Chapter 34: White, Not Red!
I recalled a conversation we had.
"If I make a Ryoku, do you want one as well?"
"Yes, please."
An instantaneous reply.
"The ［Parallelization］...to describe it, let's see...the Ryokus use a system where all Ryokus memorize what a single Ryoku learns, but if you're okay with that, I'll prepare a personal Ryoku for you. We received the money for completing the request, so I'll be able to make it if I gather a few more materials."
"Tell me anythin' you need. I'll get it for you."
He wants one so badly? Even though he looked so coldly at my Ryoku in the past?
"Is it okay for me to specify a color?"
"Sure, but...I don't know whether I'll be able to mix the color as you want. Also, exclusive functions for the frame are no option. It's possible if it's an extra function through the removal of other parts. But if not, your Ryoku might not be able to move properly."
"I don't mind either way, so please make one for me."
Ever since the liquor, it's the first thing he's really eager about.
"I can also change its size. What should I do?"
"Makin' it too big is, well...it won't be able to fit through narrow places, right?"
"Most likely, yep. So far there's been no problem, but I've been wondering whether a slightly smaller version would be better."
In the end he told me to keep the size as it is now and use a white color.
"I was sure you'd ask me for red."
"Why would you bring up red of all things? Red is the personal color of [Bloody Witch]."
Eh? Is that how it works? And, Sword's personal color is white?
"If we're speakin' 'bout the personal color of [Thunderclap Whitefang], it's obviously gotta be white..."
"Eh? What was that?"
Just now I heard some weird words? Do your best, Mr. Translator!
What I heard...what was it again? Mr. Translator has ceased working in my brain!
"......Nevermind. Anyway, my personal color as 『S-Rank Adventurer Sword』 is white!
That's what I told you!"
"I-I see. Some strange words reached my ears, and my brain rejected translating them. It must have been my imagination, yep! Okay, I see, I see, S-Ranks have personal colors, huh? Come to think of it, I've heard that you can choose a color once you made a name for yourself."
The ace pilot of the other world's ducal army also had red as personal color! Over here red seems to be assigned to Ms. Bloody. Still, that sure is a crazy name.
"You'll be able to pick one as well once you become an S-Rank, you know? Rather, I feel like folks selfishly set the color, goin' by what you use preferably as your personal color, though."
"Blue-green is the only choice for me."
Alright, I'm going to actively use blue-green on everything from now on!
"...Which reminds me, what are you goin' to use for the frame? Unless your fixated on iron, even Mithril or Admantite would be possible since I'm gonna pay..."
"No, I won't use any metals. If I did that, automatic self-repair wouldn't be possible in case of damage, right? Maintaining the painting would be a pain as well, and above all, it'd make the Ryoku heavy. That's why it's best to go with a carapace similar to insects and crustaceans. If it gets damaged to such an extent that the automatic self-repair can't fix it anymore, it'll repair itself by molting."
Sword's smile froze.
"...That's totally like a spider, isn't it!? Molting? Why the hell molting!?"
"The Ryokus are a lot more amazing than spiders. After all, they can automatically repair most of the damage they might receive. A normal spider can't do that, can it?"
If you throw magic elements into the mix, it's really anything goes.
(Note: Indra-san was at an age of five already at a level where she could read and write difficult books, but when her memories revived, the language from her previous life entered her brain. What made matters worse is her not having talked much with other people of her current world ever since then, so the language of her thoughts has become that of her previous world. Basically she's bilingual, but when she's confronted with words she doesn't want to comprehend, she'll deliberately translate them as "What does this expression mean?")
*
Several days later.
"I'm done."
If you got the design specifications, a Ryoku is easier to build than assembling a plastic model. Magic is so convenient~
"I have registered your biometrics. He'll listen to my orders as well, but you have the highest authority."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Sword! I am, Ryoku!"
He gives a cute greeting while lifting a hand.
Oh drat, he's so friggin' cute that I might die from an overdose of sweetness!
"...Why are all of 'em called Ryoku?"
"I won't accept any requests for name changes."
Ryoku is Ryoku. Period!
"Haaah...well, whatever. Best regards."
No matter what he might say, he seems happy. He's pleased with his Ryoku.
"Did the extras work?"
"Yep, that side is okay."
The extra addition Sword suddenly came up was "to fire lightning spells from the grenade launcher and not the usual 40 mm bomb spells."
In other words, it's that, isn't it? The ninjutsu sounding like the cry of a chidori that was used at the early stage by a copy ninja of the other world. 1
The Ryoku back at the mansion can't use it, but since it's an extra, I got to avoid letting it waste away by not using it after assigning it. Let's make sure to make it usable while doing the maintenance once I get back to the mansion.
――According to the information pulled through the parallelization, the Ryoku back in the mansion seems to be helping with the farming, plays and giggles around with the maids, goes shopping with the cook, and so on. He appears to be so convenient that the mansion's guards are asking whether Ryoku wouldn't be plenty to handle the entire guard protocol.
Moreover, the mansion Ryoku has become able to talk adorably! Why!?
Why is only my Ryoku different despite both Ryokus supposedly being connected!?!
*
After I made him his own Ryoku, Sword finally started to distance himself from liquor. I suspect it comes from me having secretly added a warning as a basic function, telling him, "Mr. Sword, drinking too much liquor won't only damage your main body's internal devices, but it will also create processing delays of your operational circuits and memory lines, you know? Here you go with some water."
When I felt relieved about that part, he stroked my head, "...Sorry, I made you worry, didn't I?"
"Your liquor is bad liquor. Enjoy drinking it to the extent of marching around with Ryoku while singing loudly without exposing your bottom half. Just make sure to remember that the idea that it'll be alright since you've drunk an antidote won't work."
"Gotcha. ...Your really clear-cut, aren't you? What would you think if a person died because they received a request for fun as if playin' a game?"
"As in them dying out of carelessness? I think that'd be their bad luck at work then. Something like someone sneaking in during a test run of a Ryoku and getting accidentally shot, for example?"
Sword shook his head.
"I meant when that person got killed in front of your eyes after acceptin' a request without a care because they believed it to be a walk in the park."
"You mean the thing from the other day? That's why I said 「What about it?」. ...If it was so hard on you, it'd have been fine if I had handled it instead of you."
He shook his head once more.
"Such people have never died in front of your eyes, right? I wonder whether you'd be so clear-cut 'bout things if you had seen such a scene..."
"The only person I'd want to rescue is you."
Sword came to a grinding halt upon those words.
"The things you've seen as someone, who only knows this world, and the things I've seen as someone, who's lived in this world and the other, are different. It's no like I don't feel anything either. But, in my eyes, this world is far too brutal. I won't bother to worry about what happens to the people of this world to the extent of whittling down my own spirit. I'll get angry if a Ryoku gets destroyed, and if you get killed, I'll destroy the world alongside your murderer. However, I won't care about other people to such an extent."
Sword's bitter smile gradually deepened.
"...The guy, who was your man in the other world, might have come to this world as well, no? And yet you'd destroy the world?"
"My otherworld self and my current self are different. That'd be the same for the man who was my lover in the other world. Even if we met each other, we wouldn't recognize one another, and even if he's now living in this world, I'll stick to my previous words: The only one I would want to rescue is you alone."
"...I understand." Sword caressed my head.
...Things have become slightly worrisome. It's because Sword is kinda crying.
If it's so hard on you, I'll handle all the rescue missions from now on.