Instant Death

The night misters were led to a somewhat more modest house in the city.

The house is more or less decent, but it has no significant holes in the roof or walls, and is still in shambles.

The room is configured as a dining room and kitchen, where Yogiri and his friends are sitting side by side in front of a small table.

As we were told to wait for a moment, Yomigiri looked around the room in a daze.

The room was devoid of life. There were no signs that the kitchen had been used or cleaned properly.

There are people in this ruined city, but what kind of life is going on here? I'm not sure what kind of life is going on here.

Let's see, ...... they want you to kill them ......, what are you going to do about it?

Just because you're wanted doesn't mean you can't say yes.

I have killed before at the behest of the so-called "ends of the earth," those who, after a long period of time, have lost their consciousness and don't know who they are, and who are ruled only by their thoughts of death.

They are the ones who, after a long time, have lost their consciousness and don't know who they are, and are controlled only by thoughts of death.

They wanted to disappear completely, and they knew there was no other way.

But can you kill someone who is in human form and can communicate with you so easily?

If I was a child, I might have killed him as I was told. However, the current Yogiri couldn't think so simply.

'Hey, sorry to keep you waiting,'

Then, a young boy came in. He would be about six years old in age. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to find the right one.

But the fact that he doesn't wear clothes with obvious large holes in them is enough to make them dirty and unraveled.

His eyes are also purple, as are the others I've met in this city.

'What happened to those old men earlier?

Yeah, they can't be expected to think straight. They can't be expected to think properly. That's why I have been sent to represent you, as I am able to behave in a more or less rational manner in this village. My name is Scott. It's not that I'm the mayor of the town or anything, but do you mind?

If you tell me what you want to know, that's fine. My name is Takato Yagiri.

"I am Dannoura Chichika

After a brief introduction, the boy sat down across the table from me.

'Well. You're apparently new here, how much do you know?

There are four forces at play, and Seira is infecting all those plants and animals, I guess.

Then let's talk about Seira. As you probably know by now, we are infected with Seira.

"I've heard that it makes you immortal.

I'm sure there are those in the world who would like that.

But from what I've heard so far, Seira's infection seems to have more negative effects than just becoming immortal.

It's immortality, to be precise. If you're infected, you won't age from that point on. You might be surprised to know that I've spent the first few decades of my life in this form since I was infected, when a child came to talk to me.

"How immortal is an immortal?

"It's about as immortal as you can possibly get.

"Even if the body is torn apart?

Stick it together and you'll get it back.

"Could the beast bite you off and eat you?

"Do not regenerate the missing parts.

"Burn it?

"Even from the ashes, it's back to normal.

"If you dissolve it in acid, is ...... not so different from burning it?

Oh. Still back to normal.

"But if you're immersed in a pool of acid, that means you're going to die quickly, no matter how much you regenerate, and that's no different than being pseudo-dead or something?

"Takato-kun ...... is pretty outrageous, isn't it?

I tried that too. I couldn't prepare a pool of acid, so I threw myself into the crater. Sure, the lava would have burned me to death, but I'm still here now.

What do you mean?

You put yourself in a situation where you keep dying, and before you know it, you're moving to a safe place.

It's not like we're at ...... physical regeneration or anything like that anymore.

Oh. I keep drowning at the bottom of the sea. I've tried splitting the body into smaller pieces and dumping each one in a disjointed place with concrete, but apparently, if it can't be regenerated in place, it will resurrect in another place.

Petrify or freeze

They are the same way. It was a strange feeling to be resurrected beside my petrified self.

Hmmm. Well, maybe lock them in a small, dark box and leave them there until they go crazy?　It's like the death of the spirit.

"Takato-kun, don't you get a little pissed off?

Chichika said in a dumbfounded way. The awareness of this was certainly present in the night fog.

Of course I tried. It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what's going on. But it was no good. I'm sure the mental breakdown is also an abnormality for Seira to deal with. Eventually it would appear outside the box and be back to normal. I remember being crazy at the time, but I didn't let that deter me.

"It's amazing. It's like they're relentlessly preparing a countermeasure.

Well. But didn't you think so?　You can be resurrected in a safe place without growing old or getting sick, no matter how much trouble you are in. Isn't it a very good thing to be immortal? Why do you want to die so badly?

Tens of thousands of years of life and you're bored with life?

No. It's been a long time since I've forgotten the feeling of years, but it's still decades. It's been a long time since I've forgotten the sense of years, but it's still only a few decades. At this point in time, I haven't spent even the equivalent of a human lifetime.

Hmmm. I don't know.

From what I've heard so far, the only clear disadvantage seemed to be the lack of growth.

Some may say, like Scott, that they don't want to be a child forever, but being able to maintain a healthy body would be a dream come true for most of humanity.

There are two big reasons. One is hunger. We are constantly starving. There's very little food on this continent. A person infected with Seira will not be able to eat plants or animals infected with Seira. Of course, they won't starve to death or become emaciated. But it doesn't take away the feeling of wanting to eat something. We're always hungry and going crazy. It would be nice if we could just go completely crazy, but that's not allowed by Seira. We've been back to our normal state of mind for some time, and the hunger hasn't subsided. I'm not going to try to alleviate the pain, because Seira doesn't try to alleviate the pain. It's as if you think that feeling pain is proof of life," she said.

It's hard ......!

Dannoura-san always looks so good and eats so much food.

"Well, ...... you always eat to the limit, and ......

''Can you stop talking like a gourmand character!

Chichika seemed to sympathize wholeheartedly.

It's a good thing that I'm a bit better at that hunger. It's a good idea to have a good time with them. The adults seem to have a worse hunger than me, perhaps because of their metabolic rate. I don't know if they can keep their rationality in front of fresh meat.

I don't think I'll ever get used to handling food: ......

There are other people on this continent who aren't infected with Seira, right?　They're having a normal meal, so why can't I buy it?

That's the second reason. On this continent, Seira-infected people are treated as mere resources. It is impossible to negotiate with them.

Resources. I don't like the word.

The night mist reminded him of a scene he had seen in the tower of the canyon, where half-demons were used as a source of energy for sealing.

There, half-demons were being used as a source of energy for the seal.

I'm sure that's not surprising, but it's about time. The sooner we get our affairs looked at, the better.

After saying this, Scott got up and moved to the window.

He told me to follow him, so I followed him, followed by Yomiri and the others.

I said, "Sneak a peek outside. It's the usual for us, but if you guys find out, you'll be in trouble. Just be careful enough.

As they were told, Yomigiri and his friends looked out of the window.

There were people lying outside, just as before.

'Are those people always like that?

"Yeah. I don't have to work for a living.

He said he usually lies down on the side of the road all day long, like that.

That's not how it usually works.

Chichika was scathing.

"I haven't reached that point yet, but I know how you feel.

What could possibly make you so desperate? ......

The night mist did not know how it felt. But maybe there were things that he could not understand until he became immortal.

As he looked out the window for a while, he heard the sound of footsteps.

As I waited, five fully armed individuals arrived.

The fact that their entire bodies are seamlessly covered in armor is probably a countermeasure to Seira. I'm sure you'll find that the atmosphere is different from the thugs from the Slow Life Alliance that you met right after landing.

'It's a soldier of the Himmelon State,'

This is the west side of the continent, and the Himmelon country is in the northeast of the continent. Is that where you're coming from?

Their territory is a jumble, and they are everywhere.

The distance between the home base and the invasion site did not seem to matter much.

I'm not sure if it's a farm in the Himmerland at the moment. No, it's living on its own without any help, so is it a hunting ground?

The soldiers stopped at a point some distance from the fallen man.

Then they held up a long-handled weapon that one of them was carrying.

It had a cylindrical object attached near the tip of the spear.

The soldier threw the spear to the fallen man. The cord tied to the spear's hilt stretches out.

The tip of the spear sticks into the man's back and sews him to the ground.

The man only let out a small whimper.

In this way, the soldiers stabbed several spears into the men of the city.

'You must wonder what they are doing.

Yes. Why would you do that?

They collect energy from us. That cylindrical thing on the end of the spear is called a cylinder. It's an energy recovery device.

You're no different than any other human being, except you're immortal, right?　I thought you didn't have magical powers like a half demon?

"I don't know if it's magic, but there is an inexhaustible supply of energy. The dead come back to life. When that happens, some energy must be used, right?

"How can you do that?

Yes, that cylinder is poisonous. The cylinder contains a deadly poison. It causes the sting to keep on dying, and when it revives, it skims the energy supplied from somewhere else.

I see. But wouldn't it be more efficient to put them in one place and squeeze them out?

"Takato-kun, your ideas are getting weird again, aren't they?

"If you lock them up, they'll appear outside. You can't do anything badly in that area because you don't know the clear rules.

Animals can do the same thing, but an apathetic human infected person is easier to handle.

If they were lethargic and always hanging out in the same place, they seemed to think it was better to go for regular collections than to enclose them poorly.

'Do you want them to keep getting beaten up like that?'

Not well. But we're just immortal. We can't fight properly against those with supernatural gifts. At first, I tried to fight or run away. But they will never stop until they have recovered the energy they need to fight, because energy recovery is an essential part of their war. In time, they will realize that resistance is futile.

But aren't infected people strong to begin with?

The one with the powerful gift would be the strongest if he or she became immortal. It should not be surprising that the infected are the ones who run this continent.

If you are infected, you lose your gifts. Some of the people in this city used to be soldiers, but now they are the ones being exploited like that.

"So, when you don't feel like doing anything anymore, you're lying on the ground like that.

That's why. Do you understand?　Why we want to die already. Why I found hope in your power.

I guess they are desperate for days when they can't die and are exploited for it.

If this is going to go on and on from here on out, I want it to end.

It might not be a good idea, Yogiri thought, even if I thought so.

After a while, the soldiers pulled the cord and retrieved the spear. They carefully wiped off the tip of the spear and removed the cylinder to check it.

Then they began to make some kind of consultation.

It's usually time for you to go home. ...... Oh, I see. You're not meeting your quota because Mr. Takato-san has killed some of the people that are usually lying around outside the city.

"Huh?　Isn't that bad?

The soldiers began to move toward the building where the night misters were.

Apparently, they are looking for more prey.

The discussion could work or ......

Chichika looked disgusted.

''I don't. From what I've seen so far,''

Yomigiri sighed, feeling like he could predict what would happen next.