Chapter 201

A few days after Spica took over Neoplus. Everyone in town praised Governor Sandberry’s new policies. What they didn’t know—the governor had been thrown in jail and replaced by a loony vampire. “Ridiculous” didn’t even begin to cover it. I couldn’t exactly wash my hands of it, though, as I’d blown up the government office myself, but taking advantage of it to usurp the state was all Spica. And Fuyao’s heinous power. She turned into the governor and made everything go our way. “Mmm… Nope!” Spica stretched as she sat down in the governor’s chair in the middle of her wrecked office. Lingzi cordially set a cup of black tea on the desk. Neoplus’s ruler gulped it all down without a word of thanks, then smiled. “There is not a single document regarding Star Citadel in this building. I was sure there would be something… But Terakomari did blow up the place! As punishment, you will be my dog from now on!” “Eat my shorts.” “That’s a wrench in our plans! We’ve got no choice but to make Governor Sandberry spill the beans. Tryphon, how’s it going?” “Not promising.” Tryphon furrowed his brow as he sipped his tea. “I am torturing her with needles, but she shows no overt reaction. Circumstantial evidence indicates she is clearly Star Citadel’s Nefty Strawberry, but she won’t own up to anything…” By the way, Tremolo was the one who had given them Nefty’s name. That bard sure was loose-lipped. “And I thought she was just some dumb girl.” “I’ll do everything to make her squeal, but it might take some time.” “Okay! Do anything that’s necessary. Just get something out of her!” We still had no idea where Yusei was. That character was as elusive as a cloud. What were they even like? Well, probably a crazy killer, that was for sure. “Your Highness, what will we do next?” Fuyao asked. Spica jumped out of her chair. “You really gotta ask?! Smash through the front door!” “Front door? Where…?” Her blue eyes glowed like stars. “Into the jaws of the beast! Star Cave!” Star Cave was a hole in the center of Neoplus. It hadn’t been more than eight years since they started excavation, but thanks to the restless efforts of the numerous mercenaries, the mining pit was now so big that people called it an underground dungeon. Lately, the city had been warning against reckless expansion for fear of subsidence. We stood at the entrance of the dungeon. I screamed and kicked and thrashed, protesting about not wanting to go, but then Spica said she would kill me, and I realized my hissy fit was meaningless. I had no choice but to help Inverse Moon. I mean, I’m already a terrorist, since I wrecked the government office… “The energy here is fiery… It reminds me of the Heavenly Ball,” Lingzi muttered, impressed. A bunch of mercenaries assembled by the entrance, and lines of stalls cried for their attention. It did feel like a festival. Spica’s wanton policies had created a new mining boom. “…Hmm?” I saw Fuyao standing still in front of a stall. What is she looking at? …Inari sushi? “What? You want some?” I asked. “………No,” said Fuyao. “But you like fried tofu. I’m sure you’ve gotta like inari sushi, too.” “Don’t you dare treat inari sushi and fried tofu like they’re the same, or I’ll kill you.” I freaked out. I was aware I wasn’t the best talker, so I might’ve rubbed her the wrong way, but this foxgirl was unbelievable to reply with that. I could not possibly be friends with her. My instincts screamed at me to stay away. Look away and step aside. “Wow! It’s overflowing with people! And they’re all just here for the money! Humankind is doomed!” Spica said. “Stop yelling those things! You’re making the scary guys glare at us!” I shouted. “Glare right back at them! Let’s go! Exploring time!” I sighed. “Don’t tell me we’re really diving into full-fledged investigation now. I’m not mentally prepared.” “It’d be hilariously crazy if we just went on a stroll and ended up killing Yusei and Tremolo on the way, but we’re doing a survey first. A preliminary investigation while Tryphon is getting intel on his side. I wanna see with my own eyes what Star Cave and the Varmints are like, and look around to see if a Dark Core could really be in here.” Spica walked off without a care in the world. She went to reception and yelled, “Four children, please!!” This ain’t no theme park! You’re making the receptionist give us weird looks! “…You do have a license, but will you really be all right in there?” asked the guy at reception. “Don’t worry! Terakomari here looks super weak, but she’s the strongest vampire ever! She’s skewered a billion people at once with her pinkie finger!” Spica said. “Please stop. Seriously, you’re embarrassing me,” I said. “She’s also plotting to take over the world and exterminate humanity!” “Are you the CEO of Six Nations News or what?!” “…That sounds very ambitious, but the problem is the mine is a bit tied up right now.” The guy frowned, ignoring Spica’s nonsense. “What happened?” “Varmints.” Lingzi tugged on my sleeve. It was then that I noticed an odd crowd in the plaza. Everyone looked troubled. A woman was clinging to some mercenaries, pleading with immense anguish. “…What’s going on?” “The Varmints have been popping up outside Star Cave lately, and one just went on a rampage in the plaza. A few mercenaries ended up wounded, and the Varmint got away. It took a kid with it, too.” “Wha…?!” “That woman must be the kid’s mother. She’s been asking all the mercenaries to go save her child, but…” None of them seemed interested. Though they appeared to pity her, they acted as if it wasn’t their problem. “Unfortunately, no one comes out unscathed from Varmint encounters. Nobody wants to risk their life by breaking some bones to save the kid.” “What the…?” I was shocked to hear about the monster attack, but I was more speechless at the fact none of the adults cared about saving a child. “Those mercenaries…” Fuyao stared at the plaza emotionlessly. “Are they gonna leave the kid to die? They could be alive out there.” “Putting it bluntly, yeah. But they have a job to do. Wouldn’t make much business sense to do unpaid work.” “…” “Anyway, I can’t recommend you go into Star Cave with the risk of Varmints so high right now. Even the mercenaries are on edge. A perfect day for mining ruined. They’ll be going home soo— Hey, wait!” I stopped listening to the guy in the middle of his spiel and walked over to the crowd. The mercenaries gave me weird looks, but I ignored them. I went over to the begging woman and clenched my hands, looking at her. “What does your child look like…?” “Huh…?” She stared at me like she was dreaming. I knew. Nobody in the Netherworld knew the Seven Crimson Lords. In this world, Terakomari Gandesblood was nothing but a one-in-a-billion knockout beauty. “Tell me. I’m going into Star Cave.” “No… What are you saying? You’re also just a kid…” “That I may be! But I’m also a commander and a mercenary.” I took my guild card out of my pocket. The woman gasped upon seeing it. “You’ll really do it…?” “Yes.” I had no idea if I could actually save them, but I had to try. “Look at that. I can’t believe it.” Someone whistled mockingly. The mercenaries nearby pointed at me and laughed. “She’s crazy.” “She’s playing the hero?” “That kid’s dead meat.” This had already started to dawn on me, but there was something bleak about this city. You could tell the hearts of the people were rotten. Had they wound up like this after being blinded by money, or were they like this from the beginning? Their spitefulness nearly broke my spirit. “Hey. Getting us more work?” Fuyao came up to me, giving me an annoyed look. “Let’s go already. We’ve got no time to lose.” “Ah, yeah.” She walked over to Star Cave, her tail swaying. Hmm. Could it be she’s actually a nice girl…? But she was an evil terrorist who’d hurt Karla and had done so much wrong during the Vampire Riots… I don’t understand. What’s with Inverse Moon? “Komari, Spica’s already inside.” Lingzi ran up to me. “She was fuming, saying it could be Star Citadel’s work. I think she might have a strong sense of justice.” Did she, really? I didn’t understand her, either. Fuyao and Tryphon sure have it rough, being dragged along by her… No, wait. What am I doing, feeling for these terrorists? I must be tired. “…Hee-hee, you’re so upright, Komari.” “What does that mean?” “Just like when you saved me, you’re always thinking of helping people. That’s why I feel encouraged when I’m with you.” “You overestimate me. Anyway, we gotta rescue that kid quickly.” “Yes. I’ll give it my all, too.” Lingzi and I ran after Spica and Fuyao. We had to get through Star Cave at any cost. Between Star Citadel, Meihua, the Varmints, and the kid, there were too many alarming factors in play, but I couldn’t let my anxiety get the best of me. A purple world lay beyond the hole. The air chilled the spine, and the echoes of overlapping footsteps and animal cries pierced the ear. The path through the cave was wider than I expected; we could walk side by side with room to spare. This part of the road was well maintained, being at the entrance. I imagined it would be jam-packed with mercenaries on a normal day, but I couldn’t see any at the moment due to the Varmint attacks. “…It’s brighter in here than I thought.” “That’s thanks to the light of the Mandala minerals. So pretty…” Lingzi sighed. The inside of Star Cave was aglow in a glossy purple. It was the luminescence of the Mandala minerals buried in the walls. No need for a torch, huh? “Extracting the minerals from this zone is forbidden, to maintain a source of light. These ones are low purity anyway, so the mercenaries would rather go for something bigger.” The girl wearing a lab coat, Lonne Cornelius, explained this to us while staring at our map of Star Cave. She had sneaked into the mine ahead of us to investigate. “By the way, the glow comes from mana. The people of the Netherworld are wasting this treasure because they don’t know how to use magic.” “Oh, the woes of ignorance. And, Cornelius, what’s with the ice pick?” asked Spica. “Hmm? Well, I was thinking of mining some Mandala minerals.” “Didn’t you just say you can’t mine here?” Clang!! Clang!! Cornelius wore an eerie smile as she dug without concern. “Inverse Moon owns Neoplus now. There’s no reason for us to abide by the rules. Hey, I got one! Look at this!” Will she be okay? What if the mercenaries beat her up later? “Hee-hee… This magnificent glow! If I use this right, I could start a whole new line of research! Just imagine—glowing shiitake.” “Excuse me?! There’s a criminal here mining where she shouldn’t be!!” said Spica. “Whoooa?! Don’t tell on me, Your Highness!!” Spica cackled. “Stop playing.” Fuyao glared at Cornelius. “Tell us about the Varmints.” “Awww…” I imagined how hard the girl wearing a lab coat must’ve had it on a daily basis with Inverse Moon. It was a glimpse into its power dynamics. “Okay.” Cornelius flipped through her notebook’s pages with discontent. “I saw the attack at the plaza. A black beast appeared out of nowhere and started attacking person after person. The mercenaries fought back, but it was too fast. They couldn’t deal with it, and it grabbed a kid and ran into Star Cave. It was literally wild.” “How are Varmints different from regular animals?” “Good question, Terakomari.” Her eyes twinkled behind her glasses. “That thing cannot possibly be a regular animal; you’ll understand once you see it. It’s black like it’s made from ink, and it can freely change its shape.” “I told you it was a black cat…” “That wouldn’t be fun. Its basic shape is that of an animal, but that’s more of a magical phenomenon than a creature. It could be the result of someone’s willpower. What we can say for certain is that Star Citadel has to be related.” I didn’t care a lot about the logic behind the Varmints. The fact was monsters were attacking people, and it made my heart race. “Is the kid all right…?” “Who knows?! Maybe they’re in the Varmint’s stomach by now!” Spica said. “Don’t say that! We gotta find them quickly…” “Maybe you’ll end up in their tummy instead!” “Ugh, you have a point… Do you think we can take it on…?” I asked Cornelius. “Terakomarin, don’t you remember your Core Implosion? Surely the Varmint can’t hold a candle to your Blood Curse.” Cornelius flashed an optimistic smile. “To tell the truth, I’m very interested in your Core Implosion. I’d love to take a look at it firsthand. We have records of the vampire, Warblade, Peace Spirit, and Immortal versions—now we just need the full Sapphire and beast-folk versions. There’s a fox right there, so how about you sample her blood?” “Huh? Wai—” Cornelius pushed me in front of Fuyao. The foxgirl glared daggers at me. “Aw,” I moaned. “…” “…” It was too awkward. I felt like it would be rude to tell Fuyao I would never suck her blood, but asking her if I could would be depraved. Lingzi couldn’t stand by and say nothing; she poked my back. “…If push comes to shove, suck mine?” “Y-yeah! There we have it!” “…Hmph.” Fuyao swayed her tail and looked away. Spica narrowed her eyes. “Fuyao, haven’t you been a bit too quiet lately?” “No.” “What’s with the other girl?” “My ‘tail’ personality? Nothing…” Fuyao looked up at the shiny ceiling and sighed. “…She’s just sleeping. Really messes with my energy.” I observed the foxgirl curiously. She looked confused. Scared. Her expression was oddly nuanced for the cold-blooded killer I knew. The inside of Star Cave wasn’t a straight path. There were tunnels going every which way. The place was a labyrinth any first-timer would get lost in. This was a consequence of mercenaries digging at random trying to find their own special spot, and they kept digging new tunnels to this day. Apparently, not even the local government had a full grasp of it. The map showed only the main route; it was impossible to map out the countless branches the mercenaries had dug on a whim. “Whoooa?! I can’t believe it! It’s full of pure Mandala minerals! Can we snatch some?! Yes, we can!” Cornelius jumped up and down like a kid. We arrived at an open space about an hour into exploring. This had to be the forefront of the main route. There were digging tools all over the place, and a few chairs and tables for resting. The ceiling was tall enough to fit a giraffe from the Lapelico Kingdom, with space to spare. We got to the bottom of the cave before we knew it. What grabbed our attention the most was a purple wall of rock in front of us. The pure (in Cornelius’s words) Mandala minerals glowed blindingly bright. Those are some pretty rocks. I get why they sell for so much. I started wanting some for my own. A choker or a pendant made of them would look nice on Vill— No, stay on task. “Cornelius! Do you know where the kid is?!” “What are you saying, Terakomarin? That doesn’t matter right now! Let’s snatch all the minerals while the miners aren’t around!” What the…? I knew Inverse Moon couldn’t be trusted. I ignored the scientist and split up with Lingzi to search the place. This was the forefront—a dead end. A Varmint could be hiding in the shadows. “…Nothing. Maybe they’re farther in?” “Mmm…” We scanned the whole place and found no trace. We might have to check out every other path. “Well, that’s not good!” Spica shouted. “And there’s no Dark Core or Star Citadel, either! Maybe we should blow the whole thing up! Cornelius, you got any bombs that can wipe out a whole country?!” “We are not blowing this place up. Losing these minerals would be a net loss for humanity.” “Who cares about these rocks? Humanity’s weird! Off with you!” “You’re a part of humanity, too, you kno— Hey, don’t smash them! That was the biggest clump!” Headache-inducing voices echoed in the cave. The light of the minerals was blinding. “…You think the Varmint took Meihua, too?” Lingzi stared at the purple wall with worry. “I don’t know…but that could be.” “Yeah. I hope everyone is all right…” I didn’t want to give her false hope. But being negative wasn’t good, either. We could whine and cry after we looked through the whole of Star Cave. “Let’s go, Lingzi.” “Yeah…” I placed my hand on her back and turned around to search one of the other routes, but then… “Wait. I hear something.” Fuyao froze, hand on her katana’s hilt. I came to a halt after seeing the ominous look on her face. “What? You sure it’s not your imagination?” “There’s a slight shake in the air.” Anxious, I strained my ears. I had no idea what a “shake in the air” even sounded like. I could hear the echoes of our footsteps, Spica and Cornelius’s banter, and something crawling overhead… “Listen to me! Stop crushing the precious minerals!” “But they’re perfect for training my grip!” “You’re already strong enough as is! You don’t understand!” “You got that right! But you’re the one who doesn’t understand, Cornelius.” “No, that’s you, Your Highness! Mandala minerals might revolutionize energy as we know it! Can your fists do that?!” “No, what I mean is that you don’t understand death’s right around the corner.” “What? Death…?” Spica playfully pointed right above Cornelius. The girl wearing a lab coat looked up. Then I saw a giant shadow charge at her. “Eek!” I was paralyzed from the shock. Fuyao clicked her tongue and ran. Lingzi hurried to take her iron fan out of her pocket … But they were both too late. The shadow plummeted on top of Cornelius. Bwoooom!! The cave itself shook. Lingzi and I screamed as we were swept off our feet. Sand fell on us. My butt hurt. I tottered back up while helping Lingzi off the ground. Dust covered my whole view. I could only see a giant black shadow beyond. “Heh… So this is a Varmint.” Fuyao wore a bold grin. The real thing was far bigger than I imagined. I’d pictured it being the size of a big dog, but it was larger than a fat elephant. It had two forelegs and two hind legs. It resembled a dog in shape, but true to the stories, it was pitch-black and had a blurry silhouette. “Eep…” Lingzi covered her mouth and retreated a step. The Varmint was chewing. What’s it eating? Was there any food over there? My brain refused to see the reality. It swallowed. Spica clapped, laughing. “Ah-ha-ha-ha! It ate Cornelius!” What? Wh-what? What’re you laughing about…?! Fear took hold of my body, and then the Varmint kicked the ground. The black mass ran like the wind—toward Lingzi and me. “WAAAH!!” I fell on my butt again. Cornelius alone wasn’t enough to fill its belly. We were next on the menu. To think my first death would be at the jaws of a fiery beast. Hold up. First? No, that’s not right. We’re in the Netherworld. Mulnite’s Dark Core isn’t here. This is gonna be my last death. My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open at my belated realization. “Komari!!” A high-pitched voice echoed in Star Cave. Peafowl-like clothing fluttered with the wind. Lingzi stopped the Varmint by smacking her fan on its face. I’m saved… But only for a moment. The Varmint let out a ferocious roar. Lingzi yelped and staggered. She lost her balance, then was blown back like a ball. “Lingzi…!” Bloodlust. I didn’t have the time to look back at my friend. The beast’s jet-black eyes were right in front of me. Anger, sadness, agony, and every other negative emotion thrashed at my skin. I was as still as a frog under a snake’s glare.