Chapter 100 – Masquerade Party (14)

Thankfully, unlike his prior concerns, the additional people riding the Exosuit did not affect its mobility.

“Urp! Urrrp!”

“No! I need to ride this to the battle! I don’t want to smell vomit all day! Gyosu! Do something about your friend!”

“Look out into the distance, Vex! Uh… yeah! The ocean! Think of the ocean!”

“I’ve never… seen… the ocea—uurp!”

It was just… those who were not driving experienced severe motion sickness.

“Your friends are quite… lively.”

“Kehehe, they are unusual ones, alright.”

“I don’t remember Gyosu having an expression like that either.”

Ralph and Ian spoke as they looked at the mess happening in Ezel’s Exosuit.

“How exactly was he back in the day for you to say that?”

“Um… Well, first of all, he was far from being outgoing. He always looked like he was thinking about something, talked less too, and had a sharp glare in his eyes…”

“Him? I didn’t know him for that long, but I still can’t imagine it.”

“I couldn’t have imagined it either, that he would become… so bright—”

“Uurp, g—uuuuurp!”

“Aghhhhh! It’s coming out! Hurry!”

“Ezel! The ammo box! Hand over the machine gun!”

“Euuuuarghhh—!”

“Heyyyy! I need to turn that into the armory!”

“You have to give up either one or the other. Sacrifice your ears for the scolding in return for an ideal fighting environment!”

.

.

.

.

“Uh… yeah… that he’d become this bright….”

“Keheheh. If it was right after the war ended, that’s five years ago. Gyosu was still only about 19 back then. They say many things can change in even a decade, but for a teenage boy, five years is more than enough time for a change, especially if that boy is living in the Wastelands. It’s impossible to survive here without changing.”

“Just say that you lost it! A single box of ammo isn’t going to kill you!”

“Yes, it will! You don’t even know the worst of it! There’s this woman in the IB armory that has scary eyes like ( / ) this, and if I lose even a tiny screw, she’s going to skin me alive!”

“Euuuuuurghhh!”

Even though they were familiar with it, even if the battle was guaranteed to be won by their side, they were still on their way to a large-scale battle. But even on their way to kill people, Gyosu, Vex, and that Ezel guy too were this rowdy.

The scene was familiar. When he was in the military and with the Raptors, some guys snickered amongst themselves and made jokes right before the operation started.

“It’s probably their way of loosening up. They’re on death’s doorstep every day, so that way of relaxing may have just become a part of them.”

“Ah, that’s not the case for Ezel. That bastard had a screw loose before coming into the Investigation Bureau.”

Tzzzt—

[Manager Mon! Vex said he could see the batteries up there in the front!]

“So he said. Squad 3 returned almost immediately after they came out of the garage, so it shouldn’t take long to get to the Dome. I heard every one of you would join us on the battlefield, so what will you do now?”

As Ian looked out in the distance and started to see the trailers and cubed gray blobs, he shook his head to the side.

“How would I know? That’s…”

“Ian! Get out when they stop to change batteries! We’ll split for the time being and then join back later!”

Grin.

“For our leader to decide.”

They slowly came closer to the trailers, and as he looked at the massive object shadowing over behind it, the corner of Ian’s lip curled upwards.

A massive city that not even the harsh, dusty storms of the Wastelands can hide.

They were now at the Dome.

Ezel was a person who was hard to surprise. Of course, his reactions were usually twice as loud as others, but when a person was really surprised, rather than yelling out loud, they usually wholly froze out of shock.

“Hah, hah….”

In that perspective, Ezel was currently incredibly shocked.

About 10 minutes ago, Ezel received a command from Monclair to ‘go guide them to the armory and explain to the rest of the people in the Investigation Bureau about the current situation’ and followed Gyosu’s group to the armory.

‘Your manager was the one who said we have access to the armory, so we’re taking what we can get, alright? No taking it back.’

‘Sure, try all~ you want. I’m just going to tell them that Manager Mon told you guys to [equip yourselves on a reasonable level], so you guys do the rest on your own! Ehehe!’

Perhaps he expressed empathy for their situation of having to fight the Raptors’ main forces with a partially broken AK and suggested that they acquire a few more firearms. However, even if the manager granted them permission, they would have to deal with Karel Vivianne, the Armory Manager, also known as the “Witch of the IB” or the “Old Metal-Smelling Woman.” She was notorious for not giving out even a single magazine of ammunition and was particularly strict with the advanced technology weapons that were rare even within the Dome. Her unwavering stance on lending these weapons caused even the most seasoned managers within the Investigation Bureau to be skeptical.

‘Manager Mon probably gave them permission, trusting her incredible restraint…..’

“Th—this one! How is this one? It’s the newest model of electromagnetic rifle that came out of Life and Murder…”

“Mmm, sorry, m’lady, but I don’t really fancy firearms with electromagnetic mechanisms in them.”

“Ahh, what great taste you have! Then how about this one? It could not be called classic, but it doesn’t have any sort of electric mechanism in it! It’s a 2037-model hand cannon! Useful in both area and individual situations…”

“Oh. This one’s nice. Can I take this as well?”

“Yes, yes! Of course!”

“Whaa…”

“Whaaa….”

“Jaw…. could do that?”

Next to Ezel were Gyosu and Vex, who had obtained only a single firearm and cartridge belt with glaring eyes from Vivianne, who had the same shocked expression as Ezel when looking into the situation inside the armory.

Cheeks turned a rosy red.

Two sparkling eyes.

An attitude of enthusiasm, wanting to give everything they had for even the shortest of remarks or gestures.

And the sounds of coquetry and charm were etched into her nasal tone as if she were trying to impress him in any way possible.

A few minutes ago, the pale armory manager who had been chain-smoking cigarettes shot back at them with a sharp tongue, but after a short conversation with Ian, she had become a shy girl in love, tongue-tied in front of her crush.

“Hup-hah! This should be enough. I would take more…”

“A-as much as you wish! You can take all you…!”

“No, no. I just need whatever fits in my bag. Alright… was Vivianne your name?”

“A-Anne! You can call me Anne!”

“Alright, Anne. Thank you for your help, m’lady.”

Click, click!

“Hm, my lighter ran out of fuel…”

“Y-you can use mine!”

“No, there’s something better. Pardon me.”

“W-what is…..?!”

With the cigarette in his mouth, Ian put the lighter back into his jacket, leaned into Vivianne to the point their noses grazed, and wrapped his hand around her neck…

P-p-p-plt—

…put the cigarette in his mouth against the one in her mouth, then breathed in deeply.

Her breathing quickened as the sight of Ian’s rough face filled her entire vision, and through the smoke that left the red ambers at the tip of her lips, the fire passed onto Ian.

Whoosh!

“Thank you. I don’t need to make fire on purpose on the battlefield, so this is all I will need.”

‘Ahhh, h-he’s so hot!’

As Ian brushed his large, tough hands against her crimson cheeks, Vivianne fainted in bliss.

Leaving the unconscious Vivianne behind, Ian slipped out of the Armory.

Clap.

Clapclapclapclap—

Clapclapclapclapclapclap!

Watching the man walk out with a smooth attitude, Gyosu, Vex, and even Ezel found themselves clapping.

“Keheheheh! Stop gawking at me, you bastards. Your jaws are going to get dislocated.”

“H-how did you… what did you do to that witch…?”

To Ezel’s confused stutters, similar to those of a child that just witnessed their parent’s affair, Ian gave a flick to his forehead and responded.

“Ouch!”

“That mindset is where you go wrong, you children. Every single lady has beauty, like a shining diamond within them. I merely gently opened the beauty that Anne was unaware of.”

He lectured the stunned three like an older brother who was exasperated with his young brother. And watching the man, Gyosu found a new side to his friend that he never imagined would exist. The side of a man in his mid-30s, with confident charisma and a surplus of experience with women.

“What sort of life exactly did you live…?”

“Casanova… he’s the Steel Hearted Casanova…”

“M-Master…..”

“The manager of the Dome’s armory. That’s more than enough reason to get friendly with her.”

“Jaw, then… Did you just use that woman’s feelings? Just to get guns?”

“You piece of trash…”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. This is why I called all of you children. Look over there at Anne.”

Ian’s scolding turned the attention of the three toward the armory. There, collapsed while holding onto Ian’s clothes, was Vivianne, who still had a bright red blush on her face.

“Look at that. She’s happy. Because you guys called her a witch, an old woman, and whatnot to her face every day, she had that womanly side hidden deep within her until now. Women become beautiful when they are loved. I got my weapons, and she regained her identity as a woman, which she had lost for so long. It’s a fair trade, no? A win-win? A trade of weapons and a dream.”

“Hey, Hepburn. Did you hear that? He said it was a trade…. a mutual benefit….”

“That piece of shit—”

“Master, please visit the Investigation Bureau once this entire ordeal is over. I would like to learn your ways of this… skill, maybe over some drinks, if you want.”

“Heheheh. You lousy children! We need to start heading out now, cherry boys.”

Watching Ian walk away casually with his heavy metal bag like it was no big deal, Gyosu looked at the weapons in Vex’s and his own hands.

A Year 2040-model semi-electronic rifle. Bolt action-type volt rifle. Non-military, for hunting.

Attachments: one single small manual-type shield.

Vex.

Two electronic knives.

Year 2050-model handheld device mainly used for riot control. Impulse radar. Nicknamed Impulsor. Creates shockwaves.

VZ81, a scorpion submachine gun.

He tried his best to persuade her with his words. Still, the armory manager only continued to respond with something along the lines of ‘it will be difficult to lend firearms, especially snipers, to outsiders’, and then to Vex, she commented, ‘Impressive you still fight at that age’ and then gave him something slightly better, possibly out of the tradition to respect elders.

And then…

A fusion submachine gun, Another Day. 2050 model. Full attachments.

Three shots of ‘Good Boy,’ a throwable anti-tank guided missile.

Hand cannon, Royal Gauntlet. Left-hand mounting type fires four consecutive 950JDJ / 24.1mm shots. Joint support accessory included.

Special operations infantry grenade ‘Atom’. 2 of them.

Two remodeled anti-tank mines, magnetic claymore ‘Flambéjour’, triggered wirelessly.

‘Aegis,’ the first six-sided compression-type shield generator successfully miniaturized and portable.

In addition, the man was covered in ammo belts like a top-class boy scout, with even more weapons stashed into that metal case of his…

And this was all he had only because Ian stopped that old woman; if he had taken everything she tried to give him, he might have emptied out the entire armory.

Looking at all of the gear Ian had compared to the measly weapons he and Vex had, Gyosu was enveloped in an odd sense of defeat.

Tzzzt—

[RM-01, this is EZ-07. Completed dispatch of reinforcements and returned to battle.]

[You can normally talk right now, Ezel. We’re not close enough for the waves to reach us. You were quicker than I thought. Don’t tell me Vivianne sent them out empty-handed.]

To Monclair’s response, they heard several snickers and something about ‘BDSM’ and ‘armory’ over the IB comms. After hearing from the previous comms that they joined the forces and were handed over to Vivianne with only Ezel and a vague permission of access, the people at the Investigation Bureau had also predicted what would have happened.

[Ah, about that…]

[Oh well then! Vivianne, that girl, is incredibly good at her job, after all! Even with the trait of modern weapons being so easily consumable, the reason why the Investigation Bureau’s armory is so full is all thanks to her! Don’t be too disappointed, and just watch quietly on the sidelines. I’ll prepare your rewards separately. After all, you can’t fight without weapons! Hahahahahahah!]

“And so he said.”

“My, my. Mister Ralph’s a full-fledged rat now. Even if they were from the Old Times, it would have been hard to budge into the battle between the Raptors and Exosuits with just a single gun, Impulser, and a couple of daggers. Then our right to the looted rewards would have naturally become useless. It was a smart way to gain both justification and practicality, Mister Mon. We almost just handed everything over to the Dome.”

“If you didn’t have me, you mean. Keheheheh!”

“Eheheheh!”

Clank!

Ezel looked behind the Exosuit they rode in and watched Gyosu’s group pull menacing weapons out of the massive metal case, then rushed to open the comms back up again.

[Uh… Manager Mon?]

[Hahahahah! Ezel, you had a hard job too. You must have heard Vivianne, too, telling her that she needed to open the armory to outsiders. Send the BDSM friends back to the Dome and join in on the front lines. We can start to see them on the radars.]

[No, about their weapons…]

Glimpse.

“Hey, do you know how to use this?”

“Of course I do. The gunpowder is whispering to me. It’s telling me to let it go! To explode!”

[Uh…… I think the BDSM members will also be able to—]

“You’re too slow. Ezel, hand over the comms.”

“Eurgh! Hey, don’t pu—acgk!”

With the weapons he had equipped at some point hanging all around him, Gyosu smothered Ezel with the bulky weight of his additions and brought the comms device to his mouth.

[Ahem, people of the Investigation Bureau, it’s me. The leader of BDSM from before.]

[Hm? Ah, Gyosu Park! Sorry about that. All I could do was give you permission. The armory is under Vivianne’s control after—]

[Enough about that. Let’s just go over the permissions you gave me. If we’re allowed to loot, that’s following the mercenary rules, right? Any indirect destruction and acquisitions belong to the host, and the guests are given the rewards for direct destruction and acquisitions, correct?]

[Uh…. yes…. but are you really going to join in? Even if you have the support of the city defenses, it’s still a war. There’s still going to be damaged even if victory is guaranteed. And if you don’t have any equipment, you BDSM members are most likely—]

[OK. Confirmed. See you on the battlefield!]

Now that he had confirmed the rules with the loot, they no longer had any political limitations.

“Gyosu! Are you done over there?!”

“Yeah! I’ve got a definite answer from them! And a recording of it too! How about you?”

“Keheheh. If it has anything to do with blowing something up—”

Clank!

“I’m always ready!”

“Jaw, don’t lose your mind this time! We’ll need to repay a debt for the rest of our lives if you break an Exosuit!”

“Keheheh! It’s you that shouldn’t be looking at the enemies with those straight eyes of yours! You’ll go crazy if you do!”

“Um… Hepburn? I think he’s already lost it.”

“It’s probably his own sort of battle mode. Can you keep him in check? Like last time.”

“Ugh.”

Huuuuup— hahhhhhh.

Watching his affiliates warm up, Gyosu took a deep breath. Through the all-too-familiar scent of dust came the smell of metal and grease. And through the air flowed visible waves of anxiety.

The familiar scent of the battlefield told him he no longer needed a complicated plan. All that was left was the final battle of the forces.

Clap!

Slapping both his cheeks together, Gyosu tensed up the alertness that he had left loosened and glared at the cloud of dust that started to emerge from the end of the horizon.

“Now then, my friends! Why don’t we go kill some people and make that money?”

On Ezel’s radar, which he could see just a bit of, the red dots indicating enemy forces were stitched across the entire area opposing the ally defenses.