— — — — — —
A massive, pure-white, translucent hand gripped Ryo like a figurine and lifted him into the air.
It was a Familiar, a white humanoid-like familiar. But where its head should have been was a crystal of clear, azure blue. Inside that crystal was a small girl with long deep-blue hair, dressed in a simple robe. She was curled up inside, her face completely expressionless.
A familiar pairing. A Familiar and Homunculus.
Seeing it, Ryo couldn't help but sigh.
In the original story, something very similar had happened.
Back then, to reclaim the saint's remains, a Western European priest had brought the homunculus Astarte to the island in an attempt to seize them.
Naturally, the plan failed thanks to the protagonist's efforts.
Astarte herself ended up being taken in by Natsuki and became her maid.
Ryo had thought this scene would never play out again.
After all, the Dawn Empire had already been established, and he, the Fourth Primogenitor who had carved territory straight out of Japan, clearly wasn't someone to mess with. If the Western European Church wanted the remains back, they should have tried something more roundabout.
Turns out, the Church itself might play nice. Fanatics were another story.
Just then, Rudolf came tumbling into the lobby from the outer corridor.
Golden short hair, blood-stained armor, a towering build. He rolled across the floor and scrambled up, cursing wildly.
"Damn it. The intel was wrong. The underground security unit's weapons aren't anything like what I was told."
Then he spotted Ryo in Astarte's grip. He froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"Well done, Astarte!"
"Keep holding him. Don't kill him yet."
"Command accepted."
Astarte's voice came from within the crystal, flat and emotionless. Still holding Ryo, she slowly guided the white giant to its feet.
At the same time, beams of infrared light swept in from outside, crawling over Rudolf and Astarte, dotting their bodies with countless red points.
Rudolf's face went dark.
"Damn you, Asagi. Damn the Tech Development Bureau. They actually cracked American restrictions. And the moment they confirmed I'm human, they didn't hesitate to use them."
Dum-dum rounds, also known as expanding bullets, were weapons designed purely to kill. Utterly inhumane.
Just imagining the bullets hitting him and detonating inside his body, tearing him into pieces, made Rudolf's stomach churn.
One by one, security officers appeared beyond the doorway. They were armed to the teeth, wearing enchanted body armor and gas masks, their weapons trained squarely on Rudolf.
Seeing this, Rudolf glanced at Ryo and screamed in a shrill voice,
"Don't come any closer! One more step and I'll kill him!"
Ryo let out a short laugh.
A hostage standoff straight out of a crime drama. Seeing it happen in real life was oddly amusing.
What was next? Rudolf yelling for money and a car, then swaggering off with his hostage while the security forces staged a dramatic pursuit?
Given the setting, being a hostage might even be exciting.
Should he start crying and shout, "Please, save me"?
Before Ryo could decide, the lead security officer turned his head and looked at him calmly.
"Sir, the Empire will be grateful for your sacrifice."
Ryo's expression instantly froze.
The officer turned back to Rudolf and said evenly, "The Empire does not negotiate with terrorists."
"Fuck!" x2
Both Ryo and Rudolf cursed at the same time.
Then, almost in unison, they shouted, "Kill him, Astarte!"
Rudolf froze and turned his head, staring at the giant beast and at Ryo in its grasp.
"Command accepted."
A faint glimmer flickered in Astarte's eyes inside the crystal. The giant's massive hand shot out and grabbed Rudolf with lightning speed.
"Astarte?" Rudolf's eyes went wide in disbelief.
The next moment, the giant loosened its grip. Ryo dropped to the floor and casually rolled his neck.
"Boring."
He glanced at Rudolf, then turned to the security team, his face unreadable.
"Who trained you? Natsuki Minamiya?"
The officers exchanged looks.
"Answer me."
Ryo frowned slightly, clearly displeased.
The security team still didn't respond. None of them lowered their weapons.
Then Natsuki suddenly appeared at his side, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"Now you know what happens when you dump all the work on someone else."
After taking a jab at Ryo, she turned to the security team.
"All right. Answer His Majesty's question."
The officers stirred for a second or two. Then one of them, clearly the leader, snapped to attention and reported, "Instructor Misaki Sasasaki, the Wizard of the Four Fists."
After reporting, he looked at Ryo nervously, clearly afraid that this elusive king might take issue with their instructor.
But then, a smile appeared on Ryo's face, which until now had shown no emotion at all.
"Well done. You didn't embarrass me."
The officers immediately relaxed. The leader saluted again.
"Thank you for the praise, Your Majesty. We'll continue to work hard."
"I'll take care of this intruder myself. You're dismissed. Return to your posts and continue defending the underground facilities," Ryo said with a nod and a smile.
"Yes, sir!"
Once the security team had dispersed, Ryo's expression dropped.
"What's wrong with Misaki Sasasaki? Who taught them to do Russian-style rescues?"
"Isn't that a good thing?" Natsuki replied.
"Not at all," Ryo muttered. "No fun at all. Seriously."
He then turned and looked at Rudolf, still held fast.
"A Western European priest?"
"Add a 'former,'" Natsuki cut in. "He's already been listed as a fugitive by the Western European Church."
"At least they're being honest," Ryo said with a short laugh, then glanced at Astarte.
A soft golden light lit up in her eyes.
"This charm ability shouldn't exist," Natsuki muttered.
Held like a doll in the giant's hand, Rudolf stared down at Ryo in silence for a moment, then asked, "The Fourth Primogenitor?"
"Everyone calls me that." Ryo nodded slightly.
Rudolf was quiet for a few seconds, then gave a bitter smile, "Kill me."
"You want the saint's remains?" Ryo raised an eyebrow.
"Yes," Rudolf admitted it outright.
Facing the Fourth Primogenitor, he didn't believe survival was even an option.
Ryo looked at him, the corner of his mouth lifting. "I can give the remains back."
"On what terms?" Rudolf asked cautiously.
In the adult world, there was no mercy. Only deals.
Ryo pointed at the charmed Astarte, then at Rudolf.
"Her. And you. I need both of you to cooperate with me on an experiment."
"Deal."
Rudolf answered without the slightest hesitation.
.
.
.