The 8th day of the Light month. The day of my long-awaited date with
Alice… N- No, I really was looking forward to it. You may be thinking
that I shouldn't say that since I originally forgot about this date, but I'd
like it if you pretend that it didn't happen.
[Now then, let's depart! The gorgeous all-you-can-eat lunch and dinner
is waiting for me!]
[…Oi, why the heck are you shamelessly trying to smoothly add that allyou-can-eat option?]
[So, Kaito-san. What kind of restaurant are we going to today?]
[…You f*cking woman.]
Skillfully ignoring me, as expected of the Phantasmal King, her evasion
skills aren't something half-hearted… I really want to punch her.
Incidentally, Alice seems to prioritize her appetite over her attire for
our date, as she's still dressed like usual, with her opera mask on her
face. She looks as suspicious as ever.
We would most probably be turned away if the restaurant we're going
to has a dress code, but if that happens, I'm sure that she'll probably
just do something that would make the staff let us in.
[I've been thinking about a few restaurants that we could go to, but
Alice, do you like fish or meat better?]
[That's obviously meat!]
[Thanks for the passionate and immediate answer… By the way, did you
drop your femininity somewhere? Should we look for it first?]
[That kind of thing doesn't make me full.]
I see, those words carry a different weight when it comes from
someone who usually suffers from hunger… Well, in the first place, that
hunger was completely her fault…
[Speaking of which, when I was looking for a place to eat, I found out
that fish is a pretty expensive commodity here.]
[That's because the royal capital isn't facing the sea. Even if
Teleportation Magic exists, only a limited number of merchant
associations have high-performance magic tools that can move cartloads of merchandise. There are some people who use Flying Dragon
Services, but most of the ingredients are still being imported by land.]
[Fumu…]
[It's just a strategic point for business, but as a merchant association
that can import fresh fish with Teleportation Magic, they would want to
make money by taking advantage of having such a means of
transporting their goods. As a result, fish are more expensive than in
the Hydra Kingdom.]
When I was checking out the shops here in Symphonia Kingdom, I
found out that fishes were a bit more expensive here.
When I first came to this world, I thought that the prices of stuff I
bought here in the Symphonia Kingdom were the average cost, but in
the Hydra Kingdom, fish is much cheaper than in the Symphonia
Kingdom, while fruits are much more expensive.
It's a bit interesting how each country has its own characteristics.
[Well, there are some ingredients that are expensive regardless of
which country it is though~~ For example, dragon meat.]
[If I remember correctly, you said that they don't appear in the market
that often, right?]
[Yes, because Dragons are considered as a powerful enemy for
generally all Humans.]
Yes, it's easy for me to forget since there are many people around me
who can easily take down a dragon, but Dragons are powerful
monsters, so their meat would obviously be precious and expensive.
I had tasted some back when we're eating barbecue, and the dragon
meat was surprisingly tender and seemed to melt on my tongue. They
tasted really good… I'd like to eat some again.
[Well, unfortunately, the restaurant we're going to today doesn't serve
dragon meat, but rather, the meat of a bird called Emerald Bird…]
[Ohhhh, Emerald Bird huh, that's quite the high-quality meat we're
having! Well~~ I'm looking forward to it! Ahh, I'm also free to get
refills!? Thank yo… Fugyaaahhh!?]
[Cut that out.]
As I dropped my fist on Alice's head, who tried to keep adding the allyou-can-eat option at every opportunity that she can, I chuckled at her
usual goofiness.
As I thought, for some reason, being with Alice is fun and carefree.
Could that be why? The reason why I feel like today's date is going to be
fun.
Right as I was walking forward with that thought in mind… In the next
moment, the landscape dramatically changed.
[…Eh?]
The landscape around me was clearly abnormal, as to whether it's the
scenery, the ground or the buildings… Even the people on the street, all
of them disappeared, as I found myself within a space that only has the
color white.
However, the abnormal phenomenon continues, as a number of colors
ran through the whitewashed landscape. Those colors began to form a
landscape that resembles those cybernetic spaces that I saw in anime
and video games. At the very least though, this was a landscape that
shouldn't have existed in this world.
[Found.]
[ ! ? ]
I was stunned by the unusual scene around me, when I heard the voice
that sounded like a machine, and instantly felt a chill ran down my
back.
Hurriedly moving my gaze, there I found… an angel.
I wasn't being metaphorically here, the being in front of me was literally
an angel. A terrifyingly beautiful being with several pure white wings
on its back, dressed in white clothing that I remembered seeing in
Greek Mythology books, flowing diagonally from her shoulders.
Short blonde hair that even seems to glow and eyes that held the color
of a rainbow… No, would it be better to describe it as being richlycolored? Anyway, her eyes seem like they hold a combination of many
colors.
I think she's probably about 150 cm tall? She looks quite petite, but I
don't know if it's because of the atmosphere around her or not, as her
stature makes me feel like she holds power unbelievable for a human
being.
Would it even be appropriate to describe her like those angels depicted
in the Bible? It was hard to tell at a glance whether this being was a
man or a woman, but the being in front of me looks so beautiful that I
can't take my eyes off her… But at the same time, I can't help but feel
like this being was weird.
It was just like when I first met Shiro-san… A feeling of not feeling any
emotion from her at all. An inexplicable sense of intimidation, as if I
can't feel what was within her mind, while she can completely see
through the depths of my heart.
[Kaito-san! Please step back!!]
[ ! ? ]
Just as I was feeling overwhelmed by her appearance in front of me,
Alice moves her body in front of me, screaming in a tense voice that I've
never heard before.
However, this unknown something in front of us… is more than Alice
could handle…
[Hindrance.]
[Dange—!?]
[Alice!?]
Just one word… The moment that angel said that one word, Alice's body
was engulfed in light… and disappeared.
What the heck is this being? Why the heck is this happening…
I felt as if my heart was frozen to the core and I screamed, forgetting the
pressure I should have felt earlier.
[What… did you do to Alice!?]
[…!?]
Rage… Yes, it's a searing feeling of rage.
I know that the entity in front of me is so powerful that she won't even
pay attention to me even if I try hurting her. I shouted, but in the end,
my existence may be erased without a trace… Still, I couldn't help but
shout.
Hearing my shout, the angel, after her eyebrows slightly moved, tells
me in a matter-of-factly tone.
[Injury, None. Space, Outside, Distance, 10000 Kilometers, Force,
Teleport.]
[ ! ? ]
The way she spoke makes it awfully hard for me to understand the
meaning of her words, but I knew that Alice was safe and was just
forcibly teleported out of this space. However, even as I was relieved by
hearing that, I was also astonished.
Just now, this angel said 10000 kilometers… That isn't a unit of distance
in this world, but a unit of distance in my world.
What the heck is this being? Just who is she?
[…Question.]
[…Eh?]
The angel, who was silent in front of the astonished me for a moment,
for some reason, shakes her head, then began saying something
incomprehensible.
[You, Average, Uniqueness, None.]
[...]
[Ability, Weak, Magic Power, Miniscule, Appearance, Average…
Incomprehensible.]
[...]
I don't understand. I really don't understand. Why am I being insulted
by an angel that just appeared out of nowhere?
However, her eyes feel unpleasant… cold eyes that seem to tell me that
I'm not worth anything… Seriously, what in the world is she…
[Again, Confirm.]
[ ! ? ]
Then, as the angel told me that in a matter-of-fact manner, reaching out
one hand towards me, trying to touch my body… For some reason, she
stopped midway through and removed her gaze from me.
[Surprise… Ability, Misjudge?]
[…Eh?]
Immediately after muttering those words that should mean that she
had misjudged someone's ability while staring not at me but
somewhere else, in the direction the angel was staring in… a large crack
appeared in the space.
And from that crack… Alice emerged.
[Alice!]
[My heart, spin, become my armor—– My heart, spin, turn into my
blade—– My heart, spin, sprout my wings—-]
[ ! ? ]
The words that came out of Alice's mouth as she returned, came out of
her mouth with such clarity and power that they seem to echo
throughout the entire space.
And with those words, Alice puts her hand on the mask on her face,
removes it and throws it away, and stares at the angel with eyes that are
filled with tremendous rage.
[—-Blade of my heart, burst forth! —–Weave my bonds! —– <
Ἑκατόγχειρες >!!!]
(T/N: Hekatonkheires)
With those words that seem to give out a command, at that moment,
this strange space was filled with numerous lights.