Infinite Dendrogram: Volume 16, page 21
part #16 of Infinite Dendrogram Series
Even if creatures of the angel type did have a habitat somewhere, it’s location was completely unknown.
“Angels, huh...? I wonder if they’re winged and naked! You think they’re kinda horny too...?!”
“...It’s very obvious what you’re thinking, but if succubi wear clothes, I’m pretty sure angels would too.”
Slightly shocked by his friend’s blasphemous words, Franklin brought up a familiar comparison.
In the country of Dryfe stood the created dungeon called “Lust-Devil Palace.” Home to many succubi-like creatures of the devil type, it was a treacherous place no one had cleared yet in spite of the many Masters who had repeatedly tried to do so — and the reason behind their dedication should have been obvious.
It was also worth noting that, since necessary materials harvested from succubi were reasonably available on the market , Franklin could, if he felt like it, actually make that type of monster himself.
“Lack of materials is the reason I never made yokai, either.” Franklin continued. “I heard there’s plenty of them in Tenchi and Huang He to the east, but you never see them here. I’d have to import the materials to make them, but I need a lot to make a monster, so I can’t even imagine how much that would cost...”
“For somethin’ that looks like it can do anythin’, Pandemonium sure has a lotta limits...” AR-I-CA commented.
The Embryo seemed to have a high degree of freedom, but since it depended on the materials provided to it, Pandemonium ultimately had many restrictions. One could say that it was the pinnacle of Embryos that relied on external Resources.
As they talked about monsters and Pandemonium, AR-I-CA began wondering about something and asked, “By the way, Fran, ya compared yourself to Frankenstein, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“Frankenstein’s monster learned human words and culture, didn’t he? What would you do if the things you made gained intelligence or self-awareness?”
If that were to happen, they would stop being “biological robots” and become “living beings.”
AR-I-CA wanted to know what Franklin would do if that possibility existed.
“I go out of my way to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Franklin said, his eyes slightly colder than before.
“That so?” AR-I-CA said, choosing not to ask for an elaboration.
Embryos were mirrors of their Masters. If Pandemonium was a reflection of Franklin’s true nature, AR-I-CA had no intention of prying any further. She could tell that — just like her own eye — Franklin had some baggage best left untouched.
They both had told each other about certain aspects of their real lives, but neither of them tried to tread on the other’s deepest secrets.
“There’s tons of stuff involved, huh?” AR-I-CA said.
“I would say so,” nodded Franklin.
They enjoyed and found comfort in each other’s presence, but never overstepped each other’s boundaries.
This friendship of theirs continued for a long time...
...Right until the day AR-I-CA ruined it all.
Bar Chatter
February, 2045, The Tetragrammaton
Illegal Frontier, the criminal clan. Being a group that boasted only wanted Superiors as official members, it was no doubt one of the strongest forces in Infinite Dendrogram.
Their headquarters was the amphibious battle cruiser called “The Tetragrammaton.” Inside it there were rooms for every member, as well as a number of recreational facilities.
“Heh heh! This is the luxurious grown-up life!”
Inside one such facility — a bar, to be exact — there stood Gerbera, holding a cocktail glass and posing in a manner she believed to be mature.
She was underage, however, so the drink inside was non-alcoholic.
Next to her, not saying a word, was one of the clan’s sub-leaders, Rascal.
He’d come here first and had been unwinding with a few drinks, but then he was joined by Gerbera and Emily, both of whom were strangely excited.
Rascal could only assume that they were in the middle of exploring the battle cruiser.
“It’s shoo tasty!” Emily said, drinking her orange juice float.
“It really is!” said Gerbera. “This bartender is quite skilled. I feel like this might even actually get me drunk!”
Like hell it will. It’s non-alcoholic, ya dumbass, Rascal thought.
The bartender, as it happened, was an Idea made by La Crima.
“Heh heh... This booze is making me feel like talking about my past... Wanna hear a story?”
“Tell me tell me! I love you, Gerbera!”
I’m glad they’re gettin’ along, but what if this dumbass turns out to be a bad influence on her? Rascal thought, beginning to worry.
“Very well — then I shall tell you the take of how I stole a national treasure from Caldina!” Gerbera said proudly before beginning to eloquently describe her endeavor.
Seriously? You’re gonna boast about your dirty deeds? Rascal thought with a sigh.
None of what Gerbera went on to say was a lie. She’d indeed used Alhazred’s cloaking ability to steal one of Caldina’s national treasures. The problem was that she’d neglected to consider that the item would have a transmitter on it, and she was chased down by the authorities the moment her ult expired.
“They sent skilled pursuers after me, but I was able to escape with my ult. They couldn’t keep on chasing me after I dropp— let go of the treasure! I came out on top! I was the victor!”
It was obviously a defeat, but in her mind, she was the one who had prevailed.
This was how Gerbera was at that point in time. Rascal had acknowledged her as almost offensively stupid, but still accepted her into the clan because of her Superior Embryo’s abilities. A small part of him was actually starting to regret it.
“Wow, Gerbera! I thought you could only make sweets!” Emily said, clapping and clearly not fully understanding what she had just heard.
“Yes! Praise me more!” Gerbera declared proudly.
Rascal looked at them, not saying a word. Being a guardian-like figure to Emily even in real life, he had actually begun to worry that Gerbera could be a bad influence on Emily in a way unrelated to her illness.
Following this, Gerbera was sent on a certain mission to Altar...
The End
Similarity
Armored Pilot, Hugo Lesseps
While looking around Cortana, I’d chanced upon Persephone — King of Tartarus’ Maiden Embryo.
Back when the pair had been collaborating with the Triangle of Wisdom, we’d met several times, but we never properly talked to each other. Now that I finally had a chance to do so, I couldn’t help but notice something.
“Hm? What’s the matter? Is there something on my face?” she asked as I looked at her.
It wasn’t anything on her face, though — it was actually her face itself. Though her apparent age, hairstyle, hair color, and clothing were different, her face was much like that of Ray’s Nemesis.
At first, I thought my mind was just playing tricks on me, but the more I talked to her, the more aware I became of the similarities between them.
I hadn’t felt this way when I’d first met Nemesis, but having had a good number of conversations with her, I could now clearly see that she and Persephone had much in common — so much, in fact, that they seemed like sisters.
“...Maybe Persephone’s Master is actually Ray’s brother?” Cyco commented telepathically.
If siblings ended up having similar Embryos, you’d have ended up looking like Pandemonium, I thought in response.
“Huh...? That’d be scary as hell...”
Also, Ray already has a brother — KoD. His Embryo is nothing like Nemesis.
“I see you are busy thinking or possibly conversing by telepathy, but I must say that this silence is quite alienating...” said Persephone.
“Oh... Sorry about that,” I said. “I know of this Embryo that is much like you...and I was wondering why you are so alike.”
“Oh? An Embryo like me?”
“Do you have any idea why Embryos might end up looking similar?”
“Well, there are two hypotheses,” she said as she held up both of her index fingers. “The nature of an Embryo depends on the nature of its Master. Their lives, preferences, their strong yearnings...Embryos pick up various things about their Masters and reflect them, gaining powers accordingly. In the same way, it is possible that the nature of the Master may influence the shape of the weapon, as well.”
“So, you are saying that King of Tartarus and Ra— the Master I know have a similar nature?”
“You are the one who knows both of them. That is up to you to decide.”
I fell silent and thought about KoT and Ray.
They were both Maiden Masters and seemed to have a tendency to burden themselves with the lives of others.
However, when I compared their expressions as I remembered them, I could see nothing in common.
Alike, yet completely opposed — that was the impression they gave me.
“...And the other hypothesis?” I asked.
In response, Persephone lowered the index finger on her right hand and said, “The abilities of an Embryo depend on the nature of its Master. However, there is a possibility that at the very beginning, one particular difference may depend on an external factor.”
“That difference being...?”
“The visage. Or overall appearance, if you prefer,” she said, using her left index finger to point at her face. “Offspring resemble their parents. This is natural for animals with genetics. The information comprising us, on the other hand, comes from our Masters, meaning that our powers cannot be determined by anything but their nature. However, the ‘vessel’ that is to be filled with this information exists before it meets its Master.”
“The zeroth form...”
“Indeed. There is no difference in power between zeroth forms, but if zeroth forms born from the same parent become the same type of Embryo...perhaps they would be alike in appearance or shape.”
In that case, Nemesis and Persephone were...
“Heh heh. That’s quite enough time spent on mere speculation, especially when it cannot be proven. It’s no better than nonsense. Although...” Persephone said, falling silent for a moment and then whispering, “An Embryo that shares my likeness... Perhaps I may one day encounter her?”
Her words were like a premonition of something in a distant future.
I couldn’t help but notice that instead of “I would like to meet her,” she said “Perhaps I may one day encounter her.”
The End
Sign up for our mailing list at J-Novel Club to hear about new releases!
Newsletter
And you can read the latest chapters of series like this by becoming a J-Novel Club Member:
J-Novel Club Membership
Copyright
Infinite Dendrogram: Volume 16
by Sakon Kaidou
Translated by Andrew Hodgson
Edited by Sarah Tilson
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2021 Sakon Kaidou
Illustrations Copyright © 2021 Taiki
Cover illustration by Taiki
All rights reserved.
Original Japanese edition published in 2021 by Hobby Japan
This English edition is published by arrangement with Hobby Japan, Tokyo
English translation © 2021 J-Novel Club LLC
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property.
J-Novel Club LLC
j-novel.club
The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
Ebook edition 1.0: December 2021
Premium E-Book
Sakon Kaidou, Infinite Dendrogram: Volume 16
