Mob Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni
Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #99
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 99: Stained
Red1.......
“Aika, where do we put the water for the
shower? Is
it okay here?”
"Ah, no, I'm going to put the spare TV
there. Put it in a pile in the corner over there. Oh, Utamaro, I haven't
finished cleaning there yet, so don't put things there!"
"Okay."
"Mo~m, can I bring some manga~?"
"No, that's too bulky. Just make do with
e-books on your tablet."
――――
August 31st, the last day of summer vacation.
The
entire Kitagawa family was organizing the basement shelter.
We
carried out the furniture and recreational equipment that had been packed away
haphazardly, wiped off the dust that had accumulated over the years, and
carried various supplies into the room that had been cleaned up over the past
week or so.
“......Whew. That's about it.”
After
carrying most of the items inside, I wiped the sweat from my forehead and
looked around the room.
The
room wasn't that big, but it was filled to the brim with various things while
maintaining a minimum amount of living space.
There
was enough carded food, water, and sleeping bags to last for at least a year. A
small TV and radio to get information on the outside world. A simple toilet
with an artificial magic item that purifies excrement. A shower tent that
filters and circulates water so that the same water can be used over and over
again.
This
underground shelter would be used to evacuate the family in the event of an
emergency.
In
the event of an emergency ...... that is, in the case of Angolmore, the family
will be brought to this shelter to await rescue by the Self-Defense Forces.
These
underground shelters became the standard feature when building a house after
Angolmore ...... or more precisely, after the Second Angolmore, and they have
become a common sight in every home nowadays.
"We managed to get everything ready in
time..."
Dad came next to me and said
as he looked around the room as well.
"Yeah...... well, maybe we didn't have to
be in such a rush."
"But it could come at any time. It's
better to be safe than sorry, and it doesn't hurt to be prepared early."
Saying this, Dad stretched out
his arms.
“But even if we haven't used it for years, we
shouldn't use it as a storage room. It's not good for emergencies. ......I
guess I was getting too comfortable with the peace.”
"Well, it hasn't been used for nearly a
decade."
When it's been unused for many
years, dust and other unneeded items will gradually accumulate, which is human
nature.
It would be better if there
was food and water in the form of cards prepared.
"Ten years huh...... Utamaro spent time in
this place when you were, what, six or seven years old?"
“Hmmm, I think I was in the first grade, so I
guess that's about right.”
"I see, time goes by so fast. ...... Do
you remember those days?"
“...... A little bit.”
My own experience with the
Second Angolmore was quite hazy, partly because I was so small.
Still, for some reason, the
ominous sound of sirens suddenly going off and the expressions on my parent’s
faces as they picked me and the baby Ai up with grim expressions and ran to the
shelter remained vivid in my memory.
I think our stay at the
shelter was probably only a few days to a week, but from my childhood
perspective, it felt like a very long period of time.
One of the reasons that time
felt so long may have been that it was so sudden that we couldn't bring any
toys or do anything to kill time. At the time, preparations were inadequate,
and although there was plenty of emergency food and water, there were of course
no potties, garbage bags, or showers, so the environment was quite harsh.
Even so, I remember that while
being a child, I knew that I shouldn't be selfish and cry, so I spent my time
trying to soothe Ai so that she wouldn't start crying.
This was not out of an
auspicious desire not to cause trouble for my parents, but because I sensed at
a young age that if I made a fuss at the time, I would lose my life.
A shelter may sound safe and
sturdy, but in reality, it was just a basement room with thick steel plates
covering the perimeter with soundproofing, which was far from perfect
protection.
It may be able to cover us
from small fry, but it is not capable of withstanding the attacks of D-rank
monsters or higher.
Especially against ghostly
monsters that could slip through walls and the ground, it was as good as
nothing.
As a young boy, I seemed to
instinctively sense, without knowing such circumstances, that my life would be
in danger if external enemies were to discover my presence.
"Utamaro..."
“Un?”
As I was thinking about this,
Dad peered at me with a serious look on his face.
"Sorry to ask multiple times, but you did
hear Kudan's prophecy, right? That the Third Angolmore will occur."
“...... It didn't specifically say Angolmore.
But I think the probability that the third calamity refers to Angolmore is
pretty high.”
"I see. ...... Whatever the case, it's
good to know this early. We were able to get what we needed before the price
went up."
"Once Kudan's prophecy is announced, the
prices of many things will definitely go up after all......"
It had been a week since we
reported Kudan to the Guild, and so far there had been no warning from the
government to the public.
They're probably still verifying our
statements.
They knew that we were telling
the truth, thanks to deceit detection, but since we could not capture it on video,
they might be gathering sightings from other adventurers while considering the
prophecy's contents.
Still, there were signs of a
surge in card-related transactions, as if a small portion of the information
had been leaked.
Notably, the signs of this
were apparent in cards with equipping skills and cross-space type skills, which
were particularly reliable in Angolmore, as they were in usual dungeon attacks.
At the same time, cards and
magic items with the ability to produce food were slowly rising in price, while
the normally overpriced girl cards were gradually beginning to drop in value.
The reason why the market
price of girl cards was declining was probably because the wealthy, sensing the
presence of Angolmore, gave up the girl cards in their collections and started
collecting cards with high utility, switching from the conventional trend of
emphasizing collection to one of emphasizing utility.
The wealthy, with their
private armies of adventurers and exclusive intelligence networks, are the real
power players in situations like this.
In that sense, we were lucky
to get hold of the information in the fastest way possible.
With the savings saved up for
me and Ai's college education, we were able to acquire enough Living Armor for everyone
in the family (except me) before the price went up.
In the underground shelter, I
also kept a group of Silkies and other D-rank cards that I don't use.
With Living Armor and the
Silkies as well as other D-rank cards, even if Angolmore were to happen while I
am away, there is a good chance that they could manage to protect themselves
until I come to pick them up.
I also left Genie's Lamp2 in case of necessity. With this magic
item which can summon a B-rank monster three times only, most of the crises
should be manageable.
To be honest, the shower tent
and toilet were just an insurance measure in case something unforeseen happened
that prevented me from picking them up right away.
Thanks to the magic stone
generator, the appliances can be used as usual, and with the soundproof barrier
in place, we do not have to worry about the shower or toilet leaking sound.
With Medicine Jug3 and The Book of Asclepius4, we should not have to worry
too much about injuries or illnesses. I will also store potions and magic cards
in this underground shelter henceforth.
It will probably be much safer
and more comfortable than going to a refugee center.
......A side effect of this
was that they found out I had bought 400 million worth of card packs, but it
was a minor problem.
After all, there were too many
generators and other things not needed for dungeon exploration that I couldn't
cover up.
I was also heavily suspected
from the time Athena's existence was revealed.
I was lectured about how to
spend money, but it was lighter than I expected. I guess it was largely because
money is useless if Angolmore happens, and the items from the packs were quite
useful.
“Then, I'm off to my room.”
"Utamaro."
"Nn?”
As I was about to go up the
stairs, Dad called me.
I turned around to see if he
still had something to say, and my eyes met his serious ones.
“Honestly...... as a parent, this is pathetic,
but if Angolmore happens, you'll be relied upon more than Dad.”
"........................”
At that moment, I suddenly
realized that I was now as tall as my father.
"I'm counting on you, Utamaro."
"Okay."
I looked back into my father's
eyes at the same eye level and answered firmly.
"Papa-san, didn't he just raise a subtle
death flag?"
"Don't say something so ominous!"
I snapped at the little brat
who had said such an unlucky thing as soon as I returned to my room.
Even if you are a deity of good luck, don't say
such things......! That's not even a good
omen!
“Sorry, sorry. Well, it's a purification
ceremony. Now the flag has been broken, you know.”
"Really..."
As Renge smirked, I let out a
deep sigh and sat down on the bed.
...... Well, if this guy is joking around like
this, it must mean that there really is no sign of anything unsettling about my
dad.
Maybe it really was a form of
purification ceremony after all.
To be honest, I thought it was
a bit of a death flag, too......
"So ...... are you finally going to try
it?”
As she said this, Renge's gaze
fell on five Lottery cards on the desk.
"Yeah, I'll test whether your abilities
work on the Lottery cards."
For Angolmore, I need to get
more power than ever before.
For adventurers, power is, in
other words, their cards.
This Lottery card was a magic
item that might allow me to obtain power more quickly than if I had dived into
the dungeon.
"What do we do first?"
"For now, I'll use the first one normally.
You can tell if the outcome of this Lottery card is predetermined, right?"
"N...yes. If it is random, your luck will
fluctuate."
"So I'm going to use the first card
normally. ...... Lottery card, use!"
The Lottery card emitted a
pale light and turned into a monster card.
“A goblin, huh....... It's a miss. How was it,
Renge?"
"Hmm... it looks like a magic item whose
results change depending on luck."
"Good!"
I pumped my fist powerfully.
The first stage was passed.
smoothly
"Okay, next, let's experiment with
this."
I took out a Carbuncle Garnet.
"What are you going to do with it?"
"Now, I'll test to see if this Garnet can
be used without using Fate Manipulation. If I can activate its internal good
luck, I'll try using the third one with the Hope Diamond to see how powerful it
is."
If we can use the Garnet's
good luck without manipulating fate, we should be able to obtain a B-rank card
without distorting of the law of causality if we do it right.
Compared to the manipulation
of fate, luck manipulation, which can only roughly manipulate luck, inevitably
results in a loss in the amount of luck used, but it would still be significant
because it would not produce a distortion of the law of causality.
"I see... is it worth a try?"
Renge picked up one of the Garnets.
For a while, she looked at it
scrutinizingly,.......
“..... Impossible. The ability of a
zashiki-warashi is not enough to do it. This probably requires the power of an
authority class."
“So that means you need to turn into kisshouten
through [Spiritual recurrence],....... Okay, give it a try."
"Okay!”
Renge recurred her spiritual
status from zashiki-warashi to kisshouten... but,
"Huh?"
My eyes widened at the change
in Renge after she had turned into a kisshouten.
Usually, she would have
transformed into a young woman, but this time she remained the same age as
Renge, a child, only wearing kisshouten's clothes.
"The clothes, only? No.....”
Looking closely, the face was
a little more mature, and she was obviously more beautiful than when she was a
zashiki-warashi. Her aura was somehow more divine as well … Her chest also
seemed to have grown a little.
However, that was the only
change in her appearance. Apart from that, everything else, including her sassy
expression, was the same as it always was.
Renge turned her face away as
I stared intently at her...
"Hmph, it'd be a pain to have to turn into
an adult every time."
“Mmm..... well, it's fine. I guess you could
say that."
"Yeah, I guess I'm just getting used to
[Spiritual recurrence]."
"I see."
Now that I think of it, the
first time she transformed, her tone of voice was different, but eventually,
even after the transformation, her tone of voice remained the same.
Before I knew it, the lotus flower5 would no longer be in full
bloom...... I guess you will be able to control that kind of thing as you
become more proficient at [Spiritual recurrence].
As for Mea, her personality
did not change at all even after her recurrence to a lilim, and she seemed to
be able to freely alter her apparent age from the beginning. Perhaps this was
because she had an inherently lewd nature and the lilim race's characteristic
ability to change appearance based on the preferences of others played a large
role.
In any case, I think it was
good that Renge retained her usual personality and appearance after activating
[Spiritual recurrence].
To be honest, I felt a little
uncomfortable when she was in kisshouten mode, because she looked a little too
divine and not like Renge.
This appearance and personality are the best
fit for this guy after all.
...Though he would never say
it aloud.
"So, how many garnets to use?"
"One for now. That should be enough to
change the outcome."
“Nn, at least it won't be an F-rank. Ok, then
I'll use it."
With that, Renge grabbed the
Garnet and crushed it――――at that moment,
"...Oh!?"
Now, I could feel something
filling up inside me, though only faintly......!
I can't sense its presence
unless I concentrate very hard... Could this be the energy of good luck!?
“What's wrong?”
“No...... I can somehow..... sense the energy
of good luck... I think.”
“Huh ......?!"
『Just now, what did you just
say?!』
Just as Renge's eyes widened
in shock, Athena barged in from the side.
Her expression in the vision
that appeared was quite grim.
『You sensed the energy of good
luck ...... was that what you said?』
"I think you're imagining things? How is it possible that a human being can sense
the energy of fortune, the energy of good luck?"
“When you say it's just my imagination, I can't
deny it because it's really just a vague feeling......"
So it was just my imagination? Just when I was starting to be convinced that
it was really just like that .......
『No......』
Athena shook her head when she
heard the exchange between me and Renge.
『It's not impossible.』
"What do you mean?"
『Don't you understand? It's
your fault, you know, Renge?』
"Mine? ......
No way."
『Not no way. Because of your
Perfect Link, Utamaro's soul is changing.』
"...?!"
Athena's gaze was as sharp as
a blade, and Renga stepped back as if her heart had been pierced.
My soul is changing......?
『Utamaro, do you remember what
I said when we first met?』
"When we first met ......? You mean about the status of the souls of
humans and cards, or something like that?"
『That's right. At that time, I
explained it to you by comparing it to the osmotic pressure of liquid, didn't
I?』
"Yeah...... you were talking about how the
difference in osmotic pressure causes the energy of my soul to gradually move
to the Renge's side, right?"
『Yes, normally, if you lose the
energy of your soul, it will naturally affect your body, causing problems such
as illness and rapid aging, but you have overcome this by forcibly healing
yourself with Amrita. In other words, you have been continuing to replenish the
lost liquid with the divine liquid called Amrita. ...Isn't the burden of that
technique that you call the Perfect Link gradually decreasing?』
"Y, yeah... I thought it was definitely
the result of our training."
『I'm sure there's that too, of
course. But the biggest factor is something else.』
That is, which means.......
Athena looked straight at me
and said as if she was convicting me of a crime.
『Which means,...... you are
slowly becoming less and less human.』
[TIPS] Author's note: Manga version of Mob
Highschooler
The manga version of Mob
Highschooler is released!
The artwork is of seriously
high quality, so please do not miss it!
***
Notes:
1 A proverb. Meaning: People will take on the characteristics of those who surround them, spend time with the wise and you will become wise, but the friends of fools will suffer, when mixing with vermillion, one becomes red.↩
2 We previously translate it as Magician’s Lamp ↩
3 A jug that is always filled to the brim. If left unused, the contents will turn into potions. It becomes a low potion in a day, a middle potion in a week, and a high potion in a month. If transferred to another vessel, it returns to water in a few minutes. ↩
4 A medical book that, when opened, opens to the page of the disease that afflicts you. If you are healthy, you cannot open it.↩
5 For a reminder, renge means lotus flower ↩
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