Episode 31: With This, You’re One of My Comrades Too, Aren’t You!
Guided by a staff member, Kazuma finally arrived in front of the room where Sakura Hakanai was imprisoned.
She was confined under strict security, and Kazuma was led into a room that could only be opened with a staff ID card, where he would meet Sakura Hakanai alone.
“Alright, let’s do this,” Kazuma thought, steeling himself as he prepared to enter the room.
Just then, the staff member who had guided him this far called out to him.
“Wait a moment.”
“Hm? Is there something else?”
“I know you’re the Crimson Knight, but please don’t get Brainwashed, okay?”
“Don’t worry. You can rest assured.”
With those words, Kazuma headed towards Sakura Hakanai, leaving the worried staff member behind.
Kazuma reached Sakura Hakanai, who was living a life of elegance unbecoming of a prisoner.
“It’s been a while, Vixen.”
“Fufufu, yes, it has been a while, Kazuma-kun. Or should I call you Crimson Knight-sama?”
“Either is fine, but I don’t recall giving you permission to call me by my first name.”
“Oh, is that so? My apologies. It’s just a habit.”
“I’m not particularly angry. From now on, you can call me whatever you like.”
“Is that right? Then, I’ll call you Kazuma-kun.”
And so, their conversation began with lighthearted banter.
Watching this from the monitoring room, Stephen and the others were on edge.
If Kazuma, the Crimson Knight, were to be Brainwashed, the world would face the worst possible outcome.
Although it had been proven that Brainwashing didn’t work on him, they couldn’t help but worry.
Everyone knew that there was no such thing as an absolute in this world.
“So, what’s the reason you called for me?”
“More importantly, I called for the Crimson Knight, but since you’re showing your face, does that mean you’ve stopped hiding?”
“Don’t change the subject. I’m asking why you called me.”
“Surely, there’s no harm in answering that much, is there? Or are you such a narrow-minded man that you can’t even answer such a simple question?”
“You’ve got quite the glib tongue. Shall I pull it out? Don’t make me repeat myself. Tell me why you called me.”
Kazuma’s voice grew stern, his sharp eyes glaring at Sakura Hakanai.
An ordinary person would have broken down easily when faced with Kazuma’s intimidation, but Sakura Hakanai was no ordinary person.
“Instead of pulling out tongues, wouldn’t you rather tangle them? I quite like kissing, you know. What do you say? Care to try it once?”
“That’s a tempting offer, but unfortunately, I’d rather die than be with a Vixen like you.”
“You say such cold things. And here I am, genuinely wanting to melt into you.”
“I have no interest in that. And this is the third time. I won’t entertain any more pointless chatter. Tell me why you called me.”
Emitting killing intent, Kazuma stared at Sakura Hakanai, fully prepared to behead her if she made another strange remark.
Sakura Hakanai understood that this was the critical moment and, as if surrendering, she slowly raised both hands and exhaled.
“I wanted to talk a little longer, but I’d rather not be killed, so I’ll be honest. I called you simply because I was interested. You were the first person my Brainwashing didn’t work on.”
“…”
Kazuma checked Sakura Hakanai’s heartbeat and pulse for any abnormalities but found none.
This meant, he cursed inwardly, that her words, though perhaps only superficially, were the truth.
“(I should have brought Momoko-chan. Well, this woman might be capable of the same trick as me…)”
He regretted not bringing Momoko, who possessed the Gift of Mind Reading.
However, it was possible that Sakura Hakanai, like himself, had mastered a technique to prevent her mind from being read.
Considering this, Kazuma let out a sigh, realizing that the woman before him was indeed an opponent who wouldn’t be easy to deal with.
“I understand the reason. Now, let’s get to the main topic.”
“Is it about the Gift of Shindo Makoto, the leader of the Ivera Church?”
“That’s right. You know about it, don’t you? Tell me in detail.”
“And if I say no?”
“I’ll kill you.”
“In that case, no.”
“…”
Threats probably wouldn’t work on this type of person.
Even if Kazuma were to subject her to every form of torture he could imagine, Sakura Hakanai’s spirit was monstrous.
She would likely never break.
However, it was too soon to judge without trying.
Thus, Kazuma activated his flame magic and set her ablaze.
“Fufufu… To think you could perform such a feat. You’re becoming more and more interesting.”
“To laugh while being engulfed in flames… That’s some admirable guts.”
“I don’t particularly mind dying like this. Ah, but it’s a shame I won’t be able to see you anymore from now on.”
In the monitoring room, everyone shuddered at the sight of Sakura Hakanai, who maintained her smile even while being a human torch.
An ordinary person would be screaming and writhing in agony.
Even a Gifted, though they might act brave at first, would eventually break down crying and screaming.
How many people in the world could endure the primal fear of fire, a fear that has existed since ancient times, like Sakura Hakanai?
Probably few enough to count on one hand, even looking across the entire world.
“I would have liked to see you flustered, but it would be problematic if you died. You’re an important source of information, after all.”
As Kazuma sighed in exasperation, the flames engulfing Sakura Hakanai’s entire body vanished, and she returned to her pristine state, without a single burn mark.
“Could it be that you burned my clothes because undressing me was too much trouble? If so, you could have just said so from the start.”
“Stop playing dumb. Hurry up and get dressed.”
“You’re the one who burned my clothes. So, I expect you to take responsibility. There’s a closet over there; could you pick out something that would suit me? Or perhaps you’d prefer to watch me change?”
“Would it satisfy you if I told you to change as seductively as possible, with your butt facing this way?”
“Just your eyes and voice send shivers down my spine. If you wish, I can provide the service.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Only someone lower than scum would rejoice at the sight of your naked body.”
Unbeknownst to Kazuma, seventy percent of the male staff in the monitoring room were aroused by the sight of Sakura Hakanai’s flawless body.
Of the remaining thirty percent, two-thirds tried not to look, and the last one-third were homosexual.
“Are you really not aroused?”
“Don’t try to check.”
Sakura Hakanai glanced at Kazuma’s lower body to see if he was aroused.
However, all she found was Kazuma’s lower body, perfectly calm.
His member showed no reaction whatsoever.
At this reaction, the men in the monitoring room began to suspect that Kazuma might have erectile dysfunction.
If Kazuma knew this, he would probably declare that he could get an erection normally and prove it by looking at erotic images online.
“You’ve wounded my pride as a woman. I’m quite confident in my figure, you know?”
“Indeed. One look at your proportions makes it clear. You truly have an excellent figure. Perhaps even top-class in the world. However, once I recognize someone as an enemy, I will kill them, even if they are a peerless beauty.”
“I see. It’s like a professional mindset, isn’t it? But you seemed flustered when we first met, didn’t you?”
“That time, it was because I didn’t expect the National Defense Force to use a Honey Trap, and simply because you were beautiful.”
“Oh? You were just insulting me, but now you’re complimenting me normally.”
“Just because I dislike you doesn’t mean I don’t acknowledge you.”
“It makes me happy to hear you say that. Though, if I could be greedy, I’d be even happier if you came to like me.”
“Impossible. You and I are incompatible. We’ll always be enemies.”
“I see. That’s unfortunate.”
Letting out a sigh, Sakura Hakanai headed towards the closet, chose some clothes at random, and quickly finished changing.
This was an act born of consideration not to keep Kazuma waiting, and a maiden’s desire to talk with him a little longer.
“I’m sorry. I made you wait a little.”
“Let’s continue our conversation. Tell me Shindo Makoto’s Gift.”
“Very well. But I have a condition.”
“Oh? What is it? Let’s hear it.”
“Whether as your subordinate, manager, secretary, or even human toilet, I want you to take me out into the world.”
“I see.”
“Oh? Aren’t you surprised?”
“Do you want me to look dumbfounded? Or would you be satisfied if I made a face like a pigeon shot with a peashooter?”
“Could it be that you anticipated this to some extent?”
“Of course. I fully expected you to make some unreasonable demand. In the first place, I never thought you’d tell me straightforwardly from the start.”
“So you knew me well. I’m happy.”
“Don’t say such creepy things. More importantly, are you sure about that condition?”
“Yes. From my perspective, watching the world change by your side seems interesting. Besides, being by your side is probably the safest place in this world.”
“I wonder about that. Being by my side, who holds the power of life and death over you, might be hell, you know?”
“If that time comes, then that time comes. So, what do you say? If you can accept this condition, I’m willing to talk.”
She didn’t strike an arrogant pose, but Sakura Hakanai, full of confidence, crossed her arms and stared intently at Kazuma.
On the other hand, Kazuma had received full permission from Stephen regarding her treatment, so it was possible for him to make Sakura Hakanai his subordinate and take her outside.
However, if he were to let her out as she was, it was clear what she would do.
Nine times out of ten, she would cause trouble for Kazuma.
He could just get the information and dispose of her outside, but Brainwashing was useful.
Kazuma had decided to accept Sakura Hakanai, who possessed a Gift that could handle the finer details.
However, this was on the premise that he would place her completely under his control.
“Alright. I’ll accept those terms.”
“A verbal promise isn’t enough. I don’t want to be killed outside after you get the information, so I want some kind of constraint. For example, a hostage.”
“Shrewd, aren’t you.”
Sakura Hakanai proposed this trade-off, thinking that if she were to take a brainwashed hostage from Kazuma, he wouldn’t be able to kill her so easily.
However, for a hostage to be effective, it had to be someone important to Kazuma.
For example, family, friends, or a lover would be effective as hostages.
But, if there was one problem, it was that if she laid a hand on Kazuma’s loved ones, she would definitely be killed.
“Sorry, but that’s rejected.”
“Then I won’t talk either.”
“Well, I suppose it would come to that…”
Kazuma shrugged, thinking that opponents who couldn’t be dealt with through violence were troublesome.
As expected, bringing the contract was the right decision.
Kazuma took out the contract he had stored in a subspace and presented it to her.
“Is this a contract? Don’t tell me you think you can bind me with a mere scrap of paper like this?”
“Stop complaining and sign it.”
“Don’t rush me, I haven’t even read it yet.”
Sakura Hakanai carefully read the contract she received from Kazuma.
After reading it from corner to corner and confirming there were no flaws, Sakura Hakanai shifted her gaze from the contract back to Kazuma.
“Is what’s written here true?”
What surprised Sakura Hakanai was the content of the contract.
It was written in great detail, but to summarize, it granted her freedom under the supervision of Kazuma, also known as the Crimson Knight.
“I conveyed my requests to Stephen in broad strokes, and he’s the one who put together the specifics. There’s nothing wrong with it.”
“I can only think I’m being deceived.”
“Well, whether you believe it or not is up to you. What will you do?”
“It doesn’t seem like there are any downsides for me… But I wonder if there’s a catch?”
She stared at Kazuma with suspicious eyes, but his expression didn’t change at all.
Sakura Hakanai lowered her eyes to the contract again and reconfirmed its contents.
As expected, what was written hadn’t changed; for Sakura Hakanai, it contained only merits.
“Fine. Even if this is a trap, I have no options left anyway. In that case, I don’t mind even if it means spending humiliating days by your side.”
With a defiant smile, Sakura Hakanai signed the contract.
Upon receiving the contract signed by Sakura Hakanai, Kazuma smiled like a crescent moon.
“Hereby, the contract is sealed! With this, you become my servant (shimobe)!”
“Eh…?!”
The contract in Kazuma’s hand floated into the air, then suddenly burst into flames, turning to ash and disappearing.
Then, the ashes of the contract scattered as if to envelop the two of them, swirled, converged, and were sucked into Sakura Hakanai’s body.
“Wh-what is this!?”
“Fuhahahahahaha! It’s no wonder you’re surprised. This is a contract made using Subjugation Magic and Contract Magic.”
“Subjugation Magic? Contract Magic? What on earth did you…?”
“Well, from now on, you’re my servant. I suppose I should explain.”
Laughing, Kazuma moved to the bed Sakura Hakanai was using and sat down.
“Sit there in seiza.”
“Eh, wh-what!? My body is moving on its own!”
Sakura Hakanai couldn’t defy Kazuma’s words; her body moved on its own, and she sat in seiza as commanded.
From this series of events alone, most people would have understood.
That Kazuma was a demon possessing power beyond common sense.