A Miraculous Story (1)
The situation concluded in that manner.
The demon who had reigned over Belsen was executed following due process, and it seemed that the remnants left in the facility were also being dealt with.
They drove forward without leaving a shred of mercy.
From the beginning, it wasn't about subduing or capturing; it was solely an infiltration for extermination.
The members didn't harbor any compassion at the tip of their swords.
Before long, the black magicians in the building were nearly annihilated.
"We have cleared from Laboratory 1 to 105. We believe there are no remaining enemies."
"Were there any casualties on our side?"
"None at all."
"As expected, you are very capable. Thank you for your hard work, Neria."
"It was thanks to your presence, Captain."
I was listening to the report from the Vice Captain.
Although I took care of the highlights, it was she who practically led this Belsen extermination operation.
While I was confronting the demon in the lowest level,
Neria led the members and gradually took over the laboratory.
She was truly an outstanding talent.
"We also rescued all the survivors who were trapped. There were a total of 71 people, and they have been transported to Astro's direct medical unit for treatment. We plan to release them in the imperial capital afterward."
"Good."
"As per your instructions, all research materials found within the facility have been processed for disposal. They are currently being incinerated to leave no trace..."
The briefing continued calmly.
There seemed to be no unusual issues.
"And... here is the item you requested."
Neria seemed to finish her report and then took something out from her bosom and handed it over.
It was a small case, about the size of a palm.
It appeared she had brought the item I had ordered.
"We found it near the canyon. As you mentioned, it was buried beneath the ground along with large bone fragments."
"This is indeed what I was looking for."
Click-.
After checking the contents, I put the case inside my coat.
It was an item needed for later, and thanks to our vice-captain, I could easily get it.
I leave a brief word of gratitude.
"Thank you, Miss Neria."
"I only did what I should as a subordinate."
"That's a commendable statement."
"Everything is as you wish."
Neria silently bows her head.
When I stroke her long silver hair as a sign of praise, her breath strangely hitches.
As if a current is flowing through her.
"Huh···."
The chic atmosphere melts away, leaving her with a melting expression.
Beyond her silver pupils, desire glistens.
Perhaps it was due to her exceptionally deep loyalty.
Even simple physical contact made her blush.
"I'm proud of you."
"······!"
The girl shudders.
Satisfied with her reaction, I start walking again.
Neria stumbles along behind me.
My steps halt in front of an iron cell.
Inside, Anne, who had regained consciousness, and Irene were sitting against the iron bars.
Both were covered with small blankets.
I smile gently and speak.
"How are you both feeling?"
"I told you I'm fine... Do you even know how many times you've asked since earlier?"
"No matter how many times you answer, I still worry."
"······I'm perfectly fine."
"I'm okay too! It doesn't hurt at all!"
Anne answers energetically.
Now fully awake, the girl brightens the surroundings with her cheerful demeanor.
Her smile sparkles brightly.
'It seems there are no lingering aftereffects.'
I had also tampered with their memories while restoring their bodies.
The things they endured during the Chimera experiments.
Wounds too heavy for a young child to bear.
After much deliberation, I decided to erase them.
Of course, all other memories were intact.
What I wanted to relieve her from were her nightmares, not the brave courage the girl had steadfastly maintained.
In a way, it was a benevolent lie.
"It's a relief that you’re not hurt."
"Thank you for your concern, handsome brother!"
"Handsome...?"
"Yes! You're handsome!"
"Well, well... It seems you're not only brave but also have a keen eye. You might make a great writer."
"Oh! How did you know my dream is to become a writer?"
"There are ways to know everything."
We engage in light conversation.
As we pass the time, Neria, who had been standing behind, speaks.
"Everything is sorted out. It's time to return."
"What about the other members?"
"They have already returned to the headquarters through the portal. We are the last ones."
"Hmm... What about the handling of this lab?"
"I’ve inscribed the explosion spell. It will become dust precisely in 30 minutes."
"Good. Let's return."
Swoosh-.
As I spoke, a person hiding in the shadow emerged.
A woman with dark black hair.
She was holding a dagger in each hand.
She was the member who welcomed us first when we last visited the headquarters.
Her lips, hidden behind a mask, moved slightly.
"Captain."
"Lena."
"I've come to escort you."
Zap-!
As Lena stretched her hand to the side, a blue ring formed in the air.
Soon, the surrounding dimensions distorted, creating an entrance.
It was the door leading to the headquarters.
The fox watching muttered blankly.
"...You even have a spatial mage under your command?"
"She is a pride of Astro."
"That's an ability rare enough that there might be barely a thousand on the continent."
"How else could I have traveled the long distance from the academy to here in one day?"
"You... the more I know you, the more terrifying you become."
"Hehe, shall we move first?"
As we stepped through the portal.
A single noise from behind stopped the girls in their tracks.
<Rattle, Clatter-?>
<Screech··· Screech>
It was the cries of monsters.
Once humans, but no longer able to be called that.
Anne and Irene stop simultaneously.
"······"
Sadness touches their ears.
Perhaps it's because they were in the same situation just moments ago.
Their eyes waver.
People who had endured the same hell.
The sound was particularly pitiful.
Maybe it is because they already knew there was no way to save them.
The girls bite their lips gently.
A pained expression.
"Hmm."
This kind of ending is a bit much.
Lost in thought for a moment, I ask the vice-captain.
"Neria."
"Yes."
"How many chimeras are trapped on the lowest floor?"
"Not many. There's a principle to immediately incinerate any failures, so it's presumed they've been emptied out weekly."
"And?"
"Upon checking, there are 13."
"That's a precarious number."
To fix as many as thirteen mutants, at least a month of hard work was required.
I let out a troublesome sigh.
In my sight is a fox clenching its fists tightly in frustration.
Venomous eyes.
'Still.'
We've come all this way... can't let it go to waste.
Children always look the most beautiful when they are smiling.
"There’s no rule that says a miracle can't happen twice."
I mutter softly.
"Vice-Captain? Take the chimeras with us. Move them in their cages, since it might be dangerous."
"As you command."
The members start moving the cages.
They don't know that I can fix the chimeras. I've never shown them.
However, they follow the command without asking questions.
They assume that I must have a reason.
The solid trust makes me feel proud for no reason.
Two people are staring blankly at the scene beside me. I lightly meet their gaze.
And then I ask.
"Do you feel a little lighter in your heart?"
Death cannot be reversed.
But if one is not dead, it might be okay to hope for a miracle.
"I hope today's events don't remain as a nightmare."
Because I am by your side.
At least within my reach, I wanted to protect those who are hurting.
It's nothing grand.
Just a small wish.
"Irene."
"······."
"If you can be even a little less unhappy, I will gladly lend you my strength."
The fox lowers her head deeply.
"······Why."
A trembling voice.
She bites her lip as if confused and brings out the question she had kept in her heart.
It was frustration born from ignorance.
"Why on earth... why would you do this much for someone like me?"
To the fox's question, the snake answers plainly.
With only sincerity.
"Because one must always take responsibility for what they have tamed."
Although people have forgotten this truth, I still believed in it.
About taming.
About relationships and responsibilities.
"Does that answer your question?"
"······."
The fox did not answer.
She just stared at me with her mouth closed.
Since we couldn't delay any longer, I took each of their hands.
I led them towards the portal.
"Then~ let's go back to our beloved home!"
Steps crossing the threshold side by side.
Thus, we escaped the hell filled with the smell of blood.
***
We returned to the Astro headquarters.
There were many residual tasks to handle.
Since we had just completed quite a significant mission, various parts needed reorganization, so we planned to stay at the headquarters for a few days.
And it was the same for Anne.
"Wow...! It’s so clean and spacious!"
While the other survivors headed straight to the hospital, Anne chose to follow us to the headquarters.
Her condition didn’t require any particular treatment.
Moreover, she strongly wished to be close to the fox.
Thanks to that, the girl was able to step into the headquarters of the most secretive organization on the continent.
"It's amazing...!"
Anne was bouncing around.
"You really like it."
"Hehe, it’s that age when everything feels exciting."
We weren’t the only ones waiting.
There were also little foxes.
As soon as the news that Irene was coming spread, the children rushed toward us as soon as we arrived.
Surrounded by their fluffy tails.
"Sister!!"
"B-Big sister...!"
"Did you come because you missed us again? You're the best!"
"You came with the captain again this time!"
Innocent children who knew nothing.
The fox, who seemed a bit overwhelmed for a moment, soon warmly embraced her younger siblings.
"Yeah... I came because I missed you."
"Are these the younger siblings you mentioned? So cute!"
A bustling scene.
While standing there with a warm smile, someone approached me unexpectedly.
It was a middle-aged man from the reconnaissance team.
"Captain, you’ve arrived."
"Oh dear... our head chef has appeared."
Red Swordmaster, Kyle Stroban.
He was currently serving as the head chef at Astro's headquarters.
"Hahaha! It would have been nice if I could have participated in the mission as well."
"That would be too much power. And if the head chef is guarding the headquarters, we can feel safe going out, right?"
"I'm glad to be recognized."
"Always the case."
It was about trusting him enough to leave the rear to him.
Kyle was an important figure within Astro for that reason.
And he would continue to be.
I jokingly asked, "I hope nothing unusual happened, did it?"
"Ha ha ha! How could anything happen in a place I guard?"
"Is it because the title of 'Star' is so high~?"
"Only those who reach the night sky can earn that name."
"You are indeed a reliable chef."
A brief exchange of banter.
I soon get to the point.
Lowering my voice so only Kyle can hear.
"Sir Kyle."
"Yes, Captain."
"I have something to show the chef."
"What is it?"
"I'm sure you'll like it."
"Now I'm even more curious."
His red eyes blink with interest.
"When do you plan to show it?"
"It might be difficult today. It's urgent to recharge before showing you anything."
"Then...?"
"Let's talk tomorrow. Come down to the training room."
"Understood."
Kyle nods obediently.
I smile slyly.
He probably can't even imagine what I've prepared.
I pictured the Sword Master's face filled with astonishment.
***
The very next day.
At the training room of Astro Headquarters. A spacious area set up for the members' personal training.
Kyle stands at the center, looking this way.
"Ha ha ha! I'm excited to see what you're going to show me."
Other members were also present around us.
Since I mentioned that it wasn't something that required just the two of us, everyone was watching comfortably.
Most of Astro had gathered.
""......""
The gazes of the audience poured in.
It felt somewhat burdensome, but I calmly began to speak.
"Today will be a joyous day... as we keep our promise."
"A promise, huh."
Kyle tilts his head in confusion.
He seemed to have no idea what I was talking about.
Well, that's understandable.
It's not easy to remember a passing remark that seemed like an empty word.
It was still okay.
"The tragedy from two years ago. The family lost during the great hunt."
"······."
"It’s Lord Kyle's daughter, who was kidnapped by the dark mages."
I whisper about the past.
Kyle's gaze, which had been calm until just now, falters.
Perhaps due to the wounds that have yet to heal, his fists clench involuntarily.
I calmly continue speaking.
"Didn’t I promise you someday?"
Maybe he forgot.
It was a serious promise.
- I don’t know how long it will take, but... I will definitely bring her back.
- The half of the world you lost.
I reach out toward the void.
As my fingers grip, a dark crack forms in the air.
Like a pane of glass shattering.
Crack, crack-!
I am opening a spatial rift.
Behind me, something that had been filling the space falls to the ground after completely shattering.
It was a chunk of flesh, easily ten meters long.
<Ah... Ugh>
It lets out a faint groan.
Hundreds of tentacles droop lifelessly from its body, squirming as if dying.
It was a gruesome sight.
"Captain!? What is this...?"
"Kyle."
This was the monster that had ambushed the protagonist and his party in the previous episode, 'The Abandoned Laboratory.'
At the same time,
"I have brought back your lost daughter, as promised."
It was Kyle's daughter.
"······."
The man, struck dumb, shows shock behind his red eyes.
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LOL he brought the kid back still in monster form. This guy’s an absolute menace.
ReplyDeleteInstant death is mercy for scums
ReplyDeleteI know that the MC is going to give some horseshit excuse for why he needed to break the chef’s heart before restoring his daughter, but still…
ReplyDeleteThe MC is a douche!