In Another World With My Smartphone_Volume 6

by Patora Fuyuhara

  This is kinda like that Mouth of Truth thing in Rome, isn’t it? Am I meant to put my hand in it?

  ...It’s not gonna chop my hand off, is it? I cautiously extended my arm and slipped my hand into the hole, and a part of the groove began to shine a bright green. A part of the pyramid suddenly shifted and extended into a form much like a door. It didn’t have a doorknob, though. It seemed more like an engraving of a door than a door itself.

  “This again, huh.” I reached my hand out and touched the door-engraving. Just as I’d expected, I managed to pass through it without any trouble. I found myself in a dimly-lit room with six pillars surrounding a magic circle. Yep, this is it. It’s a Babylon teleporter.

  《Found it. I’ll be warping off now, okay?》

  《Understood. Please be careful.》 I sent a message to Kohaku and the others outside, then began activating the pillars.

  Just like clockwork, I activated the Null magic last, and a spiral of dazzling light engulfed me.

  As the light faded, I found myself in a familiar-looking scene.

  The sky overhead was blue, dotted with a few clouds here and there. The grass I was now standing upon was a beautiful verdant, and there were trees all over. The sunlight shimmered in the water as it flowed in a nearby channel. I was definitely aboard a Babylon.

  I looked around and suddenly noticed a black building to my right. It seemed to stretch out pretty far. I also noticed what appeared to be a school building nearby.

  Geez, is the Babylon facility here as wide as the island itself? I took a step forward, intending to investigate, when someone jumped out at me from behind a nearby tree.

  “Hiyaaaaaah!!!” The assailant swung down a heavy metal stick at me.

  WHAT? I was caught off-guard, but I still managed to just barely avoid the assault. Still, even then I could clearly see that the end of that weapon had left a considerable indent in the dirt. I quickly focused to get a look at what I’d just been attacked with, and... it was a gigantic pipe wrench. Nope. I’m done here. Nooope.

  “Hark, traveler. You’ve done well to dodge my assault. Like, nobody’s ever been able to do that ever, wow!” My assailant beamed from ear to ear as she rested herself against the pipe wrench. Her hair was a long, messy bundle of red. Her eyes were sort of almond-shaped, and her cheeky grin had no hint of fear behind it.

  “Though that may well be because you’re the only one I’ve ever launched a strike against.” She let out a dry laugh at her own comment. This young woman was surely this Babylon’s Terminal Gynoid. She spoke like an older guy one minute, then seemed to lapse into something more girly. She was wearing a skirt too, so her general outfit was similar to the ones that Cesca and the others wore.

  But there was something else about her... She was insanely short. She only looked a little bit taller than Renne. Rosetta was the shortest of the Babylon Terminal Gynoids, but this one was shorter than even her.

  “Er... and you are?”

  “I am known as Fredmonica. But you can call me Monica! I’m like, the Terminal Gynoid of this Babylon and stuff! Name thyself.”

  “Uh, I’m Mochizuki Touya. Touya’s my given name. I’m the, er... master of the garden, the workshop, and the alchemy lab... Yeah, that’s all of them.”

  “The garden... Cesca’s domain! I see, you hold ownership over multiple Babylons. You are... most impressive. So you gotta, like, show me if you got the right stuff too!” Monica gripped the pipe wrench and came lunging at me again. H-Hey, calm down! Don’t you have limits here?! “[Slip].”

  “Uwhoa!” Monica suddenly flew backward, as if someone had pushed her, and both legs went sailing up into the air. Oh... nice panties.

  Monica quickly scrambled to her feet and held down her skirt.

  “D-Did you gaze upon my undergarments?”

  “Huh? Ahaha... well, maybe you’re a little young to be wearing black.” Oh, come to think of it, if she’s the same as Cesca and the rest... then that makes her about five thousand years old? Guess she’s not too young, then. Monica sat down on the ground, tugging at her skirt. Her face burned deep crimson.

  She okay? Every Terminal Gynoid I’d met so far was some kind of weird pervert, so her reaction was throwing me off. I started to feel a deep fear well up from within me.

  “...Th-Then you’ve like, totally left me with no other... choice...”

  “Huh?”

  “I’M GONNA PURGE YOUR FRICKIN’ MEMORIES!” Monica started wailing like a banshee and ran toward me, flailing her pipe wrench. H-Hey, that’s dangerous!

  “[Shield].”

  “Huoh!!!” I formed an invisible barrier in front of me, deflecting the attack. Monica struck the front of it and toppled over due to the recoil. She tumbled a bit and finally stopped, her final position being one of a girl crashed into the ground, her behind high in the air. Her skirt, naturally, was rolled all the way up, and her panties were completely exposed to the wide open air. Her underwear was pretty adult, all-in-all. It was black and adorned with lacy strings.

  Eventually she sprawled herself outward, rolled on to her back, and lay there stretched out like a starfish. Uh... your panties are still showing.

  “Truly misfortune shines upon me this day... I’m totally done for!” She sniffled a little as she declared her defeat. And then, all of a sudden... I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. From an outsider’s perspective it’d totally look like I bullied a kid, flipped her skirt, and then made her cry. I didn’t mean it to turn out that way!

  “V-Very well, uwah... you’re accepted as a compatible individual. Henceforth, Fredmonica, Airframe Number Twenty-Eight, is beholden to your wishes, waaah.” Please stop crying. This sounds terrible while you’re crying. Eventually, the tears did stop. She called out to me from the ground.

  “Master, do help me up.” I grabbed Monica by the hand and pulled her upward. She used that opportunity to catch me unaware, wrap her arms around me, and steal a kiss from my lips.

  “Mmmph?!” I’ve been caught! I was careless and she went and trapped me! Why can’t I learn from my mistakes?! Monica separated her lips from mine after a short while. A grin spread across her face, along with a pink flush.

  “Registration complete. Your genetic information flows within me, Master. You like, totally own the Hangar of Babylon now, hurray!”

  “The Hangar of Babylon?!” Holy shit, it’s the hangar?! I did it! Bingo, baby!

  ◇　◇　◇

  Monica showed me to the black building, and we entered. More than anything else, I was surprised by how spacious is was. What the hell? It’s wider on the inside.

  Just as the name hangar would imply, the inside of the building looked like a warehouse. There were metal shutters lining the walls to the left and right.

  Seriously though, how far does this hall go? I can’t even see the other end...

  “What’s with this place?”

  “You surprised? We used spatial magic and stuff to make it way wider than it looks. That being said, such broad space is simply unnecessary. We’re hardly fully stocked here, are we?” I figured it was similar to my [Storage] spell. Though the difference here was that time was halted in my [Storage] space. I could store a boiling hot soup in it, and pull it out hours later to find it at the same temperature. I figured [Storage] was more of a space-time magic than just a space spell.

  Still, I had no idea just how broad a storage space could be... Wait, I’m missing the main point!

  “Frame Gear! Do you have Frame Gears here?!”

  “Hm? A Frame Gear? Right this way.” Monica addressed me a little curtly, so I strode behind her with little comment.

  Monica arrived at one of the metal shutters, and reached over toward a button next to it. However... try as she might, she couldn’t quite reach it.

  I reached out to press it instead, and...

  “Son of a...!” Monica swung the wrench upward and smashed it against the button with all of her might. W-Whoa, simmer down... This girl’s a hothead. The button
was completely annihilated, by the way, but the shutter began to creak open. Monica had a smug smile on her face, but all I could do was wonder how she planned on closing that shutter again.

  I peered into the dark interior, and found myself staring at what appeared to be a giant knight.

  It was around ten meters tall. It was gray in color, and looked like it was styled after a traditional western knight. It wasn’t flashy by any means, but it emanated an aura of reliable sturdiness. It had an overpowering air to it that I couldn’t help but be impressed by.

  “So this is a Frame Gear.”

  “Verily so. However, this one is a particularly archaic model. So like, five thousand years back, we planned on mass-producing these cuties if the war got any worse.” Wait, this is one of the mass-produced ones? I was surprised, it didn’t seem particularly cheap-looking. They’d probably given up on making them flashy and instead focused on making them reliable fighters. No point in mass-producing something if it wasn’t easy to control, after all.

  “Are there any more?”

  “We’ve, uhm, got a few in storage, yeah! There’s a type that prioritizes mobility, and one that specializes in land-based assault, among others. We also had plans to construct a more advanced model, but... I think those blueprints’re in the Storehouse, yeah!”

  Hmph... the Storehouse, huh... I hope they’re still safe, all things considered. Well, even if they did fall to the ground, let’s hope they’re still intact.

  “Can I get in it?”

  “What, you wanna give it a whirl? Well, I do suppose it’d be fine, but don’t expect it to move.”

  “...Huh?” What do you mean don’t expect it to move?! Hey now, I’ve come this far and you’re telling me the damn thing’s broken?! What’s the big idea?!

  “Why won’t it move?”

  “No fuel.” Ahaha... Oh, that was simple enough. Fuel, of course! I didn’t even know these things took fuel. I just thought they’d be magic-powered.

  “So, what does the big guy use? Gasoline?”

  “Gasoline? I’m unfamiliar with such a term. This bad boy like, uses Ether Liquid, yeah?”

  “...Ether Liquid?”

  “Ether Liquid is a fuel one creates by mingling their magical energies with a chunk of specially-treated Ether Ore. After that, it powers itself, understand? For it would bind the Frame Gear to a magical signature, and then use your own energies to function.”

  Ether Ore? I’ve never even heard of that. Is it some kind of rare mineral? Whatever it was, the Frame Gear wasn’t going to budge an inch without it. I’d come so far, but made no real progress. It was disheartening.

  “Monica, do you know how to make it?”

  “I’m afraid not. My talents lie not in the schools of magic.” Ugh... So I basically have a big robot statue. Great. I let my shoulders sag in disappointment, and the girl suddenly began sputtering at me in an attempt to reassure.

  “N-Now wait a moment, please don’t be discouraged. There’s more than just the Frame Gears here, I’ll have you know. There’s like, totally a bunch of other stuff! We got little floating boats, and automated carriages that move parts around!” Automated carriages? Like a car? I’d considered making a car in the past, but my lack of understanding made me give up. My interest was once again piqued. Oh, wait a sec...

  “What kind of fuel do those things run on, exactly?”

  “...Ether Liquid...” Goddammit! They won’t move, then! Damn you to hell, you pervy Doc! Why didn’t you leave me some full fuel tanks laying around?! I listened to Monica’s further explanation. Apparently the magic within Ether Liquid diminished over time until there was nothing left. Sort of like how a soda loses its carbonation if you leave it out after opening the lid.

  Apparently it was fine to last several years or so, but five thousand years was far too long.

  “Is there anyone that can make Ether Liquid?”

  “Ah... likely the Gynoid that controls the research lab, but she’s troublesome to deal with.” Monica frowned as she spoke, then gave a little tilt of the head.

  I’m following the same pattern here... Now I have to search for the research lab? This is a pretty lame goose chase.

  “Oh, uhm... there’s totally a chance Flora might know, though!”

  “Sorry?”

  “The alchemy lab and the research lab... have a close relationship. They exchange materials and design notes with one another, as is natural given their respective fields. I actually had quite a similar relationship with Rosetta in the workshop, but she was somewhat of a shut-in.” That’s true. Once Rosetta goes into the workshop and sets to work, you can’t drag her out.

  I decided to ask Flora about it. Hopefully it would lead to a breakthrough.

  I opened up a [Gate] so I could brief the others on the situation.

  “Ether Liquid, I see...” Flora tilted her head as she mulled over what I’d said. The alchemy lab was a facility dedicated to producing chemicals and new compounds, so I thought it wouldn’t be unreasonable to ask about Ether Liquid there.

  “I think that’s possible, you see?”

  “Great!”

  “But, you see... I think it would be of a lower quality than the Ether Liquid produced at the research lab, you see? If that’s fine, I’ll be able to make you some.” I didn’t really care if the material was lower quality. Just being able to move around in the Frame Gear would be enough for the time being. But, just as I was getting ready to dance a merry jig, Flora dashed my hopes with a simple sentence.

  “So, where is the Ether Ore?” Huh? Ether Ore? I looked over at Elze and the others, and they simply shrugged.

  “Never heard of Ether Ore before.”

  “... Yes, me neither. It certainly sounds strange.” Damn it, seriously...? Can’t things just go right for once?

  “Ether Ore is soaked through with a specialized liquid during its carving and processing. The Ether Liquid is finalized after the ore reacts to the magical power inside, and infuses it into the liquid. You’d need a chunk of Ether Ore about this size for the Frame Gear you mentioned.” Flora mimed out the shape of a rugby ball with her hands. From the way she described it, it was like infusing tea into hot water with a teabag. Still, there was no point getting hung up on the details of the process, as I didn’t even have any of the ore to begin with. Hell, I didn’t even know what it was.

  “Ether Ore is a mostly transparent ore that appears in many different hues of color. It can inherently store, release, and amplify magical power. It was quite readily available five thousand years ago.” Cesca spoke up with an explanation, but I didn’t really think it helped. Linze, on the other hand, suddenly spoke up. Hmm?

  “...Uhm... is that what a spellstone does...?” Spellstone? Oh, right. Those little pebbles I used to check my magical affinity. They’re usually little jewels that magic users adorn their gear with.

  Linze rummaged in her pouch and pulled out a few spellstones. Flora picked one of the little things up and held it up to the light. It was tiny.

  “There’s no mistaking it now, you see? This is Ether Ore.” Huh... I guess the name changed over the last five thousand years. Wait, doesn’t that mean the problem’s solved? Despite the seemingly good news, everyone other than the Gynoids had awkward expressions all of a sudden.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “W-Well, I... don’t know how to put this, but... there’s no spellstone that size.”

  “Sorry?”

  “Spellstones are considered real rarities... Tiny fragments such as these are fine and all, but... larger ones are more problematic.” It was true that the largest spellstone I’d ever seen was the wind one on Renne’s pendant. Laim had told me it was fairly valuable due to its size, but it was only around the size of a walnut. Apparently, these things were in short supply.

  “Belfast’s Royal Treasury has a water spellstone, but it’s only about this big...” Yumina mimed out the shape and size of a softball in her hands. You’re seriously telling me that even
an imperial treasury doesn’t have the size I need?

  “...I-Incidentally, how much would a spellstone that size cost, exactly?”

  “I’m not sure... I don’t even know if you could put a price on something that rare.” This is terrible! Plus, I’d basically be using it as a teabag. If I squeezed it out to its limit making the Ether Liquid, would it just be reduced to junk? We’d have to toss out something that valuable?! My dreams were slowly being crushed. Yae, who saw despair inching its way across my face, suddenly spoke up.

  “Touya-dono, can you not use your search spell to find a stone of the relevant size, can you not?”

  “What?” I wasn’t sure about that. Can I search for something buried underground? Wait, actually, I did find that ruin in the desert, didn’t I? That was buried. Well, guess it can’t hurt to try.

  “Alright, [Search]...Let’s see... spellstones larger than thirty centimeters in diameter.” Several pins fell down on to the map of the western territories. Huh... That was actually easier than I expected.

  I quickly checked if any of those pins fell within Brunhild’s territory. As luck would have it, there was exactly one. I wasn’t too keen on digging for insanely valuable items in the territory of other countries, after all.

  Alright, let’s excavate the magic stones! Hurrah! To be honest, I was getting tired of all the running around...

  ◇　◇　◇

  “Alrighty, let’s start digging.” I stood at the spot and rolled back my sleeves. I’d be digging with magic, but it still felt like the right thing to do.

  I knew that this was the location of the spellstone I needed, but I had no idea how deep down it would be.

  “Welp, guess I’ve got no choice but to dig.” I began digging into the ground with Earth magic. I cast [Fly], then moved the disturbed soil aside with [Levitation]. I encountered several thick layers of stone as I dug further down, but I persevered.