Mob Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #118
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 118: The Longest Day of My Life (2)
“Angolmois’ phase is carrying over...”
It
was news too devastating to be true.
Our,
no, humanity's Angolmois countermeasures were all based on the premise that
Angolmois would begin from Phase 1.
If
that premise collapses, naturally, all strategies will be thrown into disarray.
...But, on closer reflection, there’s no
guarantee anywhere that the phase would reset with each Angolmois.
It
was only because the first one happened to end at Phase 1, and the second one
also began at Phase 1, that the fixed idea that the Angolmois always starts at
Phase 1 was established.
Perhaps
some scholars and bureaucrats had noticed, but the public had been
indoctrinated through TV with the assumption that Angolmois would always start
from Phase 1.
The
reason was simple: there’s no benefit in the public knowing, only harm.
We
had unknowingly been guided by the media and the government.
...In any case, we need to revise our strategy.
The fact that it’s already Phase 3 means that
B-rank monsters are likely already heading to the surface.
No, it's not just that. There's a possibility
that monsters are already overflowing from new dungeons that have appeared.
Realizing
this, I looked down at the ground through the eyes of Eliza and the others who
were moving in the sky, but for now, there was no sign of monsters roaming the surface.
...Is there no connection between the
progression of the phase and the phenomenon of monsters overflowing from new
dungeons?
No, this isn't the time for such analysis.
What we should be thinking about right now is...
"Anna. We're currently forming groups for
each nearby station to go and pick up the students' families, but if it’s
already progressed to Phase 3, what do you think we should do?"
I'm
going to pick up my family no matter if it's Phase 3 or 4, but the other
members can't do the same.
No
matter how many D-rank cards they have, in Phase 3, encountering a B-rank
monster means certain death.
"Right... mm. Cancel...... No, please let
those who wish to go to proceed as planned. Even though it's Phase 3, it takes
a considerable amount of time for monsters to move between floors. There should
still be some time before monsters flood the surface. Now is likely the first
and last chance to reunite with their families."
True,
the students most certainly won't have another opportunity to reunite with
their families if they miss this chance.
The
students, who had been watching our conversation with bated breath, ran out of
the gymnasium upon hearing those words.
I
spotted Shinomiya-san among them and called out,
"Shinomiya-san!"
"H-huh!?"
"Sorry to trouble you, but could you also
tell Ushikura-san about the phase already progressing? Your homes are close,
right?"
"Ah, un! It's okay, I was planning to anyway."
I
guess I didn't even need to say anything.
I
watched Shinomiya-san rush outside, and I also sent a telepathic message to
Renge and the others.
Just
then, at the elementary school, Mom and Ai seemed to have met up.
『Renge.
Bring Mom and Ai by force if you have to. I'll persuade Ai here.』
『Roger
that. Well, looks like there's no need for that persuasion, though.』
『?
What do you mean…?』
The
moment I tried to ask, the scenery in Renge's and the others' vision changed
completely with the sound of a flute.
The
view switched from the elementary school to a street somewhere.
Dungeon Mart...? This is the dungeon that
Teacher and I were just exploring!
"Senpai?!"
With
Anna's voice behind me, I immediately leaped out of the gymnasium.
I
kept my gaze fixed on the direction of the dungeon from before, and in the
distance, I could see them riding Myra towards the school.
『Did
you, did you really teleport using the Hamelin's Flute?!』
『Yes,
Master. It seems that during Angolmois, it becomes possible to teleport even on
the surface.』
『Oh!?』
I never would have guessed the Hamelin's Flute
had such an effect...! And yet, other teleportation magic items still can only be
used inside dungeons!
Myra
landed in the schoolyard. The first one to jump off was Maru, our family’s
beloved dog.
Maru
went straight to me— passing right by me—— and ran up to Yuki, who was standing
diagonally behind me.
...Well, I knew it. There's no way this idiot
dog would rely on me.
Then,
Mom and Ai also got off. The two of them immediately collapsed to the ground,
pale-faced and limp.
"Utamaro... do you always travel like
this?"
"T-that was scary..."
Ah, yeah, well, it's frightening until you get
used to it.
Once
you do, it's actually more reassuring than flying with magic items.
In any case, with this, my first objective of
retrieving Mom and Ai is complete.
『Master,
please accept this.』
Eliza
said, handing me the safe containing the magic items stored in the basement of
our house and a bag containing Garnets.
『The
cards are with Mother. I separated the Garnets here, thinking Master might need
to use them.』
『Nice
one, Eliza.』
Not only did you retrieve the supplies from the
house, but you also thoughtfully separated the Garnets that I might need to use
immediately... You've really become so considerate.
I'll leave the safe in the club room... and
I'll keep the Garnets with me for now. You never know what might happen.
As
I was talking with Eliza like that, Ai hesitantly spoke to me,
"Onii-chan... um, about my friends from
school..."
"Yeah, I know. I'm going to take everyone
to the Guild now, so don't worry."
To
my little sister, who was being uncharacteristically hesitant, I gave a firm
nod, telling her she didn't need to say any more.
If
it were still Phase 1, it would be one thing, but now that we know it's already
progressed to Phase 3, doing nothing here would be the same as abandoning them
to their deaths.
That
would leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Bringing
them to this school has various complications, but now that we know the new
effect of the Hamelin's Flute, sending them to the Guild will be a piece of
cake.
Ai
smiled with relief at my answer,
"Un! Thank you, Onii-chan!"
"Yeah. ...And so, sorry, but I'm going to head
over to the elementary school for a bit."
I
briefly explained to Anna, who had somehow come to my side, that we could now
teleport on the surface with the Hamelin's Flute and told her that I'd be
sending the elementary school children to the Guild.
"Understood. ...That, sorry to ask, but in
that case, is it possible to retrieve the club members who have reunited with
their families?"
Hmm... retrieving the club members, huh?
If we're talking about whether it's possible or
not, it probably is, but the problem is whether I can retrieve Dad before
B-rank monsters start flooding the surface while also picking up the club
members.
『Eliza,
what are the specifics for the teleportation? Can we teleport to places we
haven't been to before?』
『...No.
It seems the range of teleportation is limited to locations where the Hamelin's
Flute has passed through since Angolmois began.』
Eliza
shook her head apologetically, but even so, it’s a more than sufficient effect.
Compared
to when it could only be used within dungeons, the degree of freedom had
increased dramatically.
If that's the case, then it's probably okay.
A
Wyvern's normal flight speed is more than that of a peregrine
falcon1. It won't even take ten minutes to get from here in Tachikawa to
my dad's workplace in Ikebukuro2.
As
we retrieve the club members, the teleportation range will expand too, so we
should have plenty of time.
“Got it. Could you have each group contact me
when they reach their station? And also, please move that safe to the club
room."
"Alright. We've already given one person
in each group a Card Gear in advance, so they can contact you from their end...
Ah!"
"What's wrong!?"
"N-nothing..."
When
I asked her what was wrong, Anna's face twisted in frustration and she stomped
her foot.
"Ku~u ~! ...It was the perfect chance, but
I forgot to say, “I thought something like this would happen!” !"
"Oh, is that so..."
You're pretty relaxed, Anna-san3. But that's reassuring, in a way.
Wait, so it was Anna who set things up so that
the group leaders were decided so quickly, and that they all had Card Gears?
Well, it was certainly a situation and amount
of effort deserving of her saying "I thought something like this would
happen!"... even though she forgot.
I’m
nicely relaxed thanks to Anna, and I turned back to Eliza.
『Okay,
first, I need you to teleport us as close to Hachioji Station as possible.』
『Yes,
Master.』
While
mounted on Myra, I used the Hamelin’s Flute to teleport.
Flying
from there to the vicinity of Hachioji Station, we found a massive crowd of
people.
Both
the north and south exits were packed with people, like ants swarming a dead
insect.
"This is... terrible."
People
pushing and shoving each other to get into the shelter first, with shouts and
children's cries echoing from everywhere – it was a scene straight out of hell.
Guild
personnel were trying to organize the crowd, but it was a completely futile
effort. As a result of no one listening, the evacuation was only being further
delayed.
At
this rate, they might not even be able to get into the Guild's shelter before
the monsters overflow...
There's no choice.
『Renge,
I need you to use [Rain of Amrita]. Without the usual extra effect, of course.』
『Ah,
got it.』
[Rain
of Amrita] was a complete recovery magic that even healed the spirit. It
returned even those in a state of confusion and panic to their normal state.
Although
it was a little extravagant to use, but in this situation, it was the optimal
one.
"W-what is this...?"
"Beautiful..." "Ah, my legs...!"
People
stared blankly up at the falling Amrita rain.
They
didn't seem to understand what had happened, but at least they were no longer
in the chaotic state they were in earlier.
The
Guild personnel were also stunned for a moment, but they quickly snapped out of
it and resumed guiding the evacuees.
The
people were being sucked into the entrance of the underground shelter as if the
congestion from just moments ago had been a lie.
While
looking down at that, I noticed a tengu4-like
monster with wings on its back flying towards us from behind.
A Daitengu5...
no, it has too much pressure for a C-rank. And that red bird mask and wings,
it's a B-rank Garuda!
If so, the master should be…
The
Garuda6 that had come before me opened its
mouth,
『Kitagawa-san!
It's me, Shigeno. 』
The
person speaking to me through the Garuda was exactly who I expected.
After
all, considering someone in the Hachioji Guild who could command a B-rank card
and would speak to me at this time, I figured it couldn’t be anyone but
Shigeno-san.
『Wow,
you’ve really helped us out. Thank you. Were you perhaps coming to the Guild to
take shelter?』
"Ah, no, I just came to check on things.
More importantly, Shigeno-san..."
I
told him about the possibility that the Angolmois had already progressed to
Phase 3.
Since
the Guild is a nationwide organization, there’s a high chance they already
know, but it’s also possible that we're the first to realize it at this speed.
Unfortunately,
my concern seemed to be correct...
『Are
you, serious...?』
Shigeno-san,
having heard my explanation, squeezed out those words as if winded.
『We
haven't received any such report... What are the higher-ups doing...?』
"Um..."
『Ah,
no, I'm sorry. Thank you for telling me.』
"No... And so, I'm thinking of having the
children from my little sister's elementary school evacuate to this
Guild..."
『Ah,
yes... If it's Phase 3, that would be the best course of action. ...I'm very sorry
for this, but could I ask you to do that?』
"Yes. Thank you."
Alright, with that, the Guild should have the
information about the phase progression as well. They’ll probably relay it to the
other shelters on their own.
Having
finished talking with Shigeno-san, I next teleported to Ai's elementary school.
We
suddenly appeared in the sky above the schoolyard, and the children gathered on
the field started to stir and point.
I
landed Myra near where the teachers were gathered.
"You! What is this sudden... could it be
Kitagawa!?"
A
thin, middle-aged teacher who rushed over looked at my face and exclaimed in
surprise.
Looking
closer, I realized it was Sugiyama-sensei, or Sugi-sen, who was my homeroom
teacher in sixth grade.
"Sugiyama-sensei! It's been a long time!"
"It has been a while! I've been seeing your
success on TV!"
"Ah, hahaha. I'm flattered."
"And your language has gotten so proper...
To think that the little rascal Kitagawa would become so respectable. Hey, do
you remember? On the school trip, you guys brought in a dirty DVD--"
I
hurriedly stopped Sugiyama-sensei, who looked like he was about to launch into
an old story, and got to the main point,
"No, Sensei. I'd also love to reminisce,
but... I have something I need to take care of first."
"Oh! That's right, what did you come here
for? If it’s your sister, I saw the cards over there snatching her away as if
they were kidnapping her."
"Yes. I was wondering if I could help to evacuate
the students here to the Guild."
"To the Guild!? That would be a great
help! Actually, we were just about to head to the Guild."
"Is that so?"
So
the teachers were also planning to evacuate to the Guild.
No
wonder they were lined up on the field instead of in the underground shelter.
"Yeah, when your cards took your sister
away forcefully, we started talking about how this place might not be safe
anymore..."
I see........
Since
an adventurer who definitely knows more about Angolmois than the average person
frantically took away their family, they must have finally felt a sense of
crisis.
"Also, some cards have been distributed to
the school... but no one is confident in their ability to handle them well,”
Sugiyama-sensei
said, looking hesitant.
That's right. That's the problem. If everyone
could handle cards well from the start, there'd be no need for adventurers.
Even seasoned adventurers struggle to protect
others, so there's no way ordinary people could protect dozens or hundreds of
people with just a few cards.
Well, it's definitely better than nothing
though...
"If you were to stay here, I’m sure the
Principal and the others would even say it’s okay to entrust the cards to you, you
see...?"
"I'm sorry, but..."
"Right... sorry, forget I said that. That
was pathetic of me as an adult."
"No, not at all."
Sugiyama-sensei
said that, but I didn't think it was pathetic.
What
teachers should be thinking about is the safety of their students. If I were to
stay here as protection, that would make the children safer, so it's only
natural for them to plead, even if it's a long shot. And trying to keep Renge
and the others here was, in the end, for the same reason.
I
don't think it's pathetic for adults to try to protect children by any means
necessary.
"So, you'll help with the evacuation to
the Guild, correct?"
"Yes. For now, could you have about one
class at a time gather around me?"
"Understood."
Transfer/teleportation
magic items often have restrictions on the number of uses and the destination,
but usually no particular limit on the number of people they can transport.
So,
while it would probably be possible to move everyone at once, I decided to
transport them class by class, considering the space at the destination.
Starting
with the lower grades, I began teleporting them to the bus
rotary in front of the station.
During
this process, some of the children’s parents rushed to the elementary school,
so I sent them to the Guild together with their kids.
And
after continually doing that, it was finally Ai's class’s turn...
"Maro-niisan, why did you only take
Ai?"
"Maromaro~, take us to where Ai is
too~"
As
expected, the first ones to say that as soon as they saw my face were the Loli
duo, Aoi-chan and Mio-chan.
Up
until now, the other kids seemed a bit scared of Myra and the other cards
behind me, watching with curiosity but not really calling out to me. But these two, perhaps due to the familiarity
of knowing my face, spoke to me quite nonchalantly.
"I could take you, but then you’d be
separated from your parents, you know? You're going to evacuate to the Guild
anyway, right?"
"Ah, right. I guess so. Oh well."
"Yeah. You guys will come to the Guild later anyway, right
Maromaro?"
While
I was persuading the two of them like that, a boy with sparkling eyes came over.
Ugh, I have a bad feeling about this...
"U- um, you’re Kitagawa, right? The
Gladiator from Catfight!"
"Ah... yeah. That's me."
"I always watch your matches!"
"Can I pet that dragon?" "I'm a fan! Please give me your
autograph!" "I'm going to become an adventurer when I go to middle
school, so could you take me on as a disciple?!"
"――――You kids! I told you not to cause
trouble, didn't I?! The more fuss you make... the slower everyone's evacuation
will be!?"
As
I was wondering how to deal with them, a middle-aged woman who seemed to be
their homeroom teacher rushed over, raising her voice hysterically.
She
flashed a fawning smile at me and then said,
"I'm so sorry, kids nowadays just don't
listen to adults at all..."
As
she lowered her head, I didn’t know how to respond and just gave her an awkward
smile…
"...I hate this teacher."
"Hysterical old hag..."
The
Loli duo whispered surreptitiously from behind me.
『By
the way, this is the one who tried to stop us from taking Ai.』
Renge
also added that, as if to reinforce the two girls.
...Ah. I see, so it's this person. Yeah, she
doesn't seem very nice.
Just
then, Sugiyama-sensei came over.
"What's wrong?"
"Sugiyama-sensei, no, well, these kids
were making a fuss and bothering the Adventurer-sensei, so I was just giving
them a little warning."
"Ah, I see... Kitagawa, sorry about that.
Just take them along without anymore delay."
"Understood. Alright, everyone, line up,
line up."
And
so, although there was a slight delay with Ai's class, I managed to safely send
all the classes to the Guild.
The
area around the Guild was still crowded with people, but the lines were moving
smoothly, so the children should be able to get into the shelter before the
monster flood.
The
only ones left were the teachers who weren't in charge of classes, like the
Principal and Vice Principal.
As
I made my way over to them, the round-faced, slightly flushed-faced Principal
bowed deeply to me.
"Thank you very much, Kitagawa-san. You've
been a great help."
"No, no, it’s no problem. Well then, I'll
send you teachers over too."
"Ah, no, we're fine."
"Eh?"
The
Principal said to me as I tilted my head in confusion,
"There might be parents coming to pick up
their children from now on, you see. Someone needs to be here to tell them that
everyone has already evacuated to the Guild, right?”
"That's... but wouldn't a signboard or
something like that be enough?"
"Perhaps. But if monsters start overflowing,
moving around will become difficult, won't it? I was thinking that even with the cards
deployed at this school, we could at least protect a small number of parents
and take them to the Guild."
Saying
this, the Principal showed me several cards.
A
D-rank Winchester House7, a C-rank Dullahan, Amalthea8, and two Vajra
Warriors9...
I see, so these are the cards deployed to a
shelter at the scale of an elementary school... yeah, not bad.
The
Vajra Warrior, being a gate guardian, were often placed at temple gates as A-Un10 statues, so they possessed a [Pair of Two]
skill with another Vajra Warrior.
The
effects of those skills were immunity to frontal attacks and the prevention of
intruders from entering anywhere other than the designated entrance.
These
were defense-specialized cards that, when used in conjunction with cross-space
house-type cards like Winchester House and Mayoiga, provided a great deal of
safety.
The
Winchester House may be ranked D, but it far surpassed the C-ranked Mayoiga in
terms of capacity.
It
had 100 rooms by default. Although they were technically single rooms, multiple
children could probably be squeezed into each, and the number of rooms could be
further increased by repurposing the dining hall and baths. It might even be
possible to fit all the children inside.
On
top of that, they could conceal their presence with Amalthea's presence-concealment
barrier and deploy the Vajra Warriors at the entrance to limit entry points and
solidify their defenses...
This
would be an ironclad defense up to Phase 1, and they could maintain a certain
level of safety from Phase 2 onward as well.
As
for movement, with Amalthea's presence-concealment barrier, they should be able
to move relatively safely.
Of
course, if C-rank monsters start flooding, it would be tough, but against D-rank
and below...
"…………………………Understood. But if monsters
start overflowing, please move to the Guild immediately."
"We understand. Thank you again for
everything."
I
said that and, while being seen off by the Principal and the others who bowed deeply,
I took off on Myra.
I
flew, praying that those people would reach the Guild safely...
[Tips] Negative Skill
Evaluation Criteria on a Certain Website
Poop: In addition to the extremely heavy disadvantages, the removal conditions are unknown. A terrifying skill that reduces the card's value to 'poop'. Its effect is so bad it can only be described as such. If you're tricked into trading for a card with this skill, killing the other person is justifiable. In fact, kill them.
A: It has such extremely heavy disadvantages that normal use is impossible. Effectively, a declaration of being out of commission. Significantly damages the card's value.
B: Has major disadvantages. Worth considering for use as a revival card. The level of disappointment upon acquiring it is quite high.
C: It only has disadvantages. The kind that makes you click your tongue when you get it as a drop.
D: Disadvantages outweigh the advantages. From this point, it's officially recognized as a negative skill, in name and reality.
E: Advantages and disadvantages are about the same. Depends on how you use it. The impact on price is negligible.
F: Advantages
outweigh the disadvantages. It has some quirks, but it's not a problem at all,
and it's even somewhat welcome.
***
Notes:
1 The peregrine falcon is famous for its incredible speed, reaching over 320 km/h (200 mph) in its hunting stoop, a high-speed dive. ↩
2 For information, the distance between Ikebukuro Station and Tachikawa Station is 32 km. ↩
3 Maro deliberately use it here ↩
4 Tengu (天狗; meaning ‘celestial dog’) are yokai with god-like traits along with avian attributes. They are depicted to have giant noses or beaks (depending on the type of tengu) and wings. In many legends, they can fly, shapeshift, and control the wind. They are also often mentioned to be skilled swordsmen and powerful martial artists. The two types of tengu are the karasu or crow tengu and the hanadaka or long-nosed tengu. ↩
5 Another name for hanadaka tengu. Daitengu means greater tengu. ↩
6 Commonly pronounced as karura in Japanese and also has another alias: konjichō (golden winged bird). In Hindu mythology, the garuda is the mount of the god Vishnu. In Japan, they are typically depicted as having humanoid form with the heads and wings of eagles. ↩
7 Refer to The Winchester Mystery House in California, which is famous for its bizarre architecture, particularly its vast number of rooms and other unusual features. The house's construction continued for many years (began in 1884), essentially until Sarah Winchester(the owner)'s death in 1922, resulting in a 160-room mansion. The place is also known for its rumored paranormal activity.↩
8 Besides being a defender, this card also provides food and drink ↩
9 Kongō rikishi in Japanese. Better known as the Two Kings (Niō), they guard the entrances of many Japanese Buddhist temples. ↩
10 In Japanese culture, 'A-Un' (阿吽) refers to a pair of guardian statues often seen at temple entrances. They represents the beginning and the end of all things and the universe, with one having an open mouth ('A') and the other a closed mouth ('Un'). ↩
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