Red Nocturne

by Shūsuke Amagi

  ".........But authority will be destroyed once the earth stirs," he murmured with an 'I give up' expression. "People only have two legs, but the city...... Of course," he returned to the desk and started working on a pile of documents.

  The first who fell was Felli. That couldn't be helped. If the City didn't remain vigilant all the time, it might come across a matured filth monster without warning like before. But Felli felt that she must not leave her post even after the crisis had passed. And she had also gone to see Layfon fight, in addition to leading him there. Although he didn't need much of her help during the fight, it still made her tired......

  "Sorry......" Felli said with a stiff face as she lay on the hospital bed.

  "It's not your fault," Layfon said. All the guests had left, leaving him and Felli alone.

  "No."

  Felli's skin was originally transparent white. The loss of blood made her skin shine more, as if she was a doll. She continued talking with a weak voice that seemed as if she'd die any moment. "I remember the feeling I had of the Haikizoku but I failed to detect it in the Mechanical Department. That was my responsibility. So the Captain......"

  The explanation behind Zuellni's madness was that it had something to do with the Haikizoku.

  "About that, it should be my responsibility. I asked the Captain to go......"

  They fell silent. None of them wanted to be comforted. What could they do as compensation......They wanted to know, but they don't.

  "How strange. I used my power unwillingly, but now I want to recover quickly. I can't calm down resting here."

  The sheet covering Felli had creases on it. Results of Felli's anger and frustration.

  "I can't tolerate my mistakes. But is that just a problem of dignity? Or am I regretting for putting that person in danger? I don't know......" she shook her head weakly. Her face was unusually white. She closed her eyes. Her long eyelashes looked wet.

  Layfon couldn't answer her. All he could do was sit beside her.

  "......I'm just a bit tired. I'll recover once I get some rest. Layfon, you should get some rest too."

  "Yeah."

  Layfon left the room. His feet took him to the Mechanical Department, stopping at the entrance where he used to go through for his night work. What can he do here? He had come here many times since Nina's disappearance, calling for her and Zuellni. But no one replied. Layfon's voice had echoed in the Mechanical Department before disappearing. He had no clues as to how to begin searching for the missing Nina. He heard from Naruki that the City Police was searching for her in the city, but they couldn't find a clue. Nina might not even be in Zuellni. When they were informed of her disappearance, they thought she might be outside the city. She wasn't wearing protective gear. The image of Nina being burnt by pollutants sent a chill down Layfon's back. He had searched in the vicinity of Zuellni but had found nothing. Then where was she? What could he do to find her and rescue her......

  (Just what am I supposed to do?)

  He must do something. Agitation made him unable to sit still. He had to do something but he didn't know what to do. He felt like he wanted to dig up Zuellni from the city. What can he do?

  "Damn!" As if fleeing, he started running without a destination in mind. He ran like a mosquito not knowing where it was flying towards. He could do nothing but run. Nina's disappearance had something to do with the Haikizoku, but he knew nothing beyond that clue. Zuellni's unusual actions were also associated with the Haikizoku.

  (Why......Now!)

  If he had handed Dinn over to the Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang during the match with the 10th platoon, this wouldn't have happened. Felli wouldn't have fainted. Zuellni wouldn't have headed for filth monsters. If he had handed Dinn Dee over......

  "Damn......!"

  When he stopped running, he realized he was at the city's edge. He had no path left before him. The boundary of this sealed world had stopped his running. But Nina was the one who refused to hand Dinn over. Of course, this wasn't just her own intentions. Karian had also agreed. An Academy City could not let its student die.

  "But........."

  If they had handed Dinn over to the Mercenary Gang, they wouldn't be facing this crisis now. Everyone thought their actions were right back then, but now Layfon wasn't sure. What was he doing back then? He fought Haia to make Nina's wish come true, and not only that, he also held the weapon that he decided not to use anymore, the Katana. The result was this present situation......

  "Why did I............"

  He was like that in Grendan too. He did something shameful as a Military Artist to get money for the children in the orphanage. After being exposed, he was stripped of his position as a Heaven's Blade and was exiled from Grendan.

  "Why is the same thing happening again?"

  He gave his all for some goal, some person, and reaped a different result? Had he not done well enough? Karian only asked him to win in the next Military Arts Competition to resolve the shortage of selenium mines that Zuellni had. Entering Nina's 17th platoon was just a part of that plan. Layfon's goal was now different from when he first entered Zuellni, but he thought he could change that goal in the end.

  In order not to lose the place that could change his reality...

  But......Zuellni now faced destruction.

  (Not yet......We haven't lost yet.)

  He said this to himself. To himself who was in the bottom of the pit called despair. He was reaching up for the rim that was called hope.

  (It's not lost yet. There's still something I can do.)

  He had to do his best for what he could do, and that was to protect Zuellni, protect the place that Nina would return to. He had to find a psychokinesist. But only Felli was able to provide him with perfect aid. He couldn't trust anyone else. Felli had provided him support in battles. He hadn't worked with any other psychokinesists before. Layfon could tell how the larvae worked by taking one look at them, but a psychokinesist was needed to foretell an imminent attack by filth monsters. Now he had to react by his instinct. Felli had never cut off her support before she fainted.

  He wanted to do something but he couldn't. He couldn't think of any other ways.

  (I have to ask the Student President to provide another psychokinesist.)

  He turned around and.........

  ".........Huh?"

  Something stabbed him in his chest. Pain flared. A tiny something that looked like a syringe. Layfon's vision blurred.

  "What?"

  Darkness descended.

  Chapter 3

  Birds in a Cage

  A bird was knocking on the window with its brown beak.

  "How rare," Leerin said and immediately walked over to the window. It was a bird small enough to fit in her palm.

  "A wild bird? Or is this somebody's pet?"

  It was rare to see birds flying in Grendan. If a bird was left alone, it might get sucked into the air purification system and die. People could tame birds and train them to avoid the air purification system, but that wasn't usual in Grendan.

  Leerin opened the window carefully, making sure not to scare the bird.

  "Coming in?"

  The bird hopped over the windowsill and entered the room. It flew in a circle underneath the ceiling and stopped on the cabinet by the bedside.

  "Come over......" Leerin spread her hands. The bird looked at her fingers and hopped onto her palm.

  "If you always do that, someone might catch you and eat you."

  She caressed the bird's head and feathers. The worry and frustration in Leerin from being locked in a room vanished. The color of the bird resembled that of tea, but white feathers crossed its chest to its face. It looked funny when its long tail moved. On the top of its head were golden feathers shaped like a crown. Having enjoyed the fun that the bird brought over, Leerin stretched her hands out the window. A flock of similar birds were on the opposite side of the facility.

  "Go back to your friends."

  The bird peered out, spread
its wings and flew out.

  Leerin was still confined in the facility. Every day, she walked from her room to the canteen and back, as if she was locked in a prison like a prisoner. Ten days had passed since she met Nina, but the investigation hadn't made much progress. But....... Irritation rose in her. It wasn't dissatisfaction, but it still filled her up inside. Most of the people in the canteen held the same feeling. They looked around and their conversations became louder and louder. The expressions of the students monitoring the crowd became stiffer and stiffer. Probably Leerin and the other people living in this facility knew nothing of what that portended. For some reason, she just couldn't calm herself. The quality of her sleep had also diminished. The people here would not be able to catch the next roaming bus if the situation wasn't resolved soon. That would be very troublesome. But Myath couldn't possibly hold them here forever. The next roaming bus would bring more people. The increasing number of people detained here would increase the tension at the facility, and food shortages would arise. So, this hold-up would not be long. That was what some of the more schooled passengers said.

  However, that person was also peering at the students monitoring them with impatience. Just what was his unreasonable uneasiness ......? Anyone would want some information about the situation.

  "Speaking of which, that girl............"

  Leerin didn't see the girl named Nina Antalk. Recently, she hadn't been taking long to eat her lunch. She always returned immediately to her room afterwards. Perhaps the name Nina belonged to some passenger. But was she really one of the people living here? The canteen was the only place where Leerin could contact her, but she hadn't seen her for 10 days. What a strange person...... That thought flashed past her. She took care to avoid Nina in the first two days. Noticing that the other person didn't deliberately get close to her, Leerin had felt more relaxed. Still, it was strange that she hadn't seen Nina in the canteen since then.

  "Nina Antalk......Who is she?"

  "Calling for me?"

  Leerin looked back instinctively at the voice. Nina climbed in from the window where Leerin had let the bird go.

  "Ah!" Leerin stepped back from her. Shocked, she lost her balance and fell onto the bed.

  "Careful........." Nina caught her wrist.

  "Wh, wh, wh......"

  "Are you all right?"

  "What are you doing!" Leerin said, scolding Nina for her lack of common sense.

  "Investigating the city," she replied firmly.

  "Ha?"

  "I said before that it was ok if I didn't know the situation, but on second thought, I should check it out. Just in case that time comes, it would be more convenient to move around. So I went to do some investigation."

  Saying it so matter-of-factly.

  "Investigate? .........Eh? ......You mean," Leerin looked out the window.

  Nina nodded. Outside laid the streets of Myath.

  "Went to check it out."

  Still the calm voice.

  "It's not my style to sneak around but I had no choice in this situation. I have a good grasp of the current situation."

  "Then what's going on?" Leerin turned sideways for the information that everyone in the facility wanted to have.

  "This city has stopped moving."

  "Eh?"

  Nina didn't say anything more. Regios moved on their own, drifting around in this world to escape filth monsters. Human beings once seemed to be in charge of this world in the distant past. However, in the present, humans were only side characters, existing to decorate the main characters.

  "Uh, I understand why you doubt that," she glanced out the window behind her. "All the windows here face the side of the city."

  "How can that be......"

  It was true, from the window here, Leerin could only see the inside of the city. That didn't mean all the windows here faced the inside though.

  "I haven't heard the legs moving. I couldn't see the legs, so it took a while to discover the problem."

  "Ah, so......"

  That probably explained the source of Leerin's irritation and her lack of sleep. What always existed was gone, and that was affecting her body.

  "But, the legs stopping......"

  A Regios had stopped moving. She had never thought of that possibility before. It was natural for a city to move.

  "I'm also shocked, but that's the truth," Nina said, nodding. "City Police wouldn't have been so agitated if it was just some machinery malfunctioning. The workers told me before that the structures of a city's multi-legs are mostly the same. So that possibility is very low."

  "Why?"

  "Think. If it were just information theft, would that interfere with the city's movement? If that information was so important, there should have been a backup."

  "Ah, true."

  "If they really looked for something to steal, it must have been something unique to the city."

  "Unique......?"

  "Isn't that obvious?" she said with confidence. Leerin shook her head.

  A unique thing of Myath.........

  "Ah, could it be......"

  A single phrase appeared to her. Something that she had never noticed. But Layfon had mentioned it in his letter.

  "An Electronic Fairy?"

  "Can't be anything else," Nina nodded.

  Electronic Fairy......The City's consciousness, an existence full of mysteries that people nowadays had no means of creating. And that thing had been stolen.

  "But, I don't get it."

  Leerin couldn't comprehend it. She had never seen an Electronic Fairy before, hence she wasn't clear of what it was.

  "I understand. It's hard to imagine an Electronic Fairy being stolen."

  "Yes."

  "It's hard for me to accept that. I know it's possible to lure an Electronic Fairy out of the Mechanical Department, but that's all I know."

  "Why?"

  "Um, because......" Nina planned to explain......but suddenly shut her mouth and turned to the window.

  "What......?"

  Leerin followed her gaze and froze.

  "I don't know how they did it, but the Electronic Fairy's trapped."

  "Uh......You mean......that?"

  An unbelievable sight stood before Leerin. A wall separated the facility and the rest of the city, and above it were a large number of birds, the same as the bird that had flown inside Leerin's room.

  ".........What's going on?"

  The flock of birds struggled madly like a huge creature. Flashes of light surrounded them. The birds called.

  "An Electronic Fairy," Nina said and climbed out the window.

  "What're you doing?"

  "I'm going to help them. That's why I'm here."

  She slid out and pushed herself from the wall. The wall vibrated with the push of a Military Artist. Nina's figure quickly shrank and then disappeared from Leerin's sight.

  The commotion continued. Leerin could feel the birds' pain. And then the alarm rang in the facility.

  Someone outside the door was calling, "Filth monsters!"

  Leerin opened the door. People holding their luggage filled the corridor. She quickly grabbed her own luggage and pushed herself into the crowd. Now that filth monsters were discovered, she had to head for a shelter. Besides, this wasn't Grendan. The city might be destroyed soon.

  "Everyone, please rest assured! The Military Artists of Myath will take care of the filth monsters. Please stay calm and head for the shelter! You'll be helping us immensely by doing that."

  Roy's announcement might not make much difference as the crowd pushed around, moving out to the shelter.

  "Leerin-san," someone greeted her.

  "Savaris-san!" Leerin pushed her way to him.

  "Let me escort you to the shelter."

  "Huh?"

  "If I don't keep you safe, someone might get mad at me. This way please," he took her luggage, put her on his shoulder and ran out.

  "Wait a minute, Savaris......san!"

  "Don't
speak. You'll bite your tongue."

  "Uh......That!" Leerin didn't say more. Savaris kept running. Not on the streets, but on the wall. The streets were full of people. It'd be hard to run fast there, but no one could imagine someone running on the wall. And Leerin was just a normal person.

  Savaris ran on walls. He didn't stop even when he met a set of stairs. He just ran around it, rushing all the way to the front of the door.

  "Please be calm! The roads heading to the shelters are safe!" Roy shouted from the door.

  Leerin had no time to pay attention to Roy. She herself was experiencing something she had never encountered before.

  "You're tense. Has Layfon never done this before?"

  "......Absolutely not."

  "Aaah, looks like you're very important to him."

  "......Those are two different matters," she denied, blushing.

  "Anyway, I had no choice........." he said.

  What he said bothered her.

  Roy and the City Police were too busy keeping track of the passengers to look at Leerin and Savaris.

  "You said that if you don't keep me safe, you can't report to a certain someone......"

  "You still remember."

  "How can I forget that?"

  "That's troublesome. I would be very happy if you forgot what I said."

  "If you tell me who it is, then I'll forget it."

  "That's troublesome," Savaris said with a worried expression.

  She would have said "never mind" and given up in the face of a Heaven's Blade successor if she was at Grendan. But she was used to the personality of Savaris during the long time they spent together in the roaming bus. She looked at him with an intense thirst for an answer. It couldn't be Derek. As Layfon's master, he probably knew Savaris, but Leerin didn't think he'd do something like this. Speaking of which, she could never imagine a Heaven's Blade leaving Grendan. Derek would also be shocked.

  "Someone whom you also know......"

  "......It can't be Synola senpai?"