novelraw Chapter 108
Chapter 108
Chapter 108
Surprisingly(?) Maria’s brain had not melted.
Come to think of it, if Anti-rain was falling, Evangeline’s raincoat was actually a very important matter.
‘Now that I think about it, she was a [Arcane] too.’
On the surface, she was just a cute-looking little girl, but still, a witch.
If she continued being exposed to chemicals in a city where Anti-rain poured down like part of daily life, there was no way problems wouldn’t occur.
Right now, the city was being sprayed with Anti-rain, and if she got drenched in it, it wouldn’t just end with catching a cold and sniffling for a day or two.
If she was to help me track down Araya’s main body, countermeasures against the rain were absolutely necessary.
And besides, it wasn’t good for her face to be exposed. With a proper raincoat, that worry could be reduced to some extent.
For a moment, I had thought even that calm and meticulous Maria had her brain melted under the influence of Raina’s abnormal defensive range.
Well, in any case.
The raincoat for Evangeline was decided to be the most common yellow color.
It was a bit conspicuous, but since I would be with her, there was no need to hide from enemies, and above all, it suited her best.
“Oh my~ How cute~”
As the aircraft switched to vertical takeoff and landing mode and slowly descended from the sky, Maria dressed Evangeline in the raincoat.
After dressing her, Raina fussed over it, but it wasn’t really excessive, because even I found her to look quite cute.
With just her face slightly showing under the hood and firmly equipped with yellow boots, she looked just like a chick.
Perhaps Evangeline herself was happy to receive new clothes, because she stayed quite still while being dressed. Kids usually liked things like raincoats anyway.
“All ready.”
“Good.”
I too received a black long umbrella in one hand, then stood by the entrance.
Looking around the cabin, the Special Class members had already finished preparing for battle and were focusing their attention on me.
A strange sense of elation.
I slowly opened my mouth.
“I won’t say much.”
The operation briefing had already been done earlier.
Currently, Trinity Academy was under blockade due to Araya’s interference with the defense system. The defense turrets were active, making it impossible to approach recklessly.
I would handle the physical system first, while in the meantime the Special Class members would enter the Academy through the external aerial vehicle parking lot of the Stingray Corporation’s 249th floor office.
After that, I would find Araya and crush him, while the Special Class rescued their classmates.
It was indeed a simple story.
So what I had to say to them was only:
“Don’t get hurt, and do your best.”
You can do it.
At those words, the children under my protection all answered in unison, “Yes!” and I led Maria and Evangeline toward the aircraft’s exit.
The aircraft hovered about ten meters above ground.
As the door opened, below us was a crowd gathered under umbrellas, murmuring amongst themselves.
There were quite a lot of them, and since some were holding cameras or microphones, they were clearly reporters drawn here after spotting the Stingray mark on the aircraft.
When I lifted my head, I saw straight ahead the towering building of Trinity Academy, so massive that the word ‘huge’ was insufficient.
Walls at least twenty meters high, topped with barbed wire and active automated turrets.
A hologram floating ten meters from the wall displayed the words ‘No Entry’ in red.
Because of this, neither Academy personnel nor reporters could go inside.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, young master.”
I jumped down from the aircraft first, with Maria carrying Evangeline following behind.
The gray, gloomy sky showered rain endlessly, as if it never tired. The unique stinging smell of Anti-rain pierced my nose.
I opened the black umbrella I had received from Maria.
The reporters immediately recognized me and excitedly rushed forward.
“Chairman Stingray! Have you heard the news about the Academy? Do you know why the defense system suddenly activated?!”
“Aaron Stingray! What do you think about the Academy leadership’s official statement?!”
“What exactly is happening inside right now? The citizens demand the truth!”
It seemed the flow of information was being controlled to some extent.
That meant I didn’t need to bother crafting responses to every media question.
“Out of the way.”
“Huh…!”
“Y-Yes, sir…!”
With just that one command, the crowd of reporters blocking my path split in half.
They had rushed in for an exclusive scoop, but upon seeing my aura, they grew frightened.
After all, they knew well enough that defying the Crown Prince’s temper meant it would be difficult to survive in this city.
I walked toward the now-blockaded Academy main gate.
Looking at the Latin motto engraved above the entrance, the sentence translated by the automatic translation application appeared in augmented reality.
‘We shall conquer even divinity…’
It was a motto showing deep hostility toward the [Arcanes] who had devoured the world and driven humanity into the inner outskirts of cities.
Once an institution to raise heroes, now degraded into corporate breeding pens, that Latin phrase appearing faint and blurred was surely no illusion.
At the main gate, reporters and Academy guards were arguing.
I decided to speak directly to the guard captain, who was armed in Powered Suit and holding back the reporters.
There was a clash with quite a large crowd, but as I approached, a path opened on its own as if parting the Red Sea.
“C-Chairman Stingray! How come you’re here…!?”
“Whose orders are you working under right now?”
“U-Under orders from higher-ups…”
“Connect me.”
“P-Pardon?”
“Now.”
If I had tried to arrange contact beforehand through Maria, they would only have passed responsibility around in circles.
So I decided to force through right here on the spot.
Following my order, the guard captain contacted his superior, the ‘SD (Security Director).’
After checking my face, the SD immediately summoned a group of Academy executives.
The faces of many figures I had met at the last meeting appeared before me.
Well, well, all familiar faces.
[Ch-Chairman Stingray? W-Why are you contacting us directly instead of…!]
[A-Are you by any chance at the scene right now?]
The voices of old men who should have long since stepped back to the rear, chattering away.
Excuses about responsibility, about the media… I found it irritating, so I ignored it all and just spoke my piece.
“I’ll break the defense turrets myself and enter.”
[E-Eh?!]
“That’s all.”
Judging by their tone, it seemed they had no intention of saving the students despite this situation.
So, during the original android uprising incident, things must have been playing out like this on the outside as well.
But unlike back then, now there was no protagonist playing hero inside, and the ones who had run wild beside him were waiting inside that aircraft.
‘If you won’t solve the problem yourselves, I’ll unleash the main actors onto the stage.’
When I made that clear, those outdated geezers—who should already have been buried—started babbling again about responsibility, about money.
Money, money, money.
But what can I do.
Unlike you people who will soon have to strip off your clothes, I had more money than I could ever spend.
“Anyway, that’s all you need to know.”
[Ch-Chairman! Chairman!]
I unilaterally informed them of my plan and cut the connection. Then I gave an order to the guard captain.
“You were listening from the side, weren’t you?”
“Eh?”
“I intend to save my students.”
“A… y-yes…”
A stammering response, as if his mind hadn’t caught up yet.
Good grief.
This guy really had no sense either.
“I’ll give you three minutes to clear things up.”
“…!”
At that, the Academy guard captain finally came to his senses and quickly issued orders to his subordinates.
They were told to evacuate civilians in advance so they wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire when the battle began.
Accordingly, the guards hurried to disperse the crowd gathered around the Academy.
When it seemed the work was nearly complete—
“Module Online. [Cloud Spider].”
I armed myself.
Black gloves layered themselves over my hands.
Behind me, Maria asked,
“Young master, will you be all right?”
“Isn’t it a bit late to ask that now?”
“That is true. But I wanted to confirm it one last time. That there is no change in your will.”
My exact specifications were originally classified as Stingray Group secrets.
When I defeated the Titan last time, it had been after the monster drove all the people away—there were no witnesses when I used my strength.
Since then, whenever I had unleashed my full power, it was always in places with few onlookers, or among people who didn’t matter even if they saw.
But this time was different.
Even if the guards evacuated the nearby crowds, there would surely be those secretly watching. Especially the reporters, shoving cameras forward, observing everything.
If I revealed my strength here, it would cause an uproar in many ways. Even the Security Division at headquarters would raise a fuss.
Of course, as long as I showed results and quietly handled the aftermath, it could be smoothed over.
But the fact remained: I was personally stepping into troublesome matters myself.
And that too—for the sake of students.
The original foul-tempered Aaron Stingray would never have done such a thing, even in death.
But so what?
I was strong.
I had completely regained my power.
Now, no one could touch me.
Thus, I answered calmly.
“I am only doing what must be done.”
“…Understood.”
Maria bowed her head, took Evangeline’s hand, and stepped back. I turned forward again, raised my gloved hand.
There was no need for any grand gestures.
As always.
I simply flicked my fingers lightly.
And then—
BOOOOM—! BOOOOOM—! BOOOM!
Dozens of defense turrets, which had not allowed any intruder into the Academy, all exploded at once, destroyed.
And that wasn’t all.
The defense devices embedded throughout the Academy building—I shattered them in an instant.
Along the vertical line of the massive triangular structure, turrets had been arrayed. With just one sweep of the Cloud Spider’s threads across that line, all the defenses were disabled at once.
“Now’s the time.”
Since I hadn’t bothered to destroy each turret carefully, the auto-repair system would soon begin restoring them one by one.
If we were going to enter, now was the opportunity.
At my command, the aircraft carrying the Special Class quickly moved to the target point from its position in the sky.
After confirming with my own eyes that the aircraft safely landed at the parking lot beside the 249th-floor office, I turned to the quiet yellow chick who had been waiting patiently.
“Come, let’s go.”
“Heh, finally it’s my turn to take the stage!”
“Can you track him? Even in this rain?”
“At first, I wasn’t sure. But now, it doesn’t matter. That massive building is swirling with his mana.”
Evangeline pointed her finger toward the Academy building.
“His mana connects underground. If we follow it, we’ll reach him!”
“Is that so. Then let’s go.”
I wrapped Evangeline in my free arm and began moving in the direction she pointed.
“Please return safely.”
“Take care of the cleanup.”
“I will take care of it!”
Evangeline echoed my words.
Maria would handle all the troublesome aftermath. I had safely sent the lead actors onto the stage, so only one task remained.
“To capture Araya.”
It was time to end this damnable connection once and for all.