第３０５堀：残滓 (Part1)
Chapter 305: Residue
Residue
Side: Taizo Honme
"You've returned."
As Hifi said this, Comet, who had been reduced to a single arm, stepped through the door.
Yet, her expression remained as it always was: an impenetrable, emotionless mask.
They say that is simply the nature of the undead, of the dead, but I still find it unsettling.
Well, perhaps it is just that I am not yet accustomed to it.
"My, to think there is actually someone out there capable of severing the arm of Comet, a Dungeon Master herself," Hifi remarked, reaching out toward Comet’s limb. A pale light enveloped the girl.
And then, just like that, the missing arm was restored as if it had been there all along.
This world possesses something called magic—a technique that utilizes mana, which can be transmuted into anything.
What I just witnessed was likely a fragment of what they call healing magic, but anyone with even a modicum of education would understand that this is far different from merely knitting together a simple cut.
She hadn't brought the severed arm back with her; she had restored a limb that was completely gone.
What is the logic behind this?
However, it seems only Hifi is capable of healing such a grievous loss. It is no wonder some believe the rumors that she is the supreme Hifi, the Goddess Hifi herself.
"How is it? Does it feel strange?"
"No. There are no issues."
While I had been lost in thought, the regeneration must have finished. Comet was flexing her restored arm, checking to ensure everything was in order.
"Still, the wireless radios you created, Taizo-dono, are truly convenient. Thanks to them, we were able to communicate and coordinate our actions swiftly. I never imagined there would be someone capable of overwhelming Comet. It is thanks to you, Taizo-dono, that we were able to order an immediate retreat."
"Yes, that is true. Without the radio, I would have been stuck focusing on retreat support until the very end and likely would have been finished off."
"Ah, no. Regarding the radio, it was merely an extension of my mentor’s research..."
"That may be, but it is only natural to praise you, Taizo-dono, for building it from scratch. Humans inherit the wisdom of their predecessors and connect it to the future."
"I am humbled. However, none of it would have mattered without Comet-dono’s dungeon skills."
"Indeed. Which is all the more reason I am grateful to you, Taizo-dono, for preventing Comet from being lost to us. She is our greatest source of material supplies, after all."
That’s right, this Comet.
She doesn't just hold the title of a mage; it seems she worked as a "Dungeon Master"—if that can be called a profession—while she was alive.
The role of a Dungeon Master, it seems, is something selected directly by gods even higher than Hifi to maintain the balance of the world.
Because of that, she apparently worked in cooperation with her when she was alive to preserve that balance. But, perhaps it is the way of the human world; she was betrayed, and Comet met her end within her own dungeon.
Since then, those who were granted power by Comet raised their own banners, and the continent was plunged into war.
At the time, Hifi’s power as a deity was not as great as it is now. She desperately waited for the chaos to pass, spreading the teachings of Hifi and gathering faith. Once she had finally regained enough power to act, she recovered Comet’s remains from the dungeon located beneath this Great Cathedral of Hifi and resurrected her as an undead.
It is a harsh reality that even the existence of a god fluctuates based on the faith of others.
Well, it wasn't out of friendship that I helped Comet.
As I mentioned earlier, a Dungeon Master possesses the ability to create matter; they have the power to convert mana into something called DP to obtain materials.
Since mana can even be used to resurrect the dead through magic, it shouldn't be surprising that such things are possible.
No, in truth, it is still incredibly mysterious, but I cannot afford to research this new substance called mana under the current circumstances.
After all, we have launched a war against the August Kingdom, one of the six great powers—a neighboring country.
And as a result, Comet-dono has returned wounded.
"I apologize. Everyone other than myself was slaughtered."
"I see. But I am glad you returned. The losses are unavoidable. After all, one would never expect wyverns to appear."
...This battle. At first, it had proceeded according to plan.
However, the arrival of the wyverns caused our army to collapse, and it seems Comet-dono barely managed to escape.
"Wyverns, you say? Were there really that many? We had five hundred men; surely some others were able to escape?"
"Likely impossible. There were over fifty wyverns. They circled above, breathing fire from the sky. There was nothing to be done against that."
"I see... An aerial force, much like an airplane."
That was unexpected.
To think that a unit capable of being treated as an aerial force exists in a world with such low technological prowess.
"No, Taizo-dono. As I said, wyverns are monsters that are rarely, if ever, seen on this continent nowadays. We should assume that wyverns living in hiding somewhere descended in search of prey."
"But Comet-dono said there were riders on the wyverns..."
"Those were Orcs. Not humans. Monsters. Which means there is a possibility that a faction consisting solely of monsters exists."
"Comet is right. If they had possessed wyverns from the start, they would have advertised it grandly. We should view this incident as an unfortunate accident."
Is that so? If that’s the case, then the enemy doesn't have a standing aerial force.
If so, there is no need to worry too much about this war, but...
"I understand that there is no need to worry on that front. However, there is no guarantee we won't clash with that monster faction in the future. We will need to prepare anti-air weaponry."
"Anti-air? I see, weapons to attack the sky. Indeed. I believe it will be absolutely necessary in the future. I will count on you when that time comes, Taizo-dono."
"Yes."
"However, the fortunate thing is that we achieved our objective. With this, August will surely march on this country. We will annihilate them, obtain DP, further strengthen the nation, and first, we shall swallow August whole."
Hifi declared this.