Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man?

Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man?

Volume 2  Chapter 18     “Monster”

“Why is it such a place…”

“Because ‘it’ lives here.”

Saeki stood up and approached the wall with the only glass window in the room.

However, the glass didn’t lead outside. Beyond the glass, there was another room.

“You all came here to learn about ‘it,’ right? Well, it’s better to see it for yourselves. I mean, Igami-kun went there too. Oh, look, here it comes.”

Upon hearing those words, Mizuki and the others made eye contact and stood up, moving closer to the large glass window where Saeki had walked.

Through that glass, there was an incredibly spacious room that could easily fit an entire typical household.

Mizuki and the others were looking down at that room through the large glass.

Inside that room, their comrade and benefactor, Koosuke, who had taught them various things, was talking to a girl with snow-white hair.

“The reason Igami-kun brought you all here for ‘it’—”

“The strongest in the world.”

“That’s right. Exactly.”

Saeki nodded without hesitation in response to Haruka’s words.

“White hair?”

“Well, she is a little bit stronger than us. But hey, isn’t she supposed to have black hair?”

” ‘Its’ an albino. ‘it’ is born with a weak body that cannot produce pigmentation properly. When ‘it’ goes outside, ‘it’ dyes her hair to avoid standing out. Having white hair is quite noticeable, you know.”

It seemed like Mizuki and the others were silently gazing at the girl below through the glass, witnessing an albino for the first time.

” ‘It’ used to be an experimental subject for a certain underground organization.”

Saeki briefly glanced at Mizuki and the others before slowly continuing the explanation.

“Before this world with gates appeared, there were rumors that albinos possessed special powers or that consuming their bodies could grant youthfulness. It was said by some people.”

Suddenly, all of Mizuki’s group turned their heads in surprise, staring at Saeki with astonishment.

Nevertheless, Saeki didn’t stop talking.

“In certain places, albino’s was enshrined as a living deity… And in this world, the uniqueness of being an albino has only heightened. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that the madness of those who perceive it as special has intensified.”

The ultimate destination for those who attain wealth and power remains the same, regardless of the passage of time or the changing world. It is the possession of extraordinary abilities that set them apart from others and grant them eternal life.

But even that does not bring an end to their desires.

No matter how many wishes are granted, new desires always arise.

There is no limit to their demands, no end to their cravings.

Even after having their wishes fulfilled and gaining power, they yearn for more and something different. That is what it means to be ‘human.’

And with the advent of gates in this world, the desires of ‘humans’ and their madness have escalated.

“So, one of those individuals came up with a certain plan. Albino individuals inherently possess unique abilities. It was believed that they would be more likely to awaken and gain powers greater than others. So, they gathered albinos and attempted to artificially create awakened individuals.”

This was an illegal and unethical undertaking that disregarded any laws or moral standards.

They administered drugs as if it were a matter of course.

They implanted magic stones obtained from monsters into their bodies.

They forced albinos to kill and consume each other, practicing vile rituals.

And they didn’t hesitate to engage in cruel acts that even a child would recoil from as mere play.

“That successful creation is ‘it’ The strongest in the world.”

Finally, a few years ago, the experiments conducted by those ‘humans’ bore fruit, and they succeeded in creating artificial awakened individuals.

“It seems that ultimately their goal was to enable themselves to possess ideal abilities, but in the end, ‘it’ went out of control, and the organization collapsed. And in its place, ‘it’ remained. And along with it came the problems—”

“Um…”

Saeki spoke calmly, stating nothing but the facts. For Saeki—or rather, for Saeki and the others—it was just a “normal” occurrence.

However, Mizuki and the others were still children. They couldn’t easily accept such a notion of normalcy.

Therefore, following their own hearts, which didn’t want to hear any more of that story, Mizuki addressed Saeki and interrupted the conversation.

“Huh? What is it?”

“…Why have you been referring to Nina-san as ‘it’ all this time? It’s as if—”

And Mizuki asked the question that had been bothering them slightly…

“Like an object, perhaps?”

“Yes.”

Mizuki slightly regretted asking after hearing the answer.

However, once spoken, the words could not be taken back.

“Yes, you’re right in your thinking.”

“Huh?”

“Rather than calling ‘it’ an object, I… No, we… don’t consider that girl over there as human. ‘It’ is… a monster.”

A monster. The situation where a single girl was referred to as a monster was one Mizuki would prefer to avoid encountering if possible.

“That, um… Is it because she’s an Awakened?”

Feeling their heart racing and their mouth going dry, Mizuki couldn’t help but ask, wanting to know the true meaning behind the word “monster” used to refer to the girl.

“Nah, that’s not it. I wouldn’t think much of her just being an Awakened. In fact, several of the staff here are Awakeneds, and I’m an Awakened myself, though only at the second level. So it’s not about being an Awakened or anything like that. I don’t despise you guys because of that.”

However, Saeki looked slightly puzzled by Mizuki’s question, glanced at Mizuki, then smiled wryly before answering.

“Well… Let’s say there’s a sentient nuclear bomb. Would you consider that a human?”

“…And you’re saying that’s Nina-san?”

“We think so… Well, maybe a sentient nuclear bomb is actually far worse than that. After all, once a nuclear bomb detonates, it’s over. Ignoring the subsequent contamination. But ‘it’ keeps exploding as long as ‘it’ is alive. It burns everything in the vicinity, turning it all into scorched earth without a trace of even ashes remaining. And since there’s no one who can kill ‘it,’ we can only wait for ‘it’ to die naturally. It might be ten years from now, or a hundred…”

Although clearly abnormal in what he was saying, Saeki casually spoke to the children as if teaching them common sense, gazing at the girl beyond the glass.

“See? It certainly serves a purpose. With the increase in Gates and the number of adventurers unable to keep up with Gate occurrences, we have no choice but to rely on ‘it.’ But if possible, we would rather not depend on ‘it,’ and if possible, we would want ‘it’ to die. That’s the consensus of the world.”

“That’s…?”

“Admittedly, the imbalance between Gates and adventurers is a problem. But if the damage caused by ‘it’ becomes a greater issue, the world will take action to kill ‘it.’ Even though we say we can’t kill ‘it,’ it doesn’t mean there’s no way to kill ‘it.’ We might encounter challenges with laws and ethics, but in a pinch, we can resort to poison, starvation, or viruses.”

As the words continued to unravel, Mizuki and the others were left speechless, their mouths hanging open.

What they were hearing now was undeniably abnormal.

Of course. It’s completely insane to release viruses just to kill one individual.

However, Saeki—no, not just Saeki, but almost everyone here, including those absent—acknowledged the situation and accepted it as reality.

“The potential for increased damage is apparent, which is why we don’t do it. But it doesn’t mean it’s impossible.”

“Do you honestly think such a thing would be allowed!?”

Unable to tolerate such absurdity any longer, Kana forcefully stomped her foot and glared at Saeki as she shouted.

However, as Saeki watched Kana’s actions, his gaze showed no trace of fear. If anything, it was rather cold and indifferent.

“Well then, let me ask you… Have you fought against a Class S monster? Can you defeat something similar to ‘it’ on your own without getting injured?”

Prompted by Saeki’s words, Kana recalled her recent battle with a Class S monster and struggled to find the right words.

“I… I might get injured. But even so! I’ll show you that I can defeat a Class S monster! That’s why it’s wrong to kill that girl!”

Shouting out her emotions, Kana exuded an aura that would leave an ordinary person paralyzed with fear.

However, as expected, Saeki remained unaffected and merely looked at Kana with a gaze that seemed to be observing a naive child uttering immature words.