Chapter 93
Chapter 93: Lifeless Land
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The morning of my third day in the God’s realm . I went to the Cafe De Celseus to meet up with Kiriko .
Behind the table with a parasol that I usually chatted with Aria, was a small building with a kitchen . John Dae and Kiriko were staying there .
「Kiri . Are you done? 」
I entered the room assigned to Kiriko . It was a small and cozy room . When I went inside, I noticed that Kiriko was covered in sheets at the corner of the room .
「So…Sorry! Were you sleeping? But, Kiri, can you really sleep? 」
A very shy Kiriko scratched her head slightly .
「No, I never sleep . But, Mr . Celseus said, “you have to sleep after working hard”…」
Eh…Why was he trying to put a robot to sleep? Celseus was a true idiot after all…!
「I’m sorry about that, Kiri . I’ll explain to that idiot how you operate . 」
Still, Kiriko shook her head .
「It’s fine! I am grateful to Mr . Celseus! Besides, I am truly happy to be here and be treated like a human being!」
「Is…Is that so? 」
Well, if she didn’t have a problem with that, then it was okay I guess…
「Okay, Kiri . Can you come here for a second? 」
I sat Kiriko in front of the room’s mirror stand .
「You are a girl . So, you need to be a little bit more fashionable . 」
And then, I took a flower pendant that I had prepared beforehand and attached it onto Kiriko’s chest .
「Wha…What is this? 」
「This flower is the one that Kiri took proper care back in Tarmine! Before the flowers withered, I took one of them and put it on a pouch to preserve the flower! It’s a present!」
Kiriko, who was surprised at first, grabbed my hand vigorously, and waved it up and down .
「Thank you so much, Miss Lista!! I will cherish it!! 」
I knew that Kiriko would be delighted . The pink flower accessory attached on her chest softened the image of the Killing Machine as a magical weapon .
I was looking happily at Kiriko from the reflection on the mirror . Yet, Kiriko wasn’t looking at herself but to my reflection instead .
「Miss Lista is really beautiful!! 」
「Eh . That’s not true . 」
I was humble . But, I felt my tension rising up secretly . I became very sensitive to compliments after Seiya treated me so poorly .
I stared at my face again .
…Was she right? Was it true? I was beautiful, correct? Because, I was a goddess after all! Am I right? I wondered why Seiya didn’t notice my charm!
Pretty, yes pretty, uhuh, I was really pretty…I became a bit of a narcissist . Nevertheless, I noticed something strange on the corner of my mouth that was reflected in the mirror .
「Eh…? 」
I thought that my eyes were tricking me, but what I saw was clear .
「Ah…? 」
Countless of wrinkles appeared on my forehead and, at the corners of my eyes and mouth! My beautiful blonde hair became fully white!
「Wha…Wha…What is this!? 」
「Mi…Miss Lista!? You…You transformed into a grandmother so suddenly!! 」
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Both of us were in shock . Then, we heard a soft voice speaking right next to us .
「Okay . The growth rate was extremely fast . What a great power . 」
「Ahhhhhhhh!? 」
When I looked sideways, I noticed that Seiya was pointing a red sword on my direction! A red-black aura from that blade engulfed my entire body!
「This was your doing!??????? 」
「That’s the power of this sword . I bought a sword from the beast people before . Apparently, the sword absorbs life energy . So, I synthesized that sword with the amulet of the evil god’s protection and created this brand-new sword . 」
When Seiya moved the sword away from me, the wrinkles on my face disappeared immediately . But, when I approached him, I became a wrinkled grandmother once again .
「I’m getting old and young continuously!? Just stop this already!! 」
「It’s a mysterious sword . Do you want to use your appraisal skill? 」
While my nose got twitchy, I activated my Appraisal skill just as Seiya did .
『“Holy Power Drain Sword”…A sword that absorbs the holy spirit of a god! Just by getting close to the blade, the god will grow old and become weak! 』
I shouted aloud while I quivered my chin .
「What the hell is wrong with that useless sword!! 」
「“Holy Power Drain Sword”, huh . It’s a very long name . From now on, I’ll call it “Lista Granny Sword” . 」
「Hey, you, don’t be ridiculous!! 」
「I’m not joking . I was developing a sword to replace the Platinum Sword . Either way, I think that Exfolia won’t have any powerful weapons to defeat the Demon King . 」
「You can’t beat the Demon King with that failure!! 」
「It’s not a failure . It may be useful for the future . Besides, I want to create a spare as soon as possible . 」
「We don’t need two or three of that sword!! 」
I yelled at Seiya, who didn’t seem to be bothered much as he put that eerie sword on the tool luggage .
「By the way, did you wanted to stay behind in order to create that thing!? 」
「No . That’s “another case” . 」
I didn’t understand what he meant by that!! How many things were he focused on!?
「The original “case” has not advanced much . That’s why I had no choice but to stay in the heavenly world for a longer period of time . We shall stay here until the end of today . So, get ready . 」
After professing those words, Seiya left the room in a rush .
「What’s going on, c’mon!! 」
He came here out of nowhere, transformed into a wrinkled grandmother and told me to get ready immediately . I felt frustrated by this situation, but Kiriko talked cheerfully .
「Mr . Seiya really loves Miss Lista! 」
「Ah, what!? 」
「I’m glad to see that you two have a close relationship! 」
We had a “close relationship”; she said…What does that mean? Hmm . Kiri was a robot after all . She didn’t know much about men and women…
—
After regaining composure, I got ready and went to inform John Dae that our party had to go back to Exfolia . When Celseus heard about the story, he looked regretful .
「Please stop by whenever you come to the God’s realm . 」
「Yeah . Thank you for mentoring me . 」
After a strong handshake with John Dae, Celseus looked back at Kiriko .
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「Kiriko as well . You have my gratitude . Our shop flourished thanks to you . 」
「No…No! I didn’t do much! 」
“There is a Cafe where monsters serve coffee”…This rumor spread throughout the God’s realm . Since then, the Cafe De Celseus became a hit . It was busier than ever for the last two days .
Celseus was staring at the two of them with a serious look .
「I always saw everything with prejudice . Until now . But, John Dae and Kiriko . I was able to change my views when I met you both . As a Swordsman God, I was…Ughhh!?」
Suddenly, Celseus, who was talking seriously, blew away from us! He landed a few meters away from us! His condition was severe because he was foaming bubbles from his mouth!
「Ce…Celseus!? 」
「Mister Celseus!? 」
John Dae and Kiriko panicked and shouted extremely high . The place where Celseus was talking stood Seiya, who held his leg high . It seemed that Seiya hit Celseus with a powerful kick . John Dae screamed at Seiya upon seeing a fainted Celseus .
「Hey, why did you kick him all of a sudden!? 」
「It was a crappy story and it was going to take a long time to finish . So, I shortened the sentences . 」
「Is that the reason why you kicked him like that!? You’re awful!! 」
Seiya ignored John Dae’s rants and talked to me .
「It looks like you’re ready . Okay, let’s go now . 」
「I…I understand . 」
I hated it when Seiya kicked others and me . But, I didn’t say much and just agreed . Aria and Adenela came to see us off .
「Seiya . Lista . Good luck . 」
「Yes! Thank you, Aria! 」
I gave Aria a ring and other jewelry as gifts . Yes, some of the items I’ve bought from Bardul .
「We…Well, don’t worry . Se…Seiya became mu…much stronger . The…There is no longer an…an enemy in…in any world that he…he won’t be able to…to defeat…」
After I smiled back to Adenela, I stared at Seiya .
「Well then, Seiya . Are we going to Tarmine now? 」
「No . I want to reinforce the fortress that I built on the southern coast of Radral . 」
「Near Galvano, I see . Understood . 」
However, on this moment . John Dae asked Seiya the following question with a rare and apologetic expression on his face .
「I apologize, but I have one request . Can’t we visit the northern territory of the Baracuda continent, on which was ruled by the Machine Emperor?」
「Why? 」
「Although the Killing Machines controlled that continent; perhaps, a few humans survived just like what happened with Tarmine . 」
「Hmm… 」
Seiya was silent while he thought deeply about it…
「Mister Seiya…! If I could, I’d like to know what happened in the Baracuda continent…!」
After Kiriko spoke, Seiya nodded quietly . Although he was mostly cold and indifferent, Seiya was still a hero . He’d probably want to save others if there was a still life to be saved . I also felt the same way .
However, it was necessary to have the Great Goddess Isister’s permission to open the portal to a place that we had never been before .
「Lista . I’ll talk with Lady Isister . 」
Aria, who was listening to our conversation, closed her eyes as if she were meditating in order to speak with the Great Goddess Isister through her mind . After a while, Aria opened her eyes .
「Right now, Lady Isister gave you the permission to open the portal to the Baracuda continent . However…」
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Aria spoke with a troubled complexion .
「Lady Isister told me that you probably won’t find any surviving humans in the Baracuda continent…」
We sighed depressively upon hearing Aria’s words . Even so, Seiya thought differently .
「Isister’s prophetic eyes got weakened because of the evil god, right? She isn’t 100% sure then . Therefore, we can’t guarantee that there aren’t any survivors . In fact, I will confirm that until I’ve seen it with my own eyes . 」
「Tha…That’s right! Seiya is correct! Let’s go! 」
Both John Dae and Kiriko nodded positively . After that, Seiya made an earth snake enter the portal to check out the surroundings . After confirming the safety of the area, we finally dived in through the portal .
—
John Dae, Kiriko and I lost our words upon seeing the scene that spread right in front of us when we got out of the portal .
It was a vast area with absolutely nothing . It was a long burnt field . Moreover, we could see not only a few human bones, but also hundreds of them scattered everywhere .
…Ho…How terrible…! Perhaps, no human was alive after all…!
Meanwhile, Seiya spoke indifferently as usual .
「Well, it seems there isn’t much hope . But, let’s explore for now to see if we can find survivors . Maybe this place is the only badly affected area . 」
And then, Seiya bent on his knees and put his hands on the ground . It seemed that he created earth snakes to explore the surroundings . John Dae asked Seiya .
「Although it is not as large as Radral, the Baracuda continent is a vast place . Won’t it take a long time to investigate all areas?」
Nevertheless, on this precise moment, the ground rose in a circle around Seiya . Then, the mounds moved away from Seiya at a tremendous speed as if a large wave moved rapidly through the surface of the water .
「Because of my training with the Goddess of Earth, I succeeded in creating earth snakes that greatly improved on their movement . Their speed increased substantially . It won’t take much time to know the current situation of this continent . 」
Seiya closed his eyes . Apparently, he was watching everything by linking his eyes with the eyes of the countless earth snakes .
Occasionally, Seiya reported the situation as if he were a machine .
「…West . The area is full of corpses within the radius of 30 kilometers (EN: 18,64 miles) . 」
「…The same scenario for the northern region . No survivors detected . 」
After doing this for a while, Seiya looked as if he saw a terrible sight .
「Hey, Seiya . Are you all right? Isn’t it too painful for you? 」
「Yeah . I’m sharing my vision with many earth snakes . It takes a tool on my nerve system . But, there’s no big problem . 」
「Ah, yes . Is that so… 」
Seeing a large number of human skeletons didn’t seem to bother Seiya . In addition, he was worried about something totally different from my worries . Then, I noticed that Kiriko held her head low behind the focused Seiya .
Before I could talk to her, John Dae put his hand on Kiriko’s shoulder .
「Are you okay, Kiriko? 」
「Father…No . The Machine Emperor Oxelio said that my real parents were dead . In other words, does that mean that my parents died on this land?」
John Dae was taken aback by her words .
「Tha…That’s not necessarily true! I’m sure that some people survived this chaos! Among those people might be your parents!」
「I really hope so… 」
Kiriko felt depressed . I slowly approached her then . I squatted a little to look straight into Kiriko’s face .
「Listen, Kiri . You are a very good-natured girl . And, a good girl will always have a wonderful future ahead of her . 」
「A wonderful future, you say? 」
「Yes, that’s right . 」
John Dae agreed with me .
「Yeah, that’s correct! Perhaps we might find a way to transform Kiriko into a human being once again!」
「To…To become human again? 」
「There’s hope! 」
「Are…Are you sure? If…If there is that possibility…I would be extremely happy…! 」
Then, Kiriko spoke with a bright tone .
「Thank you very much! I feel much better now! 」
However . This time . Seiya didn’t turn around and spilled icy words .
「If you continue to do good things, you’ll die without being rewarded . Besides, some villains do as they please and nobody judges them . Nothing is certain . Therefore, nobody knows what will happen in the future . 」
John Dae began to yell after he heard those piercing words .
「Hey, you!! What the hell are you saying!! 」
I fully agreed! We tried our hardest to lift up Kiriko’s mood, and yet, he ruined everything!
Seiya moved his neck slightly and stared at Kiriko with cold eyes .
「Kiriko . You are a machine . You must stop having high expectations that you may become a human one day . 」
I couldn’t stand this anymore .
「That’s cruel, Seiya!! Why do you enjoy saying hurtful words!? 」
「The disappointment will be considerable if she finds out that it would be impossible for her to be human again . Will you take responsibility if that happens?」
「Tha…That’s… 」
「Don’t make promises that you can’t keep . 」
And then, Seiya turned his back on me .
「Lista . Summon the portal . There’s no use in being here . 」
「Eh…! Do…Don’t tell me that…! 」
「I fully grasped the situation throughout the Baracuda continent . Isister was right . There are no survivors on this land . There’s nothing here except bones and the Killing Machines’ remnants scattered around the vast area . 」
「Wa…Wait! You did your exploration in a very short time! Maybe you overlooked something significant!」
「I didn’t overlook . My investigation is sure and perfect . There are no survivors . 」
John Dae knew by his experience that Seiya’s words were true . Both John Dae and I remained silent afterwards . However, Kiriko opened her mouth and uttered the following words .
「My father and mother are really dead after all… 」
「Well, I knew it from the beginning . This search for survivors is just a formality . Besides, you wouldn’t recognize your parent’s faces even if they were alive, am I correct?」
「Ri…Right…You’re correct… 」
Then, Seiya changed his gaze from Kiriko to me .
「This is a waste of time . Okay, Lista . We’re going to the fortress as originally planned . 」
「Se…Seiya! Just think a little about Kiri’s feelings! 」
「My job is to save this world . 」
「It…It’s fine, Miss Lista! Let’s go to next place now! A…Actually…I don’t want to be here anymore…」
「Kiri… 」
A frustrated John Dae kicked the soil with his feet . He didn’t say much, but he probably thought to himself that, “I shouldn’t have asked to explore the Baracuda continent in the first place” .
With a feeling of closure, we headed to the southern coastline of the Radral continent .