Everyone’s movement comes to a sudden halt.
“……”
“……”
It felt like an endless silence and quietness stretched out, as if time had stopped.
But time hadn’t actually stopped. As evidence, the clock floating in my field of vision was still moving normally.
It was just that everyone’s movement had frozen, as if time had halted.
How did it end up like this?
In the midst of it all, I heard a gulp from somewhere.
I shifted my gaze to check, and it was Teddy.
In that brief moment, Teddy, who quickly sensed the atmosphere, didn’t bother to stop the newly appeared intruder (who was also a hometown friend).
What an impressive survival instinct.
If it had been anyone else, I’d have asked Eve to bring me some popcorn, but unfortunately, the cause of this silence was Catherine and me.
The objective situation and indicators supported that.
A girl collapsed and unconscious.
And a young man (me) focusing his gaze with his hand placed on her chest.
I had even unzipped the part on her chest a little, just in case there was a problem with her breathing.
From my perspective, I had just taken some basic medical measures, but to others who didn’t know the situation, it could look a bit odd.
However, even if you enter a tiger’s den, if you keep your wits about you, you can survive.
I calmly began my explanation to the tiger… no, to Catherine.
“…I know it looks like a strange situation, but it’s all a misunderstanding.”
“……”
“It’s definitely not what you think.”
“…Can you at least remove your hand?”
For now, it made sense to keep supporting mana until the little one regained consciousness.
I kept my hand on the girl’s chest as I continued to talk to Catherine.
“…There’s a reason for this. Really. I can explain. Just calm down and listen to me.”
“…Explanation.”
Her tone made it sound like a tiger was growling.
The good thing was that she seemed willing to hear me out, rather than lunging at me like a real tiger.
I tried to slowly open my mouth.
That was when the little one in my arms regained consciousness.
At the same time, a confused expression flickered in her eyes.
She seemed to not grasp the situation.
For reference, my hand was still resting on the little one’s chest.
The little one quickly processed the situation and her eyes widened.
“……!!”
The girl roughly pushed my hand away while hastily fixing her disheveled clothes.
Tears welled in her eyes as she looked up at me with a garbage dump expression.
And it seemed that was enough explanation for Catherine.
“…No need for excuses, right?”
“……”
Please save me.
—
38. Wizard in the Underground (4)
Fortunately, thanks to the testimony of witnesses (Eve, Teddy), the verdict wasn’t ‘death sentence.’
Even in this cold, bloodless, and tearless cyberpunk world, actions aimed at rescue tend to receive some leniency.
“…I can definitely breathe better now.”
In reality, the little one’s condition was better than just before she collapsed.
“Right?”
“……”
Thanks to that, her expression had shifted from ‘a hopeless perv’ to ‘a capable perv.’
I wiped the beads of sweat that had formed on my forehead from the unexpected situation.
That was close…
I sat on the electronic device where I had been previously.
Thinking back, the thick cloths placed on top of these electronic devices were all to protect the little one from her chrome allergy.
Anyway, it was a relief to clear the misunderstanding.
As I sat down, Eve came over and sat next to me. This was definitely first-class seating for watching the two.
Catherine stood in front of the mattress, fidgeting.
It wasn’t like her to act so uncertain.
She had informed me beforehand that the little one had a chrome allergy.
Unlike me, who was all biologically human, Catherine was entirely made of cyberware. She flinched at the little one’s slightest gestures and was careful not to touch.
“…It’s Dal, isn’t it?”
It seemed they really knew each other. Catherine spoke the little one’s name in a cautious tone.
Hearing that voice, the little one lifted her head to look up at Catherine.
“…Yes.”
“I’m so glad you’re alive! How are you looking the exact same as back then… No, anyway, I’m glad!”
Catherine moved closer, as if to hug the little one, but then pulled back again.
She looked undeniably joyful.
The little one seemed equally happy, giving a small smile despite her pouty lips.
“Yeah, it’s been a while. I’m glad to see you’ve been doing really well too, Princess.”
“Right now, I’m not Princess, I’m Catherine. It’s been ages since I’ve used that nickname.”
“…Catherine, what a pretty name.”
I leisurely observed the conversation between the two.
From what I gathered, they were clearly from the same garbage landfill. It was evident from Catherine calling her by her old nickname.
If you think about it, ‘Dal’ is a simple nickname you’d expect from a landfill.
“Hmmm….”
“Why do you ask?”
When I let out a short hum, Eve, who was sitting right next to me, looked at me.
…Is it just me, or is she a bit too close?
The sensation of her ample form was hard to ignore between my shoulder and hers.
I discreetly increased the distance between us without responding. Then, she almost immediately shifted back to snuggle against me.
Now there was no space left for me.
There were plenty of other places to sit, so why did two people have to squeeze onto this narrow electronic device?
But I feared the aftermath of saying that I felt uncomfortable.
I cleared my throat and then answered Eve while watching the two interact.
“Um, no… It’s just that she looks really young.”
If they’ve known each other since the garbage landfill, that was almost a decade ago.
Since she had a chrome allergy, she couldn’t get cyberware surgery or change her physical size.
Of course, there was the option of bioware.
But in reality, bioware was much more expensive than cyberware.
Just looking around, there didn’t seem to be a lot of credits flowing, so I didn’t think she would have had her body operated on with bioware.
At my words, Eve sharply scrutinized the little one.
“Estimated height of 145 cm, estimated weight of around 36kg to 37kg. Considering this, the estimated age is about 12 years old.”
“Which is why it’s unusual.”
But how did she measure height and weight?
Anyway, it was odd to call her youthful at this point.
“…There’s a reason for all of this.”
Teddy’s voice came from behind.
In his hands, he held a steaming cup emitting hot steam.
…….
Knowing what the drink was, I declined.
(Natural soda that’s hot and tasteless and flat) was not really appealing.
When I rejected the cup he offered, he moved toward where Catherine and the little one were.
Having enjoyed their reunion, Catherine accepted the cup Teddy handed her.
The little one seemed familiar with the content, as she immediately gulped it down after receiving it.
Inspired by that sight, Catherine took a sip as well. And then immediately set the cup down again.
Just because they’re from a garbage landfill doesn’t mean they all have poor taste.
I wasn’t one to fit that stereotype, and Catherine wasn’t either.
Did Catherine even notice that Teddy was glaring at her from behind with a deathly expression?
Teddy approached us again.
I turned to him and asked, “What do you mean by ‘reason’?”
Sitting across from me, Teddy scratched his head and responded.
“More importantly… let’s ask this first.”
“Hmm.”
“…You’re a wizard too, right?”
“Um, yeah.”
As I answered, I created a tiny flame with the tips of my fingers.
This time, there were no control issues like when I first stored mana in my body. The flame danced around my finger, moving freely.
I didn’t have three fathers like some warriors, but I did have two masters.
Teddy, who was watching the flame I conjured, muttered softly.
“So all that shouting and lighting up back in the day was magic too.”
“That was a time of immaturity.”
“…You seem pretty immature now too.”
Teddy’s comment, which hit me with the bluntness of a knife, stung.
“…Anyway, just like that old man did, are you also here to seek out wizards in the underground?”
I shook my head at that.
“No, we just came to find the news about that old man you mentioned that went silent.”
Thinking about how hard we worked to find that old man, only for him to vanish again thinking of maybe contacting the wizard community, made me a bit hot-headed.
Anyway, I continued questioning Teddy, who seemed to be deep in thought.
“So what’s the deal with that old man? What’s he wanting to discuss that we’re going to plant a virus?”
“…Ah, that.”
Teddy let out a short sigh at my question and gestured toward the little one, Dal, who was chatting with Catherine.
“There are only a few wizards down in the underground. I thought maybe they came to find us.”
“Hmm.”
That makes sense.
If some (crazy) old man was making a mess in the underground, it would be odd not to get curious about him.
As I seemed to understand, Teddy leaned in closer. His cyberware arm, which was longer than a common one, naturally rested on the ground.
“…Dal…”
“Yeah.”
“I heard she’s died once and came back.”
“?”
What are you talking about?
I narrowed my eyes, tilting my head in confusion.
There was no way he was referring to the self-resurrection implants that the Kojaka ninja unit used.
Those weren’t available in the market and besides, she had said she had a chrome allergy.
Meanwhile, it seemed Catherine and Dal were continuing a discussion on a similar topic.
“…You’ve died and come back?!”
Catherine’s voice rang out loudly.
“Yeah.”
“…That’s why your heartbeat was almost none.”
I briefly tuned into their conversation before returning my attention to Teddy.
“So the magic in your chest…”
“…Probably.”
Teddy nodded at my question.
Adding on, he continued, “That’s also why Dal became a wizard. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have survived this long.”
At this point, magic seemed omnipotent.
Was it finally the end of my disappointment from having created a character as a wizard in the past?
……
Of course, that didn’t mean I would create another wizard if I could turn back time. Instead, I’d make a character with good stats.
Anyway.
I turned to Teddy and asked for more details.
“So how did that happen?”
“…….”
Teddy fell into silence at my question.
He looked like he found it challenging to share the story.
He could be contemplating where to begin.
After a brief moment.
“…Yeah, that makes sense.”
Teddy began to recount the story from long ago.
—
Teddy thought.
‘This fucking, damn…’
Having been impaled through the gut by a spear, he couldn’t help but curse.
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