Chapter 12: Misunderstanding

[In the middle of the forest near the orphanage]

 

Where tall green trees were supposed to be, only a massive crater was present. 5 minutes had already passed since the massive explosion, and the dust seemed to have finally done settling down.

 

In the middle of the crater stood a brown-haired nun with a floating red cross beside her. The nun had a surprised expression on her face as she looked at the three men in front of her, yes, three. Before the blast reached Ken and Jake, it seemed that a third person was hiding, waiting for the perfect opportunity to interfere.

 

"Hoho, a barrier-type gift huh? To think 3 people who received gifts other than [Physical Enhancement] would actually be no good crooks who attempted to kidnap my precious children, the world really is unfair huh?" (Teresa)

 

"Hah..hah…hah… you guys alright?!"

 

"Kukk!... we were this close to dying, if you hadn't arrived on time our entire bodies would be incinerated by now, thanks Des." (Kendrick)

 

"Damn…. What kind of trouble did we get into?! I'm already at my limit here!" (Des)

 

The man named Des was very confident in his barrier, and he had enough reason to be. When they were testing its durability they found that it was capable of taking on anti-tank caliber guns without a single scratch. And yet one shot from the nun’s gift was all it took to fry his confidence altogether.

 

"If you want to get angry at someone, blame this idiot." (Ken)

 

Said Ken as he pointed at Jake who was just starting to wake up.

 

"Arghh…. To think that the first thing I'll hear when waking up is you badmouthing me, what a kind subordinate you are... But your right, I'm sorry for getting us into this mess. I didn't think that a monster was hiding in a town like this."

 

"hah.... we have no chance."

 

"So, what now? I think it's too late to try and explain the situation to her, so what's our next move? Even if all three of us decide to take her on at the same time I'm not confident in our chances of winning." (Des)

 

"Yeah...pant*...You’re right about that. But I'm sure releasing a blast of that level should've drained her as well. Now that she's weakened it is the perfect time to counterattack. We might not be able to win but we should AT LEAST be able to escape." (Ken)

 

"....Ok, I've regained a bit of strength so I'll take the front." (Jake)

 

Kendrick and Jake stood up with conviction in their eyes. Kendrick placed himself in front of the exhausted Des while Jake stood in front of the two of them, ready to act as a vanguard.

 

"Hmm, you guys done planning everything? sure took your time huh? Welp, not that it matters~ .... cross, once more please."

 

Vwoom*

 

Following Teresa’s command, the cross floating by her side started glowing red and elevated to the top of her head. At the bottom tip of the cross, a massive mass of energy started to gather, the weapon was charging again for another blast.

 

"..."

 

"…"

 

"…Fuck….RUNNN!!!!"

 

Seeing as there was no hope for them, with all their might the trio started running in the opposite direction from the nun. Of course, Tereasa who saw this, wouldn’t just let them be.

 

"You think I'll just let you go? Heh not so fast, take thi-...!?" but just as she was about to fire her gift, the silhouette of a black-haired child suddenly appeared from the bushes and stood in front of the two men with both his arms opened wide.

 

“Stop!” Shouted the boy

 

“Jericho!?....Shit!” The gift’s attack could no longer be forcibly stopped so Teresa had the right to panic.

 

It was a good thing that her reflexes as an assassin/mercenary triggered just in time as she immediately thought of the idea of aiming the attack in the sky instead of forcibly stopping it.

 

Controlling her gift to the most that she could, she aimed the blast to the sky which resulted in a straight yellow light appearing in the sky, exploding after reaching a certain height.

 

BOOM!!*

 

Des who was at the lead of the group turned his head back to see what the surprise voice was about. He was expecting the blast to hit them soon so when he turned around and saw that not only did they survive, but that there was also a kid right in the battleground shielding them, he was too stunned to speak.

 

“Who?” Asked Kendrick with a dazed expression.

 

Hearing the question, Jericho turned his head toward the trio and whispered

 

"You guys aren't here to kidnap us, right? I mean what kind of kidnapper doesn't bring a single weapon at all? Another thing to point out is that although they were knocked out, none of the nuns were actually injured, in fact, there wasn't a single bruise on them. Rather than a forceful kidnapping ... you’re here for something else entirely...right?"

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“!?... H-how-”

 

"What are you doing here Jericho!"

 

“(whisper) you have a few minutes to explain everything, don’t miss the chance I gave you.” (Jericho)

 

"Hello, sister Teresa! actually, there seems to have been a misunderstanding." Said Jericho with an innocent smile on his face.

----------

"So, let me get this straight... the three of you did not come here to kidnap the children, but instead are agents that were sent here by an organization to try and recruit talented children?"

 

"U-um, yes, I know that it might seem farfetched but it's the truth." Nervously replied Jake

 

"I see…... cross, once more pl—"

 

"Wait wait wait! I promise you that we're telling the truth!"

 

"Then why did that red-haired asshole try to pick a fight with us?!"

 

“Because he's an idiot.” straight-faced, without pause, Ken and Des answered her together.

 

"…" (Jake)

 

"Sister Teresa, please calm down. I know you’re agitated because of how farfetched the situation sounds right now, but if you look at the situation calmly, they seem to be telling us the truth."

{Well~ I wouldn’t have believed them as well if it wasn’t for this ‘feeling’ so I have no right here}

 

"…To think that a day would come when a 5-year-old would tell me to calm down and reprimand me. Life's weird I tell you."

 

"Ahem… anyway there's something I've been meaning to ask. Why children though? Wouldn't adults who you can use immediately be more beneficial? Especially when you consider the fact that it hasn't even been a year since "gifts" were a thing."

 

"Well although that's reasonable, there are three reasons why we decided to focus on children this time around."

 

{This time around?} (Jericho)

 

"Oh, do tell." Teresa urged Kendrick to continue,

 

"First is because of age, children with their age are more prone to receiving the benefits of this changing world than the adults who have to take on the responsibility of maintaining it.”

 

Pondering for a little, it didn't take her too long to come to an agreement as she nodded her head. “You’re right.”

 

“Next is that our organization right now is focusing on the future, so rather than adults who are growing more arrogant by the day because of their new-found powers children are easier to train long-term wise."

 

"Hmmm, although I do not entirely agree with that…. what about the third factor?"

 

Ken seemed to be hesitant in answering the question as he looked at Des for confirmation. However, like himself, Des was also extremely troubled about what to do so after being glared at by the angry nun both of them consensually gave in.

 

"Um...S-since you seem to be quite a clever lad, I hope that you'll be able to keep this a secret. What you’ll hear will be one of our organization's most important and valuable secrets."

 

"I promise I won't say a word about this to anyone. So, will Sister Teresa, right~~?"

 

"…tsk, fine" Being cutely asked by Jericho to keep a secret, even though she was already planning to, she promised to not say what she’ll hear from them to anyone.

 

"Thank you for understanding! Uh...Ahem!... sorry for suddenly raising my voice.”

 

“It’s all right.” (Jericho)

 

“Phew... so to keep it short for you, our third and most important reason for focusing on children... is that they tend to receive better gifts compared to adults."

 

"?”

 

Author Note:

If it wasn't clear, the reason Jericho only got 0 for ambition can be vaguely seen in this chapter.

Instead of the normal reaction a 5 year old should have such as hesitating, he is easily influenced by the "Feeling".  

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