Chapter 113
Their discussion continued into the late hours of the night.
In the end, they decided to tell at least the key members about the conditions first.
There were currently 76 evacuees in City Hall, including the mayor and Fujita.
Of them, 40 had killed monsters and reached at least Level 1, and only 17—including Fujita—were capable of exploring and properly fighting monsters, less than half.
"Either way, it will be impossible to fulfill the conditions without their cooperation."
Securing personnel, securing magic stones, and―――subjugating the designated monsters.
There was no way the two of them could accomplish it alone.
The cooperation of others was indispensable—especially that of the high-level members.
"We'll talk to them tomorrow morning."
The exploration team held a meeting every morning.
They would discuss the conditions presented this time at that meeting.
That was the conclusion they reached.
But naturally, neither man looked happy.
In addition to securing magic stones and residents, they now had to subjugate powerful monsters.
The conditions were clearly far harsher than before.
The two of them couldn't help but worry whether everyone would accept them.
(It would be one thing if they simply couldn't accept them...)
The worst-case scenario was for those key members to abandon this place.
And for a second riot to break out as a result.
The first riot had occurred on the very first day the world changed.
Mass panic had broken out, and countless tragedies—ones people hesitated even to speak of—had occurred.
They had only just managed to rebuild things to this point, and now this.
It wouldn't be surprising if some people lost heart.
"......This Guardian Golem—it's the one Shimizu and the others mentioned in their report, right?"
"Yes, almost certainly."
As he smoked, Fujita recalled what he had heard from the women about the golem.
It was a gigantic rock giant so huge it could be mistaken for a building.
The report said that each of its fingers was as thick as a utility pole, and that it had crushed and swallowed a building—or torn one apart and thrown it.
This wasn't some special-effects movie; there was a limit to how absurd it could be.
At first, he had wondered if it was a joke―――or, more accurately, perhaps he had wanted to believe it was—but with so many of his companions having witnessed it, he had no choice but to believe it.
"The other one, the Queen Ant. That's probably the leader of the ones you've been dealing with..."
"Yes, most likely."
To Fujita, this monster was more familiar than the golem.
As far as the area around City Hall was concerned, ant monsters appeared more often than goblins or zombies.
He had been the one to realize that insecticide―――more precisely, the Magnum Blaster used against bees and horseflies―――was their weakness.
"Even so," he continued.
"Monsters have names, too..."
"They do..."
Queen Ant, Individual Name: Alpa.
Guardian Golem, Individual Name: Titan.
It was the first time he had heard of monsters having names.
(When I hear Alpa, the first thing that comes to mind is a stringed instrument, but Titan—the other one—was the name of a giant in Greek and Roman mythology, right...)
Fujita was surprisingly knowledgeable about that sort of trivia.
A rock giant monster. Its individual name was Titan.
Could that really be a coincidence?
"I can't pinpoint their exact locations, but both are somewhere nearby. That much is certain."
"How can you say that with such certainty?"
"Look at this."
Mayor Uesugi held up his hand.
A three-dimensional map appeared in front of him.
It was the Skill Ichinose had used―――'Map.'
She had obtained the Skill through the gacha, whereas he had acquired it when he selected the 'Mayor' Job.
On the map, a blue circle with a radius of roughly 100 meters was centered on City Hall, surrounded by a red circle. It was a red-and-blue double circle.
"A newly demarcated area has appeared separately from 'Owned Land.' It's labeled 'Subjugation Area.' It covers roughly a one-kilometer diameter centered on City Hall."
Unlike Ichinose's map, Mayor Uesugi's now displayed his 'Owned Land.'
And now another, separate area had appeared as well.
That area was called the 'Subjugation Area.'
"How considerate. So because they're somewhere in this area, we're supposed to find them and kill them―――is that it?"
"Ha ha ha, it's becoming more and more like a game..."
Fujita reflexively pressed a hand to his forehead.
What on earth had happened to this world...?
First monsters, experience points, levels, and Skills—and now, subjugation quests.
It felt as if they had become characters inside a game.
(If I could just convince myself I'd gone crazy, how much easier would that be...)
The electric light shining overhead, the cigarette smoke tickling his lungs, and the voices of the people around him.
All of it hammered home to Fujita that this was unmistakably reality.
"In any case, let's end this discussion for now. You should get some rest, too. I need you working again tomorrow."
"Right. Though if you're saying that, shouldn't you be doing the same, Mayor? It's long past bedtime for old folks―――Gramps Ken."
"Don't get cheeky, you snot-nosed brat."
Mayor Uesugi suddenly laughed.
The tense atmosphere eased slightly.
And so, their private discussion came to an end.
"......I see..."
After hearing their conversation, I felt like I understood the source of the unease I'd sensed earlier.
That mayor hadn't been plotting anything shady.
He had simply been thinking solely about the residents here.
No wonder he was troubled.
After finally getting electricity and expanding the safe zone, just when they were ready to move forward, anyone would make a face like that after being presented with conditions like these.
"But... now that I know, what are we supposed to do about this...?"
I was hiding in the room next to theirs, eavesdropping on their conversation.
This room was locked, too, but an analog lock was easy to force open with 'Shadow.'
That was how I'd gotten inside, hidden myself, and eavesdropped on the two of them.
Well, I'd only been listening from the middle.
It had taken quite a while to throw Nishino-kun and the others off my trail and get away.
With Rikka-chan's help, I had somehow managed to get on my own and started gathering information.
Then, bothered by the mayor's attitude during the speech earlier, I'd come here.
That's when I ended up hearing something far worse than I'd expected.
I couldn't tell what was happening inside the room, but I could more or less 'predict' it from the flow of the conversation.
The mayor's Skill—and the conditions for expanding it.
"Subjugating the golem and the Queen Ant, huh..."
That was absurd beyond belief.
I only knew about the ants from Nishino-kun's email, but I could say this much about that golem with certainty.
That thing was a genuine monster.
Its sheer size and power were already unfair, but to make matters worse, it couldn't even be sensed until moments before it appeared. It was utterly unreasonable.
I'd rather be told to defeat a High Orc without water. ...No, that would still be tough.
Anyway, they were supposed to subjugate a monster like that within three days?
Impossible.
It would be a different story if we had a powerful bomb or missile, but there was no way we had anything like that.
We were desperately short of manpower and fighting strength—everything.
"Come to think of it... what happens if they fail?"
Would the Skill's level simply stop there?
Or would it be reset from the beginning?
At worst, could the Skill itself disappear?
Any of those seemed entirely possible.
In fact, given how merciless this world was, the last one seemed the most likely.
Another thing bothering me was that even after being given conditions this unreasonable, they showed no sign of choosing to 'run away.'
The mayor's 'Town Building' probably couldn't be moved to another location.
Well, if it could be changed easily, it would be an absurdly overpowered Skill.
It had drawbacks, but it was still an extremely attractive Skill.
"...I want it."
If I acquired this Skill and used it after carefully selecting a location, our safety would be all but guaranteed.
We had food in such abundance it could rot―――though it didn't actually rot.
All we needed after that was a safe place.
That was why I was gathering information like this.
Hm, wait. Come to think of it, one of the Jobs available in my initial selection was 'Citizen.'
At first, I thought it was a Job whose purpose I couldn't understand, but perhaps if I leveled it up, 'Mayor' might appear as an advanced Job.
It might be worth trying.
But to do that, there was one more thing I had to confirm.
The penalty for failing to fulfill the conditions for 'Town Building.'
If all that happened was that its level stopped increasing or it reset, that would still be enough.
But if the Skill itself disappeared, all the effort we'd put in up to that point would be wasted.
In that case, maybe I should just use the people here―――
"Tch..."
I came to my senses as soon as I reached that thought.
What the hell was I thinking?
Of all things, I was wishing for them to 'fail.'
That was going too far, no matter how you looked at it.
"Ah, damn... I'm getting pretty jaded. I miss Momo. I really miss Momo..."
I scratched my head vigorously.
At times like this, I wanted to cuddle Momo and let her soothe me.
I was the one who had suggested it, but being separated from Momo really was hard...
"......(shiver, shiver)?"
Aka shook its body as if to ask whether I was all right.
Sorry, sorry. Did I make you worry?
Anyway, I needed to think about what to do next.
Stay here, or leave...?
Or keep watch from a certain distance?
≪You received an email≫
"Hm?"
Ichinose-san had sent me an email.
I wondered what it was and opened it for the time being.
'Good work. How are things progressing? If you're acting alone, Kudo-san, please don't overdo it. You were like this at school, too, but you tend to do reckless things when it's for the sake of your friends...
If something happened to you, Momo-chan and I would be beside ourselves with worry. Ah, no, I mean only as party members. There's no deeper meaning, so please don't get the wrong idea.
But if anything does happen, Momo-chan and I will be right there to help, so contact us.'
Ichinose-san...
I was moved by the email despite myself.
That's right. I had to do my best for her sake, too.
'P.S.―――By the way, Momo-chan is sleeping beside me. She's super fluffy.'
Damn her! That woman!
Just when I'd started to think better of her, she pulled this! Seriously, her whole personality changes in emails.
As I thought that, another unread email arrived.
It was from Rikka-chan.
I had asked her to contact me if it became difficult to keep Nishino-kun and the others from leaving.
That meant I'd better head back for now.
Well, I should get some rest for today.
The question was whether to stay here and see what happened after tomorrow, or leave.
I was tired, so I would get some proper rest and decide tomorrow.
For the time being, I left the spot and headed to Rikka-chan.
And so, the night of the fifth day passed―――...
―――And then, in the middle of the night, when everything had fallen asleep.
The High Undead Dark Wolf, Schwarz, stood atop a building.
He stared at a distant point.
Beyond it lay a light.
Artificial light that dulled the beauty of the night lit only by the stars and moon.
'Hm...'
It was somewhat unpleasant, but that was not what interested him.
There was only one human there who interested him.
Kudo Kazuto.
He kept staring at the place where that human was.
'Has he joined a pack...?'
There was a hint of surprise in his voice.
Kazuto hadn't seemed like someone who would trust others so easily. Had something changed?
'Well, that is fine as well...'
Whatever the method, Schwarz had no complaint as long as his rival grew stronger.
Satisfied with his rival's attitude, he turned on his heel.
'I must move soon as well...'
If the other side was forming a pack, then he, too, needed to form one.
The pack he had originally led had been wiped out by those humans.
Then he would make a new one.
The finest pack with which to crush that human head-on and welcome his mate.
'Hm...'
Looking back, perhaps he had been too hasty in killing the Death Knight that had visited him during the day.
He had no desire to come under its command, but if it was willing to submit, it might have been worth considering.
Schwarz leaned out from the rooftop and landed on the ground in a spinning motion.
Now, which way should he go?
He would create the finest pack.
Then he would head toward the stronger presence.
It was just as he started walking with that thought in mind.
The ground suddenly shook beneath his feet.
'What is this...?'
Schwarz looked down at his feet.
The shaking grew even more violent.
Cracks raced across the asphalt, and the ground heaved upward.
Then, as the earth surged upward, the rock giant emerged.
'Have you come for something...?'
Without much surprise, Schwarz addressed the thing that had appeared.
There was no reply.
The rock giant stared down at him.
Schwarz's face twisted slightly in displeasure.
'If you have no business here, be gone. Do not let a mere clod of earth obstruct my path.'
A warning.
It was Schwarz's way of showing mercy, implicitly telling it that he would let it go if it left now.
If it left, so be it.
But if it refused to leave―――
They stared at each other for several seconds.
"―――Rro... rrrrrrrrrrr..."
The rock giant raised its fist.
That was its answer.
'I see... A mere clod of earth, unable even to understand the difference in strength...'
To bare its fangs at him at night, when his power was at its peak, no less.
Schwarz was dumbfounded by its foolishness.
'Then disappear.'
'Darkness' spilled from beneath Schwarz's feet.
An even deeper, blacker 'darkness' than night itself.
"―――Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrroooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!"
The rock giant let out a roar.
Immediately afterward.
The giant's fist and the darkness―――collided.