Editing Sorcery Hacker:Volume4 Phase01 (section)

===Part 4===

“Huh? Geranud?”

“Isa- hey, Isabella! Where have you been all this time!?”

The children exchanged glances in the grassy field.

The Royal Guards had left on 14th Princess Carrisy’s command.

The “village” of tents and box huts, the wreckage of the train, and the rubble from the bridge had been left behind, but based on what she had said, a team working directly for 3rd Prince Hemmij might come by at a later date to clean it all up.

The crisis was over, but it had gone far from perfect.

The Combined Royal Family was on edge thanks to the king’s illness. That sounded like trouble when Queen Astaroth Revolver was involved, but now 14th Princess Carrisy would be on the lookout for Ayato. A Sorcery Hacker gained nothing from having his appearance and name known.

(I guess I just have to deal with it all one step at a time.)

The open field provided a liberating sense of freedom, but the conspiracy was underway inside the cramped capital. He had to return there to stop that devil.

“Geranud.”

“Huh? What do you want?”

“I have a request. Our circumstances mean we can’t reenter the capital through the front bridge. And by circumstances, I mean that I’m carrying these.”

Ayato indicated the linkage monitor crystal tarot cards that were a Sorcery Hacker’s tools of the trade.

“But we need to get in there. There’s something we have to prevent. Geranud, you saw how the Combined Royal Family isn’t in any state to focus on the real problem at hand, right? A villain is strutting around the capital. If we don’t stop her, a lot of people will suffer.”

3025th Prince Geranud grinned in a way that didn’t suit his young age.

“What makes you think we know a way up top?”

“You made that candy for the other children. The one made by heating sugar and baking soda with a spoon and lighter. Miss Mamilis helped you.”

“Honeycomb candy!” exclaimed Isabella excitedly.

Ayato wagged his finger.

“That lighter was brand new. It’s only natural you’d rely on lighters on the bottom level since you can’t get sorcery guns there, but that one didn’t belong. Your only source of tech is the malfunctioning unmanned flying sorcery devices, so it should have been more dented and scratched.”

3025th Prince Geranud sighed and shrugged.

Then he fanned out a few bundles of paper. Each bundle was the paper currency for a different level.

Teleria’s eyes widened.

“Y-you have all that money!? Then couldn’t you get better clothes and food?”

“No, I can’t.” Geranud scowled in his filthy shirt. “Hey, lady. The ones who’ll get robbed if they have nice stuff is the little kids, not me. And that kind of luxury does something to people. I’ve seen it myself while sneaking into all the different levels. Let me be clear: the people on the bottom level are the only ones who really have their heads on straight.”

Most likely, they could never understand what he meant by that.

Unless they chose to throw out everything they had and live on the bottom level.

“Besides, this money isn’t for me to use. It’s a lifeline for a real emergency like if someone gets hurt or sick. We don’t have sorcery guns on the bottom level and hiring someone to use healing magic ain’t cheap.”

3025th Prince Geranud pouted his lips a bit while looking at Teleria’s handguns.

“The currency on each level is different, but there are people on the higher levels who will help us out. I have to pay them, but they will use healing magic with their sorcery guns for us. The most popular subject for plays and storybooks is ''romance across a class divide,'' right? Everyone acts like they’re following all the rules, but a lot of people are actually sick and tired of the class system.”

If that was true, then the capital might be salvageable after all.

Maybe it wasn’t just the lower levels looking up with longing. Maybe the wealthy and the nobles at the top also found the silly barriers and stratification uncomfortable. They just never said anything about it.

“Then your answer is…?”

“Yeah, ''I know a way to move between levels.'' And I do owe you for saving Isabella, so I guess I can let you in on the secret.”

That settled it.

Ayato shook the little prince’s hand.

(I don’t like how everything went the way that bull wanted it to. Like it always seems to.)

But this was a first step.

And just as Ayato’s group was turning back toward the capital…

“…”

“What is it, Aya-”

Teleria’s question died on her lips.

3025th Prince Geranud had a puzzled look on his face.

One of the armored train’s cars was lying nearby. Its thick side armor had some large wounds, like it had been slashed by a ferocious beast’s claws. Except these clearly formed writing. That made it plain this had been no accident. Someone had destroyed the powerful train and then left this message. Knowing that Ayato would investigate.

The writing spelled out a single word.

“Hexajinx…”

Ayato stood stock-still as he read the series of letters carved into the wall of the destroyed train car.

That was the name he had once used as the strongest and most ruthless Forward.

“''The 6th shot devil.''”