I absentmindedly watched TV in my home’s living room.
This was 3 days after the B-movie-like event that was our school’s dungeon overflow incident. Unsurprisingly, school was canceled since then, and there were currently no plans to reopen it in the foreseeable future.
I was awfully busy during that time too, between answering the police’s inquiries and attending the meetings with my counselor. So much so that things calmed down only yesterday. I was finding myself somewhat getting used to this flow of events after an overflow.
What about the debriefing meeting with the girls? Well, with the inclusion of Yukine and Reinforce, I got beaten from 3 different directions, but what could I do, you know? By the end of it, all I could utter were groans. However, when it was all done, the 3 of them also comforted me with sex, so overall, I felt like a winner.
Also, Layla mentioned then that she would use the Elder Lich Staff we got as an Item Drop to expand our Otherworld and construct a training ground, but for the meantime, that was not much of a concern for me.
Good luck, Future Me!
So, anyway. It would seem like the authorities would overlook the rougher points of the citizens’ arrest we did. While I was obviously relieved to not have any crime on my record, I was still convinced to not do anything of the sort in the future.
That was rather out of character for me anyway. Righteous indignation, or whatever earnestly grieving for the death of others to the point that I would throw away my own life was called, that wasn’t for me. Next time, my first and last action would be reporting to the cops.
As I thought so, in a manner of speaking reminiscent of a gyaru of a bygone era, I leaned back in the sofa.
…naturally, civilians like me weren’t given any followup information. I had no idea what happened to the old man who hid the existence of that Gate. I also didn’t know whether fingerprints or supporting evidence were found. Even Aihara-kun didn’t seem to know that much.
In any case, all students were expected to remain at home. Regardless of that though, my parents strictly told me that I ‘absolutely couldn’t go outside unless absolutely necessary’. They must think that I would be caught up in yet another dungeon overflow the moment I stepped foot outside of the house. They were so adamant about it that it was as if they never wanted me to leave for the rest of my life. My mom was making sure I wanted for nothing at home, even asking from time to time if I needed some more snacks. I mean, I appreciated the concern and all, but it was getting a bit unpleasant.
But, well, it wasn’t like I wanted to go outside either. Like, there was no telling what somebody I met outside would say to my face. I would gladly accept words of thanks for what I did that day, but there was no way those would be the only words people had for me. There were just so many deaths for me to hope otherwise.
The total tally was 104 so far, at least according to what was said on TV yesterday. 91 of those were students; 8 were teachers; and 5 were people in the neighborhood. And those were just the confirmed cases. If the injured were also considered, there would be at least triple the number of people.
As such, some people might think:
“How come the neighbor’s kid managed to come home unharmed, yet my own child didn’t come home at all?”
And the identity of the man such comments should be directed wasn’t yet known to the public. He was under the custody of the police, but for now, he was out of reach of the public. To whom then, would the people direct those feelings toward? The closest person who [could have saved their loved ones].
I had no intention to criticize people who would have that line of thought. I could understand why they would feel like that. But I had no obligation to be on the receiving end of those feelings.
The more someone stood out, the higher the chances of them being the sandbag for when they mishandle things during such tragedies. Sorry to disappoint, but I was no masochist. And I absolutely didn’t want sparks from those flames to stray toward my family.
I also didn’t want to add fuel to the fire. Before long, that old man and the details of his crime would be available on TV and online. The bereaved family and the injured themselves would have a proper target for their grief and anger. Until then, I would rather not do anything imprudent.
<<And now, we would like to hear from Akatsuki-san, dungeon training expert and the founder of The Society of the Sage.>>
While I was looking up at the ceiling and thinking of such things, I heard a certain word that had become familiar to me.
Curious, I turned my gaze back to the screen. And shown sitting there was a bald old man in a black kimono. He might look like a temple monk, but this guy was the head of a new faith.
<<Hello. I’ll get right into it: what are your opinions on the series of dungeon overflows that occurred 3 days ago in 12 junior and senior high schools all over the country?>>
<<Right. The core issue here, I believe, is the use of an improper Awakening training method.>>
Akatsuki, or rather Koyama Kosuke, talked with a meek expression on his face.
<<Awakening training should be conducted in a properly maintained sacred ground, and also with the presence of an Awakened One. Hiding the existence of a Dungeon Gate is inexcusable. I wish people who would resort to such unforgivable acts would seek help from others rather than go at it alone.>>
<<I see. But then, how do you suppose we can prevent such tragedies from happening?>>
<<…unfortunately, I find it hard to imagine that we can totally prevent these things. People are weak to their desires. Worse yet, people have the tendency to think that somehow all would go well for them, despite the numerous failures of others.>>
On the subject of desires, Aihara-kun mentioned that the old janitor apparently had a lot of debt due to gambling. There were also apparently underworld organizations that, after having their members Awakened, would raid hidden dungeons. The Item Drops that the underworld organizations gathered were then sold for ridiculous profits without going through the Dungeon Stores or the Adventurers’ Guild. Sharing in profits of those scale could make people greedy, yeah.
<<Which is why the kind of response that should be done whenever such tragedies occur is so important.>>
<<By response, do you mean to say things like evacuation routes.>>
<<That is important as well, of course, but I believe that it’s even more important…to guarantee the help of certain people who could actually deal with the situation at hand. And by certain people, I naturally refer to the Awakened Ones.>>
<<Care to elaborate?>>
<<Only Awakened Ones could fight and win against monsters. It is therefore paramount that we secure their cooperation in protecting the people. Are you familiar with the circumstances behind the formation of the samurai class?>>
<<Err, was it not to prevent food and military power from being stolen by other territories?>>
<<That’s one of the reasons, yes. But the reason more relevant to our conversation is that the peasant farmers back then needed someone to protect them.>>
Ohh…I get where this is going now…
<<Should we not adopt a similar structure now? Non-Awakened Ones would provide remuneration, and the Awakened Ones shall provide protection in exchange for such remuneration. Moreover, it is difficult for non-Awakened Ones to detect the signs of a dungeon overflow. Given all that, I believe the very act of governing should be performed by Awakened Ones.>>
<<Now, hold on a minute. Aren’t you making quite the leap in logic there?>>
As to be expected, the other commentators began to weigh in.
One commentator in a suit—someone I occasionally saw on TV—continued speaking, with both the look of exasperation and a smile on their face.
<<Look, I’ve been listening for a while now and pretty much all I’m hearing is how you’re making light of our democracy. We are not beasts to follow a system where only the strong are on top, you know.>>
<<It’s not a matter of power. We simply must do what must be done.>>
<<You also talked about remuneration, but aren’t the Awakened Ones already being compensated for their services such as thinning out a dungeon? To give them even more, even the position to rule, why, won’t that just be too greedy of them?>>
<<Do you believe that the Awakened Ones are being sufficiently compensated for risking their lives? Rather than rely and follow the existing systems, we must be flex—>>
<<No, no, no! In the first place, if an Awakened One is strong, then defeating monsters should be nothing more than simple labor to them. And if it’s that easy to them, do they really need more money? I say they’re getting enough as it is. Besides, if they’re doing regular work and simply defeating monsters on the side, shouldn’t that side activity be treated pretty much like a hunting association?>>
<<I strongly disagree. That line of thinking, that one must be protected as a matter of course, is wrong. People should show more respect and appreciation to those that fight—>>
It was at that point that I used the remote to turn the TV off.
It was the same old show. The show would gather a bunch commentators whose opinions were on the extreme ends of stuff, and then have those people argue among themselves. That kind of show wasn’t really my cup of tea, so I didn’t watch them for them long, if at all.
In the now silent room, I decided to take out my phone for no real reason. When I thought to surf the net to kill some time, I unsurprisingly saw that stories about the 12 schools that recently had dungeon overflows were trending.
People, including those from TV, had been calling the incidents from 3 days ago collectively as [the disaster of the 12 labyrinths]. That name seemed to have been adopted online too, if the number of times I had seen it was any indication.
It was reported that the said disaster which involved 12 junior and senior high schools all over the country had claimed over 10,000 lives. If the injured were included, there were over twice that number in casualties.
There had been dungeon overflow disasters of that scale or worse before, but because this one happened mainly in schools, this had garnered more attention, both locally and globally.
Among the headlines I saw, two topics stood out:
<<Mysterious meteor destroys a city! Is there a monster involved!?>>
<<Two brave high school girls fight all by themselves to save their town!>>
What about us? We worked hard too, you know. I mean, I’m not saying reporters should interview us or anything, but I’d like to see some articles like ‘who is that awesomest, coolest, bestest knight?’ or ‘A swordsman unmatched by even a thousand has appeared!’.
Much like everybody else, I did yearn for recognition. I wanted people to praise me to the heavens.
What’s that? Why don’t I come forward and tell the public of my accomplishments? Have you never heard of the proverb ‘the nail that sticks out gets hammered down’? These days, the downsides of standing out far outweighed whatever advantages it might give, most of the time…
In other words, I wanted recognition but not to the point that my name would be known by the public. While I was at it, I also wouldn’t mind if a girl handed me a sexy photo of hers as though she was trying to say ‘thanks for saving me ♡♡ ♡’.
Anyway. Going back on track. While those two topics stood out to an excessive degree, one of them felt way too familiar.
<<An inhuman cry of ‘YURIIIIIIIII’ from who knows where was heard all over the battlefield>>
<<A silver something flew faster than the speed of sound and destroyed not only the monsters but also the buildings along its path>>
<<<Female students in evacuation centers reported that they felt like a gaze was always on them>>
Yup, no doubt about it. Those articles were about that fake nun proclaiming herself as a holy knight.
I didn’t notice it back when I was fighting with the Fire Drakes because the town was already destroyed at that point, but considering her absurd strength and that chariot of hers, one or two buildings getting destroyed was only to be expected if she were to go wild.
I was sure she had saved many lives this time as well, but that didn’t help to prevent her from being treated as some unknown and unnatural phenomenon.
I wish she’d at least try to restrain herself.
But the other subject also got me curious. To be frank, I didn’t quite get this one.
As the focus of the articles were high school girls and therefore minors, not much information was included. Not that it would stop online detectives from identifying them.
At any rate, the articles went like this: a black-haired Valkyrie riding on top of a white horse with golden mane and a fairy-like maiden protected by that Valkyrie had slain a giant beast attacking the town, lured away the rest of the monster army, and aided in the citizens’ evacuation.
According to eyewitness reports, the so-called giant beast was confirmed to be a Cetus and the other monsters which looked to be part horse and part fish were confirmed to be Hippocamp. Those were B+ and B rank monsters, respectively. I’ve fought monsters of similar rank before, but to fight while the whole town was being swallowed by the sea, well, I could only imagine that to be quite the nightmare.
The pair was shrouded in mystery, but it was also said that there was one photo that kind of showed them.
…I know this kind of thing, this kind of voyeurism, isn’t right. If the people themselves haven’t yet made themselves known, then I shouldn’t cross that line simply out of curiosity. I know that, ok? But against my better judgment, I just have to see it. There are just times when curiosity get the better of you and this is one of them for me, alright?
And so, I tapped on my phone.
The image that loaded in showed the two girls riding a white horse that galloped across the sky. However, the photo seemed to have been shot from some distance away, so it was hard to tell what they exactly looked like.
The photo also showed multiple Hippocamps, fur as blue as sea water, controlling the sea-like water and galloping over that, all in an attempt to catch the girls soaring through the sky. Just seeing the whole image was enough to make me pale, to be honest.
But one thing I didn’t understand in this image was why all of those monsters were chasing after the girls. I didn’t think that a Magic Tool that drew aggro could have that much of an effect, so my next guess was that maybe it was some kind of Unique Superpower.
Suddenly though, my eyes drifted toward the girl behind the main rider. More specifically, on the thing that was on that girl’s hand. Curious, I tried to zoom in. Unsurprisingly, I still couldn’t see the object well. My Magic Eye might have improved my vision, but it wasn’t so powerful that it could do anything about the quality of a photo.
“Still, what could it be? Mhm? Is that an apple…?”
I could only see its blurry outline, but…I couldn’t help but think that the object on that girl’s hand was ‘an apple that glittered like gold’.
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