“In that case...who is Nalfa, really?” Sanae-nee wondered.
“It is clear that she has an important role in this world, considering her power.”
It was still unclear who Nalfa was and why the Gray Knight was after her. But this wasn’t a coincidence. Her presence had to have meaning.
Perhaps the truth is written in that letter... Kiriha thought. She did have one idea: a letter she had written to herself in the past. At the start of April, everyone’s memories had been rewritten to conceal something. If the truth was related to Nalfa, it might have been time for Kiriha to open the letter.
Koutarou had been in a frenzy when he’d learned that Kenji and Nalfa had been kidnapped by the Gray Knight and that Kotori was unconscious. It was similar to when Ralgwin had been taken away, but likely much stronger. But there was one difference from Ralgwin’s situation.
“If they’d been left in Forthorthe, this wouldn’t have happened!” Koutarou said and slammed his fist into the wall. However, he didn’t feel any pain. The regret and sense of loss dulled any real pain.
“Please calm down, Veltlion,” Clan said.
“How am I supposed to calm down?!” Koutarou shouted. “Mackenzie and Nalfa-san were kidnapped!”
“If you don’t, you won’t be able to save even those you can save,” Clan said.
“Save?! What are you talking about?!” He looked at Clan. It was then he finally realized who he was talking to.
“A kidnapping is normally done to demand something,” Clan calmly answered.
Her feelings were a mess too. Kenji and Nalfa were her friends, and she couldn’t stand seeing Koutarou suffer. But nothing would come from her losing her composure. That had to be avoided.
“In other words, they will be safe until we receive a demand and answer it. We can use that time to rescue them.”
“Is that possible?!” Koutarou asked.
“Do you think we didn’t anticipate that those two might be kidnapped?”
Unlike with Ralgwin, preparations had been made in anticipation of such an event. They had brought Kenji, Kotori, and Nalfa with them to Forthorthe because leaving them on Earth could have been dangerous. While that made it easier to protect them, there were still risks in Forthorthe. So Clan and the intelligence department had made preparations in case those three were kidnapped.
There was still hope.
Maxfern was strict about failure. He would often ignore someone pleading for mercy for failing a mission. But this time was different. The Gray Knight had failed his mission, but he was openly praising him.
“I see, so that man is the Blue Knight’s Achilles’ heel. With him held hostage, the Blue Knight won’t be able to move,” Maxfern mused.
The fleet had been lost, and the Imperial Army hadn’t been stalled. But the Gray Knight had successfully kidnapped the Blue Knight’s best friend. It more than made up for the failure of the mission. It would also let Maxfern torment the Blue Knight. Thanks to that, he was in a good mood despite the report of failure.
“Hence the rescue call. I could handle it by myself, but it’s not as easy with hostages,” the Gray Knight said.
Like Kiriha expected, the kidnapping hadn’t been the initial plan, so there had been no preparations for his escape. Trying to escape with two hostages in tow was far from easy.
“I understand. I’ll prepare things right away,” Maxfern said, easily agreeing to the Gray Knight’s request.
Kenji would be the perfect card for Maxfern to take out his grudge on the Blue Knight. If possible, he would have loved to have gotten the Blue Knight himself.
“Call me again at the same time tomorrow. I’ll have an escape plan ready,” Maxfern said.
“Got it,” the Gray Knight answered. “We’ll talk again tomorrow.”
“Yes. Good work. Now get some rest.”
The Gray Knight was currently in a Liberation Army safe house. However, it wasn’t as safe as the name made it sound. As such, the Gray Knight quickly ended the call. Maxfern had been in high spirits until the end.
Kenji and Nalfa were being kept in different locations. They were in the same building, but they were far enough away that they couldn’t talk to each other. Kenji could understand why. It was something he’d seen often enough in movies. If the hostages could confirm with each other that they were safe, it would mentally stabilize them. But if they weren’t able to see each other, they had no choice but to obey their kidnapper’s instructions. Moreover, if kept together, they might start plotting. Unless they were intentionally placed together to encourage talk, keeping hostages apart was a fundamental rule.
Suddenly, footsteps rang out in the distance. Checking the clock, Kenji could see it was time for food. The Gray Knight must have been bringing it again.
“It’s dinnertime,” the Gray Knight said after entering the room.
The door was locked, but Kenji wasn’t restrained. There was no need for it. He wasn’t skilled enough to surprise attack the Gray Knight, and doing so could put Nalfa in danger. Unless he discovered an opportunity too good to pass up, he wasn’t going to resist.
Instead, he silently observed the Gray Knight. Ever since they’d first met face-to-face, he’d felt something was strange. That sense of discomfort grew stronger every time he saw him. And now, it turned into conviction.
“I knew it,” Kenji said.
“What is it?” the Gray Knight asked.
Until now, the Gray Knight had rarely reacted to Kenji. So his reaction was an exception. Based on Kenji’s expression, he’d sensed something unusual.
“You’re... You’re Kou, right?” Kenji asked.
His words left the Gray Knight speechless. A mask hid his face, and he had changed his voice. They hadn’t even exchanged many words. Yet Kenji had easily seen through the Gray Knight.
“What makes you think that?” the Gray Knight said. Those words were practically a confession. The Gray Knight approached Kenji, one step at a time.
Taking another look at him, Kenji nodded. “The first thing I thought was strange was the way you walk. And the sound of your footsteps too. I know those footsteps very well...”
To him, it was an easy mystery to solve. However, it might have been impossible for others. It was only thanks to his kidnapping that Kenji could have observed him and reached that conclusion. The others had fought the Gray Knight only briefly and exchanged few words, so they couldn’t have found the answer.
“The same goes for the way you were surprised. Your usual habit is showing,” Kenji said. “Yeah, there’s no doubting it. No matter how you may disguise yourself or change your voice, you can’t fool me, Kou.”
Most of all, Kenji knew Koutarou very well. He hadn’t seen through the Gray Knight’s identity with a special talent or ability. There had been no need for that, considering how long they’d been together.
Kenji was Koutarou’s best friend.
✦ ✦ ✦
