In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 4 Read online

  “He called that crystal creature a Phrase. But what exactly was it?” Elze brought up the obvious question. It clearly wasn’t an ordinary monster.

  What I did know was that the Phrase came to ravage the world 5000 years ago. But the only ones who knew that were Cesca and I. And to be honest, I really didn’t know if telling everyone else was the right thing to do.

  Worrying about whether or not to tell them, and thus bring about undue anxiety, just made it even more difficult to bring up.

  Staaaaaaare...

  Ugh. It’d been a while since Yumina assaulted me with her eyes. My own eyes started to dart around. Shit. I can’t be lying to Yumina if I’m going to marry her! “You know something, don’t you, Touya?”

  “Urgh...” With Yumina seeing right through my suspicious behaviour, I had no choice but to convey the message I’d gotten from the doctor to everyone.

  “Why would you keep silent about something so important!”

  “Well, I was going to bring it up sooner or later...” Leen scolded me, to which I desperately tried to make excuses for myself.

  “An invasion of tens of thousands of the Phrase. That’s the reason the ancient civilization was destroyed. So there were that many of them 5000 years ago, but barely any eyewitness reports of them nowadays. Until now, that is. Now that they’re appearing again. Just what is going on here...?”

  “Maybe it was a survivor, or one that got sealed away?” Leen seemed worried, but brought up her ideas to Linze. The Cricket Phrase we’d first come across had seemed half dead, so that way of thinking did make sense...

  “I’ve been thinking about what that Ende guy said about the Dimensional Boundary... The Snake Phrase did seem to come out of a crack in space. It makes me think that perhaps the Phrase are sealed in another dimension...”

  “So that would mean... someone is breaking down the boundary?”

  “I don’t have any proof of it, though.” Paula crossed her arms and nodded by Leen’s feet. Does that bear really get what’s going on? What was weighing more on my mind was that we had no method of fighting against the Phrase. Ende had called the one we fought an Intermediate Construct. That means that there were Lower Constructs and Upper Constructs too.

  The Cricket and Snake Phrase were likely Lower Constructs. But that meant we couldn’t even defeat an Intermediate one. If an Upper Construct appeared... I had no idea what we’d do.

  Looks like we really need to seek out the other Babylons.

  “Cesca. Did humanity fight against the Phrase 5000 years ago?” Cesca turned to face me from in front of the monolith.

  “Yes, they did fight. Not that it went too well for them, though. The doctor did manage to finally create an anti-Phrase weapon, but the Phrase had disappeared entirely by the time it was completed.”

  “What kind of anti-Phrase weapon?”

  “The doctor created weapons that are controlled by a person housed within them. She called them Frame Gears.” What?! Sounds like giant robots! Did the doctor really manage to create those too?! Well, she did manage to make smaller, Cesca-sized robots, so I guess making giant ones isn’t too much of a stretch...

  “What happened to them?”

  “They were stored in the Hangar of Babylon.” Cesca answered Elze’s question. Which means if the ruins we’re heading toward ends up leading to the hangar... we can get some giant robots for ourselves?! Holy shit. This is getting me all excited. I mean, they’re robots? Robots that you can get inside of and ride around! All men dream of this! Not that any one here would understand, since they’re girls...

  “It seems we’ve arrived at our destination.”

  “But I don’t see anything.”

  “Apparently it’s buried under the sand.” Kohaku informed me as he looked at the monolith’s screen. The coordinates were spot on, but I couldn’t see anything but desert outside.

  “Well, let’s head down and have a look.” Leaving Kokuyou and Sango on the garden in case anything happened, I used [Gate] to get down on the ground. Desert spread out as far as I can see, with nothing else in sight. I looked up the ruins again on my smartphone, but the pin dropped on the map exactly where I was standing.

  Right below us...” Well, what do to... We couldn’t just start digging through the sand. We had no idea how long it’d take to dig out with a shovel after all.

  “I’ll use wind magic to blow away the sand. Stand back.” Leen thought up an idea before I did, then stepped forward. I moved away, just as told.

  “Spiral forth, O Wind! Raging Sweeping Gale: [Cyclone Storm]!” A tornado sucked up all the sand, whirling it into the skies. It flew downwind from us as a sort of basin opened up in the desert below.

  Finally, the ruins came into sight. It was a dome that was made out of some sort of stone or concrete. There was a door at one part that seemed to be the entrance. Not a double door, but a single one.

  The tornado died down, so we made our way into the basin, but there wasn’t a handle on the door.

  I wondered if it was automatic, but it didn’t react to my presence. There didn’t appear to be any sensors on it, either. I casually reached out to touch the door, but my hand didn’t stop there. I passed straight through it.

  “Whoa?!”

  “Touya?!” I took a step forward to keep myself from falling over, which made me end up inside the ruins. Six pillars stood in the center, illuminated by a faint light.

  I touched the door again, but this time it felt cold and solid. I tried to use [Gate] to get back outside, but my magic wouldn’t work. Huh? Am I trapped in here?

  《Are you alright, my lord?!》

  《Kohaku? Yeah, I’m fine. There’s nothing going on or anything. But I can see a circle of pillars, just like the last time... I’m gonna go on ahead, so tell everyone not to worry.》

  《Very well. Please be careful.》

  At least I can still use the telepathic link...

  I figured there must be some sort of a trick to the door, to stop people coming in and destroying the circle. Like, it only lets in all-attribute holders, or only lets in one person at a time. I didn’t know why it wouldn’t let me out, though.

  I thought back to all those cryptic things the doctor had said.

  Well, there’s nothing I can do here. I’m not gonna be getting out unless I get this circle moving, so time to get to work.

  I sent forth magic into each pillar in turn, one attribute at a time. When all six were filled with magic, the center of the circle began to glow. Seeing that as my cue, I headed to the center. I allowed the Null magic to flow from me, and began to feel myself teleporting away. Please let this one be the hangar...

  Light swirled around me, glowing, covering my vision, until I found myself somewhere that looked rather similar to the garden. The one difference was the massive building standing before me. The building was a sort of cube, like a massive white die.

  I started to head down the path toward it, when a girl suddenly jumped in front of me, blocking my path.

  “Stop right there! Yessir!” She held up her right hand, stopping me in my tracks. The girl’s orange hair was tied into a bun on either side. The buns were wrapped up neatly under chignon covers with ribbons trailing off them. Her white skin and golden eyes immediately made me think of Cesca.

  Her clothes were a similar design to the ones Cesca was wearing when I first met her, only this new ginger girl had long sleeves and black socks. The cuffs of her sleeves had the number twenty-seven stitched into them.

  She must be the manager of this place. She seems younger than Cesca. Mostly because she looks shorter, though...

  “Welcome to the Babylon Workshop. I am High Rosetta, the Terminal Gynoid tasked with managing this facility. I’m a nice enough guy, so I’ll be kind enough to allow you to call me Rosetta, yessir.”

  Knew it. Wait, she just said she’s a nice guy. Isn’t she a girl? She’s a girl, right? I mean, she’s wearing a skirt. She’s a girl... right?! Wait, this is the Doctor we’re t
alking about! I can’t trust her! Couldn’t this be a trap?!

  “Uhh, Rosetta? You’re... a girl... right?”

  “Hmm? I do not understand the intent behind your question, but yes, that is what I am. Yessir.”

  Whew, guess it was just a mistake on her part. I mean, Cesca did say the doctor hadn’t made any males. So this is the workshop, huh... It’s not the library that Leen was hoping for or the hangar that I wanted.

  “Ahead of us lies the center of the workshop. There is currently a ban on all those deemed incompatible from entering!”

  “Well, Cesca said I was compatible, so...” I figured they were sisters, so I tried mentioning Cesca by name.

  “Cesca... as in Francesca? I see. So you have already obtained the garden, then. That speeds things up, yessir it does. You must allow me to perform a test on you to verify that you are indeed worthy.” A test...? I’ve got a bad feeling about this.

  “Guess the color of my panties without moving from that spot.”

  “Are you stupid?!” I knew this would be bad! Nothing made by that doctor could ever be good! Is she actually asking me to flip her skirt up?! What’s with this?!

  “You are only allowed one guess. Your time limit is five minutes, yessir. Now, what color are they?!”

  Tch! Why is she in such high spirits! Time began to tick down as I worried about what to do. Well, I’ll just have to do things my way!

  “Blow forth, Wind! Soaring, Spinning Gust: [Whirlwind]!” Wind picked up around Rosetta’s feet, making the ribbons on her chest and her bangs flutter in the breeze. However, her skirt didn’t budge an inch. What?!

  “This skirt resists wind magic.” Rosetta grinned.

  Grrrr... So it’s not gonna be that easy, huh? Then I’ll just get rid of the skirt entirely!

  “Sear forth, O Fire! Oral Incineration: [Fire Breath]!” I conjured forth fire magic, intending to burn away her skirt, but it didn’t catch. I had no idea why that didn’t work.

  “Similarly, this skirt also resists fire magic.” What is this, the world’s strongest skirt?! It’s pointlessly powerful! Tch, don’t think this is over, Rosetta. When I get serious, I can peek at whatever panties I want! Wait, this is silly. Why am I so desperate anyway...?

  I’d had enough. I decided to peek directly. All I had to do was send my line of sight into her skirt.

  I don’t have any other choice. This is the only way forward... I’m kind of making excuses for myself here, but whatever.

  “[Long Sense]!” I fired my eyesight under her skirt, then opened my eyes. It’s a bit dark... Can’t really see so well... Wait, what... is...

  ...What the hell?! I crouched on the spot, trembling, as I tried to hold back the blood flowing from my nose.

  She has those on?! Those?!

  “Now, what color are they?!”

  “C-Colorless... Th-They’re transparent...”

  “Yessir! I recognize you as a compatible person. Henceforth, Gynoid Number Twenty-Seven, designation ‘High Rosetta’ shall be assigned to you. May we work together forever, sir yes sir!” Rosetta spoke with a snappy salute, but I honestly didn’t care. They hadn’t been entirely clear, more on the level of commercial cling wrap, but... She definitely should’ve had more shame! They were transparent...

  Drip, drop... My nosebleed refused to let up.

  “Has it stopped yet?”

  “Somehow...” The torrent of blood had finally subsided. I’d managed to avoid death by hormonally induced nosebleed. That was a relief.

  I had Rosetta change into a regular pair of underwear. It wasn’t good for my health to have her going around like that. That being said, I hadn’t seen proof she’d done as I asked. Although, I wasn’t exactly able to look at her directly at that point either.

  “Well then, let’s get down to touring the workshop. Yessir, let’s.” Rosetta spoke before starting off into a brisk walk. She glanced back at me.

  ...What is it now?

  “Don’t you want to see the pair I’ve changed in to?” Rosetta giggled, then grabbed the hem of her skirt.

  “I most certainly do not! Hurry up and get on with the tour!”

  “Sir yes sir! By the way, do you prefer large or small chests?”

  “Just get on with the tour!”

  “Yessir!”

  Where does she come up with this stuff?! If parents are parents, then shouldn’t kids be kids? Please just give me a break...

  I trudged along after Rosetta, approaching the die-shaped building. Since it was a workshop, I figured it must have been a place where they created things.

  The white building was about fifty meters tall on each side. That made it roughly the same size as the Arc de Triomphe in France, but this building was a cube. It was about the same in length as it was in height.

  Still, there didn’t appear to be any windows... Actually, there didn’t seem to be any doors either. We arrived at the edge of the building, and Rosetta gently pressed her hands up against the wall.

  In the next instant, several lines ran down the white wall, then turned into a small cube. It transformed into an entrance in the blink of an eye.

  Is this building made up of tiny cubes or something?! A building made up of small cubes that can reform themselves based on the orders given to them by Rosetta, maybe? The workshop truly was something else.

  We went through the newly constructed entrance, then up several flights of stairs until we entered a wide, open space. What is this place...?

  It was a completely white space. There was nothing around. There was literally nothing there, as it was a white void. White walls, white floor, and a white ceiling. It was vast and wide. Far too vast, and far too wide, in fact. It’s bigger on the inside, so... is the space being spread out through magical means?

  “What is this place?”

  “This is the workshop, yessir. It’s a facility outfitted with all imaginable crafting tools, a sophisticated workbench, and mass production capabilities.” As she spoke, Rosetta touched a floor panel, which made a white table sprout up before my eyes. The table seemed to have a bunch of tools jutting from it as well.

  I see... So the small white blocks that compose the building can reform into tools and equipment.

  “Only you and I can operate the workshop! You can build original items here, but also mass produce copies of other items! Well, so long as you have the raw materials, yessir!” That made sense. If it was just a matter of making things, then I already had [Modeling], but the mass production of items was another thing entirely. For example, I could mass-produce bicycles and start selling them... I’d be able to seriously start doing some business, then.

  Making something more complex like a smartphone probably wouldn’t be doable, though. I had no idea what went into those things.

  I figured I’d be able to make the general shape, even the insides maybe, but if I made it out of something like iron, then it obviously wouldn’t function.

  But really... this place would’ve been better off being named the Production Plant of Babylon... The name’s totally misleading.

  I decided to run an experiment. I unholstered Brunhild and asked Rosetta to reproduce it. I took out a lump of mithril from [Storage], then asked her to use that for the materials.

  Rosetta placed Brunhild on the white table, placed her hand above it, and recited a command.

  “Scan.” A dull green light blinked briefly from the table. After it was done glowing, Rosetta removed Brunhild from the table and placed the mithril lump where it was.

  “Copy.” The table opened up slightly, swallowing the mithril lump into it. The green light flashed once more. Then, the hole opened up, and the completed product came out. That was fast! The excess mithril was scattered to the sides, but the product in the middle was unmistakably Brunhild. Well, except for the fact that this one shone with a silver luster.

  “Get a load of this.” An image of the silver Brunhild was projected in front of Rosetta. She traced her finger along it, changing and t
weaking the finer features.

  At the same time, the silver Brunhild on the table warped and deformed itself to a form that was roughly similar, but definitely different to how it was before. It changed to match the form Rosetta had created on the projected screen.

  “You can freely change the design of what you produce through these means, yessir.” I took the weapon into my hand and tried to activate Blade Mode, but it didn’t extend. That was puzzling for a moment. Then I realized that it wasn’t able to copy any programming I’d applied to the base object.

  I applied all the battle programming I had put on my original Brunhild to the new one, then stashed the old one using [Storage]. Mithril felt better to me, after all.

  “If you note down an exact number during the initial copy, it’ll continue to produce them automatically after that. Yessir it will.”

  “That’s definitely handy.” There was nothing I felt like mass producing, but I knew it would definitely be of use later. Oh, right...

  “Rosetta. Cesca mentioned something about a weapon that could oppose the Phrase...”

  “Sir yes sir! That’d be the Frame Gear, sir! You can definitely produce those here. I helped the doctor make it, sir!” It was as I had thought. The Frame Gear were built in the workshop, and then stored in the Hangar after that. So all I had to do was...

  “Rosetta, can we make a Frame Gear?”

  “Sir no sir! Right now, the best I can produce is equipment and modifications. The schematics for the actual Frame Gear are not on site. Your best bet would be the storehouse, yessir!”

  Damn it... Then we’ll need to find either the hangar or the storehouse... Guess I’ve got no choice...

  “I’ll call the others here for the time being. Cesca’ll probably be happy to see you, too.”

  “I’m looking forward to it, yessir.” I had completely forgotten about the friends I’d left behind in the desert. I hurriedly opened up a [Gate] to where the others were.