🔊 TTS Settings
chapter 87
I could sense the terrorists scattered throughout the museum standing guard, tightening their defenses.
There were almost no blind spots left.
Come to think of it, Arthur had said—
[… It couldn’t be Oracle, right?]
[No. Those guys still haven’t revealed their identities publicly, remember? On the other hand, this attack was carried out by a world-famous terrorist group that openly claimed responsibility.]
The group that staged the attack two days ago.
The terrorists here must belong to that same organization.
If they’re infamous worldwide, that means they’ve carried out plenty of operations and gained lots of experience. No wonder they automatically shifted into combat readiness.
If only they used those abilities for humanity’s sake…
With that thought, I shifted my focus to the outside of the museum.
It looked like countless Awakened, including Arthur, had surrounded the building.
They seemed to be debating how to proceed.
They tried persuading the terrorists to surrender over the loudspeaker earlier, but since there was no response, they’re struggling to decide what to do next.
They couldn’t recklessly storm in because of the hostages.
Honestly, I preferred that they didn’t.
If they forced their way inside and chaos broke out, the risk of casualties in the middle of battle would only rise.
“…Alright then.”
I’d roughly grasped the situation. Time to move.
It would be best to finish this before those outside came barging in.
******
Inside the Egyptian Exhibit.
One of the terrorists spoke.
(Something happen to the guys stationed in the Great Court?)
The Great Court.
The first space you see when entering the British Museum.
Since many exhibition rooms branched off from it, if the Great Court fell, the other teams would be in danger too.
That’s why the ones guarding it were the best among the terrorists, outfitted with their top gear.
And now—communication with them was cut.
Of course the others were uneasy.
(We did hear gunfire, right?)
(Yeah, but that came from the rifle carried by the guy in the powered suit. Maybe he fired at an intruder?)
…The men in the Egyptian Exhibit kept alert, while still intimidating the hostages so they wouldn’t try anything stupid.
(…Should we check it out?)
One suggested going to see the Great Court.
…That was the logical move.
After all, the Egyptian Exhibit was directly connected to it.
But no one dared to take the first step.
For a simple reason—fear.
(……)
(……)
The reasons they had joined this group weren’t anything noble.
The grand ideology the organization claimed? Sure, some might have been inspired by that, but most didn’t care in the slightest.
Some just wanted to run wild? Maybe. But even that wasn’t the root cause.
The truth was simpler:
(To live.)
They just wanted to survive.
Not knowing when monsters might kill them.
Not knowing when criminals might prey on them.
Not knowing when hunger might claim them.
Joining a terrorist group was their escape from that life.
They only wanted to live.
And so, none of them dared to check the Great Court.
Because whatever had wiped out their comrades there… might do the same to them.
Still, they kept their eyes locked in that direction.
Thud.
(Huh…?)
It didn’t matter, though.
Even if they’d gone to check.
Even if they’d found their comrades collapsed.
The outcome wouldn’t have changed.
Thud.
(What the—)
(Shh…!)
The terrorists started dropping one by one.
One of the hostages nearly screamed, but another quickly clamped a hand over their mouth.
Thud.
And soon after—
None of the terrorists guarding the Egyptian Exhibit remained standing.
The figure responsible scanned the room, noted the frightened but unharmed hostages, and calmly slipped into the next exhibit.
No one had seen their form.
No trace was left behind.
Someone had clearly taken down the terrorists, but not a single person understood how.
And it wasn’t just in the Egyptian Exhibit.
Thud.
(Urgh…!)
The Greek and Roman Exhibit.
Thud.
(Khh… Emergency—Aagh…!)
The Middle Eastern Exhibit.
Crack.
(Ghh… Ugh…)
The Asian and European Exhibits.
The same scene repeated everywhere.
Some lasted a little longer depending on their skill level, but eventually every terrorist in the museum was knocked unconscious.
And once nearly all of them had been subdued, it happened—
Some civilians, sensing the bizarre situation, made a break for it and began escaping from the museum.
(What’s going on?)
(How did they get past the terrorists?)
The Awakened surrounding the museum hurried to protect the escaping civilians while demanding answers: what had just happened inside?
(Breach!)
Boom!
Boom!
Soon Arthur, along with an older London Auror Master, formed an assault team.
They stormed the museum, apprehended the unconscious terrorists, and the so-called “British Museum Terror Incident” was, more or less, resolved.
******
That night.
“You were the one, weren’t you? The one who took down all the terrorists.”
Arthur asked me as I stood on the hotel balcony, letting the wind hit my face.
“That’s right.”
I had no intention of lying to him, so I answered plainly.
Arthur gulped his beer and said,
“All of the museum’s CCTV and security systems had been disabled, so no footage of you was recorded. Of course, those on-site… especially the ones in the same exhibits as you… they seemed to have realized.”
“I never tried to hide it.”
I was already known as an Auror Master.
That alone explained everything.
How had I managed to defeat so many armed terrorists? Because I was an Auror Master.
Why hadn’t anyone noticed me moving during the fight? Because I was an Auror Master.
So I expected people to figure out that I’d been the one to stop them.
I just need to keep one thing secret—that my power isn’t actually aurora but martial arts.
This time, to take them down quietly, I had used a concealment incantation.
As long as that didn’t get exposed, nothing else mattered.
“…And according to the captured terrorists, one of them was wearing a powered suit. But when we found him, the suit was missing.”
Ah—right. I’d stashed it in subspace.
“You need it?”
“…Yes. Technically, since you were the one who defeated him, the suit belongs to you. But this isn’t just any gear—it’s military-grade equipment that somehow ended up in a terrorist’s hands. We need to trace its origins, figure out how they obtained it…”
Arthur’s voice trailed off.
He dressed it up with nice words, but really, he was just asking me to hand over the loot.
“Fine. Take it.”
“…Are you sure?”
He looked genuinely shocked at how easily I agreed.
He asked again, and again, just to confirm. I grew tired of repeating myself, so I simply pulled the suit from subspace and tossed it to him.
“…Thank you? For cooperating?”
“Why does that sound like a question?”
Arthur left with the powered suit, promising to repay me somehow.
Not that I care…
At first, when I’d seized the suit, I thought of ways to use it.
But after some thought, I realized—I couldn’t.
Maybe because by my standards, it’s outdated…
Its performance wasn’t that great.
The power source on its back contained some interesting tech worth studying, but otherwise, it wasn’t valuable.
And the most fatal flaw—
Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t wear it.
Not because it couldn’t keep up with me.
It just… didn’t fit.
It was made for adults. No way a middle schooler like me could wear it.
So I decided to hand it over to the London Awakener Association.
That way, maybe they could trace which group had armed the terrorists—likely Oracle.
Though honestly, I doubt this will be enough to confirm Oracle’s involvement.
Still, better than doing nothing.
And Arthur promised compensation.
Besides, no matter how young I look, the Association wouldn’t dare try to deceive an Auror Master.
Arthur, who knew me well, wouldn’t allow it.
“…Hmm.”
Having settled my thoughts, I turned to another matter.
Where to sightsee before Arthur and Rachel’s wedding tomorrow.
…The Awakened in Britain, including Arthur, were busy with the aftermath of the terror attack. But that wasn’t my problem.
No matter how mature I acted, I still looked—and was—the age of a middle schooler. No one expected me to help with Association business.
Anyway… I’ve already seen Buckingham Palace and the British Museum.
Well, not all of the museum, but since it would be closed for some time after the attack, I doubted I’d get another chance to tour it properly.
With that thought, I pulled out my smartphone—
