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“An invasion from another world……”
Mayor Uesugi muttered in confusion, while covering his eyes.
The entire conference room was buzzing. Everyone looked puzzled.
“Honestly, if it hadn’t been for everything that’s been happening, I’d have dismissed it as a mere delusion…….”
“I agree. The scale of this story is just too big.”
Fujita also nodded as if to agree with him.
I was also quite upset secretly in my heart.
The situation was very different from the past where we just had to fight monsters.
After all, people from another world– or the world itself is our enemy.
It would have been so much better if our only enemies were monsters.
Haha, I’m crying tears of gratitude. Fuck.
“…… How surprising. Honestly, I didn’t think you’d believe me so easily.”
“It’s just the way things are. And it doesn’t look like you’re lying.”
“Yes…….”
Rebel stared at Mayor with admiration.
Then, Fujita raised his hand.
[T/N: Honestly what is with them and raising hands? You are not in school ¬.¬]
“Um… May I say something……?”
“What is it?”
“I understand how the monsters came to be in this world, but then there are a few things I don’t understand.”
“Of course. Please go ahead.”
Rebel urged him to ask her whatever he wanted.
“My first question is, why was it our world that became the foundation? If your world was nearing the end of its life span, wouldn’t it have been better to send our world to yours?”
“That’s impossible. It doesn’t matter how much water you pour into a bucket if it has a hole in the bottom. However, you can transfer the water from that bucket to another bucket. I guess that’s the idea behind it.”
“I see…… So where are the otherworlders besides you right now? You said that there are no other otherworlders besides you in this world…….”
“Of course, they are on the other side.”
“The other side…?”
“Yes, the world that we lived in. They are all living there.”
The conference room once began to buzz at her words.
“… Isn’t the world over there reaching the end of its life?”
“It’s not going to end anytime soon. We still have some time to spare. That’s why those idiots went on such a rampage. Besides, the two worlds haven’t completely merged yet, just the monsters have been summoned.”
So it has only been merged partially huh.
In addition to this, it is also possible that the system mentioned by Rebel was tampered with in favor of the otherworlders to cause this.
What a bunch of bastards.
…… So, how long is the lifespan of the world, exactly?
About a year, in the units of this world.
一A year, huh…….
Is it too short, or is it too long?
No, for the world, it’s just a blink of an eye.
“So you’re saying that while the monsters are fighting against us, the people from your world will swoop in at the last moment, take advantage of the situation and reap all the benefits?”
“Exactly.”
“That’s the worst…”
The mayor sighed again.
This time, Rikka-chan raised her hand.
“Hey, hey, is it okay if I say something?”
“What is it?”
“I understand that the world is in a very bad state, but if that’s the case, why don’t you ask your master to solve this matter? I mean, she’s the one who created the world fusion and the whole system, right? Then can’t she do something about it?”
“Ah, that certainly makes sense…”
Rikka-chan’s words make sense.
In a sense, she is the main cause of everything, so she should be able to manage this situation.
From Rebel’s words, it seems that the current situation is not what her master wanted.
“What do you think, Miss Rebel?”
“……”
Rebel did not answer.
But after a moment of silence.
“…… It is impossible.”
“What?”
“Master is already dead……. She sacrificed her life and body to create the system. That’s why she’s not here anymore.”
“What……?”
We were stunned by her words.
The person who created the system is no longer alive?
“……They say it took a lot of energy to merge the two worlds. Master took care of that energy all by herself. She not only possessed a brilliant mind, but she was also an extraordinary sorceress.”
“Sorceress……?”
“Oh, in this world, it’s easier to say skill holder… I guess.”
“Skills are magic?”
“It’s just a different name, but the essence is the same.”
She looked up at the ceiling and sighed.
“The only mistake the master made was to make the system available to others. Originally, it was a solution to fix any bugs that might have occurred after she was gone, but now it’s being used in a way that she would have absolutely been against.”
Her eyes were filled with deep disappointment.
Perhaps the person her master entrusted the system to was an old friend of hers as well.
She trusted him, and he betrayed her. There is no way she would be able to forgive something like this.
“Hey….. what the hell is going to happen to us now?”
“If everything goes as planned, Chaos Frontier will eventually enter Phase Two.”
“Phase Two…..?”
“Yes – the merging of the two worlds is divided into phases in order to maintain a balance between the worlds. It’s divided into three stages in total. This is the first stage, the “cleanup” stage conducted by monsters. After that, there will be a full-scale fusion between the two worlds, a “continental fusion”.
And when that is over, it will be the final stage for us otherworlders — the “immigration”.”
“So you’re saying that the otherworlders will migrate to this side of the world?”
“If this happens, you will have no future.
At best, you’ll be slaves. At worst, they’ll kill you all.”
“Slaves….”
“Kill everyone…..”
The conference room erupted once again at those disturbing words.
“……Are otherworlders really that strong? Aren’t they humans like us?
“Yes, we are. Even if you have acquired some skills and evolved your race, you are still not as strong as the inhabitants of our world. The people of our world have been doing this for decades, for centuries. With each generation, we have grown stronger.”
Rebel refuted my words with a somber expression.
“We are far superior to you in terms of skill, monster knowledge, and strength. Well, now that I look at it, you…. the shy girl sitting next to you, the blonde girl with the nice style over there, and also the ones in the shadows and the ones hiding… you guys will be able to hold your ground against us.
But it’s impossible for just a few of you to take on thousands of skilled people, right?”
It’s impossible.
In the face of the overwhelming power of numbers, individual power is meaningless.
Is it the same in every world?
“And since the system has rewritten the laws of the world, the power of civilization that you have built will no longer be able to function without the use of skills. Do you have any idea what that means?”
I had a hunch that I knew what Rebel was talking about.
Ichinose’s gun sitting next to me, my battering ram, and the electricity from the safe zone.
Neither of our weapons could be used by normal civilians, and for some reason, electricity, gas, radio waves, and wireless can only be used if you’re in a ‘safe zone’.
This is probably the result of the rewriting of the laws of the world she mentioned.
The same goes for the weapons carried by the Self-Defense Force.
Even the guns and knives that they originally had were not powerful enough unless they were used along with their professions and skills. This is also the reason why the Self-Defense Force members, who fought the High-Orcs in the past, had different equipment.
If you don’t have skills, you can’t fight properly or live properly.
That is the world we live in now.
“Th, then can’t we at least talk about it first? Isn’t this too one-sided?”
It was Nishino who spoke up.
A few of us nodded in agreement with his words.
“…… well, that’s true. I’m sure there are some of us otherworlders who would like to join forces with you and live in harmony.”
“Then–“
“But that’s only a small percentage of the population. At the very least, the leaders of the world who decided on this operation see you as nothing more than a disturbing primitive. Can we talk? Yes, I’m sure we can. We’ll overrun you, enslave you, and then you’ll be able to build a stable foundation for your lives in your new land, and then you’ll be civilized, and then you’ll be mentally relaxed, and then you’ll be willing to listen to us and give us a hand. That is when you can talk.”
Rebel described the future that was waiting for us.
It was a future that was too cruel for us.
“I don’t know the history of this world, but you must have experienced war, right? Then you know what I’m talking about. Talking is an option that is only possible when you beat the other side, make them feel pain, and make them realize that it is dangerous to fight each other. You have to make them think ‘ah, it is too dangerous to fight them so let us talk it out and negotiate.’ And right now, you don’t have the power to do that.”
“That’s…”
No, that’s not even the future.
It’s just ‘despair’ that spreads there.
It’s too big, too overwhelming, and it’s about to swallow us up.
“If…”
But there’s no way I can accept that.
I stood up and glared at Rebel.
“Then what do you want me to do? I…. we risked our lives to fight, to survive, not to end up like that!
“That’s right! That’s right!”
“Can you accept that if you were in our place?!”
“You’ve got to be kidding me, otherworlder!”
“This is our world! And we will not let you take advantage of us!”
“That’s right! That’s right!”
As if in sync with my voice, everyone stood up.
Everyone must have felt the same way.
And then…
“Quiet down!!”
The Mayor’s voice resonated throughout the room.
The room was completely silent.
Mayor Uesugi looked around at everyone.
“Don’t do this. We’re still talking.”
“Tha, that is the case but, Mayor…”
“Shut up.”
“……”
It was a tremendous show of force.
Mayor Uesugi is probably the one who feels more indignation compared to anyone else in this group.
He is the mayor of the city and is in the position of a leader, so his feelings must be stronger than others.
In fact, his fists were clenched tightly and were trembling.
Everyone knew that, which is why they couldn’t say anything else.
“I understand what everyone is going through right now. Even I am seething with rage. But we have not talked about the most important thing.”
“The most important thing……?”
Then, Mayor looked at Rebel.
” Rebel, the reason you’re here.”
“……”
“All you have told us so far is just a confirmation of the current situation. I’m sure you didn’t come all the way here just to tell us that. Based on what you have said so far, let me ask you this. What did you come here for?”
That’s right. I hadn’t heard the crucial part of her story yet.
I also stared at her.
Then, Rebel suddenly smiled at us.
“Yes, that’s right. I didn’t come here to bring despair to you. I came here to fulfill my master’s wish. I came here to fulfill her last dream, and the future that you are fighting for.”
Rebel stood up and walked slowly, before stopping in front of me.
“There is a way. A way to avoid the worst possible future for you.”
“……!”
“But I can’t do it alone. I need your help.”
She paused for a moment before continuing,
“If you have the will to resist, if you want to change the future with me, take my hand. You are not cavemen, slaves, or resources. You are human beings just like us, and if you have pride in that–”
I grabbed her hand and interrupted her words,
“–It’s natural. We can’t just give up.”
“….Thank you. And you have my respect. I’m truly proud to have met you.”
Before I knew it, it was already twelve o’clock in the afternoon.
The discussion seems like it is going to take a long time, so we decided to take a lunch break at this point.
However, I had no appetite at all.
The mayor, Fujita and the others headed for the cafeteria, but Ichinose and I decided to stay here and have a light lunch.
We took out some bread, cookies and drinks from the item box.
(Ah~, the sweetness of jam buns is soaking my brain…..)
Sometimes I have a craving for sweet bread.
Milk goes well with it, doesn’t it?
Ichinose, who is sitting next to me, is munching on a croquette bun.
She ate about half of it and took a breath, then said,
“It is an outrageous story, isn’t it?”
“It is……”
“While listening to that person, what did you think of it, Kudou?”
“…… At any rate, I don’t think she’s lying.”
Woof!
Momo nodded as she ate her dog food.
Rebel is not here now.
She seemed like she wanted to talk to Sora, and now she is talking to her in a corner of the square outside.
This scene can be seen from this conference room.
At first, there was an opposition that she should be detained, but the mayor’s words put an end to that.
The mayor said that we should treat her as an equal guest. Rebel was willing to go along with it.
“He also entrusted us with her weapon.”
I raised the staff in my hand.
It was a sincere gesture on her part to entrust me with the weapon she was carrying.
Perhaps she thinks it’s okay to hand over the ownership itself to me, and she can store it in the item box.
The item box was labeled “Sage’s Staff”.
I used my “right to ask questions” to check it out, and found that it is an incredible weapon.
It has a lot of great features, such as the ability to ‘increase the power of your skills’, the ability to ‘reduce your MP consumption to a minimum’, the ability to add ‘status-enhancing buffs at all times’, ‘reflection’, ‘automatic HP recovery’, ‘automatic MP recovery’, etc.
[T/N: This shit OP af wut]
It’s performance was incomparable to my battering ram or Ichinose’s gun.
“It’s a cheat weapon, a cheat weapon. It’s one of those weapons that performs really well, but somehow has a sale price of 1 gold or something.”
“I don’t know if that’s the right description, but I understand what you’re saying.”
[T/n: I don’t understand what they are saying.]
Aka couldn’t copy it because the performance was too unbelievable.
“……(furufurufuru)” swoosh–
“Don’t be disappointed, Aka. As expected, it’s impossible.”
“!…… (furufuru)” Sigh–
I’m sure it will be able to copy it someday.
I stowed the staff in the item box again and took a bite of the bread.
Outside the window, I can see Sora slapping her tail on the ground, that’s what she does when she’s in a good mood.
Rebel seems to be having a good conversation with her.
(Then again, it is easy to see through her…….)
“……You can come out now.”
The shadows under my feet spread.
Then President Igarashi appeared.
I had asked her to lurk in my [shadow] throughout the meeting. Of course, I made sure to keep her out of sight.
There were several reasons for this, but the main reason was to [appraise] Rebel’s skills.
If you are in the [shadow], you can easily misidentify the user of the skill as me.
I didn’t trust her at the beginning of the discussions so I naturally had to take a lot of precautions.
Well, it seems like she saw through it easily.
–The ones in the shadows and the ones hiding in the shadows…. they would be able to fight well against the people from my world.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have bothered to say it like that.
…… Maybe, with the way she was acting, she would have told me normally if I asked her.
“Thank you for your hard work …. Did you [appraise] her skills?”
“Yes, I did. It seems like she didn’t intend to hide it.”
I guess that’s her way of being sincere.
Perhaps she had already taken into consideration the fact that we still didn’t fully trust her.
“There’s that, but it also seemed to me that it probably didn’t matter to her even if she showed it to us.”
She then handed me a piece of paper with a note on it.
I was surprised when I saw her stats written on the paper.
(This is outrageous…….)
Sora was by far the strongest person I’ve ever met, but her strength status was even higher than that.
She has three unique skills, and she even has some skills that I don’t understand.
If we fought properly, she alone would be enough to annihilate us all.
Ichinose next to me said, “This is a cheat. Definitely a cheat.”
……you are surprisingly relaxed, aren’t you?
“Thank you very much.”
“You really do have a way with people, don’t you, ……?
“I trust you.”
“Honestly, what can I even say?”
With a sigh, President Igarashi sank back into the shadows once again.
……I took out another loaf of bread and a carton of milk. Maybe I should have eaten with them anyway.
Nishino was looking at me with a rather serious expression.
“I wonder what will happen to …… us from now on.”
Rikka-chan muttered to herself.
My hands paused as I ate, and the air felt heavy.
After some time, it was Nishino who answered.
“….We’ll have no choice but to fight.”
“But they’re not monsters.”
“They’re trying to kill us.”
“That’s right……”
“Like I said, if we can talk it out, it would be great. But if there is no other way, you can’t just let yourself be defeated without a fight by someone who is trying to kill you. You understand that, right?”
“………..Yes.”
Rikka-chan nodded firmly.
I drank the coffee that Nishino had made for me and took a break.
“Would you like another cup?”
“Oh, I’ll take it.”
Oh, man, this is really a crazy situation.
(……come to think of it)
I suddenly thought of that intelligent zombie.
“–You took down Peony …… and that divine tree. They must have noticed you…… Be careful.”
As he was leaving, he said that to me.
I wondered if he was aware of this.
But if so, how did he know about it?
Well, let’s leave it at that for now.
Lunch was over, and the discussion resumed.
Rebel began to tell us about how we could survive.
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