Worthless Skill Escape (WN)

Chapter 249

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TL: ALT

Chapter 249 – Reconciliation, Seiran Natsume Part 1

It was mid-December when contact was finally made with Seiran Natsume.

As usual, the world was in an uproar.

The previous week, there had been an incident in which a pilot of a Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) plane had scrambled to intercept a Russian Air Force Su-57 that was approaching Japanese airspace and shot it down on his own initiative.

Considering the circumstances, it was clearly a reckless act that disregarded the chain of command, but the heated public opinion hailed the pilot as a hero.

Currently, there is a protest demonstration in Ichigaya against the Self-Defense Forces, which is trying to discipline the pilot in accordance with military regulations. Thousands of people have reportedly gathered for the demonstration, and some are even attempting to enter the base.

Russia has a history of firing nuclear missiles at Japanese cities during the nuclear crisis that followed the collapse of the Okutama Lake Dungeon.

Although there was no damage thanks to interceptors and Kudave, it is natural that anti-Russian sentiment has risen.

However, it seems unusual for major newspapers to call for a second Russo-Japanese war in their editorials.

Domestically, a member of parliament from a pro-China political party was attacked by rioters and died.

It seems that many explorers were among the rioters.

Recently, news has surfaced that weapons have been found in some dungeons in the United States.

That’s what ECRT’s Todou was bragging about the other day.

If guns start dropping in dungeons in Japan, Japan’s gun control will collapse—such discussions have been held, but in my opinion, there is a more fundamental issue at hand.

To begin with, having the status of an explorer is far more dangerous than simply possessing a gun.

A bullet fired from a normal gun is less dangerous than an arrow fired from a level 30 explorer’s shortbow, which moves faster and does more damage.

Also, high-level explorers don’t take much damage when shot with a weapon.

Even if non-explorer police officers are armed with guns, it’s difficult to subdue high-level explorers.

Some citizens have panicked because there are criminals who cannot be subdued even by the police.

There are also rumors that it has become difficult to turn statuses on and off.

This seems to be a phenomenon limited to Japan for now, but there are explorers who cannot turn off their statuses, which should be consciously toggled.

This is probably because dungeons have become commonplace.

Dungeons are now recognized as normal, and having a status is no longer seen as something special.

The system of dungeons and statuses has become ingrained and normalized in this world.

As a result, the use of explorer powers for criminal activity is likely to increase in the future.

What was once limited to explorer crimes committed within dungeons is now beginning to spill over into the real world.

In the aftermath of Tozaki’s speech, Japan is approaching a state where everyone is an explorer.

Even though the number of explorers increased after dungeons appeared, the proportion of explorers before the speech was only a small part of society.

If the number had stayed the same, the Explorer Association could have monitored things, albeit imperfectly, but now that is difficult.

Many citizens have explorer status but do not actually venture into the dungeons, and it is inevitable that their power will be used for crime at any moment.

The police, who are responsible for enforcing the law, are taking measures such as actively leveling up police officers, but it is undeniable that they are already behind the curve.

Because of this, Serika is being pulled in all directions to various crime scenes.

In the midst of all this, I visited Seiran’s villa in Izu.

Not by train, but via a dungeon that was set up for dungeon trips all over the country.

Seiran Natsume welcomed me to his Japanese-style mansion.

Seiran Natsume is a conservative public speaker, but judging by his recent statements, he seems to be distancing himself from the heated public opinion.

He has given up the world of public discourse, where emotions take precedence over logic, and is now concentrating on his own writings in a quiet environment.

Well, it wasn’t me who dealt with it, but Haitani-san and Haruhara.

“You are the deterrent force of this country. You are a more unreliable young man than I thought.”

The elderly public intellectual, dressed in a kimono and haori, muttered.

As the father of Sayuki, who is a year younger than me, he is quite old.

From my knowledge of the job world, I know that Sayuki was a late-born daughter.

Contrary to the impression I got from the black and white photo, he looks smaller than I imagined.

It was Haruhara who introduced me to Seiran, but he is not here today.

There are some things I can’t talk about with Haruhara in this world where he has no connection to Sayuki.

“I hear that a lot.

The sudden criticism surprised me, but I decided to brush it off with a wry smile.

After all, it’s true that I look untrustworthy.

I have long since given up trying to look trustworthy with my appearance.

“No, it’s not bad. In times like these, being full of energy is a sign of foolishness.”

The sofa in front of the fireplace with the stacked logs would have made me sleepy if it weren’t for the circumstances.

“Seiran-san, what do you think about the current situation?”

“Seiran-san?”

Seiran tilted his head slightly at my way of addressing him.

I knew about Sayuki, so I called him by his first name, but that was rather rude to an older person I had just met.

Even if his name was a pen name and not his real name, it was still strange to call him by his first name.

“I apologize. Natsume-sensei…”

“No, it’s okay. …You were an important person to my daughter, weren’t you?”

“…You knew about that?”

“I loved my daughter. She was at that age, so I think she resented me. I thought it was just puberty, but now I regret not taking it more seriously and facing her honestly.”

As he sighed, a single tear welled up in the corner of his indigo eye.

“You tried to save my daughter, didn’t you? Yet she repaid you with such ingratitude. I know she suffered and was in pain, but I felt I had to apologize to you. I don’t think it matters if I apologize in her place, but… I’m sorry, Kurashiki-kun.”

Seiran bows his head and leaves me confused.

I didn’t expect this turn of events.

I thought everything was going smoothly, but this is what it was all about.

Sayuki committed suicide because she was being bullied by Junko Tozaki (then known as Junko Himuro).

After her death, a “suicide note” was leaked on social media in which Sayuki blamed me for not being able to protect her… or so everyone thinks.

Seiran seems to think that the fault lies with his daughter.

“Please raise your head, Seiran-sensei. There is no need for you to apologize to me.”

“So my apology is meaningless after all?”

“No, I understand how you feel. But I cannot accept your apology.”

“…Why not?”

“Because there is a mistake in the facts.”

“A mistake in the facts?”

“Yes. It’s hard to explain where to start…”

“Tell me. I want to know all about my daughter. This is my atonement.”

I wanted to tell him right away. There was no need for atonement.

But I couldn’t get the order of my explanation wrong.

It was a story that was hard to believe.

“How much do you know about my actions during the atomic crisis?”

“During the nuclear crisis… How is this related to my daughter?”

“It is related. It’s a long story.”

“…I see. All I know is that you used some kind of powerful skill to shoot down a nuclear missile and somehow put an end to the collapse of the Okutama Lake Dungeon. Without you, this country would have been destroyed. I don’t understand why Prime Minister Tozaki treated you the way he did.”

So he knows the basics.

It seems to be true that he has connections in the political world.

“I was caught in a strange phenomenon at the bottom of the collapsed Okutama Lake Dungeon. It was…”

I tell him how I was chosen by the dragon Splefnir and sent to the parallel job world.

I tell him what I saw and heard there and the truth I discovered.

Seiran stares intently at my face without moving a muscle as he listens to my story.

He may doubt me, but that’s understandable.

It wouldn’t be surprising if he thought I was making up a story to escape the responsibility for Sayuki’s death.

“…It’s hard to believe…”

“I think it’s pretty hard to believe that I shot down a nuclear missile by myself and prevented the dungeon from collapsing.”

“It’s true… Parallel worlds sound like science fiction.”

“I don’t know if you can call it proof, but there is something I want you to see. I’m sure you’ll be able to judge it.”

It was Sayuki from the job world who assured me that Seiran would be able to judge it.

I took a brand new magazine out of my Item Box.

The cover read, “Winner of the Literary World Newcomer Award: Yukishiro Natsume, ‘The Insect Cage.'”

The publication date was several years ago in this world, but it was in almost new condition, having only been glanced at a few times.

I also received a single volume of “The Insect Cage” from Sayuki in the other world, but the magazine is better evidence. It wouldn’t be impossible to fake a one-volume edition.

“This is the magazine ‘Literary World’, published in the parallel world I call ‘Job World’. It contains a novel written by Sayuki… Sayuki-san’s novel.”

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