Chapter 110 - Chapter 110: The Mysterious Man
A movie is being filmed with Iroha as the protagonist.
They had suffered harassment and such, but they cleared it all safely and were now entering the final shoot.
The location was a warehouse belonging to a buying shop where I had dismantled a massive monster I had brought in.
Since there was to be a final battle between the Princess playing the Demon King and the protagonist, a set for the Demon King's castle had also been constructed.
Just as we were about to reach the very end――at that moment, we were attacked by terrorists armed with firearms.
While we were barely holding on by hiding behind rocks taken out of the Item Box, a further crisis struck us.
Monsters had appeared due to a surge.
The terrorists were caught up in the monsters' attacks and were quickly reduced to nothing more than human remains.
Although we had repelled the monsters with our combined attack, Daisuke and Sana――all that remained was the cleanup.
The warehouse we had rented was left in a wretched state by the monster attack.
Countless large holes were torn into the walls, more than half of the roof had been blown away, and the beams were exposed, looking as if they were about to collapse at any moment.
The filming equipment stacked inside was crushed miserably, and the debris of the sets was scattered across the floor.
Blackened liquid like blood stained the walls, and the light coming in through the broken roof illuminated the corpses of the monsters.
The wind blowing in from outside kicked up dust, and we could only stand there, stunned, staring at that scene.
The weapons and such brought by the terrorists were being collected by the Self-Defense Forces who arrived after receiving the report.
It seems there are a few survivors――but I don't know the details.
"What the hell is this?!"
The one shouting was the person in charge of this warehouse――an old man from the buying shop who always takes care of us.
Well, it's natural that he would be furious; he heard we were filming a movie and lent us the warehouse, and now it's half-destroyed.
"I am truly sorry! A terrorist attack and a monster surge happened at the same time..."
"Why did something like that happen?!"
"Well... I thought the terrorists were my customers..."
No, did that rich kid monster also target me?
They had said they followed her scent――maybe she was the target after all.
"Haa~"
The old man slumped his shoulders in defeat.
"It's fine. I'll pay for the damages."
"You?!"
"I may look like this, but I'm rich, you know? Bring on 1 billion or 2 billion."
"Well, I don't think it'll cost that much..."
It seems the damage is about 100 million yen, as the freezing and refrigeration equipment appears to be undamaged.
"Please send me the estimate when it's ready."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course!"
I really did wrong by him.
I never thought something like this would happen.
The old man started making calls here and there.
He might be moving immediately to start reconstruction.
"Waaaaa!"
While adventurers, film crew members, and warehouse staff were downcast, there was a woman acting excited.
She was a professor who studies monsters, who had flown over after receiving the report.
She was collecting samples from everywhere.
"Professor! It's burnt to a crisp, but will it work as a sample?"
"Of course! It's perfectly fine."
Since she looks so happy, I'll just leave her be.
Rather than that――Sana is interrogating the Princess.
I need to stop her.
"Princess Sakurako! That monster said it, didn't it?! It followed your scent!"
"U-um..."
"So, you were the one drawing the monsters to us!"
"Wait, Sana! Stop it!"
I stepped in between the Princess and Sana.
"But, because of this person, Daisuke-san and everyone else were put in danger!"
I can't blame Sana for feeling that way...
"If you say that, the first terrorists attacked me on purpose. I dragged everyone into this. I am sorry to everyone."
"T-that's..."
Sana looked down.
"Well, regarding the scent issue――both the Princess and I suspected it somewhat. Today's incident just made it definitive. Right? Kaorulko, you noticed too, didn't you?"
"Yes."
Kaorulko had a face that said, "Really, now?"
"Is Daisuke-san okay with this?!"
"Me? I don't mind? I was asked about the scent right at the beginning, so I started dating her knowing full well."
"Darling!"
The Princess hugged me, so I patted her head.
"Gnnn..."
Perhaps my reaction was different from what she expected, as Sana made a frustrated face.
"Ahaha! If you're an adventurer, encountering enemies is lucky, isn't it? You can earn a lot from that!"
Iroha was laughing, but next to her, Eito was lying stretched out.
Probably because she got beaten up by her.
Her thighs were visible from under the hem of her dress, which would normally be lucky――but this one is a man.
I'm not happy about it at all.
"Even Iroha-san?!"
"I'm sorry for dragging Iroha into this too."
"Ahaha! It's too late for that! Besides, it's not like Darling and I are strangers!"
The Princess blocked Iroha as she crept closer.
"Mou! I don't intend to give up on Daisuke-san just because of this――but behind me, Mio is waiting, you know?!"
Sana recovered and charged again.
"Huh? Mio-chan?"
"Yes, she started training every day to become an adventurer with Daisuke-san."
It seems she's doing running and muscle training.
While dungeons offer level benefits, the individual physical base for abilities comes only from innate talent or training.
"Eh? By the time she becomes an adventurer, I'll probably be retired..."
"Please keep going!"
"Even if you say that..."
"Ugh!"
I'm curious about Mio-chan too, but there's something more serious lying right in front of me.
"Anyway, Princess――"
When I stared deeply into her beautiful eyes, a clear brilliance spread like a deep lake.
Countless emotions were reflected there; joy, sadness, her kindness, and hidden feelings tangled together, speaking to me.
"W-what is it?"
Her cheeks turned red.
"Judging from that monster's words, that woman from the Labyrinth Cult is still alive?"
"...S-shameless..."
The Princess clicked her tongue vulgarly, but perhaps my words were not what she wanted to hear.
Should I have spun some more direct words of love instead?
I wonder if that's what I should have done, but it's a harsh request for an ordinary old man like me.
"Gojoji-san contacted the Labyrinth Cult to take revenge on us, didn't he?"
Kaorulko also had a disappointed look on her face.
"He's absolutely trash!"
Iroha spat it out.
She was right.
To harass us, he even turned his own body into a monster.
It's completely incomprehensible――unforgivable.
"A-ah, um..."
Just then, the director arrived.
She had her camera ready until the very last moment and seems to have miraculously survived.
We didn't have the spare capacity to save her either.
If something had happened to her, the film project might have ended right there.
"Director, are you okay? You pushed yourself too hard."
"Well――I was so absorbed in the thought that I had to record this on film..."
"Well, normally you can only film inside a dungeon, so getting to film it outside is quite something."
"T-that's right!"
Her face brightened.
"I understand given your job, but still..."
Through the camera's viewfinder, reality feels thin, and it seems people get delayed in escaping accidents.
She might have been like that.
"I'm sorry..."
She looked dejected, but it's all about the result.
"So, did you manage to capture any usable footage?"
"I'll have to check later to be sure... but I think we probably got it..."
"What about the footage of the terrorists coming from the ceiling?"
"That won't be usable..."
The movie's story is fantasy.
If terrorists in urban camouflage appeared, the setting would collapse.
"Hahaha."
"Um... I have a few things I'd like to ask..."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Um... could it be that――Daisuke-san and that lady used magic?"
She pointed at Sana.
"Ugh."
Before I could find words, the captain of the Special Forces in civilian clothes arrived.
"Niwa-san!"
Not in a uniform, nor in camouflage.
He was dressed normally, with a bulletproof jacket over it.
He must have rushed to join the battle in a panic.
"Special Forces! Weren't you supposed to be guarding me?!"
"I-I apologize! The personnel stationed there couldn't handle the sudden attack..."
He looked apologetic.
They are top-tier personnel even within the Self-Defense Forces――if they couldn't handle it, then no one else could.
"You didn't get a fix on their movements?"
"It may sound like I'm making excuses, but that's exactly it..."
"Well, this time the enemy was just one step ahead..."
"Anyway――"
"What is it?"
"Could it be――you didn't use magic?"
"Huh?!"
This too?
A tiger at the front gate, a wolf at the back door.
Can I somehow bluff my way out of this?
Sana is hiding behind me.
"Ji~" "Ji~"
I was sandwiched between the two of them.
"Ah, this sword I have is a bit special."
I took out a sword from the Item Box.
"The sword that shot lightning earlier, right!"
The director was staring at it intently.
"Oh, this isn't a Special District, so the real thing might be problematic."
I stored the sword back in the Item Box.
Well, given the current state of affairs, it's a bit late anyway.
"Special Forces, you've had dealings with us before, right? Can't you keep this a secret?"
"Personally, I'd like to, but as a Self-Defense Force officer, I have an obligation to report..."
I understand that.
They have their own lives.
I can't ask them to bend the rules just for us.
I was asked in detail about various things, so I told them about the monster that attacked us too.
About that rich kid who used to be a government official.
"Ahhh..."
I looked up at the ceiling of the half-destroyed warehouse with exposed, bent steel beams――and the blue sky visible beyond it.
――A few days after filming at Haneda and suffering the monster attack.
The warehouse repair costs seem to be around 150 million yen.
Of course, I will pay for it.
I have money, so there's no problem.
If I upload the movie and the views increase, ad revenue will come in, so I should be able to recover that much.
Regarding that movie, it seems the Yaegashi Group became a sponsor, and an advertising agency contacted me.
Kako informed me of this.
As a group, they want to screen it on other platforms since it will make money.
Well, since I used the Group to dodge harassment from the film industry, I can't afford to ignore Kako's face.
If you incur a debt, you must pay it back with interest immediately, or it becomes hard to ask for favors next time.
That is the way of the world.
It seems Onoda-san, an official from the MLIT, came to our hotel after receiving the report.
She is the one with black hair neatly parted in the middle whom I worked with on the restoration of the Dungeon Railway.
I told her about the monsters we defeated as well.
We spoke in the hotel lobby.
"Truly..."
Onoda-san was apologizing, but it wasn't her fault.
Everyone is to blame on that man.
"Will you report it, at least?"
"I have no choice but to..."
"They might not believe you? That someone dived into a dungeon to become a monster just to harass us..."
"Reporting is part of my job..."
She also looked dejected――like that.
We had successfully completed the Dungeon Railway restoration work, and yet.
Will this become an obstacle on her path to promotion?
He is truly a troublesome fellow.
――A few days after talking with Onoda-san, I received a call on my smartphone.
It was the Prime Minister.
'No, I'm in trouble...'
The Prime Minister started with a complaint.
According to him, a survivor of the terrorists leaked information to the film crew.
It seems the Yaegashi Group is giving them a hard time for involving the Princess in terrorism.
Speaking of which, I might also be at fault for having trouble with the film crew.
Will I be told something by the Group later?
"Could it be that the filming site was attacked specifically because of that?!"
'It seems so...'
I don't know if it's true or a lie, but the pieces seem to fit...
Either way, investigation and interrogation of the film crew will be unavoidable.
Well, since there's nothing I can do, I have to leave it all to the public agencies.
Personally, I don't care as long as they don't interfere with the movie.
――After receiving the call from the Prime Minister, I met the director at the Special District market.
I thought it would be fine to meet at the cafe in my usual hotel, but she said the market was fine, so we met here.
Today, Sana was with me.
She must have sensed me leaving the room and followed.
We drank coffee at an open-air cafe in the market.
It's instant coffee, but it's expensive for a reason.
Importing coffee is simply not easy right now.
Coffee is grown in places like the Ogasawara Islands, but even that doesn't reach Tokyo without a long sea voyage.
I usually drink coffee at the hotel cafe, but the price is something normal people can't afford.
The canned coffee in the Item Box isn't the real thing; it's substitute coffee.
"So, Director, was the video taken when we were attacked by the monster usable?"
"Yes! We decided to use it as is, saying that monster was just the Demon King's subordinate with a changed face!"
"Well, since it's the real thing, it's definitely realistic..."
Being the real thing isn't always good.
Sometimes, being too real makes it lack realism and look fake.
Well, those are the professionals.
They'll handle it well.
"Daisuke-san and Sana-san used magic――but probably, we can replace Iroha-san and the others using AI..."
"Amazing~, AI."
"Yes, haha."
It seems many people who make traditional movies dislike new technology――.
Harassment probably involved those factions too.
"Will we need to do ADR for the lines?"
"Yes, we'll have to ask you for that."
"Should we just replace everything with voice actors?――Ah, no, the concept of the work is that real adventurers are starring..."
"Yes. We haven't considered that either."
"What about Eito? I thought he'd be a good fit, so I asked him."
"Y-yes! Even though he's a boy, he's so cute! He'll look great on screen and become popular!"
If he heard that, he'd probably hold his head in despair.
"There's my Darling!"
I was suddenly called out――and saw Iroha.
Well, she's an adventurer too, so it's not strange for her to be at the market.
"Ah, hello~"
"You're with the Director, having a meeting?"
Iroha also brought a chair and sat down comfortably.
"We were just talking about Iroha and Eito."
"I see..."
She seemed a bit distant, but I only dragged her into the film by presenting old credentials.
She probably wasn't interested in the first place.
"Eito probably achieved his life's dream by co-starring with you."
"For me, I wanted Darling to be the partner!"
"No one would watch a movie with some random old man involved. Unless he's a handsome movie star or something."
"Ahaha..."
The Director was laughing, and she probably thinks the same.
Iroha is beautiful, and Eito is so handsome you could mistake him for a real elf.
That's why they have value.
"You should have done something nice for Eito while achieving his life's dream."
"That's not even a dessert!"
"Isn't it okay to have something light once in a while?"
"...I'm already fed up! I can't be satisfied with anything less than a large portion of Darling, a thick steak! How are you going to make up for making my body like this?!"
"Wait, in broad daylight, speaking so loudly..."
"Ji~"
Sana was looking at us with a white-hot glare.
I'm in trouble if she asks what to do.
The Director's face was also turning red, but she had a look of intense curiosity.
"Are the two of you in that kind of relationship...?"
"Yeah! We are in that kind of relationship! What do you think, Director?"
"Eh?!"
Her face turned bright red.
You shouldn't mix ordinary people with adventurers.
"Well, it's more like we are comrades from the dungeon. We are a big family that has passed through the line of death..."
"In that case, I'm the same too!"
"But Sana, you'd be in trouble if that power disappeared, right?"
"Umm..."
Because she's a Saint! A Saint!
Saints are a class, or rather a profession; no adventurer has ever obtained such a thing before.
The magic 'Turn Undead' is the same.
Well, she has already obtained a huge amount of money.
It wouldn't be strange if she said, "I'm stopping being an adventurer here!"
Personally, I think it would be a waste.
Anyway, although the filming site was trashed by monsters, it seems the footage taken at that time is usable.
A horse from a gourd, a cake from a shelf.
For better or worse, dungeons drive people mad.
According to the Director, the plan was to film the final scene――the battle between the protagonist and the Demon King.
But we were attacked by monsters there.
She is currently thinking about where to film the final shoot.
The conversation ended, so I parted ways with the Director.
"Darling! Since we have this chance, what are we doing next?! Let's have a match!"
"Ji~"
Sana's gaze was painful.
"The Princess told me to go back immediately."
"That's fine."
"I can't do that."
I somehow managed to persuade Iroha and parted ways.
Eito looks a bit pitiful.
Well, if he levels up and gets his name on the top rankers list, Iroha might reconsider him.
As I walked back to the hotel with Sana, the surroundings began to murmur.
"What is it?"
People seemed to be looking up.
Looking in the direction everyone was pointing――I saw a black bird.
"Daisuke-san, is it a bird?"
"It looks like one... but it seems unusually large..."
As I thought that, it seemed to be coming down.
"O-oh, it looks like it's landing..."
"It's huge!"
It was more like the size of a dinosaur Pteranodon than a bird.
I braced myself for another monster attack.
If it's really an enemy, I'll have to take out a weapon from the Item Box.
Spreading wings that covered the sky, a giant bird landed silently.
The surrounding people all raised their smartphones at once.
Because everyone did it at the same time, it looked like some kind of ritual.
More importantly――.
"What is this?!"
Its form was indeed that of a giant bird.
Its spread wings were so large they covered the sky, and its sharp beak resembled that of a raptor hunting prey, but there was no pulse of life felt there.
Even looking at the part where eyes should be, there was no vitality that should dwell there.
It looked like a mere void, or perhaps like dull obsidian.
It blinked not at all, appearing to see something, yet seeing nothing――a void.
"..."
Everyone held up their smartphones in silence, but there were no hostile gestures.
It seems it is not a monster.
Now that I think about it, gargoyles, stone statues shaped like birds, were flying.
Is this something similar?
――If so, this one was flying via magic...
While I was distracted by its black and huge figure, it seemed someone was riding on the bird's back.
From below, it was hard to tell.
If it can be used as a vehicle, is it really a type of magic?
"Ah!" "Oh..." "Look!"
A murmur rose from the onlookers around.
Part of the bird began to deform――it changed shape into something like stairs.
So it's not a living creature after all.
"Oh~, is this the Special District?"
An old man got off the bird.
No, I'm an old man too――a man of about the same age as me.
Is this bird a vehicle?
Magic?
I was confused by this sudden occurrence.