Chapter 57: Injured people, sick people, injured people, sick people, injured people, injured people, sick people

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Translator: Soafp

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The imperial capital of the Belhart Empire has good public order.

That is because several hundred heroes and their disciples patrol the capital day and night.

However, that doesn't mean crime doesn't exist.

“Prepare a getaway horse!! If you don't, we'll kill the hostage!!”

“S-someone, help!!”

A gang of robbers had attacked one of the empire's most famous jewelry stores, taken several customers hostage, and barricaded themselves inside.

Several heroes and their disciples rushed to the scene after receiving the report, but with hostages involved, they couldn't act recklessly.

Time ticked by, second by second.

They tried negotiating to free the hostages, but the robbers showed no sign of cooperating.

“At this rate, the criminals might lose patience and do something to the hostages…”

“Should we accept their demands for now?”

“You think they'll honestly release the hostages once we give them the horses? They'll just take them along.”

The heroes discussed their options, but there was no time.

“The ‘Hawkeye Hero' already has a sniper position ready. Should we storm the place?”

“…There's more than one hostage. If they panic and start a massacre, it'll be a disaster.”

“But if we do nothing, we're just wasting time. We don't know when they'll kill a hostage as a warning.”

“Damn it, what do we do…?”

That was when it happened.

“How long are you gonna make us wait!! You bastards think you can mess with us, the ‘Starving Wolf Gang'!? F-fine then, we'll make an example out of one—”

“W-wait!! Don't do anything rash!!”

“Shut up!! There are still plenty of hostages left! Killing one or two won't be a problem, right!?”

The knife in the criminal's hand bit into the hostage's neck, and vivid red blood ran along the blade.

A drop of that blood fell to the ground.

“…I smell it.”

In the next instant, all the heroes at the scene assumed combat stances.

Not toward the robbers.

Toward a mysterious presence that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, triggering instinctive fear.

“…The smell of blood.”

“W-who are you!?”

One of the heroes shouted.

Standing there without a sound was a mysterious man, crimson-bronze magical power bursting from his entire body.

The sheer density and quantity of that magic warped and twisted the air, making it impossible to properly recognize his face.

It was as if a crimson-bronze shadow was flickering.

The man ignored the hero's question and quietly approached the jewelry store where the robbers were holed up.

“Hey!! It's dangerous, step ba—ck…”

When one of the hero's disciples hurriedly tried to stop him, he was struck by the man's overwhelming magical pressure and fainted while still standing.

Even the battle-hardened heroes could barely maintain consciousness under that oppressive presence.

“…I smell it… I smell it… the smell of blood…”

“S-stop!! Who are you!? If you come any closer, we'll attack!!”

“…The smell of blood… injured people… I have to heal them…”

“Huh? Heal wha—”

The moment a hero tilted his head at the clearly deranged muttering—

The man kicked through the jewelry store's window and charged inside.

A beat later, screams of utter chaos erupted from within the store.

“Gyaah!?”

“What the hell—guwah!?”

“W-wait!! I surrender!! Please, don't be vio—”

“Do you suffer from any illness?”

“H-huh? Y-yeah, I do—gyah!?”

Eventually, the store fell silent.

The man staggered out, then walked away.

When the heroes finally entered the store, they saw—

“T-this is…”

“…How do we report this?”

“We can only report it as it is.”

The robbers had been stripped naked, hung upside down, and left with placards reading “We're sorry.”

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…My head isn't working properly.

I don't usually think very deeply to begin with, but right now it feels like my thoughts and actions are directly connected.

“Injured people… sick people… injured people… sick people… injured people… injured people… sick people…”

I sprint through the streets of the imperial capital at full speed.

Whenever I spot someone who's sick or injured, I lightly touch them and cast healing magic.

Over and over again.

Maybe because I'm moving so fast, no one notices me at all.

…This is fun.

The thought that people are becoming healthy one after another by my own hands fills me with an indescribable happiness and sense of accomplishment, making me uncontrollably excited.

“…You there. Stop.”

Just as I entered an alley in search of more injured and sick people, a voice suddenly called out from behind me.

I turned around to see a ninja with fox ears and a tail.

Judging by the voice, probably a girl.

“…Who…?”

“That magical wavelength… no mistake. I finally found you!!”

“…Not injured… not sick either…”

If she's neither injured nor sick, I have no business here.

“…Injured people… sick people… I have to find them…”

“H-hey!! I told you to stop!!”

“…Sick people… injured people…”

“W-wait!! Stop!! H-hey!! Why won't you stop!? Damn it, you're way too fast!!”

I dash off again, healing people all over the capital as I run.

The mysterious woman keeps chasing after me.

“You're the one pretending to be the Black King, aren't you!! Come with me at once—hey, seriously, stop!! Listen to me!!”

“…Black… King?”

“F-finally stopped!! Huff, huff… don't make this so difficult!!”

The Black King.

I feel like I heard that recently, but my head won't work well enough to remember.

But I do know one thing.

The fox kunoichi in front of me is the kind of person who blurts out painfully cringey words in public without any shame—a full-blown chuunibyou.

“…Siiiiick peeeerson founddddd!!”

“Pyaa!?”

I rush up to the fox kunoichi and grab her head.

Using mental magic, I interfere with her thoughts so she'll start feeling embarrassed about her chuunibyou-like behavior.

It's mental magic I've been practicing for a long time.

“U-uh, w-what did you do?”

“…Didn't… work…?”

“I-I don't really get it, but you're coming with me!!”

“…Immature… I'm… still immature…!!”

“!?”

I slam my head into the ground right there.

Again and again, repeatedly smashing my head into the pavement until blood pours out.

Gradually, my thinking clears up.

“…What am I even doing?”

The fox kunoichi, worried by my sudden self-harm, calls out to me.

“H-h-hey, are you okay?”

“Ah, yeah. Looks like the princess's stalker maid slipped me something.”

“Stalker—huh, what?”

“Never mind.”

“I-is that so? If you've got worries, I can listen a little, you know?”

“No thanks. Well then, I'll be going.”

“H-hey!! W-wait!! I still have something to—”

I dash off from the spot.

…The fox kunoichi seemed like she wanted to say something, but what was it?

Well, whatever.

More importantly, I need to prepare for my date with Victoria tomorrow.

Something I learned later.

Because I was releasing all the magic I had from my entire body, I apparently looked like a flickering shadow to those around me.

Since I was running all over the capital in that state, it caused a huge uproar about a new type of monster appearing in the city.

They named it “Red Bronze.”

Apparently because my magic is crimson-bronze in color.

…Well, unless you're leaking a ridiculous amount of magic, it's not even visible, and I don't usually leak that much, so I'm safe, right?

More importantly—“Mysterious Heal man,” “No-Face,” “No-Name,” and now “Red Bronze”…

Lately, I've got way too many nicknames, and it's becoming a problem.