Editing Sorcery Hacker:Volume1 Phase2 (section)

===Part 8===

“Striker Destrius!”

“I have heard, Soldier Shadelose. I believe we have found them.”

After building up a foundation in Wind Castle Town Silphine below the sunny and starry sky, Henrietta Split Destrius raised a hand with her blonde hair braided in a modification on a ponytail and while wearing the old style of armor that was popular with the people. She was currently at the spherical theatre that functioned as the wind town’s greatest landmark. She was at the top of that mass of stone and glass that measured 400 esoule<ref>Approximately 480 meters.</ref> across and was commonly referred to as the Continent Egg. With the artificial air currents running every which way, you could cling directly to the walls in this town, but she still preferred to have some ground below her feet.

After approaching some tourists taking photos and questioning them ''as a performance not intended to produce any real results'', the beautiful Striker began on the official report.

They had received an alert concerning a noisy sorcery gunfight in the wind town.

It took place in the unruly lowest levels. The occasional conflict there was nothing out of the ordinary, but something in this alert caught her attention.

A loud gunshot had been heard, but there had been no return fire from the enemy. But it had not seemed like a unilateral execution because there had been sounds of a struggle for a while after that.

In other words…

“Someone took control of a magic battle without using a sorcery gun.”

“Was it a Sorcery Hacker?”

The young man was correct, but Henrietta coldly narrowed her beautiful eyes. The more anger filled them, the icier they grew. This was a look only allowed of a frightening beautiful woman.

“I do not know what they are trying to accomplish here. Perhaps they are up to no good such as stealing from a wealthy merchant or destroying the city infrastructure, and perhaps they are attempting to do a good deed by revealing collusion among the royals and nobles or releasing the story of a silenced newspaper reporter.”

“Oh.”

The Soldier was too afraid to look her in the eye and he looked away just as a young Librarian woman in glasses (perhaps on the way to receive a book donation) and a Witch girl needlessly riding a broom passed by the giant landmark.

“But good or no good, ''we cannot leave this city in their hands''. The only people free to wield such firepower in this giant floating city are us thanks to the peacekeeping authority granted us by the king. If we cannot show the people we can do our job, their trust in us will waver and the public order will quickly collapse. We must stop them before that happens.”

While they discussed that, someone else stepped up from the side. This person invaded their personal space in a very off-putting way, although it was unclear if this was done intentionally or not.

The man had a smooth bald head and fluffy facial hair that made it look like someone had gotten the ratio of head and chin wrong. Something like a thick tape was attached to his neck and shoulders. That was an amplification poultice made with a drug mixed by a priest. He was muscular, but not as the result of high-level combat and training. These were the meaninglessly large muscles of someone who frequented a healthy gym and used highly unhealthy drugs.

Nevertheless, the protectors he wore were the asphalt-colored combat armor officially issued by Light Castle Brightio. …Although that was part of the reason that Henrietta stubbornly continued to wear the old-model armor that was unnecessarily showy and revealing but also popular with the people.

“Hello, hello, Knight Henrietta.”

“I am Striker Destrius.”

“My bad, my bad. I was up all night and my mind isn’t working right. I’m having trouble remembering all those tricky rules. …Yawn.”

“I would have assumed ''a night owl like you'' would be used to this.”

“Let’s not assume things about people.”

The bald and bearded knight grinned with a weapon at his hip that was not borrowed from the king.

It was a war pick that altered the details and sturdiness of a mountaineering ice axe for use in combat. It was developed to break through a thick helmet made from oxidized mana-conducting silver and its use had been banned by every city-state for its cruelty, but his was not for use against people.

It was a Linkage Plug meant for Sorcery Hacking.

He also had three crystal dice clattering around in his hand.

“Whoever I was in the past, I am know a knight granted a coat of arms by the royal family. Just like you. Maybe don’t take a prejudiced view of your fellow knights, hm?”

“…”

This was why Henrietta made a point of calling herself a Striker.

This was not the first time Sky City Celedileka’s fighting force had been shorthanded, but they had recently announced a bold solution. The skilled Sorcery Hackers sitting in prison would be given court ranks and temporarily freed. Their crimes would be frozen as long as they fought for the city. The Soldiers like Shadelose, who had been given the position based on the excellent results of their more traditional work, were left behind while those former criminals were not only given a position in law enforcement but authority in the government as well.

There was no longer a distinction between the former criminals and the devout knights whose families had served the royal family for generations. Or rather, the traditional knights had grown to hate calling themselves knights and taken to calling themselves Strikers instead. If the king was going to change with the times, then they would change their title as well.

In other words, the knights of Sky City Celedileka were really nothing more than white hat hackers. Although the common folk and tourists had no way of knowing this.

“Now, ''Knight'' Gerlos.”

Henrietta had a reason for using that outdated title here, but the poultice-wearing thug named Dagregor Gerlos did not pick up on the thick sarcasm. Henrietta guessed that was an arbitrary fake name he had chosen for himself. He might not even have a real name. She heard those people liked to use names from cultures and civilizations outside the Static Continent when naming their avatars or whatever.

His armor looked more customized and bulgier than standard, so she guessed it had extra soundproofing material inside. He never wanted to be anywhere near the actual fighting, yet he was paranoid about getting hurt. His lack of military training could not have been more obvious.

Henrietta was absolutely disgusted by the man, but she did her best not to let it show on her face.

“What brings you to us at this busy time?”

“Oh, I just thought this investigation could use a breath of fresh air. I’ve been buried in work and bored out of my mind for days on end because of your old-fashioned methods. Let’s narrow in on them and settle this.”

“How exactly do you suggest we do this?”

“Now, now, now. Have you forgotten what our specialty is?” The hairy-chinned man named Dagregor gave a vulgar smile. “Going around asking questions is a waste of time. We know they’re in this area, right? And these are some good kids who haven’t started robbing people to fund their escape, so why even bother pursuing them when we can get them to come to us?”

“Again, how exactly do you suggest we do this?”

“Just look at this one step at a time. It started at Fire Castle Town Flared’s airport where they arrived in a balloon bungalow, right? Then let’s arrest the rental worker and torture them.”

He said it so readily.

He did not seem to care at all that he would be robbing someone of their future or that he would be using authority borrowed from the king to do so.

“Then we do the same at the sorcery taxi office, the market, the souvenir shops, the fruit shops, and anyone else who says they saw them. We arrest and torture everyone who came in contact with those brats. Once it becomes clear what’s happening, we’ve won. And if we run out of people, we can always start arresting people from unrelated shops and inns.”

“…”

“Really, it comes down to letting everyone know what happens if they cover for the suspects. You’re having trouble because you don’t have enough information, right? Then it’s time to tighten our grip until-…”

He was unable to finish his thought.

That was because Striker Henrietta Split Destrius took action before he could.

Her hand grabbed the thug’s jaw and lifted him up with her one slender arm.

For a brief moment, the beautiful woman threw out her lovely old-fashioned smile.

She squeezed so tight it looked like she was going to crush his neck and the poultice around it.

Her identity as a born fighter had revealed itself.

“''Do not say another word, you drugged-up twig.''”

“Ah…kah!?”

It all happened so suddenly Dagregor blinked in confusion, held his hands up to his jaw, and kicked his legs in the air, but he could not break free of Henrietta’s arm that seemed harder than steel. And since the thug ''still did not understand'', the Striker, who had been taught to be a shield for the people, breathed an honest sigh.

“I can accept that thugs lower than rats were given the title of knights. It was the insufficient strength of our old-fashioned forces that led to that, so the blame for our decline falls squarely on our shoulders. So I am not going to protest the central Light Castle’s decision at this point. I will grant you the title of Knight. We can simply call ourselves Strikers.”

“Ah…ah!!”

“But it was our old-fashioned forces who created the unique atmosphere of this sky city. The bond of trust between the people and the nobles has existed since well before my birth and that forms a thick pillar that protects the peace here. Former criminal, do you really think there is room for you there? Well, do you? Do you!? Did you believe a thug who was only given his title a few combo-years ago could create a crack in the bond of trust that has existed for hundreds of combo-years? On whose authority, you fool!!”

Finally, Henrietta released her slender fingers from the jaw of the Sorcery Hacker who had been given a more socially acceptable title. Dagregor collapsed to the ground and fell into a coughing fit while glaring hatefully up at the blonde woman with a braided variant on a ponytail.

“I…I…I am a knight now…”

“Yes, that you are, Sir Knight. You are indeed a knight, which is why no one wants to use that title anymore. I see now that you are the perfect example of the kind of knight who has dragged that title through the mud.”

When he saw Henrietta stare in disgust at her hand which smelled more of the mystery poultice than of the Sorcery Hacker himself, Dagregor seemed to finally realize what she meant when she called him a knight. The thug’s face only grew redder and Henrietta spat out further words without trying to hide how much she despised him.

“But have you forgotten? Your crimes were frozen, not pardoned. The central Light Castle’s inspectors are always watching you. Once you are no longer deemed useful, your title will be stripped from you and you will be thrown back in prison. So should you really be wasting time here?”

“…!?”

“I have more influence than you think. Because of the trust I spent a very long time building up. If you don’t want me whispering some choice words in the ears of an inspector I know, then get back to your post. Listen, get out of my sight if you insist on taking shortcuts ''just like'' the Sorcery Hacker you are. And if you won’t leave, I will remove you myself. Got that, slave knight!?”

No one said another word.

Not Knight Dagregor down on the ground and not Soldier Shadelose who was listening to it all from the side.

If this was enough to scare him too bad to get up, he could never fight in a true battle where it was destroy or be destroyed. And whether or not they were a former criminal, Knights and Strikers were both only borrowing their authority from the king. That could always be taken from them, so they had to be improving themselves on a daily basis to live up to the king’s trust in them, yet this man was conceited enough to think he had it set for life. Did he really think the weight was ever lifted from your shoulders while serving the king?

Finally, a nearly sobbing voice spoke up.

It seemed to be lamenting the misfortune that had befallen him and only him.

“Why…why does this have to happen to me?”

She had just one answer for him.

And she spoke it almost like she was speaking to someone else who was not present.

“''Because you are a Sorcery Hacker, you thug.''”