Chapter 24: Holy Maidens, you know, are always either the militant type or the black-hearted type.
Kazuma, having met up with Charlotte, explained that he would be taking her into his care in Japan.
Though he said “taking her into his care,” it actually meant she would be living with Kazuma for a while.
There was the point that Japan couldn’t be trusted, but the main reason was that being with Kazuma, the Crimson Knight, was decided to be the safest option.
“So, if you don’t want to, I can assign you a guard. What do you want to do?”
The guard was a Golem Kazuma had created.
Although there was a wide variety of Golems, they were fundamentally muscle-headed violence machines.
They had the appearance of knights, but their fighting style was mostly fisticuffs.
The visual deception was quite severe.
Normally, when you think of a knight, you’d imagine them fighting coolly with swords and shields.
And yet, Kazuma preferred unarmed hand-to-hand combat.
It would be a different story if he had weapons, but since he didn’t have any on hand right now, it wasn’t strange at all for him to use his own body, his greatest weapon.
“Uh, um, in that case, I’d prefer to be by Kazuma-san’s side…”
“Mm, got it. Then, I’ll take you to my house.”
“Hiee!? U-um, isn’t that a bit too sudden a development?”
“It’s fine. My place is the safest.”
What he was saying was true, but his words were, unfortunately, insufficient.
Charlotte thought they would be living together, while Kazuma was thinking of protecting her at Ivy.
Charlotte, splendidly misunderstanding, blushed and kept glancing at Kazuma.
“(Y-やっぱり, Kazuma-san is a man, after all. I-I need to prepare myself!)”
Still grandly misunderstanding, Charlotte steeled herself and looked straight into Kazuma’s eyes.
“K-Kazuma-san! I may be inexperienced, but please take care of me!”
“Well, just take it easy.”
Joseph and Ema, watching this from the side, discussed in low voices, inaudible to the two, whether Charlotte might be misunderstanding.
“Hey, do you think the Holy Maiden-sama might be thinking they’ll be alone together?”
“Looks like it. From the looks of her, she thinks they’re going to live together.”
“Shouldn’t we say something?”
“She’ll realize her misunderstanding soon enough. Let’s just watch over them warmly here.”
“…Don’t tell me, you haven’t given up yet?”
“…Now, what could you be talking about?”
Joseph, for his part, hoped Charlotte would continue her misunderstanding, and that at the end of her runaway emotions, she would end up dating Kazuma.
He still knew very little about Kazuma, but seeing how much he cherished Charlotte, Joseph had the calculating thought that if they got together, Kazuma would surely care for her homeland, France, as well.
“Why don’t you just give up already?”
“If there’s even a slight possibility, I think it’s normal to want to bet on it, don’t you?”
“…I understand that, but.”
“Well, don’t worry so much. The chances are probably low.”
“…Just don’t do anything unnecessary, okay?”
“I intend to be discreet about that. I wouldn’t want him to hate me, after all.”
He wished Kazuma would naturalize in France if possible, but for now, he was just grateful that Kazuma was on their side.
“We’re heading back soon.”
Just then, Kazuma called out to Joseph and Ema.
“Ah, sorry. Coming now.”
Called out, Ema headed towards Kazuma.
Joseph followed him, and they exchanged their final goodbyes.
“Crimson Knight, no, Kazuma-kun. Please take care of the Holy Maiden.”
“…I have something to discuss.”
Kazuma firmly put his arm around Joseph’s shoulder and erected a soundproof Protective Barrier so the other two couldn’t hear.
“What is it you want to discuss? Could it be about her preferences or something?”
“It’s not like that. Is it okay if I train Shar?”
“Train her? What do you mean by that?”
“There aren’t any warriors in France who can protect Shar, right? In that case, she just needs to become strong herself.”
“I understand the logic, but isn’t that asking too much?”
“No, I can do it. But Shar is France’s Holy Maiden. I can’t just train her without consulting anyone.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Joseph glanced at Charlotte.
She was a world-class healing-type Gifted, possessing the two Gifts of Healing and Regeneration.
However, regarding Combat Power, it would be faster to count from the bottom of the world rankings.
Kazuma said he would train her, but what would really happen?
Joseph had also watched the Academy Battle Tournament held in Japan, so he knew Kazuma’s Combat Power was probably at the highest level in the world.
If Charlotte were to be trained by that Kazuma, she would at least be able to defend herself.
“…Alright. I’ll report to Kakka from my end.”
“Thanks. Once you get approval, send an email to this terminal.”
“Understood.”
Having made the promise, Kazuma gave Joseph his contact information, returned to the other two, and finally began preparations to return to Japan.
“Well then, we’re off.”
Kazuma gave a light wave, activated Teleportation Magic, and returned to Japan with Charlotte and Ema.
Joseph, having seen the three off, headed back the way he came alone to tell the President about their earlier conversation.
◇◇◇◇
Around the time Kazuma and the others returned to Japan, at the Ivera Church headquarters, Azrael, who had lost an arm, was raging furiously.
“Damn it all!!!”
Azrael’s eyes were bloodshot as he struck out at anything nearby, wrecking the room.
Drool dripped from the corner of his mouth, and Azrael thrashed about like a beast that had completely lost its reason.
“Damn, damn, damn!!! Crimson Knight!”
Azrael clawed at the stump of his missing arm, screaming and spraying saliva everywhere.
He had absolute confidence in his own power.
After all, Spatial Manipulation was among the highest tier of Gifts, and not even the King or the Overlord could match him.
He could do anything with spatial abilities like Teleportation, Severance, and Transposition.
Moreover, he could even create spaces that couldn’t be invaded.
Despite possessing such immense power, Azrael, who had been utterly helpless against Kazuma, couldn’t accept that fact.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
Azrael, rampaging in his sickroom, let out a roar akin to a wail of grief.
Outside, Runazeru and Asmodeus heard Azrael’s screams and let out heavy sighs.
“Haaah~. He’s been like this ever since he woke up…”
“It can’t be helped. The ability he believed to be the strongest until now was completely ineffective. It’s no wonder he’s going mad.”
“Well, Spatial Manipulation can definitely kill a first-time opponent, though the Sun King was an exception.”
“He’s in a league of his own too. Turning his entire body into flames to nullify physical attacks is beyond comprehension.”
“Yeah~, the Sun King’s title isn’t just for show, is it~?”
“Not at all. More importantly, where is the Founder-sama?”
“After helping you guys, he went for a walk. It’s been a while since he was outside, you see.”
“I see. I’m ashamed to have troubled him…”
“Well, it’s fine, isn’t it? It doesn’t seem like he expects much from us anyway~.”
“Right… I suppose. More importantly, how are things on your end?”
“The drug is complete~. We managed to capture a large number of prisoners in this recent raid, so we have enough personnel. We’ve suppressed the Witch and Holy Maiden types, so they pass as combat assets.”
“Then, the next stage is the international conference.”
“That’s all there is to it, right~? Most likely, because of this incident, various countries will start moving to eliminate us in earnest.”
“Renowned Gifted like the Sun King, the King, the Overlord, and King Arthur will probably gather there.”
“What about the Crimson Knight?”
“He’ll probably come with Japan’s representative. However, the problem is…”
“Who’s going to hold him back, right~~~?”
“Azrael is in that state. The one who can hold back the Crimson Knight is…”
“Perhaps I am the most suitable one.”
The one who interrupted Runazeru and Asmodeus’s conversation was Amrutat.
“Amrutat. You’re back?”
“Yeah… But man, is it true Azrael got done in?”
“That’s right. Utterly and completely.”
“Kukuku… Gyahahahaha! Serves him right~. After badmouthing others so much, he couldn’t even lift a finger~.”
“Azrael is extremely agitated right now. Don’t say anything unnecessary.”
“It’ll be fine~. This guy doesn’t die even if he’s killed~.”
“Hey, hey, pain still hurts, you know?”
“See, his words and actions are becoming a mess.”
“Oops, if I let my guard down, I’ll go crazy right away.”
“The Gift of Proliferation is incredible, but the personality dissociation is troublesome.”
“I am being careful, you know~.”
Amrutat’s Gift is Proliferation.
Unlike clones or fission, he can multiply himself from a single cell, and all of them are the real thing, so defeating one is meaningless.
However, if he multiplies too much, he undergoes personality collapse, leading to incoherent words and actions.
After all, there’s another one of himself.
Moreover, if they further increase to two, three, four, five, and so on, normal thought processes would likely become impossible.
“Well, the Crimson Knight is close to invincible, but even he probably can’t finish off an Amrutat-type enemy in an instant.”
“Because he’s worthy of the name ‘Infinite’.”
“So, is it fine if I draw the Crimson Knight’s attention?”
“Yes. Let’s refine the strategy a bit more.”
Thus, the Ivera Church began to formulate a new plan, but they were unaware that an evil hand was lurking right nearby.
Kazuma had applied his own blood, which could be called a marker, onto Azrael and Runazeru.
By following it, finding out where the two of them were would be easy.
However, for now, because he was in the midst of strengthening his own forces, the Ivera Church’s lifespan had been extended just a little.
◇◇◇◇
Kazuma, who had brought Charlotte to Ivy, introduced her to his family.
The children were excited to see a real Holy Maiden, someone they had only ever seen on TV or the internet, and Honoka pressed Kazuma about what kind of relationship he had with her.
“What kind of relationship do you have with that girl, I wonder?”
“Hiee! E-eh, ah, um, with Kazuma-san, we’re, well, friends, or rather… but, in the future—”
The last part was mumbled in a small voice and couldn’t be heard, but Honoka saw that Charlotte was not a bad girl, gently patted her shoulder, and accepted her.
“I’ve heard the circumstances from Kazuma. You’ll be living here for a while, right? Think of it as your own home and feel free to relax.”
“Ah, thank you very much!”
“However, you’ll have to do the bare minimum. At our place, we share the housework, so you’ll be helping out too. Be prepared for that, okay?”
“Y-yes! I’ll do my best!”
While the two of them were talking, Kazuma, who had received an email from France, looked at its contents and smirked.
“I’ve obtained the President’s approval, it says. Fufu, now I can train Shar.”
The future Kazuma envisioned was the explosive birth of a Holy Maiden who had mastered the Zombie Divine Fist, capable of masterfully using healing and regeneration.
She, knowing nothing, was happily chatting with Honoka.
Unaware of what awaited her, she looked happy.
Her appearance, driving both enemies and allies to the depths of despair, would surely be far removed from that of a Hero.
That said, this wasn’t a bad deal for Charlotte either.
Kazuma’s guidance was, frankly speaking, in the realm of the inhuman, but it was undoubtedly of the highest caliber in the world.
When her training reached its culmination, a perfectly forged Holy Maiden would undoubtedly be born.