Very quickly they let me into the city, shocker, although I was told that my army of bots wouldn't be able to follow me inside so I had no choice but to station them outside the walls.
Of course that nameless goddess was bubbly skipping alongside me.
"In today's sixteen hundred news report we need to discuss the uptick in bandit activity in the…"
As I walked by a shop (excited to perhaps take a break from this hellish world) I couldn't help pick up the sound of a radio. Just listening to the quality revealed it to be more "modern" than the one inside the god hunters saloon. Giving it a look revealed it to also be less ornamental but still in that "vintage" style.
Though suddenly I felt like something was wrong with this situation. Not as if I was in danger or someone was doing some dastardly plotting against me. Rather it was an issue with this very world than one specifically targeting me.
Walking through the streets again; I began to pick up on things that I had initially let slide due to just believing this was another world with a different sequence of progress. Specifically I took note of the radios that were littered about. People seem generally happy about it all things considered.
No matter where I looked there seemed to be these devices. One couldn't go very far without hearing some over the radio - perhaps you'd even be able to see a TV flat screen or two with security secretly watching over it. All that in of itself wasn't massive since it was far lower level than my own world.
What was strange about it was that it felt… Artificially placed in. Looking at the nice cafe's & bakeries that lined the streets, especially those with patio tables for people to rest, those radios would just be sat there without any kind of powersource presence. Batteries made sense of course.
Yet this was a world of magic and I felt no magic from them - it could just be some form of shielding that prevented the mana from escaping yet that seemed unlikely. Dragons weren't able to keep mana escaping from their bodies so how could human inventions? Additionally there was another matter.
A lack of logic.
"You're so cute when you get lost in your thoughts~." That master of mine said something but I chose to tactically ignore her. Not actually picking up on what she said and just the fact she spoke while looking in my general direction with a hand over her mouth as she giggled.
There were wireless TV's & radio's with no antenna yet no matter where I looked they did not have any form of long ranged communication between each other. Some may think that I am just pulling that out of my admittedly impressively large rump… But one has to remember my first conversation with the guards.
If they had the ability to communicate there is no way it wouldn't see military usage. Despite that, the old captain kept asking about details of their army as well as what happened inside the city. Their panic would be far greater if they had this sort of technology due to receiving no reports.
This all despite there being clear methods to communicate in the very wireless radios that littered the city everywhere I looked. But for some strange reason the military didn't have their own commissioned? What sort of business could completely ignore a king when in his territory.
They'd be well aware that something had gone horribly wrong since I doubt that commander will be sending any messages.
I didn't notice these inconsistencies immediately due to being distracted by my first city visit.
It was hard to focus on anything else when that just happened.
One couldn't deny that there was clearly a logical fallacy about not developing anything akin to the mobile phones of the 21st century with the level of tech displayed. Anyone could see the value of a phone over developing a newer tv or radio. All this was leading to a confusing puzzle where I think I lacked pieces.
Almost as if… "Someone gave these people the tech but not the knowledge on how to recreate it."
A startling realisation that got me to run over to one of the random tables where the radio where an old man was just enjoying a cup of tea. Ignoring his shock as I practically appeared next to him - I tried to grab that radio. Unfortunately it was bolted onto the table so I could only click my tongue in annoyance.
"What brand is this radio?" Hoping the old man would know and somehow answer despite us obviously not getting off in the best fashion. For a moment he just gormlessly blinked at me like a fish who had just been taken out of the water.
Soon enough he shook his shock away yet still looked at me in confusion at why I was asking what apparently seemed like an obvious answer to him. "The same company as all of them?"
"So all the radio's come from the same group…?" I asked to make sure that that startling realisation was actually true. Although I didn't need to even hear his response as his face told me everything I needed to know about this.
Someone had an uncontested monopoly.
"Ehehehe~ so this is what you were so curious about~?" That familiar voice asked from behind however anyone could tell it was more of a statement than a genuine question. Looking towards that goddess revealed she had an amused grin on those plump lips of hers.
Her gaze turned towards the radio without bothering to acknowledge the man who was completely overwhelmed by bewilderment at this point. Having two cute but buxom girls suddenly approach his table to talk about what he thought was common sense. Not that I cared enough to spare him from that.
This reaction basically confirmed she knew more than she was telling me; so basically I was back at step one when it came to this lizard.
Though I wasn't able to bring it up as she started to walk away as if she wasn't interested in continuing this conversation topic. I also wasn't exactly in a position to make her talk. "Y'know you are going to have to make a decision about what you want since I don't want to be called a teacher who takes advantage~.."
"What?" I couldn't help blinking at the strange change of subject, though, that didn't stop her from walking which led to her getting a significant lead on me.
Running to catch up as she didn't immediately respond - chosing to hum a tune that I didn't recognise but could tell sounded like a sea shanty of some kind. It certainly suited her even if it annoyed me. Probably why she kept doing it.
"Well I made you do something and in turn that allowed you to learn something new. The question is if what you learned is actually important; do you plan to rely on numbers to defeat your enemies? If so then I certainly gave you a reward else I still owe you." She said with a smile.
Once more dropping a bomb that caused me to freeze up.
Did I want to completely rely on my legion of bots to fight for me; I certainly prepared them to be able to fight but was it really to take my place? No… I just wanted the efficient extra man power. There was no way I wanted to hide behind those bronze knights nor the silver knights after them.
Plus… How could I forget my companion? Hand coming down to rest on the holstered body of my precious six-iron (hand sliding up the leather to come across the handle) drawing the masterpiece of german origin. "Why would I hide behind those guys when I have all the firepower I need right here."
A smile finding its way up my lips; almost making me mistake that teacher as a mirror image as her lips also curled up in satisfaction at my answer. Her hands reached out as if balancing something upon both of her palms. For a moment there was indeed nothing between her hands.
That quickly changed as the world itself seemed to crack around her fingers before the sound of shattering glass marked the end of the illusion. Between her hands now sat a single sheathed sword. I wasn't an expert but it looked like a katana with green rope things wrapped around the handle.
"I'm not a sharpshooter nor do I have any experience… What I do have experience with is empowering my weapon with my energy and attacking at such speed that no one can react. So, to you, I will allow you to study my first even weapon as it holds more secrets than you can imagine~." She said with a smug smile.
Holding that sword out for me to grab with me almost wanting to say that she's just exaggerating how important some random blade is.
I couldn't.
Just being in front of the sword made me feel a terrifying pressure that didn't even seem to be intentionally released since she hadn't even drawn the weapon. It felt like I was in front of some ancient beast with a mere fragment of its wisdom being enough to drive anyone to greed. The sword itself was useless to me.
What was important was what I could gleam out of it so the words of that loli didn't seem to be particularly inflated due to her ego. It made me wonder just what someone would do for this sword. Also what kind of life this sword had to possess such an aura; what was it even made out of?
So, with such thoughts, I sheathed my revolver to carefully took the sword from her hands only to quickly place it in my inventory. There was no way I was going to run around with that out. She may not mind but I knew for a fact I couldn't protect it should some crazy monster notice it's value.
"Let's return to that dommy mommy~." Breaking all seriousness - that midget turned on her heel to head towards the place she kidnapped me from - finger pointed in the direction she was travelling. "Oh… And don't get it out in this world and only in your own world when completely alone."