Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Lilia
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Chapter 51 – Invasion
I headed with Sharon to the research facility that Cadenta had mentioned in the letter.
To match the idea of a field study class, I wore my formal attire similar to a teacher’s suit, while Sharon wore her school uniform.
That said, since we were also carrying weapons, people passing by looked at us strangely.
If I hadn’t pulled out my adventurer’s badge, the knights might have come rushing toward us.
Well, we were going to fight the paladin after all. Hahaha…
“Is it okay to leave Erin and Kuyumi behind?”
“They said they couldn’t help in battle at the moment, and it would be rude to storm the place in large numbers after all.”
“I-I see.”
In a corner of a town about two miles away from the royal capital, there was a building that had been converted into a research facility.
That was where Lord Arkwright was supposed to be.
“Sensei, have you ever used something made by that research facility…”
“Never. When I was working solo, I didn’t have any sponsors like that.”
It was from when I met the Magician that I began to think that I might need a sponsor, so I started selling my face to the nobles.
By the time the Monk and the Knight joined the group, there were big sponsors coming along.
To be honest, I never heard of anything from the research facility.
“Ah, sensei. I think it’s probably here.”
“Hm…?”
Upon seeing where Sharon was pointing, my eye twitched.
A dark and deserted looking western-style mansion that could only be described as a haunted house stood silently.
“Yes, it says Arkwright Research Institute… sensei?”
“A-aah.”
Sharon nodded after checking the dusty and dirty nameplate.
Next to her, I was dripping with cold sweat.
Wasn’t this the “Ruins of a Research Facility?”
No… it wasn’t ruined yet, as what was in front of me was still active.
But this place had the same exterior as the “Ruins of a Research Facility” that players explored several times as part of a sub-quest in the sequel game!!
Hey, this was the place where there were chimeras that seemed like they were made out of forbidden spells lying underground, you know?
It was a place where a lot of grotesque enemies appeared to the point it was strange that it didn’t violate the age limit of the game, you know?
It was a place where streamers who had no idea what was coming felt like they were suddenly thrown into a world that looked like it came from a western horror game, which made them scream in terror, you know?
It created so much buzz that only a certain bubbly streamer managed to keep their bubbly personality as they started slaughtering enemies, you know?
…That place was actually Arkwright-san’s research facility?
That meant by the timeline of the main story of the sequel, the mansion was completely abandoned.
I guess Arkwright already fell from grace as an aristocrat in the time period between the first game and the sequel.
Considering Sir Braveheart’s appearance was completely different, it was clear that there was a fundamental discrepancy between the game and this world.
“……Perhaps you’re nervous, sensei?”
“Hm?”
When I looked next to me, I saw Sharon staring at me.
There was a hint of mockery in her usually expressionless face.
“Why are you suddenly becoming silent?”
“I just have a lot in my mind, you see.”
“Fu~hn. Well, let’s go.”
Don’t you seem too casual about this?
You even pulled my hand along… No, I know the way inside, okay?
◇
From the moment the two entered the laboratory ground, they immediately felt unsettled.
Something other than the temperature and humidity felt very different from outside.
Without dropping their guard, they cautiously opened the front door.
The door creaked open with the sound of metal scraping along the floor as the two infiltrated the mansion.
“According to the information from Cadenta, our destination should be the deepest part of the underground portion of this building.”
“That person even managed to investigate this building’s internal structure? That’s amazing, as expected of a military person.”
“……I guess so.”
There was no way Haruto could tell Sharon that it was the map knowledge he learned from previous life, so he just played dumb while whistling.
As the man walked ahead, Sharon quietly observed her homeroom teacher from behind.
I was surprised when he told me that he was bringing me along, but when I think about it, it’s good timing…
The night after the group returned from the Temple of Trials, a conversation took place.
As the three students were eating dinner half-asleep, Kuyumi brought up an interesting topic.
The copy version of sensei made by the spirits… is scarier and stronger than his usual self, according to Kuyumi.
Even compared to when they got caught in trouble or when they were taken out for outdoor class, the difference in power levels was too much.
Most likely, they still hadn’t gotten to see him fight seriously.
In that case, perhaps, if it’s Braveheart-san… maybe sensei will have to fight seriously against him.
As she thought that, they came to a stop on the staircase.
“Ah.”
Suddenly sensing a presence, Sharon stopped her feet.
On the way down from the 1st basement floor to the 2nd basement floor, a shadow was waiting for them in the hallway of the 2nd basement floor.
“Sensei.”
“Hm, I guess that’s experimental subject A…”
Haruto muttered in a low voice and stood next to Sharon.
After staring at the enemy, he shrugged.
“Well then, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Haah?!”
“You can handle that much, right?” said the homeroom teacher leisurely.
Just as Sharon was about to complain, he spoke.
“Compared to the Demon Lord’s shadow, that’s just a regular old small fry among small fries. I’ll help you if things get dangerous.”
Rather than helping, it was more correct to say that at this distance, he could instantly deal with any opponents.
…Since he provoked me this much, I guess I have no choice but to do it.
Summoning her resolve, Sharon grabbed her assault spear and ran down the stairs.
As if responding to her footsteps, multiple figures twisted their upper bodies around unnaturally and looked at her.
“Eh──what’s with these things?!”
Her body that was about to fire a preemptive bombardment stopped in astonishment.
The humanoid enemies, whose entire bodies were wrapped in tattered and deteriorating bandages, were strange creatures with limbs of clearly different sizes forcibly tied together.
Even though there was no way the nerves were connected, they came rushing forward with a groaning sound.
“Guh…!”
Waving fists and jaws hanging open, ready to bite, were approaching from left and right.
Using her assault spear, Sharon quickly knocked down all enemy attacks.
…?! Did I really do that just now?!
Her movement was clearly slowed down from fear and disgust.
However, her instincts made it in time, and her body smoothly unleashed counterattacks.
A high-speed horizontal swing unleashed by the spear blew away the two bizarre creatures.
“Oh~ oh~, so the result of training showed itself quickly.”
Haruto, who was watching listlessly from the middle of the stairs, clapped his hands.
“Sensei, aren’t you behaving too slovenly, even though I’m the only one here…?”
“Erin and Kuyumi would mercilessly poke at me if I showed such openings, but you mostly ignore it, after all.”
Haruto said that as he loosened his tie and even yawned.
Although his words and behavior were the worst, it made Sharon a little happy, since it meant he was at ease enough to relax this much in front of her. Such was her derailed train of thought.
“The next one is coming.”
“I know!”
There was a wide variety of experimental subjects approaching them, such as quadrupedal beasts, ones with gigantic bodies resembling bears, and eight-legged bizarre creatures.
Without hesitation, Sharon cut them off, thrust her spear forward, and blew them away.
“I guess it’s about time you use your bombardment.”
Before she knew it, Haruto was right behind her.
As soon as Sharon heard that, she switched her assault spear to bombardment mode and unleashed a barrage of attacks without chanting.
The bizarre creatures that filled the hallway were reduced to shreds and blasted away by the light of judgment.
“……Thanks, it was a good call.”
It was a failure to gain points due to Haruto making the judgment for her.
Sharon turned around while feeling a little nervous, waiting for his response.
“Eh… the output wasn’t raised that much… don’t they seem to have disappeared in a weird way?”
Haruto put his finger on his chin as he looked down the empty hallway.
Seeing his calm demeanor from before crumbling, Sharon couldn’t help but burst out into laughter.
“……What is it, Sharon-san?”
“Isn’t it just the results of training? That’s what Haruto-sensei said after all.”
Haruto had no words to respond to that.
He silently shrugged and said they would be going to the next floor.
◇
The stairs ended at the 6th basement level.
After watching Sharon cleaning up (or obliterating) countless bodies of experimental subjects, we made it to the innermost hall without a single injury.
“……It should be here, but is it actually the right place?”
“According to the information, this is the goal.”
Immediately after hearing those words, Sharon blasted the door open with a magical bombardment.
Her judgment was too quick.
“Let’s go.”
“……Aren’t you adapting too quickly?”
Her expression was like a cool female protagonist in a Hollywood movie.
Seeing Sharon boldly walk into the hall, I followed her in.
The interior was shaped like a large arena, and I assume that it was probably used to pit experimental subjects against each other.
The metallic smell of blood permeated through the entire space.
“It’s a place designed in bad taste.”
“I agree.”
“──I see. It’s a shame our tastes don’t match.”
A voice echoed through the space.
When I looked up, I saw Lord Arkwright sitting on a throne-like chair at the top of the arena, in a space where the audience would have sat.
“Welcome, Haruto-san and Sharon-kun.”
“Hello. I couldn’t find the doorbell, but it’s fine to enter like this, right?”
I abandoned honorifics and sneered at him.
“Don’t worry about it. I also apologize for the poor hospitality since it’s unexpected to have visitors. What business do you have today?”
“I came to destroy all your plans. Will you just give up, apologize, and obediently be arrested?”
Arkwright smiled and looked at the man standing next to him.
“That’s what he says. What do you think about that, Topgun-kun?”
“……If it’s the enemy of my master, I will eliminate it.”
Standing there was a knight in majestic armor with his long black hair tied up in a flowing ponytail. He looked like an ideal knight from the picture books.
It was a beautiful and noble figure that would make everyone take a second look.
There was no way I could be mistaken.
It was one of the paladins, Sir Topgun Braveheart himself.
“……I see that you have abandoned your chivalry.”
“What are you talking about, Sharon-dono?”
As Sharon pointed out, Sir Braveheart’s appearance was that of the handsome knight I knew well in my previous life.
In other words, he had fulfilled the condition to lift the spirit’s curse── abandoning his chivalry.
Seeing as Arkwright didn’t seem to care, he likely knew about the curse’s mechanics.
“Well, since they’re helping the person that runs this dark research facility, I guess it’s natural to be far from chivalry.”
I stepped in front of Sharon as I spoke.
Sensing my intentions, she took a few steps back.
“Dark research facility…? All I did was work hard for the advancement of technology. Certainly, sacrifices were made along the way but──”
“Aah, that’s enough. Your words are all excuses.”
When I interrupted Arkwright mid-sentence, a vein appeared on his forehead.
“……What do you mean by that, Haruto-san?”
“I mean, it’s just tacky, your hobby, that is.”
I already knew from the game that this “Ruins of a Research Facility” was the worst kind of place.
According to the memorandum and other items obtained from the area, I knew that living humans and monsters were consumed as research material, but the experiments always ended in failure.
And by the current timeline, he was still struggling to achieve results.
He even resorted to using children from an orphanage.
“After going so far to the point of dismembering humans as research material, you still couldn’t get any useful results. There’s no other reason for this level of failure than your personal incompetence. Since you’re so useless, please don’t bother working.”
“……You bastard.”
As Arkwright was about to stand up, the paladin stopped him with his hand.
“It is a knight’s duty to deal with those who insult their master.”
The knight descended into the arena on behalf of his master.
I raised the corner of my mouth.
“Heeh! So that’s your new chivalry, Topgun Braveheart!”
I wouldn’t let him say that he had forgotten the chivalry he once spoke of.
However, he pulled out his sword without changing his expression.
“I have never abandoned chivalry! It is the duty of a knight to serve the master he has chosen!”
“…………!”
I see.
It seemed there was no choice but to settle the score here and now.
“Sensei… this person…”
“I know, don’t worry.”
Sharon called out as she realized something and I replied without turning.
Then I exhaled and let the magic flow through my body.
“‘Crushing myth’ ‘The baby’s prayers’ ‘I am a foolish martyr’ ‘May you lament the collapse’ ── DRIVE.”
I activated my active skill [Salvation Device (Fake)].
The practice sword I wielded was imbued with an aurora of light that was only bequeathed to the hero.
“Descendant of the Hero, show me your skills.”
The paladin flipped his cloak over his shoulders and stepped forward while raising his sword.
Although it was a fine sword made of the highest quality metal, the essence of a knight didn’t reside within it.
Only when he used it, and when he activated that authority, would the paladin become a walking disaster.
“‘Repel the spark’ ‘Invisible stepping stone’ ‘Accept the judgment’ ‘May you meet your end by your mistake.’ ── DRIVE.”
He activated his combat magic formula.
It was an active skill [Nega-Impulse Integrator].
“There is no defeat for a knight. Prepare yourself.”
The distance between us was gone in an instant.
Braveheart appeared in front of me and swung down his sword.
“Then, as a teacher, it’s only right that I give you a lesson, about defeat, that is!”
I raised the Hero’s Sword to meet his blade.
As soon as we collided, the light from the clash completely burnt out the field of view, and my second battle with the paladin began.
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