"Right this way. The Captain is expecting you."
"Thank you."
Two days had passed since the battle on Shandia Island. After taking a full day to recover, Yugo and his friends were led through the Wind Island Security Force Headquarters by a guiding officer.
As a side note, the younger duo of Fee and Yui were currently occupied with their elementary division’s school trip itinerary, peacefully admiring the ocean from the deck of a sightseeing boat.
With the two children away, the rest of the group was ushered into a conference room. Waiting inside was the one-eyed officer who had assisted them during the previous disturbance. A man of undeniable presence, he saluted them crisply as they entered.
"I apologize for summoning you so suddenly in the middle of your school trip," he began. "Regarding the incident on Shandia Island and the Clear Plates—those mysterious magic items used by the perpetrators—we have uncovered several facts I believe you should hear."
"Don't worry about it," Yugo replied. "We’ve been wanting to learn more about those plates ourselves."
"I appreciate your understanding. I realize I haven't properly introduced myself. I am Shepherd Krueger, the head of the newly established Paranormal Crime Task Force."
"A task force?" Marcos’s expression darkened as he picked up on the gravity of the officer’s words. "Does that mean there are other plate possessors besides the ones we fought?"
Shepherd nodded, confirming Marcos’s suspicion that the incident hadn't ended with their battle. He gave a quick instruction to a subordinate before turning back to the group.
"I didn't mention this at the time, but the crimes involving Clear Plates that day weren't limited to the riot on Shandia. We have received reports of similar Magic Armor Beasts rampaging at multiple locations across the island chain, including the Main Island."
"So they weren't the only ones. What happened to the others?"
"We weren't able to apprehend all of them, but the Security Force managed to strike down several, recovering their Clear Plates and taking the individuals into custody. We’ve interrogated them—including the criminals you defeated—and managed to extract some information."
As he spoke, Shepherd took an item from the subordinate he had signaled earlier. He laid them out on the table for Yugo and the others to see.
There were five Clear Plates in total, including the two from the previous day’s battle. Shepherd continued his briefing as he displayed them.
"As you can see, we have five plates here. Three were recovered from perpetrators defeated by the Security Force, in addition to the two you stopped."
"Regarding their abilities... were they similar to the ones Yugo and the others fought on Shandia?"
"We’ll get to that in a moment. Right now, I want to address the source of the Clear Plates—the question we wanted answered most. Every one of them claims to have simply found it."
"Found it? You mean they weren't handed out or purchased?"
"Correct. For example, the two you fought claimed they found theirs by chance near the docks after the demonstration. The other three tell similar stories. It seems none of them know who created these Clear Plates or who is responsible for distributing them."
"Does this mean such dangerous objects are being scattered carelessly across the island?" Sakura exclaimed, her voice tight with concern. "How terrifying...!"
She was right to be worried. If objects capable of turning ordinary people into monstrous Magic Armor Beasts were simply left lying around, there was no telling when or where another random person might pick one up and turn to crime.
Wind Island was effectively a powder keg, liable to explode into violence at any moment. And yet, the identity of the mastermind pulling the strings remained a total mystery. The fact that they didn't even know the 'who' or 'why' behind it all made the situation feel incredibly ominous.
"...There is clearly someone behind this," Ryuga said, cutting through the tension. "But speculating about things we can't possibly know right now is a waste of time. Captain, please tell us what you do know about the Clear Plates themselves."
Shepherd nodded at Ryuga’s pragmatic suggestion. He proceeded to detail the findings from their day-long investigation.
"First, regarding the plates themselves: at this stage, they appear to be impervious to destruction. We attempted to break them using various physical and magical means, but we couldn't leave so much as a single scratch."
"Indestructible...? What about the material? Do we know what they're made of?"
"We don't have a clear answer for that either. There's no doubt a base of common metal has been enchanted, but they seem to contain unknown components as well."
"We’ve fought plenty of people who turned into Magic Armor Beasts before," Melt noted, "but these feel like a different breed entirely."
Yugo and the others had extensive experience fighting transformed humans. While the existence of such monsters had been shocking at first, they had grown accustomed to the threat. However, even they could sense something alien about these Clear Plates.
In the past, defeating a Magic Armor Beast usually meant its transformation item—the source of its power—was destroyed in the process. The fact that the Clear Plates remained intact was a deeply unsettling deviation from the norm.
"There is one more critical discovery regarding the plates," Shepherd said, calling his subordinate over once more.
As the officer approached, Shepherd picked up one of the plates from the table and held it up before Yugo and the group.
"I need to explain this very carefully."