10 — Chapter 10

I was in a room in the mansion—the same room where I’d made those test bombs earlier.

Alice had lent it to me. She’d given me permission to use anything here, including her stockpiled materials, as I saw fit. As for what I was doing? Manufacturing bombs, of course.

I had already learned the basics and handling methods for various materials from Alice. It was a massive amount of information, but I’d already committed it to memory. I have a knack for remembering anything related to explosives almost instantly.

Even if I were to make a mistake, it wasn’t a problem for me. Because [Bomb Manufacturing EX++] was active, I physically could not fail. Regardless of the quality, a functional bomb would always be the result. It really is a convenient skill.

Alice, meanwhile, was working in a different room. As she left, she mentioned she was going to look for a method of world destruction that factored in my specific skills. Talk about diligent.

I’ll have to keep a sharp eye on her to make sure she doesn’t pull the trigger before I leave this world. It wouldn’t be much of a joke if she suddenly wiped out the planet just as I was ready to head home. Knowing Alice, she’s entirely capable of it.

While imagining that undesirable future, I kept my hands moving to craft more explosives. Aside from Alice, I had other concerns. Specifically, my current armament was unreliable. I had about ten rounds left for my handgun, and the rifle I’d taken from the soldier didn’t have much of a surplus either. As for explosives, I only had those low-yield “fake firecrackers.” Other than that, I just had the knife I’d brought from my old world.

Looking ahead, it was an understatement to say my gear was insufficient. It really stung that I’d left my bag of weapons behind during the summoning. If I had that, things would have been much easier. Most of my firearms were in there.

Well, no use crying over spilled milk. I need to stay positive. This isn’t exactly the worst situation I’ve been in. Being tossed into a frozen wasteland in nothing but my underwear was far grimmer. Compared to that, this is luxury treatment. I have food, shelter, and an environment where I can make bombs—I’ve got it pretty good.

I gave a wry smile as I ground materials in a ceramic mortar. Now, let’s organize my current objectives.

My primary goal is still returning to my original world. I’m looking for a means to do that. To develop return magic, I’ll need proper facilities and a massive amount of funding; securing those will be my roadmap for the time being.

Then there’s the matter of killing the other summoned survivors. I can’t ignore that. They’re likely gunning for my head too. We’re bound to cross paths sooner or later. Getting ambushed is a hassle, so ideally, I’d like to be the one initiating the strike. I should make an effort to gather intel on them.

Alice’s goal is to destroy the world and become the ultimate alchemist. She’s currently searching for a way to do that, though a concrete method has yet to be decided. Alice intends to break this world so thoroughly that no superior practitioner can ever be born in the future.

It’s not something you can achieve with half-hearted resolve or methods. You’d have to be insanely far gone to even think of it, let alone act on it. Alice called herself the “Thirteenth.” That means thirteen lifetimes worth of obsession have been poured into the goal of global annihilation. She called herself mediocre, but that’s nonsense. She harbors a colossal madness and tenacity. A “Bomber” like me is cute by comparison.

Regardless, Alice is a capable but dangerous existence. I’d best pay close attention to her movements. The best move is to steer her carefully and use her to my advantage.

“Alright, done.”

I cut off my train of thought and stopped working. On the desk sat a leather tube with a fuse attached. Touching it, it felt like it was packed with sand. I pulled up the item’s Status.

Not a bad result. This bomb isn’t meant for killing. When lit, the powder inside burns to produce smoke. This smoke acts as a tear gas. If it gets in the eyes or is inhaled, it induces immediate, intense pain. Furthermore, the crying and coughing won’t stop. For the powder inside, I’d used several irritants similar to chili peppers.

If you were to brew this and drink it, any cold or drowsiness would be blown away in an instant.

Even though I had gained a collaborator in Alice, we were still a faction of only two. It was better to have some underhanded tricks specialized for sabotage. With just one of these, my strategic options would expand significantly. If I threw this into the enemy ranks during a pinch, it should create a scene of pure pandemonium in no time.

I continued to immerse myself in bomb-making after that. I completed a total of about thirty bombs, categorized by their intended use. All of them had simple mechanisms; this session was partly for practice. Thanks to that, I’ve grown quite accustomed to the materials of this world.

Eventually, I want to make bombs that utilize magic. Since I was able to modify the City Core without issue, it certainly shouldn’t be impossible. I’ll try challenging myself while borrowing Alice’s wisdom.

“Hm?”

As I stood up from my chair to stretch, I noticed a commotion outside the mansion. I could sense a threatening aura. I had a bad feeling about this. I peeked through a small gap in the curtains, looking out from the room’s window.

“Gah, did someone hand out invitations or something?”

Beyond the iron fence, a massive number of soldiers had gathered. There were clearly no less than a hundred. They were armed and surrounding the property.

“Mr. Jack, a lot of soldiers are coming.”

Alice entered the room. As expected, she didn’t show much panic or tension. It was better that way; having her get flustered would have just been a hassle.

“Alice, any idea why they’re visiting?”

I closed the curtains and turned to her. In the streets, she was called a witch. In reality, she was the reincarnation of the Black Mage. Furthermore, she was planning to destroy the world, so she was bound to have a skeleton or two in her closet. From the perspective of soldiers keeping the peace, she’d be considered a major nuisance.

Contrary to my speculation, Alice shook her head.

“I have no idea. I’ve been living a clean and honest life in this city. There are many rumors, but I’m just a craftswoman. However, I think they’ve come looking for you, Mr. Jack.”

“Hey, hey, quit joking. There isn’t a man more well-behaved than me, you know? Give me a break—”

“Attention to the hidden Bomber! Surrender immediately! I repeat, surrender immediately! Otherwise, we cannot guarantee your life!”

A soldier’s loud voice boomed from outside. They seemed to be shouting from near the front gate. The volume was so loud I wondered if they were trying to advertise to the whole neighborhood.

“Mr. Jack…”

Alice turned a pitying gaze toward me. I flashed a wide grin and snatched up the rifle resting on the desk.

“Alright, fine. It’s war then. ‘Cannot guarantee my life’? Those are my words, you bastards.”

“Wait, Mr. Jack. Calm down.”

As I tried to leave the room, Alice grabbed the hem of my shirt. She pulled me back into the room. I never thought I’d be told to “calm down” by a woman aiming for global annihilation. As I let out a sigh and shrugged, Alice offered a perfectly sensible opinion.

“Annihilating the soldiers will take too much time. We should escape immediately. We should avoid unnecessary danger.”

“Even if we try to escape, they aren’t just going to let us pass, right? Since we don’t have a means of transport that can break through all at once, we’ve got no choice but to kill them all and clear a path.”

“We have a means of transport. Follow me.”

Answering my rebuttal instantly, Alice hurried out of the room. I couldn’t just leave her be, and I was curious about this “means of transport” she mentioned. I had no choice but to follow her.

“This is the room. It’s my first time showing it to anyone.”

We arrived at the back of the second floor. The room was somewhat spacious and dark due to a lack of light. Its starkness was reminiscent of a warehouse. In the center of the room sat a large silhouette. As we stepped inside, the lights automatically flickered on, revealing its true identity.

“Whoa!”

I couldn’t help but exclaim. It looked like a two-seater sports car. The flat, gray body was fitted with heavy-duty armor. Complex and strange patterns were etched across the surface, emitting a faint glow along the grooves.

I couldn’t hide my surprise as I stared at the vehicle. “Hey, what the hell is this…?”

“It’s a specialized vehicle made by combining ten golems. Its performance surpasses a horse in every way. I prepared it for whenever I eventually went on a journey, but it seems it’ll be useful sooner than expected.”

Alice stood beside me, explaining with an air of pride. She seemed happy to finally have an opportunity to use it. I marveled at it, running a hand over the hood. A smile naturally spread across my face.

“Not bad. Actually, it’s the best. Looks like I’ve teamed up with a real genius.”

“I’m not a genius. This ability is just something I inherited.”

Alice spoke self-deprecatingly. I placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke clearly.

“No need for modesty. This is undeniably your power, Alice.”

“Mr. Jack… you’re a kind person.”

“Yeah, I’m always kind. Especially to beautiful women. Now, let’s get our supplies loaded up. Let’s give those soldiers a surprise. A car this good deserves to be shown off.”