Hero Party After the Nuclear War

Chapter 21

While Dante was weighing the risks and returns in front of the commission contract, Eris casually asked a question to probe his serious thoughts.

"Do you usually take on requests like this?"

"Yeah."

Since he didn't seem to be hiding anything, Eris looked at him with a worried expression.

"The Shogunate guy did say that. But this doesn't seem much different from robbing a train. At least, that's how it sounds to me."

"You're right. I'm currently debating whether to rob a train under a request from the Shogunate. Is there a problem with that?"

"Isn't that... isn't that a crime?"

Eris, who leaned toward a lawful good disposition, cautiously objected to her Master, the Hero, but Dante didn't strongly deny or scold her viewpoint.

"It would be a crime, normally, right? But in this world, there's no government to punish such crimes. A crime is just an act that breaks the law, isn't it?

Two hundred years ago, humans probably had a central government that ruled the world, right? And laws to determine right from wrong? But in a world where laws don't exist, can the concept of crime even apply?"

Uncharacteristically philosophical for someone like Dante with low intelligence, his question made Eris agree with his thoughts, at least a little.

(Charisma check successful.)

In this Raven commission, there was hardly any concept of good and evil. The only things present were the power struggle between two factions over the Red Grave Wasteland and the conflict that existed between them.

For the Hero, the Demon was the main enemy that must be defeated.

For the Hero, humans were allies that must be protected.

Two hundred years ago, the concepts of good and evil, allies and enemies, were strictly divided in a binary way, but now, that distinction has almost disappeared.

"What we should be weighing isn't right or wrong. It's risk and return."

Dante spread out the map of Red Grave, received from Raven's Logistics, on the floor of Elizabeth. It showed the factions fighting over dominance in a small world nearly reset after the nuclear bomb dropped.

"This request is about the conflict between the Shogunate of Neo Kyoto and the Diviner Order. If we complete this request, we'll end up antagonizing the Diviner Order, most likely. Diviner is a powerful force even within Red Grave."

Seeing the emblem of 'Diviner' drawn on the map, Eris felt a sense of déjà vu and quickly realized what it represented.

"This emblem... it was used by the human forces during the war between humans and demons two hundred years ago."

"The Diviner Order is a faction trying to restore the Human World, which was wrecked by nuclear war, using human technology. They possess many powerful technologies from ancient humans. And they hold dominance based on that technological prowess.

Diviner aims to purify the surface world through the 'power of pure humans.'

Technologies like Cybernetic Implants used by the Shogunate are generally rejected. Seems they have an aversion to replacing human body parts with machines."

"But didn't Diviner discover cybernetic technology during this request?"

"There are three major possibilities. Either their doctrine has changed, or they intend to use it in secret. Or they're trying to find countermeasures against cybernetic technology."

Dante summarized briefly and pointed at the railroad leading to Diviner Order's headquarters.

"And this is the 'Railroad.' Currently, the Diviner Order occupies it. It's a railway running through every corner of Red Grave. Diviner is using it to transport supplies via train.

Attacking this train means making Diviner an enemy, and if we're unlucky, they might label us heretics and wipe us out.

Raven is fundamentally neutral and accepts commissions from any faction. But that's only due to the position of being the only free agent in the Wasteland known as Raven.

Accumulated personal feelings are unavoidable over time. Above all, we can't expect much help from Neo Kyoto in this matter.

What they want is to maintain friendly relations with Diviner while smuggling out the cybernetic technology they uncovered.

If I end up being tracked by Diviner, and they find out Kyoto hired me, then they won't be able to support me publicly. That's the tricky part."

The payment far exceeded the money he had split with McKinsey up to now. Though it was done behind closed doors, it was still a direct request from a leader of the Shogunate, who wasn't some shady figure.

"Hmm... This really is complicated. So, what will you do, Dante?"

If he took on this job, he might be able to meet Beatrice again, whom he hadn't seen in ages. Of course, it wouldn't be as an ally, but in the form of an 'enemy.'

Since she had once been part of Raven's Logistics, she would know that she was acting as a free mercenary under the command of the client, not because she wanted to. So, there wouldn't be much resentment.

Taking on a commission that turns the Order into an enemy just to see his 'ex'-wife again. It was undeniably a foolish decision, but still...

"Alright. Let's do it."

When Dante made his decision with barely a change in expression, Eris nodded, thinking he must have his reasons. But instead of complaining about the train robbery, which was basically banditry, she added one condition.

"Okay. I'll cooperate too. But I have one condition."

"What is it?"

"There must be absolutely no civilian casualties. Got it?"

"I don't usually involve civilians either. Unless things go really bad."

Dante nodded and stared at the map intently. It was necessary to thoroughly analyze what was needed to carry out the train assault.

"First, the area around the Railroad will probably be guarded by the Order's knights. If we don't do something about them in advance, things will get messy once the operation begins. We'll have to divert their attention elsewhere."

Secondly, Dante pointed at the Railroad tracks and added.

"Second, the train won't stay still. To make the assault easier, we need to stop it in a remote area—preferably the one with the weakest security. We'll need a way to forcibly halt the train's operation."

Assuming the Shogunate provides information like the location of the Data Chip, the two most important things right now are probably these. As Dante prepared the operation in his mind, he decided that solving the second issue first was the priority.

"Cutting off the train's power supply completely will be hard. But disabling the power source of the protective shield around the train should be relatively easy.

After cutting off the shield's power, if we place a few nuclear-powered junk cars in the middle of the track, the train will have no choice but to stop, fearing a nuclear explosion."

So the intel we need is a way to cut the shield's power and a few nuclear-engine scrap vehicles. The latter can be easily acquired from scavengers. The former is the real problem.

"How about attempting infiltration? Dante, you currently have multiple Servants specialized for infiltration. Pixie's Fairy Dust provides stealth. You could even use Loki if needed."

"Yeah. Infiltration is a good option. But we don't have accurate info about the shield's power source. Just sneaking in won't be enough to get the intel needed to disable it. There's a better method for this."

Dante grinned and suddenly began rummaging through the wardrobe in the cabinet in the corner of the cargo hold.

What he pulled out was... a flowing Far Eastern-style outfit often worn by residents of Neo Kyoto, including the Demonic Samurai.

"I'll just hide the fact that I'm Raven and approach them. First, I'll have to contact that guy—Oda, the Shogun's tactician or whatever—and let him know I'm accepting the request. Time to get started on the groundwork."

* * *

Railroad garrison.

The Order's knights stationed to defend the railroad currently occupied by the Diviner Order from external forces were thoroughly monitoring the surroundings today as well.

True to their rank as 'knights,' they were all clad in the heavy, thick armor typical of the knight class from the medieval feudal era of the West.

From multi-barreled grenade launchers to heavy miniguns and flamethrowers, the firepower of their heavy weaponry could be easily imagined without having to be hit by it.

Watching the scene quietly, Dante checked the Railroad's status through binoculars from the cargo hold of Elizabeth, then adjusted the sword at his waist.

"Imitating a samurai is hard."

Having changed from his usual Raven outfit into Far Eastern-style samurai attire, Dante grumbled as he inspected his outfit carefully.

Even though he had changed clothes for disguise, he didn't want to give up his identity as 'Crow,' so his outfit remained mostly black.

To hide his face as much as possible, he wore an unfitting bamboo hat, and at his waist hung a tachi, symbol of the samurai.

Though Dante usually preferred using various firearms, it wasn't like he lacked talent with swords. With buffs from Servants, he could surpass an average human in strength and agility.

As he quietly waited for the right moment, Pixie—who had briefly left his side—flew back to him, fluttering her wings and reported.

[Darling! Just like you asked, I lured the nearby zombies using Alluring Wingbeat. Soon they'll collide with the garrison stationed at the Railroad.]

"Good job. Now, Pixie, go rest for a bit. I'll switch to another Servant."

[Okay.]

[Summon: Heroic Spirit-type Skaark.]

Dante switched out his equipped Servant from Pixie to Skaark, specialized in agility and strength, and jumped down from the truck's cargo hold.

Looking through the binoculars toward the garrison in the distance, he saw a massive 'horde' of zombies, swollen to an absurd size, charging furiously toward the Railroad garrison.

"Let's begin."

* * *

"Wh-what the hell is that?!"

Seeing the terrifying zombie horde charging in, the Railroad garrison panicked and began pulling the triggers of their equipped weapons.

Minigun bullets and flamethrower fire quickly engulfed the zombie horde... or so it seemed. But there were simply too many to deal with all at once.

"This is Sergeant Miles of Railroad Sector 7! We're currently engaged with a massive zombie horde! Requesting backup! We need support! Hurry!!"

Just as the Railroad garrison was struggling against the sudden zombie outbreak, Dante, boosted by Skaark's agility, stylishly drew his tachi from his waist and sliced off the head of an oncoming zombie in a single strike.

"Cleave...!"

As soon as the zombie's head flew off, Dante used the 'Rank Up' skill on Skaark to boost his own stats and prepare thoroughly for what came next.

[Skaark: Lancer's Footwork.]

When the magic that granted additional agility stat bonuses during 'evasion' was activated, the zombies rushing to bite into his flesh and bones looked slower than slugs to Dante.

Letting the wind guide his body, he swung his sword beautifully like a dance, clearing out the zombies. The knights fighting desperately to protect the Railroad turned their attention to Dante.

Wearing a bamboo hat and swinging a long Kyoto blade, his figure looked like a hero to them.

Without using any magic except for 'Lancer's Footwork,' Dante had cleared the charging zombie horde with just one tachi and his own body in the blink of an eye. As silence returned to the area, he took a small cloth from his pocket, wiped the blood off his sword, and sheathed the tachi.

"Th-thank you! Who are you?"

Dante pressed his bamboo hat lower and answered briefly.

"Do-mo. Just a passing ronin. Don't mind me. Heh."