The Hope They Left Behind (Premium)

by Sakon Kaidou

  That was definitely all my bad.

  “You have to apologize... right?” said the girl.

  “Yeah, I know. I’ll do it after I wake up,” I said. “By the way...”

  “What?”

  I turned around and looked at the horned, reddish-brown girl before asking, “You’re Gardranda, right?”

  “Yes... I am.”

  Chapter Four: The First Night

  Great Miasmic Demon, Gardranda.

  That was the name of the first UBM I’d ever encountered here in Infinite Dendrogram. It was the creature that had gone on to become my first special reward — Miasmaflame Bracers, Gardranda.

  Now, I was facing an entity that seemed to represent the will of that item, and this wasn’t our first meeting.

  My first encounter with her had been back when I’d passed out while fighting my second UBM, Gouz-Maise, in the middle of a dream depicting my memories.

  Back then, she had been nothing but a red-black silhouette of few words, none of them spoken fluently. Now, however, she was clearly visible and could hold a proper conversation.

  “I saw the ‘Coming Soon’ sign a few times,” I said as I looked around the room. “And it looks like it came.”

  “Mm-hm,” Gardranda nodded. “Everything is prepared... I guess?”

  Why does she sound so uncertain about everything she says? I wondered.

  “So, let’s start with a question... What are you, anyway?” I asked.

  Shu and Figaro had told me that they’d never heard of a defeated UBM showing up to someone while they were unconscious. Those two were veterans who had beaten Mythicals and even an SUBM, and yet not even they had ever experienced it.

  Why, then, was it happening with Gardranda?

  Since I didn’t know, I asked her.

  “I am what became of the power and mind that the original Gardranda didn’t use... I think?”

  You “think,” eh?

  “You can also say that I’m the child that was inside her... maybe?” she added.

  “That was a pregnant lady?” I raised an eyebrow.

  Tian lives had been at stake, so I didn’t regret beating the creature, but this revelation did give me a bit of a bad aftertaste.

  “That was the kind of creature it was... right?” she said. “It was like an egg shell... I guess?”

  “An egg shell?”

  So the Gardranda I fought was like a limbed egg, while the Gardranda I’m talking to is like a... true Gardranda?

  “We were a mother-and-child two-layered design?” she continued. “Even I don’t really understand it... I think?”

  “So how is it, really?” I asked.

  “Okay... I’m manifesting like this because I was defeated before the conditions to unleash my true power were fulfilled and I could break the shell and be born... probably?”

  The only reason why I’d beaten Gardranda so easily was because Cheshire had hinted that the core was in the stomach. So, I could only assume that, if I hadn’t known about that, the situation would’ve gotten worse, and it would’ve entered its final form — this girl right here.

  Anyway, though she wasn’t the Gardranda I’d fought, she was Gardranda nonetheless, meaning that UBMs could have a mind even after becoming special rewards.

  That fact made me concerned about something.

  “Could this happen with Gouz-Maise and Monochrome, too?” I asked. Would the man-eating revenant and the black star manifest before me again?

  “It won’t happen with Gouz-Maise... surely,” said Gardranda. “It’s nothing but a vessel now. As for Monochrome... I’m not very sure.”

  “Why not?”

  “It has a longer history and a higher status than me. But its powers are focused on a single thing, so it won’t show... I guess?”

  The “single thing” had to be the skill that I couldn’t use yet.

  That aside, if she was right, I probably didn’t have to worry about those two coming back to haunt me.

  I was ready to send Gouz-Maise back to hell if it ever appeared before me again, but if that never happened, then all the better.

  While Gardranda and Monochrome had been creatures acting within non-human frameworks, Gouz-Maise had been a wraith bursting with human malice and evil conviction, and I had no tolerance for that.

  Needless to say, hearing Gardranda’s words put me at ease.

  “So,” I spoke up. “Why did you bring me here?”

  Last time, she’d wanted to get to know me, the one who’d beaten her, and now, whatever had been “Coming Soon” had come, but I still didn’t really know what it was.

  I have a good guess, though, I thought.

  “Lend me your ear... will you?” she requested.

  “Hm? Sure.”

  We were the only ones here, so I was curious why she saw the need to whisper, but I went and did as she wanted. I gently brought my ear close to her, and...

  “Amph!”

  ...she bit into me... Wait, WHAT?!

  “GYAAHHH?!”

  There was no pain, but I could feel it clearly!

  Did she seriously just bite me?! Are you kidding me?!

  “What the hell are you doing?!” I shouted.

  “My mother didn’t get to eat you while she was alive, so I just tasted you a little... I guess?”

  “...”

  Of course. How could I forget that she was a man-eating demon? Well, technically, that was her mother. I wasn’t about to blame her for her parent’s sin, but she was one step away from making a sin for herself.

  “I didn’t bite it off, but I did get a lick. It was good... you know?”

  “Shut up,” I snapped. I felt no pleasure in getting praise for the way I tasted.

  “Now, for the main matter... okay?” Gardranda said as she fixed her posture and looked directly at me before continuing. “Because you defeated a third UBM, you unlocked the third skill on the Miasmaflame Bracers... you know?”

  ◇

  I woke up shortly after finishing my conversation with Gardranda.

  Silently, I reached into my inventory and equipped the Miasmaflame Bracers.

  The item description proved that what I’d just seen had been no dream — the third skill was unveiled and explained.

  “Hhhh...” I sighed.

  After telling me that the skill was now available, Gardranda had gone on to explain its effects... and conditions.

  I could see them before me right here in the menu, and I could say one thing about this skill — it was on a whole different level than the skills you’d usually find on items, special rewards included.

  In fact, many would consider it broken and unfair.

  Sure, it was below the likes of Figaro’s Gloria α’s skill Fang of Gloria: Overdrive, but the very fact that I was thinking of that when trying to come up with comparisons spoke volumes about it.

  But there was a problem...

  I sighed. “And so, I get yet another unwieldy skill.”

  Even Shining Despair was easier to use, and that one had obscene charge rates.

  The conditions for Gardranda’s third skill were so harsh it would actually be better if I never got into a situation that called for it.

  Basically, it was as unwieldy as it was powerful.

  Still, in the off chance that I found myself in a scenario where using it was my best option, it would definitely be a reliable skill.

  “Hm? Ray. You’re awake,” said Nemesis as she opened the door, ending my train of thought. Her long black hair was damp, and she was clad in a yukata that came with the room.

  Her appearance made me stare blankly and my heart skip a beat.

  “You were still in the hot spring?” I asked.

  “‘Still’? No, I went in there again. After you Fainted, I took you to the changing room, dried you up, put a yukata on you, and brought you here. It made me work up a sweat, so I needed to bathe a second time.”

  I looked down at myself and, sure enough, despite losing consciou
sness naked, I was now in a yukata.

  “I see,” I said. “Sorry... and thanks.”

  She fully deserved an apology for my misdemeanor, as well as gratitude for taking care of me while I was out cold.

  “Well, I couldn’t possibly leave you there in the cold,” she said. “That’s how you catch illnesses. I didn’t want something like that hindering whatever we would be doing tomorrow and beyond. Also, I don’t mind what happened all that much, but you should definitely apologize to Azurite. She seemed to be quite shocked that she was seen... and by what she saw.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. I’m not sure if she’ll forgive me, but I’ll apologize when I get the chance.”

  “Good. That aside, I have a question for you.”

  “What is it?”

  Despite us being the only people in the room, she closed in on me for a whisper.

  That made me a bit tense, as it reminded me of Gardranda’s bite.

  “You looked awfully composed back there,” she whispered. “Did you actually feel nothing about our naked bodies?”

  Now, that was a hard question to answer. I felt that she wouldn’t be satisfied with any answer I could give her.

  Still, this was all my bad, so I had to be honest, at least.

  “I only looked composed back then,” I replied. “In hindsight, I was probably panicking pretty badly. And, uh...”

  “And...?”

  Urged, I went ahead and spoke the words stuck in my mouth.

  “The sight didn’t get me excited... but I did find it beautiful.”

  Suddenly, silence fell upon the room.

  “...”

  “...” Neither of us said a word.

  It wasn’t a cold sort of silence, but it wasn’t warming, either — I wasn’t sure how to describe it.

  I belatedly realized the gravity of what I’d just said. It made it hard to look at Nemesis’s face.

  “...Which one of us do you mean?”

  “Both,” I answered without as much as a second after the question.

  Crap... I don’t like where this is going.

  “Which one of us was more beautiful?”

  “Let’s leave it at that!” I exclaimed to prevent myself from remembering what I’d seen and comparing them.

  “Gngh...” Nemesis voiced her frustration, and I was afraid to look at her.

  I said way too much, I thought. But I can’t go without saying another thing...

  “Speaking of ‘beautiful,’ you look great in that yukata. It suits you really well.”

  Those were my honest thoughts. Her long black hair, pallid skin, and facial features matched the yukata perfectly. In fact, I’d have gone as far as to say that I’d never seen a person in a yukata look as beautiful as her.

  “R-Really?” she said. “I see...”

  I expected more words, but she fell silent with just that. I was unsure of what else to say, and she didn’t speak, either.

  As silence permeated the room again, someone knocked on the door and said, “Mr. Starling, are you awake? Would you like dinner?”

  The person sounded like a young man. His voice was unfamiliar to me, but his words made it safe to assume that he was a worker here.

  “Oh, right,” said Nemesis. “He dropped by about an hour ago, while you were unconscious.”

  I looked at the clock and saw that it was seven o’clock. It reminded me that Shirley had said that dinner would be between six and eight.

  I guess it’s a good time to have some food, then.

  “Ah, I’ll go right away,” I said, as I took my inventory.

  We both left the room.

  ◇

  The male worker who led us to the cafeteria was... different, to put it lightly.

  First of all, there was a wooden mask on his face. Unlike Azurite’s, which only hid the upper half, this one covered it whole — it only had holes for the eyes.

  Second, his right hand was a prosthetic, just like my left hand had been until yesterday.

  He didn’t seem all that aged — in fact, he appeared and sounded younger than me — and yet he’d somehow already lost an arm.

  I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened for him to end up like this.

  He noticed my gaze and greeted me. I apologized for my inappropriate staring and asked about him.

  Apparently, he had been heavily injured in the war and then saved by the owner of this inn, a soldier himself. However, the injuries had made him lose his memories, and he hadn’t had anything on him that could prove his identity, leaving him with no place to go. And so, after the inn’s owner had cared for him, he’d gone on to become a worker here.

  Apparently, the kingdom had a large number of people in situations similar to his. Many had ended up in their circumstances because of the Tri-Zenith Dragon, Gloria, rather than the war that had followed, but regardless, the scars on the kingdom ran deep.

  Liliana and Milianne, for example, had lost their father in the war.

  Things might’ve gone differently if more Masters had fought for the kingdom.

  Alas, the Masters who’d participated were few, and the Superiors, Shu included, hadn’t been among them.

  I’d heard that this was due to the kingdom choosing not to reward any participants, instead relying only on the Masters’ personal choices.

  The Superiors had all had their reasons for not participating, such as Figaro’s condition (although I wasn’t too sure about Miss Eldritch having a good reason).

  I felt like the outcome of the war had been the result of circumstance.

  Even so, that didn’t change he fact that many tians had probably felt abandoned.

  That fact left a bad taste in my mouth.

  I hadn’t been here during that war. But if something like that were to happen again, I... I would surely...

  ◇

  As the masked youth led us towards the main building’s cafeteria, we passed by many other people who were staying here. They had probably just finished eating.

  Many of them were fellow Masters, who were surely here for the ruins. Some of them were even wearing yukatas, just like me.

  As we walked, I ran into someone particularly unique. My gaze met theirs.

  “Ah.”

  “Oohh?”

  The gaze my eyes met weren’t those of the person — those eyes were completely hidden by the front bangs. The eyes I was looking into right now were those of the chubby cat on the person’s head.

  Indeed, it was a young man with a cat on him. He looked curious even by Dendro standards, and I knew who this person was.

  “Ohhh?” he said. “Well, if it isn’t Nemesis and Raaay. I didn’t expect to see you heeere.”

  “Likewise,” nodded Nemesis.

  “Hello, Tom,” I said. “Why are you in this town?”

  This person was Tom Cat — the second in the kingdom’s duel rankings and the bearer of the nickname “Monster Cat Mansion.” His job was “The Lynx.”

  He had been the reigning duel champion before Figaro took the crown, and he was now keeping Kashimiya — who was in third — from advancing any further.

  Needless to say, he was a big deal. Even if the cat on his head and his mild demeanor made that hard to believe.

  “I’m here to explore the ruinnns,” he said. “Kashimiya seems to have come baaack, so I decided to re-train myself and make some money heeere.”

  “Ah, I see,” I nodded.

  The top three rankers could only be challenged to a ranked duel by those one rank below them. Now that Kashimiya, ranked third, was back, he could challenge Tom for the throne of the second. Tom had every reason to prepare for that.

  This reminded me that, because no one had been there to challenge him, I’d never actually seen him fight.

  He’d never participated in the mock battles, either. Hell, we’d only became acquainted because of a chance meeting during lunch with other rankers.

  “Are you after the ruins, toooo?” he asked.

  �
�Yes,” I replied. “I’ll be changing my job.”

  “Oh, right, they found a lost job heeere.”

  Leave it to a seasoned ranker like him to already know about it.

  “We might meet in the ruins, thennn,” he said. “Let’s be friendly if that happens. Goodniiight.”

  “Goodnight,” I replied.

  “You too, Grimalkin,” said Nemesis as she looked at the cat on Tom’s head — his Embryo. “Sweet dreams.”

  Grimalkin meowed in response, and Tom walked off, casually waving as he left.

  “What an unexpected meeting,” said Nemesis.

  Seriously. He was a particularly rare encounter among Gideon’s rankers, so I never would’ve expected to meet him in a place like this.

  Also, why can’t I shake the feeling that I met him before our introduction in Gideon?

  ◇

  The cafeteria was really crowded. Which made sense, considering that it was dinnertime.

  “Ah! Mr. Ray!” Shirley saw me and ran up. “I’ll lead you to your table! Thanks for bringing him, Lefty!”

  The masked youth responded with a light nod and walked away to do some other work.

  “‘Lefty’ is his name, I assume?” asked Nemesis.

  “Yeah!” said Shirley. “The name’s based on a Master word!”

  So instead of a name referring his lack of right hand, they’d gone with a name pointing out the fact that he did have a left. The glass is half-full, huh?

  Anyway, Shirley led us to a round table, which looked somewhat off, given that all the others in the room were rectangular.

  I could only guess that the rectangular ones had originally been here, and they’d had enough of them for all the guests in the main building, but not enough for those in the annex, and that was why they’d brought this round one here.

  Azurite was already sitting on one of the chairs around it.

  “...” She silently stared at me through her mask.

  It was awkward, to say the least. It almost made me remember what I’d seen before passing out.

  Still, I couldn’t really act like it hadn’t happened.

  “Azurite,” I spoke up. “What happened was all my bad. I should’ve been more careful... Sorry.”

  Seriously, I could’ve figured out what was happening the moment I’d realized that someone was inside. Also, no matter how perplexed I’d been, actually joining them should have been an obvious, really big no-no.