By Zephyria =======
After a long silence, the madman spoke.
“Even if you look at my face, you won’t recognize me.”
“Just show it to me first. If you really hate that, at least give me a name.”
“Even if I tell you my name, you won’t know me.”
“Wow, seriously.”
Wolf let out a hollow laugh. Is this bastard playing games with me?
“Did we just cross paths once a long time ago? If that’s the case, of course I wouldn’t recognize you.”
“Do you know a guy named Silver?”
“Who’s that?”
Wolf asked back immediately, then paused. “Ah.”
“Is Silver your brother’s name? Were you from Atania?”
The madman remained silent.
“Or a half-blood? Was your father from Atania?”
Wolf threw out questions while frantically searching through his memories. Silver, Silver. Who on earth was he? It was such an unusual name for someone from Atania that it should have been hard to forget.
“Hoo…”
The madman let out a chuckle. Then, he suddenly leaned back and burst into loud laughter.
“Who am I! What is my name! I’m Pururu! Maybe Ppujijik! I’m just a dockside beggar!”
“Hey? Excuse me?”
Wolf flinched at the sudden madness. What is wrong with this guy?
The madman sprang to his feet.
“Who am I! Where am I! Spare a coin—!”
In an instant, he bolted out of the lodging. By the time Wolf chased after him, the madman was already sprinting toward the end of the alley, shouting “Spare a coin—!” every four or five steps.
Wolf stared blankly in the direction the man had disappeared.
Is that bastard crazy? Or is he still on drugs?
“Wolf!”
A white parrot fluttered down from the air and landed on Wolf’s shoulder.
“What have you been doing all day? Hanging around with pirates wearing a hideous mask… Do you know how absurd I felt watching you the whole time?”
“Ah. Well.”
Wolf trailed off as he stepped back into the lodging. When he had been fighting the madman on the ship, Red Eagle had been locked in the cabin. He hadn’t known the extent of the bird’s combat abilities.
“About that guy who just ran off. Did the Prince not see the mantis sitting on his shoulder at the beach?”
“I didn’t. I ascended rapidly right away. Why the mantis?”
“Hmm… Move for a second. I’m going to wash up.”
Wolf lifted a rain-catch bucket and dumped it over his head. Only after emptying two more in succession did he throw the bucket aside. Hair clung to his forehead and neck. Streams of water flowed down his upper body, passing over his collarbones.
“Now it’s less itchy, damn it.”
“Wolf. The way you look is embarrassing.”
“Prince, this is Stohl. You’ve lived here for three years; isn’t it about time you shed the grime of Atania?”
Wolf had long since stopped caring how he appeared to others. He brushed his hair back haphazardly and headed toward the bed. His wet trousers clung heavily to his thighs.
“Prince, about that mantis I mentioned. Remember the mantis fairy who was carrying fruit at the restaurant we visited after finishing the
“What?! Really?”
“Even the voice sounded like the mantis fairy. I only caught a glimpse while he was regaining consciousness, but I’m sure. A child’s voice with an ambiguous gender. People in Stohl are crazy about rare animals or insects. That guy stole the fairy.”
“My God!”
Red Eagle flew in circles around the room.
“A survivor! A survivor who made it out of that place besides us!”
“The aftereffects seemed severe. His mind is unstable.”
The moment the mantis fairy entered his field of vision, Wolf’s brain had spun rapidly to select a role to play on the pirate island. He remembered the warrior under his command, ‘Quick-Die-Mouse.’ The man often bragged, “Thanks to this fucking name, I’m welcomed everywhere!” Although ‘Quick-Die-Mouse’—claiming it wasn’t an insult to the pirate but his real name—and ‘Stuffy Field Mouse’ were Wolf’s own creations.
Wolf rubbed his forearm with his palm and sat on the edge of the bed.
“I’ll make you a new nest tomorrow, so stay there for a while, Prince. It’s autumn, so food is scattered everywhere, so there’s no problem, right?”
“That’s true, but… Wolf, what are you thinking? In a place like this…”
Wolf put a finger to his lips, signaling for silence. Red Eagle quickly shut his beak and landed on Wolf’s shoulder.
For a moment, Wolf stared at the ceiling. The sky visible through the gaping hole was gradually darkening.
“Hey.”
〔Yes.〕
Fleas answered.
“Not the one from the sky, but the human thunder. Explain.”
〔Request confirmed.〕
〔Definition: Mutant individuals with physical abilities far superior to ordinary humans. Not based on lineage genetics. Occasionally, both parent and child are thunder, but statistically, this is a coincidental overlap.〕
〔Mark: A spot forms on the flank after age 10. The shape of the spot is inconsistent, making it difficult to distinguish from ordinary Stohl people by appearance alone.〕
Wolf always thought that this parasitic wraith was excessively knowledgeable about the people of Stohl. And it abused words that were hard to understand.
〔When converted to combat output indicators, the top tier of ordinary adult males averages around 45 calden. The average for teenage thunder individuals is close to 100 calden. Adult thunder individuals are 500 calden. The highest tier records 700 to 800 calden.〕
〔Physical abilities increase exponentially after age 20.〕
〔First, strength. Output relative to body weight is approximately 10 to 20 times that of an ordinary human.〕
〔Second, speed. Capable of acceleration in short distances that is difficult to track with the naked eye.〕
〔Third, durability. The strength of bones, muscles, and ligaments is approximately 20 to 30 times that of an ordinary adult male. Balance and spatial perception also greatly exceed the average.〕
〔Specific combat cases of thunder individuals appear frequently in Stohl’s traditional legends. If additional information is needed, refer to those materials yourself.〕
“Then I’m not a thunder?”
〔Correct.〕
Fleas replied curtly.
〔Your combat output was close to 100 calden in your teens, but it has remained at the same value in your twenties. No spot on the flank. You are not a thunder.〕
“I know. I was just asking.”
Wolf muttered, kicking the wooden floor.
“Monsters like that actually exist in Stohl? That’s more surprising than a man getting pregnant. Anyway, why did the thunder disappear into legend?”
〔Estimation…〕
〔Thunder individuals were originally very few. Born regardless of class. Possible for warrior class, commoners, and slaves.〕
〔The vast majority of thunder appearing in legends are of the warrior class. This suggests that thunder from commoner or slave backgrounds hid their identities early on. It is presumed they wished to avoid wartime mobilization.〕
〔The period when even warrior-class thunder disappeared coincides with the Atania invasion period. Around that time, the policy of killing mutants became full-scale. Thunder also feared they would be classified as mutants and become targets of persecution. Around this time, warrior-class thunder also began concealing their identities.〕
〔Result: Thunder remained only as beings in stories.〕
〔Probability that the above estimation is correct: ninety-seven out of a hundred. All other hypotheses are below that.〕
Wolf fell into thought. Come to think of it, the madman was also hiding his skills here.
But he attacked me on the ship. Why?
He pushed that part aside for now. It was a problem that would be solved once he verified it later.
“You saw the mantis talking to that guy on the beach, right? It was exactly the same as the mantis fairy I saw in your den.”
〔Accurate classification is impossible. I do not know the detailed list of all tools within our domain.〕
〔I acknowledge the possibility that the insect-type individual is a type of external tool belonging to our domain. This is the best estimate at this point.〕
For a moment, Wolf scratched the floor with his toes.
“…That mantis fairy. Could it be remotely connected to the skeleton wraith den like you are?”
〔Estimation… Impossible.〕
〔Based on your statement, the insect-type individual is an external tool for kitchen work and guest entertainment.〕
〔Due to its purpose, its conversation ability is excellent. Other cognitive abilities and additional functions are estimated to be meager.〕
〔Since it is not of the same lineage as I am, it is highly likely that it does not have a remote connection function to
In other words, in the human world, the mantis fairy was nothing more than a cute toy.
“The conversation between that guy and the mantis fairy on the beach. What was the content?”
At the answer that came back, Wolf’s entire body turned cold.
〔The human individual presumed to be a thunder asked the insect-type individual to see if your face resembled the
* * *
“Uhahaha! Spare a coin! Fuck, give me a coin—!”
Silver, who had been running around, suddenly came to a dead stop as if he had hit a wall. It was the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea. The twilight spreading beyond the horizon dyed the deep blue sea in gold. The smell of seaweed drifting from somewhere stung his nose.
Silver slid down and sat on the ground. He felt like an irredeemable fool. Why on earth did he ask such a question to someone who wasn’t even Wolf?
85 – Hell Execution Order