Tsukaishi ⑩ – Megalopolis.
Today, there’s a briefing session for the Tsukaeshi.
“Hoh. Hohoh. A complex facility, is it?”
The Hydrangea Grand Hall.
An arena, conference rooms, a theater hall, restaurants, general stores, a hotel, and so on.
All of them are housed within this round, temple-like building.
It’s closer to a shopping mall than a department store.
“Still, is it really true?”
I asked Hayarn, the rabbit perched on my shoulder with a paw on my head.
She’s a companion, and I owe her a lot, but I still find her hard to trust completely.
“Ah, I am Megalopolis.”
“The same as Megadia-san.”
It’s true that the Tsukaeshi Wish Slate listed Megadia = Megalopolis.
But to think that Megadia-san and Hayarn were from the same family.
“Originally, the Megalopolis were a family line of Alchemy, governing Wind among the Six Houses of Edda.”
The Six Houses are Edda’s oldest lineages and hold the highest authority in present-day Edda.
The Frontier family, governing Fire.
The Atlantis family, governing Water.
The Megalopolis family, governing Wind.
The Eldorado family, governing Earth.
The Arcadi family, governing Light.
The Utopia family, governing Darkness.
More accurately, it’s four houses and two houses, with the two houses governing Light and Darkness positioned above the four houses.
“Has it been like that for 4000 years straight?”
“It seems so. Honestly, I thought Edda had perished long ago.”
She says such outrageous things.
So that’s why Hayarn said she wanted to meet her descendants.
Megadia-san is staying at the lodging facility up ahead.
It’s been a while since I last saw her.
Just as I was thinking that, someone approached from the distance.
It was a woman. A tall one at that. Quite tall.
She had long black hair with straight-cut bangs. What you’d call a hime cut.
Her purple eyes shone mysteriously, and she wore a blackish-purple cape over a frilly black outfit.
It was a Gothic Lolita outfit. Which means…
“Megadi-”
“My body!”
Hayarn leaped onto Megadia-san. Such impressive jumping power.
“Kyaaah, what is this rabbit!?”
“My body! My body! My body!”
That darn rabbit! I pulled Hayarn off her.
“Wof-kun?”
“I’m sorry. Hayarn just…”
“My body!”
“…Is that the one?”
Megadia-san seemed taken aback.
I was bewildered too.
“Yes, she is, but Hayarn…”
“My body…”
What is she saying?
My body. In the ancient tongue, it means my body. Physical body?
“What do you mean by that?”
“Mmm. Miss Megadia is the spitting image of my original body.”
“Original body… Eh, Hayarn, you were female?”
“I am male now, though.”
“Hayarn, from the Three Eggs?”
“That’s right.”
“And your original body is a dead ringer for me?”
“I think the hairstyle was more flowing and I was a bit shorter, but generally, yes.”
“Eh, Hayarn, the bald…”
“Wrong! In Edda! A spitting image of Miss Megadia! Though, back then, I didn’t really like my original body much.”
“It’s a bit shocking to be told you’re a spitting image, yet disliked.”
“However, if you ask whether being a rabbit is better, the truth is my original body wins out.”
“That’s just because operating panels is harder as a rabbit, right?”
“……Putting that aside, after 4000 years, a descendant of Megalopolis exists who looks so much like me. I absolutely must ask a favor of Miss Megadia.”
“What, if you say something like handing over this body, I’ll erase you. You. Judging by how you talk, you can do things like that, can’t you?”
Megadia-san deepened her wariness and glared at Hayarn.
“I wouldn’t go that far. You’re too tall, after all.”
“Alright, erasing you.”
“I’ll cooperate.”
“Wait, wait, wait, it’s a joke! My request is for you to couple with Woff there, make a child, and give that child to me!”
“Alright, completely erasing you.”
“I’ll gladly cooperate.”
A black, distorted sphere appeared in Megadia-san’s hand.
I also summoned 【Vanish】 in my hand for the first time in a while, about the size of a golf ball.
“Wait, wait, wait, wait, it’s a joke! Then, Miss Megadia’s ovum and Woff’s sperm…”
“It’s the same thing either way!!”
“Ovum? Sperm?”
Megadia-san looked puzzled.
Ah, does this world not understand things to that extent? Is there no education on it?
I only know because of my past life memories.
Then, Hayarn jumped onto Megadia-san’s shoulder.
She whispered something in her ear, and Megadia-san’s face turned bright red as she threw Hayarn off.
Ah, from that reaction, I knew what she said. She explained it.
“There’s no way I’d hand over something so important!”
“I know what you’re thinking, but that’s truly a blasphemy against Life.”
“Blasphemy against Life?”
Hayarn made a “what’s that?” expression.
Is she serious?
“You’re an Alchemist, yet you have no ethics?!”
“Alchemist?”
“Mmm. I possess the Job Relic 【Alchemist】. Originally, the Megalopolis were a family line of Alchemists, after all.”
“Huh, I didn’t know that.”
“What! Even though they were great masters of Alchemy who passed down 【Alchemist】 for generations.”
“Passed down… If you kept holding onto 【Alchemist】, Hayarn, then it couldn’t be passed down, could it?”
“Ah…”
“You ruined it yourself, didn’t you? Haaah, to think such a perverted rabbit is my ancestor…”
How unpleasant. Megadia-san sighed.
“What even is 【Alchemist】, anyway?”
“What? You’re from the Megalopolis family yet you don’t know?”
“Didn’t you just say you ruined it? I don’t know anything.”
“Then I shall teach you. What my 【Alchemist】, that is, Alchemy, is. It allows for the [ Synthesis ], [ Decomposition ], [ Combination ], [ Fusion ], [ Transmutation ], [ Replication ], and [ Analysis ] of Relics. And it allows for the creation of things like Relics, OOPArts, Legendaries, and Legacies.”
“Relics? OOPArts?”
“It’s not just any Relic, but it’s possible to create them as plates. As for OOPArts, if they are in the database… and because there’s [ Synthesis ], it’s also possible to combine two different OOPArts to create a new one.”
“…Synthesizing OOPArts. Can you synthesize them with Legendaries too?”
“Of course. Synthesizing OOPArts and Legendaries is also possible. In that case, you’d surely create a completely different OOPArt or Legendary.”
“…………”
“Megadia-san?”
She fell silent for a while, seeming strange.
Megadia-san looked up as if having made a decision.
“Hayarn. There’s something I want to ask of you.”
“If it’s a request from my descendant, I shall gladly accept.”
“I’ll tell you the details later when we can properly make time to talk. If you’re also a member of the Megalopolis family, you’re not unrelated.”
“Hmm. Understood. My descendant.”
“Miss Megadia is fine. Being called ‘descendant’ by you in that form feels kind of unpleasant.”
True, being called ‘descendant’ by a rabbit is… yeah.
“Understood, Miss Megadia.”
“Somehow, I suddenly feel exhausted.”
“I understand how you feel. By the way, is your Tsukaeshi Ms. Pachira, Megadia-san?”
“Yes, a Guild staff member would have been fine, but since it was a good opportunity. She gladly accepted.”
“I see.”
“More importantly, Wof-kun. You. You’ve become quite the topic of conversation.”
Megadia-san grinned.
I felt troubled.
“Ah… well…”
“Relax, I don’t intend to tease you. You’ll be fine.”
“Am I fine…?”
“Yes, so be confident.”
I’d never been told something like that before, so I felt relieved somehow.
“Thank you very much.”
“…Staaaaare…”
“What is it, Hayarn?”
“I was just thinking again how you’re interesting, but hard to understand.”
“No, that’s you.”
Ever heard of a boomerang?
Megadia-san was laughing. Saying we’re a good combo is ridiculous.