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TOGETHER WITH THE WITCH

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*****

「――Impressive as always, Hero.」

Berta Andele, the "World-Crossing Witch," floated down gracefully to the earth.

Rob gave her a puzzled look.

「Sorry, but I don't have a clue what you're saying.」

Seeing Rob point to his bare ear, missing its earcuff, Berta drifted closer. With a lazy gesture, she pressed her index finger against his lips.

A tiny magic circle materialized right there. It tracked the movement of her finger as she slid it down, tracing his lips, jawline, and throat before coming to a rest over his chest.

「That should do the trick, wouldn't you say?」

「Yeah, I can hear you loud and clear. Talk about perfect timing. The Interworld Train's been hijacked. I need a hand.」

As long as it wasn't a Demon King, Rob was completely fine with using whatever resources were available. And as far as he knew, he didn't have any actual reason to dislike Berta on a personal level, so he had zero qualms about asking her for help.

Berta's eyes widened just a fraction at his sudden request.

「Hmm~ it's gonna cost you, you know?」

Berta tilted her head, casting a lazy yet provocative gaze right at him.

「I'll owe you one.」

「Oh my, is it really wise to make promises like that?」

「As long as it's nothing sketchy, I'm down to lend a hand.」

For someone asking for a favor, Rob didn't act humble in the slightest, yet for some reason Berta went along with it anyway.

「In that case, do you mind if I take these scraps?」

Berta glanced over at the wrecked remains of the Magitech Beasts Rob had just annihilated.

「Knock yourself out. How long before we can track them down?」

「I can piece something together real quick, so it won't take long at all.」

With that, Berta immediately set to work.

Rob, who had been bracing himself to chase them on foot if worst came to worst, finally managed to catch his breath. Realizing there was nothing left to do but wait for Berta, he decided to mix business with pleasure and started inspecting the wrecked firearms scattered around. He picked up any guns, cannons, or leftover ammunition that looked salvageable, examining them inside and out.

Aside from standard firearms powered by gunpowder or magic, there was a whole assortment of wild, uniquely otherworldly weaponry. This included bio-mechanical designs utilizing artificial muscles, like the "Frog Cannon," where a frog's tongue served as the muzzle, all the way to a "Gear Gun" that launched projectiles using clockwork tension.

Deciding he'd seen enough, Rob wrapped up his little weapon showcase tour and strolled over to Berta.

Her bipedal dog familiars were busy scavenging, dutifully hauling mechanical wreckage back to their mistress. Meanwhile, Berta hovered casually in the air as usual, piecing together the Magitech Beast components over a glowing magic circle drawn on the ground.

「Fusing magic with machinery, huh? Sounds pretty complicated.」

「It's actually pretty simple~ The folks living in this world do this all the time to repurpose the Magitech Beasts to survive.」

Gathering components, fitting them together, and casting a golemification spell turned the junk into a "Magitech Machine." The more structurally sound and precise the assembly, the more powerful the machine would be. But even if the design defied all mechanical logic, the golemification magic could force it to move through sheer magical brute force anyway.

Berta gave him a quick, rough breakdown of how it worked.

Hearing that, Rob immediately began rummaging through the scrap metal himself. His inspiration was the bipedal dog familiars running around. Watching those goofy, comical dogs made him want one of his own.

Of course, Rob possessed absolutely zero mechanical knowledge, so his final creation was a bipedal dog in name only. It was roughly the size of a small puppy. He scavenged floppy ears straight from a wrecked Magitech Beast, used a pair of Phillips-head screws for eyes since he couldn't find any proper optical components, and substituted a flat sheet of metal for the nose.

Calling it a dog was an insult to dogs everywhere. "A bipedal platypus" was a far more accurate description.

Naturally, the dog familiars could only tilt their heads in sheer confusion when they saw it. Safe to say, they didn't recognize it as one of their own. Undeterred, Rob went ahead and cast the golemification spell exactly as Berta had instructed, but...

*Clack, clack.*

For some bizarre reason, the sheet-metal nose morphed into a flat bill, letting out a pitiful clacking sound that felt entirely un-canine. Its limbs were far too short to support its own weight, leaving it completely face-planted on the ground, helplessly flapping its tiny limbs in place.

「...Well then, shall we get going?」

Acting as if absolutely nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred, Berta saddled up on her newly completed Magitech Machine.

「...A wolf, huh?」

Rob remarked, deliberately averting his eyes from the tragic platypus-thing on the ground. Berta shot back with a pout.

「It's a dog. Don't lump it together with wolves.」

What Berta had built was a massive, dog-shaped Magitech Machine roughly the size of a heavy-duty motorcycle. Apparently, herders and watchdogs were perfectly fine, but wolves that preyed on livestock were a hard pass. Rob couldn't help but feel a strange sense of warmth at the logic—it was highly fitting for a sheep-based beastkin, even if he couldn't be entirely certain that was her reasoning.

「Mind your own business.」

Berta huffed, turning her head away as if to tell him to just hurry up and climb aboard.

Rob decided not to push it any further and prepared to hop on. But looking down at the mechanical platypus twitching miserably on the dirt, he felt a pang of pity. He scooped it up, stuffed it safely inside his backpack, and then straddled the seat right behind Berta.

The canine Magitech Beast immediately sprang to life, accelerating to a breakneck pace in an instant.

Tearing through the wasteland, the giant mechanical hound caught up to the armed luxury liner that had hijacked the Interworld Train in about two hours. However, the vessel's security was remarkably tight. After brainstorming with Berta, Rob decided it was best to wait for sunset. Under the cover of twilight, they crept close and successfully infiltrated the rear of the ship.

「Any idea where the train is?」

「Hmm~ it's completely hidden away, so I can't track it from here.」

Berta purred, wrapping her arms around Rob and leaning her weight against him. Since she was floating ever so slightly, she didn't actually feel heavy, but she was incredibly soft in all the right places, and a pleasant hint of perfume wafted over.

「You've already done more than enough just getting us inside.」

「Well, I certainly wouldn't step foot in a dusty place like this under normal circumstances.」

Berta began strolling forward, looking for all the world like she was out on a casual date.

Initially, Rob had assumed that the interior of an armed ship desperate enough to hijack a train would look like a glorified bandit hideout, but his expectations were completely shattered. Though the ceilings were low, an entire deck of the vessel had been converted into a massive residential zone. It was cluttered and chaotic, resembling an urban slum, yet a peaceful, functioning community thrived within.

Magitech Machines weren't just reserved for weaponry here; they ran everything from daily necessities to water purifiers and food-synthesis units that cranked out blocks of compact nutrients. While their lifestyle was far from luxurious, the residents possessed a rugged resilience, carving out a vibrant existence in this unforgiving environment.

「Well now, I haven't seen you two around before.」

As Rob and Berta casually blended into the crowd, an old woman running a small food stall called out to them.

「Yeah. We only just arrived recently.」

「Ah, I see. Survivors from that settlement, huh? You kids must've had a rough time.」

Looking at the dirt and dust layering Rob and Berta, the old lady seemingly jumped to her own conclusions and gestured for them to take a seat.

「It's not much, but eat up. It'll warm you right to the bones.」

She handed them bowls of a thick, murky soup. Rob dug in without a second thought.

It tasted a bit like a meat rice porridge that had been simmered down until the grains completely dissolved. The meat content was practically microscopic, but the overall broth was packed with rich flavor. Berta, on the other hand, apparently found it unappealing, taking only a single, reluctant sip.

「Not hungry, dear?」

「This doesn't taste ve—mph!」

The moment Berta tried to give an brutally honest answer to the worried old woman, Rob frantically slapped a hand over her mouth. Ignoring Berta's confused, muffled protests, Rob snatched her bowl away.

「As you can see, she can't handle meat. I'll take care of her portion.」

Hearing Rob's quick excuse and catching a glimpse of the small sheep horns peeking from Berta's head, the old woman nodded understandingly.

「By the way, did something happen today? Things seemed pretty hectic out there around noon,」 Rob asked between bites.

「Oh, that? Just another attack from a stray swarm. Folks say their big boss was wiped out a long time ago, but things haven't gotten a single bit more peaceful around here.」

「Huh. And here I thought it was a bandit raid.」

「Well, it might as well be. The big honchos upstairs don't really tell us common folks what they're up to, so you kids better watch your backs. Your girlfriend there sure is a looker, after all.」

Wrapping up the chat right there, Rob and Berta thanked her and went on their way.

They continued to scout the residential district, gathering bits and pieces of intel along the way, when the ship's lights suddenly went out all at once. Apparently, it was curfew. Deciding it was too risky to keep digging around in the dark, Rob crouched down against a wall in a dingy, deserted alleyway. Berta sat right down beside him.

Even though they had only managed to glean passing gossip from random strangers, they had learned more than enough.

The population inside the armed liner was comparable to a small town, and the community was openly hostile toward the faction led by the man who had defeated Commander. However, since the rival faction was roughly twice their size, the ship's crew had actively avoided direct conflict, managing to preserve their independence and avoid being absorbed.

But recently, some troubling rumors had surfaced. Word was that the Hero's faction had somehow acquired an influx of high-grade weaponry and personnel from an unknown source, drastically bolstering their military might. Sensing an existential threat, the ship's leadership had been secretly plotting a counteroffensive, desperate to strike back before the power gap became completely insurmountable.

When you coupled those rumors with the fact that they had hijacked the Interworld Train, the bigger picture started coming into focus. In short, the train had gotten thoroughly tangled up in a local civil war.

While a few other details still raised eyebrows, Rob figured further speculation could wait until after he actually secured the train. With that, he decided to get some shut-eye.

The ambient murmurs of daily life that lingered after lights-out eventually faded entirely, leaving behind nothing but the occasional flicker of red security patrol beams. Since he still didn't have a clue where the train was stationed, sleeping was his only real option.

As they sat in the quiet, Rob suddenly turned his attention to the woman beside him.

「...So, you really had nothing better to do than follow me all the way out here? Are you that bored?」

At Rob's sudden interrogation, Berta pouted as if deeply offended.

「Excuse me, but I'm currently fully occupied with chasing after you, so I'm not bored at all~」

「Drop the act. What's your real angle?」

Even under his intense, steady gaze, Berta didn't flinch for a second.

「I'm not putting on an act, but if it'll satisfy you, I'll lay all my cards on the table. ――It's a pure talent recruitment pitch. Don't get the wrong idea, though. I just mean that you and I could find a quiet spot away from the rest of the world and live a totally laid-back life together. We'd only have to work maybe once a year. I'm not trying to pull you into anything sketchy, okay? With your raw power and legendary reputation, making it happen would be a total walk in the park.」

Rob could faintly read between the lines. Her master plan was likely to fan his distrust of the Alliance to get him to defect, seduce him into dependency, fix him up with a shady freelance gig, pocket a hefty finder's fee, and then skim off his future earnings.

Even so, the arrangement sounded beneficial enough for him that he found himself thinking, (Hey, that doesn't sound half bad.)

Living a totally decadent, self-indulgent lifestyle alone with a gorgeous woman like Berta... talk about an incredibly sweet temptation.

「You could do whatever your heart desires, and we'd still be pulling in absolute mountains of cash.」

As Berta looked up at him through her long lashes, Rob's defenses crumbled completely, a goofy grin plastered across his face.

「Honestly, that sounds like a sweet de――」

Suddenly, a massive shockwave rattled the entire vessel.

Salvaged Magitech Beast parts and daily supplies came crashing down from shelves, and cries of panic erupted all across the residential sector. Rob quickly pressed his ear against the inner hull of the ship. He could hear faint, muffled explosions echoing from outside.

The tremors struck again—a second time, then a third—forcing the helpless citizens inside the ship to huddle up and brace for impact.

After an agonizing stretch of time, the ship's PA system suddenly crackled to life.

「――My name is Neil Flags. We are currently commencing rescue operations for the Interworld Train. Surrender and your safety will be guaranteed, but any resistance will be met with death.」

The name instantly rang a bell for Rob. The double-ability investigator who overthrew Commander—the undisputed hero of this world.

(We're saved.)

But just as that thought crossed his mind, Rob was brutally forced to make a choice.

A squad of heavily armed soldiers suddenly flooded into the residential sector. A few local men who happened to be nearby tried to fight back, but they were instantly cut down. While the skirmish bought a few precious moments for the residents to hastily erect barricades, their defenses were effortlessly smashed to pieces by soldiers decked out in top-tier Magitech armor.

The women, children, and elderly promptly surrendered.

Yet, what followed wasn't an orderly occupation—it was a brutal onslaught of assault, looting, and rape.

*****

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