2-A: Owner Disqualification
【Summary】 The trio accepted a request by the merchant Mitsui Nina: “Lately my memory has been failing, is there a way for you to monitor me?”
➔【Monitoring via Magic Familiar】
“I guess that child is competent. It’s a little different from the surveillance lithograph, but let’s have my familiar monitor you.”
When Salis turned her hand towards the sky, a white crow appeared from her palm together with a bright light.
“LEAVE IT TO ME! MISTRESS!”
“Wah, so this child can talk? I see, so this familiar-san will be keeping an eye on me, right?”
“If it only happens when you’re alone, then honestly the possibility is high that someone is meddling with you. And so, since this child can disappear, even if someone is there, it would be able to watch them without getting caught. No matter how far you are, I can talk to this child through magical power so you can report any of the abnormalities one by one, and in case of emergency I can follow this child’s magical power and transfer to them and come help you.”
“Haah~…amazing! Thank you, Salis-chan!! Please take care of me, Familiar-kun!!!”
Gyuuuuuuuuu~
“Eh!? W-Wait a…!”
“GUEH?! S-STOP IT!”
(As usual, Sally is vulnerable to unexpected behaviour, huh…)
(That’s what’s so cute about Sa-chan~!)
………
……
…
While Salis and her familiar were exhausted, Karuta and the others left the familiar, Goldo, at the client’s house and returned to the inn. Although regular reports arrived, time passed without any problems and the date was about to change.
“By the way, the client said it’s been ‘happening for a few days~’, but wouldn’t that make it coincide with when that strange Magic Astral Stream fell?”
“Now that you say it, that’s right.”
“Certainly! Perhaps the client got hit in the head by the Magic Astral Stream?”
“Hmm, well I’ve heard the story of a person who was hit by a magic stone, but never a story like this one. I wonder if it’s just a coincidence?”
“…sorry, you two, but grab my hand. I’ve received an emergency call from Gordo.”
As soon as Karuta and Aria grasped the situation, the familiar’s voice echoed in their heads.
“MASTER! EVEN THOUGH THE CLIENT WENT TO SLEEP, SHE SUDDENLY WOKE UP AND LEFT! IT SEEMS THAT SHE’S IN A DAZE!”
“In a daze, what does that mean? Maybe this is Suleepu Walking?”
“Good on you for knowing sleep walking, Karuta. It’s already midnight so I wonder if that’s possible?”
“For now, let’s wait and see. Gordo, keep an eye on her so that you won’t get caught.”
“YOU GOT IT!”
Guessing from the actual situation reported by Gordo, it appears that the client is making strange movements as, after leaving the store, she chose the road with less traffic and made strange movements.
Karuta’s alertness gradually rose as the client moved as though she had intent. If she’s supposed to be unconscious and yet makes movements that don’t look like that at all, then that means someone is definitely intervening. It was then that the client suddenly stopped in front of a certain house.
“MASTER! THE CLIENT IS ENTERING SOMEONE’S HOUSE! AH~, IT’S THE HOUSE OF SOMEONE CALLED BUTA-DA LUAN!”
“B-Butada-san? That’s a very strange name, huh? Sa-chan, I’m sure this person is-“
“Yup. I don’t know what they’re doing, but I’m sure they must be the culprit. Let’s go, are you ready Aria?”
“There’s no problem. Sally, please transfer us to Gordo-kun.”
When Salis nodded and recited the transfer technique, the trio’s bodies were wrapped in light.
…
“We’ve arrived. I’m sure there will be a fuss, so I wonder if I can ask for the usual soundproof barrier, Sally.”
“Leave it to me………ok, deployment complete.”
“Alright. Sa-chan, A-chan, let’s go.”
When Karuta said that, she cut off the Butada house’s door and intruded.
(Wai…hm~m, sometimes this girl does things so wholeheartedly that it’s scary.)
(I guess I’m already used to it, though)
Upon entering inside, a man was sitting in the face of the sudden visitors. And, right next to him, was their client, Mitsui Nina, standing there half-naked. Her eyes were somehow out of focus and hollow.
“You’re Butada Luang-san, right? Please tell us what you did to Nina-san.”
“Ah, hih, I-I-I’m sorry! It was just a sudden impulse! I-I was just-
“You don’t have to make excuses in order to stall for time, can you just answer the question?”
“Nih, yeeesh! Erm, you see, I…kuhi, t-take thiiiis!!”
When Butada suddenly made a strange voice, he turned something he had in his right hand towards Karuta.
Or at least, Butada intended on turning it.
thud…!!!
“Heh, agih, it hurts??! M-My leeg!??”
“You’re really easy to understand. Also, if you struggle too much, Karuta will cut you up so it’s better to stay quiet.”
Butada, who was confused by the intense pain and the shock of being trampled on in an instant, became quiet upon being told that he would be cut up.
“Very good. However, although I expected you to have a gun like me, I wonder just what this is?”
Saying this, what Aria picked up from Butada’s right hand was a toy-like object that resembled an OOP gun.
“Judging from your earlier line, you probably tried to use this to break through the current situation, huh? Yup, it doesn’t make sense.”
“Butada Luan-san, could you explain what this is?”
“T-That’s………”
suiiiish!
“Higih! I-I’m sorry, I’ll talk! I’ll talk so please don’t step haaaarder!!”
…
“This is, um. When you pull the trigger, it gives off a special light, and the person who is exposed to it loses consciousness and becomes dazed. If you give an instruction like ‘you will listen to whatever I say’ to a person in that state, then they will accept it as though it were a matter of course.”
“Huh. What you’re saying is completely crazy, but it makes sense when thinking about the client’s story. So it’s a kind of light that performs mental manipulation, kind of like a sort of hypnosis or brainwashing, but just how on earth…”
“Sa-chan, does that sort of magic exist? Haven’t you used it before?”
“For the record, Ancient Magic does have something like it, but it’s not as easy to perform as what seems to have been said just now.”
“Besides, I don’t really feel any magical power from this guy. You, how did you get this thing in the first place? I wonder if you tested and grasped how to use it on Nina-san?”
“T-This suddenly fell into this house a few days ago. On the same day as the Magic Astral Stream.”
(So it really had something to do with that Magic Astral Stream…!)
“Um, about how to use it, you may not believe this. It just suddenly came to my mind the instant I touched it. Not just the usage, but its name as well. This seems to be an MC gun, and um-“
“…nothing happens even when I touch it, though.”
“E-Even if you say that to me, I don’t know what to say!”
“Hmm, he doesn’t seem to be lying to me, though.”
“Whether it’s true or false, it’s certain that this is the root of all evil. For the time being, let’s take it with us.”
“?! P-Please wait! C-Could you please not confiscate it from me!!”
Butada had been disoriented countless times up until now, but upon hearing the words that it would be taken from him, he became clearly panicked. That’s probably because he didn’t want to lose the benefits of the MC gun, or rather…
“Hmm…perhaps. Rather than simply not being able to use it, does something bad happen when this leaves your hands?”
“Hehi?! N-No, there’s nothing of the sort. Nothing other than just I really won’t be able to use it anymore-“
Haah……
When Butada began to confess that they hit the bull’s eye, Salis heaved a big sigh.
“Somehow, I don’t care anymore. I honestly don’t want to do it since I doubt anything decent will come from it, but I’ll look directly at that guy’s memory. Can I have Karuta and Aria hold him down?”
The two who understood her intention completely took hold of Butada. Butada resisted, but didn’t twitch and when Salis touched Butada’s head, her palm shone.
…
Dozens of seconds later, Salis released her hand from Butada. Her face was terribly pale, and it was obvious to everyone that she was trying her best to suppress her nausea.
“S-Sa-chan. I don’t know what happened, but rest until you’ve calmed down. A-chan, I’ll keep this person pinned down so please take care of Sa-chan.”
“Got it, then I’ll leave him to you.”
Aria also decided to leave Butada and took care of Salis.
A few minutes later. A few minutes, which Butada felt was a dozen or so, Salis began to speak.
“Sorry, I’m alright. I had to wait until I got to see what that person did to our client, but…since you can probably tell in general how bad the contents are from my condition, I’ll omit it. You probably don’t want to hear it, after all.”
“I feel sorry that only Sa-chan had to experience such a painful thing, but please omit it.”
“Yup, it’s ok Aria. And so, about that secret, I understood upon seeing the information that flowed into his head the moment he touched that gun. It’s true that he knew how to use it and its name the moment he touched it, but there was one thing that he didn’t tell us. And yes, I’m sure he didn’t lie to us.”
Butada trembled at Salis’s words.
“What he tried to avoid telling us was the penalty. If this guy doesn’t touch the gun for half a day, then he would be permanently unable to handle the gun. Furthermore, he would also lose all memories about the gun, and become impotent after that. For life.”
“U, uuh, uuuuuh!! That’s right, that’s exactly right, damn it!”
Apart from Butada, who screamed with tears, Aria also heard that story and began to rush.
“Eh, then, doesn’t that mean I’d also be in trouble since I was the first to pick up that gun?”
“Hmm, A-chan didn’t get the info on how to use it enter your head when you touched it, right? Then doesn’t that mean it’ll still be ok…?”
“Yup, I also think that it’s fine. I think that gun-like thing is trying to determine its owner. If he doesn’t touch it in half a day, then he’d be disqualified as the owner, or so it seems. That’s why let’s confiscate it and, after half a day has passed, I think it’d be best to store it in a bag or something so that it won’t be touched.”
“T-That’s right. Thank you, both, I’m so relieved. Now then, you, we’ll have you sleep until you are delivered punishment. Karuta, if you please?”
Karuta nodded with a smile and instantly tightened her grip around Butada, making him faint. After that, Salis created a powerful pseudo-string that completely restrained Butada. Butada was unable to do anything but scream as he was judged to be disqualified as the owner of the MC gun.
Author Note:
And thus, the small ambition of a single fool was stopped.
I’d like to take a survey of whether you’d be like Butada-kun and limit your victims to a small group of people, or extend it to a large group if you could use hypnosis.
Dominant Programmer 