Red Nocturne

by Shūsuke Amagi

  (Because I said so.) Layfon thought as he rode the bike to Zuellni. If he said it out loud, Felli probably would say "that's not true", so he kept it inside him. When he first heard from Karian of the city going on a rampage, he immediately thought of Nina. She had a good relationship with the Electronic Fairy. Layfon had never seen anyone who had a relationship with an Electronic Fairy so good that the Electronic Fairy would fly over for a hug. He had never seen an Electronic Fairy in Grendan. He had wondered whether Zuellni was special because it liked to hug other people, but that probably wasn't the case. Zuellni didn't like hugging just anyone. He only knew Zuellni because Nina introduced him to it. Was it because of Nina's personality or some special ability of hers? He couldn't think of anyone else who could directly touch an Electronic Fairy. That was why he thought she could do something about it.

  Such a weak reason.

  If only he didn't think of that. If only he just defeated the filth monsters, solved the looming crisis, and then discussed the reason behind Zuellni's rampage... So many students were here. They had better brains than him. The result would have been better if he had left it to them..........

  (All I can do is fight filth monsters......)

  Other people would call him arrogant, but Layfon was good at Military Arts. Till now, most of his time was spent on increasing his strength as a Military Artist. No one in Zuellni had as much strength and experience as him in fighting filth monsters. But being a Military Artist had nothing to do with solving the problem of a city going on a rampage. He couldn't do anything without having first experienced it. However, he had pushed that problem onto Nina, pushed it to her without listening to anyone else's opinions.

  (That's true arrogance.)

  He tossed away the thinking to solve this problem on his own. After looking at the fight of the Mercenary Gang........ Layfon thought himself too arrogant.

  "Did you......find senpai?"

  (.........) Felli remained silent.

  In this heavy atmosphere, Layfon tightened his grip on the handle of the bike.

  When Leerin stretched all she wanted in the space she had been waiting for.........Footsteps sounded in the corridor outside and the door was banged open.

  "Don't move!"

  "Huh?" Leerin said, unprepared for the gun facing her.

  "We're from the City's armed forces. Don't move," one of the people wearing the fighting uniform said. He and the people with him were about Leerin's age.

  She had no choice but to keep her stretching pose as she raised her hands.

  "Excuse me, please go out to the corridor."

  That young man must be the captain. He ordered one of his comrades to remain in the room and he left with the rest of the soldiers. In the corridor echoed the footsteps of leather boots, angry howling and moaning. Only the title of City's armed forces was clearly heard, and any dissatisfaction started calming down. The person in the corridor took Leerin and the others outside. It seemed all of the passengers were caught in a commotion. They were in one of the facilities in the roaming bus area.

  "Ah, who would have thought that I'd get caught up in something strange so quickly."

  Leerin turned her head at that voice. The silver-haired handsome young man was also taken to the outside by the same person who took Leerin away. But the young man didn't look worried or shocked.

  "Ah, better do what that driver says," Savaris seemed happy. On the other hand, Leerin was too busy fending off the pressure on her.

  "Seems so," she replied.

  The driver was the talkative type. Perhaps he was always driving outside cities, in places without protection, his attitude was a bit annoying, but he was a nice person. He had said, "Listen up, Mr, Mrs, and Ms.........All passengers. In case, just in case this is your first time leaving a city, then there're some principles you must abide. Even if you find it unreasonable, you must not resist the government of other cities. Isn't that normal? Yes. You must obey the government. Still, you can expect to see habits and laws in other cities that will surprise you. That isn't a problem of being strange. Perhaps they might find your city strange. You ask why, isn't a city functioning normally? That's the truth. Understand? It's the feeling of unfamiliarity."

  .........Anyway, that driver really talked a lot.

  They left the driver this morning, registered themselves, took their luggage and arrived at the designated facility. It was lunch time when Leerin was stretching herself. The passengers probably calmed down by taking notice of what the driver had said to them.

  The driver had also said. "You must not make trouble. Any criminals will not be put in jail. Why? Because it's too much trouble. Outsiders are outsiders. Keeping them doesn't gain the city anything. If there happens to be a roaming bus around, the city will put a stamp on the clothes, get the criminals to wear them and exile them, but if the crime committed is really severe, us roaming bus drivers can refuse to take on the criminal. I have to look after my passengers after all. If we refuse and there aren't any roaming buses around, the city will forcefully remove the criminals.........meaning, they toss them away like trash......that's the way it is."

  Humans would die if they stayed outside a city without the air purification system. Forceful removal was the euphemism of capital punishment.

  (How can I die here.) Leerin shivered.

  They left the corridor and walked down the stairs rather than taking the lift. They were taken to the reception hall. No one lived here. There were a lot of people that Leerin didn't know. They probably came here on other roaming buses. They came here to change roaming buses to get to other cities. They were travelers who couldn't even get to cities that they had once visited.

  (Yes.........)

  Once Leerin took the next bus, she'd be heading to Zuellni. The Academy City where her childhood friend Layfon resided. As such, (I must not be dragged down here.) She vowed silently and entered the reception hall.

  This city was named Myath. The city's armed forces surrounded the passengers in the reception hall. Leerin observed the people in the armed forces as she waited and mixed in with the crowd. These people had the symbol of the City Police on their uniform and they all looked to be about her own age.

  "Truly an army of kids," Savaris said. "An Academy City is such a strange place. It can function even without any experienced people around."

  Yes, this was an Academy City. A city managed by students, just like the city that Layfon was in.

  "Very low level, these Military Artists. Seems the rumor of Academy Cities not encountering filth monsters as much is true."

  Leerin didn't know that there were Military Artists amidst the City Police. Why? Was this how the police force in Myath was chosen or that something had happened and only Military Artists could solve it.........If it was Grendan.........She lightly shook her head. She had never needed to talk to the City Police in Grendan, so she didn't know what they were like.

  "Speaking of which, just what's going on......It's about time for them to give us an explanation," Savaris said.

  The person who took Leerin away to the reception hall spoke. "First of all, I want to thank everyone here for following our orders."

  He had a clear voice, and his manners showed he had had a good education but his eyes looked serious. "The city's in a lockdown because some important information has been stolen. I hope you can cooperate with us and allow us to check your possessions." Despite the reservation in his words, his voice showed he would not take 'no' for an answer.

  "We'll check your possessions while asking you of your situation. If you have luggage in the rooms, please bring them out here."

  The crowd broke into a groan. They quieted under the sweeping gaze of that young man.

  "Important information.........I see," Savaris nodded.

  "Important information? Speaking aside......" Leerin looked at the young man. She understood the importance of information from school, so it was reasonable for the city to make precautionary measures.

 
"What is it?"

  "These people look tense."

  "Uh?" Savaris observed the expressions of the City Police. It was hard to discern their expressions as the helmets blocked off their faces, but sometimes their lips and heads moved. That wasn't the only thing. Savaris might have reacted slower because he reacted to anything dangerous even in his sleep, but the tension of the City Police was influencing the crowd.

  "I see, seems to be the case."

  "Why is it like that......"

  "Well, we couldn't do anything even if we knew," he said in a relaxed manner.

  Feeling as if a cold bucket of water had been upended on her curiosity, she waited for the check with displeasure. She waited for a long time. This wasn't the only facility with living quarters. If other places were undergoing the same process, Myath probably didn't have enough people for the job. She waited while thinking of other irrelevant things, and finally, it was her turn. The tea room in the reception hall was taken to use as part of the checking process. The tables were taken away and only five were left. Leerin was led to the table on the left hand side to face the same young man.

  "Nice to meet you. I'm captain of the 1st platoon, Roy Antorio."

  "I'm Leerin Marfes," Leerin sat down. Another City Police member took out the luggage that looked like Leerin's, along with a document.

  "Uh......" Roy looked at it then turned to her. "I want to ask a few questions. That might bring you trouble but I hope you can cooperate."

  "Sure."

  His voice was gentler than when he gave the speech, but it was still the voice of an official. Perhaps he was always like this.

  "Where were you born? If possible, please tell me your address too."

  "Grendan, as for residence......" she gave it too but she felt strange about it. They were in Myath. What was the point of giving them her address in Grendan?

  "OK," Roy nodded at the document in his hand. Leerin felt relived.

  (Ah, I see. He's confirming whether it's me.)

  A document confirming Leerin's identity was in her luggage. Since they checked her luggage, they must have found the document too.

  (Wu, they couldn't have checked my underwear too?)

  Everyone had enough space to sleep in the roaming bus but it was still just a vehicle for transportation purposes. It didn't have all the conditions to satisfy a good living. Clothes and washing gave Leerin a headache. Water was the most valuable in a roaming bus. There was a simple tap, but the water was cooled by the engine and recycled. Hot water was also made through absorbing the heat of the engine. So it wasn't possible to wash clothes or shower. Besides, water was shared by other passengers. Leerin's clothes smelled.........She couldn't do anything about it though. Other passengers' were the same. Her underwear......Either way, she had to put up with it. But that was inside the roaming bus. She had already sealed up her clothes in special bags. Since this was a check, the City Police might have opened those bags too.

  (Wu.........)

  "What is it?"

  ".........Nothing."

  Roy was doing the asking, so he didn't have time to open her bags. Someone else must have done it, such as the person who took her luggage to here. That made her so embarrassed that she wanted to find a hole and hide there.

  "Then, to the next question."

  Roy looked tired. He had asked the same questions of different passenger. His questions were casual, but sometimes he'd ask some serious questions. Leerin felt tired too.

  "Thanks," Roy said, and Leerin sighed.

  "I've asked the customary questions. Lastly....... Just one more question."

  "Eh?"

  He took out something from her luggage.

  "Ah............" She had wrapped it carefully to prevent damages, and had put it deep inside the luggage. The box that her adopted father, Derek, had given her. Roy opened it cautiously. Inside was a Dite.

  "Is this yours?"

  "......I suppose." She thought of how to reply and decided to give such an answer.

  "Suppose. What do you mean?" His gaze sharpened. He looked at the document. "You're a normal citizen. Then why do you have a Dite?"

  Did he suspect her to be a Military Artist using a fake identity? She calmed herself down and looked at him. ".........I was asked to take this to someone so I left my city."

  "I see. To where?"

  "Zuellni."

  "Another Academy City. Unfortunately, we haven't fought Zuellni for a long time. We don't know the strength of Zuellni. Who are you giving this to?"

  "You mean......?"

  "What is your relationship with this person?"

  "Uh......"

  What relationship. Siblings? Probably, since they grew up in the same orphanage. But Derek, the former head of the orphanage, didn't put down their names in the official documents as his children. He registered them using their own names. Hence, Layfon and Leerin weren't siblings in the official document.

  (Childhood friends?)

  That should be the safest answer?

  "What?"

  ".........My childhood friend."

  ".........You took the roaming bus on a dangerous journey just for a childhood friend?"

  "That's got nothing to do with you."

  "Excuse me," he apologized in embarrassment.

  Leerin was angry about it, but it was her first time seeing Roy show an expression other than his official look. Being released from the sweaty smell of the roaming bus, she had planned to relax in her room if not for this sudden event. She was happily planning to have a good shower but was instead taken to the reception hall. And someone else had looked at her underwear. This level of revenge was her due. But the strange feeling of satisfaction was broken in the next second.

  "I'm sorry, but we'll keep the Dite for now."

  "Why!?"

  "I already told you the current situation. I'm not suspecting you but we'll temporarily confiscate all dangerous items."

  "......Will you give it back to me?"

  "After we confirm you're clear we'll return it to you."

  Meaning they were treating her as a criminal. More like a criminal candidate? So rude! She glared at him.

  "What proof do you have to do this?"

  "That's inside information."

  His coldness and the way they were investigating everyone meant the investigation wasn't going well.

  "Stop joking!" she said. She hadn't turned away and left. There weren't any roaming buses leaving Myath, and even if there was one, the City Police would have stopped her from leaving. Leerin gritted her teeth and swallowed her words.

  "Then......Are you done with the questioning?"

  "Yes, thanks. You can go back to your room."

  "Yeah......Then I hope you can catch the criminal soon. Though I don't know whether you can do it!!" she spit out her displeasure and stood up. Returning to her room with irritation, she thought back to the question Roy had asked her. Why were the people of Myath so worried? This event.........

  Chapter 2

  The Appearance of a Butterfly

  He gazed down at the street that he didn't know. The layout of this city was different from Grendan. The buildings randomly stretched to the outskirt of the city. From the layout revealed a city occupied by humans. Only half-assed people could make such a half-assed city.

  An Academy City. Only less capable Military Artists were allowed to leave their home city, and leaving did not guarantee growth.

  "How refreshing. Ho ho, that is a matter of fact too," Savaris confirmed his location, looking at the unfamiliar street. He stood on the roof of a building. All of the buildings in this area were built quite low. The best place to observe the city was the top of the building in the middle of the city.

  "Speaking of which, my brother is in an Academy City too."

  Savaris' younger brother, Gorneo Luckens, was in Savaris' next destination – Zuellni. Savaris had used this to back his reasoning for the Queen to send him instead of anyone else, but he had forgotten it wh
ile he was riding the roaming bus.

  "That spoiled kid just needed to peacefully grow into an adult, but he didn't like his home city."

  His expression lacked worry. When he became a Heaven's Blade successor, he gave up his identity and responsibility as an older brother and turned to the path of making himself stronger. He was the older brother but he lacked the authority to care for his younger sibling. This cold atmosphere of his was real. Leaving aside the thoughts on his brother, Savaris turned his attention to observing the streets of Myath.

  "I heard other cities are more peaceful, but that doesn't seem to be the case."

  The atmosphere here didn't match the streets. Palpable disquiet hid within the silence. Whether it was in this city or in the city he was about to arrive at, Zuellni, Savaris felt the same thing. He was a Heaven's Blade successor, one of the twelve strongest people in Grendan. Originally, no Heaven's Blades were allowed to leave Grendan as they existed to protect the city, but Savaris had accepted the Queen's order to retrieve the Haikizoku from Zuellni.

  The Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang had left Grendan for a long time. They were the ones who brought the information to the Queen that there was a Haikizoku in Zuellni. And Gorneo was the one who asked the Mercenary Gang to take this information back to Grendan.

  "The madness of an Electronic Fairy that had lost its city can bestow upon a Military Artist great power."

  Savaris was interested in this point, in becoming strong. Although his thinking wasn't wrong as a Heaven's Blade successor, he himself showed something unusual. Savaris did not have the sense of mission to protect Grendan. He fought with all his strength in fights against filth monsters, but to him, that was training to increase his strength. Trial, training, practice. He continued to train himself in the process and was not interested in anything else. The existence of a Haikizoku could become his strength through more training, and that suited his appetite. That was why he left Grendan. Originally, he wouldn't have bothered even if such strength existed. However, Savaris couldn't ignore its existence because of the present ranking of power in Grendan.