Editing Hyouketsu Kyoukai no Eden:Volume 6 Chapter1 (section)

===Part 3===

“Ummm, then I’ll continue Kagura-san’s report. I wonder if Kagura-san’s report is really basic? You might have written too much plain fact and lack your own considerations. The complete opposite of Vaiel-kun’s report─”

At the seat of honor for the table in the meeting room, the golden-haired woman with a report in one hand shifted her knees.

Cadres Guard Ishtar. She was a spear user who had went on the expedition to the Governmental Sector as the Priestess’ escort.

“Now then, Monica-san’s is……yup, well written! It’s really fitting for the unit leader!”

“I-I’m honored!”

Sitting in the seat opposite Ishtar, Monica bowed many times in embarrassment.

She was dazzling with her light sakura-colored long hair and looks. She had once studied shinryoku spells as an apprentice Priestess but she was now the wielder of the {{furigana|crossed rods|Rosario}} who led Sheltis’ unit.

“Okay, then that’s the end of the mandatory hearing. Ah─ so tireeed. I wanna see I’sa-chan’s faceee. I haven’t seen her for five hours now.”

Ishtar sighed after closing the file with the reports.

“……Then shall we enter the topic that everybody’s been waiting for? That pair of two.”

The meeting room became silent again.

Monica and Kagura’s shoulders stiffened at the same time and even Vaiel who’d been resting his head on his hands looked up with a tiresome expression.

“There was a pair of two that attacked the Governmental Sector’s office building head-on during the last day of the conference. It’s pretty much exactly how it was written in everybody’s reports. It actually became a big fight so that’s a given though.”

That’s right.

This was a report meeting in name but this was today’s true topic ── the summarizing of information related to the mysterious two who had attacked the Governmental Sector.

“Just {{furigana|Golden|Maha}} and {{furigana|Blank|Igun-I}}? The organization those two belong to is still unknown. It looks like the chances of there being a third organization unrelated to the Governmental Sector really is high……and what Ishtar wants to ask is this next part. Ishtar fought {{furigana|Golden|Maha}} and Monica-san’s group fought {{furigana|Golden|Maha}}’s clones. After that……”

“Is it about me?”

Being pierced with Ishtar’s deeply meaningful gaze, Sheltis corrected his posture.

“Yup, yup. You chased after {{furigana|Blank|Igun-I}}. It’s fine no matter how small the detail. Could you tell us any hint, conversation or some kind of proof that you saw or heard without leaving anything out?”

“Ah, but…………”

You first ── being looked at by Ishtar’s smiling face, Sheltis lowered his voice and muddled his words.

“Mm? What’s up?”

Head propped up on her hands, the Cadres Guard instead urged him for his response with an expression that said she was enjoying this.

“An important person hasn’t come to the meeting room.”

“Ymy-sama, you mean?”

He wordlessly nodded at Ishtar’s reply.

They would have the Priestess also join them and listen in on the matter concerning {{furigana|Golden|Maha}} and {{furigana|Blank|Igun-I}} that would unfold starting now. Time-wise, it wouldn’t be strange for Ymy to have shown up, but she hadn’t yet.

“Shall we wait?”

“Mm─. No, we’ll receive contact from her when she’s coming. Ymy-sama had training until just before this meeting so once she’s done with that, she’ll meet up with us. Isn’t it just that her training’s running late?”

The Cadres Guard had a carefree tone.

But.

“……That’s odd.”

Monica, who’d been silent until then, spoke seriously.

“I’m sure that Ishtar-sama is also aware but Priestess training is extremely harsh. Because it’s harsh, strict adherence to the time is basic.”

If the training went longer, there was the possibility of causing grave damage to the Priestess’ mind and body. That was why there was always an exclusive doctor monitoring the Priestess’ condition.

“Ohhh, is that so? Ishtar doesn’t really know about those things.”

Ishtar raised a brow while still leaning on her hands.

“But you know, Monica-san, if her training isn’t running late, then do you have any idea of what else is keeping her?”

“……If you say that, I don’t really have any.”

“Then it’s fine. It’s a waste of time so we’ll just continue on like this. Ishtar will inform Ymy-sama. It’s fine if she makes it before the meeting ends. Are you okay with that too?”

Being looked at head-on, Sheltis was at a loss for words for a moment.

……I have no reason to refuse.

The fifth Priestess, Ymy Ele Soufflenictole ── in reality, Sheltis and she were childhood friends before entering {{furigana|Tenketsu Palace|Sophia}}. However, that was a private secret so he obviously had no intent of asserting it at a public meeting like this.

“It’s fine.”

“Good decision. Then the continuation ── wait, where’d we stop? I forgot so I’ll ask you again.”

“Eh?”

“I mean, while Ishtar was fighting {{furigana|Golden|Maha}}, you chased after {{furigana|Blank|Igun-I}}. Did you see or hear anything that would serve as a clue during that time?”

“……Though you said that, that’s exactly where the conversation was.”

Immediately after {{furigana|Golden|Maha}} and {{furigana|Blank|Igun-I}} retreated, everybody including Ymy was diagnosed by a doctor starting with the heavily injured Monica. During that time, he’d talked with Ishtar for around an hour and covered all the major points.

The joint struggle with Zeadoll of the Governmental Sector’s secret military unit ‘''Heaven’s Wheel''‘.

About how the man named {{furigana|Blank|Igun-I}} had a completely black appearance, and how he’d activated some kind of power of ‘''Mikuva’s Crimson Eye''‘ and summoned a Yuugenshu and mechanical weapon.

And the most uncanny thing above all…………

“Ahh, that’s right, was {{furigana|Blank|Igun-I}} somebody you know?”

With Ishtar’s words.

He felt all the stares in the room pierce him.

“Umm……I don’t know him; he just said that on his own. I feel like I said the same thing when I first reported this though.”

“Is that so? Sorry─, Ishtar’s memory is bad.”

Of course, she probably knew and did that on purpose. With a mocking smile upon her lips, the person herself had no sense of shyness, still propped up on her hands.

“……Sheltis, about what the Cadres Guard said.”

“That’s the truth. I’ll repeat myself: I don’t know {{furigana|Blank|Igun-I}}; he just said that stuff on his own.”

With Monica double-checking, he shook his head from side to side slowly to convey his answer.

……That’s right. I shouldn’t know him.

I haven’t met him. That should be it but──

“''You know me. Ahh, that’s great. I’m really happy.''“

“''That’s fine. It’s fine if you don’t know. It’s fine if you feel it even if you don’t know. Hey, Sheltis, ‘''Nice to meet you.''‘ and ‘''It’s been a while.''‘. I’ve been eagerly waiting the time we would meet in this world.''“

The throb I felt at that time……

That ── which made the inside of my chest run wild ── what was that strange unease?

“We can think of it as a diversion.”

Kagura said that while holding the {{furigana|machine pearl|Machina}} .

“In reality……that thing called the Governmental Sector’s treasure, I believe it was, after coming into contact with that, they escaped from the Governmental Sector’s territory, right? They might be experienced with those kinds of tactics.”

“Moron.”

The one who answered faster than anyone else was Vaiel who was suppressing a yawn.

“At that time, that Zea-whatshisface hardened mercenary guy from the Governmental Sector was also there. In that case, there’s no point in just causing one side to waver. This is why you’re a brat.”

“Wha, y-you don’t know that!? What made you think that ── hey, are you listening! Hey, listen!?”

Kagura was talking on and on quickly and Vaiel was treating it as bothersome. ……Unexpectedly, Ishtar turned to him with a sigh while looking at those two from the corners of her eyes.

“Well, whatever. Then that means you have no new information?”

“……I’ll tell you if there’s anything.”

“You do that. Then next is Monica-san beside you──”

Ten minutes after that.

With nobody producing any worthwhile information, the meeting came to an end.

“Mm─……no worthwhile information. Well, it can’t be helped so let’s stop here.”

Slipping the folder with the reports under her arm, Ishtar stood up first. Next was Vaiel, Kagura and Monica.

“''Come on, Sheltis.''“

“Ah, yeah.”

Being urged by {{furigana|machine crystal|Ilis}} , Sheltis also timidly left the room.

“Ah, that’s right.”

──Tap.

Ishtar tapped the handle of the long spear she was carrying against the floor while standing in front of the automated door.

“The Lords of Unusual Books.”

“……Eh?”

“Ishtar will share one more piece of information with you. When she was fighting at the Governmental Sector, {{furigana|Golden|Maha}} declared that name. He said he was the third of the Lords of Unusual Books. That’s probably what they call themselves but what Ishtar wants to tell you is something different from that common name. Have any questions or do you understand?”

If he was the third, then there were at least a second and first.

And they had no idea how many more there were from fourth onwards.

“We don’t know how many members there are to the Lords of Unusual Books and we don’t know where they’re hiding. The chance that they’re hiding somebody equal to or stronger than {{furigana|Golden|Maha}} here in {{furigana|Tenketsu Palace|Sophia}} isn’t zero either. Taking a stroll around the tower in the middle of the night alone is like asking to be attacked.”

Shiver.

Maybe it was the heavy pressure of fear but something unseen filled the room.

“You four have become involved with the Lords of Unusual Books and it’s a given to think that they’ve seen your faces. If they’re planning to eliminate the witnesses──”

If somebody were being targeted ahead of anybody else in {{furigana|Tenketsu Palace|Sophia}}, then the target of the attack would naturally become one of them.

“……Well, I think that possibility’s low though.”

Ishtar smiled faintly after discerning his nervousness.

“If they were the types to eliminate witnesses, they wouldn’t attack the Governmental Sector at high noon. There are like a hundred witnesses in the Governmental Sector too.”

……That’s true.

At Ishtar’s warning, that was the foremost feeling that Sheltis had. But he didn’t go as far as to voice it. In any case, the goal and everything else of the Lords of Unusual Books was unknown. They should be more cautious just to be cautious.

“It’s better to keep it in mind. You’ll become stronger if you don’t like being afraid. That’s what Ishtar wants to say. See ya〰”

The Cadres Guard left with a wink.

“Jeez, that’s not appealing at all.”

“Agreed.”

Vaiel let out a gloomy sigh and strangely, Monica was of the same opinion.

“''It makes you wonder.''“

“About {{furigana|Golden|Maha}}?”

“''There’s that too but it’s something else. Something closer to you.''“

{{furigana|Machine crystal|Ilis}} blinked and continued on in a suggestive tone.

“''Ymy never did come in the end.''“