Chapter 7: Kazuma’s Advance Continues Unabated
Kazuma considered taking his Shitty Old Man back to Ivy, but then he remembered that Kumiko, a woman involved in “compensated dating,” was there.
It was painfully obvious what would happen if those two met. It would undoubtedly be a chaotic scene.
Thinking that would be truly bad, he, as a son, showed some consideration and tossed his Shitty Old Man into a nearby shelter.
Just before tossing him into the shelter, the last words they exchanged served to reaffirm that he was, indeed, scum.
“Hey, son. When should I treat you to ramen?”
“Didn’t you just say yakiniku or sushi would be fine…?”
“Nah, I kinda started feeling stingy about it. Sorry.”
“That’s just like you, Dad…”
As expected, scum was scum.
Even though he’d won so big, to suddenly get stingy and hesitate now was astonishing. But that was his Shitty Old Man for you.
Once alone again, Kazuma checked on the Knight’s status. He was synchronized with it, but it felt like a small monitor was displayed in the corner of his vision, so if he didn’t concentrate, he couldn’t clearly grasp the situation on site.
In the other world, Sage Ludwig used to peek at multiple locations through his Familiars, but Kazuma didn’t have the processing power to handle that much information.
Mind you, Sage Ludwig would often get caught by his female companions and beaten black and blue, but his title of Sage wasn’t just for show. He properly conducted reconnaissance and information gathering.
He was a terrifyingly lecherous old geezer, but also a respectable Sage.
“Looks like the visible Ibinom are all annihilated… All that’s left is to exterminate the Ibinom inside buildings and underground facilities.”
Kazuma had single-handedly annihilated most of the Ibinom that appeared throughout Japan, but that was only those within his line of sight. He hadn’t yet dealt with the Ibinom lurking inside buildings or underground.
“What to do… Honestly, any more than this will exceed my information processing capacity. That damn old geezer Ludwig used small birds and animals, but I can’t just imitate that. Well, I could do it if I tried… but I hate how all that information floods into my head at once…”
Kazuma stood still, clutching his head, wondering what to do. Victims were increasing even as he did so, but he had already saved the people he needed to save, so he didn’t care what happened to the others.
He knew he might seem cold, but Kazuma felt no such obligation. Things might have been different during his time as a Hero, but now he was just an ordinary citizen with a few special abilities.
“Can’t be helped. I guess I’ll get information from the nearby National Defense Force and go around crushing them as I see fit.”
Kazuma decided to have the “excellent” National Defense Force lend him a hand.
Controlling the golem, he captured a National Defense Force officer who was commanding on-site and had him reveal the Ibinom’s locations.
◇◇◇◇
The captain in charge of Ibinom extermination in the Second Area was suddenly abducted by the Jet Black Knight.
“Wh-What are you doing?!”
“…”
Kazuma tried to speak using the voice function, but he didn’t want to be identified by his voice, so he wrote on the ground to convey what he wanted to know.
“You want to know where the Ibinom are…?”
The captain looked dubious at the Jet Black Knight, who nodded affirmatively, but since he was desperate enough to accept help from anyone, he immediately told him the Ibinom’s locations.
“This district… you’ve already annihilated them here, so it must be the underground mall. Perhaps you can’t locate them in places you can’t see, like inside buildings or underground?”
The Jet Black Knight nodded again, affirming it.
“I see… So as long as you can see them, it’s fine.”
The captain, looking thoughtful, moved away from the Jet Black Knight and returned with a squad member who had been with him.
“In that case, how about taking this subordinate of mine with you?”
The Jet Black Knight tilted its head. To the Knight, who seemed to be gesturing that taking him was fine but it wanted to know the reason, the captain explained his subordinate’s Gift.
“He possesses a Search Gift, so he’s perfect for finding Ibinom.”
The Jet Black Knight made an “I see” gesture and tucked the subordinate the captain had brought under its arm.
“U-Um, Captain! What in the world is going on?! Please explain!”
“Sorry. There’s no time to explain right now. Sir Jet Black Knight-dono. It’s a pathetic request, but please, I’m counting on you.”
The Jet Black Knight gave a “Leave it to me” thumbs-up, and flew off into the sky, still carrying the squad member with the Search Gift under its arm.
As the Jet Black Knight and the abducted squad member became as small as beans, the captain saluted them. A noble sacrifice.
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
The squad member, flying through the sky at an incredible speed, was screaming. There were no safety restraints like on an amusement park ride; he was bare-bodied and in an unstable position, tucked under an arm. It was terrifying beyond endurance.
“Nooooooo! Mooooooommy!”
Kazuma, synchronized with the Knight, considered silencing the annoying squad member.
He thought about knocking him unconscious, but if he did that, who would tell him the Ibinom’s locations?
He was unbearably noisy, but he was a valuable human with a Search Gift. Deciding to endure it somewhat, Kazuma delivered a single knuckle punch.
He then fell silent, so Kazuma decided to give him another knuckle punch if he made noise again.
(If I make any noise, I’ll be killed…!)
The squad member understood from the sudden violence. His captor was an overwhelming presence. It could probably dispose of someone like him at any time. He was only being “protected” like this because he was currently useful.
The squad member’s face paled as he realized that if he displeased it even slightly, his life might be next.
Kazuma had heard the general locations from the captain, so once he reached the area, he switched to low-altitude flight, peering into buildings and shopping malls from outside the windows.
“U-Um!”
Just then, the squad member tucked under his arm spoke up. When the Knight looked down, the squad member flinched for a moment, but he quickly relayed accurate information.
“There are multiple Ibinom on the second basement floor of this building!”
Hearing that information, Kazuma gave a thumbs-up, just as he had to the captain, then entered the building and headed for the basement.
Heading to the second basement floor as directed, he found people who hadn’t managed to escape and Ibinom.
There was a man desperately enduring the Ibinom’s fierce attack, likely with either a Protective Barrier or some kind of defensive wall—he couldn’t tell which.
Seeing this, Kazuma immediately flew over, incinerated the Ibinom with magic, and secured the area. The squad member, watching this unfold right beside him, found it both terrifying and genuinely amazing.
He was reminded just how absurdly powerful and reliable beings beyond the norm, like the King, the Overlord, and the Sun King, were. Thinking that this Knight might also be one of them, a slight sense of superiority welled up within him.
It was a trivial thing—the fact that he had worked together with such a being—but most people would undoubtedly envy him for it.
(Hehe… I can brag about this to the others!)
Humans truly are foolish creatures, but that’s what makes them human.
Just as the squad member was thinking such shallow thoughts, the Jet Black Knight brought its fist down on him.
“Ouch! Huh?”
“…”
The squad member looked up, wondering why he’d been hit, but the Knight didn’t answer. It just stared intently at him.
“Um…”
When the squad member stared at it with pleading eyes, the Knight wrote on the ground.
“Where to next?”
Reading the words written on the ground, the squad member jolted and immediately began his search.
“J-Just a moment, please!”
The squad member frantically searched for nearby Ibinom. The Knight, watching him from the side, didn’t understand why he was exuding such an air of anxious impatience. Even though it was its own fault, it acted as if it had nothing to do with it.
After a short while, the squad member found an Ibinom. The Knight headed to the indicated location, repelled the Ibinom, and helped those in need of rescue, displaying incredible versatility.
(This person is unbelievable…)
The squad member was simply in awe of the Knight, who handled everything from combat to support all by itself.
However, every time he spaced out, he received a knuckle punch and was forcibly made to work.
(Ugh, I know it’s my fault, but I wish it would go a little easier on me…)
While lamenting inwardly, the squad member continued to annihilate the Ibinom in the Second Area together with the Knight.