Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru

Chapter 85: The Time of Reunion, Comes I

Tortch came back to the cathedral after tucking Maria in for the night.

He got a fire going for warmth. Then he made coffee that resembled muddy water. His crude fingers were pretty dexterous.

Using a suitable wooden crate as a chair, I sat down and took a sip of the coffee. It was incredibly bitter.

This sort of taste has always been unpalatable to me. I really have a child's tongue, don't I? I don't even know how to appreciate the taste of alcohol.

After that short break, we exchanged information with each other again.

「Come to think of it, even though more than half a century has passed, the supplies haven't deteriorated much」

『In this cathedral, things deteriorate extremely slowly. It's a phenomenon that cannot be analyzed. ………Question. There is a discrepancy in the time period you just said. What do you mean by “half a century”?』

「It's the number of years since you guys came here」

『The total time elapsed since we came to this world is 131,592 hours』

「Hmm?」

『It's fifteen years and four days』

「………Huh?」

『State the year from which you came from』

I told him the current year according to the Anno Domini calendar.

『Answer. By putting our information together, the portal is a manifestation of space-time travel. It’s no surprise then that there is a difference in the time elapsed between the modern world and this one』

「Then, supposing I go back to my world, will the amount of time that has passed in that world be different from the time I had spent here?」

『Unknown, but if the coordinates of the portal are still present in the modern world, there is a good chance that you will be able to return to the same time period』

Even though I have little intention of going back, I felt relieved for some reason.

The place I want to return to is the right continent.

「So, you're the one who took control of Makina and opened the portal, right?」

『Affirmative. But that was mostly Maria's ability. I simply restarted my sister, who had been shut down, and took control of her body temporarily』

「Is Maria able to make portals at will?」

『Negative. Not at will. Maria's portals can only teleport to places that are within her sight or relevant in some way. You were originally supposed to be summoned before me, but you were instead summoned before the royal family of Ashtalia, which you had stronger ties to』

「………I see」

I have the crest of the Brave, and Crown Princess Amelia had called on a Brave to save her country.

On top of that, I slew Lola, the ancestor of the royal family of Ashtalia.

My wife and sister have the blood of Velsvain running through their veins.

Among His Majesty's vassals were Zamonglass and Regure, who have strong ties to people associated with me.

Of course I would end up being summoned to that side.

『It's extremely effective as a means of escape, but as a means of attack, there are uncertainties involved, so it's foolish to use it that way. We had even plotted to assassinate the Popes, but there's no one in Elysium today who has a connection to Maria, so teleporting to them using the portal isn't possible』

「Are you guys involved in the conspiracy that embroiled the Gasim family?」

『Given that her name was used, I cannot say that we're completely uninvolved. But we aren't involved in any other way』

「I see, that's good」

If these guys were involved in the Gasim family's downfall………………I should stop.

I changed the subject to something a little unrelated to what we were talking about.

「The black elf's army, oh, is it the new Vindoobunikuru army now? Well, whichever it is, do you guys intend to arm them with firearms?」

『Negative. First of all, firearms have been proven ineffective against beasts. Not just the Seeker Brigade's infantry firearms, but our heavy weapons as well. The situation we fear the most is those firearms falling into Elysium’s hands.

Firearms are effective against our anti-beast forces. If we were to manufacture firearms, it would only be after the beasts have all been wiped out』

「In other words, firearms can kill heroes, but not beasts」

Knights of St. Lyridias who are armed with firearms.

Please spare me that. There's a good chance that I'll be shot dead before I can use Wild Hunt.

『Are you willing to cooperate with us?』

「It depends on what kind of cooperation you want」

『I wish to change this world so that my daughter can have a better life. To do so, I intend to destroy the current discriminatory system of rule』

「What an arrogant wish」

『No matter my current form, I was originally an inhabitant of this world. Wishing to change the world one lives in is a perfectly natural desire for any creature』

It's a sound argument.

It’s not one that I can swallow and say, “Yes, you’re right,” though.

「How many people will die for that wish?」

『Unknown. According to projections, 35% of the Hemus living on the center continent will likely die』

「35%, you said? What are you planning?」

『The liberation of beastkin from the system of slavery. Revolution and massacres go hand in hand. I plan to gather those who are talented on our side』

「Innocent people will die too」

『Even if they're babies, those who have been raised by the ruling class cannot be said to be unrelated. Those who are able to make a living because of them are equally sinners as well. The sins of people are tied to their lineage. If I want to stop those sins, I need to eliminate all of them』

「Maria is also part of that lineage, isn’t she?」

『No. Maria is my daughter. She has been abandoned and forgotten. She is completely different』

This guy, he has a screw loose somewhere. Well, to a greater or lesser degree, all who wage war are insane.

It’s impossible for me to talk him down. I'm not someone who has a glib tongue to begin with.

「I understand. I'll tell you upfront that I won't cooperate in anything related to war. And I also have no interest in your revolution」

『I understand. Even without you, the plan will proceed without a problem』

It's about time to get to the heart and soul of the matter.

「Are you the one who called us to this world?」

『The company you work for sent you to this world because of the information they received from me』

「I knew it」

『Izora is the only one of my lineage that still exists in the modern world. That's probably why the company that possessed her received my quantum communication』

「Izora is of your lineage?」

『The original plan was to scrap the first generation A.I.s in 1957 and develop a whole other line of A.I.s. It's only conjecture, but I believe that they either sealed the first generation in the prototypes of the planned integrated type, or the first generation infiltrated those prototypes and survived』

「What benefit is there for the company for doing this?」

『The money in the secret accounts that I know of, and the scrapped technology of the previous generation』

「What are they using those things for?」

『Unknown』

So you don't know.

What was it that the Japanese company wanted, I wonder?

「Then tell me. What’s on the 56th floor of the Odoriji spire? For what reason do I have to explore the dungeon?」

『It’s unknown』

「Unknown?!」

Hey, are you messing with me?

『First of all, I don't know what’s there on the 56th floor. That’s because this is information that comes from an A.I. other than me』

「In this world, an A.I. other than you………」

I see. These guys are……

『As I told you earlier, we fell from this world into yours. At that time, we lost our original forms. And in this world, there are humans, or creatures similar to them, from which we originated from. The details remain unclear to this day, but one piece of information from that event is still being sent out. It says, “Reach the 56th floor of the Odoriji spire”』

「Oh………something does come to mind」

It's the place Lola hid in.

「There was a door that couldn't be opened unless an A.I.’s core unit was inserted」

『Very interesting. The concept of the core unit is a technology that we originally possessed. Initially, the plan was to use A.I.s as a part of radio and communication devices. That plan was quickly abandoned due to the discovery of the problems with stress』

「So, the goal is to reach the 56th floor with an A.I.'s core unit, is that right?」

『Affirmative. And that's the reason why it has to be you who explores the dungeon』

「Has to be me?」

『Basically, the interference between the Outer World and the modern world occurs by chance. The possibility of an individual, one in possession of A.I. as well, falling into this world, arriving on the right continent, working as an adventurer in the Odoriji spire, and reaching the 56th floor is………close to zero. In other words, you’re the person with the highest chance of success』

「I see, I'm the only one who can do it, huh?」

I’m perfectly calm.

I'm not such a child that I would get carried away because of cheap flattery. I have a place to return to. There are women I need to protect. When I weigh these things on a scale, without a doubt, it's the side with things like mission or the dungeon that will go up. It'll shoot up like a rocket.

The secret of A.I.s?

The secret of the alternate world?

Who cares.

What I care about is women. ………Oh, I see. This is why I couldn't contract with Vindoobunikuru, I see.

「And you're telling me that that's a good reason for me to risk my life exploring the dungeon?!」

『Even supposing you hired other adventurers to take the core unit to the 56th floor, chances are high that they won’t be able to cope with the circumstances that arise. Those that don’t possess our knowledge, the knowledge of the modern world, won’t be able to understand the things that occur. In other words, you have to be the one who takes the core unit and explores the dungeon――』

「No, that's not what I'm talking about」

As I thought, this guy doesn't understand human nature.

「I have no reason to go along with your mission or your ideals」

『I don’t understand. To begin with, why did you abandon your mission?』

「It's because I found something more valuable」

『Have you given up on returning to the modern world? Are you forgoing the reward from the company?』

「That’s right」

『Even after you’ve learned our secret, you have no intention of cooperating?』

「None」

There are far~~~~~~ more important things here than returning to my original world and getting the money.

『You're a hard man to deal with』

「That's just the way I am. Risking one’s life for the women one cares about is a perfectly natural thing for any creature」

『Then I have no choice. I'll alter parts of the plan』

「Huh?」

『I'll split out some of the troops I was going to send to the center continent and send them to the right continent instead. We will tighten our hold on the left and right continents before invading the center continent. You don't seem to have a sense of humor, so I'll keep it short and to the point. If you don't want your women to be killed, you'll obey me and explore the dungeon』

「You done it now. How dare you threaten to kill my women to my face!」

I tossed aside the bad-tasting coffee.

Drawing Agathion, I confronted the older generation piece of scrap.

「Right here and now! I'll turn you into scrap metal!」

『I’ve seen your power. It’s effective against beasts, but what about firearms?』

Tortch pointed his right arm at me. The armor opened up to reveal two Browning M2 heavy machine guns.

「If you want to kill me, bring a tank or something!」

『I am a light tank!』

「As if a tank like you exists! At least have a pretty girl ride on top!」

『I don’t understand!』

「Souya! How could you point a sword at Daddy! Is that something a son-in-law does?!」

「But this guy――」

「If you're both men, duke it out with your fists!」

「No no no, considering the size difference, I'll die」

Maria kicked me in the shin mercilessly.

「Oww!」

Isn’t this domestic violence?

「Daddy! Even if he's like this, this is the man I chose as my husband! Why are you pointing guns at him?!」

『This is a very typical response in American society when a daughter from a motherless family brings her boyfriend over. You can't expect a boy to be able to become a man without first taking a shotgun blast』

「Daddy! There be no trace of his original form left if a human being gets hit by those guns!」

『A man worthy enough to be my son-in-law would be fine』

「Daddy!」

『Aah aah, because a malfunction has occurred in the sound collection function, I can't hear anything』

Tortch put his hands over…….what I suppose were his ears, turned his huge body away, and went,『I can't hear anything~~』

Maria bashed his back forcefully with her doll.

「You guys, line up right now」

An enraged Maria gave us an order.

In my experience, it's better to obey in such situations.

I stood upright at attention.

『Maria, how could you speak to your father in this――』

「Line up!」

『Yes』

With the conditioned reflex of a soldier, Tortch lined up next to me.

「We‘ve become a family! Why are you guys already pointing swords and guns at each other?!」

『Maria, I don't recognize this marriage』

「He’s the man I chose」

『I don't recognize it』

「Then I'll elope. Daddy and I will never speak to each other again」

『Urghh………………I’ll recognize it』

「Alright!」

I've found this guy's weakness.

「Today, the three of us will sleep together! I can't leave the two of you alone! Good grief, what was it all about anyway?!」

「I wonder what it was」

『Urghhhh』

Maria, who was still grumpy, smacked Tortch's foot.

On cue, Tortch laid down and pulled pieces of cloth together to make a bed.

「Come here, Souya」

Maria beckoned for me to go over.

Tortch waved his hand to shoo me away.

Well, I’ll go with the flow and go along with playing family.

I laid down with Maria between Tortch and me. The metal arm that served as a pillow hurt my head.

Maria, who was suddenly in a good mood, said.

「The two of you sure smell alike」

That’s probably the smell of metal and blood.

In case it was confusing, the expeditionary force set foot on this world 15 years ago even though it had been 50 years since they were sent there in Souya’s world. Yes, the portal allows travel not only through space, but time.

I strongly believe that the interference between the world that occurs by chance that Tortch is referring to is the phenomenon where not everyone who goes through the portal successfully ends up on this world. Like the other team members who disappeared. Yeah, this part is not written very clearly, but that’s what makes most sense to me.

Ohhh boy. The M2 machine gun or Browning .50 caliber machine gun. (Pic courtesy of https://laststandonzombieisland.com)

When you gotta brace it with your legs, it kinda tells you all you need to know about it, huh? It has been mounted on jeeps, boats, warships, aircraft and so on, and can be used as a light anti-aircraft gun and even modified to use as a sniper rifle. Notably, one US sniper, Carlos Hathcock, set a record of that time during the Vietnam War of the longest confirmed kill at 2,460 yards using this gun. This gun is so scary that some have stated that it’s illegal under the Geneva Convention to use it against enemy personnel as it causes “unnecessary suffering”. O.o

The last line tells you a lot about what Souya thinks of himself. So, the mystery of what’s on the 56th floor remains unsolved. Tortch’s ability to take control of Makina despite being less advanced than her is important, as is his lineage. Though you won’t know how or why as yet... His quest against discrimination is as well. I’m sure you’ve noticed. That although Souya actively avoids getting involved in it, discrimination is something highlighted repeatedly in this story.

And from the title of this arc, are you getting a hint of what’s to come? This is a long 5 chapter arc btw. Who is going to be reunited? Stay tuned!