đźź Chapter 64:
The Prime Minister wasn't the gang boss… was he serious? Elithius, who was supposed to be moving past his previous shock, collapsed completely after Number Three's words.
"I can't believe this… we were deceived by the gang, and all of this is because of me."
Haizen didn't trust Number Three's words; he didn't find them convincing at all.
"Obviously, that's a lie. He's trying to distract us."
Number Three responded calmly, with absolute confidence.
"If that's the case, then why am I here? And why this calm at a time when your army is supposed to be dealing with us?"
He paused, a sly smile forming on his lips before continuing.
"The gang boss and the Prime Minister have the ability to communicate mentally. The locations the Minister revealed about us? The boss heard them and turned them into traps for your army."
Those words struck us all like a knife. There was no doubt he wasn't lying. This explained Orfin's strange defeat against Elnar. It wasn't that Elnar was that strong—the truth was, Elnar hadn't faced Number One himself.
If that's the case, then what happened to Elnar, the rest of the army, and Ryo? Noise erupted outside—the previously dull calm had turned into chaos.
Number Three smiled as he watched the scene unfold. Members of the gang were revealing themselves to the public. He then turned his attention to the prince, who was completely broken.
Haizen and I stood in his way, but he unleashed air blades at us. Haizen managed to avoid them, but I was hit in the stomach.
An injured arm, a shattered hand, and now this… Haizen looked at me and said something.
"Takeru, take the prince and get out of here. I'll handle this guy myself."
"Wait, this guy can heal himself. Even if I hit him, it won't matter."
Number Three looked at us mockingly, as usual.
"Do you think I'd allow that so easily? I came here specifically for this prince. The Boss still wants him."
Why? Why do they still need this prince? What use is he to them? I asked Number Three.
"What is it that you still want from this prince?"
"I suppose you've heard of the fake Boss of the company, right? That person has an ability to manipulate the prince's mind, and through it, the prince revealed the location of the Vitalis Crystal to us."
"Haa… what? And Elithius didn't tell anyone about this?"
"That's because he simply can't remember. His mind was manipulated, and he goes to discover the crystal's locations from the palace without realizing it. It affected his brain."
Could this be why Elithius experienced the pain and loss of consciousness when we returned?
The prince began screaming and crying after hearing this.
"Nooooo… impossible! Father! My brother!!"
Number Three's laughter grew louder as he watched the prince's mental suffering.
"This is fun—seeing you cry like this. All this time, you thought you'd topple us, but you were just a toy in our hands."
Haizen, enraged by Number Three's mockery, attacked him using Shadow Style. Though Number Three anticipated the strike, he faltered slightly because of the speed he couldn't match—but he still dodged at the last moment.
"Tch… annoying attack, swordsman. But if that's all you have, you won't defeat me."
Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see Mirai, her gaze serious.
"How can two people like you be guards?"
"Well, we rescued the prince from the gang… though that was more with brains than strength."
"And where's your brain now?"
"I guess it's unemployed."
"Seems it hates you… anyway, raise your arms."
"Huh… why?"
"You're useless as a guard like this, right? Let me heal your arms."
She can heal my arms! I hadn't expected her to be skilled in magical treatment. Perhaps having her here wasn't such a bad thing after all. I raised my arms as she instructed, and she began healing them while Haizen and Number Three fought.
The treatment completed, and my arms felt better than before. The doctor Azitram should have healed me with mana.
I thanked Mirai for her help.
"Thank you for helping me again. You're really skilled."
"We shouldn't judge people we don't know. It's fine—I also judged you quickly as strong, but it seems you're hopeless after all."
If this girl is truly strong, we need her. Haizen and I alone won't manage anything. We barely managed to take Elithius from the gang before. She says I need to repay a debt to her! An idea struck me.
"Listen, Mirai, I'm ready to repay my debt to you as you wish. In return, how about helping us? You'd be a great asset."
"Repay your debt? How? Will you steal money to give it to me?"
"I have a skill called Factory. With it, I can create anything—literally anything."
Mirai's expression was filled with awe, as if she had entered her commercial dream world. She kept repeating, "Anything…" then paused and smiled, agreeing to my offer.
"Alright, it's settled. But before that, can you create something right now?"
She still seemed unsure. I produced some leftover resources for making the bomb and asked the system to craft one.
"System, make me a bomb."
[You don't have many resources left, and you're wasting them… fine… crafting bomb… in progress.]
The resources in my hands began forming into a bomb. It was the first time I used them in front of me. The system told me it could craft either in front of me or in its private space.
Finally, the resources became a bomb. Mirai was astounded and genuinely impressed.
"Amazing! You really made this thing—whatever it is. Alright, I approve."
Since I had made the bomb, I decided not to leave it for decoration. I aimed it at Number Three, who was fighting Haizen.
Number Three was focused on his fight, giving me a perfect opportunity. I aimed and shouted at Haizen to move away.
"Haizen! It's a bomb!"
Haizen had already learned its name from me, so when he heard it, he moved immediately. Number Three, despite having been hit by a bomb before, didn't know its name and didn't anticipate what was coming. The bomb hit him squarely.
"Excellent! Haizen, let's get out of here."
But Haizen didn't move. He looked at me and said:
"I told you earlier to leave and let me handle this guy."
"Wait, you're still insisting?"
"Listen, fool. I think you've been underestimating me. Do you really think this guy can beat me? I'll handle him quickly and then come after you."
He's right—I had been underestimating him a bit. I used to see him as unbeatable, but this isn't Number One. This time, I'll place my trust in him.
"Alright, Haizen, I trust you. Just finish him quickly."
"Yes, yes. Just go."
I carried Elithius and left with Mirai, leaving Haizen to handle Number Three alone, as we headed to see what was happening at the palace.