The devil is too popular

"..."

The description was interrupted here, and everyone in the detective agency looked at the ruby ​​pendant hung around the neck by Osamu Dazai with awe-inspiring eyes.

Next to him, Nakajima Atsushi skipped Kunikida Doppo, who was pushing his glasses and kept thinking, obviously still not accepting this very familiar scene, and went to whisper to Naomi next to him.

"It can be sold for a lot of money."

"No one should dare to buy it."

"Mr. Ranpo is not angry?"

"Oh, he hasn't listened to it since halfway. He knew about the celebration party, and now he's flipping through the recipe and trying to make a cake."

The dialogue between several people lacks a sense of fear at all-the power of love is something to be afraid of, but she is very cute!

The real thing to be afraid of is...

After stopping the narration, Osamu Dazai scratched the floor with his feet, manipulated the swivel chair to the table, poured down the already cold coffee several times to moisten his throat, then bent down with awkward movements, and took out a button-sized cup from under the table. Yes, a round metal object.

He put the metal object to his mouth with a smile.

"Okay—welcome to listen to today's news broadcast. Since it's private time after that, Mr. Dazai's voice is tired, so it's over."

"Welcome to listen next time."

After finishing speaking, he tossed it lightly, the little 'button' drew a beautiful arc in the air, rose to the highest point and then fell according to gravity, when it fell in front of Jinghua, a cold light flashed, and it was beautifully touched by the dagger Chopped.

"...if you can survive to the next time."

"Oh, by the way, what is Miss Knotai's chosen identity in the script?" Atsushi Nakajima asked

"Well... the direction of belief she hopes to collect is the three key words [technology] [inventor] [genius]. It is said that there is a science side in the "Magic□□ Catalog". If science-related priesthood can be created It would be very convenient."

"what?"

Although there are doubts about how Edogawa Yuai, who has never even attended high school, would play such a difficult role, but if she can even use the mobile network of a communication company on the moon without paying, then now Surely he can overcome the past with the aura of a godslayer.No, it would be strange to say that there are any difficulties in the world that that girl cannot overcome with a big smile.

Atsushi Nakajima continued,

"Then she hopes to play the role of a genius inventor on the technological side...that is, a rebellious young genius (female high school student)?"

It really fits the image of Yuai, that devil king will become the best bad girl no matter where she is.

"...what are you talking about?"

Dazai looked at him inexplicably.

"Miss Jie Ai will play the role this time, which only appears in fairy tales, the innocent and innocent princess, huh?"

"It can be said to be a true character!"

"what???"

One month later

July 2015, 7

Coleraine, a city on the northern frontier of the Holy Britannian Empire

"Why do we have to come to this kind of border city to suppress the rebel organization... No, it's better to let the pigs from those numbered areas hit the border. Although it's just a border city, the person in charge here should at least commit suicide and apologize?! "

"Be careful." The man in military uniform next to him—judging from the number of armbands on his shoulders, this person is at least one of the high-ranking officials who will salute him when he walks into the regional government, and stopped him, "He has already done it for his own sake." The incompetence paid the price. Suicide by drinking a bullet, of course, declared to the outside world that he died in battle, and did not damage the family's reputation."

"Then..." The man in military uniform walked among the ruins, his movements became funny from time to time because he had to cross some obstacles, but his eyes were always calm.

"This is in front of His Highness, pay attention to your words."

"...!terribly sorry."

Complying with his words, the arrogant noble officer next to him lowered his head deeply, not because he was afraid of the authority of that Highness, but on the contrary, he sincerely thought that he had done something rude, as if Acts like blasphemy in front of God.

His respect was not dedicated to the man in military uniform. In front of his deeply bowed head, the young man in a gorgeous white dress smiled and glanced at him.

The ruins that were once occupied by the rebels just yesterday were still filled with the smell of gunpowder smoke. Even after the battlefield had been cleaned, there were still a few corpses mixed in between the rubble from time to time, whitened by the sun.If artists come over, they should be able to touch their sensitive hearts and draw some painful paintings.

But the young man walked among the ruins, the sun shone on his light golden hair, casting shadows on his handsome face, his purple eyes, which symbolized the royal blood of the Britannian Empire, shone brightly.There is compassion in it.

He was truly saddened by the death of these dead, not only the soldiers of the Empire, but also the numberers of the Rebel Army.

This is the second prince of the Britannian Empire. After completing this suppression, he will be promoted to the prime minister of the empire. Schneizel EL Brittany, who is considered to be the most powerful competitor for the heir to the throne ya.

"Don't care."

Regarding the noble officer's apology, that's all he said. Schneizel's tone was very gentle, and there was sincerity in it.Just like a breeze blowing on the face, the moment you hear it, you will feel relieved, thinking that this is someone you can trust.

At the very least, although the officer was still bowing his head, his expression obviously softened because of these four words, like a sinner who has been pardoned.

"At the end of the day, it's just because of my willfulness, I want you to accompany me because I want to see the battlefield with my own eyes and grasp the situation... This place is not too far from the stronghold of the rebel army. If you meet the enemy, you will have to rely on your protection Just do it."

The noble officer suddenly raised his head, "No, no, how could it be!" He said excitedly, "It is my honor to be able to get your order and offer strength to you! Not just me, anyone stationed in The Britannian soldiers here think so. It is because of your command that we were able to repel the pigs in the numbered area..."

"In front of your power, they are just struggling!"

The man in military uniform gave the nobleman a cold look.

"Don't underestimate the power of the enemy." His tone was as hard as steel, without any room for turning around, but it was also very reliable.

"As a resistance organization, according to intelligence, it was only lingering in the cracks of the city, slums or gang casinos. Once there is a big move, it will be wiped out by the official forces, and it was even on the verge of extinction. The reason why it exists is only because there Many mayors think it can be used as a shield when assassinating hostile officials, or regularly annihilated to gain political achievements.”

"It's just such a shield, but it suddenly rose up a month ago and fought all the way from the numbered area to here, causing other residents of the numbered area to have unnecessary illusions, thinking that they can also raise the flag of rebellion like them, 'get Freedom'. It has increased the rebellion rate by [-]%, and nobles above the marquis have already died in the attacks of terrorist organizations, and even alarmed His Majesty, and ordered His Majesty to come and exterminate them personally."

The eyes of the man in military uniform swept across the back of the nobleman's neck as sharp as a blade.

"The residents of the numbered area should be treated differently. This is the national policy of the Britannian Empire. But when you are an opponent, you must calmly measure the strength of both sides. If you still hold the idea of ​​'just so', And if you carry out the task of guarding His Highness with this thought..."

His hand pressed gently to his waist.

The holster on the waist is a weapon newly developed today, which can turn all the objects in the area of ​​one cubic meter in front of it into particles with a slight pull of the trigger.

"Then instead of holding you back because of your unnecessary arrogance when facing the enemy, I might as well just..."

"Okay."

It was Schneizel who interrupted him, the smile on his face had faded, and he said seriously to the man in military uniform, "I think this is enough, he has not always been under my subordinates, the old Notions can’t be corrected in a short while. As long as you can realize it now and change it, it’s enough.”

As he said that, he turned his gaze back to the noble young man. The latter's clothes were already wet with cold sweat. The man in military uniform was a loyal subordinate who had been following Schneizel. The lives of countless people have also broken into countless battlefields filled with gunpowder and smoke. The genuine killing intent made the noble youth unable to move, as if he was struggling on the line of life and death.

Sensing Schneizel's gaze, he raised his head tremblingly, and got a soothing smile.

It was like a ray of light in the dark, a smile that almost made people cry.

Schneizel didn't say a word about the previous incident.There was no comfort or accusation, his voice was slow and soft, as persuasive as he was treating a student.

"Mr. Bazel, do you know why the rebels can rise so quickly?"

"Ah... yes."

The noble officer broke free from the previous fear, and although his face was still pale, he quickly followed the rhythm.Being able to be sent to carry out orders related to Schneizel also proves that he is not only from a family background, but also has top-level abilities in the local garrison.Once that complacency is set aside, his conversation shows it well.

"It's because they don't know where...According to speculation, it should be that the Chinese Federation or EU have received very strong scientific and technological assistance. Although there are fewer personnel, loose organization, and the commander's talent is only at the upper-middle level. But with With those unheard of technological weapons, guerrilla warfare and surprise beheading policies have achieved great results in a short period of time, and they drove straight all the way from the numbered area to the border city of Bunitania, which is here."

"Yes, this is their only and decisive advantage."

Schneizel was very happy to express his affirmation. As a royal family, he heard how his country was panicked by the uprising of the rebels, but his expression was not angry. On the contrary, he showed great interest, kid The same excited eyes.

"Did you know? If they meet head-on on the battlefield, they will undoubtedly lose. Because there is a decisive gap in national strength and logistics. But the battle loss ratio, even if it is a head-on battle with Cornelia's personal guards ——They are all elites with a one-to-one-to-hundred-one-to-ten ratio. And they are extremely mobile, even if they can’t win, once they choose to escape, we don’t have the power to stop them.”

"So the beheading tactics they chose are really correct and suitable. No guard force can stop them, first of all through air strikes-up to now, our army has not yet developed air weapons that can operate flexibly. , break into the most affluent and magnificent buildings in the city, and that is usually the mansion where the ruler lives. Then kill all living things quickly, and even fly away before the army is mobilized. Up to now, There is only one strategy we have developed to avoid this beheading tactic."

Schneizel had a smile on his face.

The noble young man felt embarrassed—not because of Schneizel’s words, but because he was embarrassed by the tactics of the nobles who were on the same side as him—and lowered his head.

"...living in an underground installation," he whispered.

That's right, there is no power to counter them at all. One-on-one and small-scale battles are all undoubtedly defeated, even if the opponent's fighting ability is not high, even like a peasant who dared to revolt with a hoe in this way.Facing such an enemy, the nobles feared death, completely gave up their own dignity, hid in the underground device like a mouse, and sent heavy soldiers to guard it to protect their own safety.

"It's not because of their bravery, it's just because of those weapons... It's just a group of numbered pigs..." He gritted his teeth.

Schneizel nodded with a smile.It was like watching a student who had finally enlightened.

"That's right, if you want to talk about the personal quality of the rebel army, it's definitely not as good as the one-in-a-million Britannian army trained in the military academy. But once they hold weapons in their hands..."

As he said, he took off the weapon from the holster of the man in military uniform beside him. Soldiers who have experienced many battles are extremely sensitive to personal distance. Generally speaking, [-] centimeters around the body is the warning distance that must never be approached again. , not to mention that the place where Schneizel stretched his hand was still the waist, which is one of the vital organs of the human body.But he did it naturally, and the murderous and creepy officer only had a face of respect and longing, without any resistance.

A weapon is a bit like a gun. It is a bit like a gun, because it is different from a gun. The moment you see it, you can't give people any sense of deterrence.The shell is made of plastic, painted with a very conspicuous color, the gun head is round and very light, like a toy gun used by children for water fights.

But the noble young man just stared at the toy gun in awe, even if it was the weapon of the numbered pig in his eyes, it was purely a creature's awe of power.

"Thanks to their immaturity, during this month's battle, our army paid a great price and finally captured some enemies through bribery or torture. This is the weapon we got from them."

As he said that, Schneizel gently raised the toy gun. His slender white fingers and radiant light-blond hair did not match the toy gun very much. It was a bit funny, but he held it like It's like holding some rare treasure, and the movements are very gentle.

"This is an imitation product that was barely disassembled after exhausting all of our country's scientific research strength. The scientist who made the weapon seems to have no sense of secrecy at all, or it seems to her that it is just a shoddy toy just like its appearance. , It doesn’t matter if it is leaked. There are no defensive measures, as long as it is disassembled—this is something that elementary school students can do—the inside of the weapon will be openly displayed in front of us.”

"Thanks to her arrogance we were able to analyze it... But even so, it's a shame that one month's progress can only barely reproduce this one."

Schneizel gently stroked the body of the gun.

"Do you know how much this gun cost?" he asked suddenly.

"Ah? Ah... um..." The noble young man didn't know about this, but he had heard about the power of this weapon—the reason why he was transferred here was because all the garrison troops in this city had died The reason behind this toy gun.He also heard that it took all the scientific research power of the empire to develop this gun within a month, so he tentatively asked, "Is it... hundreds of thousands?"

This is almost the cost of a tank. In fact, it is similar to a tank in terms of destructive power. Although the attack fluctuation range is slightly smaller, the attack capability is extremely strong.Moreover, the mobility of the toy gun is obviously far superior to that of the tank, so it is reasonable to increase the cost by ten times.But this toy gun was one of the rebels who were not well-off in the early days, so he judged that the cost would not be particularly high.

...Damn it. Thinking about it this way, which monster is it that provides them with technological assistance? ? ?Originally, I thought it was the Chinese Federation or EU, but if they could have this level of armed forces, they would have declared war on the Britannian Empire in an upright manner.Why manipulate the resistance organization to do these outrageous little tricks... You must know that the strength of the pigs in the numbered area is still too small. Even with these weapons, they cannot maintain a long-term front. They even have a tendency to be dazzled by victory. There has been internal strife, and recently, by using lures, a considerable number of high-level officials have been instigated...

Thinking about this, he came back to his senses and found that Schneizel was looking at him with a smile, his purple eyes shining brightly in the light, as if giving him room to think.This told the noble young man that what he just answered was not the correct answer. He stopped thinking and lowered his head deeply.

"Please also tell me."

"Thirty-two dollars," Schneizel said

"?!" He raised his head suddenly, with a look of disbelief.

"What you just said..." It's too supernatural, how could a weapon of that level cost so little? 'Is this statement some kind of cipher.

"I said 32 yuan. The outer shell is made of plastic, and the internal circuit structure is simple. It does not use any precious energy. It only uses a very small amount of silver and agate powder in the internal circuit, which cannot be detected without instrumentation. Even the captured weapon was made of a Coke straw at a key connection point. The cost is 32 yuan, and the raw materials can be gathered in any store. The most expensive thing is the paint coating of the shell. Compared with Weapons, this is more like a handcrafted decoration on a whim"

"Until now, we haven't figured out what kind of energy is used to drive this weapon. Even if we use the cherry stone known as the Philosopher's Stone as the driving force, it won't work at all. It is said that it took a month of research and development. During the period of failure, or rather a one-month period of failure, any attempt to analyze would be in vain, and on the last day of the research deadline, desperate scientists sent us the finished product. That’s it.”

Schneizel fiddled with the weapon and asked him, "You know what they say?"

"..."

"Sorry, we can't learn any changes, just like factory workers, using exactly the same materials to make exactly the same structure. All attempts to analyze scientifically are in vain. There is no room for improvement. We found that The only place we can get our hands in is the connection mechanism of this toy gun. We took out that ridiculous straw and replaced it with the best soft metal. The only result of this improvement is to make this weapon more powerful. A drop of 30.00%."

"The person who created this weapon is a real tyrant. No matter how ridiculous the method is, under her rule, there is no room for anyone to comment. Please don't let us study any weapons she created in the future, no If you need us, you can give it to the factory and let those workers who are extremely obedient because they don’t have any knowledge copy it.”

"..."

The noble officer fell into complete silence.

"...what is this?"

He muttered, in disbelief, and even looked at the toy gun in Schneizel's hand with some fear.

The education received in school and on the battlefield was overturned in this short conversation.They told him that Britannia has absolute force value, and the basis of this force is that they have the most advanced weapon in the world-the humanoid mech knightmare.It is true that Britannia has always invaded the Empire, Britannia has corruption and inequality, but Britannia is the country that treats scientists and scholars most tolerantly and best.Even if someone else made an advanced weapon, a week after capturing it, Britannia would create an evolved version that knocked the original one out.

And now, in the proudest aspect of the entire empire, it has been defeated...?Or was it defeated without any room for resistance?

The unit price of 32 yuan is not as expensive as a lunch, and the production method has no technical content, which is almost certain to be able to spread on a large scale.And if weapons of this magnitude are in the hands of hostile forces...

He shuddered.

"...You say that the maker of this weapon is 'she'...?"

He has captured this point, it is not gender discrimination, and there are many outstanding female scientists in the empire, who were even awarded honors by His Majesty the Emperor himself on TV.But the problem is.

"Do you mean that this is not caused by a force, but by someone alone...!"

"If it was a force, it would have come here long ago. We still have time to worry about the rebels, and we only regard this as a 'threat that may subvert ourselves', rather than thinking about 'how can we keep it from the opponent's hands? life'. This proves that the crisis is only caused by the talent of the individual. This talent is not controlled, but only temporarily inhabits it."

"A weapon developed by many people has never been so capricious. It does not take any confidential defense measures, nor does it give any improvement channels. What she does is almost like relying on the rebels to show their talents. Resistance Jun is just her model, and this world is their display stand, where her weapons shine brightly, and everyone who sees them will be overwhelmed by this mighty power."

"...Then why did you join the Rebels!"

The noble officer roared with a voice that almost vomited blood, "If it is in the Britannian Empire... Yes, with this level of talent, even if she is a numberer, she will undoubtedly rise to the top , all the way up, even being awarded a title is a matter of course...why...why do you want to join such a weak...!"

"It's because of weakness."

Beside him, the man in military uniform who had been silent all the time interrupted.

"If she is on the side of the strong from the beginning, how can she show her talent and power to control the situation of the battle? Even in the drama, the weak wins the strong, and the script that rises from the humble is more popular Bar."

He pointed it out nonchalantly, and the nobleman's shoulders suddenly slumped.

"Just for this..." His tone was almost desperate.

Schneizel fiddled with the trigger tenderly.

"I think it must be an extremely intelligent and self-willed Princess Her Royal Highness."

He said this in a soft voice that was almost whispering to his lover, even if it was an enemy, even if it was still fighting, the rebel army might use the weapons she provided to kill him at any time, just like killing all the rulers in the area along the way.But he was still overwhelmed by this talent, dazzled.

A heart that can tolerate everything, and a pure meritocracy, this is the basis for Schneizel's support from his subordinates.

"To be honest, I really want to see her with my own eyes. Even if I have to give up half of the country, I think it is necessary to exchange for her power. This is exactly what I applied to the royal father. This is the reason for suppressing the rebels."

"...!"

The noble young man opened his eyes wide. He had always thought that His Royal Highness Schneizel would be sent to the border to suppress the rebels on the eve of becoming the prime minister of the empire, just because of the emperor's arbitrariness.So it was his own wish...!

It is obvious that tens of thousands of troops have been folded here, those numbered pigs have no reserve of warriors, do not accept any surrender, are simply driven by hatred, and there are even records of the Grand Duke being tortured and killed on the Internet...

But immediately, he also felt that this was a matter of course. It would be a nightmare for his own side if this level of power fell on the enemy's side, but if he could join...

It's just risking your life. If you can really get it, you will definitely earn it.

"...I wish you prosperity in martial arts." He bowed his head deeply, thinking that even so, His Royal Highness Schneizel, who can risk his life, is undoubtedly stronger than all other princes, and made up his mind He made up his mind to put his surname on the line during this suppression process, and even if he died, he must protect His Highness.

"All Hail Britannia (glory to Britannia)!" The nobleman slammed his left shoulder with a hammer.

"All Hail Britannia." Schneizel also whispered, his gaze fell on the weapon in his hand.After this conversation, it seems to have become a bit heavier, is this the weight called 'future'?

He aimed his gun at a flag on the ruins in the distance.

Although it is dilapidated, you can still see the pattern of a male lion intertwined with a boa constrictor, fluttering in the wind. This is the national flag of Britannia.

"Now, let's take a look at this princess's treasure (weapon). What will happen if its power is weakened by [-]%?"

He squeezed the trigger lightly.

"...!"

The noble officer and the young man in uniform stared wide-eyed.

There was not too much noise, the toy gun-like weapon gathered a blue radiance at the round muzzle, and the radiance continued to expand, but was confined to a small sphere, as if a balloon had been blown out of the muzzle , the brilliance continuously condenses in the sphere.After the solidification is complete, it drifts towards its destination.So far, there is no sense of crisis. Looking at the blue ball of light is like looking at a small balloon floating in the air.

Then it touched the flag lightly.

At the moment of collision, the light sphere burst, centered on the light sphere, and the area of ​​one cubic meter of cube was shrouded in strong blue light, and there was still no sound. After the strong light dissipated, the one cubic meter All objects, flags, rubble, and steel bars, all disappeared, as if a piece of the picture was wiped off with an eraser, and a blank space suddenly appeared on the ruins.

There were no dead people, no flesh and blood splattered, but the noble young man who had gone through three wars and tortured the enemy with his own hands suddenly covered his mouth with his hands, almost wanting to vomit.

This is not a power that humans should hold.He thought blankly.

How can such an understatement destroy a thing.

The instigator of all this, Schneizel, also quietly stared at the blank space in front of him, all of which was reflected in his beautiful purple eyes, and he sighed softly.

"...No matter how many times it is so beautiful..."

"I said earlier, don't change other people's things so casually, okay?!"

What interrupted the Second Prince of the Empire was a sweet, bright, angry voice of a young girl who should never appear on the battlefield.