Chapter 34: Did You Have a Good Dream?
Ema, who had lost consciousness for a short while, woke up groaning as if he had been having a nightmare.
“Ugh, uun…”
“Finally awake?”
“Huh?”
Sakura Hakanai was in Ema’s line of sight.
It seemed she had been looking after the collapsed Ema, giving him a lap pillow.
Ema hadn’t expected to receive a lap pillow from Sakura Hakanai and was confused, wondering if he was still having a nightmare.
“Oh, you’re awake? Saito-san, are you alright?”
“Heh, ah? Kazuma-kun? This isn’t a dream?”
“Hmm? What’s wrong? Did you perhaps hit your head badly when you fell? If so, I can heal it.”
Hearing Kazuma’s words and actions, Ema realized that this was apparently not a dream.
“Ah, no, it’s fine. I’m alright now. I mostly understand.”
“Oh, is that so? Then this will be quick. I’ve taken custody of this woman from America. For now, I’ve bound her with Contract Magic and Subjugation Magic, so she won’t be easily Brainwashed. You can rest assured.”
“There’s absolutely nothing reassuring about that… but well, I know about your ridiculous power. I’ll trust you for now.”
Ema had been shown and taught Contract Magic and Subjugation Magic directly by Kazuma, but because the power was so absurd, its credibility was thin.
However, he fully understood that it was an extremely nefarious power.
If that power were misused, conquering the world would be easy, yet Kazuma didn’t do so, and Ema trusted his character.
“Still, for this one, I really wish you’d given me at least a word of explanation.”
“Well, it was decided all of a sudden.”
“Haaah…”
Letting out a deep sigh, Ema got up, righted the fallen chair, sat down, and turned his face towards Kazuma.
“So, what do you plan to do with her?”
“For now, I’ll make her my subordinate. Her Brainwashing Gift is useful, after all.”
“I see… But what about her food, clothing, and shelter?”
“About that, could I ask you to handle it?”
“Haaah… I had a feeling it would be something like that. I’ll proceed with the arrangements, putting her under Shinonome-kun. If she’s under the Crimson Knight’s management, we should be able to prevent any opposition from others.”
“Thanks a lot~”
With her superior, Kazuma, present, Momoko, who couldn’t say anything, was teary-eyed.
In addition to having a superior worse than a demon named Kazuma, the Vixen who had single-handedly driven Japan to the brink of collapse was now becoming her subordinate.
It was no wonder she was shedding tears.
“(Why, why…)”
Why was she going through something like this?
Before the Crimson Knight appeared, her work had mostly consisted of relatively simple tasks like interrogating criminals and accompanying diplomats, but what about now?
As Kazuma’s subordinate, she wasn’t just running errands; she was subjected to harsh training that would make even the demons of hell flee barefoot, leaving her mentally and physically worn out.
And on top of that, she now had to look after Sakura Hakanai, a super-dreadnought-class problem child.
This wasn’t just hard work.
Even a sweatshop company wouldn’t assign this much work.
“Looking forward to working with you~”
Seeing Sakura Hakanai waving with a smile, Momoko felt a surge of murderous intent.
Clenching her fists so hard they trembled, wondering if she should beat her up right here and now, Momoko glared at Sakura Hakanai.
“Don’t make such a scary face, let’s take it easy. Look, he’s our superior, after all.”
“…That’s certainly true, but unlike you, he’s not a criminal.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s right. He’s just unconventional, not a criminal.”
It wasn’t clear whether Kazuma had any common sense, but at least he hadn’t engaged in any criminal acts.
In that regard, Momoko was completely tainted.
After all, she had violated personal privacy.
She was saved because her target had been Kazuma, but one wrong step and she likely wouldn’t have escaped a criminal record.
“Ah, Momoko-chan. I’ll give you authority to command her too, so you can do whatever you want with her—boil her, bake her, anything.”
“…So he says.”
“Is my will being ignored?”
“You’re my servant, so you have no right to refuse. Don’t even think you have any personal dignity.”
“I don’t dislike being subjugated~. In fact, if you’re my master, it’s nothing but an exciting element for me.”
“Momoko-chan. You can handle her as you please.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Although reluctant, if it was an order from Kazuma, Momoko had no right to refuse.
She decided to look after Sakura Hakanai.
“Alright, that’s it regarding this one. The main topic is something else.”
Confirming that Sakura Hakanai had lined up next to Momoko, Kazuma turned back to Ema.
His expression was completely different from before, utterly serious.
“I heard about the Gift of the Ivera Church’s founder from that woman there. Saito-san, did you know about it?”
“No, this is the first I’ve heard of it. Or rather, that such a big shot was even in a Japanese prison.”
“Was the information restricted? Or was there a spy on the inside?”
“Probably both… There’s a story that the former Prime Minister died because there was an enemy on the inside.”
“The Ivera Church?”
“Most likely…”
“Well, I can crush them right away, though.”
“Huh?”
Hearing Kazuma suddenly say something so outlandish, Ema couldn’t help but let out a dumbfounded voice.
“No, actually, when I rescued the Holy Maiden, I put a Marking on those Ivera Church guys. So, I can crush them right now if I want to.”
“…Why don’t you tell me such important things sooner?”
“Because they’re not much of a threat. Besides, right now I want to spend time training Charlotte and the others, and I want my own custom Powered Suit.”
“Shinonome-kun. Report this to Satsuki Honoka-san later.”
“Ha! Yes, sir!”
“Ah! That’s cunning! Using Mom!”
“It can’t be helped! There are hardly any people who can scold you!”
“Even so, bringing Mom into this is cowardly!”
“Then report such important matters from the start!”
“I’ll try to do so in the future.”
“That’s the same as not doing it at all!”
Kazuma and Ema continued to bicker loudly, while Momoko and Sakura Hakanai, who were left out of the conversation, watched them.
“Fufu. It’s always lively around him, isn’t it?”
“…Well, for better or worse, he has a charm that attracts people.”
“You’re one of them, aren’t you?”
“Absolutely not.”
She denied it vehemently, but Momoko had undoubtedly been influenced by Kazuma.
For better or worse, because of Kazuma, Momoko had changed from how she used to be.
“So, then. Can you beat Shindo Makoto?”
“Of course. No matter how many Gifts he’s Snatched, he’s no enemy. Well, if he had something like time stop, causality reversal, or concept manipulation, it’d be tough, though.”
“As if such ridiculous Gifts would exist…”
The things Kazuma mentioned were mostly found only in fiction or fantasy, generally things that only god-like, non-human beings could handle.
In reality, Kazuma could do similar things with magic, but they were merely similar, not the same.
Even Kazuma would undoubtedly face a tough fight, or worse, a battle to the death, if an enemy possessed the abilities he mentioned.
“For now, that’s it about the Ivera Church. How’s your Powered Suit coming along?”
“I’ve got a plan. All that’s left is gathering materials and securing personnel.”
“Hmm. Gathering materials, huh.”
Ema knew Kazuma’s Combat Power and was calculating how best to utilize it.
The first priority was retaking Japan’s territory.
Next was assisting in the liberation of other countries’ territories and obtaining rights in return.
In short, he was trying to get Kazuma to do things that would benefit Japan.
“In that case, how about Okinawa? It’s an isolated island, so it’s been left untouched. It’s currently a den of Ibinom, but for you, it would be a treasure trove of materials. It would also be good to liberate the nearby waters while you’re at it.”
“Ooh! That’s a great idea! I’ll get right on it… Oh, but before that, I need to tell Alicia and the others.”
“Alicia? Surely you don’t mean the Witch, do you?”
Faced with Ema’s suspicious gaze, Kazuma’s eyes darted around obviously as he lied.
“…Yup!”
“Why do you tell such obvious lies!”
After that, Kazuma was subjected to Ema’s grumbling complaints for several minutes.
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Afterword
Happy New Year.
I look forward to your continued support this year.
A lot of time has passed since the new year began, but starting today, I will resume serializing every other day.