Infinite Dendrogram_Volume 2

by Sakon Kaidou

  “So the machines of the past were different?” I asked.

  “Many of the ones that have been excavated had generators installed in them,” he answered. “They provided the machines with all the magic they needed to operate, and as far as I’m aware, they’re a technology lost to the modern world.”

  Interesting, I thought. I wonder where Silver stands in all of this.

  “Can you expand on Granvaloa?” I asked. “I didn’t know that they had machine technology.” All I knew about it was that it was a country on the sea, so I had always imagined it functioned with sail-based ships, like the ones in the Age of Discovery.

  “Heh. That country is less about machine technology and more about ship-building technology,” said Hugo. “For example, steamships aren’t uncommon among their people, but there are no automobiles to speak of. In a sense, Granvaloa is more unbalanced than Dryfe. After all, though their magic technology is behind that of most countries, their magic ships are unmatched.”

  “So that’s how it is,” I nodded. Though it was limited to shipbuilding, the maritime nation excelled in both magic and technology.

  Yeah, it’s safe to call it unbalanced, I thought.

  “Also,” added Hugo. “Since they’re the only ones salvaging things from underwater ruins, not even Dryfe knows what they really have.”

  Well, that sure piqued my interest. I should go there someday.

  “Hmm... Hugo,” Nemesis spoke up. “Did you get the knowledge about this civilization from the world’s official description?”

  “No,” he answered. “I’ve been told about it by archeologist tians and some trivia-crazed acquaintances who’ve explored ruins all over the world. The clan I belong to has many people with strange hobbies.”

  “Your clan?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Hugo nodded. “It’s one of the bigger clans in Dryfe, so there are quite a lot of us. If you ever switch to serving the imperium, I’ll help you join.”

  “Ha ha ha,” I laughed. “I don’t see that happening.”

  “Heh. I think that depends on the results of the upcoming war.”

  He wasn’t wrong. That could easily happen if the imperium came out on top and the kingdom became its domain.

  “Though it’s not impossible that the results lead to me joining your clan,” he added.

  “My own clan, huh?” I said. “I actually don’t have one yet.”

  “Then you should find one that has people you get along with and join it. It’ll give you more things to do in this world. You can also make one yourself, if you like.”

  “I’ll think about it... Oh?” I said, startled.

  As we made our way through the forest, the Magingear had lowered its engine’s output and reduced its noise to a minimum.

  “Looks like we’re here,” said Hugo.

  A few moments later, we came close to the forest’s edge.

  “I see it,” Cyco said.

  I looked through the spaces between the trees.

  Outside the forest was a large building — a stone fortress. With its walls covered in ivy, it stood in the middle of a forest clearing that extended for at least a few hundred meters in every direction.

  It was easy to tell that it had been built a long time ago, eventually been abandoned, and was now being used as the bandits’ hideout.

  “It’s just like it was shown on the map,” said Hugo. “That’s the place, no doubt about it. There’re even some guards there.”

  He was right — I could see some bandits standing on the fortress’ walls. However, the boredom in their mannerisms and the occasional yawns made it obvious that they weren’t too serious about their job. At the very least, they still hadn’t noticed us hiding in the forest.

  I had my worries about the possibility of them seeing Magingear, but that didn’t seem to be necessary. The trees in the forest were tall enough to hide it without any problem. The dark green coating probably worked as a good camouflage, too.

  “What now?” asked Nemesis. “Shall we all charge at it?”

  “Don’t be stupid,” I said. “It’ll all be over if they start using the kidnapped children as hostages.”

  Then again, that was going to happen in any scenario where we made an attempt to fight the bandits and do the rescuing. However, since we didn’t know the inner structure of the fortress, sneaking in without getting spotted would be difficult. Also, no matter how negligent the guards were, they’d quickly notice us if we showed ourselves in this wide open space.

  “...I happen to have an idea on how to go about this,” said Hugo.

  “An idea?” I asked.

  The Magingear he was driving nodded in a highly convincing manner and pointed at itself.

  “Everyone in this world knows that this weapon belongs to Dryfe,” he said. That was the reason why we got here through a route on which no one could see us.

  “Again, this is a weapon belonging to Dryfe,” he continued. “The same Dryfe that has absolutely no reason to save the kingdom’s children.”

  “Hm...? Ah!” I finally realized what he meant. “If I attack the fortress, they will likely think that it has nothing to do with the kidnappings. After all, there’s no reason for a man of the imperium to come rescue the children of an enemy nation. That will prevent the bandits from using them as hostages. They will probably believe that I wouldn’t discriminate and kill any children they brought out, and that would be unfavorable for them because less children means less ransom money.”

  So, Hugo’s true affiliation is actually gonna be useful to us, huh? I thought.

  “They won’t be able to use the children as hostages,” he continued. “And they certainly won’t just sit and do nothing while I attack the fortress. They will surely come to face me. And while they’re busy with me, you can sneak into the building and rescue the kidnapped children. That’s the plan I have in mind, anyway.”

  “Sounds good,” I nodded. “Are you sure you’ll be okay, though? Being a distraction isn’t easy.”

  “A Marshall II has a strong frame,” said Hugo. “It won’t go down easily. Also, I have Cyco with me.”

  “Yep,” she nodded. “What do we do?”

  “You use Enemy Detect,” Hugo said. “Also, ready some Smoke Dischargers to make a smokescreen for us to hide in while we lower their numbers.”

  “Oui, umm... monsieur.”

  “You can use the smoke to close in on the fortress,” Hugo added, turning to me. “Save the children, and stay out of sight.”

  “All right,” I nodded.

  “Understood!” Nemesis declared. “This is nothing Ray and I can’t do!”

  “It will probably be a battle against time,” Hugo added. “You will need to be both fast and precise.”

  “I know,” I nodded again. A battle against time while trying to save children. It was going to be much like my first quest, when I’d had to save Milianne.

  However, back then, I’d had Liliana and — most of all — my brother with me. Without him, I couldn’t have made my way to where Milianne was, and if he hadn’t kept the Demi-Dragon Worms busy, the situation would’ve gotten much worse.

  Also, that had been a difficulty level 5 quest. The quest we were doing right now was a difficulty level 8. I had no idea what kind of monsters I would have to face, and I didn’t have the people I’d relied on back when I’d saved Milianne.

  Still, this time, I had Hugo and Cyco with me. I was stronger, as well, and Nemesis was more reliable than ever. I didn’t know how far that would get me, but...

  “...Backing out isn’t really an option when the lives of children are on the line.”

  “Hm?” Hugo asked.

  Wait, did I say that out loud? I thought. Hugo had apparently heard what I’d said and stared at me with the Magingear’s head camera.

  “What?” I asked.

  Well, I kinda understood what he wanted to say. He probably thought I was getting a bit too serious about Infinite Dendrogram, which — from beginning to
the end — was nothing but a game. However, game or not, having children die on me left a bad taste in my mouth.

  Hugo stayed silent. He looked at me through the camera while thinking about something.

  “If you’ve got something to say, just say it,” I said.

  “...All right.” Hugo finally spoke up. His words were far from what I’d expected. “It’s nothing much... I just realized that you, too, are a real Maiden’s Master.”

  “Hm?” I raised an eyebrow. I didn’t see what he meant by that. I wasn’t aware of any relationship between what I’d said and the fact that I was the Master of Nemesis, a Type Maiden.

  “Do you know what Masters of Type Maiden Embryos have in common?” he asked.

  “They have something in common?” I asked back.

  “Yes. A Master I know told me that such Masters have a certain common feature.”

  I had yet to meet a single other Maiden’s Master, but I was mildly surprised to hear that we all had a similarity. “Which is...?”

  “They don’t feel Infinite Dendrogram is a mere game.”

  ...What?

  “That’s stupid,” I said. “I’m well aware that we’re in a game here.”

  I had no grand delusions about being in an old light novel type of scenario in which the game I’d started playing was actually a real other world. Infinite Dendrogram was a game, and I wouldn’t argue against that.

  “The Master I mentioned said the same thing,” said Hugo. “However, somewhere deep inside, they don’t believe that to be true. And that’s why...” He fell silent.

  “Why... what?” I asked.

  “It’s nothing. Never mind. Sorry for saying something weird right when we’re about to attack the fortress. I got a bit derailed.”

  Damn it, don’t leave me hanging after getting my attention like that! I thought.

  “Oh, by the way,” he spoke up again. “The enemies might be tians, but killing them doesn’t count as a crime when they’re criminals or if you’re just defending yourself. Keep that in mind.”

  “Yeah... I will,” I nodded.

  After that, Hugo fell silent once again.

  I’m still wondering what he was going to say, though, I thought.

  “Master,” Nemesis spoke to me telepathically.

  What?

  “Do you know what he was about to say?” she asked.

  No, I don’t. You don’t either, right?

  “I wouldn’t say so. But if you say you don’t know, it might be best for you if things stay that way.”

  “Hm?” I raised an eyebrow. What do you mean by that?

  “Ray!” yelled Hugo in surprise. “Look over there!” Cutting short my conversation with Nemesis, his Magingear pointed at the fortress. I looked in that direction and saw that its gates were slowly opening.

  “Look there,” said Cyco. “A carriage is coming.” I shifted my gaze to where she was pointing and saw a mountain road leading through an opening in the forest surrounding the fortress.

  On it, there were several carriages moving towards the bandit hideout.

  “Did they kidnap more children?” I asked.

  “Seems like it,” said Hugo.

  “They’re saying something,” Cyco muttered. She placed her hands on her ears, closed her eyes, and focused her hearing. “‘When we’re back in the fortress’... ‘we’ll kill him’... ‘our buddies’... ‘got caught’... ‘revenge’... ‘we’re killing’... ‘the brat.’”

  “Crap!” A realization made me mutter my frustration.

  “Wait, do they mean...?!” Hugo seemed to have realized it, too.

  They were talking about the five underlings we’d beaten, caught, and handed over to the guards.

  “It seems there were more than those five,” Hugo muttered. “They’ve noticed what we did back there.”

  And if that was the case, then the first child they were going to kill when they reached the fortress was the very same one we had to save.

  “It seems like time is short.” Hugo made the Magingear go from a kneeling position to standing upright. “I’ll attack the ones at the carriages. That should make the ones in the fortress come out and help them. When that happens, I’ll create a smokescreen you can use to get in undetected. Cyco, you support me.”

  “All right!” I nodded.

  “Understood!” said Nemesis in her sword form.

  “Yes, sir!” Cyco snapped to attention.

  As soon as he confirmed that everyone was fine with his plan, Hugo made his Magingear jump out of the forest and charge at the bandits.

  This time, he wasn’t running like when we had traversed the forest. Instead, he used the wheels installed in its legs to do a rolling dash that made him the fastest I’ve seen yet. Not slowing down, he took out a gun that was mounted on the robot’s pelvic area and began firing at the front of the group of carriages.

  A single attack was enough to make the horses drawing the first carriage burst, while the resulting shockwave blew the coachman away and made the carriage fall to its side.

  The sudden disaster made the carriages trailing behind it stop, and the Magingear — not letting the opportunity go to waste — began firing at and instantly killing the bandits surrounding them.

  “Hm?” The sight actually made me feel strangely uncomfortable. Nemesis seemed to notice my reaction, but chose not to say anything.

  After a number of bandits had been killed by Hugo’s preemptive attacks, they finally began retaliating and fighting back. However, they weren’t coordinated in any sense of the word, attacking independently with the methods each of them were familiar with. Some used swords, fists, and axes, while others took the ranged approach with bows and arrows.

  Reason stated that such things would be able to do nothing against the Magingear — which was as tough as a tank — but we were in Infinite Dendrogram. The bandits likely had low-rank battle-oriented jobs. Due to that, their stats would be higher than those of normal people, allowing their attacks to occasionally break and pierce through the Magingear’s armor.

  “Hghh!” Hugo exclaimed as his Marshall II showed no sign of stopping. He used the robot’s army knife to cut down anyone who got too close.

  Well, the term “knife” was only appropriate when compared to the Magingear. It was equivalent to a longsword for any bandit and it had absolutely no trouble slicing through their armor and splitting their torsos.

  Hugo used the gun to shoot down anyone attacking him from a distance. The bullets were equivalent to cannon shots, and they made the bow-wielding bandits burst and scatter in all directions.

  Though the bandits greatly outnumbered him, Hugo was far stronger than all of them combined. The sight made me recall the way Marilyn — Rook’s Demi-Dragon — had gone rampaging within the army of Goblins. The robot was probably as powerful as she was. When he’d gotten in, Hugo had called it a “Demi-Dragon-Rank Magingear,” and it was clear that the description was appropriate.

  Hugo was also highly skilled at controlling it, and from what he’d told me on the way here, the Piloting skill he had from being in the Pilot job grouping greatly increased the stats of the machines he rode. As a result of all of that, he had an upper hand in this battle despite the bandits greatly outnumbering him.

  “But his advantage isn’t absolute,” I muttered.

  Though the bandits were dying one after the other, some of their attacks were landing on the Magingear. Little by little, the damage done by them was piling up and becoming obvious.

  “Flaw,” Cyco said from beside me. Then she told me about the robot’s greatest disadvantage.

  “Magingears can’t be healed,” she said. “They need to be stored and fixed.”

  “I see.” I nodded.

  Though fueled by magic, the Magingears were machines. Healing magic and medicine didn’t work on them like they worked on people and monsters. Due to the constantly falling HP and the per-second MP cost, these iron giants could only fight for a limited amount of time.
<
br />   And yet, for the sake of saving the children, Hugo played his part in the plan by facing the bandits head-on and distracting them.

  “That’s why we have to do our best, too,” said Cyco.

  “Of course,” I agreed.

  All at once, several dozens of bandits ran out of the fortress. They went to help their endangered comrades by joining their battle against the Magingear, but that came at the cost of reducing their numbers at the hideout.

  “Now,” Cyco said.

  At about the same time...

  ...the Magingear covered the area in can-like objects it had kept around its waist. After rolling on the ground a bit, they began spinning around while intensely releasing great amounts of white smoke.

  “Smoke Dischargers, released,” said Cyco. “We can go now.”

  She disappeared from my side. Not only that, she disappeared from the party window, as well. Whether that mattered or not, she’d probably gone to assist Hugo.

  “We’re going too, Nemesis!” I said.

  “Understood!” she agreed.

  As the white smoke covered the surroundings, I tightened my grip on Nemesis in her sword form and ran towards the fortress.

  I had to make good use of the opportunity Hugo had given me.

  This was all to free the children and make sure they survived.

  Letting the smoke shroud me, I broke into the fortress.

  ◇

  We’d saved Rebecca from her predicament in that back alley and instantly begun making our way to the hideout of the Gouz-Maise Gang for the sake of saving her little brother. That was why — by the time I broke into the fortress — I was grossly uninformed about what kind of group the Gouz-Maise Gang was. All I knew about them was that they were a bunch of scumbags who kidnapped and killed children.

  I was far too clueless.

  However, even if I’d known the kinds of things they actually did, it wouldn’t have changed anything.

  All that mattered was whether I was too late or not.

  ◇

  The smoke from the Smoke Dischargers used by Hugo’s Magingear permeated even the interior of the fortress, allowing me to go through the entrance and reach the building’s inner passages without being detected.

  Despite the thick smoke overwhelming the rooms and hallways here, I didn’t have any problem seeing which way was which. In fact, I could see right through it by merely straining my eyes a bit. I could only assume that it was made to not affect the vision of the user’s — Hugo’s — party members. I had no idea how that worked, though.