Chapter 127: Neo-Tokyo
After freezing for a good few seconds at the sight that lay ahead, I muttered, “Why is there a town in a place like this?”
Moreover, it wasn’t an ordinary town. Skyscrapers stood in rows.
The color and shape of the asphalt roads, the construction of the sidewalks, the shape of some of the signs—every single one of them was something I’d seen in my previous life.
Is this… Earth?
While that question floated in my mind, I headed into the town.
“There are so many buildings, yet it’s almost silent, isn’t it?” Yuri said, looking up at the buildings.
Yes, almost. It wasn’t completely devoid of sound.
Given how developed it was, the possibility of autonomous machines or even Monsters wasn’t zero, but it meant there was something moving around.
“Should we proceed like this?”
Even Ignat, who had been eager to advance, slowed his pace at the utterly unexpected sight. His voice made me stop in my tracks too, but I wanted to know. Why were there so many things here that looked like they were made in Japan?
However, should I really involve Yuri and Ignat in this?
The moment I thought that, I heard the nostalgic sound of a siren, “Wooooo.”
“!? Th-This is!?”
“This is not good, Your Highness! Let’s go back!” the two exclaimed.
Just as I nodded, turned on my heel, and was about to run, I heard a voice from behind.
“You lot, the Mana Essence concentration here has risen, so it’s being designated a restricted entry area! Prepare to evacuate! Wait, who are you…?”
A normal-looking woman with black hair poked her head out from something like a car that was flying, gliding over the ground. At the same time, an amplified sound echoed throughout the entire town.
“An abnormal rise in Mana Essence has been detected in Sector A. We are now issuing a temporary evacuation order for residents of Sector A. Entry into Sector A is also prohibited. I repeat—”
After being repeated twice, the siren sounded again. Silence then returned, but the standoff with the woman in the car-like vehicle continued.
“The sound finally stopped. So… who are you? I’ve never seen your faces before. Which sector are you from? It’s really strange that I’ve never seen any of you three, especially since you look around the same age.”
There was no point in staying silent.
“We came through a Dungeon. We have a question for you too. Why are you deliberately living underground?”
“—!? No way… Are you… natives?”
“I don’t know if you’re people who migrated here, but there’s no doubt we came from the surface. We don’t have any hostile intentions, for the record. Can we have a friendly discussion?”
I asked, but her eyes were filled with genuine fear, and she didn’t seem about to reply. Conversely, I felt somewhat relieved. She mentioned a rise in Mana Essence, but it seemed they were at a level where they had to evacuate just because a hole of that size had opened up in this space. While it might not apply to everyone, they didn’t seem to be god-like beings.
“First, I’ll go close up the hole we made. That’s why you came, right?”
“W-Wait! I’m reporting this to my superiors now! Just wait a moment!”
She was fiddling with what was probably a radio inside the car.
“Ah, okay. But wouldn’t it be better to close it first? It’s right over there, you know?”
I said, starting to walk, and when I got reasonably close, I extended my Maso, pulled the rock I had dislodged, and closed the space again. The spot where I pulled it from probably isn’t perfectly sealed since the coating is cracked, but if anything spawns, it’ll likely be First Floor level. I’ll leave them to deal with that later…
“So, what did your superior say?”
“Eh? Ah, um. They said to wait on standby… Can I ask you to do that?”
“Of course. We’d also like to alleviate our own concerns, so can we assume you’ll hear us out amicably?”
“Concerned, are you?” she asked, her eyes widening.
“Well, yeah? It feels like we unintentionally barged into someone’s house. I debated turning back, but wouldn’t you be curious if there was a place like this beneath the town you lived in?”
“I see… Ah, it looks like they’re here. I’m just a subordinate, so I’ll hand it over to them, okay?”
I replied “Alright” to her, then asked the other two, “I’m thinking of hearing them out, but what do you two want to do?”
“You don’t need to ask me! I’m with you no matter what!”
“I can’t very well return in this situation either. Judging from the circumstances, it doesn’t seem like a place so dangerous that we’d be completely helpless.”
By the time we decided what to do next, we were already surrounded. About fifteen police car-like vehicles were lined up in front of us, and a man got out of one of them and walked towards us.
Matching his approach, I took a few steps forward, and when we were reasonably close, I gave a slight bow, which he returned.
“It seems you have no hostile intent.”
“Indeed. We didn’t come here intentionally in the first place. That said, I would honestly like you to tell us what this place is.”
“Unintentionally, you say? Then, am I correct in understanding that you broke through the labyrinth above?”
When I nodded in reply, he muttered, “Is that so…” with a completely perplexed look, then said, “If we’re going to talk, let’s first go somewhere we can relax,” gesturing with his hand as he turned back towards the vehicle.
We were then guided to a cafeteria in a relatively nearby building. It seemed unlikely they intended to take us to the central area right from the start, but since they brought us to a place so close by, where residents might be, the chance of it being a trap was probably low. Although, about a dozen soldier-like individuals were providing tight security.
Unmanned self-service machines were lined up, and it seemed that even food would pop out with the press of a single button. Moreover, it was being created from nothing, like a 3D printer. Seeing that, Yuri and Ignat froze and uttered, “The work of a god.”
“This is incredible technology… Could it be atomic reconstruction? But I don’t see any base materials.”
“Eh? Is technological advancement progressing that rapidly on the surface?”
“No, that’s not the case,” I replied, and since there were only juices I couldn’t drink here, I pressed the button for coffee, wanting to have some for the first time in a while.
Then, at the place we were guided to, we introduced ourselves to each other.
“I am Colonel Keishi Katsura of the Self-Defense Forces. May I ask your names?”
“Yes. We are from the Kingdom of Belfast. I am Louis von Belfast. For now, I am currently the nation’s Crown Prince.”
“Wha-!? His Highness the Crown Prince… you say?”
I nodded back at the frozen Keishi-san, and Yuri and Ignat introduced themselves next. After that, they didn’t seem inclined to speak, so I initiated the conversation.
“As I mentioned at the beginning, we did not come here intentionally and have no hostile intent. However, since you are established so close by, we would at least like to hear your story.”
To be blunt, the land above this is Oldam, so it’s part of the Kingdom of Lestall. However, historically speaking, Oldam only recently became part of Lestall. Belfast is probably involved. Or rather, I’m starting to think that the “gods” the first king spoke of might be these people. I suspect he perceived them as such after witnessing their superior technology.
“Y-Yes. However, for a mere Colonel like myself to speak with His Highness the Crown Prince would be disrespectful. I believe at least the Chief of Staff or a Minister should be present. May I call for them?”
“It will mean keeping you waiting, though,” he said, breaking into a cold sweat.
“That’s quite alright. We’re the ones who intruded so suddenly, so please don’t worry about it. However, it’s impressive that you can secure this much energy underground. Can you convert Mana Essence?”
“No, embarrassingly, as you’ve pointed out, we are barely managing and facing great difficulties. Mana Essence conversion technology has not yet been established.”
When I replied, “Is that so…” Yuri tugged at my sleeve. I looked at her, and she tilted her head as if to say, “What’s going on?” I whispered, “I’ll explain everything later,” and since Ignat was also looking at me, I nodded to him as well.
“Um, are the people on the surface already strong enough to break through the labyrinth?”
“No. Currently, it would likely be impossible for anyone but us. Honestly, it’s difficult even for us, so if another one spawns, we might not be able to come again.”
“Is… that so…” Keishi-san said, showing a slight look of relief for the first time.
After that, as we continued to ask each other questions, two individuals arrived: one with the title of Minister of Defense, and the other, a General. The Minister of Defense was a woman in her forties, Takagi-san. The General was a man in his late fifties, Makishima-san. We exchanged greetings again, and the atmosphere became more formal as we moved into serious discussions.
“Prince Louis-denka, first of all, welcome. To this Neo-Tokyo.”
“Neo… Tokyo, you say…”
“Well, even though we call it ‘Neo,’ the first one has long since vanished, so it’s merely a remnant of the past, you see.”
That’s not what I meant. It’s the word “Tokyo.” With this, it’s almost certain. Japan is involved. I hesitated for a moment about whether to reveal this, but I don’t see any demerit in doing so. Thinking it might help us understand each other, I decided it might be better to say it.
“Then, am I correct to assume you are Japanese, and this place is Earth?”
“…Is that much about us known on the surface!?”
“Chief of Staff, it is not proper to answer a question with another question. Yes, indeed. We are Japanese. However, this is not Earth.”
The fact that this isn’t Earth means I crossed space to get to this planet, huh?
Surely they don’t have teleportation technology or anything like that, right?
While thinking such things, I answered “no” to the Chief of Staff’s question and explained why I knew.
“I have memories of a past life. And they’re memories from Japan, on Earth.
Though, they’re just those of an ordinary person who lived in Tochigi Prefecture.”
“Tochigi Prefecture, you say…?” she said, taking out a stick about the size of a lip balm. When she pressed a button, a monitor appeared in mid-air, and after tapping it a few times, she displayed a world map of Earth.
She zoomed in and was looking for Tochigi Prefecture, so I told her the location, “It’s here. In the Kanto region…”
“It’s hard to believe right away, but it seems there’s no doubt you’re more familiar with Japanese geography than I am.”
“Yes. I understand how you feel. It’s so abnormal it’s hard to accept, right?
It’s the same on the surface, so I’ve only told one person.”
As I said that and looked at Yuri-san, perhaps remembering that I’d already told her, she blushed a little and squeezed my hand.
I squeezed her hand back and smiled.
That’s right, I revealed to Yuri-san that I had past life memories once when I was lecturing her about the Gun.
“It’s not like that means anything in particular, but that’s why I have more knowledge than you might expect.”
The Minister of Defense looked bewildered, but she seemed to take it in for the time being and nodded once.
“I… see. So, what do you intend to do about your relationship with our country going forward?”
“Well, let’s see… The unknown can also be frightening.
I think it would be good for us to get to know each other to some extent for the future, but…”
While replying that, I also conveyed that, as I told Katsura-san, defeating the Boss on the lowest floor is too risky, so I might not be able to come again.
“Is that so… However, we can’t just have you leave us as we are, can we?
If left alone, we will perish here in less than two hundred years.”
“Huh…? Why is that…?”
As he was about to speak again, the Minister of Defense cried out, “Chief of Staff!?” trying to stop him, but he shook his head, saying, “There’s no point in putting up a brave front anymore.”
“It’s a rather complicated story, but to put it simply, it’s because we lost the Master Authority, you see.
Our energy is steadily depleting, and we can no longer even aim for the surface.”
“Chief of Staff, for you to say such a thing is far too irresponsible!”
A silent staring contest continued, after which the Chief of Staff snorted and looked away.
“M-My deepest apologies. But as you’ve heard, we have no future left.
We can’t even use vehicles unless it’s an emergency like this. You may not believe us easily, but we will not become a threat to you.”
“Um… As you say, I can’t just say ‘Yes, I understand’ based on words alone.
But if your destruction is certain, don’t you think about joining hands to survive?”
When I asked that, they both showed troubled expressions.
“If we were to ask for help, what would be the price?”
The General fixed his gaze on me, his eyes steady.
“Wouldn’t that depend on what needs to be done? If you can become self-sufficient by securing some energy, then a little technology provision would suffice. But if it means bringing your entire population to the surface and securing a living area, that’s a different story.”
“W-Wait. Please wait! You’re saying you can transport us to the surface?”
“Huh…? It depends on the population, but how many are there?”
“Currently, we’ve restricted it to twenty-eight thousand and forbidden births, but the total population is thirty thousand.”
Thirty thousand, huh. That’s a bit tough.
With that many people, the Oldam folks would find out too.
Well, but if I try hard, I could make a hole and get them out to a different place, so it might not be impossible.
It’s not like I couldn’t take this to Lestall, but with technology of this level… I’d definitely get chewed out.
“It won’t be easy, but I think… I can do it.”
“P-Please excuse me for a moment.”
The Minister of Defense stood up from her seat and started communicating with someone outside, speaking rapidly.
“So, assuming we make it to the surface, what would become of us?”
“Um, currently there’s no undeveloped land on the surface of this continent, so after receiving compensation like technology provision, I think you’d either have to emigrate or become citizens of our country. Are you aware of the current situation on the surface?”
“No. We know nothing at all. That’s precisely why we’re hesitant to decide.”
I nodded in reply and suggested that perhaps they should first send a delegation to the surface.
“I’m not the one with ultimate authority either, so how about we hold a summit meeting and have a discussion?”
“!? You would arrange a meeting with His Majesty the King of your side!?”
“Yes. It’s likely a problem we can’t ignore either, so I believe a venue can be arranged.”
When I told him that, he became engrossed in the discussion and rapidly asked various questions.
I answered each one, and by the time our discussion ended, it had gotten quite late. They said that if it wasn’t an inconvenience, I should by all means stay the night, and I was shown to a room.