V1 Chapter 5.3

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V1 Chapter 5.3

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Translator: Le Umbono

Editor: Weasalopes

Even though these words made him want to vomit, Kalim purposely kept silent. In spite of his religious beliefs, these aliens were merely business partners. There was no need for a clash of ideologies. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, as they say.

Kalim finally spoke.

「The only things I’m concerned about are the goods in question. The advance payment’s been paid. I look forward to the fruits of your success.」

「Of course. That’s exactly why we asked for it in the first place. ……Oi, Zelada!」

Elbajhi turned to the van beside him and shouted.

A little while later, the figure of a man sluggishly emerged from the back seat of the vehicle. A red coat and a red bowler hat. His suit and pants were also dyed a deep red. With the sole exception of his white shirt and skin, he was dressed all in red.

The red-clad man spoke in a hoarse voice.

「Did you call for me, my lord?」

Another Semanese. From the looks of it, he was about sixty years old or so. Deep wrinkles were carved into his face, his eyes concealed by a pair of black sunglasses. Kalim immediately realized the man was blind. Tapping the road with the cane in his hands whilst facing the night sky, he slowly but surely approached Elbajhi and his men.

「Mr. Kalim. Let me introduce you to Bōza¹ Zelada.」

Elbajhi said as he took the man’s hand. The man by the name of Zelada removed his hat and placed it by his chest, politely bowing his head.

「I am most honored to meet your acquaintance, Kalim-sama……」

Kalim could instinctively feel that something was off about that man. Since his youth, he had fought in various conflicts as a member of the paramilitary group, evading the eyes of the law to reach his position within the organization. He had seen just about anybody you could think of — assassins and mercenaries with skills capable of taking your head in an instant. To even think of touching them, you would have to risk getting burned in the process. But this was different. The old man seemed more cold than hot. If he were to lay a finger on him, the skin on his hands would stick and tear violently into pieces. That was the sort of cold it was.

「Is he the rumored magician?」

Unconsciously distancing himself from the man, Kalim said aloud.

「That’s right. Zelada served my late father as the sole remaining member of his clan. He excels in using mildi² to manipulate corpses.」

「Such words are wasted on one such as myself. Please think of this one’s skills as shoddy puppetry at best……」

Master Zelada laughed. He may look like just an ordinary old man, but his laughter revealed gleaming pearly-white teeth. Kalim thought that these actions were strangely intentional.

「……You said corpses, didn’t you. I have heard that for a Semanese magician to control someone, that someone needs to have first ingested a moderate amount of Fairy Dust. Isn’t that so?」

Such a thing would be impossible for a dead person. In fact, it would be more favorable to his organization if the living could be commanded. It would cause much-needed chaos as random strangers on the street start massacring one another out of nowhere.

「Kalim-sama. Please understand that one enthralled by a fairy’s rahtena³, their spirit taken captive, cannot be considered ‘living’; they are mere corpses. My abilities cannot make a dent on those with healthy spirits.」

「Hmm……」

「And that’s where the goods come into play!」

With a clap of his hands, his subordinates brought out a Boston bag. Zipping open the fasteners, he grabbed a glass cylinder from within. It was about half-a-gallon in volume, with batteries attached at both ends of the glass to form an electronic circuit. In addition, the container was covered by a hard plastic case, artificially strengthened to withstand external damage.

「Is that the ‘Spirit Bomb’?」

「Yep, though it’s just a prototype for now. We only used up a small part of the lesser fairies, y’see. Radius is about 5-6 meters. But its effects are guaranteed. Anyone caught in its explosion would be subject to the same conditions as ingesting fairy dust. A temporary feeling of bliss and, more importantly, perpetual interdiction. In Zelada’s own words⸺」

「Yes. Their spirit taken captive, these people cannot be considered ‘living’; they are mere corpses. That is the gist of it, my good sir.」

Zelada gently smiled.

「I’ve heard that explanation before. My organization may be optimistic with regards to our negotiations, but personally I find this all a little too good to be true.」

「That’s what I thought. To that I say…… are they nearly there?」

Having seen through Kalim’s doubts, Elbajhi flashed a mischievous grin as he glanced at the watch on his arm.

Another car was approaching them from the distance. At the tip of the construction site, a pair of headlights was rapidly closing in, stopping about ten meters away from Elbajhi and his gang.

It was a patrol car.

「They’re here!」

「What is the meaning of this?」

At Kalim’s tense response, Elbajhi shrugged his shoulders.

「I called them here. 911. ‘Saw some real suspicious dudes hanging about the construction site.’」

「What did you just say!? Just what in the world⸺」

「It’s fine. It’s fine.」

The doors on both sides opened at the same time, revealing the figures of two policemen. One walked towards the front and drew his pistol, while the other positioned his shotgun over the car door.

「You are trespassing on private property! Put your hands up in the air and get down on the ground!」

「Sorry bout’ that, officers! We’ll go quietly, I promise.」

As he said that, Elbajhi revealed the object in his hands — the Spirit Bomb. He spun the dial, thereby releasing the safety pin on the explosive. Much like with a flashbang, the action elicited a high-pitched sound.

「All that’s left is to throw it. Better if you look away.」

Whispering to Kalim, he aimed the bomb towards the patrol car, flinging it over. The bomb drew a parabola in the air, bouncing on the hood of the vehicle, before rolling down onto the ground. Shortly after, a piercing noise entered everyone’s ears as the Spirit Bomb split sharply in two. For just an instant, everything went black.

「-urgh!!!」

The officers let out unbearable screams.

Kalim subconsciously shielded his eyes from the flash. Afterimages remained under his eyelids, as his entire head throbbed in pain. Feeling as though his eardrums had burst, he leaned on the hood of a nearby car.

「Mister Kalim. You alright there?」

Blinking his eyes, his surroundings finally returned to their original gloom. The policemen were unsteadily getting up on their feet, gazing vacantly as if in a stupor. Their guns forgotten, they hung lamely in their hands.

「Just like that.…… Zelada, how’s the situation?」

「Yes, my lord. Those two have already become living corpses, so to speak.」

Zelada was holding some sort of gem on his right hand. Its rugged surface was colored a dull silver, dozens of patterns carved into its body. Positioning the gem in front of his chest, he muttered softly to himself.

「Right. Let’s have them bow before us.」

「As you wish.」

With Zelada’s reply, the officers turned on their heels, extended their backs, and bowed towards Kalim and his men.

「Next, go one round around the patrol car.」

The two did as they were bid, jogging around the car.

「Now kill each other.」

「Yes.」

The shotgun-wielding policeman faced his partner and casually blasted his face off.

Dropping his weapon, the other officer fell on his back, convulsing violently on the ground. As he walked towards his fallen partner, the remaining officer finished the other with two shots to the head and chest.

「Such a shame he died.」

Slapping his forehead, Elbajhi pointed towards the dead policeman.

「Well then. Next is……. Right, now make him dance on top of the hood.」

Despite having just shot his partner to death, the officer stepped on the hood of his car, awkwardly moving his arms and hips together in a pale imitation of a dance.

Seeing this shameful display, Elbajhi and his men could do nothing but hold their hands to their stomachs and laugh.

Certainly, it was an absurd display. Still, the officer remained expressionless. After committing such a bloody act of murder, he had been made to dance in this eerie, robot-like manner. Kalim was in absolutely no mood for laughter.

「Hahaha…… Zelada! You’ve got no taste in dance, have you?」

「My humble apologies, my lord.」

Zelada bitterly smiled. And yet, he did not seem particularly embarrassed. Elbajhi continued laughing for some time after, wiping the tears off the corners of his eyes, before suddenly slapping Kalim’s shoulder.

「How was it? Fun, right? Right?」

「I understand its capabilities. How many people can we control with this magic?」

Kalim coldly said.

「As many as you’d like. Isn’t that right, Zelada?」

「Yes. In the past, this one has tested it on about a hundred people at once. However, it was said that the masters of old could control five-thousand, no, even ten-thousand troops with ease.」

It was hard to believe that so many people could be controlled at once. Given the fact that he had once puppeteered a hundred men himself, it was plain to see that this magician had quite the bloody past behind him. Just look at the two officers. For a hundred people, just what extreme measures could he have employed to cause them such pain and suffering?

「You said that these 「Spirit Bombs」 were prototypes?」

「Yep. We only used the wrists of lesser fairies for these, y’see. The ones we’re making now are even more terrifying. Using every single part of the high-grade fairies. The radius of explosion is roughly⸺」

Elbajhi went silent, calculating the distance in his head.

「⸺three kilometers in all directions. About the same as your average nuclear bomb.」

「Do shelters have any effect?」
「Think of it the same as with gamma rays. Normal buildings won’t be a problem.」

「Good.」

With this ‘bomb’ and that magician’s power in hand, their operations would surely progress at an unprecedented rate.

There was a very real possibility that the introduction of this weapon would most likely surpass the impact of the terrorist attacks that occurred in New York back in 2001⁵. As long as one knew how to use it, it would be mere child’s play to completely annihilate any one nation’s system of government. But Kalim had no intention whatsoever of detonating such a bomb here in this peculiar city. If he were to use it, he would choose a more important, more vulnerable city instead. What would happen if he were to use it during the World Cup or the inauguration of the President? Broadcasted on their TVs, the entire world would finally know armageddon.

「As soon as these are completed, we wish to leave this country with them. When will they be ready?」

「About 2-3 days. We’ll arrange it for you.」

「That’s acceptable. Keep in mind that if you extend this offer to us Earthlings, the Semani may receive severe criticism. Are you alright with that?」

「Don’t really care either way. I stay at the Gorgeous. Any problem with that?」

From the bottom of his heart, Elbajhi wondered 「Why are you even asking me this?」.

It was then that Zelada spoke.

「My lord.」

「What?」

「What shall we do with that gentleman, my lord?」

He was talking about the officer still dancing on top of the patrol car. With a single glance at the man, Elbajhi waved his hand apathetically.

「Ah. Finish him.」

「As you wish.」