Dark Fantasy’s Extra Chapter 65

Several days had passed since the Hameln incident was resolved.

I visited Workshop 3 again to retrieve the Dragon’s Breath Shotgun.

“Huh? Did you bring something again already?” 

Zepetia greeted me while munching on bread.

“Aren’t you from a noble family? And it’s not even lunchtime right now.”

I couldn’t help but ask, seeing her casual demeanor so unfitting for a noble.

“Don’t worry about stuff like that. Anyway, come in.”

Zepetia stuffed the rest of the bread in her mouth.

Workshop 3 was cluttered with papers and memos strewn everywhere from the floor to the desk.

Several books that looked like they were brought from the library were piled in a corner.

Even my studio apartment in my past life was cleaner than this.

“I didn’t bring anything, actually. Rather, I came to pick something up. You know, the shotgun I gave you last time.”

“Ah, that…”

Zepetia averted her eyes.

Hey, that’s a strange reaction.

“Don’t tell me…”

“I-I didn’t lose it. I didn’t break it either.”

“Then?”

“Well… Sir Corsis took it.”

“…What?”

Why is that person’s name coming up here?

“Why on earth?”

“Actually…”

The situation was like this.

While she was briefly focused on other work, Corsis had visited and asked if he could take something to look at after seeing it.

She said yes without thinking much about it, but later realized it was the Dragon’s Breath Shotgun I had entrusted to her.

“Hey, you…”

I grabbed her face with my hands and shook it.

“Aaah! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

Zepetia smacked my hands and I let go.

“Ugh, I’ll have you know I’m still a noble lady!”

“I thought you said not to worry about that.”

Though Zepetia’s scholarly passion borders on madness, looking at her like this, she’s just a somewhat unusual young lady.

Rather, it’s like a modern atmosphere from my past life… Perhaps I’m treating her too casually because of that familiar feeling.

She reminds me of a close junior from university…

It’s been so long that I can’t even remember that junior’s name.

No, it’s probably just because I ruined my real life getting addicted to Blue Paper Moon.

“Anyway, you said Sir Corsis took it? Then we just need to get it back, right?”

“W-well, about that…”

Zepetia turned her head away again.

“What now?”

“Going there is a bit…”

“A bit?”

“A bit… there are too many people…”

This is ridiculous.

“You talk to me just fine though.”

“It’s hard with multiple people. And there are nobles too.”

“You just said you were a noble lady.”

“Hey… are you going to keep nitpicking unnecessary things?”

Zepetia lightly punched my chest.

“Anyway I’m sorry, but could you go get it instead… I’ll make it up to you later.”

“Fine, fine.”

I waved her off and headed inside the Development Department building.

I know the way well since I used to visit the Development Department often during my errand boy days.

They would have me bring books from the library once they knew I could read.

I went to Corsis’s office and knocked on the door, and after a moment his secretary opened it.

“What brings you here?”

“I’m here about an item that Sir Corsis took from Workshop 3 recently.”

“Pardon me, but could you explain more specifically? Is there perhaps a curse on the item?”

“Nothing like that, it’s just that it was originally my item, but Zepetia mistakenly gave it to him.”

“Oh? Well, this is troublesome. In any case, please wait here a moment. I’ll go in and explain the situation to Sir Corsis.”

“Yes, thank you.”

I bowed to the perplexed secretary.

But what’s so troublesome about it?

Could it be that Corsis liked it and wanted to keep it?

After the secretary went in, the door opened again shortly after.

“Sir Corsis would like to hear the details. Please come in.”

“Yes.”

While with Crowty I would just breeze in and out without any of this, that’s just because he’s unusual.

Normally this is how it should be, going through the secretary first.

Just like how a low-level employee at a major corporation can’t freely walk in and out of an executive’s office.

I entered Corsis’s office.

“Welcome.”

Corsis, the Development Department’s overall commander at Order headquarters, raised his hand to me while seated in his chair.

The Dragon’s Breath Shotgun was laid on his desk.

“Hello, Sir Corsis.”

I bowed deeply to him.

“Have a seat first. I’d like to talk unhurriedly.”

“What? Ah, yes.”

I sat in the chair opposite Corsis.

“Would you like tea or coffee?”

The secretary approached and asked.

“Ah, um… coffee please.”

He nodded and brought a cup of coffee on a tray from the pot in the corner.

Though it wasn’t instant coffee mix, the atmosphere felt so similar to my company in my past life that it made me a bit nostalgic.

“You’re a hunter, so let’s skip the tedious introductions. Is this weapon yours? Where did you get it?”

Corsis asked while holding up the Dragon’s Breath Shotgun.

“I found it in Vinears.”

Not all lower-ranked hunters are required to use only standard-issue equipment.

Of course, there are exceptions like explosives and drugs that must be used strictly according to regulations, but weapons can generally be freely chosen.

Of course, when facing Beasts, the Order’s weapons that can use silver are much more useful than expensive custom rifles, so there’s usually no need to use external weapons.

However, items from Workshop 1 like this Dragon’s Breath Shotgun are more useful than standard equipment.

Of course, if you find something a mid-ranked hunter lost, you usually need to return it to the original owner, but if they died or the owner is unknown, the finder can keep it indefinitely until retirement.

In effect, the finder is considered the rightful owner until retirement.

“Vinears? Where was that… Ah yes, the abandoned pioneer village in the north. There are undead there, but I remember it wasn’t considered worth much attention.”

“I went for some light training against the undead…”

“Well, I don’t intend to scrutinize every little thing. Anyway, we did our own investigation. This weapon is likely the Dragon’s Breath Shotgun. It was lost hundreds of years ago, and since you found it, it’s rightfully yours.”

“Is there something concerning about it?”

“This would be a personal request, but would you consider returning it to the Order? I’ll provide more than adequate compensation.”

“What?”

“You see, this weapon contains technology that was lost long ago. As head of the Development Department, I can’t help but be interested. Of course, I don’t want to violate the long tradition and custom of finders keeping what they find, so I’d like to purchase it properly.”

“Hmm…”

Of course I can’t refuse a request from a top executive, and if it’s Corsis of all people, he’ll surely provide adequate compensation as he said.

But I also truly risked my life to obtain this weapon.

I absolutely need good weapons to help make up for my lack of talent going forward.

“Then… how about this? I’ll give you the weapon. But instead of money, could you lend me a different weapon of equivalent value?”

“A different weapon…”

Corsis crossed his arms and pondered.

“That’s not a bad idea. However, handcrafted items from the workshop are traditionally used by mid-ranked hunters. While it’s fine to use something found without an owner like this, it would be a bit difficult to lend you a new item.”

“It doesn’t have to be a new item. Even something that was returned would be fine.”

“Hmm… I hear you’ve been making good use of Zepetia’s prototypes lately. In fact, I have a proposal of my own.”

“A proposal?”

“Yes. Going forward, I’ll lend you prototypes made using technology adapted from this Dragon’s Breath Shotgun. We won’t just make one or two – there will be quite a variety, so how about choosing what you want from among them to test in actual combat? And you can tell us points for improvement and how they feel to use.”

Being able to choose and use items from Workshop 1?

I almost immediately said yes, but let’s stay calm for now.

I know Zepetia’s prototypes are safe because I used them through Blue Paper Moon in my past life.

But what about Workshop 1’s prototypes?

Of course, items with established technology and accumulated know-how can be trusted, but weapons made before that are less credible.

For weapons where your life is on the line, trust is the most important thing first and foremost.

“…New technology weapons sound good, but hunters really need weapons they can trust.”

“That’s true… Actually, the weapons we’ll make applying this technology will be quite experimental. Reliability would be hard to guarantee. But the skills of the Order headquarters’ craftsmen aren’t that unreliable. Won’t you trust me and my subordinates here?”

“Uh…”

No, if you put it that way, I have nothing I can say.

When the Development Department head stakes his reputation on it, it would be its own problem for a lower-ranked hunter like me to refuse.

It could even lead to issues between the field and Development Department.

“I… understand. If you put it that way…”

“Thank you for trusting us. The Development Department’s craftsmen won’t betray your trust.”

I ultimately agreed to hand over the Dragon’s Breath Shotgun to the Development Department in exchange for freely using prototypes, then returned to Workshop 3.

“Um, how did it go?”

Zepetia asked with a slightly tense look.

“…You!”

I grabbed her face with my hands and shook it again.

“Sorry! I said I’m sorry!”

*    *    *

On a small island in the middle of a vast frozen lake stood a single cabin.

And someone wearing a black robe knocked on the cabin’s door.

“Come in.”

A refined woman’s voice was heard from inside the cabin.

The robed person opened the door and entered.

“…What brings you here?”

Inside, contrary to the shabby exterior, sat a woman drinking tea at an exceptionally luxurious table.

With silvery-blue bob cut hair and crimson eyes, it was Snow White Margarete.

“My, is it so strange to visit a sister?”

The one who removed her robe and revealed her face was a skeleton corpse.

But the voice belonged to Princess Bari, one of the witches and Margarete’s sister.

“Couldn’t you have chosen a cleaner corpse?”

“Sorry. I don’t have the luxury to freely choose puppets yet.”

“Well, that can’t be helped. I understand. I’m not living so lavishly either. Though soon enough, foolish humans will offer me all sorts of treasures.”

“I’m glad to see you haven’t changed.”

“If any of us had changed from before, that would be cause for surprise, wouldn’t it?”

“But methods could change, right?”

“Fufu, you have something you want to say? Sit. Let’s talk comfortably – it’s our first reunion in 500 years.”

“I’d like to as well, but there’s not much magical power left controlling this puppet. It was quite difficult just coming here. So I’ll skip the pleasantries and get to the point.”

“By all means.”

“Margarete, why did you reveal yourself to humans in the city?”

“My, that already reached your ears? No… you would have been the first to know. You’re more expert than me at manipulating humans after all.”

“Answer my question.”

“Well… it was just a good opportunity. When a chance comes to obtain many human slaves, it would be foolish to let it slip by, wouldn’t it?”

“That’s not what I’m asking. You never did things like this before.”

“Why? Does it bother you? Feel like I’m stealing your specialty?”

“I don’t deceive people like you do.”

“Pfft. Your sense of humor has really improved. For you, the most… no, second most deceptive among us, to say such things.”

“Margarete…”

“Ah, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of those humans you cherish so much. I’ll make them all part of me. That will be their greatest happiness after all.”

“As I thought… we really can’t understand each other.”

“Nothing new about that.”

“…If He were here, we sisters would…”

At that moment, a giant ice hand burst through the cabin door and grabbed the puppet’s skull, ripping it off at the neck.

“How dare you speak of Him.”

Snow White, who had been sitting drinking tea, spoke with deeper and darker emotion than ever before.