EP.84 The Real Instructor, The Fake Instructor
The last phrase written on the note was as follows:
'When the supplies arrive, use them on yourself.'
The only being who could answer all the given questions was him, but he was currently lost in thought, sitting blankly. Now, the only remaining clue was the supplies.
Tyr headed towards the golem tied up in the cafeteria.
The golem's ankles were bound by chains of shadow as if it had become a pet. When Tyrkanjaka snapped her fingers, the shadow chains vanished like smoke as if they had never existed.
Tyr handed the speaker to the golem who had regained its freedom. The golem inserted the now loose speaker—having been torn at so much—into its mouth part and spoke weakly.
『...What business do you have?』
"There is something I must ask. It's about the supplies."
The golem's body creaked with anger. Looking up at Tyr slowly, the golem clenched its fist tightly and said.
『The supplies will arrive soon. However.』
The voice of the signals officer flowing from the microphone contained a firm will.
『I will receive the supplies, but I will not distribute them to Tartarus.』
Those words were a bolt from the blue to Tyr, who had been waiting only for the supplies.
"W-why? Is it not your duty to hand over the supplies to us?"
『If the trainees inside Tartarus are uncooperative with me, I have the authority to delay or suspend distribution. I am merely exercising the authority given to me.』
"U-uncooperative? When did I ever do such a thing?"
『Constraining this unit and tearing off the speaker is a situation that even a child from a primary citizen school would evaluate as uncooperative.』
There were no words to retort. Of course at that time, and even now, Tyr had no intention of cooperating with the golem at all.
"Such... a cowardly method."
『Without such authority, how would one control a mighty existence like yourself?』
Tyr extended her arm. Then, countless black knights rose from the shadows and began to fill the cafeteria densely.
Displaying a fraction of the Progenitor's dominion over a countless host, the Progenitor Tyrkanjaka threatened the golem.
"I am the Progenitor Tyrkanjaka. Queen of Shadows, the root of all vampires. The one who bears the name Kanjaka, the monster that will devour the world. Are you daring to threaten me?"
However, the golem merely scoffed.
『I am Captain Abby, a signals officer of the Military Nation. A signals officer takes no orders from anyone but the command. Even if it means death.』
Words filled with indomitable will. The golem spoke valiantly as if it did not fear death.
『If you do not need the supplies at all, then destroy this unit. I will lose the eyes to watch over Tartarus, but you will lose all future supplies.』
"You mere...! A mere golem...!"
『Even if you destroy my true body, I will not yield. For I am a signals officer of the Military Nation!』
The desperate one was Tyr. Without the supplies, she would fail to carry out his request.
The Progenitor Tyrkanjaka, the supreme being and the root of all vampires, had to withdraw, unable to overcome the threat of a single golem.
It hurt her pride, but it couldn't be helped.
Tyr was a vampire who needed nothing for her life, but he was not.
"I will ask only one thing. The supplies are with you, correct?"
『Affirmative. Just now, the supplies in question arrived here with the supervisor. I am scheduled to receive the supplies after the supervisor's environmental assessment is complete. From that point on, whether to distribute the supplies is entirely at my discretion! If you wish to receive the supplies, cooperate with my instructions!』
"...Fine. How do you want me to cooperate?"
『First! Cease all hostile acts against this unit. Answer the questions I ask with all sincerity. Provide opportunities to periodically observe the situation in Tartarus! Aside from that, there are 48 other detailed clauses...!』
It was then.
Pop!
A faint sound of something bursting in the air was heard. It was a sound like shaking out a wide, thick bedsheet.
Or, it sounded like the noise a parachute makes when it opens.
Both the golem and Tyr stopped talking. The two stared at each other for a moment. Tyr opened the window and looked outside.
Outside the window, a supply box was falling. Relying on a single large parachute.
『...Huh?』
A dumbfounded voice came from the golem's microphone. Immediately after, the sound of the box hitting the concrete ground followed. A sound that shattered hope, without a doubt.
『Why? Dropping the supplies arbitrarily?』
The power dynamic reversed. Tyr caught sight of the parachute falling below and slowly closed the window. Click, the latch fastened, and the cafeteria became a sealed space once more.
In the completely darkened cafeteria, only Tyr's sinister voice rang in the air.
"The supplies have arrived. What will you do now?"
『....』
The golem, unable to continue speaking for a moment, chose to act brazenly to get out of the crisis.
『I-I highly appreciate your cooperative attitude, and have thus distributed the supplies in advance. Therefore, I hope you will also abide by the agreement we made earlier.』
"Agreement? Did we ever make anything resembling an agreement?"
However, there was a lack of confidence in its voice to act completely brazen, and the supplies had dropped too early to cry out that an agreement was made.
In truth, nothing would have worked anyway.
"Is that the end of your last words?"
"W-wait a moment. There is some misunderstanding here."
"It seems the misunderstanding occurred on your end. Seeing as how sounds are still coming from that useless mouth of yours."
"N-no... Mmph!"
Whips made of shadow wrapped around the golem's entire body. Bound by the whips tightening from all directions, the golem could only watch as Tyr stepped out of the cafeteria.
Shey was glaring at the box from a distance of ten steps away from where the supply box was dropped.
The fact that supplies had arrived was not a problem at all. It was only because there were no people in Tartarus, but normally, a facility of this scale would receive supplies several times a day.
It was also something he had already announced in the note, so it was a foreseen fact that they would arrive eventually.
However, Shey was currently raising his guard, because he could feel an alien presence inside the supply box.
Why on earth.
Why was there a person inside the box?
"Has it arrived?"
"Yeah. But something... is weird."
Tyr, wrapped in darkness, flew down and landed next to Shey. Tyr, whose heart was running ahead, tried to approach the box right away to check it, but was stopped by Shey.
"Wait, Tyrkanjaka. There's something inside."
"...Hmm? I know that. Isn't it a box meant to hold something inside?"
"No, not an object... a person, I mean."
As Shey muttered so,
the lid of the box shifted, and a stiff, sharp voice came from inside.
"I heard that there is a laborer assigned as management staff currently in Tartarus. It should still be working hours, so why have they not come to receive the supplies?"
Click, click. The locks were undone from inside the box. The lid of the supply box opened, and what appeared was a woman dressed in the uniform of the Military Nation.
The stiff uniform had not a single wrinkle, her shoulder lines were sharply angled, and on her chest, which was prominently visible even over the uniform, hung two shining medals. It seemed as if she was declaring to everyone that she was an officer of the Military Nation.
Completely different from a certain suspicious instructor, it was an outfit that was the very epitome of an officer. The kind that Shey would instinctively feel repulsed by...
Coming out with her peaked cap tucked under her arm, she looked around at everyone and spoke in a heavy voice.
"Tch, the discipline of the Military Nation has become lax. To think they wouldn't even step out to receive the supplies meant for them."
A voice that filled one with annoyance just by listening to it. Stiff, authoritative, and rigid tone struck Shey's ears.
'Should I cut her...'
While Shey was seriously contemplating,
the officer put on her peaked cap with disciplined movements. Then, her bobbed hair, cut as sharply as a blade, formed a line. The officer aligned her posture and spoke with her chin raised high.
"Greetings. I am Lieutenant Colonel Callis Kritz, appointed as the instructor of this Tartarus as of today. I have been placed in overall charge of this place as of today, and hereby report this."
"An instructor?"
"That is correct, trainee."
A question arose.
It wouldn't be strange to have two instructors for a facility the size of Tartarus.
However, there were at most four trainees inside right now, and even that number could decrease depending on judgment. Because the Fragmented Immortal and the King of Dogs were ambiguous to treat as humans.
Yet two instructors were dispatched?
"Rest assured. I have no intention of harming the trainees. Rather, the 'model' trainees who remain here are beings who might become collaborators of the Military Nation in the future. I have come to this place to lead you down a better path."
Furthermore, with an attitude of not caring about the previous instructor at all... If she was newly appointed, it would be normal to report to the existing person in charge first, regardless of rank.
The rising suspicions suppressed his vague hostility. While Shey quietly observed the situation,
Tyr paid no attention to the person and was using shadows to rummage through the supply box.
"More importantly, where are the supplies?"
Tyr looked for the supplies. A giant hand made of shadows flipped the supply box upside down and shook it thoroughly, but not even a speck of dust fell out, let alone supplies.
Feeling puzzled, Tyr soon sent a peculiar look towards Callis.
"Are you the supplies by any chance...? Hmm. How should I use a person...?"
Perhaps even a stiff Military Nation officer like a machine felt the threat to her life. Callis uncharacteristically hurriedly rummaged through her inner pocket.
"If it's the supplies you mean, it's probably this."
Callis took out a square paper case from her inner pocket. When she flicked the top with her thumb, the lid opened, revealing a thick cigar rolled round with paper.
"Mana tobacco. A level 3 luxury good. Tch, a hobby item that even officers have a hard time smoking without upper command's permission, yet they distribute it for a mere laborer... The military is giving this place special treatment just because it's Tartarus. It's still a place where people live, though."
Muttering in dissatisfaction, she handed the mana tobacco case to the hand of shadow that had approached nearby. The shadow hand snatched the mana tobacco and immediately flew to Tyr.
Mana tobacco is a psychoactive herb that relaxes the body and stabilizes the nerves. It has a minor mana recovery effect and is usually used in the form of a cigar rolled in paper.
That was probably the 'supplies' he had requested... Shey judged so.
He didn't know if he could find his lost memories with that, but who knows. He might have hidden something.
"Wait. More importantly. A laborer?"
Only then did Shey feel something was off and muttered.
A laborer? What does that mean? The only one in this place who needed mana tobacco was the untrustworthy instructor...
The untrustworthy...
Don't tell me.
"Yes. A laborer. Did no one know?"
Callis clicked her tongue and said.
The truth about him that Shey had been so curious about.
"Hughes. That man is a laborer assigned to Tartarus. After being urgently arrested for illegal gambling in Amitengrad Sector 13-3, he was sentenced to labor in Tartarus."