Chapter 64

I sent a message to Ciel.

[Do you remember the dwarves?]

[Dwarves?]

[I can’t recall clearly, so I’m asking. I’m pretty sure there was a brief mention in the original of a dwarf living near the city.]

[Ah, now that you mention it, I remember. The protagonist would occasionally visit them alone…]

[Tell me everything you remember.]

[Hmm… let’s see…]

After gathering information from Ciel and organizing the vague memories in my head, I prepared to go find the dwarves.

In the original [Cyber-Module’s Necromancer], there had been a scene like this.

It was an episode where the protagonist’s party was invited by chance to the dwarves’ territory, and Miyu’s reaction there was:

—Dwarves are a race that needs to disappear from the world. If I could completely erase them from the universe, I would even cooperate with the Stingray Group.

For someone like Miyu, who normally lacked confidence and always spoke in roundabout ways, it was an unusually blunt statement. Her tone was so sharp that even reading it on the page had made me flinch.

Since there had been no further mention after that, I had simply assumed, Ah, something must have happened between her and the dwarves in the past.

But apparently, even in the story, her dislike for dwarves wasn’t that old of a development.

Honestly, I’m curious about Miyu’s reaction.

I wanted to know how she had come to hate dwarves. And, admittedly, I wanted to see a dwarf with my own eyes—especially since they were such a staple in fantasy settings.

Fortunately, unlike other [Mystics], these dwarves could be found without leaving the city… well, technically, the place was considered “outside” the city.

Namely, the Fallen Sector.

Iri’s hometown… although calling it that felt imprecise since it was such a vast area. Ever since the day the Titan smashed through that section of the wall, everything beyond that broken line had simply been lumped together as “Fallen.”

That meant I needed to do a bit of digging to figure out exactly where the “guy” from the original had been. But Stingray’s intelligence network brought me the information I wanted in just thirty minutes.

By narrowing the search to areas within the Fallen Sector where locals were seen sporting “peculiar cyberware,” the results came back quickly.

“I’ll be going with just this one.”

“It’s a dangerous place, young master.”

“Then we’ll take a few drones along.”

If I were going alone, I might have ignored the warning. But Miyu was coming with me this time, so I decided to bring several military drones as a precaution.

“…Understood. I’ve contacted the city defense force in advance. Once you pass the checkpoint, you can ride a ground Humvee. I’ve stationed people outside to wait for you.”

Following my secretary’s words, Miyu and I passed through the checkpoint with a free pass.

As soon as we exited the tunnel-like checkpoint beneath the wall, the first thing to greet us was a horrendously foul stench.

“Ugh…!”

“…”

Miyu immediately clamped her hands over her nose, and I grimaced. The source was a mountain of garbage piled high beyond the wall.

Empty bottles, plastic containers, rusted chunks of metal… it looked like something out of an environmental documentary, except the garbage mountains here stretched out like an entire range.

Even if someone doused them in gasoline and set them alight, it would probably take months for all of it to burn.

It looked like AI-driven dump trucks were hauling some away here and there, but they clearly couldn’t keep up with the amount that kept coming in.

“It… it smells so bad…”

“I didn’t expect it to be this bad…”

So that’s what that strange smell beyond the wall had been. I had thought it was just because it was Sector E, but it seemed the air from outside was drifting in past the wall.

In any case—

We boarded the Humvee waiting for us on the outer road. Once we fastened our seatbelts, the vehicle began climbing over the garbage mounds on its massive wheels.

Clunk. Clunk.

The poor ride quality was already making me irritable. In hindsight, I should’ve just taken a flying car.

But flying cars tended to draw too much attention from Fallen residents, so I’d refrained… now I was starting to regret it.

I wasn’t sure how long we drove before my body—normally durable as can be—started to feel fatigued. The Humvee eventually rolled to a stop.

Then, the seat in front of us slid open, revealing something made of black plastic.

[Mask.]

It was a mask shaped like a gas mask.

The explanation was that it would block the smell, so Miyu and I both put them on without hesitation. We probably looked ridiculous with these strapped over our faces, but against that stench, pride meant nothing.

Now I understand why Aaron despises Fallen Sector natives so much…

After experiencing it firsthand, I could see how someone might develop a hatred that hadn’t been there before.

We got out of the vehicle and looked around. I left a few military drones behind to guard the parked Humvee, while the rest followed as our escort.

The spot where the Humvee stopped had less trash than other areas. Still, to reach the residential part of the Fallen Sector, we’d need to cross several more garbage mounds.

Miyu, already worn out from her indoor lifestyle, ended up riding on a drone like a sack of cargo.

“T-this is… way different from what I imagined…”

Tell me about it.

Aren’t dwarves supposed to be a race of blacksmiths? Even in the original, the dwarf village had been described as a forge filled with metal, fire, and rising smoke.

Well…

I already knew the dwarf we were meeting lived in a place like this, but as they say, seeing is believing.

Not only were my memories about this dwarf hazy, but the overpowering stench piercing into my sinuses was still a shock.

At least I’d had the foresight to wear casual clothes instead of my usual suit.

Fallen Sector had plenty of people who would flip out just seeing someone in a suit, so it was a preventative measure—and now I didn’t have to worry about my expensive clothes absorbing the stench.

After crossing two or three garbage hills, Miyu was so exhausted she couldn’t even ride the drone properly and just collapsed entirely.

“H-how much farther…?”

“We’re here.”

My sharp ears caught the sound of running water.

That meant the city’s sewage was flowing this way. People needed water to live, so following the water would probably lead us there.

Sure enough, after heading toward the source of the sound, we came upon a fairly decent-sized village.

A literal shantytown.

Houses cobbled together from usable scraps scavenged from the trash piles stood clustered together. It was a sizable settlement—at least a hundred people seemed to be living there.

Dirty, yes, but… there was a sense of freedom here you didn’t feel in the city.

Children were running between houses, laughing, while the adults relaxed in their own ways.

…Still, there was no way I’d ever live here.

“I-I found it!”

Miyu shouted happily.

But after watching the people from afar for a moment, she frowned and asked hesitantly:

“Th-they’re… wearing something strange. What is that…?”

They looked no different from other Fallen residents—except for one thing that stood out.

Mostly around their heads and the backs of their necks.

They were wearing strange things—some had rough wooden planks tied around their necks like scarves, others balanced unidentifiable TVs on their heads.

Simply put, a few of them were dressed in ways that made you wonder, “Are they in their right mind?”

No joke—they looked more frightened than when meeting an ordinary person.

“Sh-should we just go back…?”

“…”

“…We shouldn’t, right. Sorry, sorry.”

After coming all this way, I couldn’t just leave without at least confirming the “d” in “dwarf.”

And seeing how the residents carried those bizarre decorative objects only strengthened my conviction—

The dwarf was nearby.

“Let’s go for now. Get off the drone.”

“Ah—ahh…!”

If these residents saw such expensive military drones, they’d surely be on guard, so I had to station them a bit farther back, ready to rush in at a moment’s notice.

Taking Miyu with me, I descended the trash hill and carefully entered the village.

The moment they saw strangers from an unexpected place, the residents visibly tensed. When all the stares suddenly fell on her, Miyu shrank back and clung to my arm.

I, however, walked forward without hesitation. I approached the nearest resident and asked:

“I’m looking for the dwarf.”

“…Who are you people?”

The resident, who had something like a UFO dish on his head, asked in a tense voice. He looked ready to swing a knife any second, but honestly, the UFO on his head made it hard to take him seriously.

“W-what’s your purpose! Speak honestly!”

“I came to meet the dwarf.”

“What did you say?”

The residents around us stirred. Judging by their reaction, they wouldn’t tell me outright. Time to throw some bait.

“I already know there’s a dwarf here. I have no intention of harming anyone, so I’d appreciate it if you’d guide me.”

It might have sounded rude at a glance, but this was me trying my best to be polite. Unfortunately, this body resisted showing courtesy to “lower folk” who weren’t even citizens.

Unintentionally, my firm tone made the residents falter instead.

—W-what should we do? He must be someone important!

—His clothes are clean too… if we offend him, won’t it be dangerous?

Maybe they were unusually simple-minded for people living in such harsh conditions. Or maybe their survival instincts were so sharp they’d subconsciously sensed who I was.

Still, they didn’t give in easily.

“There’s no such thing as a dwarf here! We don’t know anything about that, so hurry up and leave!”

“Yeah! You’re from the city, aren’t you?! This is our territory, so get out now! We don’t know any dwarves!”

“Hmph.”

Whether dwarf or not, it was illegal to bring a [Mystic] into the city without permission and live together.

But city law didn’t apply in the Fallen Sector, and even if it did, these people wouldn’t follow it.

“…So you don’t know anything about a dwarf?”

“That’s right! We don’t!”

“Can you take responsibility for that statement?”

“…!”

At my words, the residents instantly sucked in their breath.

Some faces went pale, others looked around for anything that could be used as a weapon.

No good.

I snapped my fingers.

A drone that had been on standby nearby zipped through the air and reached my side in an instant. The sight made the residents panic.

—It’s a drone! A military drone!

—And it’s Stingray-made! Damn it!

The residents surrounding us backed away with frightened expressions. Then a few men showed up holding clubs or guns.

“M-Mr. Aaron…!?”

“Don’t be afraid.”

Ignoring them, I warned the residents.

“If you want to live, stand aside.”

“W-we can’t do that!”

“What can you even do with those toys? Stop being a nuisance and step aside. You’re in the way.”

I didn’t even feel it was worth using the [Cloud Spider] on them.

Instead, I grabbed a knife one man was holding, snapped it in my bare hands, and threw him carelessly aside.

“He’s—he’s an Adaptee!”

“You bastard!”

“E-everyone, get him at once!”

But the moment the military drones aimed their barrels, they all froze in terror.

“Eek!”

“P-please spare us!”

“Tch.”

I clicked my tongue at their reaction.

“I told you—I’m not here to harm anyone. The drones are set to retaliate automatically if you threaten me. So just stay still.”

Snap!

With a flick of my fingers, the drones lowered their barrels. Then one of them slid over to my side and transformed.

“W-what is that?”

“What’s it doing?!”

The residents were visibly shaken.

Even Miyu clung to me, trying to stop me.

“M-Mr. Aaron… I think we should just go back now…”

“You stay quiet too.”

From inside the drone’s opened compartment, something emerged with a burst of cold air—

A beer mug chilled to perfection and a premium bottled beer.

Pop!

I casually opened the bottle and poured it into the mug.

Golden liquid filled the large glass, a creamy foam blooming and spilling gently over the rim like a small white waterfall.

Gulp.

It was a bizarre move even to me, but the blessed golden drink captured the residents’ attention more than anything else so far.

I saw a few of them swallow reflexively. Even I, who had prepared it, felt my mouth water—if this weren’t a dump, I’d have downed it already.

Miyu, who had no taste for alcohol, tugged at my sleeve with a baffled look.

“W-what are you doing…?”

“Setting a trap.”

I placed the full mug in a suitable open spot. Then I covered it with a large basket I’d brought, propped slightly open with a stick shaped like a tree branch.

Finally, I activated the [Cloud Spider] and attached a thread to the end of the stick.

That was it.

“Done.”

“A… a trap, you say…?” Miyu said, looking incredulous.

“Y-you’re not seriously trying to catch a dwarf with this, are you…?”

“I am.”

“Uh…”

She looked at me with a conflicted expression. I understood her feelings, but did she have to look at me like, Has our sponsor finally gone insane? That stung, you know.

Eventually, even timid Miyu couldn’t let it go.

“S-sorry, Mr. Aaron, but…”

“What is it?”

“I just… I don’t think any intelligent being would get caught by such a primitive trap… Even if dwarves are famous for loving beer, not even animals would fall for—”

—[Aaaaagh! I’ve been caught!!]

Before Miyu could finish her sentence—

The trap was triggered.

—[Who dares set such a wicked and vile trap!? Whoever it is must be very clever! How could you do this to meeee!!]

A deep voice rang out from inside the basket.

Miyu stared at me with her mouth half-open, her soul seemingly gone.

I simply met her gaze and answered silently with my expression.

See? Caught him.

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