Arifureta After III Abyss Lord Arc Chapter 2 Do-or-Die Battle (?)
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「……Are you alright, Claire?」
Kousuke’s slightly convulsing voice resounded.
The location was the outskirt of a small runway inside Rome. They were descending from Omnibus’s private plane at an airport that was also exclusive for Omnibus.
It was dusk. The sun that was illuminating this day was sinking toward the west.
The sky had beautiful madder red color. The wind of the evening was cool. And then, the saint who was pressing on her butt with teary eyes below the ramp looked really painful.
「He, hehe, just as you can see, I’m fine.」
「No, I’m asking because you don’t look fine though.」
‘Ehehe’, that shy smile that emitted loveliness――wasn’t there anymore. If he had to say what kind of smile it was, Claudia-san was exposing an expression like a person who got carried away easily saying 「Heheh, sorry boss」 to cover up one’s own mistake.
She stood up while her hand was holding her butt, then she lifted up the Holy Cross and supported it with effort. She was dressed in a neat and clean appearance of a long-sleeved dress with white as the base color, but the outfit was slightly dirty all over.
It wasn’t like he was slipping up just now on the ramp and slid down on her butt. She also wasn’t attacked by demons and cultists in the middle of going back from Britain and got involved into a fierce battle.
The cause was just one.
The numerous self-destructions that Claudia generated until they reached here.
After getting out of the security bureau, Kousuke and others first joined up with two exorcists who were dispatched to Britain, but even until then, well, Claudia self-destructed.
When she climbed up a stair, she would get dragged by the cross and stumbled with her shin getting hit hard, and when she went down a stair instead, her balance would crumble due to the Holy Cross’s weight. She would misstep and slid down on her butt.
She would stumble at place where there was no obstacle and got pinned under the Holy Cross. She would look the other way and crashed onto wall or pillar and fell, and got pinned under the Holy Cross as expected. She even got completely caught inside the revolving door in the airport.
Inside the private plane, she would wear eye mask and took a nap, and when she woke up she would struggle 「I, it’s pitch black! Did something happen!?」 while kicking around. And then she would fell off from her reclining chair.
Claudia who went through numerous self-destructions like that at first would gave scream or embarrassed laugh that looked cute, but from the middle, her voice was gradually turning into a voice without any composure like 「higih」 or 「hebuu」, and at this point even her embarrassed laugh 「he, heheh」 had became something really disappointing.
「No no, Kousuke-sama. Look, I’m not injured anywhere. I’m unharmed.」
「Right, it’s really mysterious.」
‘This saint, could it be she is the same kind like Bernard?’ he tilted his head with such doubt. Just like he was holding doubt that Bernard might be loved by the death god and the goddess of fortune at the same time, there was a possibility that she was also loved by the god of clumsy girl and a god who protected her from the self-destructions at the same time. She was a saint after all.
Claudia-sama made a banzai pose to appeal that she was unharmed. Naturally, because her hands let go, the Holy Cross-san lost its support and bared its fang toward its master. It tilted toward the head of Claudia who was smiling ‘heheh’――
「That’s why, are you doing that purposefully!?」
「Ah!」
Just before it hit, Kousuke leaped forward and stopped the violence of the Holy Cross-san. He supported the Holy Cross with one hand where Claudia was sandwiched between him and the cross.
It was a posture where she was practically hugged on his chest. The sudden approach of the opposite sex, furthermore it was Kousuke who she was strangely conscious against caused her cheeks to be dyed red. While that was happening, Kousuke looked behind him and raised his voice.
「Or rather, you guys too, give her a bit more warning too!」
In respond to that voice, Wynn, Anna, and then the other two exorcists who were carrying down the luggage stopped their hand and turned their gaze to Kousuke simultaneously.
And then,
「Kousuke-dono. We too」
「Have a lot」
「Of work」
「If it’s Claudia-sama, it’s always like this so――」
「「「「It’s alright」」」」
What coordination. What strength of bond. The connecting speech as though it had been arranged beforehand was excellent.
Normally they would be acting a bit worried and gave follow-up for Claudia, but right now there was Kousuke who was doing that, so they left it to him.
「He, heheh」
Claudia was smiling with strangely dead eyes at her comrade’s trust (?) on her. Kousuke’s expression was cramping a bit at the exorcists who were doing their work briskly with serious face.
「Ah. Right, somehow sorry. Thank you for your hard work. Also, Claire, stop it with that smile yeah? Somehow, I cannot bear to look anymore. At least, add “e” at the beginning, make it ehehe, okay?」
「Ehehe?」
「Right, like that.」
「Ehehe……」
He couldn’t bear to look at either anyway.
Like that, Kousuke was supporting Claudia who was swung around by the Holy Cross so much she got injured that he was suspecting that perhaps the Holy Cross was hating her?, while the group got into a private car and departed toward Vatican.
The distance from the airport was close. The wall of Vatican came into view in just around ten minutes.
「Come to think of it, that place that was like a secret base, the second library got exploded and there was a hole opened but, are we heading there now? It still hasn’t been repaired right?」
Kousuke suddenly recalled and asked.
Claudia was going to drink at that time, but she then tried to answer.
「Ah, about that. Actually――AA!?」
*Bump* The car shook. The drink flew. The destination? Of course, the face of the saint.
Anna quickly said 「Here Claudia-sama. It’s fine~」 while taking out a handkerchief to wipe Claudia’s face. During that time Wynn was groaning 「Really, it’s worse than usual……h~mm」 while answering in Claudia’s place.
「Just as Kousuke-dono said, the repair hasn’t finished. Right now we are using the old headquarters. We are heading there right now.」
「Old headquarters?」
「Yeah, Omnibus’s underground facility isn’t just there. That place was a new facility that was created around ten years ago with various conveniences taken into consideration by the power of the current director.」
「Hee, certainly, there was a lot of passages there. I thought that the underground space is really vast but, so I’m actually right.」
While they were talking like that, ignoring Claudia who were frowning sadly at the orange juice color leaving spots on her white clothes, the car entered an underground parking lot of a building that was slightly at the outskirt of Vatican.
「Hm? We aren’t going directly to inside Vatican?」
「Yeah. Our existence is generally kept secret even to the people inside the city. If we show ourselves too much, then people will have question like ‘which department those guys who often show up here belong to?’. That’s why, the coming and going of Omnibus members fundamentally use secret passage from outside the city.」
「I see.」
Actually, ‘the home is constantly underground is harsh……’, that was the opinion of a director several generations ago, so Omnibus’s office also existed inside Vatican palace and the hidden room of Vatican art museum. Of course, there was also a single building outside Vatican that was wholly used as Omnibus’s facility.
While they were talking, the car parked on the space at the corner that seemed the most inconvenient spot.
Kousuke completely thought that they would walk from here, but right after that, a mechanical sound resounded. At the same time, the ground was sinking along with the car. Kousuke raised a surprised voice 「Oo!?」.
Wynn and others smiled a bit happily at Kousuke’s surprise.
「If you previously infiltrated by tailing Aziz, then you surely used the passage that is managed by Madame Marie, but that is exclusive for walking. This is an exclusive passage for car. We can go until inside Vatican riding the car.」(TN: Previously it was Madam Maya in chapter 302, but here it’s Marie. I don’t know if the author make a mistake or what)
「……Even though it’s a secret organization that exist since the ancient time, this is like a world of spy movie. The genre is mistaken.」
「Ahahah, Kousuke-san. You are watching movie too much. Even us are using computer and smartphone normally.」
Anna laughed teasingly. Kousuke smiled wryly thinking that it was true. Thinking back, the impetus that made him infiltrated Vatican also originated from the data that Aziz pulled out from a company’s computer.
Before long, they entered an underground passage and the car advanced. They then reached a vast underground parking lot. They got out of the car, Claudia bumped her head on the roof part, and then they headed toward a metallic door deeper inside that had a cross carved on it.
When the door was unlocked by biometrics authentication and they entered inside, they came out into an underground space that was far older than the previous underground facility he saw before, but it boasted the same spaciousness.
At the same time, it seemed that the exorcists had contacted beforehand. There was that old man wearing cassock with absurd pressure there. His face that had a lot of wrinkles was frowning even more sternly, so it gave a dreadfulness that would make children cried 「Demon!?」 if they saw it.
For now, he wasn’t carrying that book which was made from metal, so surely there wouldn’t be any battle. He wished that there wouldn’t be. The old man’s atmosphere felt like he was going to attack him while saying 「You bastard, I’ll kill you!」 anytime, but surely it was just his misunderstanding.
「Claire, also Wynn and others, good work. Looks like you all have concluded the talk safely.」
「Yes, director. Then, this person is――」
Claudia jogged toward the director happily and she was going to introduce Kousuke. But, the director stopped her with his hand and slowly walked forward. Just by doing that, he gave off a pressure that made one hallucinated as though the surface area of his face became three times bigger.
「I am Omnibus’s director, Patrick Dime. Mr. Endou. I had acted rudely in the previous incident. My subordinates……they are like my own children. Therefore, I lost my calm. Although, one of my children getting possessed by demon and my inability to keep my calm, all of them were incurred by my immaturity. I will accept any kind of punishment that you give.」
There was no lie in his eyes that were staring fixedly on Kousuke. At the very least, that was what he thought.
And so, he concluded that the director’s eye glint that seemed as though to say 「You bastard, I’ll strangle you to death!」 even while saying his apology was just his feeling. Kousuke shook his head with a somewhat twitching face.
「I’ll just accept your apology. I have been asked by Anna-san and Wynn-san for forgiveness in exchange of their life. If I received an apology with such resolve, then I’ll have no intention to put any blame to anyone anymore. I don’t look like a narrow-minded man am I?」
The gaze of Director Dime snapped wide open. Kousuke twitched, but the brunt of that eye glint that seemed to say 「All you bastards, I’ll obliterate you all together!」 was pointed to Wynn and Anna.
The two of them averted their gaze with all their strength. It seemed, Director Dime was angry at the two who were offering their life as they pleased. It looked like it was true that he was treasuring his subordinates like his own children.
Though it didn’t look like that at all seeing at only his eyes.
「Punishment for sin. It’s something natural. It’s not narrow-mindedness. But, I offer my admiration and gratitude toward that disposition.」
Director Dime offered his hand. It seemed he was asking for a handshake of reconciliation. Naturally, Kousuke also responded. The terribly hard and rugged palm was more like a veteran warrior rather than a clergyman as expected.
Coupled with his eye glint that seemed to want to say 「I’ll twist and crush your hand you bastard!」, Kousuke kept twitching.
Beside them, Claudia was smiling cheerfully looking really happy was the minimum salvation. She was splendidly softening the place’s atmosphere.
As expected from the saint. In his mind the word “phony” was slightly attached with that title, but inside his heart he was sending applause saying 「You are a saint just as I thought!」.
But, the smiling face of such Claudia was changing the flow of event slightly.
Kousuke was going to let go of the handshake, but for some reason Director Dime wouldn’t let go. The strength of the grip was like a vise.
‘Eh?’ Kousuke thought. Director Dime’s words came toward such Kousuke.
「By the way, I wish to offer my gratitude for taking back Claire from the Unknown. If there is anything you want, then I wish to accommodate it as much as possible.」
「Ri, right, your welcome? But, I don’t really wish any――」
*Clench*, strength entered Director Dime’s hand. The glint of his eye seemed to say 「Shut your mouth. If not I’ll annihilate you!」.
「However, in the end it’s only as much as possible. It will be helpful if I can ask you to please refrain from asking something that cross the limit. Yes, for example like asking for Claire or something, you understand me?」
「Wai-, director!? What are you saying!?」
‘Really, just what is this old man saying. Rather, the hand! Your hand is gripping too hard! My hand is making creaking sound! The pressure is too much!’
Kousuke read the mood and refrained from saying that no matter how much he wanted to.
But, seeing Claudia who was flustered and panicked with bright red face, Director Dime’s eye glint was growing even sharper. It was already a sharpness that seemed to say 「Curse you world, I’ll kill you!」!
「I, I won’t wish for something like that!」
「Something, like that?」
Now he understood. Director Dime, right now he wasn’t a director. He was just a stupid parent! He was just a stupid parent who was giving his everything to put a check on the opposite sex that his daughter the saint was harboring interest to for the first time!
At the corner of his sight, the dejected Claudia, Wynn and others who were holding their head, and then the members of Omnibus who were gathering around were sending their gaze to him. Kousuke let out cold sweat.
But, Kousuke was a man who could learn. He wouldn’t do the same failure like the time with Emily for the second time. Being unable to speak out would result in scene of carnage (lol), the experience of bothering the airport staffs once was enough!
「I, I! Have a lover! I know that your daughter, is a really charming woman but! I have a lover so I absolutely won’t lay my hand on her!」
「……Oh. Is that so? Oh dear, I jumped to a wrong conclusion. Really, growing old is a fearful thing.」
The idiot parent Director Patrick Dime smoothly let go of his hand. His eye glint was also calming down to a mere 「You bastard, I’ll send you to hospital!」.
「……Lover……lover…………rover?」
「Cla, Claudia-sama? Are you alright?」
Claudia was throwing his gaze to empty air ‘hoe~’ while she was there in body but not in spirit. Anna guessed various things while calling out to her.
The people of Omnibus also looked at each other’s face while smiling wryly. They sighed in relieve and turned a complicated gaze toward Kousuke……
In any case, it was really clear that Claudia was loved by everyone.
Most likely, after the attempt to capture Kousuke before this, Claudia was giving a fervent speech about Kousuke. And then, there was no doubt that she was also unprecedentedly angry at that time.
Their saint who had never got involved in romantic talk to the level of being a sheltered girl was holding interest to a man for the first time. She was talking about him while blushing. Including the fact that the man was one of the returnees, there was no doubt that they were paying attention to Kousuke in various meaning.
But, when the lid was opened, it was like this. The saint sunk instantly before the romance could begin……
Of course, Claudia’s feeling still wasn’t something so clear that she would wish for such relationship, so in a sense, it was good that the existence of Kousuke’s lover was exposed here but……
「O lord, please grant punishment to this deeply sinful me! My heart is encroached by dark cloud, heavy thunder roared inside, it is raging violently like a hail of ice! Please, bestow a tribulation to me who has lost my pure heart! O lord-!」
「Cla, Claudia-sama! Please calm do~~wn! Ah, hey, what are you planning to do by activating the Holy Cross!? Ah, no, it’s just going out of control? Anyway please calm do~~wn!」
The place became chaos.
Anna desperately tried to make Claudia who suddenly started confessing to god to return to her senses. The other people also rushed toward her in panic.
「……Err, director. Perhaps it will be better to give a tour to Endou……sama about this facility? The preparation for the Obelisk and also the saint barrier is also still continuing.」
「Hm. I guess so, Aziz. Mr. Endou, if you like, let me give you a tour inside Omnibus. If you don’t need it, we have prepared a room so you can build up your readiness there. We have also prepared meal although it’s nothing much. I will assign Aziz for your assistance, so if you need something you can tell Aziz.」
「Ye, yeah, thank you for that.」
He was thinking whether it would be fine to disregard that saint, but for some reason she was kneeling while praying passionately, so Kousuke quickly averted his gaze.
And then, Director Dime gave instructions one after another while sending away the gathering Omnibus members. Young man Aziz came in front of Kousuke during that.
「Endou……sama. I am Aziz Stein. Thank you very much for that time. For saving me, and also Nee-san……」
「Ah, Aziz-kun. You were seriously injured but, are you fine already?」
「……I won’t mind if you call me Aziz without honorific. My injury, yes, thanks to the medicine that Endou, sama applied, it is mostly healed.」
「That’s great. Well, Wynn-san and others too, although they should be injured quite seriously too, they look like they are completely recovered, so I guess Omnibus also has something like healing type magic――aa~, you call it miracle here right? Yeah, look like you guys here also have something like that, so that might be a needless aid. Ah, also don’t call me with “sama”. It’s fine if you call me Kousuke you know? It looks like it’s difficult to call me like that after all.」
「……I’m sorry, then I’ll call you Kousuke-san.」
Aziz seemed like he had expressionless face as his default state, but the look of his eyes relaxed slightly at Kousuke’s words.
From a glance, he looked like he had difficult personality, but his atmosphere toward Kousuke was soft. As expected, him saving his life and taking back Claudia in respond to his wish must be leaving great impression inside Aziz.
By the way, just as Kousuke guessed, there was also exorcist at Omnibus’s side who was handling sacred vessel of healing. It was that exorcist who healed Wynn and others. A male exorcist who was called by others as “elder sister”.
「……So, what do you want to do, Kousuke-san? Do you want to have a tour or taking rest in your room?」
「Let’s see. I think I want to see things like Obelisk or the saint barrier. Besides, there is also something I want to ask for a bit away from here.」
「? Understood.」
Aziz nodded and he led him forward. They were receiving gaze from Omnibus’s members while leaving the old underground headquarters.
It looked like that Aziz was someone taciturn in the first place. He didn’t really talk along the way. But, it seemed he was curious about Kousuke and kept sending glances to him.
They rode an old elevator that connected to upper floor while Kousuke opened his mouth in the place of Aziz who was a poor talker.
「By the way, Omnibus’s supreme commander is Rome’s pope right? I will be too nervous to meet someone like him, but as I thought, perhaps I should at least give a greeting?」
「……I think it’s impossible for now. That person is our face at the surface. Certainly he is our supreme commander but, regarding the matter of this side of the world, he leaves everything to Director Dime.」
It seemed the pope of Rome was being pressed to deal with the bombing incident. For the person himself, he certainly wished to talk with the returnees no matter what, but from the view point of the people around him who didn’t know about the circumstance, the returnees were just a Japanese group with unknown background.
If they were going to meet, it inevitably needed to be behind closed door. Also, the pope of Rome himself had no power of exorcist, so he was leaving everything in regard to demon to Director Dime.
The meeting would have to be after they overcame the danger this time and waited for a good time……that was how it would be.
「……Now that the plaza would be turned into battlefield, it will also be troubling if there other people who aren’t Omnibus member. So, his holiness is working to not let people at the surface to get closer until the time the fate of the world is decided.」
「I see.」
It wasn’t like there would not be anyone inside the Vatican, like staffs or clergymen. But at the very least no one would get closer to the plaza. And then, when the saint barrier by 140 statues was activated, no one would be able to notice what was going on inside the plaza. Sound and sight would be intercepted, and an image of peaceful plaza would be projected to the outside world.
「Aziz will also be in the assault team?」
「……Yes. There will be Claudia-sama, me, Wynn-san and Anna. Other than them, we will also send 80 percent of our whole force.」
「What about the director?」
「The director, he will act as fighting force along with several remaining exorcists against the demons in case they appear here. Though honestly speaking, I got the feeling that the director alone will be enough……」
Young man Aziz was making a distant look for some reason.
When Kousuke asked, it seemed Patrick-san was previously the strongest exorcist who held the title of “Holy Apostle”. Because the previous director died, he was in his current position as replacement, but different from Claudia who was the strongest in the aspect of being a fortified gun battery, it seemed the director was the strongest solely in physical aspect. Even now when his age had gone past 70.
