Chapter 83

"Is it okay to consider it resolved?"

"It should be fine, right? Well, we didn't do anything, did we..."

"No, Crow did a great job. I really didn't do anything..."

A report came to Kurenai from her subordinates that the enemy forces had been destroyed and Lisa-senpai had been rescued, and the situation had been peacefully resolved. Then, we received a call from Near and Shiro, and upon hearing about everyone's great performance, I felt a bit dejected. We had been so cautious about the magician Jazpa, who had come in alone, that in the end, Crow and I, who were supposed to be the main forces, were effectively used as decoys. We were completely manipulated...

"...But thinking about it, this guy might be quite exceptional."

"Indeed, he achieved the best possible outcome as a decoy."

While looking at Jazpa, who was tied up on the floor with ropes, Crow and I communicated through spirit threads.

The plan is to hand over all the perpetrators of this incident to the police, but the main culprits, Toujou and Nikeru, have such clean records that they might receive lighter sentences than their actual crimes warrant. Moreover, the mastermind, Hirahai, has a clean record and the financial and social connections to potentially avoid being charged at all. It seems that all of them have clearly falsified their records, but there is a possibility that they will only receive light sentences.

Still, Kurenai said she would ensure they receive appropriate punishment, but Jazpa was a different case.

"Toujou and Nikeru have evidence of being armed with guns and explosives, but this guy just came to play cards, so officially, he didn't do anything wrong."

"He had suspicious items and drugs hidden in his clothes and mouth, but they don't seem to be strictly illegal. If he planned this knowing the flow of events, he must be quite a schemer."

In the end, Kurenai judged that she couldn't give Jazpa an appropriate punishment, so she left it to me to decide. According to Kurenai, Jazpa is so devoted to me that he would happily carry out any life-risking orders to become my disciple. It might be a sign of trust, but I don't want to be given such a big responsibility as a high school student...

"Anyway, I have some questions for you."

"Please command me, Master!"

First, I have no intention of becoming a master, but I ignored it and continued.

"What kind of bad things have you done so far? Did you kill anyone, for example?"

"I'm not good at direct combat, so I haven't killed anyone directly."

"Directly?"

"Yes, to be specific..."

I made him confess his past misdeeds to decide his punishment, but they far exceeded my imagination. For example, he had destroyed an organization that was a source of funds for an enemy country at the request of a certain country, stolen all the funds of a politician who got in the way, and sold the pursuers to a human trafficking organization. Although he didn't directly take any lives, the number of people who suffered indirectly is incalculable. It's like a story from a dark crime manga or anime.

"Does Crow think the story you just told is true?"

"Observing with 'Pseudo-Perception,' it all seems to be true. Incidentally, it also seems true that he is abnormally devoted to you and will do anything to become your disciple, as Kurenai said."

"Just doing my job, but why did such a dangerous person like me become so popular..."

According to Crow, Jazpa's dark past is all true. He was even more dangerous than I imagined. However, most of the victims were people who committed crimes themselves, so it's not entirely clear that he is completely evil. If I order him to confess and turn himself in, he might actually do it, but Jazpa said he has thoroughly erased all evidence of his past crimes, making it difficult to prove.

Deciding his punishment is more troublesome than I thought...

"...Alright! I've decided!"

"Master, what have you decided? If there's anything I can help with, please let me know!"

"First, no calling me Master. I haven't decided to make you my disciple."

"What...!?"

"Also, find the people you've troubled and make appropriate amends. You don't need to make amends to vicious criminals who take lives, but you must make amends to everyone else."

"Will doing that allow me to learn the real magic you showed earlier?"

"...I'll think about it."

"I see, I need to earn Kurenai-sama's trust first. I will carry out this task perfectly!"

"Also, no more criminal activities in the future, of course."

"Um, can I follow the laws of the country I'm in?"

"Laws... It's a tough call. If you follow the laws of the countries you go to, I don't think you'll be able to do anything major, but you might find loopholes."

"Basically, as long as you follow the laws of the country, but if it's not illegal but morally wrong, it's forbidden. When you finish making amends, explain the content to me, and try to act in a way that I can accept."

"I see... Understood. I will complete this mission perfectly!"

He muttered that he needed to learn the laws of various countries and Japanese moral values, so he seemed motivated.

"Let's release him quickly. His eyes are scary."

"Agreed. He might not be dangerous, but there's a mysterious madness in him. It's better to keep our distance."

We immediately reported Jazpa's punishment to Kurenai and decided to release him. Some subordinates were not convinced, but Kurenai, understanding Jazpa's mad devotion, helped persuade them. I'm grateful.

"So, don't come back until you've finished making amends."

"Understood! Kurenai-sama, I know this is a rude request, but can I see the real magic one more time before I leave?"

"Real magic, huh."

It's actually not magic but Crow's ability, but I didn't bother to correct him. Since Kurenai and the subordinates weren't around, and to keep Jazpa motivated, I decided to show him a little.

"Is this good enough?"

"Wow!!! You can do such things!"

I created a barrier the size of a playing card and made the pattern of the King of Spades appear on its surface. Thanks to daily training, the barrier can take various shapes. When Ur is nearby, the barrier becomes thick and strong, but when I'm alone, I can create delicate patterns like this.

"I will definitely become Kurenai-sama's disciple and learn real magic! I will finish making amends and contact you as soon as possible!"

"Ah, no, take your time with the amends."

"Then, I will be off! Thank you!"

Jazpa left with determination.

"Ah, I didn't give him my contact information or address. How does he plan to contact me when he finishes making amends?"

"Well, it should be fine. From his attitude, he will surely carry out the amends properly. Besides, if this is the end of our relationship, that's fine too."

"True, that makes sense."

While chatting with Crow, Dies and Soji returned after finishing the aftermath. Lisa-senpai seemed to be safe.

"Kurenai-kun, I heard from your mother and Dies that you did a great job. You gave Dies and the others accurate advice and defeated one of the main culprits in this incident. Thank you very much."

"I also want to thank you again. Thank you for helping rescue my daughter."

"No, I didn't do much, so please don't bow."

Bowing to Lisa-senpai and Kurenai made me feel even more guilty. I really didn't do anything. Soji also looked at me with sparkling eyes, but I couldn't meet his gaze. I really didn't do anything! I'm sorry!

"I will definitely repay this debt. If anything happens, please don't hesitate to ask."

Dies also thanked me in a voice that only I could hear. When I learned to use my abilities and martial arts from Dies, I thought he was a monster. Even though my raw strength is stronger due to divine enhancement and my 'Enhancement' output is higher due to the influence of the Miracle Power, I never won during training. I realized that I was quite careless when I saved Shizukana. I'll use this favor from Dies carefully. I didn't do anything, but I decided to give him the substitute talisman I had given him.

"Kurenai-san, thank you so much for the 'Substitute Talisman.' I would have died without it."

"You don't need to return the remaining ones. I'll give you more, so give them to Shizukana and Akari too."

When Soji tried to return the remaining substitute talismans, I decided to give them to him, just like I did with Dies. I also gave him 10 more that I had.

"Really!? I don't know much about Yin-Yang techniques, but this must be really dangerous, right?"

"Don't worry. I have plenty, so it's no problem."

Soji thanked me again, but I felt guilty. If he is targeted by an ability organization, I should have given them to him earlier. But, is it okay to give substitute talismans so casually? I'm getting worried. Maybe I should ask the chairman's father later.

"Rin, you did a great job!"

"Kakaka!"

While talking to Soji, Rin and Shiro ran over. I had heard from Dies about their performance. The base's structure was barely intact, but the internal passages were almost collapsed, and the weapons and vehicles the enemies had stored were crushed beyond recognition. Thanks to this, the reinforcement team that arrived at the scene was in chaos, but they managed to wrap up the story by saying it was all Dies's doing. I'm not sure if this is something to praise...

"Rin, you did a great job! The building didn't collapse!"

"Kakaka! Kakaka!"

"...Rin and Shiro, you both did a great job."

I said this while petting their heads. I couldn't help it; their sparkling eyes made it impossible to resist. Besides, I didn't do anything, so I couldn't say anything. I'll praise them as much as I can today.

"Master! Something's wrong with Near!"

"Wrong?"

While petting Rin and Shiro's heads, Ur flew over with Near, who was trembling. Was she scared or anxious? What's going on?

"Ma, Master... Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure, but it's unusual for Near to be so anxious. What's wrong?"

"Master, I received an email from Mother with a disturbing title, so I was shaken..."

"An email from Mother? Okay, show it to me."

I opened the email on Near's smartphone form and saw this:

From: Mother

Subject: I might divorce Father.

Body:

I'm sorry for contacting you suddenly while you're having a hard time in a new place.

But this is a very important matter, so I wanted to let you know.

As the subject suggests, I might divorce Father.

I found out that Father has a secret child, and we are currently in discussions.

Since this involves you, I would like to have a family meeting.

Can you come home soon?

If it's difficult, we can come to the house in Sapporo during our break.

...

What? Divorce?

Thank you all for your warm comments on "Thank you for the revival" and "One Piece spoilers... w" and so on. They have been a great encouragement to me!

Thank you very much m(_ _)m

I'm not a diligent person, so I can't reply to everyone, but I have read all of your comments carefully m(_ _)m

Thank you for your continued support! m(_ _)m