Chapter 63: Proliferation is Truly a Pain
Kazuma teleported to Ema, the Prime Minister of Japan.
Ema, who had already returned to the Prime Minister’s official residence, was listening to reports on the war situation while issuing instructions.
Then, Kazuma appeared, bringing the restrained Shindo Makoto with him.
As usual, Ema’s eyes widened in surprise at Kazuma appearing so suddenly without any prior notice, but he quickly composed himself, treating it as a common occurrence, and calmly asked.
“Is that, by any chance, Shindo Makoto?”
“That’s right. The Snatch Gift seemed useful against criminals, so I decided to capture him.”
“I understand what you’re getting at, but I wish you’d tell me these things beforehand. It’s not just about mental preparation; I have to make various arrangements.”
“Sorry about that, as always.”
“Well, alright. I’ve got the situation with Shindo Makoto. What will you do now?”
“Naturally, the annihilation of the Ivera Church remnants and Ibinom.”
“I see. Understood. Leave this to me.”
“Counting on you~”
Waving a hand, Kazuma teleported away somewhere.
Left with Makoto, Ema contemplated what to do next.
Makoto was the founder of the Ivera Church, but he claimed to have had no involvement in its initial establishment.
To be precise, it was an organization that had formed, idolizing him without his knowledge while he was doing as he pleased.
Although he wasn’t involved in the Ivera Church’s founding, he had cooperated with their activities several times thereafter.
Therefore, there was no way Makoto could be acquitted and released.
Above all, Makoto was a major criminal who had killed numerous Gifted with his Snatch Gift.
Ordinarily, he should be judged through proper procedures and punished.
However, as Kazuma had said, the Snatch Gift was a useful ability.
Indeed, just as Kazuma mentioned, it had various applications, such as snatching the Gifts of criminals to prevent them from ever committing evil again, or helping people suffering because of their Gifts.
If that was the case, it was more rational to work him to the bone until he died rather than have him atone for his sins through execution.
Whether public opinion would accept that was a question, but since it would be kept secret, there probably wouldn’t be an issue.
“Hmm… Shindo Makoto, I’d like to ask you a question. How does the Snatch Gift snatch Gifts?”
“Two patterns, huh~. When the target is unconscious, or when they give permission.”
“When you say permission, do you mean it literally?”
“Yep, yep. If they’re consciously thinking, ‘Go ahead, please, take it,’ then I can snatch it.”
“Then, when you say unconscious, does that include sleep?”
“That’s right. I can snatch it even when they’re sleeping. Well, it’s difficult with people sensitive to presences, so in the end, killing them is the quickest way~.”
“I see… Did you ever think of desecrating the graves of past heroes?”
“Ah~, it’s no good if too many days have passed since they died. After seventy-two hours, it’s a no-go. Can’t snatch it at that point.”
“Is that so. By the way, how many Gifts have you snatched?”
“Who knows? I haven’t counted, and I don’t remember.”
“Then, let me change the question. Do you have Gifts like Appraisal, Analysis, or Breakdown?”
“I have it. Appraisal, that is.”
The Appraisal Gift was an extremely valuable Gift, capable of seeing through personal information unless the target possessed a Gift like Concealment.
Furthermore, since there were very few who possessed it, it was highly prized.
Knowing that Makoto possessed the Appraisal Gift, Ema gulped.
“Could it be that you know the true identity of the Crimson Knight?”
“I know~. And that he’s a magic user too.”
“No way, your Appraisal can see that much!?”
“No, he told me. Besides, when I appraised him, he only had Transposition.”
“…I see. So even your Appraisal couldn’t understand anything about magic, huh.”
Learning that Kazuma’s magic was incomprehensible even to Makoto’s Appraisal, Ema let out a big sigh, a mixture of relief and exasperation.
“Haaah~~. Why is he so casually telling people he’s a magic user?”
“Isn’t it because he has absolute strength? If he’s that strong, no matter how many nobodies band together, they can’t win, and they can’t uncover his secrets, right?”
“Well, that’s true. We’ve certainly been led around by the nose by him quite a bit.”
“If that’s the case, it’s too late now, isn’t it~? You better stop thinking about it~. It’s a waste of brain resources.”
“That’s quite a way to put it…”
However, Ema couldn’t deny that Makoto had a point, so, as advised, he stopped thinking further about Kazuma.
Right now, he had to consider the handling of Makoto, who was right in front of him.
Ema once again held his head in his hands, thinking about all the arrangements he had to make in various places.
Having teleported from Ema’s side, Kazuma had returned to China.
He had headed outside to eliminate the Ibinom around the venue, but the Chinese Gifted had already annihilated them, leaving nothing for Kazuma to do.
Figuring he wasn’t needed, Kazuma checked on America, England, and Egypt, but in every location, the local Gifted were subjugating Ibinom, and no rescue was necessary.
Therefore, Kazuma decided to return to Japan.
Having just been scolded for suddenly teleporting to Ema’s location, Kazuma, like a monkey that had learned its lesson, took out his mobile phone to inform Ema of his return.
“Hello, Ema-san.”
Hello, Kazuma-kun? Did something happen?
“No, nothing. I just went around to various countries to see if rescue was needed, but it seemed like their local forces could handle it.”
That's good to hear. Does that mean your services are no longer required?
“Pretty much~. I don’t think I’m needed anymore, so can I head back?”
Hmm...
Asked by Kazuma if he could return, Ema thought for a moment.
He didn’t think Kazuma was lying, but there was always a chance of an unforeseen event.
If a problem arose that they couldn’t handle, it would be more convenient to have Kazuma free.
Ema ordered Kazuma to remain on standby for a while.
Sorry, but could you remain on standby there a little longer? The leaders of various countries are probably there, and it would be safer if you were present.
“If that’s the case, understood.”
And so, Kazuma took on the duty of guarding the venue where the international conference was being held.
Chinese Gifted were already providing security, and the safety of the leaders from various countries was ensured, but Kazuma’s addition made it foolproof.
The leaders of each country, learning that the Crimson Knight had returned to guard them, felt a sense of relief akin to returning to their parents’ home.
For a while after that, Kazuma guarded the leaders.
The leaders had secluded themselves in their prepared rooms, checking on the situation in their own countries, and seemed busy.
Kazuma, who had set up a Protective Barrier and was monitoring the surroundings, had nothing to do and was simply bored.
All that remained was the completion of the Ibinom extermination and the capture or subjugation of criminals.
Just when it seemed Kazuma’s role was completely over, he heard the sounds of battle nearby.
Wondering if Ibinom or criminals had appeared, Kazuma left his post and headed towards the source of the combat sounds.
There, he found a group wearing Ibinom’s Masks fighting against Chinese Gifted.
“The Ivera Church…?”
Ibinom’s Mask signified a follower of the Ivera Church, but there was something strange.
It was the fact that all the attackers were wearing identical clothing.
Feeling a genuine doubt, Kazuma used magic to investigate the attackers, just as he had done with Makoto.
“Hey, hey, are you serious…?”
What he found out was that all the attackers were the same person.
Learning that there were others besides Makoto who possessed the Proliferation Gift, Kazuma was exasperated.
Even though he could easily round them all up with magic, he had to grasp their numbers.
Besides the individuals Makoto had been fighting, others were lurking in various parts of the world.
Kazuma, who had already experienced firsthand how incredibly troublesome it was to identify all of them and target them with magic, stared at the attackers with a look of distaste.
“(This sucks~. I have to count them all again…)”
Counting from one again felt truly disheartening.
Fortunately, Makoto’s numbers had been in the range of whether they’d reach four digits or not, so while it was tough, it wasn’t an uncountable number.
However, if the attackers before him existed in the tens of thousands, it would be extremely troublesome.
He wouldn’t lose, but counting them would be incredibly difficult, and if he missed even one, they could proliferate infinitely from that single oversight, so he couldn’t afford to miss any.
Considering that, Proliferation Gifteds, while not exactly Kazuma’s natural enemy, were opponents who forced him into a tough fight.
“(Ugh… I don’t want to, but I guess I have no choice but to fight~.)”
It would have been great if there was magic that could automatically count them, but no such magic existed.
With a look of utter disgust, Kazuma went to assist the Chinese Gifted.