Chapter 102
A low exclamation escaped me before I knew it.
“…Whoa.”
“What, is this your first time in an aircraft?”
“No, not exactly….”
It just feels different from last time.
Riding one during the day definitely felt completely different from riding one at night.
Almost like a whole different dimension.
The last time I’d ridden beside the mafia boss─Luciana, it had been a dark night.
Thanks to that, there hadn’t been much to see.
At most, the glow of neon signs shining from the streets around the New City.
The buildings on the streets of the Old City where we stayed were shoddy, as if someone had tacked on layers of anthills, and the only proper source of light was the flames burning in drums lit by homeless people to drive away the cold.
The view during the daytime definitely felt different.
Besides.
[We will soon be entering the airspace over District 44.]
Now even that scenery was different.
Just then, another aircraft picked up speed as it tried to pass alongside our taxi.
Through the rear-seat window, I caught sight of a child who looked about three years old.
Unless we went all the way into the heart of the city, there weren’t even traffic lights here, so our eyes met by sheer coincidence.
And then.
[Waaaaah!!]
[Oh my, young master! Why are you crying all of a sudden….]
Like every little kid who had seen my face, that one burst into tears at zero-to-one-hundred speed.
A characteristically wrinkled, somewhat ugly, scrunched-up face.
A little while later.
The child’s guardian, who had seen my face along with the child, frowned as if they had seen something filthy and changed the vehicle’s window to opaque.
─Crack.
My fragile, glass-like mental state cracked.
Anyway.
The very existence of another aircraft….
In the Old City streets of District 49, where even the appearance of a corporate drone or aircraft over the city generally caused a noisy commotion, this was an exceptionally rare sight.
And then there were the dazzling sights visible around us.
Buildings with clean glass walls.
Countless holograms flying through the air.
Even though it was daytime, neon signs flashed and stole my gaze.
We’d crossed only a few districts, but the scenery had changed completely.
If it was like this here, what on earth was the central part of the city like?
Seeing me with my face pressed against the window, staring at the view outside until my eyes nearly popped out, Eleanor Crossfell let out a quiet laugh.
Warmth rose within her expressionless face.
“I’m starting to believe you when you said you aren’t from a family.”
“…….”
Was this perhaps what a city mouse looked like when it looked down on an innocent country mouse?
Seeing someone who had fallen onto the snow and even shed a few tears let out a mocking chuckle (not really) put me in a slightly bad mood.
Okay, I’ll definitely give her a knock on the head later.
‘…No, seriously, what am I supposed to do when it’s genuinely amazing?’
What did it matter that this was a cyberpunk world?
All that could actually be seen on the streets of District 49 was explosions, gunshots, homeless people, and androids.
They didn’t even have jajangmyeon on the menu, but jjamppong, and magic circuits, magic, and beastfolk had shown up too.
There was nothing I could do about being genuinely impressed by the “glamorous cityscape.”
“But aren’t taxis unable to come to District 49? That’s what everyone says on the Cyber Web.”
“What is there in Risk City that money can’t solve?”
“Ah.”
Eleanor Crossfell had just delivered the kind of line rich people would say.
For a moment, I nearly pulled out a sickle and hammer.
Well, since it was even an unmanned call taxi, I suppose there was nowhere it wouldn’t go.
The taxi company’s name was Vector Mobility, right?
I’d have to remember that.
[We will soon arrive at your destination.]
At the mechanical voice, Eleanor Crossfell looked at me and asked,
“So, you’re sure?”
“About 99%? I got the information from a friend I can really trust.”
“……A gang.”
She seemed unsettled after hearing that her runaway younger brother was running a gang.
I didn’t bother adding the word “expelled.”
There might have been some unfortunate family circumstances behind it.
Either way, all I had to do was take Eleanor Crossfell to her perfectly healthy younger brother and get some more money out of her.
And after a few minutes.
[You have safely arrived at your desired destination. Please set your landing location.]
“We’re already th—, wow.”
After looking at the scenery outside, I let out a neat exclamation of admiration.
When I heard it was a gang hideout, I’d imagined an old abandoned building, a deserted office, or some illegal business establishment.
Unexpectedly, our destination was an elegant building that could be described as a “high-rise.”
It was quite large, too.
‘Are the gangs in District 44 operating on a different level?’
Or maybe they weren’t just an ordinary gang.
In any case, it seemed her younger brother had been away from home for quite a long time—longer than I’d imagined.
I looked at the building, then asked Eleanor Crossfell another question.
“Where are we getting off?”
“At the entrance.”
[Confirmed. Thank you for using Vector Mobility. Swift, precise, safe─.]
Still, it was a relief that I wouldn’t have to attempt a hero landing from the sky.
Well, we hadn’t come here to fight.
“Hup.”
The atmosphere of the street was definitely peaceful.
There were also plenty of corporate employees wearing suits.
“Shall we go in for now?”
“…Yeah.”
However, the moment we stepped inside the building,
I could feel that the air had changed.
Well, their clothes were technically suits, but….
“Hey, how’d you handle that job?”
“Killed them all, what else?”
“Good work.”
Most of the people in suits were burly gangsters.
Hmm, a gang.
‘…Seems like it, doesn’t it?’
A broad lobby opened up before us, with a reception desk immediately visible.
Above it, the word ‘INJUSTICE’ was embossed in large gold letters.
As we approached the reception desk, its sole female employee greeted us courteously.
“Welcome to Injustice, a private military company.”
A private military company? A PMC?
Aside from her skin, which was made of matte metal, her features were fairly well-defined, making her the sort of beauty one could call attractive.
The port set into her temple made it clear that she was an android.
“May I ask the purpose of your visit?”
At the receptionist’s question, Eleanor Crossfell spoke in a firm tone.
“I’ve come to see Aiden.”
“A—.”
She was briefly at a loss for words, then quickly continued.
“The boss isn’t receiving personal visitors at the moment. May I ask what business you have with him?”
“Does a sister need a reason to see her brother?”
The look in her eyes, which had seemed to regard us as troublemakers, shifted slightly, suggesting she wasn’t an android with her emotion module removed.
A blue halo of light lingered in her pupils.
She must have confirmed Eleanor’s identity, because a trace of surprise passed over her metal face.
“…Please wait a moment.”
Then her pupils lit up again.
That cold gaze turned toward Eleanor.
“Yes, I have confirmed it. In that case, I will convey the boss’s message.”
The emotion vanished from her expression in an instant.
Her face had already looked like a mask, but now it seemed even stiffer than before.
Even her voice.
“[Piss off.]”
The android receptionist soon smiled again as if nothing had happened.
“That is all. Is there anything else you need?”
“…….”
I took a step back from the reception desk.
A frigid chill had begun to rise around Eleanor Crossfell.
“Just as I thought….”
Huh?
“They really did kidnap my brother from here, it seems. They must have thought it would be worthwhile to capture him and extract a few spells from the Crossfell family’s magic.”
“……Excuse me?”
“I thought it was strange from the beginning. My brother becoming part of a gang…. It doesn’t make any sense, does it?”
This wasn’t good.
Her eyes were already rolling.
I should have known from the moment she said she’d come all the way down to District 49 herself to find her brother.
Unlike her cold magic,
“Where is my brother…?!!”
Her temperament was like blazing fire.
A snowstorm descended on the building lobby out of season!
* * *
“The elevator to the top floor…. It’s over there.”
“W-wait a moment!”
Ignoring my call, the madwoman strode boldly down the hallway.
Every time she thrust her hands this way or that, thick walls of ice surged up from the floor.
The sight certainly merited calling her a mage.
It wasn’t for nothing that my friend Bogus had modestly said, “I’m not worthy of being called a mage yet….” when someone called him a mage.
(Though that memory has been slightly distorted.)
Since the building was large and spacious, there were more than one or two people inside.
One of the blockheaded gangsters appeared around a distant corner, carrying a massive weapon.
He even had a heavy gas canister strapped to his back.
‘…That looks like a terrible matchup.’
Worse, we were in a narrow hallway, putting us at risk of becoming ingredients for a barbecue party.
Yet even in that situation, Eleanor Crossfell’s stride did not falter.
“Die!!”
Flames erupted.
At that moment, a strange voice flowed from Eleanor Crossfell’s mouth.
“───.”
It was an uncanny language that couldn’t be explained with sentences or words.
The reason I was able to realize that it was some kind of “spell” was
thanks to the flow of magic contained in her voice.
A snowstorm that erupted like a volcano slammed into the hallway along the magic circuits that poured forth.
Kraaaash─!!
Ice pushed back the flames from the flamethrower.
Holy crap….
Mages are insanely overpowered.
I might even have a few trait points. Should I switch classes to mage?
Since it uses magic circuits, if I just learned a few more spells here─.
‘…No, that’s not what’s important right now.’
I ran down the hallway, now white as if heavy snow had fallen, and caught up with her.
“Wait, stop for a second!”
But Eleanor Crossfell casually ignored even my shout, which I’d delivered in informal speech.
Did she have ice stuck in her ears…?
Before long, the gangsters who had been confronting her in the building began to retreat one by one.
Their suspicious movements suggested they had received some kind of order from above.
Of course, she continued walking at an alarming speed.
I tried to grab her shoulder to stop her, but at the same time, a cold chill froze the skin of my palm in an instant.
Even after I snatched my hand away, it throbbed all the way to the bone.
Had she been hiding her abilities completely when she caused that commotion at Vance Kim’s bar?
‘…Or maybe she just got stronger because she was so furious she was boiling over.’
My fingers nearly suffered necrosis.
Perhaps Eleanor Crossfell realized she’d gone too far when she saw that, because she quietly opened her mouth.
“…You don’t have to follow me anymore. I can rescue my brother by myself anyway. I’ll transfer the reward to you later.”
I thought she was going to apologize, but apparently not.
I frowned and answered her.
“Don’t you have anything to say about those people retreating over there? They’re practically luring us in. Ah, and….”
“A Crossfell never retreats. And no matter how many half-baked mercenaries there are…. They mean nothing to me anyway. If they’ve set a trap, let them try it.”
Please, just let me finish speaking.
But by then, we’d already reached the elevator.
She showed not the slightest hesitation, apparently confident she could remain safe even if something happened inside the elevator.
Then she firmly pressed the top-floor button.
Ah, she pressed it.
When I sighed and rubbed my forehead, Eleanor Crossfell continued cautiously, perhaps because ignoring everything I’d said had started to bother her.
“…Anyway, from here on, this is a family matter. You can help if you want, but if you’re going to get in my way─.”
“Ah, yes, yes. Go ahead. ”
Seeing my abruptly changed attitude, a faint crease appeared between Eleanor Crossfell’s brows.
I really wanted to give her a knock on the head.
In the silence, the elevator continued to rise,
and soon.
─Ding.
Perhaps she had been preparing for an ambush, because Eleanor Crossfell drew up her magic and kept watch on her surroundings.
For reference, outside the elevator was pitch-black.
There wasn’t even a single rat in sight.
“…??”
I watched her back for a moment,
then quietly pressed the ‘Basement Level 3’ button.
The elevator doors closed again.
“The boss’s office is in the basement…. Please cool your head and start reading the signs….”
“…If you knew in advance, you should have told me.”
“I was going to, but you kept ignoring me….”
“…….”
Family or not,
I decided to speak informally to her.
Eleanor Crossfell finally realized why I’d told her to stop for a moment, and hunched her shoulders with an awkward expression.
“…Sorry.”
“…….”
An apology was useless now.
I’d already racked up well over five hits in my heart.
I’d have to hit her repeatedly later.
I made a firm decision.
Just then─a bright voice rang out.
【Random Encounter Occurred!】
The sound of something snapping from the elevator ceiling was an added bonus.
“Ah.”