Episode 194: The Price
The day after the Red King was defeated. With all the Dragons gone, Japan had achieved a semblance of peace.
However, the damage caused by the Dragons’ attacks was immense.
Over ten million citizens were killed, and the capital region was devastated.
Initially, many people saw it as an unavoidable natural disaster, but a certain news story changed everything.
An article was published asking, wasn’t it the “Black Armor” who defeated the Red King and repelled the Dragons?
The source was Taiyo Publishing. It was the same publisher that first reported that the Black Armor might not be human, and they had been streaming videos under the state of emergency.
People were perplexed by the article from such a publisher.
The truth was uncertain, but if it were true, the government had been saved by the very person they were trying to defeat.
The report spread like wildfire.
Coupled with the scale of the damage and the confusion, the backlash against the government for not releasing information was tremendous.
While the government struggled to respond, a figure rushed into a university hospital in Tokyo.
They passed through the automatic doors at the entrance and ran down the hospital corridor.
Reaching the third floor, where the room they had been told about was located, they found several police officers. After showing their identification, they were allowed to pass.
They ran again, bursting into the room they were looking for.
“Yuma!”
It was Yuma’s childhood friend, Kaede, who entered the room, breathless.
“Kaede…”
Rui called out. His face looked somehow clouded.
There were more than ten people in the roughly twenty-tatami-mat room, surrounding a bed placed in the center.
Kaede cautiously moved forward.
Lying in the bed was a patient wrapped in bandages from head to toe. His face was not visible, but Kaede knew who it was.
“Yuma… why… why did this happen?”
She asked Rui imploringly. Rui looked away with a pained expression.
“He has severe burns all over his body and is in critical condition. Even if he survives… he’ll never be able to move properly again.”
“No way…”
Kaede was speechless and looked at Yuma again.
Her childhood friend lay motionless in the bed. Beside him sat a woman in a uniform that was clearly different from those of the doctors and nurses.
With her eyes closed, she held her hand over Yuma’s body.
“What is that person… doing?”
When Kaede asked, Rui looked at the woman.
“She’s a Messiah. The government provided her, and Yuma is barely alive because she’s using Recovery Magic.”
Kaede’s eyes widened. Kaede herself worked for a medical venture company, so she naturally knew about Messiahs.
However, the Messiahs in Japan had a Mana Index of only around 1000, even for the highest.
She couldn’t believe that such a person could heal such severe injuries.
“Rui.”
“Yeah, she can’t heal him. But there’s nothing else we can do except keep him alive.”
“That’s a lie… that’s a lie.”
Kaede felt unbearable and looked at the changed Yuma.
Tears naturally welled up. As Kaede took out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped away the tears, a woman in the room spoke.
“Good grief, he fought a monster like that head-on. It’s no wonder he sustained fatal injuries. On top of that, the doctors say he’s been poisoned. Severe burns on top of a weakened body. It’s only natural that he’s dying.”
Kaede turned her gaze. A long-haired woman in a white coat.
At first, she thought she was a doctor, but apparently not.
“Hey, Aisha. Isn’t there any way to save him?”
A large man with a mustache said in an angry voice.
“Don’t ask the impossible. An ordinary person would already be dead. He managed to stay alive because he swallowed a large amount of Black Magic Ore, which strengthens the body. There’s nothing more we can do.”
The woman called Aisha said that and fell silent.
Still, the way she looked at Yuma was full of kindness. Was she a colleague?
As Kaede stood there, not knowing what to do, the door to the room opened, and a man in a suit entered.
“Excuse me, everyone. May I have a word with you?”
Everyone exchanged glances. Although confused, there was nothing they could do by staying here.
Kaede decided to follow the man in the suit who asked her to come to another room.
◇◇◇
Several men and women had gathered in a reception room on the top floor of the hospital, furnished with black furniture.
Aisha, Kanzaki, Amasawa from Elceed, and the woman called Kaede. Everyone was sitting on the sofa, wondering what the story was.
Sitting opposite them was Serizawa, a defense councilor.
Aisha knew Serizawa’s face and name, but she had never spoken to him.
Serizawa cleared his throat and looked ahead.
“Thank you for taking the time. As you all know, Mitaka-san has been seriously injured and is in critical condition. We want to do everything we can to save him.”
“Hold on, weren’t you guys trying to kill Yuma-kun? Otherwise, the Red King wouldn’t have come back.”
Rui and Kaede, who were in the room, looked surprised.
“I can’t say anything about that from my position.”
When Serizawa said with a troubled look, Aisha snorted.
“What we want to discuss is how to save Mitaka-san. If he’s gone, we really won’t be able to stop the Monsters around the world anymore.”
Kaede was confused by the story, but she shared the same desire to save Yuma. Kaede leaned forward and asked Serizawa.
“Is there… a way to save Yuma!?”
“There is only one.”
“What is it!? What’s the method?”
Serizawa took a breath before opening his mouth.
“There is only one White Magic Gem in Japan with a Mana Index of over 2000. However, there is no one who can use it.”
Aisha raised her chin as if it were obvious.
“We know that. The problem is that Yuma-kun can’t be healed unless it’s a Messiah with a Healing Magical Power of over 2000. Can you guys provide a Messiah?”
“There is a possibility. If we use the ‘Magic Gem Implantation Technology’ that China was researching.”
Aisha frowned.
“Magic Gem Implantation… Are you serious? That’s still a technology under development. I heard that if the compatibility between the Magic Gem and the subject isn’t good, there will be a severe rejection reaction… There’s no official announcement, but I’ve heard that several people have died in experiments.”
“That’s right. It’s not something that can be used normally.
Kanzaki, who was listening to the story, raised his voice in anger.
“Then why are you trying to use something like that!!”
Serizawa looked straight at Kanzaki.
“To save Mitaka-san. There’s no other way.”
Kanzaki swallowed his words. Everyone here knew that there was no other choice.
“So, what I would like to ask of you is to participate in a test to see if you are compatible with the White Magic Gem. The compatibility rate is quite low, so we are calling out to various places, but we have not gathered enough people. Please.”
The room was filled with silence. It meant that they had to risk their lives to save Yuma.
It was natural to hesitate, but—
“If it means saving Yuma, then I’m all in! I’ll take the test.”
Kanzaki raised his voice. Not to be outdone, Rui also opened his mouth.
“I’ll take it too! Please, by all means.”
Serizawa, hearing the two’s answers, said, “Thank you. Then, let’s proceed with the procedures,” and tried to take out the documents.
Then, as if to interrupt those words, Kaede, who had been silent, raised her voice.
“I too—”
Everyone’s eyes gathered on Kaede.
“Please let me… take that test too!”