EP.116 How to Take Down a Criminal Organization (7)
"If it's not level 12... could you use that thing on me?"
"Use what?"
"The thing that makes you lighter."
She lowered her voice, probably worried someone might overhear.
She seemed to think that having reduced body weight would make it easier to move quickly from here on out.
It's true that reducing body weight does make it easier to move around.
Especially for me, since I use telekinesis too, it was even more convenient.
"I mean, I could do it, but would it be useful?"
"Wouldn't it be more convenient?"
"I don't know. Unless you're flying, it doesn't really help with jumping. Maybe it'll use less stamina? But that's probably not a meaningful difference for an awakened person."
"I want to try it once."
Being in an unfamiliar body state right before actual combat could cause problems.
But Ariane had already started being stubborn, constantly begging to try it, saying they could just stop if it felt too weird.
Finally unable to refuse her persistence, I reduced Ariane's weight by about 5kg.
Ariane tilted her head as if she couldn't really feel the change in her body weight, then started bouncing up and down in place.
"Hmm, it feels different but also doesn't... Whoa!!"
While bouncing in place, she must have used her magical power because her body suddenly jumped much higher than usual.
"Wow~ This feels amazing! It's totally different when I use magic to jump! It's not like it doesn't help at all. When I jump normally without magic it just feels a bit lighter, but when I use magic to jump, like this!"
Whoosh~!
Ariane's body soared up well above our heights before coming back down.
"It works like this!"
"That's fascinating."
"Could I try too?"
"I want to try too!"
After applying it to Shine and Baine who had seen Ariane's condition, they started making a fuss, twisting their bodies around saying they wanted to try moving.
Though I wasn't sure how much the weight control ability would help these kids in combat, I thought it wouldn't hurt to experiment with different methods.
While the kids were spending time like that before departure.
The knights and teachers had finished preparing to head toward enemy territory.
"We're departing!!"
Though their numbers had decreased from the start due to escorting criminals, each remaining person could be considered elite.
Seeing them surge forward together, it seemed they could annihilate an entire unit.
Our target was where the criminals who kidnapped Neirel were.
According to the criminals' confessions, they had originally planned to kidnap Neirel specifically.
'Getting targeted because of having useful abilities.'
Then, when the kidnapping succeeded more easily than expected, they got greedy and decided to kidnap additional children.
The main group had gone ahead to stay at a temporary shelter, and the rear group had planned to kidnap more children and join later, but communication was cut off when the academy imposed the lockdown.
'They said they contacted the main group right before the lockdown to say they'd secured two more children. If that's the case, they're probably waiting to rescue the rear group.'
The kidnappers were certain the main group wouldn't have left.
They said they wouldn't have abandoned the temporary shelter, if only to not waste the two children they'd kidnapped.
We thought this testimony seemed quite credible.
However, the longer we delayed, the more reason they would have to give up, so we needed to raid their base as quickly as possible.
⁂ ⁂ ⁂
"No."
Bang!
After another refusal today, the woman slammed her fist on the floor in frustration.
For an instant her fist turned to stone, leaving a dent in the floor, and I instinctively shrank back at the frightening sight.
"Scared, aren't you? You're scared."
"....."
"If you're so scared, why do you keep defying us?"
The woman tilted her head as she looked down at me.
Though she hadn't laid a hand on me yet, I was even more terrified not knowing when this woman might turn violent.
I wanted to run away, but with nowhere to escape to, all I could do was curl up into myself.
"If you keep this up, you won't get anything to eat. Aren't you hungry? There's delicious meat right in front of you, you know?"
"To eat this, I'd have to do what the bad men want. I won't do it."
"Look how tough you are, damn. So fucking tough. Who taught you to be like this?"
"......"
"You might act like this now, but in the end you'll have no choice but to do what we say. Being stubborn will only hurt you. Ptui!!"
The woman spat on the floor and used her fork to pick up some meat from the plate she was holding, then chomped down on it noisily.
"Ooh~ This is delicious! Well cooked."
I squeezed my eyes shut, not looking at the woman's back.
'I have to endure. I can't give in.'
What they want from me is something very bad.
Plant-type ability.
I can make any plant grow very quickly when I want to, and the bad men wanted me to use this plant-growing ability.
The problem is the identity of the plants they want grown.
'Those are bad plants.'
I learned about plants that shouldn't be grown from early education with my parents, and also learned about them in school classes.
The reason they kidnapped me must be to grow bad plants to do bad things.
I hadn't worked so hard to develop my ability just to be used for something like that.
"How long are we staying here? That little brat is starting to look down on us."
"Does that look like looking down on us? Seems more like they're trembling in fear of your ugly mug."
"You wanna die?"
"We're stuck here because of the lockdown. Once it's lifted, we'll go rescue them and return to base."
I perked up my ears to listen to what the bad people were saying and stored the information in my head.
I thought what I was hearing now might come in handy later.
"Let's just take that one! Wasn't that our original goal?"
"But we caught two more - you want to just abandon them? We've already reported it to headquarters. Just be patient a little longer. Even the Academy can't maintain a lockdown for more than a month."
They say everyone is frustrated - both those who can't enter the city and those who can't leave.
'It must be because of me.'
Learning that they were doing something to rescue me was reassuring, but I felt resentful towards those only investigating inside the city.
'I'm right here....'
What if I never get rescued?
I was scared.
"We don't even know if those guys are hiding well without getting caught. If we had just abandoned them when the lockdown started, we would have reached the base by now!"
"This place is comfortable enough, why are you being so temperamental?"
"I can't even touch that brat and I'm dying of boredom. I'm bored!"
So they just didn't want to stay here anymore because they were bored.
"Touch that kid and you're dead. You couldn't pay back that kid's ransom even if you worked your whole life."
"Tch! This sucks."
That woman was the one who brought me food.
She was always full of complaints.
She wasn't angry because I refused to eat - she was just always angry.
'The one who prevents me from using my ability is that quiet man over there.'
He was an ability-sealing awakened one.
I'd heard that people with abilities like that were treated very well, so I couldn't understand why he was part of a criminal organization.
'This must be why teacher said we need to be careful of criminal organizations.'
An awakened one's abilities are usually meant to be used against monsters.
But what happens when an awakened one's abilities are directed at people instead of monsters?
That's why the Academy doesn't like student-versus-student battles.
But these people didn't hesitate at all to use their abilities on other people.
'I want to go home. I'm scared.'
I was stubbornly refusing the bad people's demands, but I wasn't sure how long I could keep it up.
'I'm hungry, mom....'
I missed my family.
I missed my friend Hash too.
It's so cold here.
I desperately prayed for someone to come rescue me.
Though I'd been praying for days...
It seemed those prayers weren't reaching God.
"Not going to eat today either? Should I eat it?"
"W-wait... cough I'm hungry."
"Aha! Right? Don't you want some water too?"
"Y-yes, I want water."
"Hehe, but what should I do? I don't feel like giving you any."
Bang!
"Ah!"
"You bitch, didn't I tell you you couldn't pay back their worth in your lifetime?"
"You bastard!!! Why did you hit me!!!"
The atmosphere became hostile, like they might fight at any moment.
But that atmosphere disappeared as soon as a man appeared.
"Why is it so noisy in here?"
"The kid said they're hungry but she's taunting them saying she won't give them food."
"Get that woman out of here. Keep her away from the kid."
"Yes sir!"
The man who had been preventing me from using my ability seemed to be the leader of the kidnappers.
"Here's some water and porridge. You haven't eaten anything for a long time, so porridge will be easier on your stomach."
The man gave me food and water with a kind smile.
I knew I shouldn't eat it, but I couldn't bear my hunger any longer.
"That's right, eat up. Haha! Bring the seeds."
Sure enough, as soon as I took one spoonful, the man showed his true colors.
"Alright, stop."
"Ah! Aah...!"
I hadn't finished eating yet.
It was the first food I'd had in so long.
I'd barely eaten anything, and far from being satisfied, my stomach was screaming for more.
The man who brought the seeds held them out in front of me.
"Before you eat, you need to pay for your meal. Right, little miss?"
"......"
In the end, they wouldn't give me food unless I grew these seeds.
I should have eaten more, but the situation was too bad.
'Could I use those seeds to subdue this bad person?'
This might be my first and last chance to escape.
"Just from watching your eyes roll around, I can guess what our little miss is thinking. What should we do?"
"...Yes?"
"The moment you use your ability in any strange way, you should think about losing one foot."
"!!!!"
The man smirked and nodded to his subordinate.
The subordinate, as if he'd been waiting for this, drew his sword and forcefully grabbed my ankle.
"Missing one foot won't matter much for using your ability, right?"
It seemed I wouldn't even get to try before this chance disappeared.