Chapter 5 |
***
As Eight was struggling with the mass production of the energy boosters and his new research tasks, Regalia stared at the potion sample before her, letting out a low hum.
“Hmm—so this is the potion that Galm praised so highly…”
At first glance, it looked like just a regular energy booster or a recovery drink. She even gave it a quick taste, and it didn’t seem all that different.
What kind of secret was hidden in this potion that allowed Galm to regain his prime strength? Determined to uncover the secret for herself, Regalia downed the potion in a few gulps.
Since the amount wasn’t much, it didn’t take long for her to finish it, even with her small mouth. After drinking it, Regalia smacked her lips at the refreshing lemon flavor, but she tilted her head in confusion, not sensing any particularly special effect.
‘Nothing’s happening?’
Considering it was the potion that restored Galm to his prime, she expected something remarkable to happen when she drank it too. Perhaps she would feel as powerful as a hero, if not quite to Galm’s level.
But strangely, no such effect occurred. Wasn’t this just like drinking a regular energy drink?
“─Madam? Here are some documents that need your signature.”
“Hmm—bring them over.”
After that, Regalia was too busy focusing on her work to think about the potion. Although she did notice that she felt unusually refreshed and wasn’t experiencing any fatigue, she dismissed it as the kind of effect a typical energy drink would have.
It wasn’t until that night that Regalia began to find something unusual.
After dinner, a shower, and some light exercise, she lay down in bed at exactly 10 PM, as she always did. After all, children need to sleep early and wake up early to grow quickly and healthily, and she never deviated from her routine.
So, tonight should have been no different. She should have fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, but instead, her body felt wide awake, refusing to let her drift off.
“…This is a problem.”
Sensing that sleep wouldn’t come easily, Regalia closed her eyes and began counting sheep to pass the time. By the time she counted to around 28,000 sheep, she realized that the sun was rising.
She hadn’t slept at all.
Regalia went to work that day with a clear mind.
That night, she counted sheep again.
By the time she finally fell asleep, she had counted a million sheep.
***
“Woooaaahhh—!”
“The fatigue… the fatigue is gone!”
“I feel like I could stay awake for three days straight…!”
The energy boosters made by Eight were distributed to all members of the organization. The members would take the potion whenever they felt fatigued or just before heading into battle.
The effects were astounding. Just as Regalia, a child, hadn’t felt tired even after staying up for three days and nights, the exhausted bodies of the members were filled with vitality.
For the combatants, in particular, they found themselves significantly stronger, even able to rival some lower-ranked heroes. Considering that their usual strength was barely above that of a well-trained civilian, this was an incredible achievement.
Of course, the one who benefited the most was Galm. The potion had been custom-made for him, so it was only natural that he received more advantage from it than anyone else.
“Hahahahaha—! Come at me, rookies!”
Galm swung his weapon as he fought against heroes. Those who remembered him as the worn-out beastman who could barely handle even rookie heroes were now astounded by the overwhelming power he displayed.
“Why the hell is that damn beast so strong all of a sudden—!?”
“I don’t know! But Red, calling him a ‘damn beast’ is racist!”
“Is this really the time to worry about that!?”
“It seems you still have energy to spare! Then I’ll kick it up a notch!”
“Aaaaaah—! You crazy bastard—!”
Galm didn’t bother explaining that as a tiger beastman, he was more like a cat than a dog. Instead, he shut them up by wildly swinging his weapon.
A war hero who had survived countless battlefields, Galm’s weapon skills had reached the level of a master. If the goal was simply to kill someone, he could outmatch almost any master.
For a brief moment, as Galm was swinging his weapon and tormenting the heroes, an alarm went off from within his clothing. Hearing it, Galm stopped swinging his weapon.
“Hmm—It’s time to clock out. I’ll be leaving now.”
“You, you crazy bastard…! It’s only 3 PM, you damn villain!”
“The heroes’ working hours don’t concern me. I’ll be taking my leave now.”
With that, Galm retreated, taking the fallen combatants with him. The heroes wanted to chase after them but couldn’t bring themselves to do so. Even when fighting face-to-face, they hadn’t been able to subdue Galm, and it felt like he was holding back just a little. It was as if he could have killed them but chose not to.
Pursuing an opponent like that could lead to even greater danger. It could mean losing their lives. Heroes were meant to subdue villains, not throw their lives away.
The heroes, who had been staring blankly at the retreating villains, eventually returned to their headquarters, where they vented their frustrations.
“Ugh—! Director! Can’t we just arrest that beast bastard!?”
“No.”
“Why not!?”
They knew who Galm was, which villain organization he belonged to, and even where that organization was located—so why were they being told they couldn’t arrest him?
Couldn’t they just wait for him to rest and then raid the organization’s base with a group of heroes to capture him? That’s what Red was thinking.
But there was a reason they couldn’t.
“Because not even the president can set foot in that city.”
“What? Not even the president?”
“That entire city is private property of Evilus Corporation. Everything from the buildings to the vehicles on the streets belongs to Evilus. The citizens living in the city are essentially renting everything from Evilus.”
“But… they’re villains. They could hurt the citizens.”
“Villains who give advance notice of exactly when and where they’ll attack? And do you know that most of those citizens are employees of Evilus or its subcontractors? When evacuation orders are issued, they’re happy they don’t have to work during that time.”
At those words, Red felt like he was choking on an unbelievable reality. How could such a situation even exist? It was like…
“That’s just… like playing make-believe…”
“You better not say that out loud, or people will think you’re spoiled.”
“Why…?”
“Because it’s better than dealing with cities where villains conduct guerrilla warfare and put bullets in the heads of heroes’ families, or cities that are invaded by monsters from outer space that we can’t even communicate with. Or do you want to be transferred to one of those cities?”
“…No, I’m sorry.”
Hearing the director’s offer to transfer him to a place where he could experience “real hero work,” Red quickly apologized. Indeed, it was hard to accept, but he could understand. It was better than dealing with villains running wild and killing people indiscriminately, wasn’t it?
When you think about it, this style of villainy wasn’t all that bad. They were creating a set of rules for operating in this city. If you didn’t follow those rules, you’d be making enemies of them first and foremost.
In fact, the villain crime death rate in this city was less than one-tenth of that in other cities.
“Your job isn’t to entertain such strange thoughts but to subdue and arrest them on the spot. Fortunately, they don’t seem to mind that.”
“…But speaking of that, doesn’t it seem like that beast bastard has gotten unusually strong? Was he always that powerful—?”
“Red.”
“Oh, sorry. I mean, that villain bastard.”
At Red’s question, the director nodded as if it were possible and pulled something out of his pocket. Red looked at the item, wondering what it was.
The director shrugged and explained the item’s identity.
“It’s a new product from Evilus Corporation. An energy drink.”
“And why…?”
“Our scientists analyzed it and found that it’s been diluted to about one ten-thousandth of its original concentration, yet it still far outperforms any existing energy drink. They said the price-performance ratio is off the charts.”
An energy drink produced by a corporation run by a villain organization.
And an executive of that villain organization who had suddenly become immensely stronger.
If someone couldn’t see the connection, they might as well question whether their head was just a hat rack.
“─We need to find the scientist who made this.”
“…And if we find them?”
“We’ll have to somehow convince them to come over to our side.”
Although the director said this, neither he nor Red believed it would be possible. Whoever made this must have been offered terms by Evilus that no one else could match.
***
“─Achoo!”
“A-Are you okay…?”
“Oh, yes. I just suddenly felt a chill.”
Sniffling, I looked at Ayle, who had come to my lab. In the short time I’d known her, I’d realized that she was a gloomy girl who struggled to express her opinions, so for her to come all the way to my lab meant there had to be a special reason.
And it turned out I was right.
“I-I heard from the boss. Eight, you’re going to make me something…”
“Yes, that’s right. Is there something you currently use?”
“N-No, I just… I joined the villain organization because I could meet magical girls…”
“Hmm. So, should I just make something up then?”
“…Can it be anything?”
Ayle’s eyes sparkled as she asked. It was rare for her to express her own opinion. I nodded lightly, and to my surprise, she answered without stuttering.
“─I want to become tentacles.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Tentacles. Don’t you know? They’re often in magical girl doujins.”
No, I know what they are.
I stared at Ayle in disbelief.
She, in turn, stared back at me with utmost sincerity.
This was going to be a headache.
End of Chapter
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