“What is it?”
The woman, who flinched slightly at my call, turned around naturally. The man beside her also turned towards me, but his eyes seemed unfocused.
Seeing this, I activated a spell and waved my hand. The man’s consciousness flickered for a moment, and he almost collapsed to his knees.
“Ngh!”
What I used was a magic called “Dispel,” which negates enchantments. According to Instructor Fushio, it’s a fundamental spell, but mastering it can affect all sorts of other magic, making it very rewarding.
The woman, reacting to the dispelled magic, tried to escape without taking the man hostage.
“…”
Whether she thought she could escape my combat as the boss or not, I wouldn’t let the woman who made such a mistake get away. I instantly enhanced my body and moved at a speed she couldn’t react to, cutting her off.
“Kaha.”
I struck her lung, forcibly expelling oxygen from her body, sealing her respiratory system, and then cast a spell to make her lose consciousness.
Then, I gently removed her mask and checked her face.
“So, you infiltrated,” I muttered.
Her face was not among the participants. As I wondered when she had gotten in, a frown appeared on my brow as I saw her revealed species. But now was not the time for that. Looking closely at the accessory around her neck, I saw an engraving with an advanced concealment spell I’d seen in documents.
She had gone to considerable expense to sneak into this venue.
However, there was no time to investigate that magic tool. The problem was that someone who shouldn’t be here had infiltrated.
I wondered when she had done it, but I recalled that woman, who had been wearing this number, had left the venue a few times for touch-ups.
“So, then…”
If I stood there, I might be noticed. So, I quickly escaped the venue with the unconscious man and two others I had grabbed, stuffing the man into the adjoining infirmary and entrusting him to the doctor’s care.
“So, she had a plan to be picked up somewhere,” I grumbled, my headache worsening from the trouble she’d caused. Concealing this would be problematic later, damaging my credibility, so it would have to be reported.
This was a method using our event. I had thought there would be no risk of information leakage, as the event’s details were kept secret until the very last minute, with only partial information released the day before and full details on the day. But evidently, information still leaked.
“Does the message from the son-in-law mean it’s an emergency?”
“It does. One person was nearly taken away. If they were trying to take her away, it means they’ve secured an escape route from this company have they not? Find them and deal with them.”
“Understood. I will mobilize the unit I have in reserve.”
It’s good to be prepared, I thought with relief. I instructed Muil-san, who was waiting outside, to mobilize the unit and began investigating the woman who had been handed over to the security force.
“They came at us with a succubus. Be careful.”
“I suspect someone desperate enough to use such means has been used as a disposable pawn. It’s the most likely scenario.”
“I agree. But we can’t just do nothing because of that.”
I felt like sighing at their use of intelligence agents. The best outcome is to prevent trouble, and the next best is to deal with it before it happens. However, by dealing with it after it had already occurred, we’ve given the Japanese side room for negotiation. The price for this oversight would be considerable.
We couldn’t afford to fall further behind.
“We may have to consider interrupting the party as a last resort.”
“Yes.”
If it’s about the participants’ safety, I should cancel the party without regard for my reputation. If their goal was to cause a commotion and ruin my reputation, they’ve already succeeded. No matter what I do from here, I can’t change the fact that I’ve put them in danger.
Since the damage has been done, all we can do now is try to recover as much as possible. Fortunately, the man wasn’t injured. If he had sustained irreparable injuries, it would have been a disaster.
“For now, it’s confirmed that someone has infiltrated. There’s a strong possibility it’s not just one faction. I’ll ask Amili-san for cooperation and contact Evia as well.”
“Are you sure? This will result in a scandal being reported.”
“It’s better than trying to cover it up and being found out later. Reporting what happened sooner rather than later will lead to less severe consequences.”
“Understood. I’ll contact you if there are any developments.”
“Please do.”
From now on, I have to make the decisions. Normally, the party would be canceled here. Following apologies, various follow-up procedures would commence.
However.
“I can’t stop it, can I?” I thought. I couldn’t ruin the enjoyment of the majority of people here because of a few troublemakers. The women are earnestly trying to find love, and the men are feeling budding affections for them. That’s purely a good thing. It makes you want to cheer them on. Those who would interfere with that should be thoroughly eliminated.
Returning to the venue, my resolve firm, my first course of action was to find Kirie-san. I could gauge her general location by her presence, so as I walked in that direction, I quickly found her.
“…Something happened, didn’t it?”
My sudden departure and hasty return would indicate something had happened.
“Yes.”
If she were of the same organization, reporting would be easy. But it was a delicate matter whether to tell Kirie-san, whose position was somewhat ambiguous. However, if her subordinate was nearly kidnapped, she should know. After a moment’s hesitation, I told Kirie-san exactly what had happened without omission.
“So that’s what happened.”
“I apologize for that.”
“No, I was the one who was discourteous first. We can’t just blame Jiro-. Besides, I had heard that there was a possibility of such people infiltrating, so I’m not that surprised.”
The man we brought to the infirmary has regained consciousness, but we received word from the infirmary that his perception is slightly impaired due to hypnosis. He is not in danger, and his perceptual issues will resolve over time.
“The problem is what to do from here.”
“Yes, something has already happened. Normally, we would cancel.”
“However, neither you nor I are executives of a normal organization.”
Fortunately, there have been no substantial damages yet, so the party can continue. Kirie-san also seems to be against canceling the party. Minor troubles are within the scope of what we can expect.
“Our purpose is to establish organizational ties before diplomatic relations are established. We have no choice but to overlook minor incidents. It’s not an excuse, but not everything has been ruined.”
The focus now is on how to act without the participants noticing. I nodded in agreement, and from now on, I would have to proceed with the event in cooperation with Kirie-san.
“Kirie-san, please provide security for the male participants. Advise them to act with moderation and to refuse excessive advances from the female group. That should help prevent some issues.”
Kirie-san would plant a seed of caution in the men’s hearts. That alone would make their opponents’ actions much more difficult, and her words fall within the realm of common sense.
“On our end, we’ll rein in the female group by expressing some displeasure, telling them they’re getting a bit too carried away.”
Keiri-san mentioned that some women were aiming for a one-night stand, so I’ve resigned myself to pouring some cold water on their enthusiasm and dampening their momentum.
“Yes, that might be for the best. The men don’t seem entirely unwilling either.”
Kirie-san looked at the men, who hid their ulterior motives with undisguised lust, with a chilling gaze. This wasn’t a university mixer. She looked at them with a cold eye, as if to say she wouldn’t want them getting carried away and taken home. It was as if she was telling them to interact gradually and cherish pure relationships. But honestly, I think they’re feeling that way because the women’s offensive is so strong.
I’m truly sorry. The women are extremely proactive this time, having resolved to find a partner. They are doing their utmost to captivate men as women, so there are many signs that they are interested, and overtures from beautiful women who seem interested can have a near-poisonous effect on men with no relationship experience.
“Fortune favors the bold. The sooner we act, the better.”
“Indeed.”
I wondered if it was a luxury to think that the women’s advances were too effective, but Kirie-san and I acted swiftly. It felt bad to intrude on their cheerful mingling and dampen their spirits, but after what happened, it couldn’t be helped.
At the opportune moment in their conversations, I discussed moderation, a topic quite out of place at a marriage hunting party, causing the women to look at me with suspicion. Even if they suspect something, they’ll face bigger problems later.
“Ah, forgive me. Evia just reported that there are hotel reservations under the names of some participants in the underground mall. I know it’s hard to believe, but you are participating here as representatives of the Demon Lord’s Army. We won’t stop you from pursuing romance, but we have been instructed to ask you to act with moderation.”
As I said this with a smile, several women averted their gazes. They were probably the ones who were about to act and then stopped themselves. The women who had something to hide, while muttering their disbelief, listened earnestly to my words and agreed, entering a cooling-off mode.
This was fine for the women who hadn’t formed couples yet, but the problem was the couples who were starting to get intensely involved. A Dryad woman and a man I had nudged were creating an atmosphere that suggested they were five seconds away from a kiss.
“Do I have to get between them?” I wondered. Pushed by the looks that said, “You’ve warned us, so you must warn them too,” I moved forward reluctantly. I found myself explaining moderation to couples who had just formed. I accepted their disgruntled looks as inevitable and managed to get everyone to exercise moderation.
“For now, we can rest easy, can’t we?”
“Yes. We just need to increase surveillance and continue our patrols.”
As Kirie-san was about to say something further, she paused and turned towards an approaching presence.
“Is something the matter?”
Three men approached. Kirie-san stepped forward to respond.
“We know this is a sudden request, but we want to do something in return for the people from another world who have welcomed us so warmly.”
“We thought we’d prepare an event for them too.”
“So, we’ve gathered volunteers who want to play music. We can manage the instruments by applying Shikigami.”
This was a proposal outside the event’s schedule. Seeing Kirie-san’s questioning gaze, I nodded. Half of my decision was based on the judgment that, despite the trouble, such an event would be welcome. For the other half, I believed that their proactive actions would lead to positive future developments. I adjusted the schedule and helped them with their preparations.
This marriage hunting party was constantly filled with unexpected events. I, who hadn’t activated Future Sight, couldn’t predict how it would all end, but I resolved to make this event, overseen by the President, a success no matter what.
Today’s Events
Problems arise from the unexpected.
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