8. Insurance>Sellain’s Ra
-Syareu
-Roa was still crowded with people.
Because of that, Veronica and Sian’s curiosity only grew larger and larger.
“Mr. Ragaope, is it true that we can get there by riding the Ra-
-Syareu-
-Roa?”
At Sian’s question, Ragaope nodded.
“Yes. By the way, Mr. Sian, are you perhaps expecting something?”
“…….”
“I’m telling you this just in case, but don’t expect anything like a bizarre magic circle forming underneath us and dragging us underground, or sending us to some base high in the sky. That way, you won’t be disappointed.”
“…….”
“Let’s go.”
Veronica had been looking at the young master, who was putting on an openly disappointed expression, with a curious look on her face, but when Ragaope quickened his pace, she hurriedly followed after him.
“Everyone, you all have your identification badges, right?”
Ragaope said, looking at Veronica and Sian, who were standing in line among the people.
“We do… but why is this necessary?”
Veronica asked with a curious expression, and Ragaope answered as if surprised.
“My goodness. Have you never used the Ra-
-Syareu-
-Roa even once? This is one of our masterpieces, you know. You need an identification badge to pass through the inspection checkpoint, don’t you?”
“…….”
Veronica hadn’t asked with that meaning in mind, but now being treated like some backwoods countrywoman, she closed her mouth.
“Ra-
-Syareu-
-Roa, three people to Roa-
-Tian.” ‘…
Roa
-Tian? You mean it’s in a place like that?’
Before long, as the Ra-
-Syareu-
-Roa began to activate, ignoring Veronica, who was harboring doubts beside them, Ragaope took out a small artifact from his bosom.
“What is that?”
Seeing Ragaope manipulating the tiny artifact by pressing various parts of it, Sian asked out of curiosity.
“You’ll see if you watch.”
The people in front threw their bodies into the air on the opposite side one by one, and before long, it was Sian’s turn.
“Mr. Sian, Miss Veronica, please stick close to my side. This artifact only works within a radius of two meters.”
“……?”
As Sian and Veronica made puzzled expressions and stuck close to Ragaope’s side, Ragaope activated the artifact in his hand.
In that instant, Veronica doubted her own eyes.
The scenery on the other side of the round sphere that had clearly been reflecting the distant capital of Tian, Roa-
-Tian, disappeared with a crackling sound and changed into a beach they were seeing for the first time.
And before Veronica even had time to question the phenomenon, Ragaope led the two through the spatial rift of the Ra-
-Syareu-
-Roa, and they had arrived at a completely different place, not Roa-
-Tian, the original destination of the Ra-
-Syareu-
-Roa.
Because a beach on the sea with nothing visible beyond the horizon couldn’t possibly be Roa-
-Tian, located in the middle of a continent.
As Veronica was blankly staring at the sea, Ragaope’s grumbling voice was heard from behind.
“Phew. This is all good, but the problem is that the operating time isn’t very long.”
“…Where is this?”
Veronica asked Ragaope, who was opening and closing the artifact in his hand.
Though there were only a few Ra-
-Syareu-
-Roas installed across the entire continent, and because of that, Veronica knew where all of them were installed, the place they had arrived at corresponded to none of the locations she knew.
In the first place, since she had never heard of a Ra-
-Syareu-
-Roa, which were installed only near cities with enormous floating populations, being installed on such a wide beach.
Ragaope looked at Sian and Veronica, who were like that, and spoke with a smile.
“Well, this must be a Ra-
-Syareu-
-Roa you don’t know. I made one because going back and forth was annoying. I have a lot of things to carry, and I can’t carry everything by boat. Anyway, welcome. Welcome to
And in the direction opposite the beach, which Veronica had been too preoccupied with to notice until now, as Ragaope walked, there stood rows of structures boasting enormous sizes, enough to crush one’s spirit just by looking at them.
“What is this place called Arman? What does it do?”
Because Ragaope, who had finished some grand introduction, was just walking straight ahead without explaining, Veronica couldn’t contain her curiosity and asked him.
“Hmm… You and Mr. Rimainu when I first saw him have something in common.”
Seeing Ragaope not answering her question but saying something else, Veronica made a puzzled expression.
“Perhaps because you’re from another world, you don’t fear us.”
“……?”
If he knew her younger brother, it wasn’t strange that he knew she was from another dimension, but Veronica looked at Ragaope, who was spouting incomprehensible words, with a bewildered expression.
He had done her no harm, so why should she fear them?
Veronica, who didn’t know that transcendent beings had entirely different ways of thinking from humans in the first place, had no idea that they could crush her to death as easily as squashing an ant if they were even slightly displeased.
If she had known this, she couldn’t have asked questions as if talking to a teacher. No matter that Sian was with her.
That was why she could throw questions at Ragaope before her without fear, and Ragaope had pointed out that very fact.
“Don’t threaten my sister-in-law. Or your jaw will get dislocated again.”
“Isn’t that a threat?”
Ragaope, who had been grumbling, opened his mouth as if he had just remembered Veronica’s question.
“You asked what this place does, correct?”
“Yes. I’m curious since you said it’s where my younger brother works.”
“Well… If I were to explain it in terms familiar to Miss Riminia, a subcontractor? You could call it an outsourcing company.”
“A subcontractor?”
The scale of this place was extraordinary at a glance. Compared to the massive scale, the number of people didn’t seem that great, but the numerous labor force was being replaced by bizarre human-shaped golems moving about everywhere.
She had never seen such a sight even in the dimension she had been living in.
Of course, it was not outfitted like the modern era, but having lived in medieval times until now and coming here, it felt like experiencing a completely different world.
‘There’s never been anything like this…….’
She could understand to some extent the meaning of the words that the one called Ragaope had spoken, about being a bit different from the Law Council.
She had gone to a Law Council branch with her husband, but it had only felt like a medieval ivory tower; it was nothing like a place embodying this level of overtechnology.
She hadn’t been to the headquarters of Kiraan,
-Intaro>, but Veronica could say with confidence that it definitely wouldn’t feel like this.
“Perhaps that expression is accurate. It’s a place set up to make the things we need. And such things aren’t important, are they? Since you’ve come to meet your younger brother anyway.”
“……?”
Without saying which organization’s subcontractor it was, Ragaope continued walking.
After passing the massive structures, Ragaope arrived in front of the tallest building, albeit smallest in size, and opened his mouth.
A tower similar enough that anyone seeing it would ask if it wasn’t the tower where Takion of Ra-
-Intaro, the main stronghold of the Grand Law Council, resided.
The difference was that this tower was even higher, and unlike Takion’s tower, which stood alone, it was connected to several other buildings by bridges.
At a glance, the structure was built so that this tower could serve as the central hub, so Veronica could guess that her younger brother was playing a core role here.
Upon entering the tower, a somewhat different scenery from the outside unfolded.
Unlike the outside, where automated labor forces had taken over, the inside was bustling with countless people.
Starting from the Silling Tribe, who claimed to be descendants of elves, to the rare Deukon Tribe, as well as numerous law practitioners busily walking about and performing their duties.
“Please revise this part.”
“There seems to be an error in the coefficient measurement, so please remeasure.”
“You brats over there! How many times do I have to tell you it’s H-9, not H-7!”
If law practitioners or engineers had seen this scene, and had been present at this site, they would have gasped at the technology, knowledge, and resources being used here, but to Veronica, who was utterly ignorant of such things in the first place, it had no effect whatsoever.
And the same was true for Sian.
“There are more people than I thought.”
“Well… we need a lot of things, so we need a lot of manpower too. Since they’ve been taught well, they’re fairly useful, as far as humans go.”
“…….”
“Ah, please don’t misunderstand. Haha. Mr. Rimainu is completely different from them. He is precious to us as well.”
She couldn’t know how far to believe those words, but for now, Veronica let out a sigh of relief.
Then her younger brother wouldn’t be treated as expendable, at least.
Conversely, it seemed it would be even harder to extract her brother from this place, so Veronica’s expression turned slightly gloomy.
“By the way, what is this proposal you have for me?”
Sian asked out of curiosity.
The man called Ragaope had said he came because he had business with him, but he hadn’t made any proposal to him until now.
He would merely answer any questions asked.
Hearing those words, Ragaope smiled.
“I shall tell you that story in a bit. Anyway, when Miss Veronica and Mr. Rimainu meet in a little while, won’t the conversation grow long? I think I can tell you then. If I propose now and time is delayed, wouldn’t Miss Veronica, who wants to meet her brother even a second sooner, be too pitiful?”
“Well, that’s true. Let’s hear it slowly later.”
After walking a bit, there was a device made for vertical movement inside the tower.
It wasn’t the large cargo transport one next to it; perhaps because it was a device made solely for the purpose of carrying passengers, its size wasn’t very big, but it was enough to carry about three people, and before long, it began ascending toward the top floor of the tower at high speed.
Upon arriving at the top floor of the tower, Veronica looked around with trembling eyes.
A vast room filled with unknown devices, blueprints, books, and materials.
Standing at the entrance of such a room, Ragaope called for Rimainu in a loud voice.
“Mr. Rimainu! I have a present.”
Then, a man’s voice was heard from between the bookshelves.
“Mr. Ragaope, are you here? If you’ve come to check on the project’s progress….”
“Now, now, didn’t I say it’s a present? We do our best for our employees’ happiness.”
Hearing those words, the man came out from between the bookshelves holding a stack of books and looked at Ragaope, and then, seeing two more people standing beside Ragaope, he narrowed his eyes to get a better look at the unexpected figures.
And then, he dropped the books he was holding with a thud.
“Uh… uhhh… uh? Big sister?”
“Manu!”
Seeing Veronica go and embrace Rimainu, who was dumbfounded, Ragaope exclaimed.
“Hoho. I knew you’d be moved. Kya! So this is why that person called Santa, whom Mr. Rimainu mentioned, does such things! I’d heard he was a transcendent being from that side; I was curious why he went around doing useless things.”
“…….”
“Well, shall we leave them to it? The two of you, please have a good long talk! Mr. Sian, please come this way.”
Then Ragaope walked toward a door attached to one corner of the top floor.
Opening that door and climbing the stairs in front of it, the rooftop appeared.
Sian went up to the rooftop and looked around thoroughly.
An island of considerable scale.
The island was filled with facilities in every corner, constantly emitting light and sound as they manufactured something.
“It’s a sight to behold, isn’t it, Mr. Sian?”
“Indeed. Where is this?”
“Hmm… It’s an island you reach if you go south from the Kon Kingdom. Is it the Usyalan Kingdom now? It’s a place ordinary people don’t know.”
Hearing that, Sian looked north, but even with Sian’s eyesight, he couldn’t see land.
It meant it was truly, incredibly far away.
But Sian was curious about the main subject, so he spoke to Ragaope.
“By the way… what proposal were you trying to make? And how did you know about me and find me?”
“Well… that is a long story, but let me begin with the proposal.”‘Surely it isn’t some childish offer to join his organization…’If they knew a certain amount about him, then they should also know a certain amount about his personality. That must have been why they had been speaking respectfully to his family.
“Mr. Sian, would you perhaps… be interested in taking out an insurance policy?”
“……?”
At the completely unexpected offer, Sian stared blankly.
“…
Did you say insurance?”
“Yes, insurance.”
“…
You mean that insurance where, if I die or get hurt, you compensate me with money?”
Sian began to suspect that this man had been hit by him in the wrong place and gone insane.
Perhaps Ragaope noticed that look, because he smiled and replied.
“Huhu. Do you think what we are offering could possibly be something like that?”
“Well, I suppose not…”
If he did not want his jaw dislocated again, he would not have called Sian all the way to this remote island just to make an offer like that.
“What we are offering is not some ordinary retirement security insurance… nothing so shabby.”
“……?”
“It is, in fact, postmortem coverage insurance! Haha!”
Seeing the immense pride on Ragaope’s face as he spoke, Sian grew curious. What he was saying was utter nonsense, but Ragaope had never looked this proud even after building facilities like these on an island of this size.
He still had no idea what insurance product Ragaope was recommending, but judging from the confidence overflowing on Ragaope’s face, it certainly did not seem ordinary.
When Sian showed interest, Ragaope began to elaborate, as if he had expected as much.☆ ☆ ☆Long ago, very long ago, there was a great genius.
That genius, as a matter of course, reached the realm of Ra
-Vander.
Because he was far too strong, he lived his entire life without ever knowing an equal. Then he came face-to-face with a mighty foe he could never defeat.
Death.
No matter how much of a Ra
-Vander he was, he could not defeat death. In theory, there was no reason for him to die, but after passing a certain point, he felt his life force rapidly diminishing and realized that three hundred years was his limit.
He could not believe it. Having never known defeat in his life, he had thought even death would avoid him.
It was a complete miscalculation. He was slowly dying.
But not knowing was one thing; if one knew, then one simply had to find a method.
It was a way of thinking possible only for a man who had never known failure in his life.
He began to scour the entire continent. He gathered every scrap of material related to eternal youth and immortality, and whenever he heard rumors of some wondrous race, he chased them down even to the ends of the continent. Even if he was dying, there was no existence mightier than him, so none of it posed much of a problem.
In the midst of that, he learned of certain mysterious races.
The man, being human, could not attempt their methods.
And so, before the man could even seek out a new way, his lifespan ran out and he died.☆ ☆ ☆“……?”
“An unfortunate ending, isn’t it? It pains the heart.”
Listening to a story that had veered into a strange structure before ever reaching a proper conclusion, Sian wore an dumbfounded expression.
In truth, since Ragaope had been acting so smug, Sian had thought the genius in the story was the man standing before him. Though he did not actually look that strong.
But the protagonist of the story had died, while this Ragaope fellow before him was alive, so it did not seem to be self-praise after all.
“Surely this isn’t the end?”
“Huhu. Of course not. There is a second part. Normally, this is something we tell only to those who join our organization, but since you are special, Mr. Sian, I will simply reveal it.”
And Ragaope continued.☆ ☆ ☆Amazingly, the man was born again.
Reincarnated. And what was more, with that astonishing genius intact.
After growing up to a certain extent and looking into things, he learned that a hundred years had passed since his death.
The man realized that overcoming death through his previous method would be difficult. He had merely been strong; that alone could not defeat death.
While cultivating his strength, the man discovered a new talent that existed in the body into which he had been reborn.
The power to change and twist the world.
The body into which the man had been reborn possessed a talent specialized in the supernatural ability later named Exar.
Because he was a greedy man, he felt no need to cultivate only one path, and so he trained in both. Since it was a road he had walked once before, the man quickly ascended to the realm of Ra
-Vander, then trained in and researched Exar as well, eventually reaching the realm known these days as Grand Lawmaster.
However, the man’s purpose was not to become strong.
Determined to defeat death in this life, the man diligently researched the power of the Kal-Gul and the power of the Granain. Fortunately, unlike Vander, which merely made one stronger, lawcraft and miracles were extremely useful for such research.
And before he died, he created the result.
A small orb that could call even the dead back from the underworld to the living world.
So long as one had this Soul-Transference Orb, one could return even from death.
The man had succeeded.
Even in overcoming death.☆ ☆ ☆“Kya! And that is where the story ends. There is no third part yet, since it is still in production. Is that not incredible?”
“Heavens, that is astonishing. Then that genius of a man is perhaps… still alive to this day?”
Sian was genuinely amazed. To think of overcoming death itself, and then to succeed! He, too, had some talent, but he could only praise that man’s talent and effort.
“No. He died.”
“…….”
“Well, isn’t it the natural order that even if you’re strong, if you get cocky and meet someone stronger, you die? That man died cleanly. It would have been better if he had focused on either Vander or Exar, instead of both.”
“Haha… well, now…”
It was true, but at the strangely hollow ending, Sian let out a dispirited laugh.
“Well, that is not what matters to you, Mr. Sian. The method for creating that Soul-Transference Orb was passed down even after the man died.”
“Is that true?”
Only then did Sian understand what the organization meant by “postmortem coverage insurance.”
“Of course. You may have seen one before, Mr. Sian. You once met a boy named Decaron, did you not?”
Searching his memories, Sian recalled the incident.
“Ah, then…”
“Yes. What that boy Decaron was carrying was a Soul-Transference Orb. That Soul-Transference Orb belonged to Mr. Rivias. He has since been revived and is living well. He, too, belongs to our organization.”
Sian felt himself becoming utterly absorbed in Ragaope’s words.
If he could obtain that, all the worries he had had until now would be resolved at once. Of course, he had no intention whatsoever of trusting in it and walking into a place where he would die for the sake of dangerous training.
But no one knew what might happen in the world. When he came out of that red sphere, he had thought there could be no one stronger than him, and yet had he not been trapped inside the red sphere once again?
There was no law saying that something that had happened twice would not happen a third time.
Seeing Sian’s interest, Ragaope smiled and drove in the finishing blow.
“Furthermore… this time, we are thinking of offering an unprecedented special benefit. This is provided only because you are a powerful individual of your caliber, Mr. Sian.”
“……?”
“It is called family-linked insurance… I wonder if you have heard of it…”
“Then…?”
“Huhu. It means we will create Soul-Transference Orbs for your family as well, Mr. Sian. These are extremely difficult to make, but your value exceeds even that. This is a customized plan prepared after investigating you, Mr. Sian.”
With that one sentence, Sian realized that he could not refuse this proposal.
He could protect his family from the danger of death!
If his family members accepted death willingly, he did not intend to revive them out of his own greed. But if a family member died in an unexpected accident, unable to live a happy life, he would never be able to endure it.
Ragaope’s offer perfectly removed such worries.
However, one important hurdle still remained.
A sweet proposal always concealed a dagger. To make such an excessive offer to someone he had only just met—there was a chance he might demand something tremendous in return.
“If… I accept, what must I do?”
“Huhu. Well, I knew you would accept. No one has refused the offer thus far.”‘Thus far…?’“And what does it mean that no one has heard it and pushed it away? It means the price is nothing special.”
“Hmm…”
“Surprisingly, we demand nothing. We simply make it for you.”
“…….”
But upon hearing that proposal, Sian looked at Ragaope with suspicious eyes.
“Did you not say it was extremely difficult to make?”
“Well, yes. These days, it has become even harder to make them.”
“…
And if you make them for my family as well?”
“Well, four would be necessary. Blood relatives are enough, are they not?”
Sian nodded as well. His sisters-in-law were precious, but they were precious because they were his brothers’ wives; they could not be compared to his family.
“And you are saying you will give all four of them for free?”
“Hmm… So this is a bit complicated… First, I suppose I must go back to the beginning. Mr. Sian, what sort of people do you think we make this offer to?”
He pondered for a moment, but did not think for very long. After all, he had only one singular trait.
“Do you perhaps provide it to superhumans?”
“Correct! That precious talent and astonishing power! Superhumans are truly invaluable resources. If there is a living superhuman such as a Ra
-Vander or Grand Lawmaster, we go to them and offer this insurance. Mr. Rivias also received the benefits of a Soul-Transference Orb.”
“I understand that much.”
“Our motto is only one thing. Never force anything. Given the nature of our organization, there is nothing to gain from coercion. Our goal is for everyone to join of their own will. That is our motto. But if we gave someone this insurance and then told them to join, it would be wonderful for us, yes, but would it not seem like a threat?”
“Hmm…”
Hearing it, that did make sense. The insurance was extremely attractive, but in truth, superhumans almost never died if left alone. Even when superhumans fought one another, they often cherished each other enough not to kill, or so Miss Steel had once said. Even if dying of old age was unpleasant, forcing them into an organization could provoke resentment.
“Well… as you know, do superhumans not tend to have rather filthy personalities? Ah, goodness… they are simply a complete mess.”
“Well…”
Miss Steel alone was enough to make the point.
“So we provide only the insurance first. Then they will end up having no choice but to join the organization anyway. Huhu.”
Curious about Ragaope’s next words as he laughed sinisterly, Sian pricked up his ears and waited for Ragaope to speak.
“Perhaps if you create that Soul-Transference Orb, you become brainwashed or…”
“As if that could be the case. To begin with, a brainwashed superhuman? Haha. Even if such a pathetic superhuman existed, we would not count them as a superhuman.”‘True enough…’One was not a superhuman because one was strong, but because one stood alone. The moment one obeyed someone else’s orders, one was no superhuman. Merely an obedient puppy.
“Then how do you get them to listen?”
“Hmm… If I explain that, the story becomes long again… Earlier, the story ended with the second part, did it not?”
“That is right.”
“There is also a side story. One might call it the story of a supporting character, rather than the protagonist. My, there really is much to explain today. Even so, you must hear it all in order to make the right choice.”
And to Sian, who was looking at him with an intrigued expression, Ragaope told the side story.☆ ☆ ☆The man who had gained a new life was impatient.
Since there had been nothing he had not tried in his previous life, he had to produce results in this life no matter what. There was no guarantee anywhere that he would be lucky enough to reincarnate again as he had this time.
As everyone knows, when one is impatient, one’s actions become extreme as well.
While the man rushed toward his goal, there were some very minor frictions. From the man’s point of view, of course.
Those who lived beneath the path the man advanced along were all smashed apart and sent flying, their wills broken. If the strong said they were going, what could the weak possibly do?
But there was no guarantee that a person could live recklessly and only ever encounter those weaker than himself. Among them, he might meet someone as strong as he was—or even stronger.
If that person avoided him, then perhaps nothing would happen. But if they had no intention of avoiding him, or had a reason they could not, then a clash was bound to occur.
That was what happened to the man.
Fortunately, the power the man could mobilize was a little greater than what his opponent could, and the opponent had to flee in bitter humiliation.
The problem came after that.
After the man died in an unexpected accident, the opponent who had fled in bitter tears returned.
The bigger problem was that the opponent chose the wrong target for his revenge. This was why one had to choose one’s side well.
That madman returned and began hunting human superhumans.
What made it even more unfortunate was that the madman was tremendously strong—and he did not die of old age.
From then on, the continent came to have a single hunter who sought to hunt human superhumans, one who did not die of old age.
The Armed Hunter, Kel.
—A superhuman hunter incomparable even to Duin.
This madman, whenever he found a superhuman traveling alone, would pursue and kill them no matter where on the continent they were. Normally, if a superhuman resolved to hide, they could not be found at all, but this fellow, by some unknown means, always managed to track them down.
“Unfortunately, Mr. Ribias also died at that time. Hehe. Thankfully, he had taken out our insurance product, so he was able to come back to life.”
“…
Why did no one know that such a madman was roaming around?”
“Because that madman has no interest in anything except superhumans. To be honest, humans are, well, at the level of ants. And fortunately, amid all that misfortune, his active periods are short. I don’t know if it’s a penalty of his immortality… Mr. Ribias was simply unlucky enough to be caught during one of those active periods.”
“Hmm…”
“Hehe. With a madman like that roaming around, what could even a superhuman do? One-on-one, they simply get thrashed. He’s incredibly strong, you see. Even though his active periods are short, at least one person always dies. We always make a Soul-Transfer Jade for them and tell them this story in advance, but superhumans always react in exactly the same way… Honestly…” ‘The ones who died only got thrashed because they were weak! I’m strong, so even if I fight that madman alone, I can win!’ “Since I’m on the weaker side for a La-Bander, it isn’t as though I can knock their teeth out and teach them that someone at their level would be thrashed… It’s truly unfortunate.”
“…”
“Well, at this point, I suppose you can roughly guess?”
“I understand.”
There was no superhuman who would dislike being given insurance for free. But after hearing the story that followed, superhumans would snort and refuse to join the organization. Then they would go around alone.
And when they met that so-called Hunter, got thrashed once, and came back to life, their minds would change.
No matter how extraordinary their abilities were, every superhuman who experienced the above once and revived afterward joined the organization.
“That is how our organization has been steadily scouting people. Honestly… It would be so nice if they simply joined from the start, but they insist on going through the process above as though it were an initiation. Wasting precious Soul-Transfer Jades. Mr. Ribias, too, only joined after his neck was lopped clean off and he came back to life.”
But after hearing this story, Sian had several questions.
He decided to ask the one he was most curious about first.
“There is something I’m curious about.”
“Please ask.”
“That hunter… is he stronger than I am?”
Sian could not believe such a thing.
At that, Ragaofe let out a deep sigh and said,
“That is the problem. Mr. Sian, you are probably stronger. The perfect method we have used until now will not work on you. Hoo… That is why we are even preparing an unprecedented family-related insurance plan.”
“Hmm…”
From what he had heard, they were going to enormous lengths to bring him into the organization, yet he did not know its members, its objective, or even its name.
They likely intended to tell him in detail if he showed willingness to join, but he decided to put that on hold for now.
Because he had another question.
“Why don’t you catch and kill him?”
“Well, we do make efforts. First, whenever he appears, we chase him down and attack. In fact, there have been several cases where we drove him off that way. The problem is that afterward he goes back to ambushing those who travel alone. I don’t know what method he uses, but he finds them incredibly well. In the end, everyone who travels alone dies.”
“Hmm… You don’t kill him?”
“The problem is… he is incredibly good at running away. He absolutely cannot be caught. Mr. Sian, you will understand if you see him. The best we can do is drive him off and wait for him to enter hibernation again. Then we can be at ease for a while.”
Sian was dumbfounded. When he first heard the explanation, he had imagined some avenger returned from hell, but the fellow was rather petty. He never touched those who were gathered together, only beat up those he could defeat, and if it seemed he might die, he simply ran away.
“There are all kinds of people in this world.”
“In a way, you could call it wise. One must be alive to take revenge, after all, no? For the greatest revenge, survival comes first. If superhumans had not banded together, their numbers would be far fewer than they are now. In fact, there have been cases where we failed to save them.”
After that, Sian asked various questions and came to a conclusion.
“He is a peculiar one.”
“Well… if you call him peculiar, then he is peculiar. There are still many secrets about him. Have all your questions been resolved?”
“Well… roughly. Then is that madman currently roaming the continent?”
At that, Ragaofe answered with a smile.
“He is not in an active period right now. We drove him off several decades ago and sent him into hibernation. That is why I am walking around alone like this. During those periods, several of us move together.”
“That is truly fortunate.”
Sian sincerely thought it was fortunate. He had been worried because he could not contact Miss Steel, wondering if she had been attacked by that hunter, but if it was not an active period, he could be relieved.‘But why hasn’t Miss Steel died until now? From what I’ve heard, it doesn’t seem like she was in the organization. Is it because his active periods are short?’The question arose, but there was no way to know. According to the story, he pursued superhumans who traveled alone.
“Hmm… Then let me summarize one last time. We will make the Soul-Transfer Jade for you for free. To our organization, superhumans are important talents. Even if you do not join, this is our consideration toward one of our own kind. As for joining… please decide after the Soul-Transfer Jade has been made. We will tell you the details then.”
“Hmm…”
“This is a rule, so even if you are curious, there is nothing to be done. Please do not misunderstand and think I am refusing to tell you because I want to look mysterious.”
The conditions were far too generous. Sian was at a loss for words.
“Is that all?”
“Yes. That is all. We do not force anyone. The rule is that information about the organization is given after one decides to join, so it cannot be helped. Usually, after dying once and returning, people decide to join and learn everything on the spot, but it does not seem likely that you will die, Mr. Sian… May we attach a condition? At this rate, we will be taking too much of a loss.”
Sian thought that would actually put him more at ease, so he listened closely.
“What is it?”
“I told you earlier, did I not? That this Soul-Transfer Jade is quite difficult to make.”
“Yes.”
“In truth, the process of making it is not that difficult. It is merely that the materials are extremely hard to obtain.”
“Materials…”
“I told you earlier, did I not? That a genius man created it while interacting and conducting research with the Granain and the Kal-Gul.”
“You did.”
“That is why two things are needed. One is the heart of a Kal-Gul. And the other is the spring water of Lavne, treasured by the Granain. If you were a Kal-Gul or a Granain, this would not be necessary, but humans need both. Only then can blood and muscle be laid over the bones, energy established, and the soul placed within.”
“…”
From the moment the Granain were mentioned, Sian began to feel uneasy.
“Well, it was fine that the mountain range where the Granain lived collapsed… but for some reason, all of Lavne had dried up. Honestly, I wonder who did what. Thanks to that, several projects we were working on came to a complete halt.”
“…”
“Mm? Why are you making that face? In any case, we have a bit of a surplus of hearts in storage, but the spring water has run out completely. It has a great many uses, you see.”
“Then does that not mean you cannot make it?”
“Hehe. If that were the case, would I have called you, Mr. Sian? In truth, we no longer need the spring water. There is a substitute. Though calling it a substitute sounds strange. If we make it with that, the quality is even better. It is just difficult to obtain. The research we conduct is not all a waste of money. This is the result we found while wondering how to improve the Soul-Transfer Jade further. It was research we had already been doing, but after the spring water dried up five years ago, we greatly accelerated progress and discovered it recently.”
Then Ragaofe began explaining various things about the substitute. From what Sian heard, it did not seem particularly difficult from his own standpoint.
“Mm…”
“You can think of it as fetching a gift for your family. It would be nice if you joined the organization after the Soul-Transfer Jade is made, but as long as you bring us enough of the item, it will not be a losing deal for us either.”
“Ah, but may I perhaps take care of my business first before looking for it?”
“In any case, it will take us several months to prepare the other work necessary for production. You only need to bring it before then. But is something the matter?”
“Ah… It is not that. I need to find someone…”
“If we can help, we will. Whom are you looking for?”
“Hah… Are you not helping me too much?”
“Please think of all this as our effort to bring you in, Mr. Sian. You could call it an investment.”
In truth, Sian’s mind had tilted quite a bit. Although he had not even heard everything yet, he was already thinking that joining might not be a bad idea.
Of course, he did not know how much he should believe, so he would have to be careful, but if everything said was true, it was quite appealing.
“Hmm… Then I will accept without hesitation. Her name is Miss Steel…”
“Miss Steel? Who is that?”
When Ragaofe looked puzzled, Sian realized his mistake.
“Ah! Stantal I.”
“Ah… the one who was staying around Lagrang…”
“You know her?”
At that, Ragaofe gave a bitter smile and said,
“She is the only person for whom a Soul-Transfer Jade was made who still has not joined the organization, so of course I know. Hehe. Usually, people hear the terms for joining after they die, so she probably does not even know the organization’s true identity.”
Only then did Sian recall what Steel had told him in the past.‘Ah… that old geezer Groin… That mister came carrying a bucket of spring water and bragged so much about how they would make something amazing for me… He stuttered too, so I could barely understand him. I got annoyed and had a bout with Mister Ribias when he came next. As for now… who knows if they’re all still alive. It was 150 years ago, so they’re probably dead.’“Huh… So you already made one.”
“She was someone beside the spring water, so we made the offer while going to get it. I was not the one who went… But she likely has never even seen the Soul-Transfer Jade. We simply made it and have been storing it. She probably does not even know who we are.”
Ragaofe smiled bitterly as he recalled the situation Groin had reported from that time.‘Mister! If you’re going to act smug about doing something like that for me, get lost! I don’t need it! No, wait. Stay right there! Let me loosen up today!’“Well, it is not a particularly unusual occurrence. Most are like that. Then, after they die, they join… but for some reason, she has lived well for more than two hundred years, so we have not contacted her since Mr. Groin went.”‘The organization’s rules are quite peculiar…’Sian thought inwardly. They wanted the other party, but they did not seek them out aggressively. They merely waited for them to come on their own.
In any case, when he put the story together, it meant they had not met Miss Steel after that.
“Hmm… I am back to square one.”
Sian let out a sigh. He was worried, but in this case, there was no way to find her.
“Quite a bit of time has passed, so let us go down first. It seems the conversation is nearly over.”
Hearing that the conversation downstairs was drawing to a close, Lagaope spoke to Sian, and Sian nodded before heading toward the door through which they had come up.