Chapter 57

Shuu calmly dealt with Azuka, who was attacking him.

(Well, I can't kill him.)

He had enough sense for that.

Killing him wouldn't be a problem for Shuu, but the issue was that they were in the middle of the imperial capital, Aldar. It was a city protected by law. If he killed someone here, it would make things difficult for him.

So, he unfolded a small magic array for vibration magic on his palm and read Azuka's movements. Azuka was angry and underestimated Shuu as a civilian, making his movements easy to predict.

Azuka, who had transformed into a lion beastman using a transformation-type magic armor, tried to slash Shuu with his sharp claws. However, Shuu jumped into his guard and struck him with a palm strike, causing his brain to shake from the vibration.

Since the magic array was floating on his palm, no one in the city noticed that magic had been activated.

"Wh...at?"

"One hit didn't knock you out? You're tough."

"Shit... what are you..."

"Follow the rules, idiot."

"Ugh..."

Azuka finally lost consciousness after the second hit.

Shuu had secretly drained his magic power with a death magic spell, but no one seemed to have noticed. The shock of an S-rank magic armor user losing in an instant was so great that no one noticed.

"It's nothing much."

"You're comparing yourself to the wrong person."

"Let's eat quickly."

Shuu and Iris then entered a fish restaurant.

Amidst the small murmur of the crowd.

◆◆◆

"Huh!"

Azuka sat up abruptly from his bed.

He looked around to understand the situation. He realized he was in a military infirmary.

"Flap-sama, you're awake."

A medical officer in the infirmary spoke to him and handed him a glass of water. Azuka, unable to recall the situation, took the glass and drank the water.

His brain was still confused from the shaking.

"I remember... I was..."

He had set out to slay a giant at the emperor's command. As a disaster-level monster, an S-rank magic armor user was dispatched.

The giant was a monster with strong physical attacks, but Azuka countered with his beast transformation magic armor, which dramatically enhanced his physical abilities. Naturally, Azuka won the battle.

"That's right... I was!"

Upon returning to the imperial capital, Aldar, Azuka confronted Shuu in front of a fish restaurant. From there, he had no memory. Judging from the situation, he must have been knocked out.

By whom?

It had to be Shuu.

He had distinctive long black hair and black eyes, a face that didn't seem to belong to the Western Slada continent.

"Damn bastard!"

Azuka jumped out of bed and tried to leave the infirmary.

The medical officer immediately stopped him.

"Flap-sama, please stop. Take a rest today. At least check if there's anything wrong with your brain..."

"What? Is there something wrong with my brain? Are you calling me an idiot!?"

"No, that's not what I meant..."

Indeed, Azuka was an idiot.

He was an S-rank magic armor user and the leader of the Beast King Legion, but he was fatally stupid.

The medical officer couldn't stop him. He was very troubled.

But then, help arrived.

"You're being noisy, Azuka."

The door to the infirmary opened, and a young man with narrow eyes entered.

Azuka, recognizing his face, roared.

"You! Ryou!"

Ryou Fermar, the 'Thunder Emperor.' That was the name of the young man who had appeared.

He was also an S-rank magic armor user and the leader of the Thunder Emperor Legion, making him Azuka's colleague. Ryou could stop Azuka.

"Azuka, you're supposed to rest today. Our superior ordered us to monitor you because you were causing trouble. So, please rest."

"Shut up!"

"Be quiet."

Ryou touched Azuka with his lightning manipulation magic armor. Azuka's nerves were paralyzed, and he fell to the floor, unable to move. His tongue was also numb, and he couldn't speak properly.

(Ryou, you bastard...)

"I understand what you want to say, but this is an order. Besides, this is also a punishment for abandoning your mission and trying to harm civilians."

Ryou picked up Azuka.

Since he had regained consciousness, it would be fine to let him rest in his room.

"Excuse me."

"Ah, yes..."

Ryou, with his narrow eyes even narrower, carried Azuka and opened the infirmary door. To Ryou, Azuka was a troublesome junior, and he considered it his job to clean up after his mess.

After leaving the room, Ryou walked down the military corridor toward Azuka's bedroom.

He still had work to do after putting Azuka to bed.

(Still...)

Ryou thought as he walked.

(Even though he was exhausted from the mission, to incapacitate Azuka in an instant... I wonder who he is.)

◆◆◆

The morning after the incident.

Azuka was sitting up in his bed.

"..."

He moved his limbs and clenched and unclenched his fingers.

The magic from Ryou's magic armor had worn off, and he was no longer numb. He hadn't eaten anything since yesterday, so he was hungry and his magic power hadn't recovered.

"Damn..."

He didn't hold a grudge against Ryou for this.

Calmly thinking, it was his own fault for causing a disturbance in the infirmary. However, he didn't regret attacking Shuu at all.

"That bastard... If I had my magic power! That guy!"

His magic power was significantly drained from the giant slaying mission. Even an S-rank magic armor user would use a lot of magic power against a disaster-level monster. He needed to eat well and rest to recover.

He would eat now to recover his magic power.

"I'll knock that bastard out..."

Azuka was burning with anger, his pride wounded.

◆◆◆

On the second day in the capital.

Shuu and Iris were walking through the city for sightseeing. Basically, their sightseeing involved walking around the city and entering any store they liked.

Incidentally, both of them had a large capacity for magic power, so they could convert any amount of food into magic power. If they saw a store with delicious food, they would enter it without hesitation.

"Let's go to that store next."

"It's a pastry shop!"

"Rumor has it that their citrus-flavored, refreshing cake is delicious."

The two were thoroughly enjoying their time in the imperial capital, Aldar, even on the second day.

The capital, known as the best city in the world, was a cutting-edge place. Everything was fun and exciting.

"Still, it's crowded."

"Indeed."

"That's the nature of a city, I guess."

The capital was said to have a population of ten million. Everywhere was crowded with people. You would almost always have to wait in line to enter a store.

Honestly, it was troublesome to keep an eye on Iris, who was directionally challenged, so that she wouldn't get lost. Therefore, the two walked while holding hands, which made Iris happy.

"Shuu-san."

"What is it?"

"I just wanted to call you."

"Don't call me if you have nothing to say."

"You don't understand women, do you?"

This kind of banter was routine.

In such a crowd, Shuu also had to be wary of pickpockets. He had a significant amount of money in the bank and some stored with a shadow spirit, but he still carried a considerable amount of cash, which would normally require vigilance against theft.

However, the capital, Aldar, had excellent security.

Because people were wealthy, no one thought about stealing. Even if they weren't completely satisfied, as long as they had food, clothing, and shelter, the idea of stealing didn't arise. Especially with the education that stealing was wrong, people rarely resorted to theft unless their lives were in danger.

Therefore, they could have a relaxed conversation without worry.

"By the way, Iris."

"What is it?"

"Should we look for a job?"

"A job? You have that, don't you?"

Iris was referring to his work as a 'Reaper.'

He had already picked out a few black cat bars in the capital, Aldar, where he could find work if needed. In such a large city, there would be assassination jobs available, even with good security.

"Not that kind of job. I mean, should we look for a proper job where we can hold our heads high? It would be suspicious if someone who seems to do nothing suddenly has money coming from nowhere."

"Indeed."

"That's why I thought we should look for a regular job somewhere."

"But can we find one easily?"

"Yes, we can find one easily."

Shuu pointed to a poster on the wall of the store they were in line for. It read in the civil script commonly used in the Subarokia Empire: "Part-time workers wanted. Details from the staff."

"See?"

"Really?"

This kind of poster could be found everywhere. Iris hadn't noticed, but Shuu had been checking for such things.

"After we enjoy ourselves today, let's look for a job tomorrow."

"Okay."

Even if it wasn't a part-time job, there were suitable jobs for Shuu and Iris. For example, a magic instructor. In the empire, which actively educated people in magic and magic armor, this was a high-demand job.

Iris, with Shuu's assistance, had even activated the tactical-level magic "Heartless Void." She was an expert in wind magic, and Shuu, who could use spells up to the divine curse level, was even more skilled.

"It's almost our turn. Have you decided what to order?"

"Of course. I'll have the fruit cake with orange cream."

"Ah, that one."

Shuu was also going to order the same thing, so he decided to choose a different cake. As he observed the store's display case to decide which one, the back of the store became a bit noisy.

Shuu and Iris turned around to see what was happening.

There stood a person in the official uniform of the Subarokia Empire military. Shuu and Iris both recognized him.

(That's...)

His face was still fresh in their memory.

It was Azuka Flap, the magic armor user who had confronted and attacked Shuu yesterday. Known as the 'Beast King.'

"Hey! You, fight me!"

"Huh...?"

The area around them froze.