.
"Cough..!"
"What the hell's this?!"
"Who the—?!"
In the midst of chaos, Nobu took the opportunity to take her hand and run away. The trolley was slotted easily inside the bracelet storage. Then, he cast an anti-magic spell that aims to disrupt the 'beacon'.
"Always hold my hand. You won't get lost."
The girl followed his instructions. As a result, they were able to maneuver around the area. They left the place with white smoke.
The place where they came from, Dian Cecht Familia's home, is a few establishments away from the northwest district shop.
Not long after, they arrived inside. Only the part-timer serving as the staff was present.
"Mister Sirius..?"
"Good morning, Glenn-san."
"This is..?"
Glenn, a brown-haired chientrope, looked at the stunning beauty. At the moment, she looks shaken up by everything.
"My friend." Nobu replied. "We'll be taking up the forge room for a while."
"Uhm… Okay."
Click.
The door was closed. The fire dimly illuminated the room. It didn't last long as he opened the switch to the magic-powered light-bulb.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Nobu stomped three times while sending a specific wave frequency.
Buzz-!
Magic circles showed themselves into several walls. They fizzled as they spun.
"H-huh..?!"
Haruhime felt something disappearing.
"Good. The anti-magic section works."
Since the day Nobu found cursed weapons, he added anti-magic specifically for curses within Hephaestus Familia's residences.
Nobu came closer to the still-shocked Haruhime. His finger touched the collar on her neck. She jumped out in a startle, her tail straightening out.
"Calm down, miss. I will be removing it."
"A-ah..?"
Nobu's mana traced the entire thing. His current status as a level three gave him ample mind for such process.
"Hm."
He started casting the necessary spell.
"Mysterium vis Distortion." (Forced Mystery Distortion.)
A small magic circle emerged from his fingertips.
Crack-!
Shatter-!
Clang-!
From the engraved magic shattering up to the collar removing from itself, it took less than fifteen seconds. If the time they escaped from her pursuers is considered, everything occurred in less than two minutes.
The shocked Haruhime finally had the time to process everything.
"So… Miss. Can you tell me why you were chased by those amazons?"
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