61 – Act 61. The Shogun of Despair (1)
Several days had passed since the mine incident.
“Are you ready?”
Orpheus, Tribor, and I were in a secluded mountain area.
Now that Diana, who had finished preparing to enter the boarding school, had left, we had decided to have a duel.
Since I acquired a new weapon, I should test its performance, shouldn’t I?
“Of course.”
Orpheus raised the golden spear.
The weapon, formerly known as the sword of the ancient hero, had suddenly transformed into a spear.
[Orpheus, grasp the sword while imagining the appearance of the weapon you desire. Then it will transform into that form.]
This was the transformation that Tribor’s cryptic remark referred to.
Could this weapon even be made of shape-shifting metal? It’s a structure I can’t understand.
“Here goes!”
She swung the window, and I swung my ninja sword.
After exchanging dozens of attacks, I felt something strange.
“Huh…?”
I felt sluggish. Did I eat too much for breakfast? Is it because I’m still digesting?
Whatever the reason, it’s a strange phenomenon.
If my combat power was 10 before the attacks, now it feels like it’s 6 or 7.
“As I thought. You’re a being mixed with a watcher and a soul, so you’re vulnerable to the ancient warrior’s sword.”
Trivo muttered again, shaking his head.
What the hell are you babbling about, you annoying idiot?
I thought about listening to him once, but I was too sleepy to bother.
“Do you think the Red Whale Matap has something like this?”
“There aren’t many items that have similar performance to the ancient warrior’s sword. If my memory serves me right, there should be the ancient warrior’s shield and armor.”
“And you think the Matap has them too?”
“For now, yes.”
“Do you think we can mass-produce them?”
“I want to say it’s impossible, but it’s hard to judge since we haven’t seen the Matap’s technological capabilities firsthand.”
“Robin, we need to be careful.”
Orphe, who had a strange conversation with Trivo, gave me a reassuring smile.
“What do we need to be careful about?”
“We said we’re going to fight against the Matap from now on.”
“Yes.”
The Crimson Whale Matap. A group of mad scientists conducting human experiments.
If we ignore and let those guys, pretending not to know them, the living hell will unfold and paradise will never come.
“If those guys have this kind of stuff in large quantities, even you will have a hard time.”
“That’s right.”
Orpheus seems dissatisfied with my reaction and keeps his mouth shut. He’s starting to look puffed up.
“Well, what can we do? We don’t have any means to prepare. We’ll just have to endure the penalties and fight.”
I chose this fight, so I’m prepared to fight with evil and strength.
“…So you’ve already made your choice.”
I nodded quietly. I am someone who always achieves what I want.
Give up? That’s a term you use when counting cabbages.
“Alright. I also have personal grudges against Matap.”
Orpheus’s eyes deepen.
“…Personal grudges.”
“Well, then that’s it for now. It’s getting late, so I’ll be heading out.”
I interrupted because it seemed like he was going to talk about something troublesome.
I may listen to explanations (only accepting a three-line summary) lately to detect Ayasayo, but I didn’t expect to hear this kind of story.
Even if it’s my best friend Orpheus, he can’t make me tired when there is still important ‘work’ left.
“The Resistance, right?”
“Nin nin.”
Yesterday, Bianca sent a signal while wandering near the mine.
Tonight, she will make contact with the resistance.
“Although there was a sight at the mine, don’t let your guard down. The rumors aren’t good. Well, the rumors might even be spread by Matap.”
Orphe handed me a piece of paper.
***
– Join the “White Dolphin” resistance to prevent the end of the world! –
All of this information is absolutely true, without any exaggeration!
The Red Whale Matap is the embodiment of evil from a different dimension!
On the day of the apocalypse, the destructive weapon “Breath of the Whale” launched by Matap will be activated and render the capitals of all kingdoms powerless. Using the secretly stockpiled weapons and the terrifying chimeras lying dormant, the world will be devastated!
At a time when even ancient heroes no longer exist, the only ones who can fight are the White Dolphins! Join us too!
♚♚White Dolphin♚♚ Join$$All members receive a resistance badge☜☜ 100% guarantee※ ♜♜Free resistance hood￥Certain conditions apply §§Resistance vest (3)§§★Latest model★ Opportunity to acquire@@@
***
“Is this the Resistance, or the Restorance?”
“It’s a flyer distributed by the resistance. It’s strange, but it might be worth reading it carefully once.”
“Forget it.”
I felt sorry for Orphe, who had worked hard to collect the information, but it wasn’t important.
No matter how you look at it, it’s just the nonsense of a market floor merchant trying to attract attention with tearful lies.
Anyone who takes this seriously is an idiot.
“Here, swing a spear or something. Treebo will take care of the sparring.”
[I am not built for combat.]
“What does it matter? It’s going to be destroyed anyway and return to its original state. Might as well use it as a punching bag.”
“You’re going too far. Didn’t I make you a repair sword?”
“Hmm.”
The repair sword made by Treebo. It served me well even in the mine. I have nothing to say about it when it comes out like this.
“Anyway, help me with my Orpheus training.”
“Understood.”
As I was about to leave, I heard Orpheus’ voice.
“Have a safe trip. Don’t let your guard down.”
“Yes, Mom.”
She’s more worried than our own mother.
***
Avoiding the Order Maintenance Army, I entered the slums and fired the ninja radar.
Woo-woo-woo-
As expected, people had gathered at the meeting place we had agreed upon.
I changed into my ninja suit on the alleyway and headed there.
“- it’s me.”
I unfolded the concealed silhouette and revealed myself in front of the resistance army.
I wanted to make a bold and striking performance, but I stopped myself from waking up the people who were sleeping after a tiring day inside the old house.
“Oh.”
Three women and two men were startled and took a step back.
As confirmed by the radar, there were five people at the meeting place.
They were young men and women, dressed in worn-out clothes with disheveled hair, each holding a wooden bat as a weapon.
They looked more like residents of a poor neighborhood than members of the resistance.
Just like I use “Ninjumsum,” these guys must be using “Johumsum.”
“You’ve arrived.”
A calm-looking woman with short hair approached me slowly.
Her movements were like those of an animal handler dealing with dangerous wildlife. It was clear that she was on guard.
If she had heard of my reputation, it would make sense.
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“Ninjas only move in the quiet of the night. That’s common sense.”
“…Is that so? I didn’t know. I heard they’ve been moving since morning in Goldon.”
“There are always exceptions. It was to protect the people of Goldon. The safety of the people is more important than common sense.”
“The safety of the people… I see.”
The short-haired girl, nodding her head, glanced at her colleagues.
It seemed like they were sending signals that only they knew by rolling their eyes in a regular pattern.
After the eye communication ended, the short-haired girl looked at me again and opened her mouth.
“My name is Mari, the leader of the White Dolphins.”
“I am a runaway ninja. As my name suggests, I am unaffiliated.”
“First of all, I would like to apologize.”
“Apologize?”
Mari and the resistance members took their respective positions and lowered their heads.
“I disguised myself as a runaway ninja from the Aioji Mine. Although I had my reasons, I won’t make any excuses. I’m truly sorry.”
“Accept my apology.”
The anger stemming from the resistance group impersonating me has completely dissipated.
Impersonation was not an act on par with betrayal.
Good. Let’s get to the point now.
“Why do you think I made contact with you?”
“I believe it’s to defeat our common enemy, the Red Whale Matap, and the Order Maintenance Army that collaborates with them.”
Their response was quick, as if they had prepared in advance.
“There are many reasons why we should cooperate. That is—”
I skipped the lengthy part, but summarizing her words, it goes like this:
The White Dolphin has information, and you have power. When we cooperate, positive effects will follow.
Let’s join forces and defeat the Matap.
Since I had already planned on doing so, I quickly accepted and continued the conversation.
If they do anything suspicious, I can cut ties or intervene at that time.
After exchanging a few more pieces of information, I brought up something I had been thinking about for a few days.
“Do you know someone named Amelia Hall?”
“Ah, Amelia Hall?”
Mary noticeably flinched and stumbled over her words. It seems like she knows something.
“Yeah. I’m investigating because it seems like she has some kind of relationship with the Order Maintenance Army.”
I secretly entered her house and searched every corner. The fact that nothing came up is the problem.
I wanted to ask Adalie, the maid, a question, but every time she saw me, she would hurriedly run away, so there was nothing I could do.
Because of this situation, which had become a mystery, I needed a hint.
“…It’s surprising. I was trying to bring up her story last.”
“Don’t beat around the bush and just say it.”
Fortunately, the white dolphin seemed to know Amelia’s secret.
“Miss Amelia is the daughter of Byeon Geom-gyeong.”
‘Huh?’ I suppressed the urge to blurt out and continued listening.
Byeon Geom-gyeong’s daughter? I’ve never heard such a thing before. What on earth is going on?
“She is also our informant, providing us with information.”
“What is that?”
The more I heard, the more bewildered I became. She is a samurai’s daughter and our informant.
“Is that lie really true?”
“He’s also the one who pointed out the person who knows the location of the underground research lab.”
Well, what can I do? I decided to quickly accept it and move on.
If Byeon Geom-gyeong is a fool for his daughter, it would be easy to obtain information and the likelihood of suspicion would be low. As an informant, she had the best conditions.
“I heard that Amelia was trying to bring up something. What did she want to say?”
“From now on, she will help you.”
Mari took out a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to me. It had a drawing of a strange object that looked like a mailbox.
“Go to the marketplace and check the item depicted there. There should be a note with important information inside. You can also use it to communicate with the resistance. Leave a message, and we will check it.”
“If you’re going to be so secretive about it, there’s no need to mention Amelia’s name.”
What’s this? A self-introduction? I don’t understand. Couldn’t she just tell me to go to the mailbox?
“This is Amelia’s request. She wants to help you completely. She knows a lot of information about Byung Geom Gyeong. Since he is connected to Matap, he will definitely be of help.”
Trust me, I’m the person for this. What is all this? I don’t feel any uneasiness.
Amelia offered us a house at a cheap price. It’s because we fought for her.
If Amelia knows that I’m a runaway ninja?
If Adali has revealed what happened at the Ninja Village?
If the two of them are deceiving me? The more I think about it, the more suspicious it becomes.
Extraordinary measures are needed.
“That’s how it is. Is the matter finished?”
“Yes. The important things will be conveyed through notes. We will be leaving now.”
After bidding farewell to the resistance and finishing our conversation, we headed straight to Amelia’s house.
On Earth, there is a saying, “Pull out the iron horn quickly.”
I have to hear it with my own ears, whether it’s a mailbox or a ladle.
And Adali, you’re finished now.