Rosso Vendetta's Unique Ability

Rosso Vendetta's Unique Ability

A few days after we culled Dullahans at the city's request.

"Well then, thank you for your help."

"Yes. Leave it to us."

A large truck was parked in front of Miyu-san's house. Several logs were loaded onto its bed.

Yamaoka-san nodded at us, then climbed into the driver's seat. He was going to transport the Spirit Wood to Tatsumin-san's village.

I suppose that was to be expected from a former lumberjack. He was remarkably practiced at securing the load and attaching what looked like flags—or something similar—after loading it.

Once he departed, Rosso-san spoke to us.

"Well then, let us be off as well."

"Ah, yes. Thank you."

"Indeed."

Rosso-san, dressed in the suit from before, climbed into the driver's seat of the car, and I sat in the passenger seat.

We would be heading to Tatsumin-san's village in this rental car as well. The members were the usual four, with Miyu-san and Riko-senpai in the back.

When Rosso-san pressed a button beside the steering wheel, lively music began playing through the car navigation system's speakers.

We set off with it playing in the background.

"No one's forgotten anything, have they? Our destination is somewhat far away. We will not be able to turn back for anything you forgot."

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Same here!"

"No problem."

"Good. We also have motion-sickness medicine, so anyone feeling unwell should say so."

Rosso-san said that with a composed smile, looking mature for her age.

Dressed in a suit, she looked like a completely different person from usual. I felt oddly tense and lowered my gaze a little.

But then I found myself looking at the enormous breasts pressed together by the seat belt. I hurriedly turned my eyes forward again.

It was a strange feeling. Sitting beside an unfamiliar beautiful woman like this made me unable to settle down.

"Heh... My temporary steed, 'Nero Ruota'! Accompany me on this journey for a while!"

Ah, there was the usual Rosso-san. Thank goodness.

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After all that, we arrived at Tatsumin-san's village and headed straight to the paper mill.

'Welcome, gao. I've been waiting for you, gao.'

Tatsumin-san welcomed us, waving both hands energetically. Yamaoka-san had already arrived, and he and one of the factory workers climbed back into the truck and drove somewhere. They were probably heading behind the factory.

"Hello. Thank you for having us today."

'Thank you, gao. This is the factory manager, Kawakami-san, gao.'

"A pleasure. Tatsumin-chan and Vendetta-san have told me all about it."

Kawakami-san lightly lifted his hat and smiled with the kindly air of an old gentleman.

Then he turned toward Rosso-san.

"Thank you so much for arranging this matter. Thanks to you, we have been able to avoid closing this factory for now."

"No, no. I am merely an intermediary. The central figure in this matter is that young man over there."

"Oh! My apologies...!"

"N-no, it's all right..."

As Kawakami-san bowed his head to me, a bead of cold sweat trickled down my cheek.

I could faintly hear the factory workers behind him talking.

"She's got quite the presence. She must be an English aristocrat, no doubt."

"Nah, maybe she's Italian. But there's no doubt she's from a noble house...!"

"She must have some lofty reason for not revealing her true family name. That young fella must be the ability user employed by that young lady...!"

"I know all about it...! The person serving a house of such high standing must be from another noble family, right...? Tatsumin-chan, this is a serious matter...!"

Wait a minute???

Don't let the jokes pile up in a traffic jam. They probably had no idea they were doing it, but the fact that they sounded serious only made things more confusing...!

First of all, what was with that accent? It definitely wasn't from around here. Where were they even from?

And why was Rosso-san being mistaken for a noble? ...Ah, I see.

I glanced over at her. She seemed to be discussing the contract with the factory manager again. Despite her imperious manner, she wasn't unpleasant. Combined with her fine suit and attractive features, she really did give off the air of a capable secretary—or an up-and-coming female company president.

With her oddly otherworldly manner of speaking as well, I supposed it was understandable that people who knew nothing about her would misunderstand.

...Was this all right? Would she get in trouble for falsely claiming noble status or something?

The discussion seemed to have ended despite my concerns. Rosso-san nodded with satisfaction, while Kawakami-san turned toward us with an oddly nervous look.

"Then, apparently, they are ready to provide the spirit water, so this way..."

"Ah, yes. ...Um, you really don't need to be so formal. We're ordinary people, you know."

"H-ha ha...! Of course, of course!"

They had definitely misunderstood us. No, really. That blonde over there was just a good-looking chuunibyou who happened to know a lot about law and accounting.

But I couldn't explain it...! The fact that Tatsumin-san was leaving the misunderstanding alone made it clear that it was more convenient for everyone if it continued...!

Mom... Dad... Kota has drawn a little closer to the darkness...

"Then please put it in this tank."

"Ah, understood."

I climbed the stairs beside the tank and approached the opening Kawakami-san had indicated.

I went all the way to the top, rolled up my sleeve, and thrust my right hand into the tank. Then I concentrated mana in my palm.

Perhaps because my spiritual rank had risen, I was certain I could produce it more smoothly and in greater quantities than before.

'Blood of Rejuvenation.'

Pale golden water gushed from my palm with the force of a water cannon. The sound of it striking the inside of the tank echoed around us, and golden particles drifted through the air.

"Oh..."

"I don't know what it is, but that sure is a divine light...!"

"Thank goodness... Thank goodness..."

"Just standing here, I feel like the pain in my back and shoulders is fading away..."

Ah, I might have misadjusted it a little. Well, it was within the margin of error. The paper-making experiments we'd done beforehand had gone fine, so... good enough!

I quietly looked away from the factory workers, who seemed to have fewer wrinkles than before. They might have become about five years younger from the aftereffects of my mana, but that was probably within the margin of error too. Their illnesses might have been cured as well.

...It wasn't harmful to their health, so it was still good enough!

"What did you say 'good enough' about?"

"Riko-senpai? What is it?"

"Nothing, really."

Damn, she saw right through me!

I turned my eyes away with all my might from Riko-senpai, who was staring at me suspiciously.

...From now on, I would make a proper effort to control the output.

Well, I did mean that fairly seriously. I hadn't told the factory workers that it was 'Water of Rejuvenation'; I had only called it spirit water. I really needed to be more careful in the future.

Even in a world where elixirs of immortality existed, having one with the same effects close at hand was a potent drug in a psychological sense.

I decided I would ask Tatsumin-san and Rosso-san to help smooth things over later.

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Once we handed over the recipe and ingredients, there was nothing more we could do for the moment. The right people should handle the right work. Paper belonged at the paper mill.

We had come all the way to this village because we needed a large quantity of 'Water of Rejuvenation,' but we had one other objective as well.

'This is the house where I live now, gao. I renovated an empty house, gao.'

"Excuse me..."

Tatsumin-san led us to a large single-story house. It was wooden and, though this might sound a little strange, had the sort of appearance that foreign visitors coming to Japan would probably love.

For some reason, it reminded me of my great-grandfather's house and made me feel at ease. Though my great-grandfather's house hadn't been nearly this large.

But instead of entering the house, Tatsumin-san headed toward the garage beside it.

She turned around with a plodding motion and faced us.

'This may be a little late to mention, but anyone who can't handle seeing animal carcasses probably shouldn't look too closely, gao.'

"No problem. Open it."

"I'm probably fine too."

"Me too."

"I believe I'm used to such things."

'Understood, gao. Then I'll open it, gao.'

"Ah, let me help."

'Thanks, gao.'

Tatsumin-san and I lifted the metal shutter.

Beyond the rattling shutter, sunlight streamed in, clearly revealing what had been hanging there.

A deer's carcass hung from a hook driven through its hind legs.

Apparently, Tatsumin-san used the garage to butcher the game she hunted. The car was parked in a carport on the opposite side of the house.

Several kinds of knives and a few large tubs sat on a nearby table.

'As you asked, I didn't drain the blood, gao. It smells pretty bad, gao.'

"Indeed. My thanks, Tatsumin. You have gone to considerable trouble for us."

'It's fine. I'm used to it, gao.'

Now that she mentioned it, there was a distinctive smell inside the garage. Was this what people meant by a gamey odor?

'I only caught it yesterday, so it isn't as bad as it could be, gao. It was rampaging toward me when I tried to chase it away from the neighboring field. I had no choice but to give it a good whack on the neck, gao. It was an unfortunate accident, gao...'

That had definitely been more than a simple 'whack'... But whatever.

I remember my great-grandmother saying that pests should be killed whenever possible. She had been completely serious about it.

Come to think of it, that may have been the first time I learned what killing intent felt like, rather than merely knowing about it as a concept.

My great-grandfather and great-grandmother used to laugh and say that being targeted by pests and vermin meant you were delicious, but their eyes had been filled with killing intent.

As I was sinking into those memories, Tatsumin-san and Rosso-san deployed their 'Spirit Armor.'

Then the two of them approached the hanging deer's carcass. Perhaps they had deployed their 'Spirit Armor' to keep the animal's smell from getting onto their clothes.

...But why a deer's carcass?

Rosso-san had said she would show me her Unique Ability the next time we came to this village. Could this have something to do with it?

If so, then perhaps...

'As you asked, I burned and plucked away a patch of fur around its neck with a torch, gao. I also soaked it in water overnight, so most of the ticks and other bugs should be gone, gao.'

"You have my repeated thanks."

Rosso-san turned toward us, her cloak fluttering lightly.

An audacious smile played across her lips.

"What comes next may be somewhat intense. Only those strong of heart may behold my abili—... Behold my power!"

She stumbled over the word.

"You bit your tongue."

"Shh! Don't point it out, Miyu-chi...!"

'Calm down, Rosso-chan. Take a deep breath, gao.'

Rosso-san's face turned bright red, and she trembled for a moment before raising her voice.

"Only those strong of heart, behold my Unique Ability!"

Ah, she corrected herself.

"This is my Unique Ability! The power of the Vendetta family, one of the demon realm's noble houses!"

With a triumphant cry, she brought her face close to the deer's neck before her.

"Unique Ability───'Zombie Creare'!"

...I had more or less guessed.

Rosso-san's canines—too sharp to call them teeth, and better described as fangs—sank into the deer's exposed flesh where its fur had been plucked away.

Then mana raced through the corpse for a single instant.

Immediately after she stepped back, the 'transformation' began.

With a series of cracking sounds, the stag's antlers were sucked inward. Its entire skeleton began to change as well, and its fur turned inside out.

At some point, it had apparently turned upside down too, because the being pulled its 'arms' free from the hook.

The transformation was complete after roughly ten seconds.

A monster stood on the bare concrete floor.

Its pure-white eyeballs bulged wide. It had flabby skin, a human-like skeleton, and a muscular, masculine silhouette. But it had no reproductive organs.

It had neither a nose nor lips, and sharp fangs showed through its half-open mouth.

It was neither human nor deer, let alone a monster.

This was the being created by the dhampir Rosso-san's Unique Ability.

"Behold. This is my new familiar."

Rosso-san spread both arms with a bewitching smile. The monster standing beside her—or rather, the familiar—simply waited quietly for its master's command.

...Ohhh.

I heard Riko-senpai groan behind me.

When I looked over, her mouth was twisted into a flat line and her brow was furrowed. Her dark complexion made it difficult to tell, but she seemed a little pale.

"No, Rosson... I mean, that's really not something to brag about. It's more like desecration of life..."

"What are you saying? Humans kill beasts, skin them, cut off their heads, carve away their flesh, and eat it. Sometimes they even process their skin and bones into ornaments. Compared to that, how is this desecration?"

"Well, I suppose that's true, but..."

Riko-senpai had a point. But since I had just remembered my great-grandparents, I couldn't exactly say anything.

'If this gives us another use for vermin I've killed, I won't complain, gao. ...Ah, never mind. This may be a bit different from what I expected, gao.'

Tatsumin-san seemed to be arguing with herself. Still, she apparently wasn't opposed to it.

I turned my gaze toward Miyu-san, only to find her face astonishingly blank.

A pitch-black murderous intent dwelled in her eyes. When I noticed it, I almost deployed my 'Spirit Armor' on reflex.

"Um, Miyu-san...?"

"Hm. Was Miyu in agreement with Riko as well?"

"No, please don't worry about it. I was just remembering something from the past. More importantly, please explain its capabilities."

"I-I see?"

Miyu-san rattled off her words a little faster than usual. Though Rosso-san was visibly perplexed, she cleared her throat softly.

"This familiar obeys my instructions to some extent. That said, it is not especially intelligent. Even so, it is sturdier than an ordinary person, and if I give it a small amount of blood and mana when creating it, it will function for about a year."

"I see. What about its physical abilities?"

"I have not tested it that far, so I cannot say. But my impression is that its strength and durability are above those of an ordinary person, while its agility and dexterity are below them."

"I see... And what about fighting monsters?"

"It is completely useless."

Rosso-san answered Miyu-san's question with absolute bluntness.

But the audacious smile on her lips had not disappeared.

"It may look like a monster, but it is neither a monster nor an ability user. It can neither see nor interfere with monsters. Not in its current state, anyway."

Her gaze turned toward me.

"If combined with the armor made from Spirit Wood by that young oni over there... it might have some use, perhaps?"

"...I see."

So she wanted to put the powered suit we planned to make on this thing.

A familiar could certainly serve as a disposable tank in dangerous situations. And if we didn't have to worry about the wearer's health, we might even be able to increase the output somewhat.

Leaving the ethical issues aside, it might actually be a good idea.

...What would we do if the recipe turned out to have failed after all, or if we failed to make the powered suit?

The fact that everyone was proceeding on the assumption of success was beginning to give me a stomachache.

"And, as an aside..."

Rosso-san's smile vanished as she turned her gaze toward the familiar.

"Anything I turn into a familiar retains some of its memories and skills from when it was alive for about a day. That has no meaning when using an animal, however."

"Ah, so that's why..."

We all turned our eyes toward her familiar as well.

The creepy familiar was trying to stand on nothing but the tips of its fingers and toes, like a newborn fawn.

It was shaking like crazy.

Since it looked so much like an enemy from a horror game, the scene was incredibly surreal.

...It may be like this for a day.

"Oh, okay..."

It was a scene that left me at a loss for words in more ways than one.