Just imagining that made Kojou’s fear so great that it seemed sufficient to crush his heart.
“So please, Natsuki. Lend me your strength.”
Kojou pleaded with Natsuki with such force, he seemed ready to prostrate himself at any moment.
However, an even plainer revealed that she had not been swayed in the slightest.
“I refuse.”
“Why?!”
“Do I require a reason to stop a pupil from engaging in illegal activities?”
Natsuki’s voice, completely bereft of warmth, thoroughly slammed into Kojou.
Then he instinctively understood.
No matter how many words Kojou might expend, Natsuki would not budge an inch. It had nothing to do with her being his homeroom teacher; Natsuki had some other reason for stopping Kojou from escaping Itogami Island.
Perhaps that was not something of Natsuki’s own will.
Behind Natsuki the Attack Mage loomed the Gigafloat Management Corporation. And the Corporation surely had reasons it did not want Kojou to leave the island. A reason why it did not want to let a precious pawn—a pawn called the World’s Mightiest Vampire—slip through its fingers, just in case it was needed.
“I see. Understood.”
“…Senpai?”
When Kojou spoke, seemingly stifling his emotions, Yukina stared at him in astonishment. She doubtless could not imagine Kojou would back down that easily.
“It’s fine, Natsuki. It’s my fault for saying selfish stuff without thinking about your position.”
Kojou gently shook his head and turned his back on Natsuki.
“Wait, Akatsuki. Where do you think you’re going?”
Natsuki knitted her brows as she glared at Kojou. However, he did not turn around, raising one hand as he said, “I’ll find another way. Sorry to bother you.”
“No, you won’t.”
Her voice was cruel.
That instant, Kojou’s and Yukina’s fields of vision wavered like ripples, and countless silhouettes appeared inside the broad reception room.
Kojou stared at them dumbfounded, unable to immediately process what was going on.
The armed guardsmen who had appeared surrounded Kojou and Yukina, guns trained upon them.
They were wearing anti-demon protective gear and wielding cutting-edge submachine guns: the gear of Island Guard special forces.
“Natsuki?!”
Kojou glared at the small-statured, doll-like witch as he shouted.
It was unthinkable for anyone save Natsuki to have teleported so many people at once. But that meant Natsuki had completely turned against them.
“You cannot be permitted to leave. You will behave yourself here, Akatsuki.”
Natsuki joined the guardsmen as she spoke.
They were words of despair.
5
Eight armed guardsmen had appeared from the void. They were deployed in a pincer, hemming in Kojou and Yukina from the left and the right, and all their gun barrels were trained upon Yukina.
Realizing this, Kojou stopped in his tracks. Yukina’s expression twisted in humiliation.
“Do not move, Akatsuki. Even a Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency cannot evade submachine guns firing at six hundred rounds per minute. They are rubber bullets, but depending on where they hit, she may not be merely wounded.” Natsuki’s tone was frigid, indifferent.
Unlike Kojou, who possessed a vampiric body, Yukina was a flesh-and-blood human being. Even a single gunshot might inflict lethal injuries. Natsuki knew that and was using that to take Yukina hostage.
From Yukina’s point of view, it was akin to an act of contempt—essentially declaring that her presence made the Fourth Primogenitor weak.
“Did you purposefully drag out the conversation to buy time so we might be surrounded?” Yukina asked, mortified, her voice quivering.
Having been in contact with Kiriha, Natsuki already knew that their objective was to leave Itogami Island. Therefore, she’d kept Kojou and Yukina trying to convince her while she called the Island Guard to her. Perhaps Kanon and the others’ warm reception had also been to slow the pair down.
It was, all in all, an underhanded method that suited Natsuki poorly.
“Natsuki…why are you going this far…?!”
Kojou lamented, more in fiercely conflicted emotions than in anger. However, Natsuki’s expression remained neutral and doll-like as she gazed at Kojou, raising her right hand.
“The transfer student on her own is one thing, but I cannot allow you to leave Itogami Island. You can take it easy in my world until things calm down. It is the least I can do.”
“Ugh…!”
Kojou’s breath caught as he felt incredible blows over his entire body. Silver chains shot out from the void and coiled around his whole body like sentient snakes.
“—I’ll return you once winter break is over. Don’t take this personally.”
Behind Kojou, thin air contorted and shuddered as something like a haze emerged. That thin air became a gate through which one could see the contours of a large, Western-style prison island floating like a mirage.
This was the prison world constructed within Natsuki Minamiya’s own dream—the Prison Barrier, used to incarcerate fiendish sorcerous criminals. Because it was Natsuki’s dream world, sorcerous criminals sealed within that world had all their abilities sealed away. Even the Fourth Primogenitor, the World’s Mightiest Vampire, would prove no exception.
The moment Kojou was dragged into the Prison Barrier, escape would be impossible. However, even though he knew this, Kojou could do nothing to stop it.
“Shit?! What are these chains…?”
Even his vampiric brute strength operating at full power could not even get the chains Natsuki had unleashed to flinch. Even though they were little thicker than the chain of a necklace, they had incredible strength. Furthermore, they possessed the power to seal demonic energy, leaving Kojou unable to summon his Beast Vassals.
“Senpai!”
The sight of Kojou dragged toward the gate, his resistance futile, brought a nervous look over Yukina as she shouted. However, Yukina could not move hand nor foot, either. Even if her Sword Shaman’s Spirit Sight allowed her to see an instant into the future, eight submachine guns were trained upon her; it was impossible to evade them all.
And if she displayed the slightest resistance, the armed guardsmen would pull the triggers without hesitation.
Thus, Yukina could not move. If she fell there, no one would be left to liberate Kojou from the Prison Barrier. Furthermore, if Kojou’s time was wasted in the Prison Barrier, Nagisa would fall into even more peril.
Sensing the magical energy of the gate as it drew nearer behind him, Kojou ground his teeth in agitation.
The next moment, he heard an odd voice full of confidence from a most unexpected direction.
“Laeding—chains forged by the gods, is it…? Quite a rare magical object you have there. That’s Natsuki for you.”
“What?”
Natsuki’s eyes wavered, showing unease for the first time.
“Whoa?!”
The next instant, the silver chains that had bound Kojou suddenly melted like pieces of candy and flew apart.
While Kojou reeled, his balance thrown off by the recoil, a lump of liquefied metal climbed atop his shoulder. It absorbed the torn chains as it changed shape into a tiny humanoid figure.
“Transmutation…! Nina Adelard?!”
“Correct, Witch of the Void.”
The self-declared Great Alchemist of Yore extended her liquid metal arms like whips, seizing hold of the armed guardsmen’s firearms one after another. Even the Island Guard’s cream of the crop could not respond to the incredibly unconventional attack. Their metallic components eaten away, the submachine guns crumbled in the guardsmen’s hands.
Yukina, finally freed from the gun barrels trained upon her, poised her spear as she exclaimed, “Nina?! What are you doing here…?!”
&nbs
p; “Kanon was concerned about the two of you, as it were.”
Nina lifted her chin with pride. Apparently, Kojou and Yukina being in a clearly distressed state had worried Kanon, so she had covertly ordered Nina to spy on them.
“I see… So this is your doing, Astarte?” Natsuki’s lips curled with displeasure as she glared at the homunculus girl.
It was Astarte who had snuck Nina in without Kojou or Yukina ever noticing. Nina had been hiding under the apron of Astarte’s maid outfit.
“Do not scold her so, Witch of the Void. In spite of being a homunculus unable to defy the commands of her master, she desperately exerted herself for Kojou’s sake.”
Astarte stood still without a word as Nina defended her, the corners of her lips curling up with delight.
Astarte might well have known from the start that Natsuki intended to capture Kojou. However, she had been unable to convey that to Kojou and Yukina.
Hence, Astarte had assisted Nina’s espionage.
As a homunculus, she could not defy Natsuki’s orders. However, Natsuki had not included in her orders a clause stating Don’t bring Nina with you.
“I heard the entire story. Would it not be better to be courteous and send Kojou and Yukina on their merry way, Witch of the Void?”
“For a pet, you certainly run your mouth…!” Natsuki spat. Being lectured so casually by Nina, her elder, was a sore spot for her.
During that time, the Island Guard personnel did not simply stand idly by and watch. Be it with shock batons or barehanded, they attacked Kojou and Yukina one after another.
“Urk!”
Yukina engaged immediately, but there were too many of them. Even Yukina, with close-combat ability capable of overwhelming demons, could not put eight armed guardsmen out of commission in a single moment.
Four guardsmen went after Yukina to slow her down while the other four went after Kojou. They, trained in anti-demonic combat, were not opponents an amateur like Kojou could take on hand to hand. This is bad, he thought, his face stiffening before the triumphant guardsmen. However—
“Nin!”
Suddenly, a female knight in a long-skirted garment appeared behind them. Taking the guardsmen completely by surprise, she bowled them over one after another, all in the span of an instant.
“Justina?!”
“Are you safe, Sir Kojou? By command of the Royal Sister, I, Kataya Justina, am humbly at your service!”
As Kojou stood dumbfounded, Justina knelt before him, courteously greeting him. Then she took a metal, grenade-like sphere out of her garment’s sleeve. She slammed the sphere into the floor, causing pure-white smoke to spew forth.
“A magical energy diffusion screen… You little meddler.”
Natsuki audibly clenched her teeth. Apparently, the smokescreen Justina spread about had the effect of inhibiting the transmission of magical energy. It only affected sorcery that manipulated things at long range, but against Natsuki, a specialist in teleportation, it was extremely effective.
“Lady Nina!”
“Mm-hmm, leave it to me.”
When Justina called out to her, Nina released a dazzling beam of light from her fingertip. This was a heavy metal particle cannon—in other words, a particle beam.
The incandescent ray punched through the building’s exterior wall, creating an escape route to the emergency stairs by brute force.
“Sir Kojou! With Lady Sword Shaman, while you still can!” Justina shouted while holding the rest of the Island Guard off.
“Sorry! You’re a lifesaver!”
“Thank you very much!”
Thanking Justina and the others, Kojou and Yukina headed for the emergency stairs. With Natsuki unable to teleport, she had no way to pursue them.
Watching them make their escape, Justina turned to face Natsuki. Already, she had taken all the Island Guard guardsmen out of commission. However, that still left the Attack Mage. If Natsuki was serious, there was no proof Justina and Nina put together could stop her. Even with the magical energy diffusion screen interfering with spells, it was unclear how effective that would be against a witch.
However, in spite of Justina’s and Nina’s wariness, Natsuki showed no sign of making a move. The small-statured witch sullenly raised one cheek, sighing quietly.
“To think Nina Adelard and that cheerful foreigner would make a spectacular mess of this room so soon after the New Year…”
Natsuki glanced at the hole punched into the building’s outer wall before giving the pair an exasperated look.
“Mm-hmm. Though it pains me to draw my bow upon the mistress of the household, try to overlook this, Natsuki. If you insist upon a clash of arms, I shall indulge you, but isn’t your sorcery somewhat poorly matched against mine?”
Nina sat cross-legged on a fallen guardsman’s back, giving Natsuki a venomous smile. However, Natsuki did not take the bait; she shooed the two off with a hand.
“No need, Nina Adelard. You having crushed the Island Guard’s special forces was a great service.”
Then Natsuki slowly rose to her feet. As the armed guardsmen groaned in pain, she gazed indifferently down upon them, speaking with a hint of anger.
“Tell your superiors at the Gigafloat Management Corporation…, ‘I did it your way, and this is the result.’ From here on, I shall do as I please.”
The incredible sense of majesty emanating from Natsuki’s entire body made the faces of the guardsmen twist in fear.
Justina and the others gazed at the unexpected spectacle, bewildered.
6
After running from Natsuki’s mansion for over ten minutes, Kojou and Yukina arrived at the shopping district in front of the train station.
Since shopping malls ran New Year’s bargains, there were a lot of people passing through that day. Even Natsuki was unlikely to engage in combat in such a place. With that in mind, Kojou’s feet came to a halt. He’d just about hit the limit of his endurance.
“We should be fine now, right?”
“Yes, most likely. I used every incantation to obstruct pursuit that I have,” Yukina replied, holding a paper scroll for shikigami in her hand.
Natsuki, able to employ teleportation magic, could instantly catch up to them no matter how far away they might be. However, Kojou and Yukina were probably safe so long as the trail was cold.
“This sucks, though. I didn’t think Natsuki would be against it to that extent,” Kojou murmured, exhausted, catching his ragged breath.
He hadn’t been so naive as to think Natsuki would help them stow away without a fuss. However, being nearly stuffed into the Prison Barrier all of a sudden had never crossed his mind.
“I am also mindful of the fact she called the Island Guard straightaway.”
“Well there’s that, too… That’s not really like her…” Kojou scowled a little as he agreed with Yukina.
Natsuki was an independent federal Attack Mage. She wasn’t part of the Island Guard. Also, Natsuki had no reason to seek their assistance. By herself, she had more combat power than the Island Guard’s special forces put together.
In the first place, Natsuki’s teleportation magic was at its most effective when used to launch a surprise attack from anywhere, anytime. It wasn’t well suited for group combat, the Island Guard’s specialty. If Natsuki had been seriously trying to capture them, doing it herself would surely have been more effective.
Yet, Natsuki had made Kojou and Yukina face the Island Guard regardless. In other words, Natsuki hadn’t been going all out earlier…?
Kojou shuddered when that possibility sunk in.
It had probably been a warning. She’d made them confront the Island Guard to reveal the fact that the Gigafloat Management Corporation was working to stop Kojou from leaving Itogami Island. Additionally, now that they’d broken the Island Guard’s encirclement, the Gigafloat Management Corporation had only Natsuki left to rely upon. Next time, she could capture Kojou without anyone getting in her way.
What a m
ess, thought Kojou, unwittingly gazing up at the heavens. He’d meant to ask her to help him slip out, but as a result, he’d only created an incredibly formidable foe.
“—From the looks of it, negotiations failed, I take it?”
Kojou and Yukina walked down the sidewalk immersed in a feeling of despair when a voice suddenly called to them. The familiar voice made Kojou gasp and lift his face.
Away from the pedestrians, a black-haired girl in an old-fashioned sailor uniform stood beside a tree along the roadside.
“Kiriha Kisaki…!”
Yukina instantly went into a fighting stance as she shot Kiriha an angry look. Subconsciously, Kojou went on guard against Kiriha as well. Her waiting for them made it abundantly clear she’d watched them run from Natsuki’s mansion with their tails between their legs.
“You followed us, didn’t you?! For that matter, it’s ’cause you went and blabbed to Natsuki that this got more complicated to begin with!”
“I merely thought it would minimize the time spent negotiating.”
However, the Priestess of the Six Blades of the Bureau of Astrology spoke with a composed tone.
“I anticipated you would rely on Natsuki Minamiya from the very beginning, and I thought the chances of her assisting were fifty-fifty, so…”
“She ended up tryin’ to stuff me into the Prison Barrier all of a sudden, you know?!”
Kojou’s outburst at Kiriha was tinged with anger, but Kiriha’s expression was oddly sober as she nodded.
“Yes. Thanks to that, I know for certain.”
“You know what?!”
“That Natsuki Minamiya and the Gigafloat Management Corporation knew of the project being conducted at Kannawa Lake from the very beginning, most likely because the Lion King Agency spoke to them about it beforehand.”
“What…?”
Kiriha’s firm declaration rocked Kojou, making him suddenly feel lost at sea.
Yukina’s expression grew tense and hard. If Kiriha’s words were true, they’d given Natsuki and the Corporation the information, leaving only Yukina in the dark—regardless of her close relationship to Nagisa, the person concerned, and Kojou.
Simple abdication of responsibility could not explain such a thing. The Lion King Agency had purposefully walled her off from the information.
The Fugitive Fourth Primogenitor Page 11
