Chapter 7: The Ivera Church
After that, they’d been having fun at karaoke for quite some time, but when they received a call asking if they wanted to extend their session, the four of them, after some deliberation, decided to head home.
“Man, that was fun.”
“Yeah. It was a good break.”
“Hahaha, you’re right. Let’s all four of us come again!”
“Yeah! Let’s go again!”
The four of them, their bond deepened, returned to the reception, paid their bill, and were about to leave the Grand One when, suddenly, a gunshot echoed through the Grand One.
“Huh!? What was that!? Did you just hear a gunshot?”
“Yeah. That was definitely a gunshot…”
“What’s happening…?”
“I have a bad feeling about this. Let’s get out of here, quickly.”
Upon hearing the gunshot, Kazuma immediately urged the other three to evacuate. The three of them nodded at Kazuma’s words and quickly took action. Hurrying towards the elevator, they found several people already waiting for it.
From the looks of it, they seemed to be panicking, apparently trying to evacuate just like Kazuma and his friends. Kazuma and the others joined them in waiting for the elevator.
Before long, a ‘ding’ sound was heard, and the elevator doors opened. The people who had been waiting rushed to get in, but when a strange group emerged from the open doors, those trying to board all stopped in their tracks.
“Ibinom masks…! That means, the Ivera Church!”
Someone uttered the name of the group that had just exited the elevator. The strange group had their faces hidden by Ibinom masks, and their attire varied widely from suits to camouflage gear, lacking any uniformity aside from the masks. However, they were, in reality, the organization known as the Ivera Church. Many trembled in fear merely at the sound of that name. After all, they were—
“W-Why are Terrorists here…!”
Yes, Terrorists. The members of the Ivera Church worshipped Ibinom, and they hated Gifts, claiming them to be powers despicably stolen by greedy humanity from Ibinom, a messenger of God. In other words, they were enemies of the Gifted, and for Kazuma and his friends, this was the worst possible situation.
“Mmm~~~! Are there any Innocent Apostles among you?”
The Ivera Church member in the center asked Kazuma and the others, flashing a Handgun. The ‘Innocent Apostles’ they referred to were, in layman’s terms, the Giftless. While most of humanity were now Gifted, there still existed humans who possessed no Gifts. And they were the only ones not targeted by the Ivera Church.
However, what made them even more special was the rumor that powerful Gifted were more likely to be born from unions involving the Giftless. Although not scientifically proven, it was widely believed that relatively powerful Gifted were more easily born this way.
It was merely an urban legend, but many believed it. This was because the majority of Gifted born from Giftless parents were indeed strong. Of course, some were weak, so it wasn’t a guarantee that a child with a strong Gift would be born.
Therefore, the Ivera Church did not attack the Giftless. There was one reason for this. Although they hated the Gifted, they needed weapons to kill them—exceptionally powerful weapons at that.
Yes, they captured the Giftless to produce powerful Gifted. If raised meticulously from infancy, they could become potent human weapons.
That was the sole reason the Ivera Church searched for the Giftless.
“Mmm~? Do you not understand my words? I am asking if there are any Innocent Apostles among you! Answer quickly!”
He had spoken calmly at first, but because no one answered his question, his tone grew harsh, and he even fired his gun towards the ceiling. He seemed considerably angered. If things went wrong, someone might get killed.
“Oh, my apologies. I got a little carried away. Ahem! Well then, I shall ask once more: are there any Innocent Apostles among you?”
Again, no one answered. It wasn’t because there were no Giftless among Kazuma and the others. It was because if they were revealed to be Giftless, they would be abducted. While it was true that the Ivera Church didn’t attack the Giftless, their treatment of them was atrocious. The fate awaiting any Giftless captured by them was always the same.
They were relentlessly forced to bear children.
Though their food, clothing, and shelter were guaranteed, they were treated like livestock. And if they failed to fulfill their role, they were disposed of. The evil deeds of the Ivera Church were common knowledge. That was why no one answered; they knew what end awaited the Giftless.
“I really wish you would cooperate. I’m not a patient man, so this is the only method I’m left with.”
Saying that, the man pointed his Handgun at a man standing right in front of him.
“Ah, aaah! No! No! I don’t want to die!”
The man with the Handgun pointed at him turned deathly pale, tears streaming down his face as he shook his head, but the Ivera Church member holding the Handgun paid him no heed.
“Is that so? In that case, you should resent those around you. You are dying because of those who did not answer my question.”
It was utterly unreasonable. No matter how you looked at it, the Ivera Church was clearly in the wrong, yet they were shirking their own responsibility and blaming Kazuma and the others. Nobody wanted to get involved in trouble, especially not with a group of lunatics. Therefore, blaming Kazuma and the others was completely off the mark.
“S-Someone, help…”
The man with the Handgun aimed at him pleaded for help from those around him, tears streaming, but no one would meet his eyes. Just when everyone thought there was no choice but to give up, the man, in a last desperate struggle, blurted out something outrageous.
“That woman over there! She’s Giftless! I happened to overhear it just now, she’s Giftless!”
The man, desperate not to die, had told a lie on impulse. Wailing frantically, he pointed at a woman and shouted. Depending on how you looked at it, it was the best possible lie, but as a human being, it was the worst kind of lie. Still, his feelings were understandable. No one wanted to die. If there was a chance to live, people would readily lie.
“N-No! I’m not Giftless! What he’s saying is nonsense!”
Bang! A gunshot rang out. At the sound, everyone except Kazuma flinched, their shoulders trembling.
“Be quiet. We will verify whether it’s a lie or not. If you are not an Innocent Apostle, could you please show us your Gift? Ah, of course, if you turn out not to be an Innocent Apostle, you will die. Naturally, that applies to you too,” he said, addressing the man.
The man who had lied and the woman falsely accused of being an Innocent Apostle let out small screams. For the woman, it must have been unbearable. Whether she was Giftless or Gifted, only the worst possible future awaited her. Even if told to choose, it wasn’t a choice she could make. So, she ran.
“No… Noooooooooo!!!”
“Good grief, I wish you wouldn’t cause us such trouble.”
The Ivera Church member holding the Handgun shrugged, then gave an order to his comrades behind him.
“It’s troublesome, so restrain everyone.”
“As you command.”
He displayed gentlemanly behavior, but as a member of the Ivera Church, his values differed from those of ordinary people. He had no qualms about harming the Gifted.
The man in the suit who had been given the order thrust his hands forward.
“Bind them.”
As he said that, cords of light extended from the man’s hands, binding the fleeing woman’s arms and legs. Suddenly bound, the woman tumbled hard to the ground.
“Ouch! W-What is this! I-It won’t come undone!”
The bound woman desperately moved her limbs, trying to break free from the restraints, but the cords of light wouldn’t loosen. No matter how much she struggled, they wouldn’t come undone.
“Gift: Restraint. Once bound by this, an ordinary person cannot break free. Now, please give up.”
He explained politely, but those who witnessed the scene all fled at once. Realizing they would be killed if caught, they scrambled to escape, each trying to be the first.
“Hah, good grief. Why don’t they understand their own situation? It’s deplorable. No matter how much they try to run, we have already seized this building. Such foolish people.”
He drooped his shoulders as if troubled, but inwardly, he was enjoying himself. The game of tag has begun, the man thought, a savage grin spreading beneath his mask.
While the Ivera Church member was shrugging, Kazuma and his friends were escaping, hidden amongst the crowd. As they fled, Akira took out his phone and tried to contact the outside, but it seemed the signal was blocked, as it showed no service.
“Damn it! No signal!”
“Sorry. I wish my telepathy could be useful at times like this, but its range is too short to reach outside the building…”
“What do we do now!?”
“…What about the emergency exit?”
Kazuma and the others discussed as they ran, and Kazuma suggested that the emergency exit might be usable. The other three nodded, thinking they might be able to escape through it.
“Alright, let’s head for the emergency exit!”
“Yeah. That’s a good idea!”
“If that’s the plan, let’s go all out!”
While the three of them were desperately trying to find a way to escape, Kazuma was contemplating what he should do. He could probably subdue the men from before if he used magic. However, doing so would reveal that he was a magic user.
If there had been no one else around, he would have fought using magic, but with the three of them present, he couldn’t. He could all too easily imagine what would happen if his identity as a magic user were to be exposed. For Kazuma, who had resolved to live a peaceful life, being outed as a magic user was something he desperately wanted to avoid if at all possible. Therefore, Kazuma decided to silently flee with them.