Chapter 30: We’re Comrades, Aren’t We! If We Die, We Die Together!
The day after the Support Course’s sports festival, which had been even more lively than the Combat Course’s, Kazuma was heading to school as usual. He had suddenly become famous due to the recent incident, but nothing particularly had changed, and he reached his classroom safely.
“(No death threats, no thumbtacks in my indoor shoes, no graffiti on my desk…!)”
Kazuma, who had expected to be bullied, was surprised that nothing had happened. Despite being chased around so much the other day, there were no problems at all. That, in turn, unnerved Kazuma, and he moved his head, scanning his surroundings warily.
“(Is this some kind of prank? Or are they just biding their time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike?)”
“(There’s no way! That was just because the sports festival is a kind of festival, so the students let loose. Normally, bullying could lead to suspension, or in the worst case, expulsion, so no student would do something that stupid!)”
“(Could it be, Momoko… Did you come early and protect me?)”
Momoko, who had arrived at school before Kazuma, was killing time by reading. However, Momoko hadn’t woken up early for Kazuma’s sake. It was simply that waking up early was a habit for her. She absolutely had not woken up early out of concern for Kazuma.
Of course, he knew that full well. Kazuma was just saying it because he found it amusing to see how Momoko would react.
“(Even if you were bullied, you’d probably just act nonchalant…)”
“(Well, if I get bullied, I’ll just ask Makimura-san or Miyazono-san for help! Momoko, I’ll be counting on you then too! If someone hides my stuff, I’ll need your Clairvoyance!)”
Momoko, whose shoulders twitched for a moment, remembered that she had lied about having Clairvoyance.
“(O-Oh, you remembered…)”
Kazuma clearly remembered something that even the person who said it was starting to forget. It was only natural. This was Kazuma, who had seen through Momoko being a monitor from the National Defense Force and had also realized she was reading his mind. There was no way he would forget material he could use to tease Momoko.
“(Gehehehehe!)”
“(Hiiih!)”
Goosebumps ran all over Momoko’s body as Kazuma stared at her with eyes like a bird of prey. Having come this far, it felt like they were in it together, sharing a common destiny, and if it came to death, they would die together. His level of resolve was different.
“(For now, I’ll just pray to God that nothing happens.)”
Kazuma didn’t believe in God or anything, but in the end, humans still turn to prayer. What sinful creatures they were. Normally they didn’t believe, but they were conveniently devout at times like these.
“(I-I’ll pray to God too… And then I need to restock on medicine on the way home…)”
Momoko, whose worries never ceased, always carried stomach medicine and headache pills. She had become like a full-fledged addict. It seemed like Momoko might soon develop a stomach ulcer from stress and start vomiting blood.
◇◇◇◇
Around the time Kazuma was attending class, stifling a yawn, in a corner of a building in the Chinese Federation, The Great Sage Equaling Heaven was talking with a man who exuded an aura as strong as, no, even stronger than his own.
“So, Wang-Fu. Did you manage to smoke out the rats?”
“Yeah. All the staff and combatants who tried to take out that data have been eliminated.”
“I see. But they’re everywhere, aren’t they? That occult group.”
“Well, yeah. They won’t show their tails unless we do something like this; they’re a really troublesome organization.”
“Damn them. By the way, any luck with their hideout?”
“Nah, nothing. It was empty by the time I broke in.”
“Tch. As expected, they’re not easy to deal with…”
“What’s the plan, Oji-ki?”
“Hmm. We’ll just observe for a while. Fortunately, we managed to dispose of the rats within our ranks this time.”
“So, can I take it easy for a bit too?”
“Yeah. I’ll call you when there’s work. Until then, you can take a vacation.”
“Heheh, sweet!”
The man spoke to Wang-Fu, who was delighted to have gotten a vacation.
“By the way, what was it like confronting that boy?”
“A veteran warrior. And he’s on par with you, Oji-ki, or maybe even stronger.”
His attitude, which moments ago had been boyishly joyful, changed completely, and Wang-Fu told the man with a serious expression. There was no embellishment in his words; they were entirely truthful.
“Hoh…”
Hearing those words, fighting spirit unintentionally leaked from the man. Wang-Fu, who saw an illusion as if space itself was distorting, laughed in exasperation and exhaled. Then, he tapped his own face a couple of times, making a gesture.
“Oji-ki. Your face, your face.”
“Mu… Was I letting it show?”
“Like you just met your first love.”
That’s how he phrased it, but it wasn’t quite like that. Rather, he was like a lion about to feast on meat for the first time in ten years.
“Muu… I was trying to hold back, though.”
“There’s no way a born battle junkie like you, Oji-ki, could hold back. By the way, what would you do if you had a chance to fight the Crimson Knight?”
“Naturally, a test of skill.”
“Kakkakka! You mean a fight to the death, don’t you!”
The man said nothing to Wang-Fu, who couldn’t hold back his laughter. Or rather, he couldn’t say anything because it hit too close to home. It was true that he wanted to fight. It was also true that he wanted to test his skills. However, while he had no intention of fighting to the death, it was also a fact that he would probably get too heated, and it would escalate into one.
“Satsuki Kazuma… huh.”
“We’ve concluded he’s the Crimson Knight, but what about the others?”
“Who knows.”
The man feigned ignorance, but he had an idea. It was clear that various countries would make their move after this incident.
“Well, Japan will probably be evasive as usual.”
“Are those guys even serious about recruiting him? The answer’s pretty much already out there.”
“That country practically stakes its life on self-preservation. They can’t act on mere speculation.”
“Haaah~. What a troublesome country~.”
“Don’t say that. Thanks to that, we can also act freely in that country.”
“Guess we should be grateful for that point alone. Funny, isn’t it~.”
“However, if there is a problem…”
“The States? They’ll probably try to recruit Satsuki Kazuma whether he’s the Crimson Knight or not. There’s that video, plus he has the Transposition Gift and that much nerve. He’s definitely usable.”
“Ah, that’s right. And I saw his sparring matches and virtual training at the academy; he has ideas that no ordinary person would come up with. If you put him in a powered suit, he wouldn’t even give a second thought to any run-of-the-mill warrior.”
“So, should we snatch him up after all?”
“Don’t. As I said before, power beyond one’s measure only invites disaster. Make sure you strive not to antagonize Satsuki Kazuma, the Crimson Knight.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Tell the others too. Satsuki Kazuma is a landmine. Don’t touch him carelessly.”
“Got it. I’ll pass on the message properly, Overlord-sama.”
With those words, Wang-Fu left the room. The man left behind, the Overlord, approached the window and looked out at the world from the skyscraper. As he gazed at the glittering scenery, his thoughts drifted to the battle between the Crimson Knight and the Humanoid Ibinom.
“It aches… Ah, it’s becoming unbearable.”
The Overlord, who had risen to his current position through sheer strength of arm alone. Born in a criminal city known as the underworld, he fought to survive. Knowing no way of life other than violence, he spent his days immersed in battle.
Then, government officials who heard rumors about him scouted him for the military. His opponents changed from humans to Ibinom, but his days of continuous fighting remained the same.
Eventually, the man achieved numerous military successes and rose to the rank of commander-in-chief of the army. That should have been the peak for him. If he had been merely a strong man with no education.
However, that was not how it turned out. He learned greedily, increased his subordinates, and seized control of the nation’s core.
And as a result of crushing the rebellious factions with his own hands, the man came to be called the Overlord.
If he were an ordinary person, he would have been satisfied and stopped there. But even now, being called the Overlord, he still craved more. The title of the world’s strongest, the power to bring everything to its knees. Therefore, the Overlord, the strongest man in the Chinese Federation, still dedicates himself to training.
“The Crimson Knight… I really do want to fight him, just once.”
He was truly the ideal. The figure he pursued was none other than the Crimson Knight. Literally, a strength that allowed no others to approach. An overwhelming presence. All of it was enviable.
It might be an unfulfillable wish, but the Overlord decided to pray to the heavens. Just once would be enough; he wanted to fight the Crimson Knight, who possessed god-like strength.