Sanya District.
A little Boy named Da Yong skipped along in front; the two men followed at an unhurried pace.
"Sensing it now?"
Yoshino Kenichi scratched his head, ashamed. "There really is a faint stench of Chaos."
Nagayama Keiichiro scolded sternly: "A slip like that could cost your life. Don't relax the instant a mission ends."
"For people like us, there's no downtime. Twenty-four-seven vigilance."
Yoshino Kenichi didn't reply. "So the kid's been exposed to Chaos?"
Nagayama Keiichiro shook his head. "Not sure. Could be someone in his family—probably a Rogue."
"If they were a formal Ritualist, they wouldn't give off any aura until combat started."
"Rogue."
That's the in-house term for Ritualists who failed their promotion.
In most cases it refers to Chaos-side failures.
order-side failures usually end up vegetative, harmlessly lined up in hospital wards; the lively ones spend twenty-four hours a day grinning at walls.
(?? )people(??)people(?? )ノ
Cute, cuddly, brainless.
Current data suggest only Chaos rituals lead to mutation.
Contactees ignore compatibility, grab some ritual object from who-knows-where, rush the ceremony, then discover it doesn't suit them. In that despair they become claws of Chaos.
Yoshino Kenichi asked offhandedly, "The instructors mentioned compatibility, but only in passing."
Nagayama Keiichiro nodded. "You're still only a Ritualist reserve. Once this report is approved, headquarters will send someone to train you. Then you'll learn—"
He turned and saw Yoshino's pleading look… and relented. "Fine, you'd find out sooner or later; this isn't a breach."
"There are only two kinds of compatibility. First: the ritual object was born for you."
That's rare. First, the Contactee must possess exceptional talent for containing mystery.
Second, he must grasp basic techniques for using mystery during his Contact Event—almost nobody clears that hurdle.
Inside the Ritualists we call them Natural-born Ritualists.
The object was created for him—I've only ever seen one person achieve that.
"Judgment?"
Nagayama Keiichiro shook his head: "Not the one at the 'Judgment' level."
"The one I met was from an Eastern nation. Remember 'Heaven and Earth are Ruthless'?"
Yoshino Kenichi tried to follow the thought: "That bunch of bastards... that person?"
Nagayama Keiichiro smiled and said: "Yes, that combat instructor. During a training session, I met the instructor's friend—he was a natural-born Ritualist."
"'Origin Point' level, same as me, but far more powerful. This kind of natural talent makes an Ability more compatible with the user. All supernatural powers manifest exactly what is in the user's heart."
Having said that, the man shifted the topic back to compatibility: "Don't overthink the first type. You can't be a natural-born Ritualist. If you were, you would have obtained a ritual object the first time you came into contact with mystery."
Yoshino Kenichi grunted in response, agreeing with his Captain's words.
"So, basically, the internal Ritualists all use the second type: the Contact Method."
"The Contact Method: After obtaining a ritual object, you maintain inseparable contact with it—weaving your own thoughts together with the spirit of the ritual object. Once the weaving is done, if you aren't dead or insane within a month, then... you're pretty much there."
Yoshino Kenichi was utterly confused: "Huh? That's it? You talked for so long I thought it'd be complicated, but it's just holding onto it for a month..."
Yoshino Kenichi's disbelief seemed to irritate his Captain, as his strides became stiff.
The man sneered: "What? Think it's sloppy? Let me tell you, mystery has only been reviving for a little over a year. Do you know how many people in the organization have died?!"
"These rules you think are'sloppy' were all tested with human lives!"
"I've seen countless Contactees who, after half a month or even just a week, never appear in the Ritual Institute again. What you consider simple is the hope that countless predecessors desperately tested, time and again, upon the deaths of those before them!"
Yoshino Kenichi froze. Looking at his somewhat agitated Captain, he slowly lowered his head: "Sorry..."
Nagayama Keiichiro sighed: "Once you enter the inner circles of the true Ritualists, you'd better watch your mouth."
"Many people's mentors or lovers have died at the hands of Chaos Ritualists, those who have lost control, or during promotion rituals. With that mouth of yours, there's no telling how many people you'll offend."
Yoshino Kenichi scratched his head: "Offend people? Is there anyone left to offend? Haven't I already offended everyone?"
Nagayama Keiichiro:...You're not wrong. He had heard a thing or two about the reputation of 'Foul-Mouthed Kenichi'.
"Anyway, just keep the matter of compatibility in mind. That's what an 'Out-of-Control One' is. Anyone who forcibly promotes regardless of compatibility, or anyone infected by Chaos, is collectively called an 'Out-of-Control One'."
Yoshino Kenichi took a deep breath: "I've been... taught a lesson."
"It would be even better if you could adjust your phrasing properly."
Nagayama Keiichiro changed the subject: "It'll be trouble if it's an Out-of-Control One. Such things usually require three or four Ritualists of the same level to contain..."
Yoshino Kenichi hadn't been with Nagayama Keiichiro for long and had never seen an Out-of-Control One: "Should we call for backup?"
Nagayama Keiichiro watched the Boy hopping happily ahead, thinking silently.
Yoshino Kenichi didn't disturb him. He pulled out his phone and sent a message to his fiancée.
「Reiko, what bad luck. I have an impromptu mission involving a lost Child. The Captain and I suspect he's carrying the scent of 'that thing', so I might call you very late tonight. Wait for me, Reiko, and make sure to eat well! Love you! From the handsome Kenichi.」
Putting his phone away, Nagayama Keiichiro beside him finally made a decision: "Call for backup."
Yoshino Kenichi instantly turned serious.
Calling for backup wasn't just a simple phrase.
The emergence of this operational command meant that what this team was about to face was absolutely an extremely difficult and dangerous challenge.
As Yoshino Kenichi reached into his pocket, he heard Nagayama Keiichiro say—
"In a Chaos event, if it's just a 'Contactee' attempting a sacrifice or causing large-scale chaos, that's fine. But for one who has already lost control, I don't have the confidence to protect you in that situation."
"Although firearms are effective against anything below the 'Judgment' level, you're a regular person; your physical body is too fragile."
He spoke to Yoshino Kenichi in concise jargon: "When we get to the door, give me the single-handed one and chamber it now. We'll use the second tactic; you stay behind me, like usual."
"Understood."
Yoshino Kenichi was no longer flippant. He nodded solemnly and reached into the inside of his jacket.
Click.
The faint sound of metal rang out as two specially-made official high-caliber pistols were chambered.
"'Slingshot' ready, 'Muskmelon' ready, signal sent. Over."
Nagayama Keiichiro nodded upon hearing this. The two men walked toward the Boy in silence.
The Boy hadn't heard the serious conversation between the two uncles or the faint clicking of the firearms at all.
He stood smiling beside a very dilapidated single-story house, leaning against a trash can and waving at the two of them.
"Da Yong is home!" he shouted happily.
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