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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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A monotonous male voice that sounded vaguely familiar drifted from the hologram screen.
[Mornings in Redwood are early.]
The video began with the narration subtitles.
The brightly shining sun faintly revealed itself beyond the gray clouds.
The drone camera’s altitude gradually rose.
Conversely, the angle at which the video was being filmed began to tilt from the sky to the ground, and accordingly, the scenery visible on the screen changed from a gray sky to a wide forest.
[As the only green area in the city designated by the city laws of Neon City, the land is widely covered in lush green vegetation.]
I wasn’t so sure. From the perspective of watching the video, I thought the words ‘lush green vegetation’ didn’t quite fit.
Awkwardly enough for the word ‘vegetation.’ Most of the trees had red leaves.
It was different from the concept of autumn leaves. I remembered hearing that it was a landscape created over a long period of time due to the presence of Cloud Park right near Redwood.
It was far from a normal landscape.
The drone camera moved away from the green area.
The view of a chaotic alleyway, as if there were no rules, was captured on the camera screen.
[As you move along the designated areas of the city, the citizens living in Redwood finally show themselves.]
The shadow of the forest that had been visible just a moment ago was now gone, and a bustling alleyway that had spread its roots had taken over the area.
[They are the orcs.]
An ‘orc’ who had come out onto the street pointed a finger at the drone camera flying in the sky.
He shouted something, but the sound itself was muted, so the content of his words could not be heard.
[We conducted a survey of citizens with above-average socialization scores living in Neon City.]
Like soldier ants in an anthill, large orcs emerged from several buildings.
[When we asked the citizens which area in the city of Neon City was the most closed-off.]
A sharp gunshot pierced through the narrator’s voice and erupted.
The noisy screen spun frantically.
[Many people chose ‘Redwood.’]
The drone camera fell to one side of the alley.
A moment later, Orcs holding firearms in their hands appeared on the screen of the fallen drone.
And the last thing seen was the sole of a giant shoe. The hologram screen went black.
In the center of that black screen, the title of the documentary program appeared in white letters.
【The Tears of Redwood】
Before long, the narrator’s words flowed out.
[Today, we will take the time to learn about this place, Redwoo—.]
“What are you watching so intently?”
Catherine cut off the narrator’s words and asked.
I paused the hologram screen for a moment.
Because I knew that if I turned my head in my current state, Catherine’s almost raw body would be explicitly revealed, I maintained my current posture and answered without looking back.
“Last time Mr. Smith came, he asked if I had heard any news about Redwood. I just got curious and am watching this.”
“Huuuhm.”
As if her curiosity had been resolved, with a short hum, the presence behind me disappeared.
Though she had probably just moved to the sofa near me.
I resumed playing the hologram screen.
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Smith’s disappearance.
The first thought that came to mind when I heard the news was this.
…There shouldn’t have been a related sub-quest.
No, there definitely wasn’t one.
It had been well over 10 years, but the major parts still remained intact in my memory.
[It’s already been a week since he’s last been to work.]
Natasha told me her worries from beyond the hologram call screen.
[I’m investigating it privately, but… just wondering if you’ve heard anything.]
She was a rare, true boss in cyberpunk. Because in this world, which was usually without blood or tears, it wasn’t strange for people to disappear.
But for her to ask me like this, it seemed she hadn’t heard the story about Redwood from Smith yet.
“A week, you say… I did meet with Mr. Smith once when he came to see me then.”
I explained the situation I knew to Natasha.
That his ‘brothers’ in Redwood were not answering their calls.
[…Really?]
Natasha tilted her head as if puzzled.
She looked as if she was wondering why he hadn’t told her.
Since I couldn’t know the reason for that part either, I tilted my head to the side as well.
Hmm, why.
As someone who served a boss, did he not want to cause worry? It was all just speculation; there was no way to know the exact reason unless you were him.
Natasha let out a short sigh.
[Anyway, if you find out anything, let me know. The connections to the Redwood side all disappear even if I make them, so even for me, the related news is slow.]
Since it was a rare sight to see the boss of No Answer sighing, the seriousness of the situation felt a little more distinct.
“I’ll look into it too, so don’t worry too much. He’s not the type to get hurt just anywhere.”
[…Thanks.]
As if she had received some strength from my comfort, Natasha answered in a better tone.
With a short greeting, I ended the call.
I briefly recalled the situation from a week ago.
At the time when Smith had come to see me, he hadn’t had such a serious expression.
No matter how bad I was at reading an orc’s expression, I remembered there being no emotion beyond worry.
That’s why I had also jumped to the conclusion that it wasn’t an urgent situation.
If there was one thing that was bothering me…. it was that it could be a problem involving ‘Redwood.’
I had been to all the other areas, but I had never been to Redwood.
That’s because for missions that involve entering Redwood, they usually use mercenaries of the ‘orc’ race. It wasn’t that other races couldn’t receive related requests, but it was just a feeling of mutual caution.
This would probably be the same for Drek or Andrea, and it goes without saying for Catherine, who had started her mercenary work with me at the garbage dump.
For a moment, I thought about whether I had any orc connections among the people I knew.
Smith was…. He was the one who had disappeared in the first place, so he was excluded.
Four-eyes…. He was an orc who lived in the basement of the garbage dump, so there was no way he would have related information. And it was hard to even go and meet him in the first place.
“……”
Hmm. I really don’t have anyone.
If I had known, I should have gotten the number of the orc terrorist who had appeared at the cafe a long time ago.
To think my orc connections were this scarce. A lamentable situation.
Anyway, if that’s the case, there’s no choice but to find out for myself.
With the heart of Nobita looking for Doraemon, I called out a certain person’s name.
“Eve.”
“Awaiting.”
I asked Eve for the answer.
“By any chance, can you track Smith’s current location? Uh, the guard orc who was guarding the entrance of No Answer.”
“Please wait a moment.”
Eve’s pupils filled with a round light, as if she were hacking through net space, the movements of her artificial body stopped.
“The location of the orc ‘Smith’ is currently confirmed to be in ‘Redwood’.”
“He’s alive, right?”
“His vital signs are normal.”
That’s a relief. No matter how much orcs were avoided even by scavengers, there were always odd ones out wherever you went.
It was a relief that Smith hadn’t been divided into Sm/ith yet.
“Can you also find out what he’s doing right now?”
At my words, Eve couldn’t speak for a moment. As if making an excuse, Eve opened her mouth.
“…The number of surveillance cameras in Redwood is much smaller than in other areas, so it is difficult to know the exact status of the orc ‘Smith’ at present.”
“How small is it?”
“Compared to other areas, it is calculated to be between 0% and 1% on average.”
It meant there were almost none. What on earth is the state of that neighborhood?
He’s definitely alive. But we can’t find out how he’s living.
I thought for a moment about what to do.
But just then, suddenly, Catherine took out her coat for going out, slung it over her shoulder, and walked this way.
“?”
Seeing my puzzled expression, Catherine asked me back.
“Aren’t you going out?”
“Pardon?”
“Weren’t you going to Redwood to find that orc? Then of course I have to go with you.”
“……I am going.”
I might not have gone, you know. A light question arose as to how Catherine could have predicted my actions in advance.
I was about to look at Catherine with that question in my eyes, but since she was still in her tank top and dolphin shorts, my head naturally turned away.
An outfit with too much destructive power to be seen up close.
Catherine continued to speak nonchalantly.
“Andrea also just left for a schedule, so… ‘unavoidably,’ it’ll have to be the two of us, no, the three of us going together.”
…….
I couldn’t answer.
No…, I was planning on taking everyone else with me.
For (my) safety, I had been planning to take Drek and Andrea with me, so I cautiously suggested my opinion to Catherine.
“Uh, since the area called Redwood is a very dangerous place, wouldn’t it be better to go with our other colleagues?”
“No, no.”
Catherine shook her head firmly.
“It’s already been a week since he went missing, so the golden hour is long past. Every second is precious, so we have to hurry and leave.”
It sounded plausible…
No, in the first place, since we were already late, it’s common sense to go after making thorough preparations.
“I will prepare for the outing.”
Eve said, getting up.
Once the situation had progressed that far.
It wasn’t an atmosphere where I could bring up calling other people.
“…Alright, let’s go.”
In any case, I was worried about Smith too.
My already narrow circle of connections was in a crisis where it could become even narrower.
If I had known, I should have suggested we go together a week ago when I first heard the story from Smith.
No, then again, would Smith have refused?
Anyway, ‘Redwood.’ An area with so many sinister rumors.
Typically, there was also a rumor that if you weren’t an orc, you shouldn’t feel wronged even if you were shot while walking down the street.
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Bang!
Half of the rumor was a lie. And half was true.
This was a place where not only other races, but even orcs had to worry about being shot.
Watching the gang turf war unfolding in broad daylight, I let out a sigh.
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