Chapter 32: Wait, There’s a Perfectly Good Explanation for This!
Kazuma, having completely placed Sakura Hakanai under his control, immediately issued her a humiliating order.
“For now, grovel like a dog.”
“Ngh…!”
Sakura Hakanai, who had been sitting seiza-style in front of Kazuma, got on all fours, approached his feet like a dog, and began rubbing her cheek against them.
“Kuuun…”
(This one’s got an ecstatic look on her face…)
He had imagined her gritting her teeth in frustration, but Sakura Hakanai was joyfully rubbing her cheek against Kazuma’s leg, and to put it bluntly, she was aroused.
Realizing that it had no effect on the, in a sense, invincible Sakura Hakanai, Kazuma immediately rescinded the order.
“You’re annoying. Go back to normal.”
“Oh? Is the bitch play over already? I wouldn’t mind doing more, you know.”
“Are you invincible, you bastard…?”
“Fufu, I quite enjoy being violated, you know.”
“Tch…! Oh well. Tell me Shindo Makoto’s Gift. This is an order.”
“If it’s an order, I suppose I have no choice.”
There was no doubt she was a loyal servant, but her quirks were so strong she was difficult to handle.
For the first time since returning to this world, Kazuma felt defeated.
“Shindo Makoto’s Gift is Snatch. There are conditions, but it seems he can steal Gifts.”
At the shocking truth revealed by her, everyone listening in the surveillance room stared wide-eyed in astonishment.
The details were unknown, but from her explanation, there was no doubt it was an unparalleledly powerful Gift.
And what was most concerning were the numerous Gifts he had snatched.
“How many of his Gifts do you know?”
“Let’s see. When I fought him—”
“Hold on a second. You fought him?”
“Yes. We were in the same prison, so I was targeted when I escaped. It seems he wanted my Brainwashing.”
“I see. True, with your Brainwashing, a lot can be done… But I’m curious. Why are you unharmed like this?”
“I had brainwashed other escaped prisoners. While they clashed with him, I used my Brainwashing to make a clean getaway.”
Hearing that, Kazuma let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose like a tired salaryman.
“As I thought, you’re a real piece of work I wouldn’t want as an enemy… So, what Gifts did you confirm when you fought him?”
“First, there’s the Snatch I just told you about, right? Next is Agelessness. Apparently, he’s been alive for two hundred years.”
“So not immortality?”
“He doesn’t age, so it’s a form of immortality, isn’t it? Though, I think he’d die if his heart stopped.”
“True… And what else?”
“When I was escaping, I only confirmed natural-type Gifts: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Elec, and Gravity.”
“Is that all?”
“Unfortunately, I was barely escaping with my life. I don’t know any more than that.”
“…He’s a truly troublesome cult leader. He even has someone with Spatial Manipulation among his subordinates.”
“What do you think? Don’t you think I was helpful?”
“It’s extremely unpleasant, but learning the Gifts of the enemy organization’s leader is a significant gain.”
“You can pat my head, you know?”
“Don’t get carried away. I’ll kill you.”
“Eek, how scary~”
Sakura Hakanai trembled, pretending to be scared.
Even if he genuinely harbored killing intent, Sakura Hakanai would probably remain unfazed.
Thinking that, Kazuma decided it was too much trouble to deal with her and decided to wrap things up quickly.
“Stephen! You can hear me, right? I’ll take custody of this one. Let us out.”
Stephen, who had been watching their exchange in the surveillance room, nodded and let Kazuma and the others out.
At the same time, he agonized over what to do next, clutching his stomach as a sharp pain began, and crouched down.
(How am I supposed to report this to President Kakka…?)
The information obtained this time was about the leader of the Ivera Church.
How should he report the threat he posed?
And also about Sakura Hakanai being placed in the custody of the Crimson Knight.
Of course, he had received permission from the President for this matter.
After all, Stephen was the only person in the US government who could make contact with the Crimson Knight.
They couldn’t afford to lose such a valuable asset, and it would be problematic if he fled after being held responsible, so he had been granted a certain degree of discretion.
However, if things got too out of hand, it would likely be revoked, but this was a result of their trust in Stephen as a person.
Hearing the surveillance room door open, Stephen turned his face in that direction.
There stood Kazuma and Sakura Hakanai.
Noticing Kazuma looking at him, he stood up and approached.
“I’m surprised, Mr. Satsuki. Who are you really? Ah, no, let’s drop that topic. More importantly, is she really alright?”
“Yeah, no problem. Shall we try a little experiment?”
To reassure the worried-looking Stephen, Kazuma decided to conduct an experiment.
Towards Sakura Hakanai, who stood slightly behind him exuding the air of a virtuous wife, Kazuma turned his gaze and ordered her to brainwash Stephen.
“Hey, try brainwashing Stephen.”
“Eh!? Hey, Mr. Satsuki! What in the world are you—!”
“Calm down, Stephen. You read the terms of that contract, didn’t you? Then you should know it’s safe.”
“That may be so, but… is it really okay?”
“It’s fine. I’m here. Trust me.”
“…I haven’t forgotten about the electric shock incident.”
At those words, Kazuma’s eyes darted around restlessly, and he started whistling.
Seeing Kazuma clearly flustered, Stephen snorted with a laugh and agreed to be brainwashed.
“Well… your recklessness isn’t exactly new. Alright. I’ll help out as a test subject.”
“Oh, really! Well, still, no need to be so tense. It’ll go exactly as written in that contract.”
“I can’t quite believe it until I see it for myself, though…”
And so, the experiment began immediately.
Sakura Hakanai and Stephen faced each other, preparing for the brainwashing.
“Come to think of it, how do you do your brainwashing?”
Th- Then, Kazuma, curious about how Sakura Hakanai’s brainwashing was activated, spoke up.
“My Brainwashing just requires looking into the opponent’s eyes. Basically, I do it when their consciousness is muddled so they can’t resist. For example, by getting them dead drunk with alcohol, or during sexual intercourse.”
“Just looking into their eyes is enough? That’s quite powerful, but it doesn’t mean you can always brainwash them?”
“That’s right. But it’s easy with men. Most men are captivated by my looks, so if I brainwash them then, it’s a piece of cake.”
“What about women?”
“Just like I said before, with alcohol and such. Well, sometimes it works out with women just like with men, though.”
“You mentioned resistance earlier, can your brainwashing be resisted?”
“If their consciousness is clear and they harbor distrust towards me, they should be able to resist. But if I’m thorough, it’ll still take effect.”
“I see. Understood. Well then, begin.”
“Yes, understood.”
Kazuma, having learned the details about her brainwashing, ordered Sakura Hakanai to begin the experiment.
As Kazuma commanded, she began to cast Brainwashing on Stephen.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
However, the moment Sakura Hakanai tried to activate her Brainwashing, an electric shock assaulted her.
The staff members were startled and wide-eyed at Sakura Hakanai’s scream, which echoed throughout the room.
Naturally, Stephen, who had witnessed Sakura Hakanai collapse from the electric shock right before his eyes, was the most surprised.
“It really happened just as the contract stated…”
“Yeah. The moment she tries to brainwash someone without permission, an electric shock will knock her out. Exactly as written, right?”
“It’s incredible… but it should be possible with your permission, right? Why did it activate this time?”
“Well, I just told her to try it because it was an experiment; I didn’t actually give her permission.”
“I see… More importantly, is it okay to just leave her like that?”
“She’s not dead, so don’t worry about it.”
“…She looks like she’s barely breathing, though?”
“As long as she’s alive, I can heal her. There’s no problem at all.”
“You really dislike her that much, huh…”
Kazuma ignored Sakura Hakanai, who was twitching and barely breathing, and continued the conversation.
“Well, she’s a shitty person, but her Brainwashing is useful. For now, I’ll take her back to Japan with me.”
“Ah, I don’t mind that, but… the princess over there is sulking, you know?”
Stephen scratched his cheek awkwardly and pointed. In that direction, Alicia was sitting on a chair likely meant for a staff member, hugging her knees.
Seeing that, the color drained from Kazuma’s face.
He had neglected her for so long and had been preoccupied only with Sakura Hakanai, so she was undoubtedly angry.
Kazuma hurriedly went to try and appease Alicia.
“A-Alicia! Um, look, I haven’t done anything particularly strange—”
“Kazuma, you actually like women like that, don’t you? And you even made her your servant. As expected, men prefer that sort of thing, huh.”
“No, that’s not true! She’s like an exception among exceptions!”
“Hmph!”
Alicia turned her face away with a “pui,” and Kazuma became dejected, wondering if she had come to hate him.
“N-No way… Alicia.”
“I hate you, Kazuma! I hate you! I absolutely hate you!”
“Guah!”
Alicia stuck her tongue out, turning her face away so Kazuma couldn’t see.
Kazuma sank at her words, “I absolutely hate you.”
Exaggeratedly coughing up blood, he sank into a sea of despair.