“Way too suspicious.”
Leen folded her arms and delivered the verdict. I agree, but.
Back on the Garden, I’d recounted my conversation with Endo to everyone.
“Carrying 5,000-year-old currency, one-shotting a monster we couldn’t dent, intimately familiar with said monster — and wearing a scarf in this ludicrous heat. Suspicion overload.”
The last part isn’t really relevant, but — yeah, suspicious. Just who is he?
“That crystal monster — Phrase, was it? What is it actually?”
Elze put the foundational question. Right — not just a monster. Five thousand years ago they almost destroyed the world. Only Cesca and I know that, and I’ve been hesitating about whether to tell everyone.
Didn’t want to throw everyone into unnecessary fear, so I’d been quiet — but now it’s getting harder to bring up.
Staaaaaaaaaaaaaaare…
Ugh. Yumina’s classic look attack — long time since the last one. My eyes flick away. Bad. Lying to Yumina post-marriage is going to be impossible.
“Touya-san — you know something, don’t you?”
“Urk.”
She read me cleanly, and I confessed the Doctor’s whole message.
“How could you keep something this important quiet!”
“I was going to tell you eventually, I really was…”
I muttered defensively under Leen’s pressure.
“Tens of thousands of Phrase invading… that’s what caused the ancient civilization’s fall. But five thousand years ago there were that many, and now — barely any sightings… and now they’re starting to appear again. What does it mean…”
”…Survivors, maybe? Or — sealed ones, breaking out?”
Linze offered her theory under Leen’s frown. The cricket-type was in something like cryostasis when we found it. So that’s possible too.
“Endo’s barrier line is what nags at me. The snake Phrase Leen and her group met emerged from a tear in space. Maybe Phrase are sealed somewhere in a different dimension…”
“And someone is trying to break that seal, indeed?”
“No proof. But.”
At Leen’s feet, Paula was nodding along with arms crossed. Does she actually understand this stuff?
What’s really weighing on me is that we have no counter to the Phrase. Endo called this one “Mid-tier” — meaning there’s a Lower and Upper tier too.
Most likely the cricket and snake types are Lower. We were already overmatched against a Mid-tier. If an Upper-tier shows…
Looks like I need to seriously hunt for the rest of Babylon now.
“Cesca. 5,000 years ago — did humanity not fight back against the Phrase?”
Cesca standing by the monolith turned at the question.
“They did fighT. The situation was bad, but theY fought. The Doctor was developing an anti-Phrase decisive weapon, but by the time it was complete, the Phrase had vanished without a tracE.”
“Decisive weapon?”
“A piloted humanoid combat unit the Doctor designeD. Called Frame Geear.”
Piloted humanoid combat unit!? That’s a — giant robot!? She built that too, that Doctor!
Well — anyone who can build robo-girls like Cesca can build giant robots, no surprise…
“What happened to them after?”
“Stored in Babylon’s HangaR, I believE.”
So if the ruins we’re heading to transfer us to the Hangar, we can recover them.
Whoa. Slight excitement. Robots! Pilot-and-engage robots! Any boy gets this! …Only girls here, though.
《Master, looks like we’ve reached the target.》
《Nothing here, though.》
《Looks like it’s buried under sand.》
Kōhaku and the others reported, watching the monolith. Coordinates spot-on, but visible terrain is just open desert. I pulled out the smartphone, searched ruin, and a pin dropped right here on the screen.
“Here it is. Under us, then…”
How do we excavate. Shoveling would take forever.
“I’ll blow the sand away with wind magic. Stand back a little.”
Leen stepped past my pondering. I yielded and stepped back.
“Wind, swirl — storm-whirlwind — Cyclone Storm.”
A tornado roared up; sand was sucked into it and flung skyward. Downwind from us, sand piled up and a bowl-shaped depression formed at the center.
A hemispherical structure began to surface — dome about a single house’s size, made of some material I couldn’t identify (stone? concrete?). One section had what looked like a door. Single-leaf, not double-door.
When the wind died, we descended into the bowl. The door had no handle. Automatic? Standing in front — no reaction. No sensor either. How do you open it?
I touched the door casually — and my hand passed through, no resistance.
“Whoa!?”
“Touya-san!?”
I stumbled forward a step — and was inside the ruin. In the dim light, six stone pillars and a transfer circle.
I touched the door from the inside — solid, cold. Tried [Gate] to leave — wouldn’t fire. Eh? Locked in?
《Master!? Are you all right!?》
《Kōhaku? Yeah, I’m fine. Nothing wrong. There’s a transfer circle inside. I’m going through. Let everyone know.》
《Understood. Be careful.》
The door’s probably enchanted to prevent the transfer circle from being damaged. Maybe “all-element-holders only” — or something. Why I can’t leave is unclear. Vaguely feels like the Doctor saying “not letting you go.” Slight depression.
Whatever — I can only leave via the transfer circle anyway. May as well activate it.
I channeled each of the six elements into the pillars in order. Six done — I stepped into the circle’s center. Hangar would be ideal, I thought, as I channeled Null magic — and was transferred.
The dazzling spiral of light cleared, and a Garden-like view spread before me. Difference: a large building in front. Bright-white cube, like a perfect die.
I started toward it — and abruptly a girl leapt across the path, blocking me.
“Halt right there, this is what I require!”
She held up her right hand, trying to anchor me. Orange hair gathered into buns on both sides, wrapped with ribbon-trimmed snoods. Porcelain skin, golden eyes — same as Cesca. Likely the local caretaker. Looks younger than Cesca. Shorter, maybe.
“Welcome to Babylon’s Workshop. This humble unit is the managing terminal here — Hi-Rosetta, this is what I am. Call me Rosetta if you would, this is what I appreciate.”
Yep. …The “this humble unit” thing — I think that’s a male first-person register. She’s a girl, right? Wearing a skirt. …Right!? No way — that Doctor — can’t trust her! Not a boy-disguised-as-girl, surely!?
“Uh — Rosetta? You’re a girl… right?”
”…? I do not grasp the intent of the question, but yes, this is what I am.”
Right, right! Relief. And Cesca said “no male types built.” Yeah.
Workshop, though. Not Leen’s wished-for Library, not my wished-for Hangar.
“Beyond here is the Workshop’s core. Currently entry is forbidden to any but a Compatible One, this is the rule!”
“Cesca did certify me as a Compatible One, but…”
I name-dropped our robo-girl, who’s presumably her sister.
“Cesca — Francesca? I see. The Hanging Garden is already in your hands, this is the case. Then we proceed quickly. Whether you qualify as a Compatible One — I shall test, this is what I’ll do.”
Test…? What about me are you testing?
“Without moving a step from where you stand — guess the color of this humble unit’s panties, this is the test!”
“What the heeeell!”
Useless — useless — this lot! Built by that Doctor, of course this! She’s smirking about it somewhere — that woman!
Stupid test. Lift the skirt — really?
“You may answer only once. Time limit five minutes. So — what color, this is the question!”
Tch! Why is she so into it!? Time keeps ticking while I dither. Tch — fine — playing into her hand is irritating but I’ll do it!
“Wind, blow — rising whirlwind — Whirlwind!”
Wind shot up from Rosetta’s feet. Her chest ribbon and bangs danced in the air — but the skirt didn’t even sway. What!?
“This skirt does not respond to wind magic, this is the truth.”
Rosetta smirked. Mhh. Not that easy. Then erase the skirt itself!
“Flame, burn — searing breath — Fire Breath!”
Fire-element magic to incinerate just the skirt — the flame didn’t catch. What!?
“As with wind, fire magic is also denied, this is the truth.”
What the hell, that skirt!? Pointlessly over-engineered!
Tch — don’t push me. Bring out my A-game, and panties are an open book — wait, why am I trying so hard at this!?
Fine. Direct peek. Just send my vision into the skirt and look briefly. That much should be okay. There’s no other way. I’m forced to.
…Why am I making excuses to myself…
“Long Sense.”
Vision launched into the skirt. Eyes opened. Dim but clear…
…
…
PFT.
I crumpled, hand pressed to my face, the iron taste of red trickling from my nose. That counts!? That?
“So — what color, this is the question!”
”…Colorless… transparent…”
“Correct, this is the answer! You are recognized as Compatible One. Effective immediately, Unit #27, individual designation Hi-Rosetta, is transferred to your possession. A long and good relationship, this is what I look forward to!”
Rosetta crisply snapped a salute, but honestly I was past caring. Not see-through. Not even sheer. Cling-film panties — right in front of me. Does this lot understand the word shame!? Translucent like that…
Drip drip drip — eh? Nosebleed won’t stop, this is what’s happening…