Editing Godhorn Tech:Volume2 Chapter5 (section)

===Chapter 5, Section 1===

The Wicked God horn brought peace.

But it also fueled the next catastrophe.



Night had fully fallen.

They could not relax enough for a strategy meeting inside the ruined Empire covered in the mystery red dust called rusty mana. How could they when it could destroy the Divine Doll when at high enough concentrations? They could not leave Number 8 where he was either. Washing off the red sludge was not enough to rouse him.

That was why Miyabi’s party returned to the ship abandoned on dry land near the Empire’s ruins.

Maybe the wind played a role, but the red had not yet encroached upon the wasteland to the north.

The fact that the mysterious abandoned ship actually seemed comfortable may have shown just how tough they had gotten.

“Phew. Purification magic just can’t compete with some everyday necessities. Like a shower,” said Celina. “I just hope that little adventure didn’t take years off of our lives.”

“Based on the samples the Republic has taken, short-term skin contact has no effect on life,” said Helen. “Assuming it hasn’t been concentrated into that sludge, of course. Long-term oral or mucus membrane intake has been shown to cause abnormal growth in certain Beast Novae.”

“Discriminatory language!!” shouted Alicia. “What are you saying, that my chest is going to grow overnight!? Am I going to have watermelons bouncing around on my chest!? Oh, Alma, they can be so hurtful! Please comfort me!!”

The girls’ voices sounded muffled but not because Miyabi Blackgarden’s mind was elsewhere.

The abandoned ship’s interior remained intact and that included the bath.

That was one of the main reasons they had turned back instead of continuing onward. They had wanted someplace they knew they could rest, but they had also been dying for a bath. And there was still plenty of firewood made from the felled masts.

The radio had been thrown to the deck outside.

Miyabi was sitting with his back to a weathered wood wall and he could hear the girls’ voices through that wall.

He shut his eyes and focused on the fact that everyone was safe.

“These are the moments you live for, aren’t they?”

“Moebius?”

The young man rolled up with a smile.

He had fought using the Lucifer Horn more often than Miyabi and saved many more people. He had fought with entire regions, whole countries, and maybe even the full continent riding on the outcome. How many times had he been able to indulge in the relief of knowing his party members were all safe afterwards?

He was a legend – a fixer who made a living taking jobs that saved entire countries.

“The girls have let their guard down due to the unique mixture of exhaustion and the joy of survival, so now’s your chance to peep!!”

“It scares me that someone like you controlled a Godhorn Tech for even a moment.” The redhead boy breathed a somewhat exasperated sigh. “What are you going to do now? Stick with us?”

“No, giving you the Lucifer Horn would’ve been pretty pointless if I did that. I want to leave the world’s troubles behind and relax. Live that slow life that’s all the rage these days☆”

“…”

Scratch the somewhat.

Miyabi was truly exasperated now. Meanwhile, Moebius Entrance whispered something under his breath.

“(Also, you’ve started down a different path from me. The power of creation, huh? If I helped you out, you’d be right back on the boring-as-hell path of destruction, destruction, and more destruction.)”

“Moebius?”

“It’s nothing.” He shook his head. “Anyway, I’ll be searching for some comfortable place in the middle of nowhere to settle down. Some friendly place with no sign of Godhorn Techs or the fight against the 11th.”

“Then I know just the place.”

Miyabi grabbed the short control sword in both hands and stabbed it into the ship’s deck.

“Lucifer Horn!” he roared before Moebius could say a word. “One-way trip for one!!”

A wire dangling from the heavens caught the grinning young man’s wheelchair.

“Wait, what are you doing!?”

“Oh, right! I forget to mention!!” Miyabi quickly shouted to the wheelchair being yanked from the deck. “The Lucifer Horn can use bombs now! You should have told me it could adapt to new weapons like that! I might never have figured it out!!”

Moebius himself had set up Horn Fortress as a secret base, so he was in no position to refuse.



Moebius Entrance was enjoying a pleasure flight with imminent death as a constant companion.

But while he clutched the wheelchair’s armrests for dear life, a different tension filled him too.

He must have known no one could hear him way up in the air, but he still spoke aloud. Or maybe he said it aloud ''because'' he knew no one could hear him.

“Hold on. The Lucifer Horn’s horn extraction system was witchcraft. It should only have that energy beam attack created by injecting a special potion into the horn to forcibly boost its light.”

He looked straight up at the Godhorn Tech carrying him.

The legendary fixer seemed to be complaining directly to his former partner.

“''I had no idea you could do that.''”



Back on the abandoned ship, Celina Bodenburg had apparently finished her bath. She still had steam rising from her as she poked her head out and saw Miyabi.

“We’re all done in there. Oh? What are you doing out here?”

“Ridding us of a peeping tom.”

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Celina gave a start and moved back a few steps when she heard that. Then Alicia Blueforest, also fresh out of the bath, arrived with Alma’s black cat form in her arms.

“There you are, boy. The bath is free. Go soak in our used bathwater.”

“I-in what world is that a normal thing to say!?” protested Celina. “There is something wrong with you!”

The elf usually bathed outdoors, so she could be careless about such things. An unexpected encounter with a defenseless elf was sometimes how an innocent boy got a crash course on the female body.

Helen arrived last and sighed in exasperation.

“This elf might live a wild life of stealing vegetables from people’s fields, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us aren’t more civilized. Speaking of which, our next stop is your hometown, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Celina Bodenburg got down to business. “Our next destination is the criminal port city where my company has its headquarters. It is south from here and will take a while on foot.”

Alicia Blueforest gave her a skeptical look.

“I don’t like the sound of that description.”

“Ahem. To make this as simple as possible, I would describe the city like this.” The local actually cleared her throat first. “That place is baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad news.”

Wet-haired Helen Clockgear held her head.

“The Republic really does have it marked as ‘visit with extreme caution’. It’s best to assume it isn’t anything like a normal city.”

“Koo?”

“Then maybe we should make some preparations before we go there.” Miyabi Blackgarden rubbed his chin. “Do we head straight there, or do we make a detour to a safe town beforehand?”



They ended up choosing the direct route.

Their reasoning was simple: they had to deal with Number 8. They had no idea if he was even fixable, but any chance they had now might go to waste if the vibrations of dragging him around or the wind, rain, and other weather conditions caused further internal damage.

“This would be so much easier if you had the Lucifer Horn take him to Horn Fortress,” complained the radio hanging from Alicia’s neck.

“Wouldn’t we tear that half-broken thing to pieces if we tried snagging him with that wire? Then we would lose any information he has on the 11th.”

Miyabi had exposed an injured man to that exact same treatment, but that was a sign of how much he trusted Moebius Entrance. He knew dropping that legendary fixer from the sky wasn’t enough to kill him.

Helen took charge like usual and spread out a parchment map.

“This is how it looks on the map. Once we arrive south of the Empire’s ruins, we take a curving path southeast to reach the southernmost point of the continent.”

“We can’t just pass through here?”

Miyabi pointed at the actual plains, not the ones on the map. A stone-paved road drew a line across the green grassy ground.

“The map shows a crack there, so no.” Helen shook her head and traced her finger along a sewing needle to magically transform it into a compass. “How it works still isn’t known, but there are impassible deep cracks in the ground at some places. Dangerous miasma flows out, so no one knows what things are like deep inside.”

“There are rumors saying a Wicked God will crawl back out if you throw a nonhuman species inside,” said Alicia.

She went on to explain that those rumors were entirely baseless.

Miyabi’s takeaway was that they had to read the map carefully to avoid dying. They ended up leaving the stone-paved road to travel along a side path of packed-down grass.

It helped to have an experienced traveler in your party.



The color of the sky seemed to have changed. It was now a brilliant bright blue.

The air also carried an odd smell.

It was not quite the same as rot. It was a unique scent, but not a bad one.

“I can finally smell the salt in the air,” said Celina.

“Salt?”

Miyabi pictured the small shaker on the dinner table, but that could not be what she meant.

“Oh? Miyabi, is this your first time to see the sea?”

“See the see? What?”

“Hee hee. Then this might come as a shock for you.”

The rich girl was in a stupendous mood.

Miyabi noticed something else before they arrived. He heard something he did not recognize.

“What’s that? I’ve never heard so much meowing. Does your city have a lot of cats?”

“Ho ho ho. Kitties aren’t the only creature to hunt down fish at the oceanside, Miyabi. Those are seabirds.”

It turned out there were a lot of different seabirds.

There were some crow-sized ones with white wings that were related to swallows and there were even some that looked like scantily-clad girls with wings for arms.

“Gasp, those are harpies!” shouted Helen. “They’re dangerous Beast Novae!!”

No one paid the elf’s cry of “discriminatory language!!” any heed.

“It’s just that kind of city.” Celina shrugged. “And harpies are great. They’re smart enough to do what you tell them and they always return home when you send them out from your window. Both humans and monsters trust them. You can love them as a pet or give them jobs. They’re especially useful as hunter harpies who accompany you on hunting trips or as messenger harpies that deliver letters to distant locations.”

“If you want a clever pet, just get a dog. Why would you start talking about chaining up nonhumans and raising them as pets when you know an elf can hear you?”

“If a dog had the face of a cute girl, it would be a thing of nightmares, you stupid elf. There’s nothing beautiful about them.”

They heard the flapping of wings and then a large form swooped down toward Celina, so she held her arm out horizontally as a perch.

“My Millovannes is very well behaved, as you can see. Hee hee. Now, now, Millovannes, we can love on each other later. Oh, you spoiled thing, you’ll make Miyabi jealous if we do this in front of him. Oh, you☆”

''U-um, uh, isn’t it slashing at your face with its thick talons? Um.'' Miyabi very much wanted to say something, but the more mature Helen and Eliza covered his mouth.

He was not to shatter the friendly girl’s dreams.

Celina was smiling so happily even with something red spurting from her badly-damaged forehead and temple.

“Anyway, you will see plenty of the port’s many seabirds once we are in the city. So, Miyabi, are you a dog person or a cat person. If the former, you can take a look at the well-trained guard dogs and military dogs. If the latter, you can check out the swarms of thieving cats hoping to snag some fish. Welcome to the criminal city where everyone loves their pets☆”

“Hm, so it works on the theory that delinquents have a soft spot for abandoned cats, does it?” said the radio. “It is true the lonely delinquent girl with a damaged heart is something you’ll only find in a fantasy world! I’m hoping for a fashionable and good-looking blonde gyaru!! Especially if she’s handy around the house, loves baths, and looks after any of the gang when they catch a cold!!”

“Oh, no. A big city like this is sure to be crawling with elfphobes!” said Alicia. “Please don’t let me be captured in a giant bug net and sold off at some market somewhere!!!!!”

And.

“Ohh!” shouted Miyabi.

Once they crossed a certain line, the view changed.

A city was built along a gentle downwards slope. All the buildings had white walls and orange roofs and it had a very different feel from his village or Eliza’s Arsenal Kingdom. There was no wall around the city, so it felt a lot more open.

But Miyabi Blackgarden’s focus was elsewhere.

He was not even viewing the city.

His eyes moved past the gentle slope and to the great expanse beyond it.

“What is that? There’s a huge body of water over there!! Is that more than just a lake!?”

“Heh heh heh. That, my friend, is the ocean. Shipbuilding is yet another of the Bodenburg Company’s major industries, so- hey, wait, Miyabi!”

The boy was not listening to her any more than he was viewing the city.

He and black cat Alma rushed off at full speed. They had never seen anything like the ocean before.

“Whoa! Hey, jackass! Watch where you’re fucking going!!!!!”

On his third step down the gentle slope, someone cussed him out.

It would have been one thing if the culprit was a rough-looking young man, but unfortunately, this was what looked like a lovely flower seller girl. And this was her reaction when he only ''almost'' ran into her.

Seeing the boy tearfully curled up on the side of the road and trembling, Celina put a hand on her hip and smacked her forehead with the other hand.

“How many times do I have to tell you this is a criminal city? C’mon, having your bittersweet fantasies about girls shattered isn’t that big a deal. And word to the wise? Always watch where you’re going in this city.”

“Ohh. Ohhhhhhhh…”

“Leave him be!!” For some reason the radio sided with the depressed boy. “The shattering of your dreams is a rite of passage – a baptism of blood – we all must go through! He just had his soul shredded, so let him mourn!!”

[[Image:Godhorn_Tech_v02_bw8.png|thumb]]

“Oh, dear. That hit him pretty bad, so it might take a while before he recovers. Fine, then. I will help refuel his fantasies. Look, Miyabi, do you see this slight gap between my miniskirt and black socks? Now watch as I lift my skirt and make it grow☆”

“Oh, there is good in the world after all.”

“Dammit, Miyabi! I defended you! And now you don’t even know the difference between pure and lewd? I swear, the young have no taste at all. If you want that obvious junk food sexiness, you already have Curvy McGlassesTits over there! She’s only pretending to be so mature, so if you go crying to her, I guarantee you she’ll hug your face right into her chest!!”

“Don’t drag me into this silly nonsense!!” protested a blushing Helen, her attempt at being an uninvolved observer failing miserably. She did not want to be viewed in the same category as the skirt teaser (who had miscalculated and accidentally lifted the skirt enough to see everything).

The bright sun shined down through dry air, so even a light breeze felt like a great treasure in this memorable tourist destination.

The way the sun reflected off the white walls and orange roofs made it look like the entire city was sending out welcoming rays of light.

However.

Now that the unintentional panty flasher had guided him back to reality, Miyabi took his time to observe the city more carefully.

While the lit areas were indeed bright, that accentuated the darkness of the alleys between the homes and stores. When he peeked inside one of those, he saw the sharp light of several eyes glaring back at him. He got the feeling they belonged to people who did not take kindly to intruders on their turf. In fact, he was pretty sure some of the lights were the glint of sharp blades.

Helen looked around in fear, clutching her bag in both hands. Compress Cargo magic made travel easier since you could fit so much in a small bag, but that also meant you would lose everything if that one bag was stolen. Easy to carry was also easy to steal.

“U-um, where are the knights or guards in this city? I haven’t seen a single one out on patrol.”

“Sigh, we don’t have any of those wet blankets here. We’ve long since driven out anyone who use their supposed ‘justice’ to attack anyone who criticizes their own illicit actions. Order here is preserved by the private troops of the Bodenburg Company!”

“Sounds like the South American and Eastern European cities were the gangs make the rules. She really does hold all the power here, doesn’t she?”

Even the radio was dumbfounded.

If what they saw here was the result of those private troops “preserving order”, they could guess just how effective that really was. It also explained why the Bodenburg Company was so successful. With no government officials to monitor or crack down on their dirty business practices, they were free to go hog wild.

But if you ignored the frequency of encountering crime, the quality of life here did not appear all that bad. The roads were all paved with perfectly smooth and sparkling stones, the white-walled and orange-roofed homes and shops were clean, and the street stalls had plenty of fresh fruits and fishes to go around. The Bodenburg Company apparently brought plenty of benefits to its hometown, so the locals never went hungry. People’s fashion was a lot more refined than at Miyabi’s home village. Befitting the hometown of the girl who was willing to tease a view of her underwear to cheer someone up (while oblivious to the fact that she was actually doing more than just teasing), there was no shortage of exposed skin in the criminal port town. Bare midriffs and exposed underwear straps were apparently the norm here.

Miyabi looked around in a mixture of interest and fear.

“I don’t get how a city can run on crime. How does that work?”

“Wait, Miyabi! Looking down alleys is a good way to get yourself into troub-!”

The local girl tried to stop him, but it was too late.

He had already found some trouble.

A blonde girl around his age or a little older was accompanied by several people dressed all in black. She wore a coat with the hood up…but what was that? Two thick belts hung down from the back of the coat and those belts had several knife blades sticking out. They almost looked like wings made from sharp saws, but letting them flutter in the wind had to be dangerous.

Also, she was not wearing a skirt or pants below the coat. Other than the protectors on her legs, she only wore thick belts around her chest and hips. She was certainly easy on the eyes.

Celina Bodenburg groaned loudly when she peeked into the alley. Seeing this person was enough to make you “a witness”, especially when you knew who she was. The rifle-wielding girl was especially tense because she knew the proper etiquette in this criminal city.

“Geh, why did it have to be the Neverjudge Family? Worse, it’s Phobia, the big boss’s only daughter! You have the worst luck imaginable, Miyabi!”

“What, is she a friend of yours?”

“Miyabi, this is a serious issue. She is from an unbelievably brutal gang. Any ordinary person who gets involved with them is rumored to either end up feeding the fish out at sea or finding themselves at the bottom of a special sort of bath.”

“The fish? A bath?”

Celina cleared her throat with her face somewhat red.

Suddenly finding herself left all alone to explain this to him, the precocious girl spoke more quickly than normal.

“While our company buys and sells goods and information with money, they are a professional criminal group that makes money renting out ‘violence’ as a product. They will do threats, kidnappings, robberies, murders, revenge assistance, eliminating false charges, bodyguarding, rescues, and anything else that can be accomplished through violence. And they do not ask many questions about the ethics of the job. They might attack or defend the same person depending on the specific job they receive.”

“Huh? You mean they do good things too?”

“Either way, their exorbitant fees and the rapidly snowballing interest send all of their clients to hell eventually. Our private troops will work to ‘mop them up’ from time to time, but we never can get rid of these morally-bankrupt loan sharks.”

The gang was surrounding a very different sort of person.

She was wearing a shiny black…was it called a high-leg leotard? Anyway, a very revealing leather thing plus a vest, bunny ears, fishnet stockings, and stilettos. The curvy young woman with her long red hair in twintails was exactly what she looked like.

The radio gave the correct answer.

“Take it all in, Miyabi, and take one step closer to adulthood!! That is an orthodox tuxedo-style bunny girl, one of the classy ladies who work at casinos!!!!!!”

“Could you not imply that I’m a fake one!” cut in Helen.

She would prefer to not transform into Venus, but she also did not want her efforts to go unappreciated.

Meanwhile, a conversation was underway in the back alley.

Celina stayed by Miyabi’s side and leaned forward. She seemed very curious what was going on here.

The first to speak was the gang daughter named Phobia Neverjudge.

She addressed the bunny girl her gang had surrounded.

“Work as our magician.”

“Ugh.”

“Our previous magician was trash. Terrible at following directions, no real skill to speak of, and never covered things up properly. So if you take over that position, we will overlook all that cheating at our casino.”

“Um, and if I say no?”

“You get the usual treatment. We have a special brand for cheaters. Burns an appropriate message onto their face: ‘I’m a filthy cheater. Keep an eye on me, everyone.’ ''D’you'' think any casino’ll let you in with that covering your entire face?”

“Ha ha ha, yeah. But I think half the fun in gambling is seeing how long it takes before my cheating is found out.”

“Then your life is already a failure. Interested in buying it back?”

“Ha ha ha, yeah.” The bunny girl’s laughter was weak, but she did have a reason to be laughing. “But, but. It might be miniscule, but I still have a chance. Gambling is so much fun because everyone has a chance to turn things around.”

She had noticed the newcomers and she was very hopeful.

The hope was practically radiating from her.

Miyabi’s mouth formed a small triangle and Celina slapped her forehead.

“Oh, god. Really? Fine, Miyabi, which side are you going to take? The gangsters or the cheater? Neither one is exactly a good person, so just choose whichever one strikes your fancy. Oh, but keep in mind that pretending you never saw anything counts as siding with the Neverjudge Family.”

Miyabi Blackgarden nodded deeply.

The decision was an easy one.

“Why wouldn’t I choose the sexy bunny!? I mean, she’s sexy!!”

“Sigh, is that all Miyabi sees when he looks at me?”

The bespectacled version of Venus looked like she was witnessing the end of the world.

“Tch.”

The born gangster clicked her tongue.

Phobia had also noticed the people at the alleyway entrance. When up to no good, such as when surrounding a target, the gang would naturally be focused on the entrance whether there was someone there or not.

The blade wings shook behind her as she turned to face them.

“Well, well, well. If isn’t the new money girl that thinks she’s a fairy tale knight by sending in private troops she’s paid to fight for her! How badly did you rip off that country bumpkin there when you hired him? Scratch that. I don’t care. Your forces might be more powerful, but the Family is second to none when it comes to pinpoint urban assassina-”

“Lucifer Horn!! Take her away before she can attack!!!!!!”

The Lucifer Horn roared by overhead and its wire snagged the gang daughter, whisking her away. Probably all the way to Horn Fortress somewhere out in the ocean.

The gangsters in black stared blankly now that their boss’s only daughter had vanished before their eyes.

“Ha ha.” Celina burst out laughing while aiming her flintlock rifle at the gangsters. “Ah ha ha ha ha ha!! Miyabi, you are the absolute best! So what now? We have your gang’s heir. And since she’s our new party member, you’ll want to start this new relationship off on the right foot, right?”

“…”

“March on back to whatever hideout that greedy old geezer is rotting away in and pass on a message for me. If he doesn’t want his gang torn apart over some new succession issues at this late stage in his life, he needs to start accepting only the moral jobs that come in and to be a lot more flexible in the payment plans he accepts for the people trying to pay back their loans. And convey it all verbatim. It would be a shame if any miscommunication here led to a misunderstanding that bred unnecessary ill will between us☆”

The several shadowy figures clicked their tongues and left. Miyabi’s peaceful rural upbringing left him unprepared to note the significance of them setting aside their pride and turning their backs on Celina.

Then the shiny black bunny girl collapsed limply to the ground. She ended up with her legs splayed out beneath her in an oddly sexy way. She was around the same age as Eliza and Phobia, but she had an entirely different feel to her.

“Ohhhh, ohhhhhhhh!! You saved me. What even are the odds of turning that one around? Ahh, I’m all tinglyyyyy.”

However, he got the impression she had not collapsed from relief once the fear faded away.

After enjoying some kind of sensation that sent an alluring tremor up her spine, she finally looked up at the others from the ground.

“I’m Eluné. Eluné Jackpot. FYI: professional gamblers almost never give you their real name when you first meet them☆”

“What now? People who go by fake names are almost always up to no good.”

“I did warn you, Miyabi: neither one is exactly a good person. The same applies to anyone in this city.”

Celina sounded exasperated, but was she aware that applied to her too since this was her hometown?

Eluné smiled with her round-tailed butt still pressed against the ground.

“I need to repay you for this. Boy, is this your first time in the city? Then I can introduce you to the absolute best places here.”

“You want him to take information from someone who forgot to check who owned the casino she was cheating in and got dragged into a back alley? That can only end badly.”

“But I want to repay him.”

“Ugh, enough of this,” said Alicia. “Miyabi, why not let her join the party?”

“Fine, but what can a bunny girl do for the party?”

“She can give Venus a few pointers, making her even sexier. And I’m talking about things too indecent for the daylight hours.”

“That is not happening!!” protested the glasses woman, but no one was listening.

The real bunny girl’s face lit up.

“Join your party? I accept, I accept! I can just tell you’re on some exciting adventure! If I let this opportunity pass me by, I might as well retire as a gambler. I’m in, I’m in, I am so in!!”

“Um, okay then. I’ve got another one for you, Lucifer Horn!!”

Another wire arrived to collect the black bunny girl. She was such a risk junky that she actually managed to blow him a kiss while she was swept away into the sky.

After a bit, Eliza tilted her head.

“Wait.”

“What is it?”

“Well…sending that gang daughter – Phobia was it? – to Horn Fortress was fine, but you just sent Eluné there as well. Won’t that just lead to Round 2 once they encounter each other there?”

“…”

“And isn’t that a remote island surrounded by powerful barriers? Sh-she’s trapped there with Phobia.”

They all fell silent. The Lucifer Horn was no longer visible in the sliver of blue sky seen from the narrow alley.

Eventually, Miyabi nodded.

“Well, she seemed to like high-stakes gambles.”

“I just hope this doesn’t end with a dead body in the ocean over there,” said Alicia.



Miyabi’s party had already received an initiation into how the criminal city worked, but they could not let that scare them away.

The only way to make use of the city’s unique resources was to get used to the city’s ways.

They needed to repair the imperial automaton and ask him about the 11th who had pretended to be the emperor to command him.

Eliza glanced around while carrying Number 8’s limp form on her back.

“There is so much here my kingdom lacked. For one, the city is not lit by fires and tallow lamps.”

“Yes, these are cutting-edge gas lamps you see alongside the road. Hee hee. You are in for a surprise tonight. Metal foil is used to color the fires red, yellow, and blue. Each and every shop appears to be shining.”

“Hm. I had noticed glass tubes bent into letters like balloon art, but are those made to be illuminated? That explains why all the signs are transparent and hard to read. For example, what is that shop supposed to be?”

“…”

Celina sealed her lips shut and refused to answer.

She must have been unwilling to speak the name Bubble Bath Paradise out loud.

Helen the hall monitor placed a finger on the bridge of her glasses and stared like she could not believe her eyes.

“The bars are garish, the casinos have no rate limits and are buddy-buddy with loan sharks, I’m willing to bet the pawn shops are full of stolen goods, and those ‘theatres’ look more like the kind of place where the performers take their clothes of for tips. Wow, there’s even a battle arena where people actually lose their lives. Nothing on this street would be legal in the Republic. And the other street at this intersection appears to be nothing but hotels.”

“You’re awfully good at recognizing such establishments for someone who doesn’t approve of them,” said Alicia. “Got more of an interest in some of them than you’re letting on, perhaps?”

“Th-that information is necessary for working undercover!!”

Alma was looking all around from Miyabi’s feet.

“Koo…” said the black cat creature with a shiver.

“What’s wrong, Alma?” asked Alicia. “If you’re scared, then I’ll make a hammock out of my skirt for you. Ha ha ha. Yes, just jump on in!”

“Country Girl Limited Edition Strawberry Picker Chef’s Special Elf! Lift that skirt a little higher! Yes, even higher than that!! Wait, but how am I ever supposed to see that glorious fabric triangle when looking down from your neck!?”

The radio made a ruckus, earning a punch from Eliza and Helen both.

The pure knight was still having trouble reading the signs, but even she was starting to pick up on the indecent atmosphere. She had more doubt and caution in her voice while she carried the deactivated magical automaton around.

“Where is the Bodenburg Company? Don’t we need to visit them to fix Number 8 and get his information on the 11th?”

Celina winked and raised a finger.

“It’s the biggest building of them all. It’s impossible to miss.”

They were walking along the widest and most conspicuous road, but Miyabi still caught glimpses of a world he had never known.

For example, he peeked inside a weapon shop along the way.

“Welcome…except I would recommend against shopping here, kid. Carrying a weapon only makes it more likely you’ll be stabbed.”

For some reason, the shop’s owner firmly turned him away, which seemed like a terrible way to stay in business. The gloomy maid tending to the sharp and blunt weapons in the shop gave him a thin smile.

“Oh? Were you not expecting to find a maid here?” she said. “Hee hee. As a mercenary, I happen to be another of the products for sale. Stop by again if you have a job for me.”

Out of curiosity (a curiosity mostly directed toward the darker side of society glimpsed in this city), Miyabi nervously peeked inside all the stores they passed by. Either they refused to sell to first-timers, or they appeared to have all the more interesting items unlisted so they had to be requested by name. The major port had to be a starting point for a lot of journeys, but the place was not made for tourists.

“The food looks good, though,” said Miyabi, watching some sweets being cooked at a street stall.

“That is known as a crepe, Miyabi. People call this a criminal city, but it actually values freedom more than anywhere else on the continent and people from all sorts of backgrounds end up here. We are second to none when it comes to culture and the arts. Food is no exception.”

But their destination was the Bodenburg Company.

They had the most powerful card in their deck for that. Celina was the company’s only daughter. She was right about it being impossible to miss. The biggest building was visible from any part of the city.

As they approached, they came across a large iron gate. They could see a garden with rose hedges and fountains past the sturdy bars. It was too large to even call a park. Miyabi thought his entire village might have fit inside it. Maids and gardeners were coming and going within and they even saw a carriage driving by. The grand white mansion was enough to leave even Helen of the Republic and Eliza of the Arsenal Kingdom speechless. It was fancier even than the residences of their heads of state.

Miyabi gasped just from looking through the gate.

“That’s incredible.”

“Heh heh. It is, isn’t it?”

“Why is there a naked statue of you in the middle of that fountain? Was it some kind of punishment?”

“Th-that is of my mother when she was younger! And it was not some bizarre form of punishment!!”

Celina had clearly corrected exactly this misunderstanding on more than a few occasions.

She approached the gate with a bright blush on the face that took after her mother.

“Anyway, this is the headquarters of our company. Rudolf!”

“Oh?”

A gray-haired old man – presumably Rudolf – approached from the other side of the gate, but he did not bow. Powerful old men were in no short supply in a logging village, so for Miyabi, this muscular old-timer was like a point of familiarity in an otherwise strange city.

The air was dry, the sun was bright, and Rudolf wore black dress clothes, yet he was not sweating.

“Rudolf, I would like to discuss the company’s inventory. I require a list of all imperial automaton components we have in stock. I have reason to repair this automaton named Number 8.

Rudolf was smiling.

And he continued smiling as he responded.

“And why would I give you that?”

“Surely you aren’t going to say you do not recognize me.”

“I am afraid I must. The Bodenburg Company is run by the wealthiest family at Galletfron Trade Port. Being known far and wide comes at a price. Just the other day, a girl who looked exactly like the young lady rashly stopped by to scam us out of some travel expenses, so the master has ordered us to be stricter in our dealings with anyone, even if they appear to be family.”

“Even your family is turning you away, rich girl?” asked Alicia.

“(Kh!!)”

After the world-famous girl gave the elf one hell of a look, Rudolf made a suggestion.

“You might be a well-disguised fake, but I know I would recognize the real young lady’s exceptional business acumen. Let’s see…this city uses guns more than swords or sorcery, so why not acquire a Divine Crystal Bullet? Yes, just one will do. Bring that to me and I will be able to tell at a glance that you are the real young lady.”

“Hm, that isn’t much info to go on,” said Alicia.

The intellectual glasses woman gave a start.

The elf grinned and turned toward the woman, ready to boss her around.

“Heh heh heh. This sounds like a job for Venus, don’t you think?”

“L-let’s go take a look around, Miyabi! We’ll go over the city with a fine-tooth comb!!”



Thus, Operation Fine-Tooth Comb began.

“We’ll be asking around?”

Miyabi gave a thoughtful look toward Eliza.

Armor and weapons were a common sight in this criminal city full of thugs, so the problem was the thing she was carrying as their “muscle”.

“Then shouldn’t we find some place to keep Number 8? He looks so realistic people might think we’re carrying around a corpse.”

“But people carry drunks out of bars all the time here.”

The local girl sounded casual enough, but Miyabi wondered worriedly why she hadn’t specified where the drunks were being carried ''to''.

They were in front of Celina’s mansion, but they were not allowed inside. Helen was in charge of their finances and she fell to her knees at the thought of renting out an inn room large enough for them all when a party member’s home was this very city.

“The corner room is open right now. I could move you there.”

“No, thank you!! I refuse to even consider any further expenses!!”

For some reason, Helen’s refusal elicited a quiet tongue click from the innkeeper.

The party gathered in a 2nd floor room where they were finally able to lay Number 8 down in a bed.

They needed to speak with him to get information on the 11th.

Miyabi nodded.

“Okay, let’s go find that Divine Crystal Bullet thing.”

“Yes, we cannot get the repair parts without convincing Rudolf.”

Would they find a bullet at a weapon shop?

They discussed the possibilities while descending the stairs, but they received a hint much sooner than expected.

A filthy middle-aged man wrapped in old rags spoke to them as soon as they stepped out of the inn.

“Hee hee hee. I’ve got some information you might just be interested in.”

“If you were that well informed, you wouldn’t look like you crawled out of a trash heap,” said Alicia.

“Now, now. Just hear me out.”

The elf’s exasperated comment was not enough to get him down.

“It’s about that inn you just left. Hm, so you managed to avoid the corner room, did you? That’s good to hear. Wanna know why the place is always empty but always makes a killing? Anyone who stays in the corner room is put to sleep by the special spores or insect scales rubbed onto the pillows and blankets. Once you’re out, they can steal everything of value. The innkeeper’s vault is crammed full of rare prizes.”

“…”

Normally, that would scare them enough to find a different inn.

In fact, this man was probably working for a different inn to guide customers that way. Those rags were a type of uniform. They looked filthy, but the sour smell was more reminiscent of watered-down vinegar than human body odor. It even had a touch of apply sweetness.

But Miyabi’s party had a goal in mind.

“(That means the innkeeper might have some rare weapons. Like the Divine Crystal Bullet that Rudolf guy asked for.)”

“(Even if he doesn’t have one, he might have done some research into potential targets that would have one. When a customer looks like they probably have a lot of valuables, he must try to get them to take the corner room.)”

So it was time to turn right around.

When they brought up the corner room, the innkeeper looked troubled.

But ''not'' because he was begging for mercy.

“50 thousand methods.”

“Huh?”

Celina had thought they had him dead to rights, so her eyes widened.

With a solid thunk, he placed a crystal smaller than his thumb down on the counter. The shadow cast by the clear crystal contained a colorful band of light just like when light shined through a water tank.

He grinned and leaned forward.

“For the Divine Crystal Bullet. Believe me, that’s a bargain. You should really be thanking me.”

The criminal city was indeed a criminal city.

Celina’s mouth flapped wordlessly a bit before she got her voice out.

“You expect me to pay 50 thousand methods for a sketchy item with nothing to prove it’s legit!? You could build a house with a decent garden in a rural village for that! You do understand you’ll be out of business if we reveal your misdeeds here, don’t you!?”

“Um, isn’t it wrong to let him get away with it just because we get what we want out of him?” quietly commented Helen, but no one was listening.

The innkeeper had the upper hand here and he was not letting go. He almost seemed to be enjoying it like a game.

“I stole this inn and its land with a forged title deed, so it’s no skin off my nose if I have to move elsewhere. There are tons of poorly-managed vacant buildings around here. Now. I believe the real issue here is that you need this Divine Crystal Bullet for some reason or another.”

“…”

“50 thousand and not a method less. If you’re short on cash, then sell that jewel-encrusted dress of yours. And if that isn’t enough, your underwear too. We can talk after that.”

“~ ~ ~!!!!!!”

Being outdone in a business discussion must have been unforgivable for Celina. She tugged on panicking Miyabi’s sleeve, guiding him away from the counter, and then whispered in his ear. With her bayonetted rifle held close.

“(Let’s rob him.)”

“This escalated quickly!!!”

“(Shh. Let’s teach that fucker the meaning of freedom in this criminal city. There’s no use haggling with him. I have a sixth sense for deals that aren’t going to work out. We’d be here for a century without making any progress.)”

“Says the girl who was all over us when we said we would sell our Wicked God horn.”

Celina glared over at the elf.

As for Miyabi…

“We do need that thing to convince Mr. Rudolf…”

“(This innkeeper is clearly taking advantage of us. That Divine Crystal Bullet is no more a piece of glasswork!)”

“But what are we supposed to do?” asked the pure boy.

Celina rubbed a finger against her temple.

“(Well, if we ''aren’t'' just going to blow his brains out…oh, I know. We can create our own. You saw what it looks like, right? We can counterfeit ourselves one!)”

The Lucifer Horn connected them to Horn Fortress.

The wire dangling from the bomber could carry people and things to and from that island. They did not know how developed Horn Fortress was at this point, but they did know they had a useful party member there.

The dwarf named Garett Goldcave was an Arsenal Kingdom blacksmith skilled enough to be considered a national treasure.

“That might just work. If we did the work here, someone might notice and word might reach Rudolf.”

They had approval from the glasses woman who preferred to follow the rules but still excelled at conspiracies.

They left the dumbfounded innkeeper behind and returned to their room in his inn. Their only option was to send a letter via the Lucifer Horn and trust in Garett’s skill.



It was complete before sunset.

The dish called pizza turned out to be a controversial choice. Helen and Celina were arguing over whether garlic shrimps were an acceptable topping when the Lucifer Horn delivered a small box wrapped in cushioning.

“Is this it?”

“Miyabi, you don’t know a thing about how guns work, from the firing mechanism to how the lead deforms on impact, do you?” said Celina. “I will give you a thorough lecture later on, but for now, let’s get back to Rudolf.”

They walked to the Bodenburg residence and found Rudolf waiting in the same place as before.

He had not given them a time limit, so had he been waiting there the entire time?

“That was fast. Do you have the Divine Crystal Bullet?”

“Who do you think I am?”

“I would like to see it, if you don’t mind. Excuse me.”

Miyabi had trouble looking the man in the eye, so Celina surreptitiously stomped on his foot with a smile.

“…”

“…”

“Interesting,” said Rudolf with a nod.

Was that a yes or a no? It was a tense moment. Miyabi did not know how things worked in this city, but he was worried they would be subjected to some very creative punishments if it was discovered they had given the man a fake.

“It really is you, milady.” Rudolf smiled. “I knew you would never pay such an absurd price.”

“It was such an obvious setup. That wasn’t even worth haggling over. I bet you knew it was me and decided to have some fun!”

“Ho ho. That is the Bodenburg way.”

''Then I’ll never understand it,'' thought Commoner Miyabi. He could never stand living in a home where everyone made such stomachache-inducing jokes.

“You wished to discuss an imperial automaton, correct?”

“Wait, we’re just going to chat out here? Invite us in already.”

The elf’s complaints did nothing to wipe the smile off of Rudolf’s face.

He continued standing perfectly still in front of the gate.

“I apologize, but the master is in a bad mood within.”

“What’s upset father this time?”

“Pirates,” replied Rudolf. “The loss of the armored train required the company to switch to ocean shipping routes, but a pirate took advantage of the shipping fleet’s poor coordination during the confusion of the switchover. Their defenses should have been sufficient, but they were gathered in a hurry and thus unable to work together so soon.”

“…”

The girl fell silent.

This was a complicated issue, but she may have felt responsible for losing the Schwarz Schütze.

“Only the cargo was targeted, so the crew and mercenaries were unharmed. …However, the pirate was very thorough, almost to the point of mockery. The magical automaton parts you want were no exception. Items from the ruined Empire are rare, so it will be difficult to find replacements on such short notice. Your only option may be to attack the pirate and take back what was stolen.”

“Um, a pirate?”

Miyabi had grown up in the mountains, so the word only vaguely rang a bell.

Rudolf shook his head.

“This one is quite famous, sadly enough.”

He identified the pirate.

“Onelife Shiftup, the one-eyed pirate. He is known to use a special prosthetic arm, so he may have need for imperial technology.”

“Hm.” Eliza brought a hand to her chin. “Does he use a high-tech automaton arm?”

“But not even our company has managed to track him down. People say he is a gentleman thief and that he singlehandedly defeated a Wicked God and broke off its horn. It is hard to say how much of it is a coincidence and how much of it is an intentional strategy on his part, but all the unconfirmed rumors have confused our attempts to find real information on him. We know he is somewhere in this port city, but not his exact location.”

“…”

“We do know, however, that he possesses a powerful Godhorn Tech: the King Knot pirate ship. Unfortunately, that part is undoubtedly true because it is registered as one of the continent’s 10 Godhorn Techs.”