Editing Unlimited Fafnir:Volume 12 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 4===

After the team was dismissed for the time being, I went to visit Mitsuki's cabin together with Iris and Vritra.

But then, I was plunged into an unexpected situation.

"Nii-san, you truly know how to enjoy yourself."

Mitsuki was glaring down at me coldly while I was sitting on the bed.

"This isn't enjoyable for me at all..."

Feeling the weight on top of me, I replied to Mituski.

"How now? Dost thou have objections as my chair?"

Sitting on my lap, Vritra looked up at me with a scowl.

"Papa, iS It heAvY?"

Hugging my back, resting her head against my shoulder, Shion leaned in and asked.

"Mononobe... It must be tough for you."

Sitting to my left, Iris was very worried but because we were seated tightly against each other, my elbow was touching her bust. While taking care not to let that soft sensation produce a flustered expression on my face, I shook my head.

"Don't worry, well—She's not that heavy. No problem."

Left without a choice, I could only sigh in resignation.

Squeezing two people in a cabin meant for a single occupant was cramped enough already, and right now, there was a total of five of us. All kinds of outrageous behavior were only inevitable.

The only places that could be sat on were the chair and the bed. Hence, other than Mitsuki, everyone else had gathered on the bed.

"Nii-san, you are spoiling her too much. Shion-san can be overlooked, but is it really necessary to have Vritra on your lap? If it is cramped, then simply have her sit on the edge."
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Mitsuki pointed to my right and spoke, but Vritra shrugged.

"What art thou speaking about? Know that 'tis intentional that I conceded the space. 'Tis imperative at the moment to ensure thy mental stability. Even one such as I am considerate of such matters."

"...S-Since there is a chair, anyway, I have no need to sit on the bed..."

Looking flustered, Mitsuki declined with a blush.

"Thou wilt not sit hither? 'Tis jealousy I see in you... So be it, 'tis apparent that reading human emotions from their faces is no easy task."

Vritra crossed her arms and sighed in disappointment. Shion also inclined her little head sadly and asked, "mItSukI, yoU'Re nOt gOnnA siT?"

Seeing Shion's reaction, Mitsuki sat down on my right with a reluctant expression.

"Then I shall graciously take my seat here, or else that would be waste of your care and consideration. Furthermore... Perhaps, now is the only time when I could do this sort of thing."

Showing a lonely expression for just an instant, Mitsuki entwined her arm around my right arm and leaned against me. The warmth and fragrance of her body, as well as the softness of her skin, were making my heart pound nonstop.

"Mitsuki...?"

"Nii-san, I would like to be even closer... Would you be alright with that?"

Mitsuki looked up and asked. I instantly nodded.

"Sure, no problem. It's totally alright with me."

"—Is that so? I see. Since you say that now, Nii-san... Then the matter of not being a lie would also..."

Despite smiling, Mitsuki's expression was full of gloom. I did not completely understand her meaning either.

However, before I could ask for clarification, Mitsuki pushed the discussion forward.

"Well then, let us begin to discuss the matter of Iris-san's Catastrophe lacking sufficient firepower. I did not witness the battle against Bahamut first hand, so please explain the situation at the time to me."

Mitsuki leaned forward and spoke past me to Iris who was sandwiching me from the other side.

"Okay, umm—"

Iris proceeded to explain what happened when she invoked Catastrophe against Bahamut and I supplemented details from the side.

While we were talking, Shion yawned in boredom whereas Vritra sat quietly on my lap, swaying her legs.

After listening, Mitsuki pondered for a moment.

"...You summoned dark matter at coordinates over a wider range in order to cover Bahamut's entire body, but Catastrophe's intensity was weakened—Is that correct? Allow me to confirm, this was not due to a shortage of dark matter, was it?"

Mitsuki asked Iris solemnly.

"No, I feel that there was enough dark matter, but there's a limit to the amount that can be transmuted... Umm, like pouring furikake seasoning from a bottle, only a bit comes out with each shake, right? Like this."

Iris simulated the act of shaking furikake out of its bottle while answering.

"Although your analogy is a little odd... In any case, I understand. In other words, it is a limit unrelated to the generating capacity of dark matter. Perhaps my antimatter has the same restriction, but since I never attempted using it to the limit, I did not become aware of it. After all, even a tiny amount of antimatter would already be very dangerous... What about you, Nii-san?"

Faced with Mitsuki's question, I thought while answering.

"That's true... Whether Leviathan's antigravitational matter or Hraesvelgr's Ether Wind, I can summon them beyond my dark matter generating capacity, so I don't know if I have a limit either. However—"

"However?"

Sitting on my lap, Vritra looked up and urged me to continue.

"...There was one time when I generated Ether Wind directly. Back then, the Ether Wind enveloping me had very high density. Now that I think about it, how should I put this? I guess the only way to bring out an authority's original power is to use it without going through dark matter as an intermediary."

Recalling my battle against Major Loki, I expressed the above opinion. After finding out that Hraesvelgr's authority was residing in my heart, I was able to ''turn into Hraesvelgr'' temporarily to defeat Major Loki.

"All things considered, it means employing the same method as the real Hraesvelgr and Basilisk did... Excuse me, Nii-san. After listening to all this—I have noticed something."

Gazing squarely at my face, Mitsuki spoke.

"You noticed something?"

"Indeed. Bahamut's body length is ten kilometers—ten thousand meters, correct?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

I nodded. Mitsuki glanced at Iris and continued.

"In that case... Nii-san, do you remember the range of Basilisk's Catastrophe?"

"Well—it's been a while..."

Unable to recall it instantly, I scratched my head. Mitsuki proceeded to reveal the correct answer on my behalf.

"Normally, the Catastrophe shot out from the pair of eyes in Basilisk's head has a range of five thousand meters. The third eye on its back had a range of approximately ''ten thousand meters''."

"Ten thousand meters..."

I gasped and repeated the words that Mitsuki had given emphasis to.

"Indeed, it is identical to Bahamut's body length. If this is not coincidence—if Basilisk is the counterdragon born to vanquish Bahamut—then ''this third eye would be the organ that existed specifically for defeating Bahamut'', would it not?"

The cabin returned to silence. Messing around behind me, Shion settled down due to the mood.

"Impossible—would be a rash assertion. But if that's the case..."

Nodding stiffly, I broke the silence and looked at Iris on my left. When our gazes met, Iris shuddered and looked down.

Vritra, who had been silent so far, followed up on my comment and announced:

"Bahamut can only be defeated by Basilisk. That is to say, Iris Freyja—the one who hath inherited the authority—Thou must transform into Basilisk."

With her head low, Iris clutched my hand firmly. Vritra spoke to her:

"'Twas mine intention to share this idea with ye all, but 'tis convenient that ye reached this conclusion on your own. Nay... Thou already realized since the beginning, yes?"

When asked, Iris exhaled deeply.

"—Yeah. You're right. If I can't do it as I am now... Then it might be possible to defeat Bahamut if I transform into Basilisk."

At that moment, Iris looked up and made eye contact with me.

"But I don't know how to turn into Basilisk either... And I'm so scared of breaking out in scales all over my body like last time, becoming non-human. That's why I didn't bring it up... I'm sorry."

"It's only natural to be scared. No need to apologize. I understand very well... how you feel."

I hugged Iris around her shoulders and whispered in her ear gently.

Kraken Zwei—Back when we were fighting the one who was now Shion, I personally witnessed Iris' transformation into Basilisk. Hence, I should not blame her for cowardice.

However, Vritra broke the heavy atmosphere in apparent nonchalance.

"What, this is what thou fearest? Worry not. Even if thou transformed into Basilisk for a moment, 'tis ought to be possible to turn back."

"Eh...?"

Iris was shocked. Thumping my chest, Vritra continued:

"Verily, this man turned back to human after transforming into Hraesvelgr. Neun's authority hath the effect of maintaining one's outer form and existence, presumably. Mononobe Mitsuki, who was supposed to be progressively devoured by darkness, still maintained her existence too, hence 'twould be logical to come to propose such a conjecture."

Glancing at Mitsuki, Vitra shrugged lightly.

"Naturally, I cannot assert with absolute certainly. Unexpected results could not be ruled out. Be that as it may, so long as this man exists, 'tis possibly for him to select thee again. So long as the slightest element of a D persists, transformation into the same kind ought to be effective."

Hearing this, Iris' face finally brightened up.

"Really—I see! So it'll be definitely be fine if Mononobe's with me... Why didn't something so simple occur to me?"

Iris scratched the back of her head shyly then hugged my arm with a smile.

"H-Hey—"

Buried in Iris' soft cleavage, I was at a loss how to react, but she tightened her grip on me.

"Hmm.. I won't be scared anymore. No matter what happens... I have faith that Mononobe will save me."

Then imitating Iris, Shion hugged my neck.

"mE tOo, aS loNg as Papa iS hEre, i'M noT scAreD."

Seeing me pat Shion's hand to tell her to be more gentle, Mitsuki smiled too.

"...How true. It is all because of Nii-san that I could be who I am."

Mitsuki rested her head on my shoulder and the atmosphere in the room relaxed subtly However, one murmured comment from Iris made me realize that the problem was not completely solved yet.

"But how do I use Catastrophe like before...?"

"'Tis not something I would know."

Vritra distanced herself from the issue directly, so Iris asked me:

"So, Mononobe, how did you turn into Hraesvelgr last time?"

"I remember back then, I was just about to lose consciousness when I found myself stuck in the boundary between dreams and reality. Then I saw the Ether Wind... and noticed where Hraesvelgr's authority resides."

"Where the authority resides?"

Lost and confused, Iris tilted her head.

"Yeah, Ether Wind resides in my heart. When I realized this and used the ability consciously, I entered the same state as Hraesvelgr once did."

When living things were enveloped in Ether Wind, due to the spirit materializing inside the body, they would become immobilized. However, if the spirit could surround the body at the moment it was enveloped by Ether Wind, the body would be able to move freely.

That incredible feeling was something quite hard for me to articulate in words.

"I see... Then my power—Basilisk's—must reside somewhere."

Iris murmured then she instantly placed her hand over her eyes.

"—It's the eyes. Basilisk shot out Catastrophe from its eyes, right? Then if that's the case..."

Mitsuki nodded deeply in response.

"That sounds very likely. Since the same applies to the third eye too, the connection between Catastrophe and the eyes must be very deep."

"I know, right? But we need to confirm it in addition to speculating... Do I need to take a nap and dream like Mononobe?"

Seeing Iris say that with her arms crossed, I was a bit worried.

"No, definitely not. Falling asleep completely won't work. Close your eyes and shift your consciousness from within—Try that?"

"Yeah, I got it! Then I'll try it inside an empty cabin!"

Iris stood up from the bed and Vritra jumped down swiftly from my lap.

"In that case, I shall come along too. I shall watch to ensure thou dost not fall into slumber. 'Tis a grave matter indeed. Should thou fail to vanquish Bahamut, this planet shall meet its end before the ninth dragon's true form is elucidated."

"Thank you so much, Vritra-chan!"

Just as Iris thanked happily, an announcement was heard in the cabin.

'—Report from NIFL. Bahamut has reached the Arctic's unknown territory. No special changes at the moment. Just as predicted, Bahamut has changed its course towards the third unknown territory.'

Halfway through the announcement, Shion cried out happily, "iT's Mama's vOiCe!"

Iris tensed her expression and clenched her fist tightly before her chest.

"Along the way... is Firill-chan's homeland, right? I must succeed next time!"

"Yeah, you can do it, Iris. I'll support you with all my power."

Rather than merely consoling her, I spoke with sincere belief.

"Yes—If it is Iris-san, the outcome will surely be fine."

Perhaps in chagrin because she could not stand on the front line? Mitsuki encouraged Iris as though looking at something dazzling.

"iRiS, Do yOur bEst."

Despite not understanding the situation, Shion also cheered for Iris.

"Yes, leave it to me!"

Iris made a thumbs-up and accepted our support, then left the cabin together with Vritra.

Numerous human lives, many countries, and the Earth itself, was at stake in this battle—And it was fast approaching.