Boss: “…” Ifrit: “…” The towering giant and the tiny girl traveled in absolute silence along the desolate road leading toward the city’s outer limits.
Ifrit sat curled up on the calcified crystal platform, hugging her knees tightly to her chest.
She buried her small face in her arms, refusing to utter a single word.
The physical world around them was quiet, but inside the [Mental Chat Group], an intense argument was raging.
[Boss: What do I do, what do I do?!
I just scooped her up on a whim!
I completely forgot she had a mother!] [Four: Mother?
Boss, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?] [Boss: Isn’t that white-haired woman her mom?
They look exactly alike!
They both have horns, tails, and white hair!] [Four: Hell no!
They aren’t even the same race!
Saria is a Vouivre, and Ifrit is…
well, a heavily modified Savra!
At best, this counts as a develop mother situation.
Or a primary legal guardian.] [Two: Stop obsessing over irrelevant technicalities.
You already smuggled her out of the combat zone.
What, do you intend to toss her back now?] Hearing this, Boss glanced down at the tiny, miserable figure curled into a ball in his massive palm.
[Boss: I can’t do that…
Look at the state she’s in.
If we dump her back now, this kid will completely break.] [Three: So we raise her?] [Four: Awesome!
We’re unlocking the parenting route!
I never thought I’d get to raise a daughter in real life!
And a Little Fire Dragon at that!] [Two: Piss off!
You think you’re equipped to handle raising a kid?!
We just crash-landed in this universe ourselves.
We haven’t even figured out which way is up, so what exactly are we going to feed her?
How do we guarantee her safety, her health, and her…
education?] The chat group fell dead silent for a moment.
The problems Two brought up were always the sharpest and most painfully pragmatic.
[Boss: So what’s the play here?
Should I take this child to the Vitality Hall?] [Two:…It’s our only viable option right now.
At the very least, we can ensure she isn’t harmed by the outside world while she’s in there.] [Two: By the way, Four, is she an Infected?] [Four:…] Four’s sudden silence made the atmosphere in the mental link instantly heavy.
[Two:…I understand.] [Two: All members are strictly forbidden from coming into contact with her bodily fluids or any active Originium crystals when interacting with Ifrit.] [Two: We must maintain absolute vigilance against all unknown biological risks!
This is for the survival of every single one of us, and also for…] Two’s usually impassioned, commanding tone suddenly softened, dipping into a quiet sigh.
[Two: Sigh…
If something happens to us because we were careless, she will truly have no one left to rely on.
Do you understand?] [Four:…Loud and clear.] [Two:…I never said she couldn’t come in.
If we have to raise her, then we’re going to raise her right.
We’re going to raise her to be plump and healthy!] [Four: Yay!] [Three: Yay!] [Boss: Yay…] [Two: No ‘Yay’ allowed!] Two snapped crossly, instantly shutting down the chaotic energy that threatened to derail the conversation again.
[Now, Boss, stop stalling.
Get out of the city limits, find a blind spot, and teleport back to the Vitality Hall.] [Boss: Received.] [Three: +1.] [Four: +1.] [Two:…
(Mentally exhausted)] While the group bickered in his head, Boss had already carried Ifrit to the very edge of Trimount.
Looking up, he faced the dauntingly massive perimeter wall of the Mobile City.
It was a staggering fortress of iron and steel, stretching high into the polluted sky.
Behind Boss, two of his giant, ethereal hands shifted to steadily support the crystal platform, ensuring Ifrit wouldn’t be jostled or dropped during the upcoming vertical ascent.
The next instant, his two primary front hands emitted a blinding, searing light, glowing like white-hot soldering irons.
The giant fists didn’t just strike the wall; they plunged directly into the thick iron plating, radiating extreme, localized heat.
The moment of contact was devastating.
The sturdy Columbia alloy melted away like butter meeting a hot knife, leaving massive, glowing craters dripping with molten metal slag.
Boss didn’t pause for even a second.
His lava-covered fingers dug deep into the edges of the molten craters, using them as secure fulcrums to haul his massive bulk rapidly up the sheer vertical face.
Ifrit was jolted awake by the sudden commotion.
She grabbed the edge of the crystal platform in sheer panic.
The gale whistled fiercely in her ears, and the ground beneath her rapidly shrank away into the distance.
Boss climbed with focused, mechanical concentration.
With his colossal body and current strength stats, scaling this height was nothing more than a mild workout.
Soon, his head breached the top edge of the towering wall.
He mentally “photographed” the scene outside the city and uploaded it to the chat.
[Mental Chat Group] [Boss: (Wasteland_scene.jpg) Sigh, and here I thought I’d get to see some stunning natural scenery.] The image displayed a desolate, ruined landscape.
The earth was violently scarred by the colossal treads of the Mobile City, leaving behind only crushed rock, deep trenches, and a few sparse, stubborn weeds clinging to life in the dust.
[Four: Well, Columbia was pioneered on an untamed wilderness.] [Four: Besides, what kind of pristine ecology survives after a Mobile City rolls directly over it?
We’re lucky there’s even any topsoil left.] [Two: I know you’ve explained the lore behind Mobile Cities before, but actually seeing the sheer scale of the environmental devastation is something else entirely.] [Three: They built a terrestrial behemoth this massive, but they can’t achieve spaceflight to get off the planet?
Is the tech tree here completely mangled?] [Four: Circumstances forced their hand.
Catastrophes can wipe the slate clean at any moment in this world, and they supplement their science by digging up advanced ancient technology through archaeology.
Honestly, it’s a miracle society has developed to this point at all.] Back in reality, Boss let out a soothing, low rumble from his chest, trying to comfort Ifrit, who was still trembling on his palm.
He took a few heavy steps forward, reaching the absolute outer edge of the city wall.
Ifrit looked up at him in utter confusion, not understanding what this giant monster was planning to do.
Just as her bewilderment peaked, Boss stepped off the edge.
Without a single moment of hesitation, he carried her and plummeted straight down from the wall—a sheer drop of hundreds of meters.
“Aaaaaaah—!!!” The sudden, violent sensation of weightlessness tore a terrified scream from Ifrit’s throat.
She instinctively plastered herself flat against the crystal platform, her small hands gripping the edges so tightly her knuckles turned white.
The fierce wind roared up from below, tearing at her clothes and pulling her hair back until it stood almost parallel to her body.
She squeezed her eyes shut, her heart hammering so hard it felt like it would burst through her ribs.
Boss calmly watched the ground rushing up to meet them.
‘[Energy Shield]’ A crimson, geometric lava domain expanded outward instantly, forming a massive, shimmering buffer pad beneath them.
His colossal body struck the earth.
The expected apocalyptic impact—the sound of a mountain collapsing or the ground shattering into craters—never happened.
Not even a speck of dust was stirred up.
Every single ounce of kinetic energy from the terminal velocity fall was instantly absorbed and converted into pure energy the millisecond they made contact with the shield.
Ifrit: “?” The expected agony of shattered bones never arrived.
She didn’t even feel a tremor.
Trembling, Ifrit carefully cracked her eyes open.
What greeted her vision was solid, unbroken earth.
She slowly raised her head, looking up at the towering, broad back of the giant in front of her.
He was still steadily supporting her platform, standing perfectly still, as if that thrilling, death-defying freefall had been nothing more than a stress-induced hallucination.
A strange, quiet sense of security began to soak into Ifrit’s exhausted, battered heart.
He really is protecting me…
At that moment, gazing at the giant’s back, Ifrit couldn’t help but think of Saria again—the stoic figure who had always stood in front of her, shielding her from every storm.
Ifrit lay back down, turning her gaze up toward the distant, towering peak of the Mobile City they had just leapt from.
If it were Saria…
would she be injured if she jumped down from such a terrifying height?
She knew Saria was strong.
Incredibly strong.
But from hundreds of meters up…
without any kind of buffer…
She would definitely be hurt, right?
As the dark thought took root, her breathing, which had just begun to calm down, hitched and grew ragged again.
The memory flashed behind her eyes: Silence’s pale, tear-streaked face at the end, and Saria’s cold, broken, bleeding body lying in the ruins.
Ifrit’s small hands clenched unconsciously, her fingernails digging so deeply into her palms that they nearly drew blood.
Silence…
Saria…
How are they doing now?
Rhine Lab, Emergency Medical Room.
“Vital signs are temporarily stable, but even a Vouivre’s constitution is rapidly reaching its absolute limit…” “We have multiple internal organ ruptures and massive internal hemorrhaging.
Severe physiological overdraft from excessive Originium Arts usage.
But the most critical issue is the right arm…” “…Director Silence, the neural mapping is complete, but there is extensive, irreversible necrosis of the bone and deep muscle tissue.
The success rate of any conservative treatment plan is currently projecting at less than 35%…” “…There is no time to authorize a transfer to a more advanced medical sector.
We have to perform the surgery here, right now!” Silence stood at the primary surgical station.
Her hands, encased in sterile surgical gloves, were locked in a steady, professional grip without a single tremor.
Yet, through the clear lenses of her protective goggles, one could see a dense layer of cold sweat coating her forehead.
She stared intently at the complex holographic display interface hovering over the operating table, which mapped out the horrific extent of Saria’s injuries.
“Prepare…
for amputation.” Silence’s voice was dry, cracking like dead leaves.
The assisting medical staff moved with grim efficiency, preparing the heavy surgical instruments.
But when the high-speed, rotating bone saw was brought toward Saria’s ruined right arm—an arm that was barely maintaining its physical shape—Silence’s iron control finally shattered.
Her hand trembled violently.
She couldn’t do it.
She couldn’t bring herself to mutilate Saria…
even if it was the only way to save her life.
Gasping for breath, Silence handed the primary instrument over to the head surgeon and stepped back to assist from the side.
The saw blade made contact with the bone.
Even with heavy anesthesia and advanced hemostatic Arts in place, the visceral sound and visual impact of the procedure were a nightmare.
Time seemed to crawl agonizingly slowly, measured only by the heavy silence in the room and the sickening, high-pitched whine of the bone saw.
When Saria’s right arm was finally, completely severed, Silence immediately stepped back in.
She took over the subsequent hemostasis, deep debridement, and the delicate sealing of the stump.
Her movements were clinically precise, but her pace was frantic, accelerated by a desperate need to flee from the crushing weight of her own emotions.
When the initial stabilization was complete and Saria was sealed inside a pressurized life-support pod for deep observation, Silence felt the last remnants of adrenaline drain from her veins.
She stumbled blindly out of the operating room.
Her legs gave out the moment the doors hissed shut behind her, and she slid down the cold, sterile wall of the corridor, collapsing onto the floor.
“Hoo…
hoo…” She gasped for air, but the sickening vibration and the grinding sound of the saw cutting through Saria’s bone played on an endless, torturous loop in her mind.
Silence raised her hands, staring at them as they shook violently, completely out of her control.
Just then, a female voice with a distinct, synthetic mechanical cadence echoed in the empty hall.
“Director Silence, your biometric vital signs indicate extreme physiological fatigue and acute psychological stress.
According to Rhine Lab medical protocols, you are required to rest immediately.
A mandatory sleep cycle of at least six hours is strongly advised.” It was Ptilopsis.
She had appeared silently at some point, standing over Silence and observing her with calm, unblinking eyes.
Silence was violently startled by the voice.
She jerked her head up, her unfocused, bloodshot eyes struggling to refocus on the Liberi in front of her.
She wiped her face fiercely with the back of her trembling hand and forced herself to stand, leaning heavily against the wall.
“No…
I can’t rest yet…” “Ifrit…
I…
I still have to go pick her up!
Someone prepare a vehicle for me!
Now!” She shouted desperately down the empty corridor, praying that some passing logistical staff would hear her and obey.
However, only the hollow echo of her own voice answered from the far end of the hall.
The subordinates and researchers who used to scramble to obey her every command seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Occasionally, figures in crisp white coats hurried past the distant intersections, but they turned a deaf ear to Silence’s frantic shouting, not even casting a glance in her direction.
They heard her.
They simply chose indifference.
Silence stared at those retreating, apathetic backs.
She gritted her teeth, forcing her weak, trembling legs to support her weight as she began to limp toward the vehicle dispatch bay.
Ptilopsis followed silently like a shadow.
She reached out, her hands firmly gripping Silence’s arm to support her swaying body.
“Director Silence, in your current degraded physical condition, you cannot safely operate any motorized vehicle,” Ptilopsis stated, her tone entirely factual.
“Ptilopsis…
you don’t have to do this for me…” Silence tried to push the other woman away, only to realize she didn’t even have the strength to break a simple grip.
“Based on logical judgment parameters, Director Silence requires my physical accompaniment in your current state.
Otherwise, you will fail to reach your designated destination and possess a high probability of causing a vehicular accident en route.” Ptilopsis’s tone remained completely flat, devoid of any emotional ripples, but the hands supporting Silence were unyielding and steady.
“This is the optimal solution.” Silence opened her mouth to argue, but the exhaustion won out, and she closed it helplessly.
Relying on no one else, the two women handled to the underground garage themselves, locating a rugged off-road vehicle that was still operational.
Ptilopsis took the driver’s seat.
Silence slumped into the passenger side, her vision swimming as she nearly slipped into a coma, only pulling herself back from the brink through sheer, agonizing willpower.
“Hurry…
take us to the coordinates where Ifrit was left…” Silence whispered, spending the very last reserves of her strength.
The heavy engine roared to life.
The vehicle tore out of Rhine Lab’s gates, speeding recklessly toward the residential sector that had just been leveled by the catastrophe.
However, when the tires screeched to a halt on that ruined street, Ifrit was long gone.
“Ifrit—!!
Ifrit, where are you?!
Answer me!” Silence practically fell out of the car, pushing the door open and screaming into the dust, her voice cracking with raw panic.
On both sides of the devastated street, prying eyes began to peek out from behind shattered windows and half-closed doors.
But this time, there was no fear—only cold indifference and faint, muttered condemnation directed at Silence, the “derelict researcher” and the “troublemaker” who brought ruin to their doorstep.
Silence’s desperate shouts echoed endlessly among the concrete ruins, receiving nothing but the wind in return.
Just as the black tide of true despair began to pull her under, the familiar, battered door of a nearby residence creaked open.
“Stop shouting, young lady…” An old Perro man sighed heavily, his cloudy, tired eyes looking at Silence with a mix of pity and exhaustion.
“That child…
she’s already been taken away by that giant.” “Ta…
taken away?” Silence felt as though she had been struck by a physical blow.
Her legs finally gave out completely, and she collapsed hard onto the cracked asphalt.
The old man looked at the utterly devastated Liberi.
He hesitated for a moment, chewing on his words, before recounting what he had witnessed through the cracks in his window.
“That Big Monster…
it seemed like it was trying to protect the child.
It shielded her under its massive body when the fighting happened…
And in the end, the child chose to follow it on her own.” Hearing the old man’s explanation brought absolutely no relief to Silence’s face.
Instead, her expression twisted into something infinitely more bitter and terrified.
Protect her?
Even if that terrifying entity genuinely wanted to protect Ifrit…
what about her body?
What about the volatile stability of the Flame Demon Fragment fused to her spine?
What about the highly specialized, regular medication she required to survive?
What about the constant, rigorous monitoring of her physical deterioration as a severe Infected?
Could a wandering, violent monster possibly manage any of that?
“Ifrit…” Silence slumped forward against the cold ground, the tears she had been fighting back for hours finally spilling over, sliding silently down her cheeks to mix with the dust.
“Saria…” “What should I do…” [Rhodes’s Note: Enjoying the operation so far, Doctor?
(This daily grind literally pays the landship’s rent!
to use the links!)