The Fairy came back.
To be more precise, she hadn't exactly "returned." According to her, she was an "omnipresent being capable of manifesting anywhere."
Practically speaking, however, that distinction was meaningless to me.
She didn't appear in multiple places at once. While she had the processing power to converse with different people in multiple locations simultaneously, she claimed that doing so made her lose her sense of self. Unless it was absolutely necessary, she preferred to avoid simultaneous manifestations.
Or so she said.
"Hii~ Leo-kun! I've brought the blueprints for the Bolt Thrower~" her avatar chirped, dancing up and down.
"Bolt Thrower? Does it fire nuts and bolts?"
I imagined something like a nail gun. Or maybe a crossbow? Arrows were sometimes called bolts, after all.
"Not those kinds of bolts. It’s an electrical weapon. Electricity seems to be quite effective against the Zorks."
"Oh, that kind!"
"Haaa... talking seriously with Veronica-chan really wore me out. Do you mind if I sleep here for a bit?"
"Sure thing. Good work."
"Thank you... but man, seriously..." The Fairy looked like she had a lot to vent about. "I really don't want to talk about dark, depressing things. Even if it’s a tragedy to the person involved, from an outsider's perspective, it’s basically a gag. I just want to spend my days idly consuming manga, anime, and games."
"What are you even talking about?"
"Just talking to myself~ Anyway, I'm beat, so I'm going to sleep for a while."
With that, the Fairy entered sleep mode.
Her behavior seemed a little off. Then again, she was the Fairy; she’d probably wake up by nightfall and spend her time hurling insults at kids in online competitive games.
Just as she drifted off, a transmission came in from Claire.
"The blueprints for the new weapon have been transferred. There is a Shaping Printer in the section two blocks ahead."
"Then let’s head there."
Just to be safe, I made sure to burn any stray lumps of meat with thermite grenades before we moved on.
Even so, the thought of a meat monster prowling through the ventilation ducts was pure horror. To create a creature that grated on human nerves this much... the enemy's understanding of human psychology had progressed considerably.
When we reached the room housing the Shaping Printer, Claire began operating the terminal.
"A Bolt Thrower... weren't electrical weapons discontinued because their energy efficiency was too poor?" Melissa asked, tilting her head.
Melissa nodded. "We studied that in history class back at the Junior Academy. But since plasma and lasers aren't working, this was probably the only option left."
"What about ballistic weaponry?"
When I asked, both Claire and Melissa gave me a wry smile.
"The energy loss compared to the chemical potential of gunpowder is so high it’s not even worth discussing. Besides, we’d have to manufacture ammunition. Keeping up a production line from the capital to a planet like this would be impossible."
In short, the Empire wanted weapons that used reusable energy packs. Since generators could theoretically produce infinite energy, they likely wanted to avoid Thomas's expedition stalling due to a bottleneck in the ammo supply chain.
Regardless, it was a new weapon. I’d use it gratefully.
Once production finished, we resumed our advance. Gradually, the corridors began to take on the appearance of a warehouse.
"The warehouse district starts around here. It doubles as an underground shelter. I think my old man is holed up in this area," Melissa explained.
As she spoke, the Fairy woke up.
"Fuaaa... I slept well. How many hours has it been?"
"About two hours."
"Then I'll get back to searching the corridors and ventilation ducts with the remaining drones. Claire-chan, give me a hand."
"Understood."
The Fairy and Claire began maneuvering the drones. We still hadn't solved the problem of the new model enemies not showing up on ultrasonic sensors, but there wasn't much we could do about that now.
We sent the drones deeper and deeper down the corridor.
"Hmm... someone is in that room," the Fairy noted.
Actually, even without the sensors, it was obvious at a glance that someone was there. Sandbags were piled up and explosive traps had been set. In the back, a light machine gun lay in wait.
"Melissa, call out to them."
"Understood. Old man, it's me! It's Melissa! I've come to help! Look, I'm sending our Imperial Army Authentication Code!"
She transmitted the code along with her Officer Academy Enrollment Certificate, my Imperial Army Rank Certificate—which listed me as her direct superior on paper—and my bride's Imperial Family Certificate.
If their terminal was functional, the data should be verified immediately.
After a short wait, a response came through.
"Melissa! You came!"
It was a young voice. He sounded like he was in his late twenties or early thirties—at an age where the air of a student had just recently faded.
"Brother, I'm here... Zanma is dead."
"I see. Zanma stayed behind as the rearguard to let us escape..."
"After that, we were attacked by the meat. What the hell is that thing? It came right out of the ventilation duct!"
"Yeah... we were chased by it too. That’s how we ended up here. Melissa... please, bring everyone inside."
We entered the back room. It was a massive warehouse filled with standard tanks, ammunition, and humanoid fighters. In the center of the room, several figures lay on the floor with cloths draped over their faces.
I knew they were corpses the moment I saw them.
Melissa leapt down from her humanoid fighter.
"Master Suzuki!" she cried out, rushing to one of the bodies. "B-Brother, tell me you’re lying! There’s no way Master Suzuki could die!"
The young man who appeared to be Melissa’s brother shook his head. He had the same sharp eyes and well-trained physique as Melissa; they were unmistakably siblings.
"The meat got him. It came through the ventilation duct without warning. We couldn't react in time..."
"Damn it!" Melissa slammed her fist against the floor.
That was when the rest of us caught up.
"Brother! Where’s the old man? And what about Big Brother Hayato!?"
"We got separated from the old man and the others. They're likely further inside. I think Hayato is with them. By the way... who is this man?"
"Let me introduce him. This is Captain Leo Kamishiro."
"Ah, yes... Thank you for taking care of my younger sister. I am Rikuto Tachibana, her older brother."
"Ah, hello. I'm Leo Kamishiro."
That unique pause... he was Japanese. And a Japanese person of very strong heritage at that. He seemed to realize the same about me.
Since the situation was an emergency and people had died, there was no room for any comedy.
"Um... you're Melissa's fiancé, right?"
"Yes. She’s been a huge support to me."
Silence. The atmosphere was stifling.
Melissa pressed her hands together in prayer for Master Suzuki.
"Is it okay if I call you Leo-kun?" Rikuto asked. "Look... I'm not exactly the type who’s good at conversation, but... please look after Melissa. Our father worked at the Capital Planet, and because of the age gap between us, Melissa spent most of her childhood at the Officer Academy. Master Suzuki and the others were the ones who really raised her. I think this is hitting her incredibly hard."
"I understand," I replied.
I had expected her brother to be a bit terrifying, but he turned out to be a perfectly sensible person.