Chapter 96
Epilogue (2)
Side: None
Somewhere in Tokyo.
One of the office buildings standing among many others was occupied by a clan that took up its top three floors.
'Earth'
The name meant earth, or the planet Earth. With seventy Espers and 120 non-Espers on staff, it boasted the largest scale in Japan.
It was highly unusual for so many Espers—said to occur only once in ten thousand people—to be gathered in a single organization.
That had only been possible because of its financial power and connections.
Built on a company that had grown rapidly in IT by riding the tide of the times, it was a monstrous clan with close ties to various influential people, primarily in the Kanto region.
Along with a movement to gather Espers from across Japan, centered on Tokyo, Earth continued to expand.
No Esper in Japan was unfamiliar with its name, and it was drawing attention overseas as well.
Most of the members were gathered in one of the three floors that made up the clan's facilities.
It was a buffet party, with chefs and staff brought in from a first-class hotel. Some members chatted with one another, some savored the food, and others quietly lingered along the walls.
In the midst of it all, there was one place where especially many people had gathered.
At the center stood a large man for whom the word 'golden' seemed most appropriate.
He was a handsome man with reddish-gold hair slicked back and a wine-red suit worn with perfect elegance. His muscular physique, visible even through his clothes, maintained what could be called an ideal golden ratio.
Many clan members had gathered around him with smiles on their faces.
"Representative Blitz! Thank you very much for inviting us to such a place today!"
"Not at all. You all work hard for us on a daily basis. If I did not reward you for that, what kind of clan leader would I be?"
"As expected of you, Master! We are incredibly fortunate to serve under someone as generous as you!"
"Ha-ha-ha! That is the greatest compliment you could give me. I shall continue to live up to your expectations."
Clan Master Blitz. Various emotions swirled in the eyes of the members looking at him.
Respect, jealousy, affection, ambition, lust, and worship.
Blitz's blue eyes, framed by silver lashes, surveyed them as though seeing through every one of their feelings.
Even so, he wore a smile that seemed to accept them all.
It was the expression of a strong man—or rather, a transcendent being—who possessed the composure to accept everything. It suited him almost too perfectly.
He took the emotions directed at a single individual—emotions far too heavy for any one person—as perfectly natural. His very presence evoked even more such feelings, and the whole thing had become a kind of religion.
An overwhelming charisma that no human being should have been capable of possessing radiated from Blitz.
"Master. It's almost time."
When his secretary whispered that in his ear, Blitz gave a small sigh.
"I'm sorry, everyone. I have to attend to a guest now. It's a shame to leave, but enjoy yourselves without me."
"What? You're leaving...?"
He turned a refreshing smile toward the female member who looked saddened.
"Now, now. If the discussion ends sooner than expected, I'll come back here. After all, we're in the same building."
"Really...?"
"Of course. I can't promise, but... I do enjoy talking with all of you."
With a perfectly natural gesture, Blitz placed a finger beneath the woman's chin and tilted her face toward him.
As she gazed at him as if feverish with excitement, he spoke with eyes full of confidence.
"Until then, deepen your friendship with the other members. All right?"
"Yes...!"
He handed the glass he had been holding to the female member and left.
The partygoers naturally opened a path for Blitz, and he walked through it as though that were only to be expected.
From time to time, he said a word or two to a clan member with a smile before leaving the room.
He boarded the elevator and went to the top floor. The instant he arrived at the floor, which contained only the clan master's private quarters and a reception room for important guests, Blitz's smile vanished.
With a look as though he had steeled himself, he headed for the reception room.
Then he took one deep breath, calmed himself, and knocked on the door.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. This is Blitz. May I come in?"
"Come in."
"Excuse me."
His attitude was hardly that of the master of this clan. After giving a graceful bow, Blitz entered the room.
A plain-looking man sat on the reception-room sofa as though he owned the place.
It was Acting Prime Minister Izumihara. He wore a well-tailored suit no less fine than Blitz's, and leaned his weight against the armrest while holding a wineglass up to the light and swirling it.
"Blitz-kun. This is your company and your clan, isn't it? Why don't you carry yourself with a little more confidence?"
"Ha! No, sir! To call it mine would be far too much. Everything is thanks to your power, sir...!"
"Heh. What are you talking about? Someone as pure and incorruptible as I am would never arrange land and buildings for one of his supporters, would he?"
"Ha...! I sincerely apologize, sir...!"
"It was a joke. Don't be so formal. Why don't you sit down?"
"Thank you very much. If you will excuse me...!"
After bowing respectfully, Blitz sat down opposite the acting prime minister.
Only then did the acting prime minister finally turn his gaze toward him.
"I'm sorry for visiting so suddenly. I'm rather busy, you see. Will you forgive me?"
The acting prime minister said this with an expression that showed he did not feel sorry in the slightest, and Blitz gave a somewhat strained smile.
"Of course. You are a treasure of this country, sir. However, if you had told me a little sooner that you were coming, I could have prepared suitable hospitality. What do you say? Even now, perhaps you could join the party on the floor below...?"
"No, no, that's fine. I'm not fond of noisy places. After being busy in the Diet every day, I'd like to spend at least today quietly talking with someone."
"I see. I apologize for failing to take that into consideration."
"It's all right. You and I are friends, aren't we?"
With that, the acting prime minister drained the wine remaining in his glass in a single gulp.
"Speaking of which, have you heard about that stampede?"
"Yes, sir. You mean the incident that occurred near that mountain settlement?"
"Indeed."
Blitz glanced at the acting prime minister's empty glass and stood up.
He picked up the bottle on the table and poured him another glass with a somewhat awkward gesture.
Without thanking him, the acting prime minister put the glass to his lips.
"Three Self-Defense Force personnel, two police officers, and three prefectural government employees who had been dispatched there died in that incident. It was simply their misfortune that no culling personnel were present at the time. Though it is also possible that the monsters deliberately targeted that opportunity."
"It is a horrifying and, at the same time, tragic matter..."
"Yes. At present, the Self-Defense Force and police are investigating dungeons across the country at the request of the Anti-Spirit Agency. But... honestly. I am once again reminded of what a troublesome enemy an incompetent commander can be."
The acting prime minister placed his glass on the table with force.
A hard sound rang through the room.
"The Anti-Spirit Agency knows nothing. It clings to an outdated policy devised by the cabinet before last and cannot make decisions suited to the current situation. I tell them that I will set things right, yet they are too stupid to nod their heads obediently."
"You are absolutely right, sir."
"It is impossible to manage every dungeon in the country! In that case, we need only protect Tokyo, the center of Japan. Even if we expand our efforts, it should be limited to Kanto. We cannot save everyone. Therefore, we must follow the principles of triage and focus on protecting what should be protected!"
"Ha! Precisely, sir...!"
"Fuuu...! Forgive me. I became too heated."
"Not at all. I can only imagine how much this weighs on you, sir."
The acting prime minister gulped down more wine, as though trying to calm himself.
"I can understand the feelings of those who hold electoral districts in the provinces, but in this national crisis, Tokyo should become Noah's Ark. This is the time to concentrate our strength in one place, defend it, and formulate countermeasures."
"I pray that your views will reach everyone, sir."
Perhaps pleased by Blitz's forceful nod, the acting prime minister's nostrils flared slightly.
"Honestly. If only everyone were as understanding as you, I would not have to work so hard."
"You flatter me."
"On top of that, you are an excellent Esper. That incident was ultimately resolved by the Espers who were there, was it not?"
"Yes. Since it concerns personal information, I have not received any detailed reports, but..."
"I will give you whatever information I can obtain later."
The acting prime minister took another sip of wine.
"Excellent watchdogs... Espers should be kept in Tokyo. Try to see whether you can call them here yourself."
"Understood, sir."
"Though I hear that one of those Espers turned down an invitation from 'Valhalla.' It may not go smoothly. This is what happens with beasts that are just clever enough to be troublesome..."
"Good heavens. If I recall correctly... Ishiyama Iwako? I had heard that, personality aside, she was an excellent Esper."
"I hear she is also a woman with quite an attractive face and figure. What a waste. To think that she would be buried in the provinces."
The acting prime minister set his glass down on the table with a weary sigh.
Then he slowly stood up. Blitz rose from the sofa at the same time.
"That is all. My family will send you the necessary information later."
"Yes, sir. Your former surname was 'Kishi'-sama, if I recall correctly."
"Indeed. I am counting on you."
"Of course. I shall devote every ounce of my strength to meeting your expectations, sir."
"Ha-ha-ha. As I said before, our opponent is the sort whose bodies receive the nutrients that ought to go to their brains. Don't overdo it. In particular, do not openly break the law. There has been a great deal of unwanted noise around me lately."
"Of course. I will never cause you any trouble, sir."
As Blitz answered at rigid attention, the acting prime minister's smile deepened.
Then he gave Blitz's shoulder a powerful slap. The golden giant's body flinched.
"You are truly magnificent. I look forward to your continued efforts, Blitz-kun."
"Yes, sir! It is an honor!"
After taking Blitz's hand in a firm handshake, the acting prime minister left in high spirits.
The door closed with a bang. Ten seconds later.
"..."
The expression vanished from Blitz's face.
He began walking toward the room beside the reception room. At that instant,
his body became engulfed in golden flames.
It was a supernatural fire not of this world. Emitting a radiance like the sun, he continued walking without the slightest change in demeanor.
After a few seconds, the flames vanished. Blitz's clothes and shoes had disappeared without leaving so much as ash behind.
His marble-like skin bore not a single burn, and there was not even a scorch mark on the floor.
Expressionless and not even breathing, Blitz walked on. When he stopped before the door set into the reception-room wall, he casually raised his right arm.
Reacting to the mana he released, the lock opened with a click.
Beyond it was a lavishly furnished room made with genuine marble. A sink and mirror had been installed like those in a dressing room, and towels had been prepared along the left wall.
Yet, for some reason, an object entirely out of place in the room had been placed beside the mirror.
Blitz reached for the large butcher's knife beside it with a practiced air.
After placing his right arm on the stand beside the mirror,
he brought the blade down without the slightest hesitation.
Thud. The butcher's knife, its blade faintly etched with magic characters, struck the stand.
Blitz showed no concern for the blood that splattered as a new arm sprouted from the severed stump.
The blood staining the floor and walls instantly turned into flames. Without catching fire, it dissolved into the air and vanished.
In the same manner, Blitz cut off and regenerated one part of his body after another.
After about ten minutes, he finally emerged from the room.
"Fuuu..."
As though he had just finished bathing, Blitz walked through the reception room in a bathrobe, letting out a satisfied sigh.
For someone who considered it the removal of the 'filth' clinging to his body, this might have been only natural.
Keeping a conspicuous distance from the sofa where the acting prime minister had sat and the glass he had used, Blitz heard a knock.
"What is it?"
"Master. S-sama has arrived."
"Understood. Show him in."
"Yes, sir."
Without opening the door, he exchanged those words with his secretary. Thirty seconds later,
there was another knock, and Blitz permitted the visitor to enter before the man could announce himself.
"Excuse me."
The man who entered had a plain, utterly ordinary face, different from that of the acting prime minister.
The difference was that his suit was the sort an ordinary salaryman might buy after splurging a little.
"Hello. I'm glad you could come."
Blitz himself went to shake the man's hand with both hands, as though welcoming a friend.
The man in the suit looked slightly surprised by the welcome, but quickly put on a pleasant smile.
"I'm sorry to intrude, Representative Blitz, in the middle of your party with the clan members."
"No, no, it's quite all right. And forgive me for receiving you dressed like this. I got a little dirty."
"I was the one who came unannounced. Please don't worry about it."
"No."
With a firm handshake and a broad smile,
"I was the one who called you, 'Sato.'"
Blitz said.