TRUE ABILITY– Chapter 69: The Raging One

The Raging One

I quickly understood that the words I had spoken were the right ones. Not only Geese, who stood before me, but also the other mysterious executives in the room, were clearly shaken.

Of course they were. To utter such a phrase while under that much killing intent—it's not something a sane person would do.

"......Interesting," Geese muttered.

Simultaneously, the wild winds that had been raging through the room vanished in an instant.

A silence fell over the room, with dust still floating in the air. Yet, the golden eyes peering through the haze continued to gleam ominously.

"Whether it was inevitable or mere coincidence... it doesn't matter."

Geese spat out these words and then flashed a grin at me.

"Fine. I’ll recognize you as Ain."

At that moment, I caught a glimpse of Fia-san smiling behind Geese, emphasizing her raised thumb. I couldn’t help but feel a smile tugging at my lips as well. This situation had gone exactly as Fia-san had planned.

"Being able to stand after facing that level of killing intent, and having the guts to look me straight in the eye... I don't care if it's all just bravado."

His voice was a whisper, but his words continued to pound against my eardrums.

"That's fine with me. It doesn’t change anything. Yeah, nothing should change at all."

After saying that, Geese stared at me intently, not moving a muscle. The grin on his face grew increasingly crazed.

I swallowed hard and glanced over at Fia-san.

"......"

Fia-san, while looking around nervously, slowly lowered her thumb.

"――――"

"Prepare yourself, Ain. I’m done with this 'testing' nonsense."

he moment I heard those words, I realized how naive I had been. But seeing the reactions of the other executives, I knew I hadn’t made the wrong choice. At the very least, I had succeeded in unsettling them, and from Geese's own words, it was clear that he wasn't underestimating me.

But still—

"I acknowledge it. You’re worthy of being that person’s right hand. But, I’m no different."

In his expression, gaze, and stance, I could see sharpness in everything. There was no longer any raging killing intent, nor was there any overwhelming display of magical power.

What remained was simply, purely—

"I want it, so I’ll take it."

Geese whispered these words and then—

"This is how I fightttt!!”

The word "explosion" is probably the most appropriate to describe what just happened. The moment Geese's figure vanished, I caught a glimpse of Fia-san's panicked face.

Earlier, the thrust Geese had aimed at me was likely nothing more than a “test.”

In the blink of an eye, in that brief instant—

"How long are you going to keep this up, you idioot~?"

With a bright voice from a girl, the situation plunged into further chaos.

The sound of a collision, sharp enough to tear through eardrums, echoed. The stone wall, now riddled with newly born holes, began to crumble, spewing out rubble. The dust that filled the air conveyed the undeniable reality to me.

It was easy to explain what had happened. Geese, who had been charging straight at me, was suddenly blown away to the side.

The reason why? It was simple.

Zwei had suddenly intervened from the side and kicked Geese away.

Amidst the swirling dust, Geese, his golden eyes gleaming fiercely, crawled out of the hole and stood up, tilting his head from side to side as if checking for damage, his expression blank.

“......”

No—perhaps not entirely blank. I could see a faint mix of surprise in his expression.

The same surprise was reflected on Fia-san’s face, who had stepped in to protect me. The confusion on her face was even more evident than Geese's.

In other words, this situation, one that left me utterly confused, was shocking enough to even surprise the executives.

"......I don't get it," Geese muttered, then turned his gaze to the smiling Zwei.

“You crazy b*tch! The hell do you think you’re doing?!"

At that quiet question, Zwei looked at her nails and responded nonchalantly.

"Knock it off~ Yuno-kun clearly doesn't like this. Or something like that?"

Her cute, bell-like voice echoed through the room, creating a strange dissonance in the already tense atmosphere.