by SOW
“This... don’t tell me...”
Sven had been mistaken. It was true that this room was something like a kitchen made with the technology of the ancient Europea Empire. But it was a different sort of kitchen, created by a people who had built ships that could cross the stars, and had unraveled the mysteries of life.
In order to support the number of people who populated its vast empire, the science of the Europea Empire gave birth to a miracle. They invented a machine that could multiply the cells of plants, animals, or anything at all from a single fragment.
This was indeed a kitchen. But it wasn’t just used to prepare food. It was also a factory to produce what would become the food. The decomposing meat and vegetation weren’t brought into the room. They were made there. Sven realized that this could also apply to humans, another multicellular organism.
“I can still save him... but...”
Lifting Lud’s lifeless body, Sven placed it inside the translucent case of the cellular multiplication device to regenerate. It was still not enough. Even if she revived his body, she couldn’t revive the beating of his soul—his life energy.
I told you, you have the right...
The voice again echoed in Sven’s mind, now sounding a little exasperated.
Sven laid her hand on her chest. Beneath was a Rezanium micro reactor. It gave birth to her soul, acted as her engine, and used the red gemstones as its power source.
“.....................”
Sven turned around and there was the T-3 II, dissolved into a pile of scrap.
On its side, the Zeihombomber that Dolchev and his men had brought to destroy the mountain was still loaded and intact, and it held within it enough Rezanite to create several dozen Hunter Units.
“Oh, I see...”
Sven extracted the Zeihombomber from the wreckage and made it resonate with her own Rezanium reactor. The swelling red light entered Sven’s body, and then slowly moved over to Lud’s regenerating body.
Thump... Thump...
His white skin was tinged with red. His chest began slowly to move up and down. Sven heard the sound of his brainwaves, his breath and heartbeat, and she knew that he was returning to life.
While Sven confirmed that his body—and his life—were being revived, bit by bit, she thought about the events of that day two years ago.
Do you remember, Lud? On your last day in the military, you cleaned every inch of my body. You said, “I want to clean the interior too, but I’m scared I’ll break something if I mess with the equipment,” and you removed the frayed ends of my seat and cleaned out the mud between my manipulator. After you finished, you sat down in my seat. You were inside of me.
“It’s scary,” you quietly mumbled.
“What?”
“Whoa?! You’re turned on?”
I had been turned on the whole time, but just didn’t have anything particular to say. You didn’t need me anymore. For you to live a different life, in a different world, I had become unnecessary. What would you want me to say?
“Well... I’ve always been a soldier. I wonder if I’m going to make it as a baker. I’m nervous.”
“You’ll make it because that’s what you want. You wanted it enough to be discharged.”
And enough to abandon me.
“Yeah, I have to bake the bread that those two would have baked. No, I don’t have to, I want to.”
You had told me about what happened in Lapchuricka. I knew how profound your feelings of guilt were, and that you had searched for a way to atone for your past. You found an answer. Abandoning your weapons, the battlefield, and me, you found your path by becoming a baker.
“I wouldn’t be scared if you were with me, though.”
“What?”
You had a self-deprecating laugh. You knew there was no way you could keep me with you, but I understood. You meant what you said.
“When you’re with me, I’m not scared. But from now I have to go it alone, so I am frightened.”
Were you also hoping that I could stay by your side?
“Thanks for everything.
You stood up. In spite of myself, I called out to you.
“Captain! You were the greatest master I could ask for. May the fortune of war smile on you.”
Something was wrong, I thought to myself. This wasn’t what I wanted to tell you. But searching through my language database, I wasn’t able to find suitable words for what I wanted to say.
“I’m not your master. I’m your partner.” You told me, and smiled.
It was a warm and gentle smile. You didn’t realize it yourself. You believed some nonsense that you couldn’t smile anymore. But you were wrong. You were smiling. It’s possible that I’m the only one who has seen it.
I didn’t want to be separated from you. I wanted to be with you forever. Even off the battlefield, I wanted to be by your side to support you. I wanted to see more of your smile. Yes... I finally understood. I love you.
“Unh... hm...”
Lud woke up. He stepped out of the case, and touched his body all over with a look of curiosity on his face, unable to understand what had happened.
“Sven? Am I alive?”
Standing there, and asking a bone-headed question that almost ruined the moment, was Sven’s beloved master.
“Master!” Sven nearly pounced on him.
If she used all her strength to hug him, she was capable of shattering the bones in his barely revived body. She hugged him carefully, with all the love inside her.
“Master! Master! Master! Master! Mas... ter...”
And for the first time, Sven cried. They weren’t tears of sadness. They weren’t for moistening her eyes. They were tears of joy, overflowing from the bottom of Sven’s heart.
Interlude
At the Royal Weapons Development Bureau—where the Hunter Units were created, turning the tide in the previous war—the deeper inside the building, the more stringent security grew, until finally even the general of Wiltia’s army couldn’t enter without permission. In the farthest point of the Bureau’s underground, the director, Daian Fortuner, sat in a chair, humming to himself as he listened to a young, red-haired girl.
“... That is everything I have to report about Svelgen Avei’s activities in Organbaelz.”
“Good work! Well, well, well, that is quite an interesting outcome, isn’t it?”
When Sven had escaped from the research facility, Daian dispatched the red-haired girl—Rebecca—to pursue her.
“But... this Dolchev... he’s quite the idiot, isn’t he... It’s already been a year since Pelfe was annexed. Since the middle of the Great War, that area has belonged to Wiltia. If there was something important there, I would have long ago had my hands on it.”
In order to maintain their national identity, the August Federation showed no tolerance for dissenting opinions and promptly purged them all. Daian was amused at the thought that, because they had killed so many of their own people, the August were now starting to run low on talent.
“Oh well. Fools do foolish things and die in foolish ways over and over throughout this world. It’s not uncommon. More importantly, Rebecca, you said Sven escaped the Bureau to chase after this Lud Langart?”
“Affirmative.”
In contrast with her lovely appearance, Rebecca answered Daian in a cold, robotic voice.
“Hehe... So he’s the man she chose of her own free will, the man she loves...”
The Autonomous Humanoid Hunter Units were created to be immortal soldiers, a weapon similar to humans, but without their limitations. But these official justifications were nothing more than a means to gather the budget, materials and manpower for the research that Daian was in fact trying to conduct.
“Rebecca, you know the origin behind the name of Europea, don’t you?”
“Affirmative. Records indicate it was named after an empire that existed one thousand years ago.”
“That’s right. Do you know the origin behind the name
of the Europea Empire, too?”
“Negative. There is no valid answer in the database.”
That was correct. The creation myths of the long-lost empire were not passed down because no one knew the reason for its demise.
“It’s the name of a girl from a time long, long ago. And she was so unbelievably beautiful that finally even God came down from heaven to marry her.”
It was a story that many thought was nothing more than a far-too-fantastic fairytale, and Daian told it with a grandiose tone of voice.
“God said to the girl, Europa, ‘If you become my companion, I will give the entire world to you.’ And, the rulers of the Europea Empire claimed to be descendants of Europa. So they believed that this world was their own.”
The story might just be an affirmation that the Europea Empire’s rule was approved by God, and therefore nothing more than a divine right of kings.
But Daian thought there was more to the myth.
All myths and legends are based on some reality.
The Europea Empire that existed one thousand years ago was a civilization with technology far superior to the modern era. Nothing was beyond the realm of possibility.
Daian decided to verify the myth, and tried to revive a descendent of the ancient empire’s rulers. He got hold of remains that had been miraculously uncovered, analyzed the genetic information and successfully reproduced the genetic code.
Something extraordinary occurred. The Doors, which held the legacy of the lost Empire—impenetrable even by cannon fire—opened before the genes of the imperial rulers. Daian was sure. The world that God gave was “an imperial civilization that has a mighty power, enough to take over the world as your own.”
Dolchev’s belief that, “Ancient doors will open with the blood of the promised maiden,” was most likely misinformation given to him by Daian’s apprentice, who had obtained limited knowledge about Daian’s research before he defected to August.
Other Doors like the one in Baelz Mine existed in large numbers throughout the world. He had opened several already, but the Doors concealing even more powerful artifacts would not open with the genetic material he had cultivated in the lab. Something more human was necessary.
Daian would bring Europa back. Using the cultivated cells as a base, he used machinery for most of her organs and substituted her heart and brain with a Rezanium reactor. He had succeeded in making her seem human, but it still wasn’t enough. She needed her own will, her own spirit, and her own soul.
He was reviving the girl loved by God. But in order to be loved, she also had to love. So Daian transplanted Avei’s soul into Europa’s body, and brought Sven into the world.
“She’s the key to unlocking the wisdom of the world. And the man she loves will stop the kings claiming to be the imperial descendants, and he will certainly become a just ruler...”
Daian was thoroughly enjoying himself. He couldn’t help but be happy that the being he had brought into this world would turn it upside down from its very core.
“Inquiry.”
Rebecca raised her hand.
“What is it?”
“If she is so important, is it a good idea to leave her where she is?”
While August’s guesses were incorrect, they knew what was required to open the Door, so the intelligence agencies of the other countries might already be at work. Even Wiltia’s military and its nobility weren’t invulnerable to temptation. Someone might overhear something and try to have her killed.
“Rebecca, do you know the most important element for making love strong?”
Rebecca Sharlahart was an Autonomous Humanoid Hunter Unit he had created, model number SA-R2. Daian understood exactly what she could do, and what she did and didn’t know.
“Negative. There is not a valid answer in the database.”
There wouldn’t be, would there, was what Daian stopped himself from saying.
“Adversity. Overcoming hardship, hand in hand with the person you love, nurtures that love and makes it stronger. It’s not enough for her to become aware of her feelings. When she realizes her true desires...” Daian walked to the other side of the room, where hidden in the innermost part of the Development Bureau was the most classified of classified information, and put his hand out. “This Door will open!!”
Over a hundred meters tall and firmly shut, Daian placed his palm on a door far larger than the one at the bottom of Baelz Mine.
Epilogue: The Red-Eyed Waitress
A month after the curtain had closed on an incident lost to history—the incident at the mine—Tockerbrot had grown busy in many ways. With the large contract with the mine as proof of the bakery’s success, Lud and Sven received financing from the bank and cleared the debt from the shady loan shark.
The official story about the incident at the mine was that Lud happened to be passing by and stopped a raid by some bandits who had earlier attacked the church. The townspeople were grateful to Lud, which led to lots of new customers in the bakery. Tockerbrot’s reputation grew day by day, and soon customers came from neighboring towns to buy Lud’s bread.
“Oooohh, busy, busy, busy.”
Thirty minutes before the store was set to open, Sven ran from left to right.
“Sven? Where does this go?”
Jacob had come to help out.
“That goes in the third box there. If you put it in the fourth box, the shape won’t match, so be careful.”
Lud was delivering bread to the mine. With the large contracts and the increase in daily customers, the personnel and equipment in the bakery were working at one hundred percent.
“Phew. This is completely different from a month ago! Sven, I’m demanding a paycheck.”
“Ohohoho, don’t worry, Jacob. We will abide by Wiltia’s labor laws and pay your wage. But I should be asking you—can you continue to work here?”
“That might be a good idea. Our shop isn’t getting much work right now, so I could use a little extra cash.”
Since Jacob’s grandfather had collaborated with the terrorists, he was a person of interest in the investigation. Lud had appealed to the government and since Jacob’s grandfather had cooperated under duress, the matter was soon settled. However because he had been shown mercy by the Wiltian soldier who had been the target of all of his hatred, he had aged noticeably and became unable to work.
“Jacob... that’s... I’m sorry...”
It had been his grandfather’s own fault, and Sven and Lud had done everything they could, but the fact that his grandfather’s misdeeds burdened Jacob made them both feel extremely unhappy.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s a miracle the workshop was able to get by this long.”
Jacob smiled to tell Sven that she didn’t need to remain so gloomy. It was a smile that made one think that perhaps he was someone of some importance.
“Don’t you think it’s time you guys hired another person?”
“Yes, we put up a ‘Help Wanted’ poster but—”
Rattle, roll.
Although there was still time before the bakery opened for the day, the door to the shop opened.
“Oh please excuse us, we aren’t open ye—Tck!”
Standing in the doorway was the sister from the church and former terrorist, Marlene.
“Good morning. Is Lud here?”
“Master is out on business. We’re busy and have no time to talk so please leave as soon as possible♪.”
A beaming smile came to Sven’s face but her response to Marlene dripped poison.
“That’s fine, I didn’t come to see you anyway. Where did Lud go? I have something to talk to him about.”
Marlene didn’t back down and replied with a beaming smile of her own.
“I beg your pardon, Master has come down with an illness that does not allow him within fifty meters of any ill-natured nuns, so I’ll ask you to be on your way.”
“Hehehe, I’m not really sure you’re one to be calling someone else ill-natured, are you?
”
Marlene’s smile began to twitch in anger. Since the events at the mine, Marlene’s attitude toward Lud had changed. The change was small and Lud didn’t notice it, but when he brought his alms to the Church, Marlene seemed closer to him. Sven observed that somewhere along the line Marlene had stopped calling him “Mr. Lud.”
What are you doing, forcing yourself on him like that, Sven had thought to herself.
“Nyeh! Master isn’t here, not that I’d let you see him, you old witch! You’re way too slow!”
The two glared at each other, and looked like they were on the verge of clawing one another.
Jacob muttered in exasperation. “Hey... Let’s get back to work. Um... Marlene? Do you have business here?”
“Oh, yes... Where did that child run off to, I wonder...” Marlene looked behind her, but the young girl she had come with was gone.
The young girl was hiding behind the shop. She was scared. Not only was that waitress terrifying, but she didn’t know what to say to Lud.
“Milly... Is that you?” Lud had just come back in his new and slightly less rusted truck.
“Ah, ah, uh...”
Looking at Lud’s face, Milly trembled. She wasn’t frightened. She was bewildered and had lost her nerve.
“Um...” Looking perplexed, Lud approached her.
“So, how was it?”
The other day, Lud brought the Apple Danish to the church for Milly. It was a masterpiece, with Lud paying close attention to everything, from the type of apple to the liqueur he added for more flavor. Milly accepted it, but had disappeared into the church without saying a word.
“Hmph!”
With a look of determination on her face, Milly took something from her pocket and thrust it toward Lud.
“I want some apple bread...”
She was holding coins. It was the pocket money she earned from helping Marlene at the church.
