Chapter 86: Business as Usual
The information obtained from Souji about the suspicious individual was that they were dressed in a pure white robe with gold lines in places, and had something like huge pads on both shoulders, making their shoulder width seem incredible.
Based on this information, Kazuma had an acquaintance, an artist—Shibusawa Eiji—draw an illustration, which he then shared with the government through Momoko.
“What a ridiculous outfit, but they’re skilled enough to instantly kill Kenzaki Souji, huh…”
“Moreover, given that they left no trace at all at the scene… their stealth abilities must be terrifying-ssu!”
At the Prime Minister’s official residence, Kazuma was talking with Ema while looking at the illustration.
Ema looked at the illustration he received from Kazuma, and while he had his reservations, he trusted it because it was Souji’s eyewitness testimony.
“But, well, maybe we’ll be able to catch the culprit soon-ssu.”
“What did you say!? Could it be, have you pinpointed the culprit’s whereabouts?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Then, what do you mean? When you say we might catch the culprit soon?”
“What do you think the culprit would do if the person they thought they killed was alive?”
Ema was taken aback by Kazuma, who, despite usually being a jester and a bit of a fool, was surprisingly sharp in times like these.
“I see…! There’s a possibility they’ll come to kill him again!”
“That’s right. Souji-senpai is hospitalized just in case. Naturally, the Golem-chan I made is on guard, so if anything happens, we’ll know immediately.”
“Hmm. That’s reassuring, but… will he be alright?”
“I can’t say it’s absolutely safe. Their abilities are unknown, so it’s possible we might not even be able to buy time.”
“…What about you personally guarding him?”
“I considered that, but it’s better if I can move freely. There might not be just one enemy, after all.”
“Mmm… You’re right.”
Kazuma had always been confident that things would be absolutely fine until now, but this time, there were just too many worries.
Even with the new technology that fused magic and science, which Kazuma had cooperated on, they hadn’t identified the culprit, and anxiety still lingered.
Even now, while suffering from a headache, he was guarding his friends and acquaintances through his Familiars, but there had been no results.
“Ema-san. This is a Talisman I made. Please keep it on you at all times.”
“Understood. I’d like you to prepare more if possible, but…”
“I’ve made one for Ayashiro-san too. I can’t provide any more than that.”
“Sorry for asking the impossible. I must be grateful for just mine and Tsukimi-kun’s share.”
“No, no, you two have helped me a lot. Well then, I’m going home. Contact me if anything happens.”
Leaving those words behind, Kazuma Teleported.
Ema passed the illustration he received from Kazuma to Tsukimi, and proceeded to share it with various countries and issue a warning to the Ministry of Defense and the National Police Agency.
The warning stated that if the suspicious person in the illustration was found, they were to move away without provoking them and to make an emergency call to the Crimson Knight.
“How did it go?”
“I told Ema-san properly. For now, there’s nothing more we can do. I guess all we can do is for everyone to remain vigilant.”
“To think it would become a situation that even you can’t handle…”
“Sorry, Momoko-chan.”
“You don’t have to apologize. It’s not your fault.”
“That’s right~. In terms of military power, you’re the strongest in the world, so both she and I are by your side.”
“Momoko-chan! You can stay by my side forever, you know!”
“It’s only because it’s an emergency right now, so I have no choice!”
Momoko and Sakura Hakanai were constantly in Kazuma’s private room.
Partly because it was work-related, but more than that, as Sakura Hakanai had said, being by Kazuma’s side was the safest place.
They could have just received Talismans, but thinking that it might not work when it really mattered, they felt more secure being by Kazuma’s side.
After all, he possessed the extraordinary power of magic and was excellent in all aspects such as offense, defense, recovery, and support.
Moreover, as long as it wasn’t instant death, he could heal them from any condition, so he was also an absolutely reliable insurance policy.
“Momoko-chan! If you’ll stay by my side even if it’s for ulterior motives and without love, I’m fine with anything!”
Kazuma tightly hugged Momoko, who was sitting on the sofa working on her laptop.
“Don’t suddenly hug me!”
She pushed Kazuma away with her hand, looking annoyed, and peeled him off.
Pushed by Momoko’s hand, Kazuma tumbled off the sofa and let out a frog-like croak, “Gueh!”
“For an emergency, things don’t seem much different from usual, do they~”
“Well, that’s how it is. Since there’s nothing we can do on our end, we just have to live as usual. Though I am on alert, just in case.”
“Are you perhaps pushing yourself quite a bit?”
“You’re sharp-eyed. Can you tell?”
“It’s an occupational hazard; I used to observe people’s complexions carefully~. You’re a little tired, aren’t you?”
“Just a little bit…”
Thinking there was no point in putting up a brave front here, Kazuma honestly confessed he was tired.
“Honestly~. You’re a man, you should try to hide it.”
“There are times when it’s more troublesome if it’s hidden, right? This is one of those times. If I collapsed, what would you do?”
“That’s true too… Alright! I’ll give you an oil massage.”
“I want Momoko-chan to do it!”
“Are you an idiot?”
Momoko, who had at some point moved from the sofa and was drinking coffee at the table, sighed in exasperation.
They didn’t know if the culprit who attacked Souji was an alien or someone from another world. For now, all they could do was be vigilant.
Kazuma continued to live his life as usual.
“By the way, if they’re from another world, wouldn’t they be using magic like you?”
“Huh!? That’s right! I should have traced the magical energy signatures!!!”
At Momoko’s casual remark, Kazuma shot up as if he’d remembered something and dashed out of the room.
Momoko and Sakura Hakanai laughed in exasperation at how restless he always was.
“I’ve checked the scene! I couldn’t detect any magical energy, so it must be the work of aliens-ya!”
“But couldn’t they hide it like you do~?”
“If it’s stealth magic at a level I can’t detect, then yeah, I wouldn’t know. But, there’s probably no one like that.”
“What’s your basis for that?”
“The only ones better at magic than me, the former Hero, were the Demon Lord, the Sage, and the Sage candidate—about three people. So, it’s impossible for them to be from that other world!”
“What if they came from a different other world than yours?”
“Well, in that case, I’d be completely stumped!”
If it were an inhabitant of the other world Kazuma had returned from, there would likely be no problem.
After all, no one stronger than Kazuma, who was a Hero, however flawed, existed anymore in that world.
However, if, as Momoko worried, an inhabitant from an other world unknown to Kazuma had come to this world, it was a different story.
If one considered they possessed an unknown power that wasn’t magical energy, it was understandable why Kazuma couldn’t perceive it.
Nevertheless, this was merely speculation, and not yet confirmed.
They couldn’t let their guard down, but at least it was certain that the culprit was not an inhabitant of the other world he had once saved.
“But, what if it’s someone you know?”
“I’ll kill them? Even if they were a comrade, there are lines that must not be crossed.”
His voice was chillingly dispassionate.
Even though they were comrades with whom he had once entrusted his back and shared battlefields, they had been worried if he could be that heartless, but such worries were unnecessary.
“So dry~…”
“It’s sad, though. But no matter the reason, they tried to kill a friend, so I’ll kill them. I wouldn’t want to kill them if I could avoid it, though.”
“You can say that after letting Shindo Makoto of the Ivera Church live, can you?”
Unable to refute Momoko’s sharp retort, Kazuma looked away in a completely different direction.
“Somehow, I’m starting to feel uneasy…”
“W-Well, it’ll be fine! When the time comes, I’ll think about it then!”
“It’s just that you live on sheer energy and impulse, so I can’t help but worry.”
“My blood… my blood makes me do it…”
“Well, you do have a scumbag gambler dad and a sugar-baby mom~.”
“Stop it! Don’t talk about me like I’m some kind of thoroughbred of trash!”
Kazuma was like a riddle: not a black kite that gave birth to a hawk, but a black kite that gave birth to another black kite, yet was fortunately raised by a hawk.
However, there was no doubt that what flowed in his veins was indeed the blood of a scumbag and an idiot.