Eternally Regressing in Another World

Chapter 36: Square 29: A Hypocrite Laughs (2)

I paid the now considerably inflated carriage fare and stepped out through the door.

"Alright, finally made it."

"So, what do we do once we’re here?"

"Before that, pinch your noses."

Shiran had already pinched her nose, bracing herself with an indescribable expression. Flaut followed suit, pinching his nose too.

"Alright, opening it!"

The moment the door opened, the smell of rotting garbage wafted out. Seriously, this innkeeper needs to actually take a bath at some point.

"Ah, it’s you lot. Tch, thought you were a customer..."

Technically, we were customers renting a room here too, you know. No wonder business is bad with an attitude like that. Swallowing words I couldn’t say out loud, we tried to hurry past, but a voice called out behind us.

"Ah right. White haired kid. You, wait in your room for a bit."

"Huh, ah... okay."

Shiran, still pinching her nose, answered with a voice that sounded oddly off. Flaut, meanwhile, looked ready to pass out from the smell. We hurried away from the garbage reeking first floor.

"This way."

"...Huh? Aren’t we going to my room?"

"Just come on."

I opened the door to my own room. I’d cleaned it up somewhat, but it was still filthy enough that anyone told to sleep here would refuse instantly.

"...You really live somewhere like this, mister."

"...Don’t say it."

Saying that, I locked the door with the padlock.

"Hey mister, I was told to wait in my room..."

"That’s a no."

"Huh?"

Both Shiran and Flaut answered with the exact same reaction.

"Hey Shiran, has that innkeeper ever come to you with some kind of request before?"

Shiran shook her head almost instantly.

"Yeah, that’s weird then. Telling you to wait right now, at this exact timing? To me, that just looks like a sloppy way to stall us."

I pointed at a corner of the ceiling. A ceiling panel had shifted loose, wind blowing through the gap, stirring a spiderweb.

"Noticed it while cleaning, you can climb up to the roof from there. Best way to slip past that innkeeper’s watch."

"Wait, you’re saying we go through there?"

"Seriously, tomato mister?"

"Of course, we need to do everything we can."

I tilted the beat up bookshelf against the table, making a makeshift ramp, and forced my way up.

"Don’t step on the middle part, the bottom’ll give out. Put your feet on the side frame to climb."

"Mister, you really don’t need to go this far."

"I really do need to go this far. We don’t know what we’re dealing with here. ...And how they’re operating smells off, too."

I’d learned firsthand how scary this city, and this world’s magic, really was. There was no such thing as being too cautious in this world.

"Anyway, let’s go through here, then just wait at Flaut’s hideout until Elizabeth gets back."

I put a foot in the ceiling space, confirming once more that it was passable. I reached a hand down toward Shiran, who’d already climbed up close.

"Th-thank..."

Right then, the sound of a door being violently thrown open came from Shiran’s room next door. Someone bolted out, heavy footsteps rushing straight toward this room! Clearly something was very wrong. No time to hesitate!

"Both of you, reach your hands out now!!"

I’d been too naive! It wasn’t a stalling tactic at all! The enemy had been in Shiran’s room this whole time!! I’d locked the padlock properly, but this was a flimsy door, it wouldn’t hold for even a second.

"Shiran! Grab my hand!! Now!!"

I grabbed Shiran’s hand and hauled her up with everything I had. Right at that instant, the door, padlock and all, shattered violently.

"Flaut!!"

"I’m fine! Get Shiran up, mister!!"

The one who’d kicked the door down was the blue clothed man from outside the duke’s mansion earlier. Without any urgency at all, he approached Flaut with an oddly heavy, deliberate stride.

"Stay away from Flaut!!"

I instantly pulled the revolver from my coat and fired! In that instant, a dry gunshot rang out, and the man’s head snapped backward.

"Guh!"

The bullet struck true, right into his head. I’d worried about the wet rounds, so I let out a breath of relief that it had actually fired. But that relief was crushed into despair right in front of me.

"A slingshot, was it?"

The man barely flinched, completely unaffected. He brushed the bullet lodged in his head away like swatting off a fly.

"Damn monster, just stop already, damn it!!"

I dropped down and planted myself in front of the man.

"Flaut, run! Now!!"

What I pulled out was the one weapon that had somehow survived the river, hairspray and a lighter. I sprayed the hairspray into the lighter’s flame. Flames spread out like a flamethrower.

"Hmph, more capable than I expected."

Whether out of confidence or something else, the blue clothed man didn’t even move. Not a single step, no defense, he just stood there taking the flames without flinching.

"Not even a raised eyebrow, and you call that impressive!!"

The gas and ignition source powering these flames both came from my own world. If Old Man Beard’s explanation held true, this flamethrower should bypass magic barriers, same as the gun. And yet, somehow, it had absolutely no effect on this man.

"Why!? Why isn’t this working!?"

I gritted my teeth. I was certain, the moment these flames ran out, that would mean death.

"Mister!!!"

"Tomato mister!!!"

"I’ll be fine! Go!!"

"But mister, what about you!?"

"...I’ll catch up later, go on ahead."

Of course, that was a lie. I knew better than anyone that there was no surviving this. At the very end, like this... please, forgive me for being this useless.

"Go, now!!!!"

At my shout, the two of them ran off into the depths of the ceiling space, tears streaming down their faces. A dozen or so seconds later, the spray ran dry. Flames spread across the room, turning the furniture and floor black. Yet the blue clothed man made no move to attack.

"...There’s one thing I want to ask you."

The man spoke, still wrapped in flame.

"What?"

Buying time was welcome, honestly. Though this composure of his was probably because he knew a kid’s legs couldn’t get far anyway. If anything, successfully separating me from the adult was already a major win for him. ...I felt sick at my own helplessness.

"Are you trying to play the hero of justice or something?"

At the abrupt question, I couldn’t help but smile. Maybe I was. But I honestly didn’t know. Having already accepted the idea of dying here, what came out of my mouth was probably the truth buried deep inside me.

"Just a hypocrite. I don’t want to live with regret. That’s all this is, pure self satisfaction."

I laughed. Like one last act of defiance, I laughed. Blood sprayed into the air, swallowed by the flames. And even then, I never let that smile fade.