Editing Unlimited Fafnir:Volume 9 Chapter 2 (section)

===Part 3===

"What was Charl planning in saying those words...?"

Sitting on the bed in the room where I was under house arrest, I voiced the doubt occupying my heart.

After obstructing my conversation with Major Loki, Charlotte had left the room. Mica-san did not come to take her place to monitor me. Calls could not be made, so I was unable to speak to Ariella and Tia.

Without any motivation to train hard, I laid on the bed, turning this way and that, ruminating what Major Loki had said.

A world without dragons, losing stability... The grave sins committed by Charlotte... It was still a mystery which parts were real.

In the end, I did not get to ask about Hreidmar or Fafnir. All that happened was an increase of things I did not know.

—Regarding matters related to Charl, I guess my only choice is to ask her directly.

I had not been able to say anything just now, but this would be the only method to clear up my doubts.

In that case, the only thing I could do now was wait for Charlotte to return.

Lying down made me feel sleepy and I closed my eyes. Since there was nothing to do, a brief afternoon nap would be good.

Thinking that, I handed my consciousness over to sleepiness.

However—at that moment, I should have pondered more carefully.

The significance of Major Loki's timing in calling me then.

This was an essential consideration.

He was the kind of person who had to achieve his goals regardless of what I did—



Woooo—!

I woke up to some kind of loud noise.

"Ugh..."

I rubbed my eyes while getting up, There was a powerful siren sounding in the surroundings.

Instantly realizing that something unusual had happened, I drove away my drowsiness.

No one was in the room. The world outside the window was dyed orange—It was already dusk and I had slept longer than expected.

In any case, I approached the window to confirm the situation.

"What..."

As soon as I looked outside, an obvious emergency entered my view.

—Midgardsormr... had activated.

Normally submerged in the sea, the concentric defense system had floated up, forming physical barriers to surround Midgard on all sides.

The last time I saw such a scene was when Leviathan attacked. However, there were no more dragons that would assault Midgard.

While I was standing there, unsure why this had happened, I heard the door open in the room.

I turned around to look at the entrance, only to see Mica-san looking at me with a stiff expression.

"Mononobe-san, this is an emergency, please come with me."

Mica-san spoke with urgency.

"Mica-san, what on earth happened?"

"We will talk while we walk. We are out of time. Hurry and follow me."

I left the room at her urging. There was no sign of the principal in her office.

Mica-san swiftly brought me to the elevator and pressed the button. Entering the elevator that arrived immediately, she finally started to explain the situation.

"—NIFL has invaded Midgard's territorial waters without permission and surrounded this island. We did not find out until just earlier because Midgardsormr had been neutralized."

"Midgardsormr was neutralized? Is it possible to do that from outside?"

It was truly hard to imagine that Midgardsormr's highly secure electronic systems could get hacked so easily, so I asked Mica-san.

"—Of course it is impossible from outside. But if there is someone collaborating from inside, it is very likely they did something while on the observation visit last time."

Speaking of which, Major Loki said he did something during the school festival.

"But I saw the defensive barriers floating up..."

"We finally managed to regain control of the system so the final defensive line was deployed in the nick of time. In any case, NIFL has been prevented from landing for now, but they will force an inspection, claiming authorization from Asgard."

The elevator descended while we spoke. Instead of stopping at the ground floor, it continued underground.

"Force an inspection?"

"Yes—Midgard is suspected of traitorous behavior against mankind, apparently. Due to official orders, we cannot use Midgardsormr to intercept and repel them either."

Mica-san spoke in a conundrum.

"Traitorous behavior against mankind... Is that referring to us taking Kraken Zwei—no, Shion—back to Midgard?"

"NIFL has not made clear to us their particular suspicions, but she will probably be one of the targets for inspection. Harboring Kili the known terrorist and making contact with Vritra... It is currently unknown how much NIFL knows but there are a number of reasons they could potentially use."

"—In that case, we can't refuse their inspection."

I pursed my lips and whispered. Mica-san nodded.

"Indeed, Charlotte-sama is currently negotiating to forestall them, but it will merely be a question of time before the inspection takes place. When that time comes... It will not do to leave you, Mitsuki-san and the others where NIFL will discover you."

Mica-san looked me in the eye and told me solemnly. At this moment, we happened to reach the lowest level and the elevator stopped. The doors opened.

This floor was where all sorts of infrastructure were concentrated. The exposed piping was particularly conspicuous.

"This way please."

Mica-san led the way for me again as I got out of the elevator.

"In other words, we will hide starting now... Is that it?"

Walking through a maze of corridors one could easily get lost in, I asked Mica-san while she advanced.

"Indeed. Before the United Nations and Asgard make a move to rescind the order, the few of you must hide."

Answering while moving along, Mica-san suddenly stopped in front of a wall covered with piping and placed her hand on it.

"What..."

What appeared before my eyes was a sturdy metal door. Mica-san rotated the massive handle to open the thick door and hurried me.

"We will take the stairs down from here. Please watch your step because it is very dark."

I definitely could see stairs with help from light entering the dark corridor.

Mica-san closed the door after entering, surrounding me in almost complete darkness. However, a light on the ceiling instantly lit up.

Even so, the light was very dim. I could barely make out a winding staircase.

Taking care not to make a misstep, I started along the path with Mica-san.

"Rescind the order... Is that really possible"

When I asked Mica-san, my voice echoed loudly. Glancing at me, she nodded deeply.

"Yes—with Charlotte-sama present, it is guaranteed. However, NIFL has taken measures on their side, so it will take time. If you and the others were to be caught during this period, thus publicly exposing dragon marks whose color had changed and the matter of contact with Vritra, it would be very difficult to salvage the situation."

"So Mitsuki and the girls are up ahead?"

"They are taking a different route, led by Haruka."

Speaking of which, this staircase was continuing onwards to the depths. However, I pointed out something still bothering me.

"Is it really okay for me to meet them? I was isolated all this time clearly because contact was forbidden..."

"This is a question of risk."

"Risk?"

I frowned and asked. Mica-san nodded affirmatively.

"Yes... Due to the lack of information, the risk inherent in the changes caused by contact with you cannot be underestimated. But if by any chance NIFL were to capture someone whose dragon mark had changed color, execution would be very likely. Considering these risks, the decision will be left for the girls to make on their own judgment."

"Mitsuki and the others—They'll make their own choice?"

Shocked by the unexpected explanation, I confirmed with Mica-san.

"This is the best solution—Let them decide their own lives. That was what Charlotte-sama said."

How one lived was more important than what one was—Charlotte had said this in the past.

Hence, she had given Mitsuki and the girls the right to choose their way of living. However, what way of living had Charlotte herself chosen?

The facial expression, which Charlotte had shown while calling herself possibly the worst dragon for humans, flashed in my mind.

"Considering safety concerns, we have to hurry and make contact to cure the colored dragon marks, but—"

What if Mitsuki were to choose contact but regret the decision later on? I felt very hesitant. This was not just their problem. As the one who had changed them, I had to consider my own responsibility.

"Haruka has already informed them of the risks accompanying transformation. They will surely feel just as lost as you are, Mononobe-san. Consequently, I hope you will discuss properly among yourselves to reach a conclusion."

Mica-san's words prompted a sudden realization in me. Here I was, agonizing over things on my own again.

"That's right. I'll try that."

I answered. Mica-san smiled faintly and nodded at me.

The conversation stopped there, leaving only the echoing sound of footsteps bouncing off the walls. The stairs were several times longer than expected. By the time we finally reached the bottom, I already had no idea how many steps there were.

Mica-san opened a door just as sturdy as the one at the entrance. White steam leaked out from the gap.

Passing through the entrance, I found a rocky cavern before my eyes. The humidity was quite high and I felt like I was about to be cooked.

"What on earth is this place..."

Looking back and forth across this cavern which had poor visibility due to the steam, I asked in doubt.

"You are able to use water from a hot spring to take baths in Charlotte-sama's room, right?"

"Oh yeah. I heard that it was drawn from underground—"

"Here is the source."

Mica-san replied. Then we turned a corner and soon reached a vast open space.

"This is an underground... lake?"

The giant subterranean space was filled with milky-white water. The water was seething with bubbles while white team rose from the surface. The water temperature seemed quite high.

"Charlotte-sama calls this place an underground hot spring. It was discovered by chance while Midgard was expanding its underground facilities. She has monopolized it ever since."

Mica-san walked along the shore of the underground lake and gestured with her hand.

"A cottage was built here while installing pumps to extract the water."

Over there was a white house embedded in the cavern's roof and wall. Although it matched the school and the clock tower's contemporary design, it looked very conspicuous in this cavern.

"It's almost like a secret base..."

With my feelings split between impressed and shocked, I looked out to the building by the lake.

"This is quite a good hiding place. This cottage is not recorded on any of Midgard's maps, cannot be reached by elevator, and for a shelter, it is quite difficult to discover. Combined with the fact that this place is equipped with minimum-level facilities for living, there is no better hideout."

Indeed, this place must be reached by going down hidden staircases. Its existence was not exposed either. To keep the hot spring all to herself, Charlotte must have been very thorough in maintaining the secret.

After listening to Mica-san, I looked at the surroundings of the building then noticed the sound of footsteps apart from our own.

—Amidst the white steam, several figures appeared.

"Mica?"

It was Shinomiya-sensei's voice. Having entered a stance on reflex, I relaxed my guard.

"Indeed, it is me, Haruka. Mononobe-san is with me too."

After Mica-san answered. I heard "Nii-san!?" and "Mononobe!"

Just as I was told earlier, Shinomiya-sensei and the girls had arrived via a different route.

We stopped in front of the cottage, meeting up at visual range.

Behind Shinomiya-sensei were all the girls living in Mitsuki's dorm.

"Wah, Mononobe. It's been a day since I last saw you!"

Iris waved happily.

"Nii-san..."

With her hands clasped together before her chest, Mitsuki seemed quite happy to see me after so long. She looked like she wanted to approach me but stopped.

Most likely, she had already heard the risks in touching me.

Lisa, Firill and Ren looked at me without disguising their doubts.

Ariella, whom I had not had a chance to contact yesterday, was standing behind everyone else so I could not read her face.

"...Yuu."

Tia poked her head out from behind Lisa's back and looked at me uneasily. Sure enough, she was not as energetic as in the past. I heard that she had started acting strangely since returning to Midgard, so it was definitely could not be entirely due to the risks in becoming my mate.

"Captain, you've had it rough."

Jeanne lowered her voice and bowed her head. She was carrying the sleeping Shion on her back.

Having brought everyone here Shinomiya-sensei noticed my gaze and smiled wryly.

"Shion is having her afternoon nap. She's the one who carried Shion."

"She's impossible to wake up once she sleeps."

Adding to Shinomiya-sensei's explanation, Kili stepped forward.

Unlike everyone else, she did not show any hesitation on her face. Instead, she was smiling in a carefree manner.

"We finally get to meet—Yuu. I've been looking forward to this moment all along."

She exposed her right hand whose dragon mark was glowing and approached me without hesitation.

"Kili..."

My dragon mark heated up and glowed blue.

"Please wait!"

Mitsuki called out anxiously and grabbed Kili's arm to stop her.

"What are you doing? I don't give a damn about the risks of transformation I just heard about. Originally, I might lose my powers upon adulthood, so I'd say this suits be perfectly fine."

Kili stared at her reproachfully, but Mitsuki did not back down. Instead, she argued back in a forceful tone of voice.

"Be that as it may, this is not a matter that concerns you alone. Since Nii-san will shoulder a heavy responsibility as a result, I believe that both sides need to have a proper discussion before making contact."

"...What a pain."

Kili frowned and whispered.

"Hey, you two—"

Feeling a dangerous mood brewing in the air, I intended to stop them.

"Mitsuki-chan, Kili-chan, don't fight."

But before I could do that, Iris already intervened.

Then Kili took her gaze off Mitsuki as though casting away her malice. Sighing deeply, she said:

"Oh well... It might boring to finish things here straight away. After all, it's a special act for Yuu and I to become mates—Almost like a marriage ceremony."

"A-A marriage ceremony!?"

Mitsuki suddenly screamed, her entire face turning bright red.

Troubled over the risks of transformation, Lisa and the other girls also started to have doubts in a different area.

"Using such a description... It does cause you to become conscious in strange ways."

"Although that's what I intended from the start—It somehow feels so embarrassing when said out loud."

Lisa and the blushing Firill remarked.

"Mm..."

Ren also lowered her head shyly.

However, Iris cried out in extreme panic.

"H-Hold on! Then I'm already married with Mononobe!? A-Although it makes me very happy... I still want a proper marriage ceremony!"

"Calm down, Iris. Marriage is only an analogy. Right now, we are erasing the color on our dragon marks to eliminate the risks in the event of capture."

Silent the whole time until now, Ariella came up and consoled Iris.

Ren had been quite concerned about Ariella in yesterday's phone call, but Ariella looked the same as usual. I was more worried about Tia's silence given that she should be the first to react to the topic of marriage.

"Oh... O-Okay! Ahaha... I've gotten the wrong idea. M-Mononobe—pretend you heard nothing!"

Scratching her head shyly, Iris pleaded to me.

"G-Got it."

Intimidated by Iris' forcefulness, I nodded. Then I heard a sigh of exasperation.

"Verily... Ye are too leisurely."

Shrugging helplessly while taking a step forward was Vritra in a black one-piece dress. Her arms were not restrained but a green vine was wrapped around her neck.

It was a terminal of Yggdrasil for preventing the generation of dark matter. Vritra had regained freedom of movement compared to before, but the fact that she could not use her powers remained unchanged.

"Have ye really understood the situation? Indeed—Yggdrasil's core?"

Saying that, Vritra looked at Tia, who had been silent the whole time.

"..."

Tia's little shoulders shook while she alternated her gaze between me and Vritra. But in the end, she looked down without saying anything.

The girls and I were quite troubled by the way Tia was acting. Silence fell upon the cavern that felt like a steam cooker.

"—Well then, you all need to discuss properly then decided whether to come into contact with Mononobe Yuu or not. For now, please enter the house first. You'll get all sweaty if you keep standing here."

Seeing us stopped, Shinomiya-sensei urged us as though to break the silence.

"Yes, let us go inside to explain how to use the facilities and our course of action from here on."

Mica-san agreed with Shinomiya-sensei and walked towards the cottage.

I followed Mica-san and glanced sideways at the silent Tia.

She had said she wanted to be my wife in the beginning when her dragon mark changed color, but now, she was in such low spirits.

Since I was supposed to talk to the girls next, I must take the opportunity to ask properly why Tia was acting so strangely.

Deciding that in my mind, I entered the door that Mica-san opened.