A Quiet Tale: Those Searching for the Black Knight
A new transformed hero called the White Knight.
Even for us, the Justice Crusaders, his existence was shocking.
First, the sight of him kicking a golden-suited monster with the moonlight at his back.
Next, his figure defeating space invaders who appeared in the city.
We immediately knew it was Katsumi.
Although his fighting style and appearance were vastly different, his merciless way of fighting and his self-sacrificing protection of involved children reminded us of Katsumi when he was the Black Knight.
“We’ve confirmed the existence and appearance of the mysterious hero, White Knight. His suit is undoubtedly of space origin. Moreover, it uses an energy core similar to the extremely dangerous one used in the Proto-suit.”
In the Justice Crusaders headquarters’ briefing room.
The president, pointing at the White Knight projected against a moonlit background, spoke with a stern expression to us and the staff gathered there.
“And next is this.”
The image switched to show him slicing and exploding an alien with the dagger in his hand.
“His combat ability is high, overwhelming the monster on their first encounter.”
“…………”
“Not to mention his merciless finishing move.”
Everyone fell silent.
His transformed appearance, with three horns on his head and the design of his belt buckle, differed from the tri-colored form he showed during the decisive battle three months ago. It looked as if equipment had been stripped away.
The president showed the footage once more and swung his arm vigorously.
“I mean, no matter how you look at it, isn’t that Katsumi!?”
The president slapped the projected image like a comedic retort.
Well, it’s obviously Katsumi.
Rather, who else could it be?
“You’d know if you heard his voice, right?”
“You can tell by his gestures, can’t you?”
“I already knew by my sixth sense.”
“Sometimes you guys scare me more than the monsters.”
The president, looking somewhat frightened, tried to continue the conversation.
“But why doesn’t he return to us?”
“Maybe he’s thinking of acting freely on his own this time…?”
“…No, that’s unlikely. He’s fierce in battle but smart. It’s unnatural for someone like him to act that way when he knows we know his identity.”
The president tilted his head.
If it were him, he should have come back here.
And… three months… where had he been wandering for three months?
“The clincher is this statement.”
[Hey, I’m not called the Black Knight!? Aren’t you mistaking me for someone else!?]
The projected video and audio.
It was when he reacted to the words thrown at him by the people at the scene.
“There’s a very good chance he’s stubbornly denying it. Rather, this human-like response dispels the clone theory.”
“This stubborn attitude is definitely Katsumi…”
Although the voice sounds processed, it’s undoubtedly his voice.
“By the way, when we checked with our equipment, comparing his build, intonation, and subtle habits, we’re 93% certain it’s him.”
“But he’s not coming back.”
“That’s right. That’s the worst possibility we can think of.”
The president spoke with a bitter face, hesitating.
We know.
Because we know, we want him to put it into words right here, right now.
“There’s a possibility that he has lost his memories.”
“…!”
“In addition to his changed fighting method, the fact that the performance of that suit itself has decreased means there’s a reason for it. If we assume that the form he showed in the battle with Vega was a manifestation of his bond with you guys… his current form makes sense.”
He has forgotten about us.
This fact casts a large shadow over our hearts.
It’s painful…
To think that those days have been forgotten…
“But he’s alive, right?”
As we were feeling distressed, Kirara spoke to the president.
The president nodded strongly at her words.
“Even if he’s lost his memories, he’s alive. That much is certain.”
“If we know he’s alive, that’s enough. Right, Akane? Aoi?”
Kirara’s words made us nod.
That’s right, he’s alive.
The fact that we know for certain he’s alive means we’ve made progress.
“…By the way, how’s Alpha doing?”
Alpha-chan, huh… That child is…
Since both Kirara and Aoi looked at me troubled, I explained as their representative.
“She was depressed, but when she realized Katsumi was alive, she cheered up.”
“I see. I was worried she might alter her perception and go outside, but well, since invaders have appeared at the same time, surely she wouldn’t—”
“Actually, she did try to go out using perception alteration.”
I shook my head at the president’s words.
“Huh? But, but there hasn’t been any report of her leaving? Before that, if she had used perception alteration, we would have forgotten her existence and couldn’t have stopped her.”
“When she tried to use her ability to leave, I knocked her out with a karate chop.”
“…What did you say?”
“I knocked her out with a karate chop.”
The president, who seemed unable to comprehend for a few seconds, crossed his arms, tilted his head, and looked at me.
“What are you…?”
“Like, whoosh!”
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Looking around, I realized even the staff in the briefing room were taken aback.
“For a moment, my perception was altered, and I couldn’t remember who Alpha-chan was. But I trusted my instincts.”
“Seriously, what are you…? I’m really taken aback…”
Seeing the president truly shocked and dropping his formal speech, I remembered that time.
Apparently, she restored everything as soon as she woke up, but it was surprising.
So that’s what it feels like to be hit by perception alteration.
If Kirara and Aoi hadn’t come later, I might have left the room, leaving the unconscious Alpha-chan behind.
“W-well, you did well. Currently, there are invaders targeting Alpha. For her sake too, it’s dangerous to let her go outside carelessly.”
“It’s sad for Alpha-chan though…”
“Even so. With our sensors for space invaders not yet complete, we need to respond quickly. …Probably because more aliens will come in the future.”
“Is the battle going to start again?”
“It has already begun. It’s not clear if they’re targeting Alpha. But when I decoded the language of those invaders, a surprising fact came to light.”
“A surprising fact?”
As I tilted my head, the president operated the terminal in his hand and switched the video.
An alien with a cyborg-like appearance was saying something to Katsumi as the White Knight.
“＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊458＊ ＊＊＊＊＊＊＊ ＊＊＊＊＊＊ ＊＊”
“This is the voice of the invader that the White Knight fought. It’s an extraterrestrial language, but when I converted it to Earth language…”
As the president operated the terminal, the audio in the video changed to a mechanical one.
“General rank 458I ARGOS en garde”
“General rank?”
“It’s the power ranking of the organization I belonged to. The nameless organization, Unknown. Among the fierce beings of various races gathered there, this guy is the 458th strongest. Probably, that Vega was also one of those who had a name there.”
The organization the president belonged to…
Is that going to be our opponent this time?
“The problem is the next part.”
“IF I KILL YOU, MY RANK WILL GO UP”
If they kill Katsumi, their rank will go up!?
What’s going on!? Why is the reason for targeting his life like some kind of prize!!
“To be honest, I’m confused too. Raising the rank is something only allowed by the one at the top of Unknown.”
“You mean the final boss?”
“It’s not an opponent that can be summed up with such a cute word as ‘final boss’. It’s truly a transcendent being that is the embodiment of despair. Never confront it. If you do, your life is certainly forfeit.”
The president’s voice was filled with tension and fear.
Is the opponent that terrifying?
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