bookpower Book 17: Chapter 3: Part 1
Book 17: Chapter 3: Part 1
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Chapter 3 – Exploration
Part 1
“Hmm...”
The researcher, Marin-san, looks at the monitor with a difficult expression on her face.
I called her.
“Um, did you find anything...?”
However, Marin-san shakes her head in response to my words.
“...I’m sorry, but no matter how much I looked into it, I couldn’t find anything other than that it was an unknown power. I’m really sorry. If I could find out your power, it would be a great help to mankind...”
What I was talking to Marin-san about was the magic I had shown in the mock battle with Rikuto a while ago.
This was because right after the mock battle, I was kidnapped and taken away again for another examination, this time led by Marin-san.
It was all because I had shown my magic in the mock battle.
Of course, many of the spectators there wanted to see me examined again, but Marin-san cut them off.
“I’m sorry, but I have no intention of showing you any more of the examination.”
“W-what?!”
One of the spectators shouted at Marin-san’s words.
It seemed that the other spectators felt the same way, and many of them stared at Marin-san.
However, Marin-san’s attitude remained the same.
“You expect something from Yuuya-san, and when it doesn’t meet your expectations, you’re disappointed. Don’t you think that’s rude?”
“B-but... can’t you understand that?!”
“Let’s say you’re right to have expectations. But what’s the point of being disappointed and ridiculing him just because he didn’t live up to your expectations? The way you mocked him by calling him an ‘old human’ was really unpleasant.”
“W-well...”
“First of all, I only need one person to do the inspection. You two, with your limited knowledge, are just getting in the way.”
“Guh...”
“Don’t worry, I’ll share the results with you. So give up already.”
After this exchange, only three people were present for my inspection: Marin-san, Kazuya, and Akane-san.
...To be honest, I was relieved by the way Marin-san handled the situation.
It’s true that it’s not a pleasant feeling to be made fun of by the people around you, but it was even more unpleasant to be watched by so many people during an examination.
It was as if I was being watched as a test subject... I didn’t feel like I was being treated as a human being.
Anyway, I was put into a white room to be analyzed for magic power, and then I was instructed to use magic there.
Apparently, the white room where I was tested earlier was itself an analysis device. I used various magic spells in that room as instructed by Marin-san, and now the analysis results have come out.
However...
“I never thought there would be no numerical response.”
That’s right. As a result of my using magic, the analysis device didn’t react at all, and even some kind of energy material didn’t appear as a numerical value.
Then Kazuya, who had been watching the inspection, opened his mouth.
“B-but the magic was definitely activated, right?”
“That’s what’s so strange. Even though flames and water were clearly being created right in front of us, there was no way to find out what was going on. At first, I thought it was some kind of illusion, that there was no substance to it, but after seeing how it blew Rikuto away and how it actually burned things in the analysis room, that was impossible. And yet, in the end, there was no way to figure it out at all...”
I couldn’t say anything in response to Marin-san telling me this with a frustrated look on her face.
When you think about it, I don’t really understand what the powers I’ve gained are, not just magic.
Still, I never thought that, even with future technology, it would be impossible to define magic.
“As a researcher, it’s extremely frustrating not to understand, but... given the current situation, I can’t continue researching Yuuya-san’s magic... I guess I’ll just have to give up.”
While saying this, Marin-san let out a big sigh but quickly regained her composure.
“Well, that’s enough about magic for now... In the mock battle earlier, you said you had other powers, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then, can you show me those powers next?”
“Okay.”
I said that and went back to the analysis room.
When I stood on the platform in the middle of the room, I heard Marin-san’s voice coming from the speakers.
“Well then, show me the powers you’re hiding.”
“Do you want to see them one by one, or do you want to see them layered on top of each other?”
“...Can you layer them?”
“Yes.”
After a short pause, as if she had some doubts, the voice came through again.
“No, I want you to show me one at a time first.”
“Okay.”
“Even if the rest of us used it, we’d only be able to scratch it, right? And then he just...”
What are they talking about?
I can’t hear the conversation, so I’m a little worried...
“U-um, is everything okay...?”
“Eh? Y-yeah, sorry. Good job.”
The test seems to be over, and I return to Marin-san and the others.
Then Kazuya and Akane san stare at me in amazement.
“Is something wrong?”
“Ah, n-no, it’s just that, well, Yuuya-san’s power was more than I expected or something like that...”
“I understand now why Yuuya-san was chosen as the savior.”
I don’t really understand it, but it seems that I was able to meet the expectations of Kazuya and the others.
If things had been like this from the beginning, I probably could have avoided the fight with Rikuto...
While I was thinking about this, Marin-san, who had been looking at the test results, let out a sigh.
“Hah... I knew it wouldn’t work. All the powers Yuuya-san showed us earlier didn’t show up in any of the measurements.”
“I see...”
“There are researchers and awakened people who don’t accept things that can’t be confirmed as numerical values, so it was the right decision to let us do the tests ourselves.”
“That’s right... We’ve already understood that Yuuya-san has special powers, but there are probably many people like Rikuto who won’t be convinced.”
Marin-san smiles ironically at Akane-san, who looks fed up.
“Haha. Well, anyway, this is the end of Yuuya-san’s examination. Thank you for your hard work.”
“Ah, thank you! So, um... what should I do from now on?”
Although I knew that I would be participating in the battle against the mechanical knights, I hadn’t been told the details yet.
Then Kazuya opened his mouth.
“For now, Yuuya-san will join Akane and me in our exploration of the surface.”
“When you say exploration, you mean looking for other communities and survivors, right?”
“That’s right! Well, it will be difficult to find other communities, but there’s still a chance that we’ll find other awakened people like us who went out to explore and never came back.”
As soon as I heard Kazuya’s words, I imagined the people waiting for the return of that family.
Surely, they want to know if they’re alive or dead... Even that much, the remaining family members want to know.
Then Akane san continued.
“Also, we’ll collect supplies that might be useful as resources... and if the scale is small, we might have to fight the mechanical knights we encounter.”
“I see.”
After receiving that explanation, I suddenly asked a question that had been bothering me.
“Well, I understand that I’m going to participate in the exploration for now. But what are you going to do about the ultimate goal of defeating the Machine God Mother?”
Yes, even though it was sudden, I was brought to this world to break through this situation.
Most importantly, I also have a life in my original world, so I can’t stay here forever.
Then Marin-san opens her mouth.
“About that, we are planning a large-scale operation soon.”
“A big operation?”
“Yes. Before Yuuya-san came, we finally managed to develop a device that blocks the special radio waves that the Machine God Mother uses to give orders to the Mechanical Knights. The performance of the mechanical knights is problematic, but the biggest problem is that the Machine God Mother gives orders from a distance. She can use special radio waves to achieve perfect control, and she can also analyze and share our battle data in real-time. If we can block that signal, we can defeat them before they can counterattack by not giving them any information about us.”
“Also, until now, the only way for humans to protect themselves from their signal was to escape underground, like in this city, but with this device, we can build a city on the surface while preventing interference from them. That’s why a large-scale operation to retake the surface has been decided.”
I see. So, a large-scale operation to get out of the underground and back to the surface has been decided.
And I’m going to take part in that operation...
“So I just have to do my best during that large-scale operation, right?”
“Well, something like that. I don’t know how successful the operation will be, but there is no doubt that the progress of the operation will change our future actions.
Anyway, it’s a pretty big responsibility.
But still, what kind of existence is the Machine God Mother?
While I was thinking about this, Marin-san remembered something.
“Oh yeah, that’s right. You’re not going to explore the surface today, are you?”
“No, that’s tomorrow.”
“Then we’ll have to get Yuuya-san a battle suit.”
“A battle suit?”
While I tilted my head at the unfamiliar word, Kazuya also seemed to remember and clapped his hands.
“Oh, that’s right!”
“Considering Yuuya-san’s physical abilities... I’m curious to see what happens when he puts on the battle suit.”
I didn’t really understand what was going on, but Kazuya and the others led me to the city to buy the battle suit.
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