Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou - Chapter 537

Chapter 537

Abyss Lord’s Summer Vacation Arc It was the Atmosphere of a Certain Bio Village

Author’s Note: I’m sorry for the long wait! My health deteriorated but, somehow I had recovered to a degree where I could write so I resumed writing. This chapter is a bit short but, please enjoy!

「……What in the world」

It was a living room that was quite spacious but, it was dimly lit and dusty. Such astonished voice faintly resounded inside there.

The speaker was a tall black male who was attired in a set of black suit of good quality. His age seemed to be in the first half of his thirty.

He had been leaning on the window frame until not long ago but, right now he was unconsciously leaning forward with his long slitted intellectual eyes greatly widening. His gaze was directed toward the light on top of the large sofa that was also very dusty taking spot at the middle of the living room.

「Fuh, you see. This is the miracle of our country’s prided demon god.」

The one who muttered back those words was the Japanese male in the prime of his life lying down on the sofa.

He was the current head of Tsuchimikado family, Tsuchimikado Takehiko who had just achieved the uncommon experience of losing one of his arms for the fourth time in his life and almost became completely accustomed with the alias of “The Onmyouji Who Tended to Get His Arm Taken Away”.

He was wearing a grey suit but, the top had become like a worn-out rag that was currently hanging on the sofa’s back. His white shirt lacked its left sleeve while there were also horrible tears and stains of fresh blood here and there. The amount of hemorrhaged blood gruesomely told the tale of just how serious his wound was.

He must be still feeling intense pain. He was drenched in staggering amount of cold sweat. But, his face was looking staggeringly smug.

「Just one or two arms aren’t much. After all that person’s divine protection is with us. Fufufu-」

Takehiko thoughtlessly waved around his shining arm that was currently still growing even now. He was making a tough guy appeal that something like this wasn’t a big deal.

Kousuke was sitting on a chair beside the sofa while growing back Takehiko’s arm. He protested 「Ah, hey! Please don’t move!」――right after that.

「Oji-sama(Uncle)?」

A very young voice spoke with a penetratingly cold tone.

Takehiko-ojisan jerked. He looked like a kid getting scolded by his mother. His eyes fearfully turned toward his feet.

「Ohii-sama(Princess)……」

His eyes met the young lady of the main house who was currently giving him a very nice smile.

「I do not want to make any accusation but, you were letting your guard down from the beginning counting on the fact we have the power of regeneration……is not the case here correct?」

「T-that’s preposterous!」

「You were injured with a serious wound that threatened your life! And yet you are laughing flippantly! What cause is there to justify you looking smug like that!」

「N-no, you see this is……」

She must be truly worried. And yet the actual person in question was strangely acting like a tough guy right from the start when they came running here. In fact, he said

「Fuh. That foolish son of mine. Even though a wound at this level is nothing serious at all. And yet he contacted Ohii-sama just because of this……」

Or,

「My deepest apologies. Even though princes have finally gone to the long awaited trip, we made you come for a trifle like this instead. This, losing just a single arm is no different than a scratch. Fufu」

Something like that. While sweating rivers obviously looking like he was acting tough. He was making frivolous talk with a pale dace of someone who could drop dead anytime.

Even though he didn’t look fine at all no matter how they looked at him. Actually the loss of one arm was far from being his only wounds. He also got countless deep wounds. The phrase of being wounded all over perfectly described him. Just the amount of blood loss was plainly at the level of being a step away from death’s door.

Of course the princess would puff out her cheeks seeing that.

「Besides! Recently Oji-sama is putting on airs too much!」

「P-putting on airs? No, that’s, I just……」

「I do not mean that as putting on a bold front you know? I mean that Oji-sama is straining yourself too hard! You are forcing yourself to deal with things that are clearly beyond your limit! You have too much spirit of self-sacrifice!」

「S-something like that isn’t……」

「It is true! Do you think that I do not even know how you have not taken a vacation even once since the Bureau of Onmyou was established? Even though I have kept telling you to take a break! Sure enough, recently the occasion where you got injured during mission has increased!」

「T-that’s, it’s……」

「Having a strong sense of responsibility if Oji-sama’s virtue. I even wish that Otou-sama who often likes to slip out from work to go to horse racing can learn from you. However, there is a limit even to that! Furthermore, the nature of the case this time seems to be slightly different isn’t it?」

「Eh?」

「You are speaking and behaving in a way that does not suit you. It must be because you do not wish for people of other country to look down on us correct? In fact, you are still doing it even now!」

「……D-doesn’t suit me……」

Oh? Oji-sama looked completely dejected. Hinata’s hypothesis must be right on the money, but unexpectedly it seemed that the person himself thought that his behavior and speech were cool.

After the two sides met and divulged their respective affiliation, the black male immediately introduced himself as a agent of USA.

Takehiko was somewhat conscious of him. Because of that too, perhaps it made him wanted to act a bit like Hollywood actor while interacting with the agent while visiting this country.

And so, it made it unbearable for him to keep staying inside the room after getting a straight punch from his ten year old niece’s words.

「I am happy with your consideration for me but, you are straining yourself too much! Please treasure yourself a little bit more. If by some chance something happen to Oji-sama too, do you know how much that will hurt Kiyotake-niisama. Even I too……really you are just-. Do you know how worried I――」

Nag nag, nag nag. The figure of an uncle getting heavily lectured by a ten year old girl could be seen there.

Before he knew it, he was sitting formally on kneeled posture (seiza) on the sofa. 「Yes……yes……」 His nodding and shoulders slumped figure showed zero tough guy atmosphere he was acting in just before this.

The agent was dumbfounded in a different sense from before. Judging from his reaction, perhaps Takehiko-ojisan’s tough guy appeal actually worked successfully on him.

「W-well now, Hinata-chan. Let’s keep it at that, okay? I’ve also just finished the healing, and Hidzuki and others have also returned.」

Kousuke took off his black glove that was filled with regeneration magic and calmed down Hinata while looking like he couldn’t bear to keep staying inside the room as though it was he himself who got scolded.

「Besides, we should introduce ourselves and find out the situation properly soon.」

「Ah, that is true. My deepest apologies, I got carried away.」

Hinata realized that she was getting too emotional and withdrew while blushing slightly. She also casted down her eyes and said 「Forgive me, Oji-sama」 to Takehiko with an embarrassed look.

Takehiko understood that she acted like that just now only because she was genuinely worried for him. It was only at this time that rather than acting like the head of branch house toward the prince of the main house, he acted more like an uncle toward his niece and patted Hinata’s head with the hand he regained.

Right after that, just as Kousuke said, *gii-* the sound of foot stepping firmly on the wooden terrace in front of the entrance reached their ears. The people who went outside because of some reason seemed to have returned.

「Mine beloved. We art back.」

*Snap-* The doorknob was carelessly pulverized while the entrance’s door was opened (?). Then Hidzuki whose height was adjusted to be around 170 cm entered.

Behind her was Vanessa, Zhu, Claudia, and then Kiyotake and an unknown young Caucasian youth following her inside.

The young blond haired Caucasian was wearing a black suit that matched the agent. He showed no attention to his messy attire, or rather he didn’t even have the leeway to care about that as could be seen from his pale face.

Terror, confusion, bewilderment……various emotions blended into an atmosphere of someone who looked like he couldn’t think of anything anymore.

「Dad! Are you alright!?」

Kiyotake jogged toward the sofa. Then his expression immediately softened in relieve seeing that the wounds on his body had vanished and his arm had also returned.

「Yeah, I’ve made you worried, Kiyotake. ……Endou-kun, once again my thanks for coming as reinforcement. I narrowly escaped death.」

Apparently he had stopped with his tough guy act. Takehiko bowed his head with the overly serious atmosphere Kousuke and others were familiar with. Ohii-sama too smiled broadly seeing that.

The male agent was fussing on the blonde youth who approached with somewhat unsteady steps. Kiyotake sent a concerned glance toward them before bowing his head too toward Kousuke.

「Let me express my thanks too. Thank you for saving my father. Thinking back now, there would be no danger to his life if we used the provided recovery medicine to us, and even without that we could also just contact a clone of yours but……haa, I’m ashamed of my own immaturity.」

「No no, if you did that then the arm loss wouldn’t get fixed. It’s good that you called for me without reservation, seriously. After all it looks like the situation is also not usual.」

Kiyotake was having an introspection, but Kousuke smiled wryly and shook his head.

At the same time he also looked around once more.

It was an old house. There wasn’t really any electronic appliance, and even the furniture seemed to be very old. It seemed that at least there was electricity running but, there were candles and candlesticks that looked like they had been used often. It gave a glimpse of how the lifestyle of this house’s resident was far away from being modern.

It felt a bit like timeslip experience standing inside this old house. There wasn’t any sign of anyone living in. From the dust’s thickness it seemed that the resident had been away for several months or perhaps even several years from home.

Inside such time-worn house, there was something that stood out all the more.

It was an altar……maybe. Near the wall where usually a TV would be placed if it was in a modern house, there was a wooden shelf with very elaborate design. A strange statue surrounded by candles was placed there.

It was something that vaguely looked humanoid from countless bubbling spores……that was the only way to described the wooden sculpture.

The displeasing sculpture greatly stirred up uneasiness just from looking at it. Kousuke took off his gaze from it and looked outside.

It was afternoon but the outside looked gloomy because of cloudy sky. Even the visible scenery was only dotted with withered trees, desolate stone walls, and weathered houses that looked as old as this house.

He could see a thick forest at far away but, that was exactly why it was really eerie how not a single greenery couldn’t be seen only inside this village.

A dismal and desolate village deep inside a forest that looked like it might come out from an old horror movie……

That was the place that Kousuke and co rushed to.

「Sorry, can I call you Mister Endou? How’s it going with the situation outside……with them?」

The male agent asked while glancing at the blond haired youth who was still trembling and sitting down on a chair near the wall while holding his head.

It seemed the young man was in a mental state where he couldn’t even give a proper report.

「The majority has been pretty much neutralized. And we’ve roughly checked the whole village but it seems there isn’t anymore of them. So I believe our safety is secured for the time being.」

「Neutralized……? You mean you didn’t kill them?」

「Yes, we don’t know what they actually are so……just in case.」

「I see……you even have the leeway for that……」

「We rendered them unconscious, opened a big hole in the middle of the square and locked them there. Even now my clones are watching over them so it’s fine.」

「C-clones……so ninja actually exist……I didn’t hallucinate when you came to save us huh.」

He was an agent of USA’s anti-supernatural phenomenon department but, he mustn’t be that knowledgeable about supernatural phenomenon. In the first place, that was exactly why they wished for technological cooperation with Japan.

It seemed that events that were just too far outside the norm, like something out of world of fiction were happening right before their eyes one after another that their understanding couldn’t keep up. He took a deep breath trying to digest the situation desperately.

Kousuke walked toward the window and turned his gaze outside, partly to give the agent time to calm down too. And then, his face grimaced.

Reflected in Kousuke’s sight was a ghastly and uncanny sight that made bitter feeling rose up inside him.

There were corpses in front of the entrance of the house they were in right now. Many corpses scattered sporadically.

However, they were unusual corpses that left ground for argument whether they ought to be called “human” or not.

「I wonder just what in the world are they. I couldn’t feel any intelligence from them. Perhaps it was only instinct that moved them? They also couldn’t have conversation, and even when their fellows died, not only they paid no attention to that, they also showed no sign of fear……in addition they even ate human……they are truly monster.」

Claudia similarly grimaced like Kousuke while asking her question.

「In all ages and countries, you can find story of human eating monster as many as you want. Based from their appearance……the closest impression I got is that they are ghoul from the western folklore……」

Zhu fell into thought while muttering. Just as she said, What attacked Takehiko and others were human eating monsters.

Sharp pointy claws covered by something like scales. Hoof shaped feet. Abnormally developed jaw and teeth. Distorted caved in face……

Their skin had texture like rubber with coloring like there was mold growing over it.

And the most monstrous quality of them, were how there were multiple individuals of them devouring human parts that had clearly gone rotten like they were portable food.

Most likely, there were already people who became their victim.

「Considering how we couldn’t find any survivor in this village, those bodies……fuu. We’re correct to leave behind Manami-san and others behind.」

Vanessa shook her head with a rare melancholic expression.

Yes, Manami wasn’t here. Amily, Aziz, and Rana too.

This place was a battlefield where they didn’t know the situation. Just because Kousuke and others were also here, bringing non-combatant to such place wasn’t something that ought to be done so they were asked to stay behind. The fairy world where the strongest protector, the manly goddess was with them would be safer.

Also, the destination of the interstellar train they were in was the territory, or rather the planet of Japan’s gods (the divinity born from the idea of them).

As expected it would be distasteful to cancel at the last minute, so Rana also voluntarily stayed behind. As the first wife she would give them greeting and also explanation about the circumstance.

That consideration and decision must be correct result-wise.

Putting aside Emily, Manami would surely need several doses of “Soul Repose” if she came to a place overflowing with monsters that ate rotten meat. And even if it didn’t get that bad she would definitely still get trauma.

Getting back on topic.

「So, errr……you are, Jay-san, was it?」

「Y-yeah. Sorry, I lost my cool there. Let me introduce myself one more time. I’m agent J from MCB. That one is my buddy, Agent K. My thanks for the reinforcement.」

「Nnn. As expected there are too many curious words there-」

Even while shaking his hand back, Kousuke was itching to make tsukkomi toward the black man who introduced himself as Agent J.

Apparently everyone other than Hidzuki and Hinata-chan who never watched a certain movie of black-suited agents belonging to an organization fighting against aliens also felt the same. No, Takehiko and Kiyotake were folding their arms while nodding 「I get it-. It makes you want to retort isn’t it! I get itt!」 at the back.

「U-umm, is that your actual name……」

「Of course not.」

「Right of course!」

Agent J-san averted his eyes a bit shyly. Apparently he knew what Kousuke and others wanted to say. It looked like he had also watched the movie.

「Fuh, it looks like even the US has someone with quite the humor. To make the agents of a newly established department introduce themselves like that……」

「Fufu, indeed. In a broad sense incident caused by aliens and incident related to supernatural phenomenon are something similar after all.」

「However, J huh……fuh, to think you have the same code name with the main character. Are you perhaps a police officer at New York too before this?」

Vanessa, Claudia, and unexpectedly even Zhu were grinning teasingly toward the awkward looking Agent J.

Agent J instantly looked displeased and argued back.

「I’m working in government you know? Who the hell is going to introduce themselves with this kind of joke」

No, but you’re actually doing it……the gazes of Kousuke and co said. To that Agent J said while his stare became reproachful.

「This is one of the requirement for the technology supply. ……From the mister demon god at your place」

「Nagumoo-」

Kousuke covered his face with his hands. Clauda and Zhu averted their gazes. Vanessa yelled 「As expected from that great personage! That’s electrifying, aspiringgg-」 with energetic clapping.

Apparently it was their boss who demanded such humorful naming from USA’s supernatural phenomenon countermeasure department.

By the way, MCB was apparently the abbreviation of “Magical Phenomenon Countermeasure Bureau”. Such naming that sounded quite forced was of course, because that person actually wanted to use MIB as the name. However, as expected making the name exactly the same would cause copyright problem so this was the end result of such consideration.

Where is the actual consideration……Kousuke and others couldn’t help from reflexively thinking that.

「Well, thanks to that obsession with screwing around, we got supplied with special gun that can blast away only the special energy like the so called willpower or magic power and neutralize the awakened and the like, and also tool that can mess around with memory, so we really can’t say anything about it.」

While saying that, Agent J took out a familiar silver gun that looked sci-fi and a cylinder shaped tool that looked like a test tube from his pocket.

He went that far……no, they’re actually the minimum required tool for the agents who don’t have any special power if they want to deal with supernatural related things though……Kousuke and others thought with slightly convulsing faces.

Also, the provided Neura*yzer was called Neur*lyzer Limited. It was installed with various safety procedure and sensor so it couldn’t be misused, so it couldn’t be called the same like what Hajime had.

「I don’t know what to say……sorry about my boss.」

Kousuke reflexively apologized. However, Agent J lightly shook his head.

「No, the naming is a cheap price if it’s allowed us to deal with the supernatural incidents. Not to mention, apparently he has no time for now but, it seems that he’s also going to sell special cars to us next year or the year after that. What’s more, it’ll be the version from the second or third movie. ……Fufu, I haven’t played any game for years but, I got to start training with joystick while I still can right now.」

Somehow he looked really excited while muttering such thing. Certainly the car in that certain movie could do things like transforming or flying, and the control was done using game controller but……

Unexpectedly, it seemed he didn’t feel offended about it. Or rather, he seemed to be fairly pleased instead.

「Could it be, J-san……you liked that movie or something?」

Agent J averted his gaze again. Apparently he liked it.

The gazes of Kousuke and co became extremely warm.

Agent J coughed to cover it up.

「Cough. More importantly, I’ll explain the situation. Though, we too also don’t know anything about what’s going on……」

「That’s understandable……」

Kousuke recalled. About the time when they rushed here.

He didn’t have something convenient like Hajime’s Crystal Key, so they teleported from the fairy world to Endou family home that had the Fairy Gate. After that they teleported using normal “Gate Key” using the “Gate Hole” that Takehiko and others were allowed to carry in case for emergency as mark. Right after that.

What Kousuke and others first saw was most likely the center of the village. It was an open spot a slight distance away from the houses. There Takehiko was desperately trying to stop his bleeding.

Near him was Kiyotake controlling a “tiger shaped shiki” to protect Takehiko, and Agent J and K standing back to back while firing their handgun nonstop with desperation in their faces. And then, there were the countless “human lookalike”――temporary name “Ghoul” attacking them.

The group was surprised but, first the focused on the danger Takehiko was in.

Taking advantage of the bewilderment Agent J and K were in, Kousuke healed Takehiko until his life was at least out of danger, then he left behind a clone to deal with the ghouls together with Hidzuki and others.

At that time, Kiyotake who came to this deserted village for investigation before they got attacked by the ghouls decided to stay behind. Agent K also decided to stay behind because he felt that there was no way he could just leave everything to the foreigners to deal with the situation.

That was because Agent J was also terribly injured, although not to the same degree of Takehiko.

After that, the real Kousuke and Hinata protected Takehiko and J from the few ghouls chasing after them from the square and some ghouls at the outskirts of the village while moving to a place where they could give healing with no hurry.

Hinata came with them to protect the group along with the house using barrier so there would be no obstruction to Kousuke during the healing. Also because they decided that Hinata’s excellent instinct toward danger would be useful due to a reason.

They didn’t use gate to teleport to other place was also because of that certain reason.

「First, can you begin explaining from where is this place, and why did you all come here? This place is very far away from the city right? The official cooperation should start after we come here. Takehiko-san and Kiyotake-san came here in the end should only be for advance preparations after all……」

「Yeah, it’s just as you say. Understood. I’ll explain from the beginning.」

Kousuke urged him to sit on the sofa with his gaze. At the same time he took out plastic bottle and food from his “Treasure Warehouse”.

That action seemed to remind them of their dry throat. Not only Agent J and K, even Takehiko and Kiyotake’s gazes were drawn toward them.

Agent J and others said thanks before gulping down half of the water bottle in one go.

Apparently the removal of their thirst allowed them to regain their composure. Agent J exhaled *fuuh* with a slightly relaxed expression. And then,

「To explain the situation, first I should explain from the internal situation of MCB. It will sound like I’m exposing our internal shame but……」

Agent J actually looked down in shame and started talking about the situation that led them to this――

Right before he started.

「Oh? Someone’s coming?」

「What?」

Kousuke suddenly reacted. He looked back over his shoulder toward outside the window. Direction-wise it seemed someone was approaching from the opposite direction of the village square.

「Fumu. There art someone entering the village in car?」

「Are they a villager?」

Hidzuki who also sensed the approach walked toward the window. Hinata spoke with a voice filled with hope.

「Are they possibly reinforcement from MCB?」

「No, that’s out of the question.」

Vanessa spoke of another possibility, but Agent J denied it.

Then, are they a villager here as expected……? It’s hard to imagine that the monster’s comrade is driving car here after all……everyone pondered while looking at each other. Meanwhile the engine sound of the car came into hearing.

「It’s a foreigner man. Only one person.」

Hidzuki commented. They could hear the car came to a stop a slight distance away. Then the car’s door opened, followed by the sound of the door slamming close.

「That person seems to be surprised when he sees the corpses. Oh, his eyes met mine eyes just now.」

Hidzuki grinned widely and waved her hand.

「? Oh, why didst he made such a grave expression even though this me was smiling at him? Hmmmmm? He’s coming this way. Mine beloved, the man art carrying a gun.」

「Gun? No, it’s not that strange in this country I guess.」

「This isn’t the time to speak easygoingly like that!」

Agent J drew out a normal automatic pistol and took cover behind the sofa. K also pressed himself on the wall with a similar nervous look and pulled out his gun.

Vanessa and others also put their guard up. Even Hidzuki casually took position in front of Hinata.

Kousuke stood up and walked toward the entrance……

Right after that, the armed unknown visitor yelled angrily from the other side of the door with loud stinging voice that came from deep inside his belly.

「Open up!! Detroit police!」

「Nnn, that’s another word that strike a chord in the heart-!!」

Kousuke trembled from hearing a famous line from a certain super masterpiece game that could branch to countless ending based on the player’s choices. He wanted to hear that line at least once in real life.

In any case.

「Umm, it’s not locked……」

The door was closed, but it wasn’t like it was locked. And so he tried telling the cop that.

「There’s no door knob-」

So that was why. The cop wouldn’t be able to enter unless he kicked the door open.

Kousuke and co all looked toward a single person. At the careless fellow who destroyed the door knob.

「……It maketh me feels shy to be stared so intently like that♪」

AN: Thank you very much for reading this every time.

Thank you very much too for the thoughts, opinions, and reports about misspelling and omitted words.

Similar like sore muscles, it feels like my recovery from cold is getting slower from year to year. I’m already old huh…

※Material introduction

– Ghoul

Modeled after ghoul from [Cthulhu Mythology]. It’s only model and not exactly the same.

– A certain bio village

I imagined the village in this chapter like the village that became the sage for the game [Bio Hazard – Village]. Though this one is a little bit less showy.

– MIB

From the movie [Man in Black]. Driving a flying car using Playstation controller drove my tension to max. I love the space pug Frank the most.

– Open up!! Detroit police!

From the game [Detroit: Become Human]. A masterpiece that made me wanted to erase my memory to keep playing the game over and over. It’s also entertaining watching the stream of various streamers.

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