Like a reverse "Boy Who Cried Wolf," I was led to the Old Hashimoto Garden.
It certainly wasn't for a picnic.
Five armored vehicles and two tanks. Two combat helis. One hundred infantrymen accompanying the tanks. Furthermore, five humanoid fighters. Hundreds of drones. It was a hardcore, heavy-duty combat specification.
Police and Public Security agents followed along, too. We waded into the fray fully prepared to take heads. Naturally, every member of our Hellhounds (lol) was participating.
With a deployment like this, there was no way we could keep it hidden from the media. We stormed the garden with the press in tow.
I boarded the Jester-exclusive machine. Melissa, whom I had barely seen lately, was also in her custom machine. This time, Claire was in the two-seater as well.
"Melissa, are you tired?"
"I'm fine. If anything, that pointless wait at the spaceport was the hardest part. I couldn't even ride the same bus as everyone else for Luna's funeral..."
Ultimately, even after the memorial service, Melissa had to rush back to the spaceport to handle the docking procedures. In her stead, the instructors from her home were participating in this operation.
Meanwhile, interview requests had been flooding my private line for a while now. Listen! There’s no way a soldier can leak operation details based on their own personal judgment! When a soldier leaks something, it’s because everyone up to their boss's boss is a co-conspirator!
Wifey boarded a flight-type carrier known as an Aerial Fortress. It was a flashy but useless weapon that had been a fad several hundred years ago—huge, slow, and fuel-inefficient. People called it a "flying target" because it was too damn big. It was a triple burden of logistical nightmares. On the plus side, it was incredibly sturdy. Where on earth did they even dig up an antique like that?
We arrived at the garden. "It seems an Esper Organization is holding an event inside," the Fairy explained.
The Esper Organization was a shady group that had cropped up overnight following my recent exploits. Its members were mostly people who wanted to blame their life's failures on being an Esper. Naturally, there were almost no actual Espers; it was just a sea of self-proclaimed ones.
After all, historically, the only people ever suppressed for being Espers were ultra-high-level ones on the Fairy's level. Even Jesters were assumed to be going extinct on their own, so they were practically forgotten until their numbers started to increase. Sure, high-firepower offensive types are dangerous, but you can't reach that level without military training. By the time someone becomes a high-level Esper, they usually have a formal rank and obligations.
Because of that, pyrokinesis and psychokinesis users were given preferential treatment in the military. They got an allowance of about twenty thousand credits a month. For physical enhancement, it was probably around forty thousand. It was said they could earn a decent living at construction sites or in the transport industry. Basically, the ability was worth roughly the same as a license for large humanoid heavy machinery. Jesters had recently increased in value, now pulling in a monthly allowance of thirty thousand credits.
Aside from those, it was all just party-trick tier. "Being able to break a glass with your voice" or "snapping a disposable chopstick with a business card."
As for the Fairy's ability to "convert soul-like entities into information," it was so rare that it was impossible to calculate its value. If you asked me what it was good for, the only thing I could think of was cooperating with research lab experiments. It's not exactly a requirement for a programmer, after all. Since I was the only Sage currently alive, I had no idea where I stood.
If an Esper has an ability that affects society, they’re kept on a short leash from a young age; otherwise, they're ignored. Technically, there's an obligation to take an Esper Determination Test, but the system is so sloppy that even I was overlooked. Most people probably don't even realize they're Espers. I don't know the actual statistics, though. I wouldn't have realized I was a Jester either if I hadn't survived fighting the Zork.
So, I really wanted to scream, "There’s no way a damn Esper Organization exists, you morons!"
We sent in a drone to scout the area, and Alexia was on the platform. "Salvation for Espers!" she chanted.
"Salvation for Espers!" the crowd echoed. Half of them were people in my age group suffering from terminal cases of eighth-grade syndrome. Just join the Officer Academy, guys. You can test your ESP and get paid for it.
"Saint Luna was eliminated by a conspiracy of the Pro-Emperor Faction! The history of the Empire is paved with the blood of Espers! Even the House of Duke Hashimoto was destroyed because they tried to liberate our kind!"
One hundred percent lies. Ugh, give me a break!
"Espers! Take up arms! Now is the time for liberation! Death to the Imperial family!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The audience turned into a mob and drew their weapons.
"Captain, we are moving in!" a communication came from the police.
I figured as much! "Roger that! Let’s go!"
We charged in as well. "Claire! Max the external speakers!"
"Understood!"
I roared through the speakers at full volume. "SHUT UP, YOU IDIOTS!"
A piercing, screeching noise erupted. The sound was distorted, but it had impact. "What do you mean, 'Espers were being suppressed'?! Hashimoto saving Espers? Give me a break! All that moron cared about was his own wallet! Hashimoto was executed because he betrayed humanity, plain and simple!"
"Leo Kamishiro is here! Ready the mortars!"
"Die!"
They opened fire immediately. I was pelted with mortar rounds, but they didn't leave a scratch. Like that'll work, you punks! My Jester-exclusive machine has armor that’s ridiculously thick! It gets reinforced every single time I nearly die!
"The only ones who actually give Espers a fair shake is the military!"
I saw Alexia run toward the Statue of the First Hashimoto at the rear of the assembly grounds. "Fuhahaha! Leo Kamishiro! This is your final day!"
"Alexia!"
"H-hahahaha! Well done seeing through it! To realize that I am the Head of House Sato himself!"
"Huh?" What did she just say?
"Yes, I am the Head of House Sato! Duke Sato! Feel the resentment of those of us who have lived in the shadows as a branch of the Hashimoto family!"
Wait, what? Did he turn into a girl just like Kevin? An old man did that? Man, that’s just more damage for Walter to deal with. I’m starting to get seriously worried about that guy's mental state.
A clank echoed. The statue and Alexia sank into the ground. An elevator! Alexia's voice boomed from the park's speakers.
"As one who carries the blood of Duke Hashimoto, I can control the Linear Blazer even while being a Zork! I shall become the god of the new era!"
"What happened to the salvation of Espers?!"
"Fools! They are Humanoid Zorks! Now, transform!"
The men and women gathered at the assembly began to transform into Zorks one by one. Half became Female-type Zorks. The other half became grotesque monsters.
Was this the beginning of hell?