“I’m going to go dig into the vast amounts of food we took earlier!” “I fired my shotgun quite a bit today, so I think I’ll do some maintenance on it. What about you, Six?” The others begin to head out. “Mm…I think I’ll stay here. Grimm’s coming back to life at night, right? I want to see what that looks like. Plus, it sounds kind of sad to come back to life and not have anyone around…” Dusk becomes night, and the shadows make the shrine look even creepier. There’s not much to do but sit and wait, so I get comfy on the ground, hugging my knees to my chest. My attention turns to a hole in the ceiling where the wind gusts through. I’m struck by the sheer number of stars in the sky above. So that’s what you can see when the sky isn’t clogged with smog and other pollutants. It helps that there’s not a lot of light pollution, with the capital having little in the way of large buildings or lighting. I consider snapping a few pictures to take back home. Which reminds me, pictures of the orcs and Gadalkand would’ve made nice souvenirs, too. My thoughts continue on this pointless track when I think I catch a bit of light shining from Grimm’s body. …No, I’m not imagining it. She’s actually glowing. A magic circle pops into existence around Grimm, and then a column of bright light rises from the altar. The column shines through the hole in the ceiling and pierces the sky, lighting up the room…then fades as quickly as it appeared. When my eyes adjust again to the gloom, I notice the offerings on the altar are gone. Grimm flutters her lashes and sits up. She rubs at her forehead, as though dealing with a headache, and turns to me a bit sleepily. “…Commander? What are you doing here?” “…I was waiting for you to come back to life.” Grimm glances around the room, as if looking for something, then turns back to me with a puzzled expression. “Wait, why were you waiting for my resurrection? …Oh. Are you here to punish me because I died before I could do anything useful?” “Huh? No, that’s not it. I just figured you’d be lonely, coming back to life with no one around. That and, well, I guess I was a little skeptical that all we had to do to bring you back to life was leave you on an altar with a pile of junk.” “A-ah… I was not aware that they treated my lifeless body so carelessly.” I probably shouldn’t tell her that there was a pair of used socks among the offerings. Grimm surveys the room but stops after a few moments when she can’t find what she’s looking for. She turns her gaze to me. There’s no trace of her usual twitchiness or anxiety, just a calm, steady gaze. “You’re an odd one, Commander. I’ve never known anyone kind enough to patiently wait around for me to come back to life. ” “That might be the first genuine compliment I’ve gotten since coming to this kingdom.” Grimm smiles at my words, her expression softening. “I mean it. Normally, people back away when they learn that I serve Zenarith, God of Undeath and Disaster. Then, once they’ve been sufficiently creeped out by my string of deaths and resurrections, they stop talking to me entirely. But you, Commander… Evidently, you can still talk to me like I’m just another girl. You’re also not bothered by the fact that Rose has demon blood. How very odd.” The truth is, the mutants at our corporation are so twisted that they make Rose look perfectly normal. “A word of warning for you, Commander. Rose and I are hard to kill, but that doesn’t go for the rest of this squadron… They always send the rejects into the most dangerous places. We’re expendable.” There’s a hint of sadness in her smile as she tilts her head toward the stars. Since she can cheat death, she must have survived while many of her companions met more permanent ends. Her starlit smile is a beautiful, fleeting thing. In this moment, she couldn’t appear more different from the lazy, good-for-nothing Grimm I’m used to. A unit of rejects, hmm? Conscript a bunch of expendable people and send them on high-risk, high-reward missions. If they get results? Great. If they die? No big loss. That’s pretty messed up. Makes the corporation look like a charity organization. I suppose I should report this method of doing things when I get back to Japan…but I get the feeling our Supreme Leaders would turn up their noses at such an inelegant solution. “So, Commander… This squadron is dangerous. You should quit while you’re still alive and get out of this kingdom.” There’s a loneliness and tenderness to Grimm’s tone. Upon hearing her heartfelt warning, I give my honest reply. “Huh? What’re you talking about? I’m not going anywhere.” Grimm is caught off guard by the frankness of my response. “D-don’t be silly, Commander. This unit’s going to get treated like a bunch of expendable rejects and be forced to face the most dangerous situations.” …That’s already happening! “Where I come from, it was pretty common to be sent to battlefields where we were up against hundreds of enemies all as strong as the Demon Lord’s Elite Four.” “…Wha—?” Grimm just stares at me. The invasion of America was especially brutal. They just had so many Heroes. “And in spite of all that, I’m still here and kicking. Even today, I was getting ready to beat the shit out of that Elite Four bastard who killed you, but he ignored me and flew off to the battlefield.” “U-um…well, that’s… Normally, one wouldn’t be able survive an encounter with a monster on the level of the Demon Lord’s Elite Four.” Well, that’s certainly true in this case, but… “For something of that level? With the right prep and weapon, I can take on at least five of them at once.” As a general rule, Heroes would always attack in groups of five. I remember being tossed into the fray against those teams despite being an average human… Couldn’t say I enjoyed the encounters, but I won and made it out alive. My expression sours as I think back to those battles, and Grimm just goes silent. “…Commander, just who are you? There’s also that strange weapon Alice carries around…” Whoops, I should probably cut off that line of questioning here and now. “It’s not worth worrying about. Plus, now that I think about it, I can definitely see a harem situation developing with our current squad members. You couldn’t pay me to quit.” Grimm giggles at my attempt to change the subject, her expression radiating joy despite the gloom. “Ah-ha-ha… I get it. We all have things we don’t want to talk about. Just try to stay alive, won’t you?” After her laughter dies down, Grimm tilts her head, her eyes fixated on me. “…Well, it’s getting pretty late. Do you have any plans, Commander? Since there was a battle today, tomorrow will be a day of rest.” “Huh…a day of rest after a day of work? That’s pretty generous… Back at Kisaragi, we’d get home after seventy-two straight hours of guerrilla warfare, only to be sent on our next errand by a boss.” And that boss would be Lilith the Black, the same lazy, mad scientist who couldn’t be bothered to leave her lab to fetch a few measly test subjects. “I…see. It seems you’ve had a rather hard life yourself, Commander. Maybe even harder than Rose or myself.” “That wouldn’t surprise me…” Now that I’ve been away from the corporation for a little bit, I’ve come to the realization that the work environment was a bit…harsh. “A-anyway…will you be free tomorrow, Commander?” “Yeah, I guess. There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot to do for fun in this kingdom. I wandered around the city a bit last night after unpacking, and the only places open were bars.” Okay, so I wasn’t expecting to find a twenty-four-hour convenience store or an arcade, but still there was nothing to do! …Hang on a sec, I bet I could find a brothel if I really put my mind to it. Sadly, since I haven’t been paid yet, I’m way too broke to go looking for one. Grimm chuckles and smiles at me. “Well then, Commander…how about we go on a date?” 6 …I don’t really get it, but apparently this is what passes for a date in this world. <Evil Points acquired.> <Evil Points acquired.> “Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!” “Mwa-ha-ha! Faster, faster, fasteeer!!” Grimm and I fly through the streets of the capital. Well, to be more precise, Grimm’s sitting in a wheelchair that I’m pushing around at breakneck speeds through the capital. “Commander, this wheelchair is incredible! So light…so fast! I can never go back to an inferior model! You’ve ruined me for all other wheelchairs!” “Yep! This here’s a Kisaragi wheelchair. High-quality aluminum frame, run-flat tires, high-speed design! You’re the fastest woman in the kingdom, Grimm!” Apparently, back when Grimm was surveying the room after being resurrected, she had been looking around for her wheelchair. Sadly, it met a pretty gruesome end at the hands of Gadalkand’s foot, so I had the Kisaragi Corporation send me a new one on the teleporter… “Amazing! This is the best night of my life! Hey, Commander, look over there! It’s another couple!” “Brace for impact! We’re going in!” “H-hey! Stop, you twoooo!!!” Grimm and I have been harassing lovey-dovey couples throughout the city by charging at them with the wheelchair. It looks like the city guard finally caught on, and we’re now being chased by a woman in uniform. “You there! Stop right there! I can’t believe what you’re doing! This is a romantic spot for couples to share a tender moment! You’re ruining their evenings! If you want to wreak havoc, go somewhere else and take that thing with you!” Not wanting the entire city guard after me, I screech to a halt. Grimm glances up at me in confusion. “Wait, isn’t wreaking havoc why we came here in the first place?” “It sure is. Why’s she interrupting us?” “Wait, so you two were disturbing the peace on purpose? Well, that changes things. I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you both to come with me.” Grimm sneers dismissively at the uptight guardswoman. “Ah, you poor lamb. You’ve been forced to work late into the night. Be more honest with yourself and take a look around. Why should you give up your nights for these infernal couples? Secretly, you’re seething with envy and hatred, aren’t you? Let them suffer as you have suffered…” “Um, well…actually, I have a boyfrie— Ow! Hey! Stop that! I’ll toss you in jail for assaulting a guard!” Leaning forward in her wheelchair, Grimm starts kicking the guard’s shins, landing several blows with her bare heel. “Wait…you can use your legs? Why are you in a wheelchair, then?” “It’s the backlash from a curse cast long ago. In exchange for borrowing Lord Zenarith’s power, there are various…conditions…” The backlash from a curse? “Okay, but that still has nothing to do with why you’re rolling around here and raising hell, so knock it off! …You do dumb stuff like this and then wonder why you can’t get a man… Honestly…” The guardswoman mutters under her breath, prompting Grimm to retrieve what appears to be a doll from her bosom and point at it menacingly. “Oh, you’ve said it now! Commander, allow me to give you a proper demonstration of my power! O Great Lord Zenarith, I beseech thee! Deliver disaster unto this woman! May she suffer from vertigo!” “…Gah?!” The officer pinches the bridge of her nose, wobbling from side to side as she loses her footing. ………… “Wait, that’s your power? It’s a little…underwhelming, don’t you think?” “Look, Commander, curses are an art, not a science. Even with all my power, I succeed maybe eighty percent of the time. The success rate drops like a rock each time I use the same phrasing. Curses also require a sacrifice, and even then, I might fail and suffer the curse myself…like with my legs…” Grimm looks down sadly at her legs, rubbing at them wistfully. “…Oh, I see. So you used a curse to weaken someone’s legs, but something went wrong, and you took the curse instead, costing you your ability to walk, huh?” “…What? Oh no, the backlash from this curse just prevents me from wearing shoes.” …Now I feel stupid for pitying her. “Wow, that ability is totally useless… I feel kind of bad for you actually, so I’m just going to let you go now…” The guard, now fully recovered from her vertigo, looks upon Grimm with pity. Grimm scowls in response, glaring at the officer, producing several more dolls from her top. “Useless?! I’ll show you useless! Feel the full wrath of my curses! O Great Lord Zenarith, I beseech thee! Deliver disaster unto this harlot! May she suffer the pain of stubbing her toe on a dresser!” “…?!” The guard cringes, closing her eyes in anticipation of the pain… “Aaaaaagh!” Rather than the guard, Grimm clutches at her right foot and lets out a pained scream. “Careful! Don’t squirm so much in the wheelchair or you’re gonna— Oops.” “Urgh!” Writhing in agony, Grimm tips over her wheelchair, falling to the ground and slamming her head against the cobblestones below. She goes totally limp as the guard and I stand there dumbfounded. …I see. So this is one of Lord Zenarith’s…conditions… But… …Does this mean I have to take her back to the shrine? 7 The next day. “Please, no! Please, no! Please have mercy!!” “It’s all right… You’ll be much stronger once you eat this.” Today is supposed to be a day off, so I’m wandering aimlessly around the barracks when I hear shouting… “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t! Bugs are absolutely out of the question!” “Insects are rich in nutrients and a good source of protein. Eating insects is a basic part of survival training. Stop being such a baby and eat it already!” I follow the familiar voices to a half-open door and peer into the room. There I find Alice trying to feed Rose a grasshopper. Meanwhile, a teary-eyed Rose is shying away and shaking her head. “What are you two doing?” Rose jumps up and takes cover behind me. “Boss, help! Alice is bullying me!” And with that, Rose cowers from Alice, peering at her from behind me. “Perfect timing, Six. Hold her down for a moment, will you?” “You wouldn’t do that, would you, Boss? You’re a nice person, aren’t you? Right? Right?!” Caught between these two, I sigh and slump my shoulders. “Why exactly are you doing this, Alice? It’s not gonna earn you any Evil Points. You should leave this sort of thing to me.” “How could you, Boss?! I can’t trust anyone! Grandpa was right! Humans are inferior and deserve to be wiped off the face of the planet!” I ignore Rose as she whimpers and smacks my back, and I focus my attention on Alice. “I’m trying to figure out how her copying ability works. It looks like she absorbs the genetic material of whatever she eats. I figured I could gather more data through experiments.” Rose calls herself an artificial Chimera. According to Snow and Grimm, there’s nothing to back it up other than Rose’s own claim. The truth about just who and what she is remains shrouded in mystery. All we know is that she was found hibernating in an artifact inside some ruins… “So what exactly is the deal with the ruins she was discovered in? Did there used to be a super-advanced civilization on this planet or something?” “That’s definitely a possibility. Which is why I want to try feeding various things to her. I’m starting with a grasshopper. If she absorbs the genes of a grasshopper, I’m pretty sure she’ll become the most powerful creature on this planet.” Ah, I think I see what’s going on here. “I don’t understand why that means I have to eat the grasshopper! Aren’t there stronger things I could eat instead?” I’m hit with a wave of genuine culture shock as Rose’s words reveal just how little this world knows about genetics. “Don’t underestimate the grasshopper’s genes, Rose. In our corporation, making mutants from grasshoppers was considered taboo.” “Exactly. Now suck it up and eat the grasshopper. If you finish it, I’ll give you a special treat.” “What are you even talking about?! You two aren’t making any sense!” Rose backs away from us, crouching into the corner. “B-but…what do you mean by special treat? Is it something delicious? Depending on what it is, I might consider it…” Alice takes out a wrapped package of some sort. “It’s called silicone. If you eat it, I’m sure it’ll increase your bust size.” “How wonderful! Alice! Let’s order a ton of silicone. Then we can feed Rose until she becomes super-busty!” “I don’t need something like that! I’m perfectly fine with my current size!” Hey, that reminds me. “Say, Rose, I meant to ask you before. Why are you putting up with how they treat you here? Given your power, I’m sure you could find better employment elsewhere.” “…To learn more about myself. The kingdom’s scholars are studying the ruins they found me in. The higher-ups promised that if I kept fighting for the kingdom, they would tell me whatever the scholars learned…” Rose then recounts her memories to us. According to Rose, the old man who created her died after delving into dark, forbidden arts. Before falling victim to those twisted energies, the old man left a series of instructions for Rose. In order to carry out those instructions, Rose is currently on the hunt for a certain item. It’s a stone of some sort, as well as the very object the old man dipped into the forbidden arts to obtain. It’s said to cure all illnesses if made into medicine, to grant immortality as an elixir, or to craft the ultimate, indestructible weapon if forged. If used as a spell component, it can change the very shape of the world. And if used as an offering to the gods, the gods themselves would appear before you to grant your wishes. This ultimate stone was what Rose’s creator was after. …But listening to stories about Rose, I can’t shake the feeling that Rose is a powerful artifact in her own right. I have to admit I’m impressed by how casually this kingdom’s leaders use her. I mean, hell, they pay her peanuts and send her on suicide missions. Honestly, this kingdom is run by some pretty heartless bastards. “<Hey, Alice, once we establish a two-way link with Earth, we should send some Kisaragi researchers into the ruins. Also, make sure we officially add Rose to our ranks.>” “<I agree. She’s already looks like one of our mutants. All we need to do is get her into the right mind-set and she’ll make a powerful Combat Agent.” “…Um, why are you two suddenly speaking in that strange language again?” Our sudden switch to Japanese is clearly making Rose’s anxiety worse. Alice and I reassuringly put our hands on Rose’s shoulders. “Rose, from here on out, the two of us will cure you of your ignorance. Starting today, you’re officially one of us.” “You’re still a child, so you’ll need proper indoctrination. You should feel free to think of me as your mother.” “Alice, you’re younger than I am! I’m going to have to pass on the lesson. I bet you’re planning on teaching me some strange things… And what is this badge?! I don’t want this!” Alice attaches an official Kisaragi badge to Rose’s chest. “Congratulations, you’re now a Combat Agent in training,” I tell her. “Congrats! From here on out, not only is Six your boss but he’s also your mentor. Listen to him carefully.” “Wh-what? No! You two look like you’re planning something… Wait, why are you clapping? Stop it! I’m fine with the way things are right now! B-boss? What’s that in your hand?! Whatever it is, I’m not eating it! You can’t make me eat grasshoppers or silicone or anything weird!”
Chapter 5
18 min read