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Tl: Sam

…

—Thirty minutes earlier.

There was an armored car driving through the city at night.
This armored car was no ordinary armored car. It was a “special escort vehicle” made from metals obtained in dungeons.
This car, tough enough to withstand attacks from monsters and Awakened individuals for a while, was built for the purpose of escorting Awakened criminals.
Though fewer now, after Awakened people first appeared, many used their powers for crime. There were even countries that ceased to function not because of monsters or dungeons, but because of such criminals.
Japan itself might have met the same fate had it not been for the efforts of the Ministry of Monster Control.
Awakened criminals are treated differently from ordinary criminals.
Once their sentence is decided, they are placed not in regular prisons, but in special containment facilities for Awakened individuals.
There, they are handcuffed with restraints that weaken their Awakened powers and placed in cages made of dungeon-produced metal. Even for an Awakened individual with extraordinary strength, escaping from there is not easy.
In fact, the special containment facility located somewhere in Tokyo, where the escort vehicle was currently headed, was an impregnable prison that had never allowed a single escapee.
The prisoner being escorted… Suda Akihiro, understood this fact.

“Damn it! Damn it! Let me out of here!”

Suda, still handcuffed, kicked the wall of the escort vehicle.
A banging sound echoed, but not a single scratch appeared on the wall. The special escort vehicle’s walls were tough, and Suda’s hands were bound with handcuffs that weakened his Awakened power. Aside from the noise, there was no hindrance to the escort.

“Quiet down. Be quiet.”

A police officer riding with him warned Suda. This officer, clad in special gear for dealing with Awakened individuals, was also an Awakened person and highly skilled.
He held an assault rifle designed for Awakened individuals and was also equipped with several other weapons developed by the Magical Research Bureau. There were three such individuals inside the vehicle. Even if Suda managed to remove his handcuffs, subduing him would be easy.

“Shut up! Let me out of here!”
“…That’s enough. You don’t want to make your sentence heavier, do you? Just accept your punishment quietly.”
“You… bastard…!”

Suda’s sentence was ‘twenty years in prison’. It was not something he could quietly accept.
The reason for such a heavy sentence was that he had openly used his Awakened power for criminal acts.
Using a dungeon-produced knife, he attacked Tanaka. The act of an Awakened person wielding their power outside of dungeons was strictly forbidden, resulting in heavy penalties.

“That guy… Tanaka’s fault…!”

Suda muttered to himself.
Seeing this, the police officers shrugged at each other.
There’s no use saying anything to him. Let’s just finish the escort… Just as they were thinking that, BANG! The escort vehicle suddenly shook violently.

“W-what was that!?”
“An attack!?”

The inside of the car became noisy.
As the police officers held their assault rifles at the ready, looking around cautiously, the rear door of the special escort vehicle was forced open.

“Excuse me. I’ve come to collect the person inside.”

What appeared was a man in a suit, his face hidden by a mask.
His demeanor was soft, but seeing as he had forcefully opened the special escort vehicle’s door, he too was an Awakened individual. The three security officers unhesitatingly pointed their assault rifle muzzles at him.

“Oh, careful now.”

The mysterious assailant moved swiftly, tapping the necks of the three officers in an instant, knocking them unconscious.

“Gah…!?”

The three police officers groaned and collapsed to the ground.
The mysterious intruder slowly approached Suda.

“I’ve kept you waiting, Mr. Suda. I’ve come to pick you up.”
“Tch, you’re late. I thought you weren’t coming.”
“Hehe, my apologies. We are also very busy.”

The man said, then shattered Suda’s handcuffs with a chop of his hand.
Now free, Suda rubbed his wrists and stood up.

“I don’t care about your circumstances. How much do you think I’ve donated to you? What good are you if you’re not useful at times like this?”

Suda said irritably.
He had poured the large sum of money he earned thanks to Tanaka into the so-called ‘underworld’. By doing so, he had gained connections with illegal organizations.
This man who had come to help him today was also connected to those dealings.

“Haha, that stings. However… I would appreciate a little gratitude. While it’s true you provided us with funds, that’s in the past. Now that you’ve lost your guild, your utility to us is almost nonexistent. In fact, many opinions were raised that there was no need to help you.”
“…Tch.”

The current Suda was no longer a president or anything, just one of many ordinary Awakened individuals. By becoming a criminal, he had also lost his right to stand on the public stage. From the perspective of those in the underworld, his utility was low.

“Nevertheless, we helped you to make it known that we are an organization that keeps its promises. Now, let’s go. We’ll take care of you until you can escape overseas. We need you to fly before the Ministry of Monster Countermeasures gets serious.”

The man said as he exited the escort vehicle.
The news of the escort vehicle attack must have already reached the police and the Ministry of Monster Countermeasures. He wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. However,

“…Wait. I’m not going overseas.”

Suda stopped just before stepping out of the escort vehicle and declared.
As the man tilted his head, wondering what he was saying, Suda, with anger etched on his face, stated his reason.

“It’s Tanaka. I can’t run away until I get my revenge on that bastard. I’ll make that guy who defied me see hell.”

Suda, who had been captured by the police and lost all his money and status.
All that remained for him was his ‘desire for revenge’ against Tanaka. He knew full well that it was just lashing out, but he also understood that if he didn’t achieve his revenge, he would live with that feeling for the rest of his life.

“…Oh, interesting.”

The man, understanding Suda’s feelings, smiled under his mask.

“Understood. In that case, let’s not go overseas. With my humble efforts, I’ll assist you with that revenge.”
“Hmph, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but if you’re going to lend a hand, I’ll make use of it.”

Suda gave a distrustful look as he exited the escort vehicle.
Then he ran, following the man who was leading the way.

“…By the way, what organization are you with? I’ve given money to a few places, you know.”
“Ah, that’s right. I haven’t introduced myself yet.”

The masked man declared to Suda as they ran along their pre-determined escape route.

“Our organization is ‘Integra’. We look forward to working with you from now on, Mr. Suda.”

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