Episode 20: Well, Of Course Everyone Would Film That with Their Cameras
Kazuma, who had cut down the two, stored the toy sword in his Dimensional Storage and began to wonder what to do with the two collapsed at his feet.
If this had been the other world, he would have mercilessly cut off their heads and put them on display, and fed their corpses to monsters, but unfortunately, this was Japan, a country governed by the rule of law. If he did such a thing, he’d be a wanted man.
No matter how angry he was, Kazuma, not wanting to get involved with the police, dragged the two along. After casually tossing them aside in a suitable spot, Kazuma asked the people around if they had anything to tie them up with.
“Sorry, but do you have a rope or something?”
“Uh, um… there’s a police officer right over there, you know.”
The person who answered his question kindly informed him. When Kazuma looked back, the Special Security Unit and the National Defense Force were all there. Apparently, it was because the earthen wall created by Tamura’s Gift had disappeared. It seemed to have been dispelled when Kazuma knocked Tamura unconscious.
Thanks to that, both the police and the National Defense Force seemed to have come to the rescue, but the timing was bad. For Kazuma, that is.
“…Farewell!”
“Ah! Wait!!!”
Towards Kazuma, who was fleeing at full speed, the police and the National Defense Force unleashed Capture-type and Restraint-type Gifts, but they were completely ineffective. Then, Gifted with Body Enhancement tried to capture Kazuma but couldn’t catch up, and in the end, he got away.
“He got away, huh…”
He didn’t intend to capture and torture him. He just wanted to hear the details and ultimately recruit him as an ally, but the police officer was a little dejected that Kazuma had fled without even listening to him.
“What should we do? Shall we pursue?”
“No, it’s fine. More importantly, take the two reported suspects into custody. Fortunately, thanks to that Knight-sama knocking them out, the job should be easy.”
“Yes! Understood!”
Watching his subordinate salute and then energetically head off to arrest Inoue and Tamura, the captain let out a sigh.
“Haa… The police will probably get bashed for this incident too.”
Previously, when Kazuma repelled the Humanoid Ibinom, the National Defense Force was criticized by the public. Kazuma, also known as the Crimson Knight, was treated as a hero, but the National Defense Force was showered with accusations from the citizens, asking what they had been doing.
“Will we be reviled as incompetent police…”
Thinking about the aftermath was depressing. They would likely be criticized by the public and receive sarcastic remarks from their superiors. Not only had they let the Silver Knight, who resolved this incident, escape, but they also couldn’t even arrive at the scene, so it was natural they would be reviled.
Meanwhile, Kazuma, the Silver Knight, had recreated optical camouflage with light magic and returned to the inside of Fra-Fra-Flamingo.
Kazuma wondered how to carry Kaede. Carrying her, who was completely unconscious, would be a pain. It was easy for Kazuma, who was trained, but normally, carrying a completely unconscious person is difficult.
So, after some thought, Kazuma dashed outside the store. He told the first National Defense Force soldier he saw that Kaede was inside the store.
And so, Kaede was safely taken into custody by the National Defense Force soldiers, put in an ambulance, and transported to the hospital.
Just as Kazuma thought his role was over and turned to leave, his shoulder was grabbed. Panicking, wondering if his identity had been exposed, Kazuma turned around creakily, like a rusty toy.
“Wh-what is it?”
“You’re an academy student, right? Your friends are waiting for you over there, you know?”
Saying so, the soldier pointed towards Akatsuki and the others, who were being protected further back. Apparently, he had just kindly told Kazuma that his friends were waiting. Kazuma felt a flash of irritation at having tensed up for no reason, but remembering he hadn’t been exposed, Kazuma let out a sigh of relief, thanked the soldier, and then joined Akatsuki and the others.
Kazuma, having regrouped with Akatsuki and the others, tried to head home, but he ended up being questioned by the police, so he got home late. The four of them complained on the way back that it was all those two idiots’ fault.
“Come to think of it, I wonder if those three girls are okay.”
Akatsuki suddenly worried about the three girls who had been injured by the two culprits. Their injuries had been healed by the Silver Knight, Kazuma, but their emotional scars probably hadn’t. They should have been taken by ambulance and arrived at the hospital by now, but the four of them seemed unable to stop worrying about the girls.
“They’re probably fine, right? It looked like that Silver Knight-sama healed them with some kind of Gift.”
“Yeah. Their clothes were still torn, but he completely healed their cuts and burns, so I don’t think there’s a problem.”
Kazuma said nothing. This was because his cover story was that he had been hiding inside the store, so he hadn’t seen the scene. If he answered here as if he had seen it up close, he would be suspected.
Of course, the three (Akatsuki, Taichi, Kosuke) weren’t from the National Defense Force, so they wouldn’t try to capture him, but they would undoubtedly find it strange if Kazuma acted like he knew what happened despite not being at the scene.
“Huh. Is that so~.”
The only thing he could do was make noncommittal responses. Kazuma just listened to the two of them and vaguely agreed.
And so, the group split into two. Akatsuki and Taichi headed towards the residential area, while Kazuma and Kosuke returned to the dorm.
◇◇◇◇
While Kazuma and the others returned to their dorm, the National Defense Force was in a panic. The current incident itself wasn’t a huge deal, but the problem was the Silver Knight.
Following the Crimson Knight who had appeared during the Humanoid Ibinom incident, this was another domestically unregistered Gifted. Moreover, the full extent of his abilities was unknown, and he possessed power surpassing not only domestic but also powerful overseas Gifted.
For now, it was certain that neither of them was an enemy. Though, it was unclear how things would turn out depending on future responses, the National Defense Force was still desperate to recruit them as allies.
“Shinonome-kun, Onoda-kun. Aiba-kun. You were assigned to surveil the boy, Satsuki Kazuma… Shinonome-kun. Why weren’t you at the scene? If I recall, you were ordered to make contact with the surveillance target as a classmate, weren’t you?”
“I apologize for that. I judged that getting too close too carelessly would arouse suspicion, so I was unable to accompany him this time.”
“Hmm. Well, what you say certainly has a point… No, let’s drop it. There’s no other way to put it than that we were a bit unlucky this time.”
Momoko had infiltrated as Kazuma’s classmate, so she was the closest, but if she closed the distance too obviously, she would be viewed with suspicion. Therefore, Momoko maintained a certain distance. That’s why she couldn’t be by his side during this incident.
Normally, this would warrant punishment, but her superior judged that what Momoko said wasn’t wrong and decided to let it go.
“However… Haa. After the Crimson Knight, now comes the Silver Knight. Moreover, his Gifts are Spatial-type and Body Enhancement-type. He’s similar to the Crimson Knight, but the Spatial-type is unconfirmed. There’s also talk that they are different people. So, I want to ask you. What do you think after watching this footage?”
The footage the superior played was video taken by people at the scene. It showed the Silver Knight’s appearance and fight scenes.
“I was tracking the target with my Marking, and it’s certain he was near the scene. However, I don’t know if he is the Silver Knight. My opinion is that I cannot determine it even from this footage.”
“I concur. I was monitoring the target via satellite camera and confirmed he fled into the store, but there was no evidence that he is identical to the Silver Knight.”
“I have undergone combat training with the surveillance target, but he’s only slightly more athletic and capable in combat than an average student; I believe he is far from being the Crimson Knight or the Silver Knight.”
“I see… Understood. For now, continue your surveillance. I’ll have other people look into this.”
The video call ended, and as the lights returned to the dark room, the three of them, looking suddenly exhausted, let out a deep sigh.
“Fuuu… To think an incident would happen on a day like this.”
“Seriously! And what’s the deal with this Silver Knight!”
“I’d like to know that myself. What in the world is going on…”
Masafumi clutched his head, while Manami shrieked. And Momoko, who had narrowly escaped punishment, was completely drained and pale.