Dark Fantasy’s Extra Chapter 146

Right after returning from Ridel Village, I went to Workshop 3 to test a new prototype Zepetia had made.

Since Tweedledum and Tweedledee were bosses that appeared in Blue Paper Moon, I already knew what would come out.

“It looks quite plain, but you like that sort of thing, right Eugene?”

Zepetia said to me as I wore the leather gauntlet that covered up to my forearm.

“Yeah.”

I clenched and unclenched my fist while wearing the gauntlet.

Though it felt slightly stiff, I could feel strong power in my hand when making a fist.

In Blue Paper Moon, it was called the Twin Giants’ Gauntlet, and as Zepetia said, its appearance was that of a plain, elongated ivory-colored leather glove.

However, its effect was simple yet powerful, increasing both the damage and speed of punches.

Though pure hand-to-hand combat builds were just for show in Blue Paper Moon, if you were determined to do a playthrough with that, this was almost mandatory equipment to get midway through.

I threw a light one-two punch into the air.

The punches definitely felt much faster and more powerful than usual.

“Tweedledum and Tweedledee, was it? When combined, they can perform an even stronger attack.”

And as Zepetia said, the Twin Giants’ Gauntlet had a special attack function – if you interlocked your hands to make a hammer fist and brought it down, it could break most enemies’ defensive stances like a Bash or knockback.

When I tried it experimentally, I could feel powerful air pressure even though I was hitting empty space.

“It’s impressive… if only it wasn’t just fists.”

I said while taking off the gauntlet.

“Ugh… well, not everything turns out useful.”

As she said, hand-to-hand combat builds including the Twin Giants’ Gauntlet were just for show in the game and aren’t very practical in reality either.

Naturally, in most cases weapons with longer reach are much stronger and more useful than shorter ones.

“Still… it’s good that such things are possible with gauntlets.”

Still, I kept the Twin Giants’ Gauntlet rather than setting it aside.

Looking at it as a weapon against humans, it’s barely a backup for a backup armament, but viewed as a tool, its value is different.

Being able to deliver strong impacts without using magical power in situations where guns can’t be used is plenty useful.

“I’ll make good use of this too.”

It’s a bit tricky to give to Hilde though.

While it’s true that more weapons and tools are better, conversely it’s not good to be heavily loaded with things you don’t really need.

In Hilde’s case, she tends toward the latter.

It’s enough for her to dig deep into one thing while adding just a few branches.

I’ve already taught her all those branches, so all that’s left is to keep digging that well deeper.

“And how’s that other thing coming along?”

“That? Ah, you mean that.”

Zepetia grinned.

This is something I’m personally interested in, and Zepetia seems to know it, constantly telling me to come see it.

Of course, I keep coming out of curiosity.

“I think it’ll be somewhat usable after just a bit more work.”

Zepetia pointed to a machine device as tall as a person in one corner and a gun connected to it by two cables.

To be honest, I never expected something like that to come out…

“The ‘rail gun’ – the name you gave it. I think it’s quite fitting too. I’m not just saying that.”

As she said, Zepetia’s latest weapon that she’s been focusing on lately is none other than a rail gun.

Considering this era, it can only be called far beyond over-technology and Zepetia didn’t come up with it herself either.

The underlying theory started from what was in Vile’s old laboratory, and she incorporated other lost technologies from the Order as well.

Like the Dragon’s Breath Shotgun I discovered before, there are many technologies from the Great Holy War era that transcend the current age in various ways.

Even Crowty’s artifact twin pistols are automatic pistols that don’t fit this era.

Of course, technologies from the Great Holy War era are forbidden even to the Order’s Workshop 1 craftsmen.

Vile was able to conceive such things simply because he was a genius ahead of his time, and Zepetia inherited Vile’s talent fully while also gradually implementing bits of old technology by fumbling through fragments of it.

“But right now it’s not even at a level you could call a prototype.”

Zepetia pointed at the two massive machine devices.

Those machine devices, apparently reverse engineered from electrical devices and generators found in Vile’s old laboratory, are clearly not portable as you can see.

The gun doesn’t look futuristic like something from a sci-fi movie or manga either, but rather like several crude pipes connected together.

At first Zepetia only considered it an interesting curiosity that could move metal balls using electricity to create magnetic fields without using magical power or hands.

But I suddenly asked what if we used it to fire bullets, and that question led to the current rail gun.

Of course, it’s still far from something you could call a rail gun, but with knowledge from my past life, I can’t help but be drawn to it.

A rail gun in this era when even automatic weapons haven’t been invented yet…

“Above all, the power! Even referencing the generator from grandfather’s laboratory that we took apart, the output is still too weak.”

That’s the biggest problem.

Output.

Even in my past life’s modern Earth, rail guns were only developed but difficult to put into practical use.

With generator-like equipment made with this old era’s technology, we can’t get beyond making metal balls fly a bit faster.

“Grandfather powered it with magical power but… that level of magical power can’t be obtained through normal means. Grandfather gathered enough power by grinding up an entire village worth of humans, but…”

“We couldn’t possibly do something like that.”

Even Vile found complete implementation of the technology distant, so he ultimately made up for the lacking parts with magical power, that nearly omnipotent force.

To achieve that, he sacrificed all the humans in Drang Basin, but could only maintain functions like light bulbs and sensors in the power plant.

“This part will need more research indeed…”

“Well, nothing else to see here? Then I’m going.”

“Huh? Already? Just seeing that and leaving?”

“Sir Crowty called for me soon.”

“Hmm… alright. Make sure to come back next time…”

Looking at her like this, she really seems incomparably capable…

But after the research presentation ended, Zepetia’s face darkened again as she approached.

When Zepetia was focused and displaying her talents like earlier, she was truly an ideal colleague.

Of course, that’s when the object of her focus was developing normal weapons and tools rather than inhumane experiments – then she’s nothing short of a shining light of human intellect.

But that too is ultimately temporary.

When she runs out of things to focus on, Zepetia feels lonely again.

That loneliness built up and built up until it burst out in the worst way once…

And once broken, the mind doesn’t easily return.

“So… you have to come back, alright?”

Zepetia said while hugging me like a doll.

“…Alright.”

To Zepetia, I am the only person who can comfort that loneliness.

Zepetia, who was terribly awkward with people, finally gave up on forming relationships with others and became satisfied with just me.

At least… at least while I satisfy her, nothing will happen.

Zepetia won’t completely lose it and go on a rampage like Vile.

As long as I’m by her side…

But… until when exactly?

It felt suffocating, like having a leash around my neck.

*    *    *

“Oh, you’re here?”

Crowty lifted his hand slightly when I entered his office.

“Yes. Another mission?”

“Yeah. You’re being dispatched to Offenbach.”

“Offenbach? That’s…”

“Where Marquis Bluebeard… managed. Looks like the follow-up investigation there is roughly finished.”

Already reached that point huh.

According to Crowty, while the Marquis was definitely judged a heretic, his son Jarkoff was cleared of charges after detailed investigation.

Of course, I also thought Jarkoff was innocent, but since guilt by association was common, I expected some kind of punishment one way or another.

“It’s a somewhat special case. We can’t reveal that the head of an Order branch was a traitor. But suddenly ousting House Bluebeard would raise suspicions. Fortunately the Marquis’s son was truly innocent, so they’re thinking of covering up the incident entirely.”

“Cover up something that big?”

They’re just going to bury such a major incident?

“Well… I suppose that’s one way to handle it.”

“Of course, as I said earlier, this was only possible because the Marquis’s son was truly innocent. So from now on, Jarkoff will manage the Offenbach branch in place of the Marquis.”

“…Really?”

“On the surface, yes. Behind the scenes, headquarters will manage everything.”

So entrusting it to Jarkoff is just a facade to prevent chaos.

Outwardly it will look like the Marquis passed it to his son, but internally House Bluebeard’s actual authority is completely gone.

Still, it’s fortunate if even that much allows Jarkoff to be safe.

Poor guy…

“Well, you don’t need to know more about the political details. Anyway, we need people since Offenbach needs to start operating normally soon. People to train new recruits. The training period for the recruits you’re currently in charge of has one week left, right?”

“Yes.”

Though I missed about ten days due to Behemoth Tracking Special Department work, after returning I’ve been continuously instructing the recruits during work hours.

“Headquarters decided to select some people with good results training new recruits and send them to Offenbach. And the recruits you’re in charge of got very good evaluations. First place in averages. Excluding Gerda of course.”

Well, I did teach them to the best of my ability.

And Gerda isn’t someone who can be included in averages.

“Originally after you finished with this batch, I wanted you to focus solely on Gerda, but given the situation… Anyway, here’s the main point – what do you think about taking Gerda along?”

“What? Where? To Offenbach?”

“Yeah. I asked Hilde and she said you taught mostly through practical experience. But you can’t do proper practical training here. We’ve eliminated anything even slightly dangerous near the Order these days.”

“That’s true but… so I’ll go to Offenbach and separately handle their recruits and Gerda?”

“Ah, I’m not saying you should handle everything alone. You just need to teach weapon handling. Other instructors will teach the other fields.”

“It would’ve been good to divide up the teaching like that from the start.”

“Shut up. We’re extremely busy too.”

Crowty waved one piece of paper from the stack of documents on his desk.

Just looking at it, it’s clearly a report about some headache-inducing matter.

Other people aside, Crowty really works excessively.

I seriously worry sometimes that Crowty might collapse from overwork.

“Anyway, in your remaining time you can take Gerda and do practical training or whatever. Like how you taught Hilde.”

“Yes… About Hilde…”

I don’t know how others evaluate my training, but I think I completely failed in training Hilde.

Originally she should have developed the personality of a true warrior, but I completely ruined that…

“Well, I’ll try my best.”