Guard Duty

Now that I'm out of that awkward situation, let's move on to the next thing, seeing my sister. I can easily teleport to her apartment and ask her to help me.

It's just, how do I ask for a weapon that can work under anti-magic without raising suspicion? Well, I don't know, but I'm going to try.

I could just bring a knife next time, but I don't want to kill anyone, and getting your hands on something like a taser is harder than you think in a world where people can summon lightning from their fingertips. There is no point in such a thing, so basically, no one sells them.

I'll think of something, I guess.

"Hey Kari, can you make me a device that can, I don't know, electrocute people with 50,000 volts?"

"Why do you need one? I'm not making you a taser with no explanation."

Dang it.

Well, onto plan two. Stupid confidentiality part of the contract... well not much I can do now. I do have an idea, though.

"So Kari, let's say that, theoretically, there is someone out there who can negate magic. What kind of weapon would be most useful in taking them out."

"A gu-"

"That won't kill them."

"Aww... Well, a stick could work."

"I'm serious."

"So am I. I mean, just one bonk, and they are down!"

"Seriously?"

"When am I not?"

"All the time."

"Okay, whatever; if you really don't want to kill anyone, then just sneak attack them. It isn't that hard to do so. Just jump out of a corner and punch them in the jaw."

"You are no help."

"You being obscure about the circumstances isn't making this easy on me."

Well, I guess I'll just make do. Ugh.

===

So, how are we going to do this? I'll lay magic traps anyway, but until Osiris gets done studying that weird anti-magic tool, there is no way to prevent the enemies from just dispelling my magic and walking through.

I've never met such an annoying foe. This isn't some anime. Some certain magical anime.

People with the ability to cancel out magic shouldn't exist! I call foul! Is that the right term? I dunno; I'm not into sports.

Well, whatever. What's important right now is that it is now the time of the second conference, and I've got to defend the thing. This is going to be difficult.

I've got a trap set right now that doesn't just use magic. Basically, I'm hiding in a corner out of sight, waiting for someone to walk through the door. Once someone does, I'm just gonna go ahead and bonk them. All the officials should be inside the building right now anyway.

It would be embarrassing if I hit a government official on the head and destroyed any chances my country has at peace, but some risks you just gotta take.

Well, let's just hope for the best.

Okay, I hear people talking; that is a good sign. Well, it sounds more like yelling right now, but that is probably just my imagination. I wonder what they are talking about in there?

===

"Are you seriously leaving our safety in the hands of a child?"

Ugh, not this old geezer again. Are all humans like this? "She did pretty well last time."

"She got lucky. There are plenty of people living in this country, and none of them are as skilled as a seventeen-year-old girl? You've got to be kidding me!"

"She managed to form a barrier cutting off where we are talking from the rest of the world last time. Is that not skilled enough for you?"

"Why didn't she make it this time? Is she tired?"

"I'd like to see you try."

"Ugh. Look, Princess, I just want to know why you left our safety to a little girl so we can get on with our conversation!"

"Because she is someone who I felt I could trust. I have the faintest clue why."

===

Why do I feel like someone is talking about me?

Well, it isn't important. What is important, though, is that someone has just walked through the door.

*Bonk*

Wow, Kari really didn't lie; they went to hor- I mean, they got knocked out real quick. I didn't know steel poles were this effective.

Well, I guess the Gravity magic I put in to increase its weight helped. I knocked him out before he had the chance to use one of those stupid magic-canceling devices, after all.

Anyway, let's check out what this person had on him.

Hmm... a device similar to the other one I gave to Osiris. I assume that it has the same feature, but for now, let's not activate it. Just in case.

Last time only one person came, but you can't be too careful, so I'll just make sure that no one makes it in by barricading the door the old-fashioned way.

Why didn't I do that before? Do you really think that is going to work in a world of magic? This is going to buy a couple of seconds of time at least, but that is enough time for me to react, so it's fine.

First, let's wait until this guy wakes up... if he does, wow that lump on his forehead is gigantic.

===

"Augh, why does my head hurt so much."

"Probably because I hit you in the head with a steel pole weighing around 50 pounds accounting for my Gravity magic."

"What in the-"

"You are probably wondering how this amazing 17-year-old managed to catch you, and you see-"

"Where is the artifact? Hand it over!"

"You... really aren't in a good circumstance to make demands, you know. You're kind of my prisoner right now."

"If that thing is out of my hands for longer than an hour, the thing will blow up everything within a mile radius!"

"Wow... that is a lot of firepower packed into a tiny package. But I don't think we'll have to worry about that."

I mean, the thing is in 'Singularity' right now. Even if the thing goes off, nothing is going to happen. Plus, I think that he's bluffing. After all, that other device I got off the previous assassin didn't blow up either.

"Do you even know what that thing is, the possibilities it holds!"

Oh no... is he going to go off on a villain-esque monologue... please don't...

"That item holds the magic of the- Ough!"

I kicked him in the gut to shut him up. I do NOT wanna listen to that garbage right now.

"Look, you are a literal murderer; I don't have the sympathy to care for anything you say. Just answer my questions."

"Over my dead body."

Oooooh, I've always wanted to hear that line. But seriously, this guy is being a pain. Even if he told me the "magic that the artifact holds" and what it is, would that information be helpful or reliable? Even if it is, he can spill that monologue to the cops, not me.

That monologue wasn't going to help me.

Last time the assassin died randomly in his sleep. It was probably a curse, like the one that kept people from sleeping during the tournament a while back. If that is true, I should probably be able to dispel it.

"Wha-what are you doing!"

"Just removing the random death curse on your body."

I don't think he has a poisoned tooth, like in those movies, but it can't hurt to be sure, so I'll ask the police when they come by to keep antidotes on hand.

"Now, answer one question. Do you know a Dragon-kin with a scar down his face, from his left eyebrow to his chin?"

"I cannot answer that."

Welp, I think I learned a valuable lesson today. I suck at interrogating. Apparently, punching and kicking people doesn't cut it.

Also, after a while, I just started feeling guilty. I know I said that I won't spare guilt for a murderer, but come on, I've never done something like this before! I was just trying to be cool!

I guess I'll leave the interrogation to the pros.