Unlimited Fafnir:Volume 7 Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - Newborn Predator

Part 1

Three years ago on that day, I was sitting by the river in a bad mood after an argument with Mitsuki over something trivial.

Grumbling while muttering to myself, I vented my emotions of annoyance while trying hard to calm myself.

My efforts bore fruit. By the time the evening breeze turned cool, my mind was already calm.

"—Please, stop following me."

Just as I was getting up, intending to return home, I heard a girl's voice.

Then a kitten purred and went "meow~", wanting to be doted upon.

I looked up at the river embankment, only to see a young girl walking on the road along the riverside, troubled by a kitten that insisted on following her.

"I only fed you once on a whim just now. There won't be a second time even if you follow me. I can't keep you either."

The girl looked the same age as me. She was talking seriously to the kitten, trying to convince it. She had a well-proportioned face and long black hair. Dressed in a chic and black one-piece dress... She was neither a girl I had met before nor a student at the same school as me.

"You'd better leave this town instead of begging food from me if you want to leave. Otherwise—"

The girl continued to persuade the kitten seriously, but she stopped talking as soon as she noticed my gaze.

"...Anyway, don't follow me anymore."

The girl ended her speech halfway and quickly left the kitten. However, the kitten did not learn its lesson and ran after the girl on its short little legs.

I could not help but feel curious, following the girl and the kitten with my gaze. They seemed to be crossing the nearby bridge up ahead. Blocked by the bridge fencing, the kitten was out of sight.

At this moment, a large dump truck sped past along the riverside road. The cloud of black exhaust drifted over, making me cough a few times.

With heavy engine noise, the dump truck turned towards the bridge.

"Ah—"

After that, a small shadow jumped onto the fencing.

It was the kitten from just now.

It was unclear whether it had been frightened by the giant vehicle or it was trying to escape the truck's black emissions—From the riverside, I could not tell.

Having ascended to an unsteady footing, the kitten was apparently blown by the wind caused by the truck's passing. It lost balance and fell into the river.

The instant I saw that happen, I reflexively ran out. But when I ran, I witnessed an even more shocking scene.

As though chasing after the kitten, the girl from just now jumped from the bridge.

"What...!?"

I gasped, only to see a pillar of water rise with a splash. Although the river's surface was wide and the current was gentle, the water was very shallow. Jumping from the bridge and not getting injured was unlikely.

I took off my shoes and entered the river in search of the girl who had sunk into the water.

Immediately, some distance away, the girl stood up with a splash. Despite getting all drenched, she did not look injured. She was holding the kitten against her bosom too.

"Hey, are you okay!?"

I pushed through the water to head over to her. The girl cocked her head in puzzlement.

"...What are you doing?"

"What am I doing...? Well, I saw you fall into the river, so I came to rescue you."

"Really? So you're one of those nice guys."

The girl remarked with disinterest. Then she handed the kitten to me.

"Huh?"

"I'm leaving this cat in your care."

Declaring unilaterally, the girl walked to the shore.

"Hey... How can you decide on your own—"

I frantically called out but the girl simply looked back and said in a calm tone of voice:

"Take the cat and leave this town, because Hekatonkheir is coming tomorrow."

"Huh...? But the news this morning said that according to the current route, this town is safe—"

I asked in confusion but the girl shook her head.

"Human predictions are unreliable. All it takes is a change in a dragon's whims and this town will be destroyed."

"What...? Why do you know something like that?"

"Because—I am a dragon too."

The girl smiled, instantly causing a chill to run along my back and my legs to stiffen and shake nonstop.

While I was unable to move, the girl walked along the riverside and departed. On the other hand, I was standing in daze in the middle of the river, carrying the wet kitten, curled up in my arms—

Part 2

On my back, I felt a weight and feminine softness.

—Three years ago, the girl I met at the river must have been Kili.

Carrying the unconscious Kili while walking, I thought to myself.

Meeting her at Midgard was after my second deal with Yggdrasil. By then, I had already lost all memories related to Kili, which was why I failed to recognize her. Although Kili had used biogenic transmutation in the past to alter her appearance, judging from what happened three years ago, her current face should be her "real appearance." The others were merely disguises, I suppose.

"Mononobe-kun, can you walk a bit slower?"

While I was lost in thought, Ariella, who was carrying John on her back, called out to me.

"Oh, sorry."

I hastily slowed down. Ariella was the most physically fit among the girls but hurrying along while carrying a person on her back was tough work after all.

"Nii-san, there is no need to be so hasty because not many people pass by at this hour."

Mitsuki looked at the surroundings and said to me.

We intended to move Kili and John to Mitsuki's house. Since no one was currently living in Mitsuki's house, it was possible to hide Kili and John and prevent them from getting discovered.

Kili was deemed a disaster by NIFL. Furthermore, John had deserted Sleipnir for some unknown reason and was working with Kili. These two would get arrested immediately if they were taken to a public institution, which was why we could not call for an ambulance. But since both of them showed no visible injuries, it was probably fine.

Our top priority was questioning them, including the matter of the dragon mark changing color.

Since Kili's blood-covered appearance was too conspicuous, I used transmutation to create a simple coat for her to wear.

To conceal Kili and John, Iris and the rest of the girls walked around me and Ariella.

"......"

Vritra did not say a single word after seeing Kili, staying silent the whole time. With her head slightly lowered, she seemed to be contemplating something.

Just as Mitsuki pointed out, no one suspected us. In this manner, we reached home successfully.

Since the car was absent at my house, that meant Father had not returned from work yet. The faint aroma in the air probably came from Mother cooking dinner. Right now, no one was probably going to discover us carrying Kili and John into Mitsuki's house.

"Me~ow."

But the instant we opened the gate, I was startled by a cat's sound. I looked back to see the black cat Ohagi on the boundary wall, wagging its tail.

"Oh right... Back then, you were... So Ohagi, you're the kitten Kili saved."

Hearing me say that, Ohagi meowed as though answering yes.

Three years ago, at Kili's request, I had taken the kitten home. The next day, just as Kili predicted, Hekatonkheir approached the town. Without giving me much time to look after the kitten, even before I had a chance to give it a name, I was taken away.

Ohagi jumped down from the wall and approached my feet. It seemed quite interested in Kili whom I was carrying on my back. Perhaps it still remembered Kili who had saved it.

"Nii-san, what is going on?"

After hearing my mutterings, Mitsuki demanded an explanation.

"Three years ago, I came across Kili jumping into the river to rescue a kitten. Kili entrusted the kitten to me and asked me to run away, warning me Hekatonkheir was coming."

I briefly explained my encounter with Kili to everyone.

"The day before that incident, Kili-san..."

Despite feeling surprised, Mitsuki still turned her key and opened the door at the entryway. We entered the house and Ohagi followed along. Thus, we made our way to the master bedroom on the second floor used by Lisa, Firill and Tia.

After we laid Kili and John on the large two-person bed for them to sleep, Mitsuki went to tell Mother we had returned.

"...Kili-san's dragon mark definitely started changing in color."

While waiting for Mitsuki, Lisa stared at Kili's right hand and commented.

"But why on earth? Isn't Vritra the only dragon remaining?"

Firill glanced sideways at Vritra.

"—I am not the one who selected her. Moreover, without needing a mate, I am able to produce offspring inheriting mine authority."

Vritra spoke, staring at the dragon mark whose edges had turned purple. Offspring inheriting her authority—That most likely meant us, the Ds.

"Then what exactly chose Kili?"

"Mm..."

Ariella cocked her head in puzzlement and Ren concurred.

"Mononobe..."

Iris tugged my clothing. Lisa also looked at me. Her eyes seemed to be trying to convey a message.

They both knew of another dragon. Namely, Midgard's principal, Charlotte B. Lord—the "Gray" Vampire.

Nevertheless, I shook my head because I really could not imagine her selecting Kili.

Calling herself the guardian of humanity, she had devoted all her efforts towards protecting Ds. I did not think she would do something like this. Furthermore, this color was—

"A dragon mark's change in color will depend on the targeting dragon. Tia's was red, Firill's was yellow. If it's purple... Isn't that the Kraken?"

Tia spoke hesitantly. This thought must have occurred to everyone present, but...

"The purple dragon, 'Purple' Kraken, was exterminated two years ago, so that is impossible."

Lisa rejected Tia's suggestion on everyone's behalf while displaying a slightly mournful demeanor.

Two years ago, during the Kraken battle, her classmate, a girl named Shinomiya Miyako, had been selected and turned into a dragon.

Although Mitsuki had defeated the two dragons, it left immense trauma in everyone's hearts.

"That's true... Then it's unrelated to the Kraken."

Tia sighed and conceded but at this time, someone spoke from the bed.

"—No, Tia's conclusion is correct."

I took a closer look to see Kili opening her eyes slightly, looking in our direction.

"Kili!? You woke up!"

I approached the bed, looking at Kili's face.

"...Yes, because I heard talking."

Kili smiled and nodded. Originally waiting next to a wall in the room, Ohagi instantly came near and jumped lightly onto the bed.

"Me~ow."

Ohagi rubbed its forehead against Kili's cheek. Seeing this, Kili partially closed her eyes in nostalgia.

"It grew up."

Hearing me say that, Kili widened her eyes in surprise.

"Really? So you remembered what happened three years ago."

"Yeah."

"Why now...? You clearly had no idea when we met in Midgard."

Kili glared at me, somewhat displeased. When transferring into Midgard as Tachibana Honoka, she had used her current appearance—Perhaps she had the intent of wanting me to remember her.

"To be honest, Yggdrasil was eating away at my memories. I only remembered after Tia cancelled it for me."

Kili sighed in realization after listening to my explanation.

"So something like that had happened—Yuu... What is this cat's name...?"

"It's Ohagi."

"...Sounds like quite a delicious name."

Kili smiled wryly and petted Ohagi on the head. Seeing Ohagi purring in pleasure, Kili shifted her gaze to John who was lying beside her.

"How is he?"

"Oh right, he's fine, only unconscious. Although we didn't conduct a full-body diagnosis."

Ariella, the one who carried John here, was the one who answered. I felt that she was trying to say something between the lines, but Kili seemed to understand and exhaled in relief.

"Is that so...? I'm glad to hear that. I need him to survive and return the favor after forcing me to do something so risky."

"Kili, what the heck happened? You just said Tia's conclusion is correct..."

I asked her cautiously. The smile vanished from Kili's face.

"Earlier, I was tracking John's... whereabouts. The trail started at the barricaded Asgard lab, left behind by something's movements, so I followed the clues. Finally, there—I discovered it."

"It?"

"A monster wrapped in silver threads. The threads are most likely made of mithril. Furthermore, the monster has the ability to release antimatter. I barely managed to rescue John from its clutches then escaped here."

Everyone gasped after listening to Kili.

"Mithril and antimatter? That is practically... the 'Purple' Kraken, isn't it!?"

Lisa cried out in surprise.

"Yes, so I believe Tia is correct. Perhaps that's—!?"

Kili nodded in agreement. Just as she was about to say something, she frowned and brought her right hand before her face.

"What is this...?"

Kili gasped and examined her dragon mark that was changing in color. It looked like she only noticed the change now.

"—To think that this situation hath arisen now, when all mine original plans were foiled."

Originally standing behind our group, Vritra walked up to the front at this time.

"...Who are you?"

"Recognize me not? Daughter of mine?"

Seeing Kili frown, Vritra smiled sardonically at her.

"No way—Mother?"

Kili looked shocked while staring at the young girl who greatly resembled her.

"Indeed. I created this stand-in to hold a discussion with Yggdrasil... But if what thou sayst is true, mayhap I did something redundant."

Vritra spoke while looking at Kili's dragon mark. She smiled. She looked delighted from the bottom of her heart—A grin of glee. A chill rushed along my spine.

"Mother...?"

Even Kili was unable to fathom what Vritra was thinking and groaned with a stiff expression. At this moment, frantic footsteps arrived outside the room.

"Bad news, everyone!"

Mitsuki opened the door and rushed in, crying out with her face gone pale.

"What's the matter? Mitsuki-chan?"

Iris asked the panting Mitsuki.

"I received a call from Shinomiya-sensei just now..."

Holding her portable terminal in her right hand, Mitsuki swept her gaze across us in the room.

Then she took a deep breath to calm herself and continued:

"—Sensei says that the Kraken's juvenile form is currently heading to this town."

Part 3

'Asgard apparently preserved the Kraken's corpse underground at the research lab we were at.'

On the screen of the portable terminal Mitsuki was holding on her palm, Shinomiya-sensei explained the situation to us with a bitter expression.

Gathered around Mitsuki, we exclaimed in surprise, but what came next shocked us even more.

'One part of the corpse exhibited lingering signs of biological activity. Researchers hypothesized that it could be the Kraken's offspring.'

"The Kraken's offspring... Wouldn't that be Miyako's—"

Mitsuki's voice trembled. Shinomiya-sensei nodded gravely.

'Due to becoming a mate, having offspring would not be unexpected—That is probably what they think.'

"A child born from a union with a dragon..."

Iris murmured with undisguised disgust. The other girls seemed to feel a chill, hugging themselves as a result.

'What exhibited signs of biological activity, a part of a tentacle, was kept under extremely low temperature. While it was kept under those conditions, there were evidently no changes of note.'

Kept under extremely low temperature...?

I recalled the coffin I had seen at Miyazawa Kenya's lab. Inside that freezer-like facility, there was a coffin kept under strict security. He had told me it was a human cadaver—

"...Onii-chan."

Ren apparently recalled the same thing. She looked at me with serious eyes.

"Shinomiya-sensei—I think I might know about that storage location."

'What?'

"Director Miyazawa led me to a room that was like a freezer, asking me to spread Ether Wind around the coffin that was kept there. He said it was a human cadaver... The manifested soul also looked like a human girl... Could that be—"

I stopped here. Immediately, Mitsuki continued in hoarse voice:

"Nii-san, are you saying that it was the soul of Miyako after she became a Kraken?"

"I believe it's possible. Now that I think back, the impression I got from her was quite similar to Shinomiya-sensei."

I spoke while recalling that soul's outline, formed from particles.

'...I will pursue that matter separately with Director Miyazawa. Let us discuss unconfirmed information later. Right now, I only wish to discuss facts.'

Shinomiya-sensei spoke in stiff tone of voice. Seeing as Shinomiya Miyako was her little sister, I would expect her to feel turmoil inside. But as Midgard's commander, she continued to explain:

'Yggdrasil was causing electrical interference over a wide area during the previous battle. Due to this, even the lab's backup power supply was cut off completely. Naturally, cooling equipment stopped functioning. Reportedly, a few hours later, the juvenile Kraken hatched.'

"Originally in a state of suspended animation under low temperature, then becoming active because of the rise in temperature huh...?"

Ariella wondered with her arms crossed.

'The chain of cause and effect is uncertain at the moment, so there could be other factors too. Regardless, the juvenile Kraken wrecked the lab after waking up and escaped to the ground surface. That happened roughly thirty-six hours ago.'

Shinomiya-sensei's tone of voice conveyed strong anxiety and sarcasm.

"...Asgard intends to cover this up."

Firill said with a sigh.

'Indeed, it would deal a severe blow to the organization's credibility if this incident came to light. Hence, Asgard ordered NIFL to act, intending to clean up while keeping all information under control.'

Lisa forced a smile after hearing Shinomiya-sensei.

"However, now that they are passing the information to us, it implies that... Their operation to handle the situation secretly has failed."

'—Indeed. The forces they deployed were completely routed. Running out of options, they sought Midgard's aid. Although it is quite late at this point, we can't ignore them either. Also, the juvenile Kraken suddenly changed directions and started heading towards your town.'

After saying this, Shinomiya-sensei gazed at us from the other side of the screen.

'There are limited reasons why a dragon would act in this manner. Among you, has anyone's dragon mark exhibited changes?'

"Well, Shinomiya-sensei, regarding this matter..."

Mitsuki raised her hand and told her about us taking in Kili, whose dragon mark had changed in color. During the process, Mitsuki threw a glance at Vritra in the corner of the room but did not report about her or John.

That was probably in consideration of the fact that Asgard or NIFL might be eavesdropping on the call. If news of Vritra spread, her discussion with Tia might get obstructed. With that, there was a possibility that Vritra, who had made a rare gesture to talk in peace, would turn into an enemy.

As for Kili, it was already decided during the Hraesvelgr battle that Midgard would protect her. Hence, even if NIFL were to found out, our stance would still remain unchanged.

'...I understand the situation now. Brynhildr Class will stay on standby over there together with Kili. A helicopter will head over to your side soon.'

Shinomiya-sensei issued orders in a grave tone of voice, biting her lip with an expression as though she was enduring something. Then she called Mitsuki's name as though forcing a voice out.

'Mononobe Mitsuki—'

"...I understand. If the enemy is the juvenile Kraken, then my antimatter projectiles will undoubtedly be able to vanquish it. I have already resolved myself. No problem."

Mitsuki clenched her fist and spoke resolutely.

'Is that so? I am counting on you.'

Shinomiya-sensei bowed her head sorrowfully in supplication then ended the call.

The room fell into silence. Everyone had their hands full, simply taking in the situation.

"Mitsuki-san... Will you really be alright?"

Lisa showed care to Mitsuki with an uneasy expression.

"Yes—The enemy is not Miyako's child but the Kraken's juvenile form. Not a human but totally just a dragon. Hence... I can do it."

Mitsuki answered as though persuading herself. Seeing Mitsuki like that, no one could say anything more on the matter.

However, I—after retrieving many memories, the current me... was able to sense Mitsuki's hesitation.

Despite looking like she had resolved herself, Mitsuki's heart was still indecisive.

"Mitsuki—"

Sensing her unease, I reached out to Mitsuki but she picked up the black cat Ohagi in her arms and walked to the bedroom's door.

"Before the helicopter arrives, we will first have dinner, everyone. The food is already ready."

After urging the girls and Vritra to go eat, Mitsuki looked at the remaining Kili.

"Kili-san, please stay here. I will bring food shortly after. If John wakes up, I would like you to help explain the situation to him."

"...Sure."

Kili answered in a slightly stiff tone of voice, then looked at Vritra warily.

Silent the whole time, Vritra left the room without saying a word. Although her silence felt somewhat bizarre to me, I still followed and departed.

Part 6

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