A red halo glowed faintly in the pupils of the robber captain—a clear sign he had fallen under the influence of Geass. At that moment, his free will had vanished. He could only obey the commands of Kurogai without resistance.
When the captain spoke obediently, the other robbers stared in stunned disbelief.
Was this really their boss?
The man they had followed through countless raids was suddenly talking like a loyal servant. It was chilling.
Kurogai, calm as ever, easily read their expressions but didn't bother to explain. Instead, he asked his next question.
"What exactly did you take from the bank?"
He'd overheard them mention stealing something special. While he had already decided to handle these robbers, the mystery piqued his interest.
"A parchment scroll," the captain answered flatly. The Geass command compelled him to respond to everything Kurogai asked. Until the questioning ended, he would remain a puppet.
"A parchment scroll?" Kurogai muttered. "What's so important about that?"
"They say it's tied to a treasure," the captain replied. "Our superior didn't tell us more."
"You have a superior? So you're not just petty criminals…"
Kurogai narrowed his eyes. The mention of a commanding officer meant this wasn't a simple robbery. There was an organization behind them.
"We're field agents for Hydra," the man continued. "Yesterday, our superior—Wickley—ordered us to retrieve the scroll. I don't know the details."
Hydra again.
Kurogai's eyes gleamed with interest. That explained Black Widow's presence. As for this 'Wickley', Kurogai had never heard the name—probably some low-level commander. Not worth caring about.
"You... what the hell are you saying, Captain?! Why are you spilling everything?! Are you betraying Hydra?!"
One of the robbers snapped out of his daze and shouted furiously. The others followed, glaring at their leader with shock and suspicion.
"What... What happened to me just now?" the captain muttered, confused. The Geass had worn off. He blinked, disoriented.
After hearing his crew explain what had just happened, his face turned pale.
"What did you do to me?!"
He looked at Kurogai in horror. Being forced to reveal everything without even realizing it—this was beyond frightening. It was like facing a demon.
"Kill him! Open fire!!" he shouted in panic. Hydra or not, this boy was a threat too dangerous to leave alive.
Bang!
A shot rang out.
But it wasn't Kurogai who fell.
The robber captain stumbled, clutching his chest. Blood soaked through his clothes. He looked down, wide-eyed, and turned to the man beside him.
"You... why?"
His voice cracked. He stared at the one who shot him—a comrade he'd trusted.
But he didn't notice the subtle red glow in that man's eyes.
Geass Ability: Absolute Command — Activated.
Of course Kurogai had planned ahead. He was still just a child physically—his body couldn't handle gunfire. Even with Geass, if the robbers opened fire, he'd die instantly. So, before the captain regained his mind, Kurogai had issued a quiet command to the man closest to him:
"Kill your captain after he answers everything. Then kill yourself."
The man obeyed without hesitation.
Bang!
Another shot. Another body dropped.
Two of the ten robbers were now dead.
Kurogai stood over the corpses without a shred of emotion. These men had planned to use children as hostages. He didn't feel a single ounce of guilt.
"You're a monster!" one of the robbers screamed. "Kill him! Kill him now!"
They panicked. The boy's ability was too terrifying—he could control people with just a look. If they didn't act fast, none of them would make it out alive.
But Kurogai was ready.
His eyes flashed once more. The purple-gold irises turned crimson, and the glowing inverted V mark lit up.
One by one, the remaining robbers froze. Red halos flared in their pupils.
Geass Ability: Absolute Command — Activated!
"Give me the parchment scroll," Kurogai ordered coldly. "Leave behind one gun. Then, carry those two corpses with you... and jump into the river. All of you."
The robbers didn't resist. Under the power of Geass, they obeyed.
Each of them moved like puppets—placing the scroll and a pistol at Kurogai's feet, hoisting the bodies, and walking out in silence.
Kurogai watched them vanish.
Hydra might come looking. But for now, this mess was cleaned up.
He tucked the scroll and the pistol away in a hidden corner of the courtyard. This world was dangerous—criminals, pirates, bounty hunters—there was no shortage of threats. His Geass was powerful, but he still had a child's body. A firearm could be the edge he needed to survive.
As he finished hiding the items, hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor.
A silhouette burst through the doorway.
Black Widow—Natasha—had arrived.
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