Chapter 85: The Time of Reunion, Comes I (2/2)

「Has to be me?」

『Basically, the interference between the Outer World and the modern world occurs by chance. The possibility of an individual, one in possession of A.I. as well, falling into this world, arriving on the right continent, working as an adventurer in the Odoriji spire, and reaching the 56th floor is………close to zero. In other words, you’re the person with the highest chance of success』

「I see, I'm the only one who can do it, huh?」

I’m perfectly calm.

I'm not such a child that I would get carried away because of cheap flattery. I have a place to return to. There are women I need to protect. When I weigh these things on a scale, without a doubt, it's the side with things like mission or the dungeon that will go up. It'll shoot up like a rocket.

The secret of A.I.s?

The secret of the alternate world?

Who cares.

What I care about is women. ………Oh, I see. This is why I couldn't contract with Vindoobunikuru, I see.

「And you're telling me that that's a good reason for me to risk my life exploring the dungeon?!」

『Even supposing you hired other adventurers to take the core unit to the 56th floor, chances are high that they won’t be able to cope with the circumstances that arise. Those that don’t possess our knowledge, the knowledge of the modern world, won’t be able to understand the things that occur. In other words, you have to be the one who takes the core unit and explores the dungeon――』

「No, that's not what I'm talking about」

As I thought, this guy doesn't understand human nature.

「I have no reason to go along with your mission or your ideals」

『I don’t understand. To begin with, why did you abandon your mission?』

「It's because I found something more valuable」

『Have you given up on returning to the modern world? Are you forgoing the reward from the company?』

「That’s right」

『Even after you’ve learned our secret, you have no intention of cooperating?』

「None」

There are far~~~~~~ more important things here than returning to my original world and getting the money.

『You're a hard man to deal with』

「That's just the way I am. Risking one’s life for the women one cares about is a perfectly natural thing for any creature」

『Then I have no choice. I'll alter parts of the plan』

「Huh?」

『I'll split out some of the troops I was going to send to the center continent and send them to the right continent instead. We will tighten our hold on the left and right continents before invading the center continent. You don't seem to have a sense of humor, so I'll keep it short and to the point. If you don't want your women to be killed, you'll obey me and explore the dungeon』

「You done it now. How dare you threaten to kill my women to my face!」

I tossed aside the bad-tasting coffee.

Drawing Agathion, I confronted the older generation piece of scrap.

「Right here and now! I'll turn you into scrap metal!」

『I’ve seen your power. It’s effective against beasts, but what about firearms?』

Tortch pointed his right arm at me. The armor opened up to reveal two Browning M2 heavy machine guns.

「If you want to kill me, bring a tank or something!」

『I am a light tank!』

「As if a tank like you exists! At least have a pretty girl ride on top!」

『I don’t understand!』

「Souya! How could you point a sword at Daddy! Is that something a son-in-law does?!」

「But this guy――」

「If you're both men, duke it out with your fists!」

「No no no, considering the size difference, I'll die」

Maria kicked me in the shin mercilessly.

「Oww!」

Isn’t this domestic violence?

「Daddy! Even if he's like this, this is the man I chose as my husband! Why are you pointing guns at him?!」

『This is a very typical response in American society when a daughter from a motherless family brings her boyfriend over. You can't expect a boy to be able to become a man without first taking a shotgun blast』

「Daddy! There be no trace of his original form left if a human being gets hit by those guns!」

『A man worthy enough to be my son-in-law would be fine』

「Daddy!」

『Aah aah, because a malfunction has occurred in the sound collection function, I can't hear anything』

Tortch put his hands over…….what I suppose were his ears, turned his huge body away, and went,『I can't hear anything~~』

Maria bashed his back forcefully with her doll.

「You guys, line up right now」

An enraged Maria gave us an order.

In my experience, it's better to obey in such situations.

I stood upright at attention.

『Maria, how could you speak to your father in this――』

「Line up!」

『Yes』

With the conditioned reflex of a soldier, Tortch lined up next to me.

「We‘ve become a family! Why are you guys already pointing swords and guns at each other?!」

『Maria, I don't recognize this marriage』

「He’s the man I chose」

『I don't recognize it』

「Then I'll elope. Daddy and I will never speak to each other again」

『Urghh………………I’ll recognize it』

「Alright!」

I've found this guy's weakness.

「Today, the three of us will sleep together! I can't leave the two of you alone! Good grief, what was it all about anyway?!」

「I wonder what it was」

『Urghhhh』

Maria, who was still grumpy, smacked Tortch's foot.

On cue, Tortch laid down and pulled pieces of cloth together to make a bed.

「Come here, Souya」

Maria beckoned for me to go over.

Tortch waved his hand to shoo me away.

Well, I’ll go with the flow and go along with playing family.

I laid down with Maria between Tortch and me. The metal arm that served as a pillow hurt my head.

Maria, who was suddenly in a good mood, said.

「The two of you sure smell alike」

That’s probably the smell of metal and blood.

In case it was confusing, the expeditionary force set foot on this world 15 years ago even though it had been 50 years since they were sent there in Souya’s world. Yes, the portal allows travel not only through space, but time.

I strongly believe that the interference between the world that occurs by chance that Tortch is referring to is the phenomenon where not everyone who goes through the portal successfully ends up on this world. Like the other team members who disappeared. Yeah, this part is not written very clearly, but that’s what makes most sense to me.

Ohhh boy. The M2 machine gun or Browning .50 caliber machine gun. (Pic courtesy of )

When you gotta brace it with your legs, it kinda tells you all you need to know about it, huh? It has been mounted on jeeps, boats, warships, aircraft and so on, and can be used as a light anti-aircraft gun and even modified to use as a sniper rifle. Notably, one US sniper, Carlos Hathcock, set a record of that time during the Vietnam War of the longest confirmed kill at 2,460 yards using this gun. This gun is so scary that some have stated that it’s illegal under the Geneva Convention to use it against enemy personnel as it causes “unnecessary suffering”. O.o

The last line tells you a lot about what Souya thinks of himself. So, the mystery of what’s on the 56th floor remains unsolved. Tortch’s ability to take control of Makina despite being less advanced than her is important, as is his lineage. Though you won’t know how or why as yet... His quest against discrimination is as well. I’m sure you’ve noticed. That although Souya actively avoids getting involved in it, discrimination is something highlighted repeatedly in this story.

And from the title of this arc, are you getting a hint of what’s to come? This is a long 5 chapter arc btw. Who is going to be reunited? Stay tuned!