Ch.252016 Investigation Record – Double Compensation (2)

The terminal count suddenly increased by twenty, then disappeared. They appear when the angels are managing them, then vanish when they go to the factory. It’s probably not some grand conspiracy.

Twenty people moving with one mind and one purpose would be quite useful, but not enough to accomplish something major. Besides, seeing how they resisted control, they probably weren’t terminals to begin with.

If only I had a lead to dig into from the start… No, wait. The fact that they targeted the crucial moment when terminals were being transferred to the Industrial Spirit King, despite being such a small number as twenty, must be the clue. I gather my thoughts.

I probably won’t need to venture into dangerous areas, but I’ll likely meet at least one person who uses terminal magic. I should prepare.

It was the magic Mr. Michael used. When an ordinary human operator from the back alleys barges in and they sneer at you, you counter by unleashing the cursed power of an Argonne Invincible.

Ignorance leads to defeat. In an era where people followed the back of the Golden Age rather than looking at each other, knowledge had become everything. Without knowledge, one couldn’t exercise power.

The first place I called was the New York branch of the Association of American Idealists. I waited for the call to connect while searching for words to appease the Hive Mind. It didn’t take long.

A monotonous voice answered. It must be a terminal not connected to the Hive Mind. Their control method remained efficient despite the enormous reduction in terminals they managed.

“Hello, New York branch of the Association of American Idealists. What is your purpose for calling? This terminal is currently on standby. Please indicate if you wish to connect to the Hive Mind.”

“Please connect me to the Hive Mind! I’m Rose Leafman, reporter from Golden Age Press! You might know me! We’ve met once at the Hemidivine Party…”

Contrary to my expectation that the terminal would relay my message, the Hive Mind connected immediately upon hearing my words. I heard the stable, horizontal line of countless voices speaking as one.

The voice sounded tired. It couldn’t be helped, as it had to participate in every trial happening across America, sometimes simultaneously. Even for a purely mental being, fatigue existed.

He was perhaps a giant. But a very hunched giant. He needed a breakthrough. Not one to assess and reverse the situation… but someone who would believe in him and ease his fatigue.

It wasn’t based on solid evidence, but that’s how it felt. The tired Hive Mind answered. At least it remembered me.

“Rose Leafman, Rose Leafman… Yes, you helped me when the Industrial Spirit King’s contractors caused riots with my terminals. Then I can trust you. What’s the matter?”

Though the tone was stiff, it seemed to sound a bit more human than last time. Despite being an exhausting experience, it was probably because it had mingled with people.

“Well… I just received a tip. I heard there was a numerical discrepancy in the terminal transfer process. Have you heard anything about that?”

I didn’t think it was the culprit. Judging by how the Industrial Spirit King spoke of twenty people as a small number, the terminal transfer must be proceeding on quite a large scale.

If the Idealist Hive Mind were to act, it would have attempted it before transferring all terminals, while it still had resources. Acting belatedly is rarely effective.

There was another possibility. Those twenty terminals might be strategically placed to bring other terminals under control at some point… but the power difference with the Industrial Spirit King was too great for that.

He was the walking factory district of New York. A being who kept machines running without a moment’s rest, fueled by something. The Hive Mind’s magic couldn’t wrest terminals from his hands.

It would be impossible without gathering ten, twenty, or perhaps thirty of New York’s most renowned magi. So the Idealist Hive Mind was the victim this time too.

“A numerical discrepancy? I hope you’re not suspecting us. We transferred them properly. The Industrial Spirit King certified that too. So what’s the problem?”

Judging by how it became displeased rather than making excuses, I could be confident. The Hive Mind I met last time was quite a sincere being.

“I heard that part went very smoothly! The problem occurred not then, but between when the Industrial Spirit King received the terminals you sent and before sending them to the factory. They say exactly twenty more terminals appear, so I called to see if you knew anything! If not, I was planning to go straight to the police station.”

By preemptively addressing the suspicion directed at the Hive Mind alone, I managed to prevent it from getting angry. The Hive Mind didn’t seem to have the mental capacity to get angry anyway.

“Twenty, twenty… I don’t know what one could do with such a small number. All I know is that the security at the terminal gathering place was lax. The angels didn’t guard it with much enthusiasm. They knew the terminals wouldn’t move without orders, so they deployed only about half the number specified in the plan.”

Ah, our fallen angels messed up again. It was good that fallen angels had flexibility, but they rarely showed the angelic stoicism and strength. It was always like that.

I sighed once more and nodded. Since only the Idealist Hive Minds could live constantly connected to phone lines, I would have to pound the pavement now.

Saying I’d go out reporting, I left the newspaper office. Though I was leaving my office, I was also entering my real office. This felt like where a reporter should be.

However, an Industrial Spirit that had been sitting quietly in a corner of the company parking lot stood up and began approaching me when it saw me. Usually, Industrial Spirits could be identified by the machinery in their head part, but this one was difficult.

This Industrial Spirit’s face was a grinder. An iron grinder spinning freely in place of a face, making it look as if its head had been cut off. It gave me chills, but I smiled anyway.

Normally, Industrial Spirits looked like concrete bodies extending from industrial machines, but this one was entirely made of metal. It felt just like the mythril body from the Machine of the Age.

The hydraulic cylinders were filled with transparent liquid. I could feel a bit of vitality in its gait. The Industrial Spirit stopped in front of me. I could hear the sound of its engine rumbling in place of a heartbeat.

While the Industrial Spirit King combined machine sounds to produce a human voice or used telepathy, this small Industrial Spirit was boldly producing a voice. So it was an ordinary Industrial Spirit after all.

“The Machine of the Age sent me here. If it’s related to that fragile and delicate control, there might be others who stole that magic. Spirits cannot become terminals.”

Is this a good thing, considering I was thinking of hiring a bodyguard? The Industrial Spirit, whose movements seemed somewhat awkward, began turning its head from side to side as if trying to look around with nonexistent eyes.

That behavior somehow reminded me of a puppy visiting a big city for the first time, making me laugh. Since its head was literally a round grinder, I gently stroked its back, which had warmed up from the engine’s operation.

“Fragile control… Did the Industrial Spirit King make you himself? This is an honor! And looking at you, it’s clear the magic doesn’t work because you lack a mind to control, not because you can’t be controlled. I’m certain!”

The Industrial Spirit turned its grinder head toward me. It wasn’t exactly… pleasant to meet the grinding blades every time it tried to face me, but I decided not to mention it.

“Of course. Why do you think spirits can’t become terminals?”

Since people created Industrial Spirits, they admired humans. They wanted to resemble humans and understand them. Since it was better to set out right away, I walked out to the street and explained while walking.

“Well, that magic was designed for use on people. The method for opening a metal box differs from that for a wooden box. It’s like that! This is my first time having a spirit as a bodyguard, so I’m wondering… you won’t just move on your own and attack people, right? Newly born Industrial Spirits tend to be quite anxious.”

Once again, it was a cursed memory related to my father. I had once seen an Industrial Spirit made in my father’s factory go berserk, unable to bear the loud noises around it.

That Industrial Spirit looked just like a frightened deer. After escaping the factory, it continued to gallop even after being struck by lightning dropped by my father and falling sideways, until its movements finally ceased. It was quite horrific.

The small Industrial Spirit made a metallic sound as its grinder turned. It seemed to be trying to prove it was a reliable bodyguard. Only after that did the grinding sound stop and its voice was heard.

“I was anxious when I first heard the sounds around me. But the Machine of the Age was right in front of me. The buzzing sounds, clicking sounds, and hissing sounds were comforting, so I wasn’t scared. It’s the same now. The sounds of the city sound just like the operating sounds of the Machine of the Age.”

Do the sounds made by the Industrial Spirit King sound like a mother’s heartbeat to Industrial Spirits? I knew spirits had their own kind of life, but I didn’t know it felt like this.

I stroked its warm mythril steel back again. I didn’t expect it to rub against my hand, and the Industrial Spirit didn’t seem to understand the meaning of the gesture yet.

With the feeling of walking a dog, I headed to the police station with the four-legged Industrial Spirit. Since I needed an excuse for visiting the police station, I sat the Industrial Spirit in a corner of the parking lot.

The spirit seemed somewhat disappointed, so I had to spend quite some time consoling it. I couldn’t tell if it wanted to see me working or if it didn’t want to be far from its protection target.

I made up a little excuse. I couldn’t just treat this spirit, which was lowering its head and trying to circle around, as a mere tool.

“I’m sorry… can you wait for a moment? Just between us, you’re too obviously the Industrial Spirit King’s handmade creation. To make up a natural excuse, it’s better if I go alone. Yeah, can you understand? I’d appreciate it if you could understand. Is that okay?”

Only after whispering like that did the small Industrial Spirit make a buzzing sound and rotate its grinder. Perhaps the grinder substituted for all the functions a head would normally perform.

“I understand. A big-shot reporter with connections to the Industrial Spirit King—the police would be suspicious of your motives too. But no one would suspect or worry about an elf walking in alone. Tell me about it later.”

This spirit was smarter than I thought. Fortunately, it seems I succeeded in persuading it. After giving it a full smile for the first time in a while and patting its back a few more times, I headed into the police station.

The police station is always quite busy. It’s a place where fallen angels who cry and laugh mix with ordinary angels who show no expression. I approached the reception desk and took out the press ID card made by the company.

The line wasn’t long. This wasn’t the department for filing reports, so that was natural. The stern and exemplary angel sitting at the desk spoke.

“What brings you here? The NYPD protects the city’s order and citizens’ safety. If you’re here for a simple report, please head to another desk, not this one. What brings you…”

I showed my press ID. Golden Age Press was a small newspaper, so they didn’t have anything fancy, but they at least distributed something that looked like an old-fashioned paper passport to each of us.

“I’m Rose Leafman, reporter from Golden Age Press! I’m covering the transfer of terminal control from the Idealists, but both the Industrial Spirit King and the Idealist Hive Mind are difficult for an ordinary reporter like me to interview. I was wondering if I could interview the angels who are guarding the location where the control transfer is taking place!”

Fallen angels would agree to interviews. They would choose to talk to a reporter they could communicate with rather than guard a terminal gathering place all day. The receptionist angel picked up an internal phone.

At least the angels’ work environment seemed much better than mine. I had never worked in a place good enough to have a phone on each desk. I didn’t even know if such places existed.

A moment later, an angel came down from the second floor—the second floor I had once gone up to when fighting the Followers of the Forest’s Firstborn. It wasn’t an angel I recognized.

All angels had curly blonde hair and were larger than humans, but they had their own individuality. Face shape, facial features… sometimes they could be distinguished by the flames in their eyes.

It was a female-form angel with beautiful curly blonde hair tied back. She must be a fallen angel, but she had a rather robust impression. She approached me and extended her hand first for a handshake.

Her hand was very large. It might make both of us awkward, like a child holding an adult’s hand, so the angel lightly withdrew the hand she had extended for a handshake and guided me inside.

“I always find myself being careful around elves. I hope I’m not being rude, but…”

“Because we’re a small and fragile race? It’s true we’re smaller and more fragile compared to other races, but that’s just how it is. Since you’re being careful, I’d appreciate if we could get straight to the point!”

My father was a man who couldn’t bear those words. Or perhaps he pretended he couldn’t bear them. He didn’t believe elves were superior, but he could wield the belief in elven superiority like a weapon.

At my request to get to the point, the angel began speaking while untying and retying her hair. Only fallen angels would give an interview opportunity inside the police station to someone who wasn’t even a press correspondent.

“You mean bringing terminals from those commie Hive Mind bastards? Well… it’s not really a big deal. Since people would get anxious if they marched on the roads, we just watch from the air as they’re divided among several trucks and taken to the agreed location, check that no terminals remain in the trucks… wait a bit, and the Industrial Spirit King takes them away on his own. Oh, should I explain in more detail…”

I could find at least one clue. The terminals pass through trucks before leaving the Idealist Hive Mind’s control and going to the Industrial Spirit King.

Of course, there would have been no terminals left in the trucks. They must have loaded the terminals, or people who looked like terminals, into the trucks before departure.

What happened was due to carelessness, but what actually occurred wasn’t a careless mistake. Someone deliberately mixing terminals in between indicates clear intent.