by SOW
“So prodigies really do exist!”
“Y-You’re praising me too much!”
Hilde wasn’t used to any praise at all, so her face blushed bright red as she replied. But Marlene shook her head repeatedly, saying, “No, I mean it. It’s true.”
“Well, um... thank you.”
Hilde sang because she loved it. Perhaps the purity of that love manifested in a crystal clear and brilliant singing voice.
“This is it... Yes, this is it!”
“What’s what?”
Marlene balled up her fists and appeared excited.
“Wow! This is just what I needed! Is it the will of God? It must be! I guess it really is worth praying even if it’s just a formality!”
Considering she was a servant of God, Marlene’s comment was surprising.
“W-What are you saying? You... Whoa!”
Hilde had stretched out her hand to timidly ask a question when Marlene spun around and clasped her hand.
“Hilde, would you attend the Thanksgiving festival and sing?!”
“Huh? W-Why?!”
Hilde had heard about the Organbaelz Thanksgiving festival, but she didn’t know that one of the singers was unable to attend. Furthermore, there was no way she would know that Marlene was on the festival committee and looking for a replacement.
“Think of it as a favor to me!! I can’t sing!! And I’m clumsy! I’m pretty but I’m clumsy! Which makes me both happy and sad!”
“Um... I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
Hilde had no idea that Milly, who was like Marlene’s sister, had tried desperately to stop Marlene from serving as a substitute.
“Please! I need you to sing! Besides, I want everyone to hear you!”
This was how Marlene truly felt.
Organbaelz was a small rural town. The people didn’t enjoy extravagant living, but neither were they dying of poverty.
Every day, they led hard lives that lacked amusement. The miners were paid adequately for their hard labor, but they worked in dangerous circumstances and each year some died.
The Thanksgiving festival was a celebration that the townsfolk looked forward to all year.
“I’m sure everyone will enjoy hearing you sing. So please!”
“Uh... um...”
Hilde’s heart seemed to stop beating. Then it began pounding. She hadn’t been this excited since she first met Genitz. She was so pleased that someone wanted her.
“Uh... um... oh... okay.”
She looked away, her face blushing, but she agreed.
“Okay, it’s decided! Come back again tomorrow so we can make arrangements. But the sun has gone down, so you’d better go back.”
As she said this, Marlene pointed to the door of the chapel.
“And someone has come to pick you up.”
Hilde saw a familiar man. It was Heidrig.
“When did he...”
Marlene winked at the surprised Hilde.
That night in the attic at Tockerbrot...
Hilde, sitting on the bed, holding a pillow and staring into space, was unable to sort out her feelings. She was thinking that it had been a very hard and confusing day, with her emotions rising and falling. Sven had called her stupid and she had cried and vented her feelings, but perhaps that was why she now felt a little lighter.
“What... am I doing?” she mumbled.
She had repeated the same thing over the last few days.
Until yesterday, however, it had come from self-pity over her current situation. Today, she was a little pleased, if also confused, over her strange encounters.
“You’re good at singing!”
Heidrig spoke to Hilde bluntly.
“W-Were you listening?!”
“Yes. I meant to say something sooner but missed my chance.”
Sven had told Lud that Hilde had disappeared, which had worried him. Sven planned to search for her, but Heidrig returned from his break and suggested that he go instead. He thought that Hilde might have decided to abandon the mission.
“If you’re that talented, you could become a successful singer!”
Heidrig was an amateur when it came to singing and acting. But even to him, her singing was impressive.
“Long ago, I sang at a ball for nobles...”
“Oh?”
That was eight years ago, before she was ten years old. Her father had recognized her singing skills and used what small connections he had for an opportunity to show off her talent. Hilde didn’t own a proper dress to wear, so they borrowed money to rent a dress that was too big, and Hilde attended the ball.
“The reaction to my singing was enthusiastic. Everyone praised me and applauded.”
However, that was the end of it. No one had offered to be her benefactor. Even people who pretended to be patrons of art and culture praised her, but would go no further.
“Because... I’m a black dog.”
She had black hair and black eyes, so she was a loser. It was hard to find nobles with such poor taste that they would take a girl like her under their wing.
“After we got home, my father hit me many times.”
He had accused her of humiliating him and had blamed her for being a black dog. He had hit and kicked her repeatedly, and as she had cried and begged for forgiveness, and she told herself that she would never sing again.
“So... why did you decide to sing now?”
A slight change of feeling showed on Heidrig’s face as he asked.
No matter how much noise she made, Heidrig had taken no more interest in her than he would a boisterous puppy, but now for the first time, he looked at Hilde as if seeing a human being.
“It’s just... that nun was pushy and...”
Hilde touched her hair as if remembering something. It wasn’t her own natural black hair. She had dyed her hair blonde as a disguise.
“If I had been born with this hair color, what would my life be like?”
Her soft words sounded sad.
Meanwhile, in a charcoal-burning forest lodge on the outskirts of Organbaelz...
The lodge had been deserted long ago, but some men were gathered inside now.
“So you found her?”
“Yeah. The nun somehow avoided capture.”
“What about the other woman?”
“That waitress who is absurdly strong?”
“Aw, she’s just a bit above average.”
“There’s no doubt about it. She was wearing the bakery uniform, so it was her.”
“Yes, it was that blonde girl.”
No one—not Hilde, Heidrig or even Lud or Sven—knew about this conversation. But if they had heard the next words, it would have given them a chill.
“It was just as described by that masked man.”
The development bureau in the royal capital of Berun was shaped like a single spiral. An attacking opponent had to destroy each of the structure’s barriers from the front, one by one. This also meant that the defending side, in order to counterattack, had to confront its opponent head-on.
This wasn’t usually a problem. The strength of the development bureau’s forces lay in defense. Their purpose was to provide security, so there was no need to attack. But tonight was different. It was necessary to mount a desperate attack to escape the encircling net and request reinforcements from military headquarters.
For a regular person, that would be impossible. As soon as an escape was attempted, Schutzstaffel soldiers would close in with machine gun fire, and that person would die, no longer recognizably human. However, what if the person escaping wasn’t human?
Altering that crucial premise changed everything.
“W-What?! What happened?!”
“Calm down! Report!!”
“Grenade! Bring me a grenade!!”
The Schutzstaffel soldiers were worked up. Although they had met severe resistance, they had almost reached their goal. However, something suddenly appeared that was disrupting their front li
ne.
“What?! What is happening?!”
The commanding officer Captain Delz, yelled out.
However, he received only a vague reply.
“Something appeared, and the next thing I knew, soldiers were falling, one after the other!”
“What are you talking about?!”
Delz yelled again, but the soldier could say nothing further.
In any case, something or someone was approaching at a speed faster than sound, and sending soldiers flying with every blow.
KA-BOOM! THA-GOOM would be the only way to describe it in words.
Rebecca Sharlahart was traveling at terrific speed, ricocheting off the floor, walls, and ceiling. But she wasn’t trying to attack the surrounding Schutzstaffel soldiers. She was just trying to pass through them as quickly as possible to carry out her creator’s order, which was to get word to Marshal Elvin at military headquarters, and bring back reinforcements. Therefore, she was rapidly shoving aside anything in her way.
“Gah!”
A soldier made a strange sound as he flew up and his neck bent at a strange angle.
Rebecca didn’t intend to damage or kill anyone. But it was inevitable when something shot past that was human-sized and moving with lightning speed.
At this rate, it won’t be hard to break through...
Rebecca thought as she ran through the enemy ranks.
Her thoughts, or rather the humanoid Hunter Unit’s thoughts, were calm and realistic. She was created as an AI for a piloted military weapon. Thus, she wasn’t programmed with excessive optimism or unnecessary pessimism. Her thoughts arose from a multi-faceted perspective based on factors such as infantry positions, equipment, and proficiency.
The idea behind the military is fighting against groups.
Person-to-person combat was essential. Nonetheless, in the case of massive combat strength concentrated in one individual... Unless they were aware that their opponent was an android with the strength of one hundred humans, there was no way they could defeat Rebecca.
I’ve successfully escaped the bureau, so now I need to slip through the soldiers and race across the city.
The development bureau was surrounded, but not so completely that an ant couldn’t crawl out. A human being would have been captured immediately leaving the building, but there was no one who could match Rebecca’s speed.
By the time they noticed that someone had escaped, she had launched from the top of an armored vehicle, jumped to the roof of a nearby building, and was on her way through the dark city. All that remained was to get to the royal palace and military headquarters. There would be no problem. Or so it seemed.
“—?!”
Rebecca’s sensors detected something approaching. She didn’t know what it was. Something the size of a human was getting closer, running across the rooftops after her.
No way!
Rebecca almost let out a cry. There was only one thing that could move at such speed.
Another humanoid Hunter Unit?!
As far as she knew, the creator—Daian Fortuner—had only produced herself and Sven Avei, now a waitress at a bakery in Pelfe. There were no others. Daian had said so.
Here it comes!
Static tangled her thoughts. It was impatience, but Rebecca didn’t let that interfere.
On the battlefield, nothing was certain. The probability might be only one percent, but what would happen, would happen. Before asking why or how, she would deal immediately with the situation confronting her.
Intercept!!
Something jumped with legs strong enough to sunder roof tiles, and then it attacked Rebecca.
There was no moon. Streetlights dimly lit the roads, but it didn’t brighten the rooftops. Although it was too dark to see, Rebecca could tell that her opponent was a girl with red eyes.
I’ll stop her with one blow!!
She tried a hand chop to pierce her opponent’s neck, which is a vital spot on humans and non-humans alike.
A humanoid Hunter Unit was strong enough to sever a neck with her bare hands. That’s what should have happened.
“Agh—!”
However, before Rebecca could deliver her chop, her opponent rammed a knee into her stomach.
No way... This girl’s faster than I am?!
Even with emotional makeup that was close to a human being’s, the humanoid Hunter Units were driven solely by mechanical processes. Physical speed, strength, and processing speed... Specifications determined all these characteristics.
Compared to me, is she... a more advanced model?
Rebecca lost her balance and wobbled. She rolled down the roof and fell into Sephira River, which flowed through the center of the royal capital.
There was the sound of a splash of water and something sinking...
“Mission complete.”
The attacker stared at the surface of the water to make sure Rebecca wouldn’t float, and then she mumbled softly and disappeared, as if to vanish in the dark night.
Chapter 6: Thanksgiving
“There isn’t enough to fight over, but there’s more than enough to share.”
Long ago, a saint said this. When I heard that, I thought...
“What an utter idiot!”
I have a biscuit in my pocket. That won’t change no matter what I do. If it breaks in two, the original amount won’t change. It won’t save one person from starving for even one day.
There is a girl in front of me. She has hollow cheeks and her eyes are cavernous. It’s obvious that she’s ill from the cold and starvation.
I have one biscuit in my pocket. I’m starving, and I feel as if I might go crazy. I’ve already decided what I will do with the biscuit.
“Thanks, Big Bro!”
The girl takes the biscuit and thanks me with a smile.
“Gwaaah!!!”
Heidrig slept on the floor in Tockerbrot’s attic. Before dawn, he jumped up with a shout.
“HUFF... HUFF... HUFF...”
His shirt was soaked with sweat. He could have wrung drops of moisture from it. But it wasn’t hot. The nightmare... He hadn’t had it for a long time, and had thought he never would again.
“W-What the...? Hey, what’s wrong?”
Hilde asked him from the bed.
She was irritated to be awakened by a shout. But she was also amazed to see Heidrig sweating and out of breath. Ever since they met a fortnight ago, he was always calm, but now his face was white with fear.
“Oh, uh... it’s nothing.”
Heidrig’s face showed clearly that it wasn’t nothing.
“But...”
Hilde was still half asleep, but she could tell he was disturbed.
“It’s nothing. Sorry I woke you. Sleep a little longer.”
Heidrig lowered the ladder and began to climb down.
“Today is show time for you. You’d better sleep well or you won’t make it through.”
Heidrig turned his face away after speaking and climbed down the ladder.
At the small well behind Tockerbrot...
Heidrig drew water with a bucket, removed his shirt, and poured water over his head.
“..................!”
It was already the end of October, but not yet winter. At dawn, when the air was chilly, the water was especially cold and sent a shock through his body.
“Argh...”
Nonetheless, the vision from his nightmare wouldn’t go away. It was a dream he had hoped never to suffer through again. But, after almost ten years, it had returned as if to accuse him.
“She doesn’t resemble her that closely.”
Hilde was the reason he had the dream. But it wasn’t her fault. She was a young girl and a series of associations had jogged his memory. If there was another reason, it was...
“How long have you been standing there?”
Heidrig pulled his mind from his thoughts to address a man hiding in the shadows.
“I just got here. I’m impressed. Indeed, you are
the Wolf Man.”
It was the masked corporal. Heidrig wasn’t sure what to think about this man. It seemed like Hilde trusted him, but it had been too easy for him to free Heidrig, a national traitor, from jail.
“What’s the matter? Is there something on my face?”
The corporal asked Heidrig with a flippant voice.
“That mask you wear is disturbing.”
“Oh dear, oh dear...”
Heidrig stifled his irritation when the corporal missed his sarcasm.
“Why are you here? Didn’t you say you would stay away because you’re too noticeable?”
The corporal always stood out, and he had encountered Lud before, so he offered to lend support from a distance. Hilde had suggested that he remove his mask, but he claimed he would be even more noticeable without it, so they accepted his offer.
Many soldiers had battle scars. Many were so horribly scarred that even their loved ones wouldn’t recognize them.
“Yes. But I told you I would be in contact, didn’t I?”
To avoid suspicion, Hilde and Heidrig hadn’t brought communication devices, so the corporal had to contact them in person. Indeed, Sven and Lud had confiscated anything that had looked like military equipment, so the corporal had been right.
“There’s a slight complication, so I came in a hurry.”
“What is it?”
“It appears that the higher-ups have discovered that the first lieutenant took you from the prison.”
“No way!”
There should have been another day until the inspection by the Legal Affairs Bureau.
“It sounds like something is happening in the royal capital. This is a problem.”
Even through the mask, Heidrig could tell that the corporal’s voice held no tension. And that made sense.
“As things stand, the first lieutenant is in a very bad position.”
Hilde had ordered Heidrig’s release from jail without permission, albeit at the corporal’s instigation.
In the military, a superior officer’s orders are absolute. Even if that officer were to order something illegal, it must be obeyed. In a case such as this, all responsibility lay with the superior officer. So the corporal would not receive punishment because he had simply followed orders. However, it meant serious trouble for Hilde.