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Chapter 256 – Even If It’s Called Fate
“It seems you’ve made quite a mess of things, Your Imperial Highness.”
I stand facing Harukamiya Hayato in the prime minister’s office, which now has a huge hole in the wall.
His pure white military uniform is stained red with Tozaki’s blood.
Despite his features being as well-defined as those of an ancient Greek statue, he somehow looks fitting in that state.
I am reminded of the legend of Siegfried.
According to the legend, the hero Siegfried became immortal after being bathed in the dragon’s blood.
There’s no way Hayato could become immortal by being bathed in Tozaki’s blood, but his current state seems to be his true form.
Besides, the prime minister, who stands at the pinnacle of national power, is like the head of the leviathan and could be considered a dragon in the broadest sense.
“Yuto…san…”
Haruka-san’s whisper could be heard from behind.
Harukamiya Hayato said with a fierce smile.
“You’re quick, Kurashiki. How did you figure out what was going on?”
“I have no idea,”
I replied vaguely. Of course, I had a trick up my sleeve.
Kiriko Kandori had transformed her body into a dungeon and was automatically leveling up by having tiny monsters explore it.
No matter how efficient it was, I couldn’t imagine trying it on my own body. However, the idea of using tiny monsters was interesting.
I don’t have monsters as small as slime macrophages in my repertoire, but I can easily create monsters the size of bees using the dungeon’s functions.
Plus, I have the Demon King’s Subordinate Control ability.
By placing small monsters, I can share their five senses for a short time.
I sent Small Hornets to the official residence mainly to keep an eye on Haruka-san rather than Tozaki.
Since I don’t constantly monitor the situation, it was fortunate that the timing of the regular sense-sharing and the attack by Harukamiya Hayato coincided.
However, that luck was thanks to a skill I recently acquired: Bug Premonition, so it wasn���t entirely by chance.
“Release Tozaki!”
Tozaki was stabbed in the back with a military sword and is in a state where it’s a miracle he’s still alive.
He’s only alive because Harukamiya Hayato is healing him with magic.
“Well, what should I do?”
“Just so you know, taking him hostage was the worst possible choice. I don’t care if he dies.”
Looking to the future, it would be better to let Tozaki live so he can testify. But if you ask me if I’m willing to accept the demands of this worthless imperial family, the answer is a resounding no.
“If I release him, you’re just going to run away like before, aren’t you? In that case, you know what will happen to the elf woman behind you, right?”
“You’ve really settled into the role of the villain. I don’t understand you. You were born into such a privileged life, and now you’re throwing it all away for this.”
“Privileged life? What do you know!”
“I don’t know anything. All I know is that you did something you shouldn’t have. Even an elementary school kid knows that.”
“There’s nothing I shouldn’t do in this world. I’ll show you what I’m capable of.”
No sooner had he said that than Harukamiwa Hayato swung his military sword vertically.
Tozaki’s abdomen was cut from his stomach to his head along his spine.
“Prime Minister Tozaki!”
Haruka-san screamed.
As if to cover it up, Harukamiya Hayato kicked Tozaki’s dead body toward me.
I caught it with an invisible, magical hand.
“I knew you’d do that.”
I took an item out of my Item Box.
It was Phoenix Tears, which I had obtained in abundance in the S-rank Post-Collapse Okutama Lake Dungeon job world.
Its effect was to revive the dead during combat.
I used Phoenix Tears on Tozaki.
His body, split in two from the waist up, began to fuse back together in slow motion.
Without waiting for the healing process to finish, I used my magic hands to place Tozaki’s body on the sofa behind Haruka-san.
“Hey, you’ve got a resurrection item too? But is that guy even worth bringing back to life?”
“If no one can testify who killed him, I could be framed.”
It’s hard to say which is more credible: that Harukamiya Hayato killed the prime minister or that the Summoner did.
Well, if Haruka-san is a witness, I think it’ll be fine.
The value of the resurrection item isn’t really a problem for me right now.
I can use resurrection magic.
However, it requires a long casting time, so I couldn’t use it in this situation.
I also have over a hundred Phoenix Tears in stock.
“That’s the spirit, Yuto Kurashiki. I feel a sense of fate with you.”
“Fate?”
“Did you know that you and I are the same age? We were both born in the same year. One of us was born into an ordinary, middle-class family, while the other is a member of this country’s imperial family.”
“So what? There are plenty of people our age.”
“Thanks to the Detailed Appraisal you gave me, I found something interesting. I looked back at the log from when you escaped the other day. You used your unique skill to escape my Fight skill, didn’t you? The name of that skill is Escape.”
Ah, I see.
There was definitely a risk of being discovered that way.
I also noticed Tozaki’s Change of Strategy from Yamato’s status log:
Fight and Escape. In English, it’s fight or flight. When humans are in extreme situations, their limbic system activates, and they prepare for the ultimate choice: danger or survival. The options are to fight or escape.
That’s just showing off your knowledge.
“Come on, stick with me a little longer. Let’s talk about your favorite role-playing games. In the world of RPGs, you’re always faced with the choice of fighting or escaping. A monster appears! Your options are ‘fight’ or ‘escape.’ The similarity between neuroscience and video games is no coincidence. It just goes to show how much those two choices appeal to human instinct.”
“…So?”
“Tozaki’s Change of Strategy is also pretty good. Fight, escape, strategy. But strategy is for fighting. You don’t need a strategy to escape. I don’t know if there’s a strategy for escaping. In that sense, Change of Strategy is just a supplementary function for fighting. In other words, it’s unnecessary. Tozaki is just that kind of person—he’s nothing more than a supporting character to make the fight between us more exciting.”
“Are you done? It looks like this place is about to be surrounded.”
“Huh? Oh, this is annoying.”
Blue grid lines burst from Harukamiya Hayato’s body.
It looks like Haruka-san and Tozaki have been caught up in it.
The presence of the people who had been approaching the office suddenly vanished.
“So Fight also has the effect of rejecting the intervention of outsiders.”
It wasn’t just a turn-based skill.
“If your allies come, it will be considered that you called them, and they will be able to participate in the battle. It seems that the people outside are not counted as your allies.”
They were ECRT members.
Todou, the leader, had me in his sights.
Tozaki’s strategy was lifted when we first met, but Todou never wavered in his determination to capture me.
This means that if Serika comes to my aid, she can join the battle. However, I have no intention of calling her here.
“Kurashiki. Do you really have anyone you can call a true ally? There are only a handful of people in this world with power as exceptional as yours. No, I’m sure it’s just you and me. You and I are destined to be together.”
“Don’t say such disgusting things.”
I refrained from responding because there was no point. However, his words were too disgusting to ignore.
“Don’t be so cold, Kurashiki. You were born into an ordinary family that symbolizes this country’s mediocrity, while I was destined to become a member of the imperial family, this nation’s symbol. Our unique skills are Fight and Escape. We’re the same age, and our names, Hayato and Yuto, are almost identical. It’s impossible not to be aware of our fate. I believe you can fulfill the dream I couldn’t achieve in another world.”
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