I was in a room inside the ship. Quinn sat with her knees curled up inside a dark, narrow box. There was a window, but it was night now. No light shone in.
Being here, for some reason, reminded me of the past. It felt similar to the ant nest I lived in before I became Quinn.
I was given a private room and told I could use it freely. I couldn't wander the ship at will, but I wasn't confined either. I also spoke with the commander of this ship. He praised me like a hero. He said the squad members were able to return thanks to you. Thank you for saving our comrades, he said.
Thanks to me? Saved comrades?
I should have derived the best result possible, as far as I could imagine. I was allowed on board, and they promised that the Sahelta United States would take custody of Quinn. I couldn't live like a regular citizen immediately over there, but considering my origins, it was a natural measure. He even said he would arrange for me to live a life without lack eventually.
Not only that, permission was granted to bring the main body aboard. The inventory bag was only briefly checked and not confiscated. What more could I wish for? No matter how desperately I told myself this, the thirst spreading within my chest would not heal.
In the end, I didn't offer up the Return, the Soul Stone or otherwise, myself. It wasn't stinginess. I had the Return from the beginning, but I hid it and accompanied the investigation. I couldn't bring myself to say it now.
Could I have changed the ending if I had produced this sooner? No matter how much I hypothesized, the past that could no longer be overturned came and went countless times.
"Hey, Quinn! You in there?"
The sound of a knock echoed in the room. I didn't answer, but the door opened. A familiar face peeked in.
"Whoa, it's dark! Turn on a light or something. Ah, right, did you not know how to use the lighting? Jeez, they should explain things properly."
It was Chel. We reached the ship yesterday, but at that time, she was covered in wounds and could barely stand. Her fatigue from handling enemy detection with En was greater than anyone else's. With Katroi gone, that burden had increased many times over compared to the journey there.
With him gone, that burden increased many times over compared to the journey there.
"How is your body?"
"I'm fine now. I'm an Enhancer, so I'm confident in my recovery power."
She had probably recovered somewhat, but it was likely mostly bravado. Although she had no external injuries, she had overused her ability to the point where a state of near-total aura depletion continued chronically. It shouldn't be a light fatigue she could recover from overnight. I told her she should rest, but Chel wouldn't listen.
"More importantly, apparently they're holding a welcome party for Quinn now. Come on, up, up."
I had heard about that. But I didn't feel like going. I didn't want to leave this room. Chel scratched her head as if troubled.
"Let's go check on the Captain and Toku on the way, okay?"
Gragg and Tokunosuke were in the ship's infirmary. They had been infected by Worm larvae and suffered heavy injuries, losing one eye each. Although medical instruments and drugs were prepared anticipating such a situation, a perfect extraction surgery in the middle of a jungle was impossible. Naturally, since the mission continued post-surgery, they had to operate in a state far from restful.
The infirmary was close to my room, but unable to go out alone, I had been worried about their condition. In the end, led by Chel, I left the room.
"Orah! I came to visit! Wake up!"
"Gobu!?"
Tokunosuke's wound was inflamed. It seemed he had caught an infection. However, I was relieved to hear his life wasn't in danger. He still couldn't get out of bed due to symptoms like fever, but he would likely get better soon.
However, suddenly punching a sleeping sick person in the stomach wasn't good. I said to let him rest, but Chel wouldn't listen.
"A-Ah... Miss Quinn, good morn... Ah, is it still night... No, is it night already...?"
"Good grief, pull yourself together, you wimp."
"You seem energetic as usual, Miss Chel..."
"Beautiful girls came to visit, so you cheered up too, right?"
"Beautiful girls... plural...?"
"Eh? What are you trying to say, Toku-kun. Eh, your tummy hurts? Your tummy hurts? Shall I rub it for you? Orah!"
"Chocorobo!?"
Tokunosuke was considerably exhausted. He had returned while injured and fighting an infection. On top of that, he had performed enemy detection with his ability diligently. His prepared stock of paper forms had run out, so he had been flying improvised Nen birds.
Unlike the 'Automatic' type Nen birds he originally used, improvised Nen birds were 'Remote' types. Their range and duration were significantly inferior, and their aura consumption was intense. He too had pushed his physical condition beyond its limits to get here.
"Huh, seems the Captain isn't here."
Gragg had also lost an eye, but he managed to avoid causing an infection. Unlike Tokunosuke, he wasn't bedridden and his condition seemed relatively stable, but he was resting in a hospital room as a precaution.
"Maybe he went to the venue ahead of us. Shall we go too?"
"I can't go with you in this state, but... please enjoy yourself, Miss Quinn."
"Yeah, get well soon."
We left the hospital room. We headed toward the conference room where the social gathering was being held.
The sound of the electric lights began to buzz, scorching deep in my ears. At the end of the iron corridor, the door to the conference room came into view.
My steps slowed. However, the door was in front of me before I knew it. As abruptly as if it had closed in from the other side, the long corridor was gone.
The door opened.
From the gap, black smoke spewed out like a giant snake flickering its tongue. It was beckoning, trying to drag me in.
"Come on, Quinn, it's okay. I never thought you'd be this shy. Even though you're fine when you're wiiiith us."
The hanging miasma distorted even sound. Seeing Chel begin to waver like a mirage, I gripped her hand tightly.
The conference room was infected with miasma. The source was the people inside. I didn't know if I could call them humans. Something with human-like outlines were emitting black smoke from their entire bodies. Except for Chel, almost all humans were in that state.
It attacked all at once. Heat intense enough to stop my breath flowed toward me as I entered. Due to the choking miasma, my vision tilted toward the indefinite. Everything began to lose its normal shape as if paints were being mixed together.
"—!"
"—"
They were emitting something that sounded like sound. They were clapping their hands together, doing something. From within that swarm, one grotesque figure stepped forward.
The grotesque figures in this room were all emitting black smoke that induced nausea, but the black smoke emitted by this figure that came before me was clearly different in nature from the others. Smoke accompanied by a foul stench crawled around as if licking my skin. It clung to Quinn's chest and private parts, refusing to let go.
"————— ————? —————!"
The incessant, ear-grating, high-pitched noise caused a terrible headache. While I wished to wake up if this was a dream, I realized that this spectacle was exactly what I had desired.
It was what I wanted to know.
The grotesque figure took something from the table and held it out to me. I peered into it. Contrary to my mind sounding alarms that I shouldn't look, I couldn't take my eyes off it, as if possessed.
A plate was grasped in the grotesque figure's hand. From within the wavering smoke and soot, a dull red lump was—
"——————
——————
——————
——————
——————
——————
E a
t
i t
When I came to, I was walking outside the room. Chel was holding my hand. What happened to the party? I must have walked here on my own feet, but I couldn't recall the sequence of events.
Someone walked towards us from down the corridor. I knew that person. Chel straightened her posture and saluted with agile movements.
"Umu, your condition isn't perfect yet. At ease."
"Sir!"
"And, I apologize for frightening you earlier, Quinn. You seemed to be brooding constantly, so I held the gathering hoping it would be a diversion, but it seems it was a rash judgment. I shouldn't have gathered so many people..."
The one who spoke to me was Commander Andarm. I had heard about this person from Gragg before. I heard he was the mentor Gragg respected most and a trustworthy person.
True to that prior information, Andarm listened to my story sympathetically and made accommodations regarding my treatment. It could be said that boarding was granted precisely because he, the person with the highest authority on this ship, actively accepted me.
"Um, the person Quinn punched earlier, that was a big shot from 'Tokko', right...?"
"Vice Minister Taponard."
"Is that... really bad? Um, how should I put it, I can't say it well but... Quinn is really a good guy, she was just flustered earlier! Right, Quinn! So there was no malice."
"Do not worry. Mr. Taponard was not injured, and he doesn't think badly of Quinn either. Quinn's boarding won't be cancelled over this matter, and I won't let such a thing happen."
"Thank goodness..."
Andarm was the only human other than the Quantum squad members that I could speak with properly, but that didn't necessarily hold a positive meaning.
He did not emit miasma. Not only that, but he maintained a normal appearance even within that abnormal space. I had confirmed he was in the conference room earlier too. Within the wavering that made even Chel lose her form, only he underwent no change. Only the area around him was orderly, as if cut out from the rest.
He was in a world that didn't intersect. I felt the place he stood was different from ours. The format was fundamentally different.
Being able to see is terrifying, but knowing that you cannot see is even more terrifying.
"You two should rest well today. By the way, I want to ask one thing, do you know where Gragg is?"
"No, we haven't met him."
"I see. I assumed he would come to the venue with Quinn... I can't get in touch with him."
"That's unlike the Captain. He isn't a person to blow off promises or orders."
Gragg isn't here. I hadn't really been listening to their conversation, but I didn't miss the part about being unable to contact Gragg.
Did something happen? A bad premonition stirred in my chest.
"You don't need to worry. Probably just a malfunction with his radio. Chel, take Quinn to her room—"
His voice was drowned out by the alarm sound echoing through the ship. An emergency broadcast followed the siren.
'First Class Alert Status! Fear of unspecified threat intrusion within the ship! Repeating, First Class Alert Status...'
I had arbitrarily assumed this ship was a safe place. Since we had safely survived the long anchorage, I indulged in the baseless assumption that peace would continue for a while longer.
This ship stood upon a balance that could collapse at any moment. It was simply that this moment happened to be the time of collapse.
I had to protect it. Although the majority of humans on this ship were only objects of disgust to me, the ship itself must be defended to the death.
Above all, there are comrades I cannot lose. Not a single person must be missing anymore.
I broke into a run. Rather than switching my consciousness, I was driven by an aimless impatience.