Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 242

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Rael bustled about assigning rooms to the Zibenstein refugees.
I opened the third door, discovered an empty reception room, ushered everyone inside, and asked Apet about the situation. The old man sipped cold water before bringing up a story I’d completely forgotten.
“Child, do you remember when you and I investigated the Land of Death together?”
“I do.”
“The part about the Sung King’s child going to perform a ritual?”
“I don’t remember that.”
“I see….”
Apet chided me for being so forgetful despite my youth, then explained how there had been a place where the boundary with the Underworld had collapsed, and we hadn’t gone to ask the god about it.
Ah…, now that I think about it, something like that did happen.
“I think I’m remembering it now. Why are you bringing this up?”
“The god did respond. But the signal got redirected elsewhere.”
What kind of god has a signal that bounces around like WiFi? I was about to say this when I paused to consider the god’s true nature. Right—it was a satellite. It could certainly transmit electrical signals.
“Do we know where it got redirected to?”
“Well, that’s the thing. Apparently, it was redirected to the airspace above Sharit Bay.”
“….”
“….”
“….”
“….”
Eugene, Reina Letem, Kanna, and I all clamped our mouths shut, sensing what this meant. Now that I thought about it, the research institute that had launched the satellite must have encountered some kind of accident requiring thirty days to reconnect.
If the cause traced back to us, we’d have to go there regardless of what we did. But wouldn’t just one guide be enough? That thought flashed through my mind when Reina Letem was the first to speak.
“I don’t want to go there! I can’t sleep at night after going there!”
“You didn’t even stay in the depths that long.”
“Hey! I was raised delicately!”
“Who wasn’t raised delicately?!”
“You all! Compared to my upbringing! You weren’t raised delicately in the slightest!”
Damn it, this Reina hit a sore spot. It was true—among us, no one had been raised as delicately as Reina Letem, Countess’s Daughter. Mitchell had been exploring uninhabited islands performing the Emperor’s punishments even before becoming Evan, Eugene was a Dragon Marquis who’d rolled across battlefields, and Kanna was the pride of the Assassination Family. We’d all endured considerable hardship at home.
“The place where the signal supposedly got redirected is probably the satellite laboratory beneath the Mana Research Institute?”
“I don’t care! I won’t go! I’d rather die! I have trauma! Trauma switch—click! Click click!”
“Hmm….”
Seeing her react so strongly, it seemed best not to drag her along. Back then, it had been enough to make me queasy, so for someone as delicately raised as Reina, the shock must have been enormous.
“We have no choice. Let’s just go without Reina.”
“I, I will, follow Evan’s opinion.”
“Right, well…, if we drag her along and she has a breakdown, she’ll just be a hindrance.”
We decided that since we’d have to pass the Sea Dragon’s residence on the way, we should prepare childcare supplies in advance, and we agreed to plan the schedule while shopping this coming weekend.
“Hey!”
We were discussing how it was getting late and we should each head home or return to the Dormitory when Reina Letem suddenly flared up in anger, swinging both arms wildly as she wedged herself between us.
“You! How could you all! Leave out your big sister Reina and have fun without me!”
“You said you didn’t want to go earlier, you lunatic.”
“I could’ve asked you two or three more times!”
“Let’s just leave without this bastard.”
“Yeah.”
“Agreed.”
We executed an artful fist bump and high-five with everyone except Reina Letem, agreed to meet up over the weekend, and went our separate ways.
Left out in the cold, Reina Letem beat her chest like a gorilla, threw a tantrum, told us to have fun without her, made gorilla noises, and headed home.
A loser loner playing tough like a gorilla.
“I’m tired. I’m going to sleep.”
To think someone could live a life of drinking, crashing other people’s weddings, getting drunk, and sleeping it off—I couldn’t have envied them more. I hid my envy, summoned the Butler to escort Seian Crowell, and said my farewells to Gerth and Hubert.
“Not only the wedding, but I’ll have to prepare for the move as well. Time will be tight.”
“Huh?! Father, are we moving?!”
Gerth seemed mentally preoccupied, so he didn’t even answer Hubert—he just gave me a parting greeting and used Return.
With all the noisy people gone, the world became blissfully quiet. I sipped cold water with my ex-husband Apet, watched the sunset, dashed off a couple of letters, and had the servant deliver them to Professor Ilyong and Butler Grandfather.
After ten years of waiting in prison, I’d finally returned to society, only to see a friend—or family—get dragged back in. I wondered what that felt like. I was reminding myself not to be as unfilial as Bruno when Apet finished his glass of cold water and brought up the remaining matter.
“About that Machine King woman. No matter that it’s your errand, she was writing something quite terrifying.”
“She didn’t write it. She happened to find the materials and had them translated.”
“I see….”
With a relieved sigh, Apet stretched and said something cryptic—that if someone doesn’t see people as people, their life is finished.
“It means every single life is precious. You possess such tremendous power that I worry—even if many people were sacrificed someday, you might feel nothing.”
“I remember everyone I’ve killed.”
“Then you’re still fine for a while longer.”
It seemed the translation work I’d entrusted to the Machine King had made considerable progress. Judging by how Apet had picked it up and was concerned about it.
What on earth was the content that made him warn me like this?
“I haven’t confirmed it yet. What was written in the translation?”
“If you read it now, you’ll just get upset, so wait until the complete version is done. There might even be passages saying they eventually figured out how to use mana without sacrifice.”
Combining what Apet said with what I knew, it seemed the content was roughly about grinding people up to use mana. Anyway, as he said, reading it now wouldn’t solve anything immediately, and I’d probably just get angry, so I’d check it when the full translation was complete.
“Understood. Is that all you needed?”
“That’s not my business. The Machine King woman was looking for you.”
“Why me?”
“Something about an ultimatum, or so she said.”
Just as Apet was finishing his sentence, the reception room door burst open, and a tin can-shaped Machine King—slightly larger than a human fist—appeared. The female had apparently found a spot I couldn’t reach when I’d loosened her screws before; she rattled and bounced excitedly, then shouted in a serious tone.
「Master! Master! Something terrible happened! The Underworld King went crazy! He’s issued an ultimatum! An ultimatum!」
I’d never seen a case where someone actually followed through on an ultimatum. Not in the history of wars, nor in the history of romance. Usually, such threats meant less “this is your final warning” and more “I’m upset, so please coax me when I’m being reasonable.”
“What ultimatum?”
「He’s almost finished making that human-demon extinction virus!」
Cha Cha is clever and diligent. It hasn’t been that long since that was mentioned, and he’s already nearly completed it? Is he the type who just gets things done? Did he just accumulate power for ten thousand years, and when he applies himself seriously, he just powers through?
“What does that have to do with an ultimatum?”
「I don’t know! The first missed call was about that, and the second missed call was that he’s almost finished, so if you’re curious, come see!」
“Is he inviting me to play in the Underground?”
“It doesn’t sound like you’re inviting me to visit…? Anyway, let me play back the third missed call that came in today!”
Makina tapped the buttons on my body with a click-click sound, and through the transparent glass, I could see the tape spinning. Wow, it’s been ages since I’ve seen that. Old phones used to record missed calls on tape like that.
“Evan, this is an ultimatum! If you don’t come meet me! Even if it’s incomplete, I’m really really going to spray it all over the place!”
With a beep, the missed call recording ended. Hearing Cha Cha’s voice, it really did sound like he was asking me to come appease him before he got truly upset.
“Why is Cha Cha acting like this? Is he just lonely from staying underground?”
“Master kept hanging up every time, saying he was busy. Isn’t he just sulking?”
If that’s the case, the claim that he’d finished creating all the plagues was likely just bluffing. Since it would be a disaster if the plague spread before Sunbird and I even got to test human demonification, I should probably stop by for a chat.
“Can I call Cha Cha right now?”
“If he’s near the phone, he’ll answer.”
If he’d gone out, I wouldn’t have left a missed call either.
I asked Makina to connect me to the Underworld and waited for Cha Cha to pick up. The dial tone rang about one and a half times before Cha Cha answered and immediately cursed at me.
“Hey! You’re terrible!”
“I’m not terrible.”
“Yes you are! You said you wanted to talk! Then when I call, you say you’re busy! You ignore me! You don’t even call back when I leave missed calls! And now you finally call when I give you an ultimatum! You’re an idiot! You’re terrible! I don’t know what’s so great about someone like you!”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to come down right now.”
“Yeah! That’s fine!”
Cha Cha, who had been furious but then granted permission with a bright laugh, made sounds like “aaah aaah” mimicking Seian before immediately canceling it.
“Cancel! Cancel cancel! I’m not going to meet someone like you! Why would I like someone who only comes looking for me when they need something!”
“I’ll bring a gift.”
“Who needs a gift anyway?!”
“I’m going down alone this time. There’s something I need to discuss, and I think I’ll need to stay for a while.”
“Yeah! Just make sure you stay the full twenty-four hours!”
I see. Tomorrow I have no classes, so I’m free. Though I said I’d go alone, it might be easier to explain things if I brought Sunbird along. Would it be alright to bring one more person?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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