chapter 29

Sixteen, who was standing in my way, brandished a sword, and in response, I raised Enzetta.

We glared at each other…

There was a moment of silence, and then Sixteen spoke softly.

“This is a warning. Ahead of you is Master’s room. Leave, and I will not attack.”

“Is that a threat? Sorry, but this isn’t the place for me to bow down to such threats. Your master kidnapped the princess I’m guarding.”

Hearing her warning be immediately shoved away, her eyes focus on me like lasers.

“This is Master’s wish… so I shall grant it.”

“Then I will do everything I can to get through!”

I went behind her with Flash and swung Enzetta, but she parried.

“…Master’s enemies are my enemies… and enemies should be eliminated!”

After parrying Enzetta, Sixteen tried to pierce me with her sword, but I avoided it in time and hit her in the side with Power Kick. However, she caught the attack with arms of steel.

Those steel arms were tough…!

As soon as I got distance from her, I fired four rounds from my revolver.

Those were received steadily by her steel arms too. She activated a booster hidden in her back and flew up to my chest, punching me away with a right hook.

As I was dragged across the ground, I retreated while cradling the spot I got hit at.

“Nice shot… You must be good at boxing, huh?”

“Boxing?”

“…ah, nevermind.”

…well, it’s from my world, so she couldn’t possibly understand, right?

Anyway, I didn’t want to get beaten to a pulp!

I moved in front of her with Quick Jump and slashed her with Power Slash.

She tried to block with her sword, but the force was so great she was sent flying and fell to the ground. She then took a defensive stance.

But at the same time she took a defensive stance, I used Light Wave.

Due to her stance, she was slow on the uptake and got hit.

As the attack connected, a blast of smoke arose.

Then from that blast of smoke, countless bullets emerged.

Yikes…!

Somehow, I managed to use Barrier to block the bullets.

As the bullets plopped down at my feet, Sixteen turned her left arm into a gatling gun, and shot a barrage of bullets at me as the smoke cleared.

Even after getting hit by Light Wave, she had still taken no damage…!

Sixteen stopped firing bullets, turned her left arm into a steel one, then rushed towards me.

I continued to shield myself with Barrier.

But I couldn’t withstand her rush, and Barrier shattered with a loud noise.

I blocked a punch coming for me with Enzetta.

As the sound of metal clanged, we stared at each other.

“How stubborn.”

“That’s my line. You’re pretty tough!”

“I am unable to comprehend. Why are you protecting the princess? You don’t seem very close to her.”

She asked as though she really didn’t get it…

But I answered her, looking straight into her eyes.

“My purpose… is not just to protect her.”

“If that’s the case, then what else is your purpose?”

We moved away from each other, keeping distance, and I spoke.

“I don’t care whether we’re close or not. I protect who or what I want to protect.”

“…Comprehension failed. What’s the point of hurting yourself to protect what you want to protect…?”

“There’s no meaning behind it. I want to protect them—that’s all. Speaking of which, ‘comprehension failed’… is just a lie, isn’t it?”

She was lying…

At my words, Sixteen stopped moving.

“What do you want to say?”

“According to Captain Gil, none of the merchants and travelers you attacked, even if they were injured, were killed… At your level of power, you definitely would have been able to kill them. In other words, you had no intention of killing them…”

“…”

Sixteen stayed silent at my reasoning.

However, her fists trembled.

“I don’t know why you didn’t want to kill them… No, you couldn’t kill them. You have a gentle heart.”

“Wrong…”

“Because of your kind heart, you allowed them to run away after injuring them before you could kill them, so there would be no casualties.”

“Wrong…”

“You say that you can’t betray your master… but in your heart, you don’t want to kill people, right?”

“Wrong!!”

Sixteen raised her voice in denial.

I continued staring into her angry eyes.

“‘I have a heart?’ ‘I want to betray my master?’ Don’t say such stupid things! Master made me… so what Master wants is what I want!”

She shook her head and continued to remain in denial.

So there was no way she would betray Keith, huh…

“It’s just a coincidence that they aren’t dead! I’d kill anyone if Master told me to!

“…”

I had decided. Looking at Sixteen, continuously saying how she wasn’t unable to kill, I closed my eyes for a moment, opened them, and then replied.

“Then… try killing me, here and now.”

I dropped my sword, and faced Sixteen with arms wide open, much to her confusion.

“W-what…!?”

“If you can kill… If you don’t have any gentleness in your heart, then kill me. Come, kill me. Aren’t I your master’s enemy?”

I took a step forward, as if to say ‘hurry up and kill me.’ She took a step back.

She didn’t even raise her weapon at all.

“What’s up? Isn’t killing humans supposed to be easy for you? Then do it.”

“…say no more!”

Turning her right arm into a gatling gun, Sixteen fired a barrage at me.

Countless bullets were released towards me…

But not one of them hit me.

They didn’t even graze me.

“Oi, oi. Are you missing at such a close range?”

Why aren’t I hitting him…

That must be what she was thinking.

And that was the answer…

“Why… Why can’t I hit you?!”

Trying to hit me with her left arm, she didn’t land a hit at all.

“Why… why!?”

“Alright. Sixteen… there’s your answer.”

“…?!”

“Answer.” She stopped firing, and her eyes widened as she heard that.

“You knew somewhere in the back of your head, didn’t you? That you had a kind heart of your own…”

“N-no! I’m a Sally Doll. I-I’m Master’s…”

She continued yet again to deny it…

But tears streamed down from her eyes.

She was crying…

Even though she was a doll created by humans…

As I saw those tears, I was sure of it.

She did have a gentle heart…

“I’m Master’s tool!”

Tool…

Of course, being made by Keith, the Armed Series were his tools…

But that didn’t have anything to do with me.

“Tool? You?”

“Yes! I’m… I’m Master’s tool!”

“If that’s the case, let me ask you. Why are you, a tool, shedding tears?”

At my words, she was shocked and wiped her eyes.

She seemed to not have realized that she was crying.

“How…?! I can’t understand! Why are tears…”

“Because you’re not a tool! Right now, in this world, you are alive! Those tears are enough proof!”

Hearing that, her tears welled up, and Sixteen sat down on the spot.

“Caring for others and shedding tears for them… how can a person like that be a tool? You live a genuine life.”

“Asou… Aruto…”

That was the first time she referred to me by name.

As the hostility subsided, I started to walk deeper into the facility.

I passed by Sixteen, who was sitting down, and pat her head.

“As long as you don’t lose that heart, you are you. I promise… I’ll get Rifill out of here and free you from Keith’s grasp!”

Crying with her head down, Sixteen suddenly looked up with a shock.

“But that’s impossible. Winning against him… against Master…”

Impossible, huh…

“If that’s the case, I’ll do the impossible against Keith!”

Smiling at her, I turned to the depths of the facility, and walked in…

Seeing me from behind as I left, Sixteen closed her eyes and started to think.

Then she opened her eyes, standing up resolutely as she collected her thoughts.