LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 273.1
Chapter 273.1. Disturbance
Sakimori hurried back to Amatsugahara Corporation. While checking out the state of Hakata, a young girl suddenly burst out of a ramen shop, yelling, “This is bad, this is bad!” She told me to duck under the shop door. When I did, I ended up back home. This girl’s ability is seriously overpowered.
In front of me, two people who looked close to death had collapsed, so I quickly had Sei heal them. It seems Serika and Sachi managed to take down the intruders without a problem. Apparently, no one noticed I increased my status points. Reality sure is harsh. It’s no wonder they didn’t conveniently pick up on it.
It turns out that defeating them easily had a reason on the enemy’s side. I’m now shaking hands with the two people we healed.
[Do you want to revoke the administrator privileges of God Machine Ares?]
[Do you want to revoke the administrator privileges of God Machine Fortune?]
[Yes to both.]
Of course, there’s no other answer but “yes.” I revoke both of their administrator privileges. Purple lightning runs across their bodies, and the privileges are gone. Now they’re free.
“Thank you. So this was the trick behind it.”
“A human can do something like this…? Are you really human?”
Ares, who looks like a Greek sculpture, laughs in relief as he rolls his shoulders, while Fortune stares at me skeptically.
“Save your thanks for later. First, we need to head to Hokkaido and revoke Bacchus’s administrator privileges too.”
[Gate]
As soon as the administrator privileges are revoked, the girl named Fortune uses spatial magic to create a teleportation circle, leaving me stunned. Is this kid already betraying her former employer?
The reason is obvious; they probably came to headquarters planning to betray from the start. Now they want me to save their other comrades too. Could this be a trap? I’m suspicious, but it doesn’t seem like it.
Even if the administrator privileges are revoked, someone loyal to their original master wouldn’t betray them. Watching Fortune and Ares, I wonder if this is some elaborate trap, but…
“Fufufu. Finally, the day has come when I can punch that idiot of a commander-wannabe doctor. I’ve waited so long for this.”
Ares polishes his spear with a dark, sinister smile that’s almost unsettling. That’s no lie—this is a genuine smile.
“The doctor? Isn’t the Earth Federation Commander supposed to be a soldier?”
Serika tilts her head curiously while clinging tightly to me. Ares makes a bitter face and nods.
“Kaneda. That romantic fool who spouts nothing but armchair theories. For some reason, he called himself Omoikane and ordered us to address him that way.”
Ares scoffs bitterly at the word “romantic”, clearly showing his distaste for the doctor. Wait, what? So the Earth Federation isn’t led by a soldier?
“Kaneda? That loser who keeps messing with administrator privileges and claims his theories are so advanced no one else can understand them?”
Serika jumps up from the couch in surprise, her voice sharp and incredulous. It seems like Kaneda was the last person she expected.
“After you guys disappeared, a battle broke out, and most of the competent scientists died. Kaneda was the only one left who could manipulate the administrator privileges and had at least a basic understanding of the theories. He didn’t care about reality but was still considered brilliant. He also mentioned he had tampered with all of you.”
“Ah, yes. I do remember him being quite skilled in theory. He used to talk big about conquering dungeons, gaining popularity among those clinging to hope.”
Ares’s face twists in disgust, while Yukihana, standing behind him, forces a faint smile. I imagine Kaneda was good at riling up people. Meanwhile, Serika’s expression grows serious.
“Come to think of it, Kaneda was there during my final adjustments. Back then, I thought he was just showing up before a big operation out of formality… But now that I think about it, my actions have felt strange ever since coming here. He definitely tampered with something.”
Serika grits her teeth, her face darkening in anger. Something clearly comes to mind. He must’ve done something unnecessary.
“And to top it off, that doctor modified his own body—raising physical combat techniques, combat energy, and light magic all to level 7. He embedded Element Cores into his body and bragged about becoming a New Human. But his speech, actions, face, and body odor were all just weird. I think his mind was broken. Or rather, it was broken to begin with, so maybe his mind wasn’t abnormal after all.”
Fortune delivers her harsh words mercilessly. The young girl sitting on my shoulder nods in agreement, as if she too understands how terrible this commander is… I almost feel bad for the guy.
But wait, Shizuku is oddly quiet. Normally, she’d be joking around in a situation like this.
[Honestly, I didn’t interact much with Kaneda. He only ever spoke to Serika, Yukihana, or Titania.]
“Huh, is that so? Then it makes sense you wouldn’t know much.”
Why Kaneda only approached certain people… I don’t know. Surely not—could it be… Nah, it’s just my imagination. It’s not because of her “armor thickness”, right?
Sensing some ominous air from Shizuku, I decide to let it slide and turn back to Fortune.
“Got it. So you’ll lead us to the enemy’s headquarters?”
“They shouldn’t have any proper forces left. Even if Bacchus is controlled, we can handle him. If Sandalphon shows up, Ares can immobilize him. If you revoke the administrator privileges during that time, the battle will be a piece of cake. A guaranteed success!”
Fortune puffs out her chest confidently, with no trace of guilt.
“Anyone who distributes raw rats as food deserves to die.”
“Well, that can’t be helped.”
Rats? They were using rats as food? Even we don’t eat rats, so that’s pretty messed up. Smoked meat? I’ve decided to just call that “mystery meat” and leave it at that.
“As far as I’m concerned, Kaneda brought this on himself. He was always staring at my chest anyway.”
Sei nods firmly, while Shizuku, who never even met Kaneda, looks frustrated as she checks her own armor. I pretend not to notice. Honestly, as a man, I’ll defend this—if someone’s gaze gets drawn to heavy armor, that’s understandable. At least he didn’t act on those urges, so maybe he’s a normal old man in that regard. Still, it must’ve been annoying for the women.
“Well then, let’s pay Kaneda’s house a visit. …He doesn’t actually have the power to create an S-rank dungeon, does he?”
“No. Even we were surprised by that information. Creating an S-rank dungeon is sheer insanity.”
When I asked about the second Stampede that hit Hakata City, Ares and the others looked equally shocked. So maybe I was overthinking it, and it really was just the stalker’s doing.
Ares nods gravely, clearly recognizing the danger of this information. But this conversation can wait. Right now, I have no idea how to deal with an enemy who can create dungeons at will… At will? Really at will? That thought lingers, but I’ll worry about it later.
“We’re going in carefully. If he’s not an idiot, he’ll be on high alert.”