Chick 248
by Cristae248
Joorim closed the message window and, frowning, stared straight ahead.
Seizing the opportunity, Jeon Byeongho spoke up.
“…Then if we go back to the beginning… are you saying the Inoue Series is a derivative of the Amakusa Series because there was a problem with the contract between Japan and Amakusa Kazuki?”
When Kazuki signed the contract assigning the Amakusa Series to Japan, he had set a few conditions.
One of those conditions was a restriction on imitations.
He was wary that the Japanese government might steal his technology and use it where he did not wish.
“Yes. All of the Inoue Series in the special match were items made when the contract with Amakusa was still in effect.”
“What?! No, that can’t be. The Inoue Series were made within three months, guaranteed by the Japanese government…”
“Well, that’s just what our appraisers say.”
Kazuki grinned, sticking out his tongue, revealing a tattoo.
“You can’t just take one side’s word for it…”
“You’re welcome to bring your own appraisers. I doubt the results will differ. Had Chairman Nam been involved, none of us would be tangled up in this mess. It’s unfortunate.”
Joorim replied languidly, then calmly picked up his phone.
“Sorry, excuse me for a moment.”
Jeon Byeongho gaped at him in disbelief.
Joorim paid it no mind and was already placing a call to somewhere.
“Yeah, it’s Dad. What did you mean in your message? Hentai?”
Kazuki and Jeon Byeongho both fixed their eyes on Joorim.
What was this about hentai all of a sudden?
“Yeah. Ah, Bayi got kidnapped by a hentai?”
It was the word “kidnapped” that shocked the two not on the phone.
The person actually on the call, meanwhile, asked calmly,
“Then Groo’s okay, right?”
A child’s voice clearly sounded from the phone.
— Yeah, Groo is with the older brothers.
“Alright. Stay by them. If anything happens, get in touch.”
It seemed something had happened to prompt the call, but there was no trace of alarm in his demeanor.
— What about Bayi?
“He’ll be fine. Daddy’s working right now, so I’m hanging up.”
Joorim turned back to Jeon Byeongho.
Groo, having ended the call, pouted grumpily, puffing out his cheeks.
Haruna stroked Groo’s head with a troubled expression.
[“Sweetie, don’t worry. Once this fog is dealt with, the Orchestra hunters will find your friend.”]
Soothed by Haruna’s gentle words, Groo nodded, hugging the baby rabbit tightly to his chest.
Though Fakeclaw had vanished and Groo had appeared, Haruna didn’t suspect a thing; she simply accepted Gidan and Sergey’s story that Groo was their younger sibling.
So they followed into the warehouse.
Inside, Gidan and Sergey had overpowered and tied up the men wearing gas masks.
Sergey removed a mask from one and asked Haruna in Japanese,
[“Inoue, which one of these is Yamaoka Shun?”]
“You speak Japanese too?”
“I learned a bit from Kazuki.”
Sergey replied offhandedly to Gidan’s surprise and then turned to Haruna.
Haruna replied in a hurry.
[“I-it’s not any of these people.”]
“She says Yamaoka Shun isn’t here?”
“He’s not?”
Gidan stroked his chin.
If the fog was meant to obscure things, then there was something that needed doing away from the public eye.
Right now, targeting Fakeclaw, an important figure likely to be at the pop-up store, would be a reasonable guess.
But knowing Fakeclaw’s true identity would be difficult.
In that case… perhaps they’d set up some kind of weapon of mass destruction to capture Fakeclaw.
“A bomb or something, maybe?”
“Should we try torture?”
Sergey and Gidan glanced simultaneously at Groo.
“Maybe leave that for 19-plus audiences.”
“Right.”
“So, what now…”
What now…
Bailach met Yamaoka Shun’s gaze steadily, the man’s grip tight on his shoulder.
Though he didn’t fully understand the man’s language, such things were of no consequence to Bailach.
After all, there are no beasts that listen to their prey’s words.
Yamaoka Shun’s shoulder jerked as he caught a glint in the child’s star-shaped pupils.
“You don’t look very tasty, but—”
The child smiled, revealing sharp, shark-like teeth.
“—I can’t let something like you stay by the master’s side.”
Sensing the tension, Yamaoka Shun drew Kagehira.
In truth, everything up to now had been because of this sword.
The Amakusa S+ series was assigned to Japan; that was how he became the sword’s master.
But now that Amakusa Kazuki had changed nationalities, the sword’s ownership would soon be reassigned.
Yamaoka Shun gripped the blade tightly.
“I’ve thought this for some time—this is quite a sword. It’s not a fit for me, though.”
Crack—
Bailach’s right arm turned black, grotesquely transforming into the deformed limb of a monster.
When Mephisto staggered, Bailach pressed down firmly on the baby bird’s body with his other hand.
“Piit!”
“Hold on tight, you little sneak.”
“Pii…”
Mephisto let out a pained whine.
At that moment, Yamaoka Shun made the first move.
The sword flashed free of its sheath, slicing diagonally in front of Bailach.
A blade that could cut through space itself—such was the power of Kagehira.
“But no matter how great your tool—”
Bailach swatted his hand as if shooing a bothersome fly. A violent gust shattered the sword’s flash and slammed toward Yamaoka Shun.
“—the wielder’s the problem.”
Shhhhhk!
[“Guh!”]
Exposed to the blast, Yamaoka Shun jammed his sword into the earth to brace himself, but was driven backward regardless.
Trying to regain his stance, he found the child standing before him.
Star-filled eyes bore into him. A chill ran cold down his spine.
He hastily gathered himself and slashed down, but Bailach’s form dodged deftly and drew close once more.
Bailach’s mouth opened by Yamaoka Shun’s nape.
The edges of the mouth split wide, revealing gleaming, razor-sharp teeth.
Chomp!
Crack.
[“Ah…”]
Yamaoka Shun staggered back, clutching his bleeding neck.
How could anyone be this fast?
Even as an S-Class, with Kagehira’s options providing buffs, Bailach’s speed left him effortlessly outclassed.
Stats unthinkable for someone supposedly in the crafting field.
But the thoughts went no further.
Sluuurp—
The last thing Yamaoka Shun saw was a gigantic maw, black as midnight and bristling with fangs.
Bailach wiped his lips with the back of his hand and landed on the ground.
“Ptuh, ruined my appetite.”
Right then, Mephisto flapped its wings in what seemed like a signal.
“I know. If you’re done watching, you can come out now.”
Mephisto stood threateningly on one stork-like leg, wings spread, as Bailach tilted his head askance.
Then, the man who had been spying on them from a subspace slowly revealed himself.
Even after watching Bailach devour Yamaoka Shun, the man was unperturbed. In fact, he smiled as if he’d painted the scene himself.
Of course—he was no human.
By Earth’s classification, he was an SSS-Class boss monster.
Once, alongside Bailach, he’d belonged to the ranks of the Guardians; a bloodline of Shea.
“Karmirak Nognir.”
At Bailach’s call, Dominic spoke.
“Please call me Dominic, Bailach.”
“Even in a new world, your taste for parading around in the shells of the dead hasn’t changed.”
Karmirak Nognir. Blood of Fog. Fourth-seat Guardian of the Chesed Knight Order, personal guard of Shea.
Dominic bowed.
“You haven’t changed either, Bailach.”
He grabbed Yamaoka Shun’s lower torso, and the remaining corpse crumbled in his hand.
Dominic licked the blood from his fingers and smiled.
Mephisto shuddered at the sight, creasing its brow in disgust.
But Dominic ignored this and grinned at Mephisto.
Sticking out his tongue and smacking his lips, he looked as if he might gulp down Mephisto in a single bite. Wide-eyed, Mephisto burrowed into Bailach’s hair.
Bailach glanced upward at the little demon.
Even if Mephisto had a lord’s title, he had yet to regain his full strength—and Karmirak was SSS-class.
Karmirak might eat Mephisto and snatch away that lordly title for himself.
‘It’s not impossible. He could never resist powerful prey.’
He’d always been that way.
Without betraying a hint of his wariness, Bailach folded his arms and asked nonchalantly,
“Karmirak, Dominic, whatever you call yourself—why’d you follow us?”
As if waiting for that, Dominic flushed and dropped to one knee.
“Bailach!”
“Hm.”
“Don’t you want to return to your original form?”
“Well, of course.”
“I can help you.”
Oh? Bailach raised an eyebrow.
But his expression quickly froze in disbelief.
“And let’s rebuild the Tower together!”
…All of a sudden?