Chapter 278 : Monster Wave
Chapter 278: Monster Wave
“Aaron, this body is hungry!”
Not long after I picked Evangeline up from school, she complained that she was hungry while riding on my shoulders.
At the same time, she lightly patted the top of my head with her tiny palm.
I had actually spent some effort styling my hair, so honestly, I'd prefer it if she didn't touch it...
But this kid never listened.
“……Evangeline. I've told you many times already, the top of my head isn't a call button. I'll hear you even if you just speak.”
“I know. But whenever I do this, a wonderful smell comes from your hair, so I simply cannot resist.”
As she said that, Evangeline buried her nose into my hair and sniffed deeply.
It felt like a tiny animal had climbed onto my head.
I didn't particularly mind letting her smell it...
But it was strangely embarrassing.
At that moment, a mischievous thought crossed my mind, and I tickled the insides of her thighs where they rested against my shoulders.
“I told you not to do that.”
“Uwah!? Hahahaha! I got it! I got it already!”
Evangeline burst into cheerful laughter.
Even though she said she'd stop, she continued playing with my hair.
It seemed she wasn't laughing because it tickled...
She was simply having fun.
In response, I started vigorously shaking my head.
After we spent quite some time fooling around...
Evangeline's stomach let out a loud growl.
Apparently she hadn't been lying about being hungry.
She slumped over once again and complained.
“Aaron~ Let's eat something before we go... I'm hungry.”
“I saw you eating lunch at school.”
“I couldn't properly eat! How was I supposed to enjoy my food when everyone around me kept staring at this body all day— Ow, ow, ow...!”
Unable to contain her frustration, Evangeline smacked the top of my head as hard as she could...
Only to end up hurting herself.
I told you.
My head isn't a desk.
See?
You're the only one whose hand hurts.
This thing's durable enough to stop artillery shells.
Well...
I had plenty I wanted to say.
Instead, I simply nodded in sympathy.
“……Sounds like you've had a rough time.”
“R-Right! Don't even get me started! Those boys barely older than hatchlings keep wagging their tails at this body all day! They're constantly sneaking glances at me, and whenever I walk through the hallways they gather into little groups and whisper! And whenever they bring me gifts, it's always something like the corpse of a stag beetle they caught somewhere!”
A stag beetle?
That one surprised me.
The ecosystem of New Valhalla City had long since collapsed.
Finding even an ant was difficult.
At most, you'd occasionally spot sewer rats or cockroaches.
If someone actually found a stag beetle...
It was probably somewhere in the gardens near the Elysium District.
Whoever that boy was...
He was undoubtedly from one of the wealthiest families in the city.
“And it isn't only the boys! The girls keep copying everything this body does! If I start eating my soup first, they all do the same! If I eat bread, they copy that too! It's as though they're all trying to imitate a doppelgänger or something... And this headband this body is wearing! Can you see it?”
“Yes.”
I couldn't see it from my current angle...
But I'd already seen the red headband earlier.
“Mark my words. By the day after tomorrow, about eighty percent of them will show up wearing something nearly identical.”
“They probably all like you.”
“Do you think the Great Witch would be happy to receive the affection of a bunch of snot-nosed children!? Being surrounded by little brats all day is unbearable!”
She looked awfully pleased for someone complaining.
To me...
It sounded less like whining...
And more like humblebragging.
It was the sort of thing people said while secretly showing off.
Like someone saying,
“Oh dear, I'm just sooo busy these days~”
While subtly boasting about how successful their business was.
Of course...
Being exhausted wasn't a lie either.
“At this rate, this body may collapse someday. Ahh... How dreadful. Being unable to eat properly and constantly worrying about other people's eyes... At this rate, I'll end up with a tri... Trident? Like Miyu, and stay locked inside my room forever~”
“Trauma.”
Why would a trident suddenly come up?
And apparently...
Even Evangeline associated Miyu with being a shut-in.
If Miyu wanted to escape that image of a room-bound recluse...
She still had a long way to go.
In any case...
Listening to Evangeline speaking like the tragic heroine of a melodrama...
I realized she wanted something from me.
“……So, what is your wish?”
“Hot dogs!”
Evangeline shouted.
“I want to try eating a street hot dog!”
I couldn't help chuckling.
After all that...
The only thing she wanted was a hot dog.
Cute little thing.
To put the conclusion first...
Evangeline couldn't even finish half the hot dog I bought for her.
Part of it was because the portion was fairly large.
But more importantly...
She simply didn't like the taste.
“Blech... I never imagined something called a 'hot dog' could taste this awful... It feels like chewing on sawdust...”
Well...
Most food in this city was like that.
Even so...
This one was from Sector B.
It had a relatively high meat content and was actually considered quite tasty.
If you went as far as Sector D...
You'd find sausages containing less than ten percent meat.
And even that meat came from sources nobody wanted to know.
They simply shoved those sausages between two pieces of genetically modified flour bread and poured sauce over them.
Honestly...
Even I thought the one we'd just eaten was fairly decent.
If Evangeline considered it disgusting...
It was probably because Maria's cooking had spoiled her palate.
Well, anyway.
Since Evangeline abandoned the hot dog after only a few bites...
We ended up visiting a nearby family restaurant afterward.
Considering she'd already eaten part of the hot dog...
I ordered the Children's Omelet Rice Set A, which had a relatively small portion and came with a toy as a bonus.
Evangeline immediately protested.
“Do not treat this body like a child!”
Yet when the omelet rice arrived with a decorative flag planted on top...
She looked genuinely delighted.
Hmm.
Hadn't she been talking earlier about being the Great Witch while mocking little children?
I had plenty I wanted to say.
But she was too adorable.
I'd let it slide.
Evangeline devoured the omelet rice set like someone who had been starving.
After finishing her meal...
Her attention immediately shifted to the mysterious plastic toy that came with it.
She spent quite some time experimenting with different ways to play with it.
Eventually...
She noticed me watching.
Apparently embarrassed...
She hurriedly began making excuses.
“I-It merely piqued my curiosity.”
“I didn't say anything.”
“Ugh......”
She seemed fully aware she'd been pretending to be an adult in front of me earlier.
For a moment...
I was tempted to tease her further.
But I barely managed to restrain myself.
It was about time to get to the real subject.
The teasing could wait until later.
First...
We needed to finish the important conversation.
Of course...
I had absolutely no intention of giving up on teasing her afterward.
“Evangeline. There's something I want to ask.”
“Hm?”
Evangeline looked slightly surprised.
But after seeing my expression...
She immediately became serious.
She had realized I wanted to discuss something important.
At once...
She switched into the mode of the Blood Witch.
Well...
If not for the grains of omelet rice still stuck to those soft, chubby cheeks...
She would've looked quite dignified.
“……Yes. Maria is normally the one who comes to pick this body up, so I had already guessed something was different when you came today. So then... What is it that you wish to ask?”
“First, let me explain what happened.”
I carefully recounted everything that had occurred in Sector E.
The war against the mafia.
The Dragon.
The existence of the Stingray Family.
And even the Sky Dragon.
I'd tried to explain everything as calmly as possible.
Yet when I finished...
Evangeline's complexion had turned noticeably pale.
“A... A Dragon...!?”
She seemed utterly horrified by the revelation that a Dragon was lurking behind this city.
Honestly...
I couldn't quite understand her reaction.
“Is there really any need to be that afraid?”
“What are you saying, Aaron!?
A Dragon!
We're talking about a Dragon!”
“I already told you.
I've defeated one already.
There's no reason I can't do it again next time.”
“……Aaron.”
“What is it?”
“I know you are not the kind of man who would boast or lie.
Therefore...
If you say you defeated a Dragon, I believe it.
But from this body's perspective...
That victory could only have been achieved through extraordinary luck.”
“......”
She wasn't entirely wrong.
I'd genuinely tried my best to kill that Dragon.
Yet in the end...
All I'd managed was capturing it alive.
That was only because we'd fought while it remained in human form.
Had I been forced to fight its true body...
I couldn't have confidently claimed victory.
The fact that only that much of the city had been destroyed was already close to a miracle.
“You must never underestimate them simply because you've won once. They are beings capable of standing proudly against the gods themselves. Even a young hatchling possesses combat strength comparable to a High Angel.”
“It's not as though I underestimate them.
I simply question whether there's any need to fear them that much.
One of them has already been neutralized.
As for the Sky Dragon...
For whatever reason, it refuses to act directly.
It may not even have any intention of interfering with us.”
After ruling humanity for two hundred years...
It seemed unlikely that it'd suddenly decide to exterminate mankind overnight.
And since maintaining the status quo remained my highest priority...
If that thing didn't start causing trouble...
I had no desire to make an enemy of it.
Of course...
The Stingray Chairman apparently disliked that idea.
He seemed intent on using me as a chess piece to challenge the Sky Dragon.
But I had no intention of blindly dancing to his tune.
“For now, I intend to observe the situation and respond proactively.
If they show signs of moving, I'll strike first.
But if they remain inactive, I don't intend to make the first move.”
“Mmm......”
Even after hearing my answer...
Evangeline remained dissatisfied, crossing her arms as she groaned.
Eventually...
She realized there was little more she could say and simply shrugged.
“Very well.
If you have already made up your mind, there is little point in this body nagging further.
Besides...
You still haven't even reached your main question, have you?”
“That's right.”
“Then tell me.
What is it you wish to ask?”
“About Monster Waves.”
Monster Waves.
Back when we'd visited the Dwarf village...
A massive horde of monsters had suddenly attacked.
At the time...
I'd been told such events occurred whenever an extremely powerful high-ranking Mystics entity relocated its territory or for similar reasons.
“So you're asking what exactly they are?”
“No.”
I shook my head.
That much could easily be found with a simple internet search.
I needed something far more detailed.
“Then what exactly do you wish to know?”
“The various conditions under which a Monster Wave can occur.”
“Well, as I explained before...”
“No.
Let me be more specific.”
I shook my head again before continuing.
Yes.
What I truly wanted to ask was...
“Can a Monster Wave be caused by a human?”
The method...
To reach the ending of this world.