Akatsuki Translations

Uuga, command room.

Perhaps because it was built with the intention of Aesula himself boarding it during construction, the architectural style was gorgeous. It was a beautiful room created using the most luxurious and advanced technology to the fullest extent.

Unfortunately, many parts of it were destroyed by the hands of Aesula himself, who had transformed into a Slime King, whoever he was. Aside from the farseer crystals and various magical tools, many of the decorations that were unnecessary for functionality were destroyed. Also, since there was no reason to restore those broken items, they were just cleaned up and left as is.

Inside the now somewhat unsightly room, Ur was sitting in the commander’s seat—and Echelle was sitting on Ur.

“At least sit facing forward, Echelle.” -Ur

“No.” -Echelle

As if facing Ur. It was the posture of a parent soothing a fussy child. Echelle had her arms firmly wrapped around Ur’s back, so they were almost in close contact. Ur was troubled.

“How did it come to this?” -Ur

“It’s Ur’s fault.” -Echelle

“I miss the days when we first met. Although it was two months ago.” -Ur

“Shut up.” -Echelle

She didn’t seem to give him any room for objection.

“As a man, it’s tough to endure this situation.” -Ur

“Then don’t endure it.” -Echelle

“I don’t have the courage to do it in a place where Gradol’s big shots come and go.” -Ur

“You coward.” -Echelle

“Ah, I guess so.” -Ur

Ur patted Echelle’s back while continuing to gaze at the farseer crystal. Uuga was directly biting into and swallowing the huge mass of magic stones that had emerged from the Blood Emperor Rose. The magic stones eaten by Uuga were not absorbed as is, but flowed into a storage room accessible to the crew. There, the magic power of the magic stones was absorbed very slowly, so during that time, the magic stones could also be collected on their side.

Moreover, even without storing magic stones, Uuga could recover from the magical power in the earth and atmosphere. However, after roaring, it would be unable to move for several days.

“We don’t have plans to move for a while, so we need to collect the magic stones… Well, that can wait until tomorrow.” -Ur

“Are you done?” -Echelle

“See for yourself. Let’s go home.” -Ur

Ur got up and made Echelle stand.

The sun had already set. Outside the human habitat, if the sun set, they would have to light a fire, keep watch without sleeping, or put up a barrier, which would be troublesome. Of course, Uuga had no such worries at all. Except for the barrier of the Sun God, it was no exaggeration to say that it was the safest place in the world.

The night was quiet without the worry of monsters attacking.

“If you’re going home, I’ll come too.” -Echelle

“Go back to your own house properly.” -Ur

“I don’t want to because Kalkara isn’t there now.” -Echelle

“Oh, come on.” -Ur

Ur gave up and took her hand, descending from the command tower. Immediately after the end of the Uuga incident, people other than Ur’s group, such as Gradol’s priests, the Adventurers’ Guild, and the Knights’ Order, had repeatedly entered and conducted investigations and confirmations, but now there was no one.

The sound of their footsteps echoed strangely.

“Ur.” -Echelle

“What is it?” -Ur

As if breaking the silence, Echelle spoke up.

“Aesula. He’s dead, isn’t he?” -Echelle

“That’s right. I killed him.” -Ur

“Father is also dead, and most of my other siblings are dead too.” -Echelle

“It seems so.” -Ur

When Ur affirmed, Echelle gripped Ur’s hand tightly. It was almost painful. When Ur turned around, Echelle had a face that looked like she was about to cry, as usual.

“What’s going to happen to me?” -Echelle

Her mental state was still unstable. It was a bit better while she was keeping her body busy, but now that she had more free time, the unavoidable anxieties of reality were surging in.

No matter how terrible her relationship with her original family was, it was only natural to feel anxious if everything suddenly disappeared. The anxiety and fear that she had been distracting herself from with busyness were erupting within her heart.

“I’m sorry, but even I don’t know about this. I want to reassure you, but the thing is, I don’t know what will happen to me either.” -Ur

And unfortunately, Ur was in the same boat. He was anxious and didn’t know what would happen from now on. He was being caught up in a very large flow and was about to be swallowed up. He was doing his best just to desperately hold his ground so as not to be swept away.

Ur would not let go of Echelle, who had already joined the 【Walkers】, but the current situation was that there was a risk of Ur himself being swept away as well.

“Comfort me properly.” -Echelle

“Sorry.” -Ur

“Pat my head.” -Echelle

“Here.” -Ur

“Hug me.” -Echelle

“Here we go, up you go.” -Ur

“This isn’t a piggyback ride.” -Echelle

“Never mind, let’s go home.” -Ur

Carrying Echelle on his back, Ur descended from the command tower.

　　　　　　　　　　◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

And in front of the command tower,

『Hey, you two, you coming along? HAHA. 』-Rock

Rock, who had transformed into a three-wheeled small vehicle and was enjoying driving inside Uuga, gave Ur a thumbs up.

“You’re really enjoying your second life to the fullest, Rock.” -Ur

『HAHAHA, it’s fun, you know. To go at full speed through a town with no worries about monsters or people! 』-Rock

It seemed that Shizuku had learned more about necromancy, and more complex transformations had become possible. Apparently, even without the base Rock ‘n’ Roll, he could become a small, independently moving carriage, and Rock was playing with that.

He was supposed to be a former human, but he didn’t seem to care about his own form at all anymore. The time when he first met them, when he was half-desperate about his current circumstances, seemed like the distant past.

“That certainly looks fun, but… I’m tired today, so…” -Ur

『Depending on future trends, the population of Uuga might increase, so now’s the only time you can do this while there’s hardly anyone around, right? 』-Rock

“…Well, that’s true, but Echelle is here…” -Ur

『I can carry two people now, you know? 』-Echelle

“………………Well, I guess it’s fine.” -Ur

Ur gave in.

“You’re letting him convince you so easily!?” -Echelle

『HAHA! You actually wanted to ride, didn’t you!! 』 -Rock

“Well, of course. This kind of thing is definitely fun.” -Ur

“I don’t want to!” -Echelle

“Rather than crying and whining, shouting out loud will make you feel refreshed. Floor it, Rock!” -Ur

『HAHAHA!!! 』 -Rock

Without giving her a chance to refuse, Ur held Echelle and got on, instructing Rock, who laughed loudly as he spun his bone wheels and kicked the ground to take off.

The bone carriage, illuminating the deserted night road with magical light and speeding along with a mixture of laughter and screams, was like a legendary monster.