Episode 199: Suppression
Silence descended upon the conference room.
“The Green Lord and… the Green Dungeon conquest,” Yuma muttered, as if chewing on the words. He didn’t know what kind of monster it would be, but it was probably as strong as the Red King. He also didn’t know how difficult the Dungeon conquest would be. But there was no choice.
Just as Yuma was about to agree, Kanzaki, who had been listening, snapped.
“Isn’t that reckless?! A ridiculously strong King and the conquest of a top-tier Dungeon… I don’t think it’s worth it, but how many Magic Gems can we get?”
“India says they will provide a ‘White Magic Gem’ with a Mana Index of about 16,000. What do you want to do? We can refuse,” Serizawa replied.
The three fell silent at Serizawa’s answer. None of them could judge whether it was a reasonable reward. Perhaps there was a more efficient way to collect Magic Gems. Even so—
“I’ll do it! Can you proceed immediately?” Yuma said eagerly, and Kanzaki looked surprised.
“Are you sure? You almost died fighting the Red King, you know. You might not get away unscathed next time.”
Yuma answered Kanzaki, who was worried, with a strong voice.
“If it’s to save Kaede, I’ll go no matter how dangerous it is! She risked her life for me… now it’s my turn to risk my life for her.”
He had asked Aisha to take care of Kaede, but she said that complete preservation was not possible. Even if resuscitation magic could be used, it might be meaningless depending on Kaede’s condition. He had to collect Magic Gems as soon as possible…
Hearing Yuma’s words, Kanzaki’s cheeks relaxed.
“You’ve started saying cool things! That’s what a man should do. I’ll cooperate with you with all my strength.”
Following Kanzaki, Rui spoke up.
“I agree too. If there’s anything I can do, please tell me. My desire to save Kaede is no different from Yuma’s.”
Hearing Kanzaki and Rui’s words, Yuma felt reassured. If he used the power of the Metal Slime, he wouldn’t lose to any monster so easily. He confidently told Serizawa that he would accept the subjugation request, but Serizawa looked troubled.
“Understood. I will convey Mitaka-san’s intentions to the Prime Minister. I think we can proceed with preparations to go to India, but there is one problem…”
“A problem?” Yuma looked dubious.
“The Prime Minister and I are considering allowing Mitaka-san to go abroad. However, some politicians are reluctant to allow him to leave the country…”
“Why is that?”
“It seems they believe that Mitaka-san is indispensable for Japan’s defense. If monsters like the Red King appear in the future, there will be no way to counter them.”
Kanzaki snorted in anger.
“That’s something the country and the Self-Defense Forces should handle! Why does Yuma have to put up with that?!”
“Of course, I understand. Persuading the politicians is our job, so we are proceeding with the discussion so that there are no obstacles. However, please understand that it will take some time because the government has just been established and its foundation is not stable.”
There was some unsettling information, but the discussion with Serizawa ended, and Yuma and the others got up from their seats. They were told that the future schedule would be adjusted and communicated later. It seemed that the government would fully support the collection of White Magic Gems.
Yuma thanked Serizawa and breathed a sigh of relief for the time being. A path to saving Kaede was vaguely visible. The four of them left the conference room and headed for the main entrance.
At that moment, a loud voice came from behind.
“Are you Yuma Mitaka?”
When Yuma turned around, he saw a man in his forties wearing a suit. There were people who looked like followers behind him.
“Mr. Ogasawara!” Serizawa exclaimed in surprise. Yuma looked at the man’s face again. Ogasawara… he had seen him on TV before. If he remembered correctly, he was a young politician and quite popular.
As Yuma was thinking about this, Ogasawara strode over.
“You’re Mitaka-kun, aren’t you? I’m Ogasawara, the Chief Cabinet Secretary. I don’t know what the Prime Minister or Serizawa there have said, but you are subject to travel restrictions. This is the consensus of the ruling party. You will comply.”
Ogasawara, who was now in front of him, was surprisingly tall, probably over 180 cm. He looked down with a domineering and intense gaze.
“Mr. Ogasawara, that matter is scheduled to be discussed at a later date. Please refrain from making premature statements.”
Ogasawara laughed at Serizawa’s words.
“Our faction is supporting Prime Minister Takakura, you know. You understand, don’t you, Serizawa?”
“That is, of course…” Serizawa was clearly shaken. It was easy to imagine how powerful a politician Ogasawara was.
“Hey! What’s your problem? Coming out of nowhere and acting all high and mighty,” Kanzaki said, stepping forward. He didn’t seem intimidated by a politician.
“And who might you be? This is a decision that has been made. No objections will be accepted.”
Kanzaki’s brow furrowed at Ogasawara’s overbearing attitude. And so did Yuma’s.
“I’m going. No matter what anyone says.” Yuma stood next to Kanzaki and said resolutely, Ogasawara frowned.
“You don’t seem to understand your position. You’re only getting away with destroying Tokyo. If you don’t listen, we’ll restrain you by force.”
“What did you say?!” Kanzaki gritted his teeth and tried to approach Ogasawara. Yuma grabbed his arm to stop him.
“Don’t interfere, Yuma! I’m going to punch this guy once.”
Yuma said quietly to Kanzaki, who was breathing heavily, “It’s okay, President. I’ll do it.”
“What?”
Yuma stepped in front of Kanzaki and faced Ogasawara. Yuma returned the gaze straight on to the overbearing politician who was glaring at him.
“Stop me by force?”
Yuma’s skin began to darken. His body gradually grew larger, his clothes were absorbed into the liquid, and his entire body was covered in muscle and armor. Long horns grew from his forehead, and sharp eyes looked down at the scene before him. Ogasawara’s face was dyed with terror at the monster that had become larger than him.
“Try it if you can!!”
Yuma lightly punched the wall with his left fist. A large hole appeared in the wall with a violent Crushing Impact, and long cracks ran in all directions. Ogasawara let out a pathetic “eep” and fell on his butt. He was trembling and seemed to have no energy left to complain.
“Stop it, Yuma!” Rui said with a bitter expression, but he had no intention of doing anything more. Yuma turned on his heel, saying, “Let’s go home.”
Serizawa stood there as if he wanted to say something, while the three of them walked towards the main entrance.
“Even so, that form is conspicuous. Can’t you go back to normal?” Rui asked, and he replied, “I can’t until five minutes have passed.”
Kanzaki said casually, “Well, it’s fine,” but the staff in the government building were terrified at the sight of the Black Armor. After all, this form seemed scary.
Yuma melted his body and turned into a small, round Metal Slime. Rui looked surprised and said, “You can turn into that form too!?”
“Well, yeah, this way I won’t stand out, right? If I hop around, people will be surprised, so carry me.”
“Eh? Okay, but…” Rui agreed hesitantly. Yuma hopped up to Rui’s chest in the form of a round Metal Slime. Rui’s arms, which had caught him, dropped with a thud.
“Heavy!! Yuma, are you this heavy?!”
“Well, I’m metal.”
“You should have said that first. I’m going to hurt my back.”
“Sorry, sorry.”
While having such a conversation, the three of them left the main entrance and left the government building.