Tantei wa Mou, Shindeiru - Volume 5 - Chapter 13

The future entrusted by the one next to me. 

The exchange of lives seemed like an eternity, never letting up for even a moment. But the battle, which lasted mere minutes, came to an end with a short whimper from the giant monster. 

"You did it, huh?" 

As I saw Siesta and Hel huff their shoulders heavily, and opened my tightly clenched fists. 

"…Haa…haa, isn’t your pet not too well trained?" 

"…!…Haa, they say that troublesome children are more adorable." 

They bickered as they saw Betelgeuse sink to the ground at the foot of a large tree that is now almost an integral part of the fashion building. The evil monster was now finally stopped by Siesta's gunfire and Hel's swordplay. 

"Finally, how did you manage to slip into the enemy's pocket and hit it with bullets?" 

"I didn't want you to take all the credit." 

"Still an ally of justice who hates to lose, like always." 

So they said, still facing each other. They weren’t enemies or allies, but as comrades with a common goal, they succeeded in fighting together—however. 

"Be careful you.” 

I warned as I approached Siesta and Hel. What would happen the moment the?biological weapon?Betelgeuse was defeated? I knew more than anyone else, since I was the one most affected by it. 

"—Pollen." 

Siesta squinted, staring into the distance. From the prostrate remains of Betelgeuse, the buds of a large flower begin to sprout. A year ago, during the battle against Hel, I was exposed to the pollen that were released from that flower, and I lost my memory of the events of the past few hours. After that, I spent a lukewarm year, forgetting the truth of Siesta's death and even the wishes she entrusted to me. 

And now, the same thing is about to happen again. So, I had to nip the buds before they reached full bloom. 

"Something's wrong." 

But this time, Hel stopped me from taking action. The next moment, all the buds that had sprouted all over Betelgeuse's body began to wither at once. 

At first, I thought it was because Betelgeuse had lost the power to bloom, having been completely defeated by Siesta and Hel. However, once I thought about who created Betelgeuse in the first place, the answer was obvious. 

"—SEED." 

Beneath the big tree, next to the fallen monster, a humanoid silhouette appeared, swaying. 

SEED, the parent of all the clones. 

And before I knew it, the hole in the belly closed up like a regenerating cell. Several?feelers?extending from its back started absorbing energy from Betelgeuse on the ground. SEED was capable of sharing its power with the?androids?, but it was also capable of retrieving the power it had given away. 

"Father." 

Hel blurted out. 

Her expression was obscured by her black hair blowing in the wind. 

"—Why?" 

SEED uttered noisily. 

"Hel, why are you standing on that side? What is your mission? Are you going to let our?seed?die out like this?" 

And so SEED, reunited with his former right-hand for the first time in perhaps a year, stated coldly without any emotion or sentiment whatsoever, demanding for her to fight under it once more. 

"I would like to say I always wanted to do that." 

Hel then took a few steps towards the distant SEED and said, 

"Unfortunately, I am no match for this famous detective. Throughout the battle I saw it up close. I cannot inflict even a single fatal wound in this state." 

Hel's mouth slackened as she calmly analyzed the difference in strength between herself and Siesta. She knew better than anyone that she would lose. 

"Father, we have lost." 

With that, Hel declared the end of the long-running battle between?SPES?and the?famous detective?. She wasn’t just referring to herself, and determined that at this point, even SEED wouldn’t be able to beat Siesta. 

"—Then, Hel, be my vessel." 

But SEED's answer was different. 

I, Siesta, and Hel all froze for a moment. 

"That is your mission, that is the meaning of your birth." 

…Yes, Natsunagi (Hel) was also originally a potential vessel for SEED. Until now, the presence of Siesta's heart inside her had prevented SEED from using her, but since they’re separated again, SEED could use either Siesta or Hel as a vessel. 

"I, as Father's vessel…" 

Hel's red eyes flickered. Ever since she was born into this world…as a new consciousness within Natsunagi, she has lived her life based solely on the commands of SEED as her parent. It’s an absolute and unchanging curse for Hel. The directive of her actions was due to SEED. 

And so, it’s been a year since Hel was given a mission by SEED. At this point, it’s theoretically impossible for Hel to fight and win against Siesta, and she could. But it’s also possible to become a cornerstone of SEED. Then, Hel's refusal to obey SEED's orders— 

"No." 

It wasn't Hel who said that. 

As if she had been caught off guard, she turned aside and saw a white-haired detective. 

"…Why, you?" 

Hel asked why Siesta was protecting her. 

Even though they were once enemies. 

"I don't know." 

But Siesta responded in a different, somewhat childish tone. 

"I just don’t want this to happen." 

That's a conclusion that Siesta, who used to be driven by logic, would never have come to. 

But the Siesta at this point knew what human emotion was. 

Probably because for the past year, she'd been living inside a girl with more dramatic emotions than anyone else. 

"I see." 

Hel smiled. It wasn't a grimace, nor was it a scheming smirk. It was a radiant expression, as though she was unburdened. 

"Sorry, Father. No, SEED." 

Hel then looked back at the?Primordial Seed?and gave a new answer to the question that had been swirling around in her mind for years. 

"What I choose now is a future where the ones next to me smile." 

The tip of Hel's saber, held in her right hand, was pointed at SEED. 

That was the conclusion Hel came to. She had once been tormented by the fact that she had no identity, and had questioned her raison d’etre. At this moment though, she had discovered the answer by entrusting the proof of her existence to others. And for Hel, that other person was a mirror that looked at her from the outside and saw what she couldn’t with her own eyes. 

Just as Siesta now tried to protect Hel’s own existence from the enemy, and just as Natsunagi had taught Hel about the passionate emotions that she had been unaware of, Hel had entrusted her course of action to a neighbor who understood her better than she did herself. 

"SEED, with this sword you gave me, I shall lead you there." 

Hel's crimson eyes glowed, and her words were filled with her entire soul. But that has nothing to do with her ability to use the?seed?. It was Hel's vow to bring this story to a close. 

"—As expected." 

And SEED, standing next to the wilting Betelgeuse, quietly accepts Hel's defection. There was no one left on the battlefield to join SEED. Paradoxically however, the?Primordial Seed?remained is still here. The future that SEED, whose instinct was to produce offspring, will choose on this battlefield was— 

"If the parent dies, the child cannot survive.” 

A dark purple color appeared in SEED's dull eyes. 

"Assistant, are you ready?" 

"Yeah, for a whole year." 

This was the beginning of the final battle between?SPES?and the?famous detective?.