âââThatâs whyyy, Honmono-san said itâs not time to act yeeet.â (Rusha)
âIt seems like heâs really an elusive person, Kool. I suppose making people let their guard down is part of his ability, but if I hadnât heard about his achievements and reputation, I would have mistaken him for being incompetent, man.â (Kutry)
Upon hearing Rushaâs report and what Kutry said, I, Kool, push up my glasses and frantically turn the gear in my head.
Several days after being rescued, ãStrange Freak (Nageki no Akuryo)ã still has no prospect of rescuing Kryhi, but we are steadily gathering information about Code.
We are Class 1, the minimum to be recognized as citizens. Our access to the city system is limited, but there are still things we can look into.
There are people in this city. There are citizens who have been granted Class 1 or higher, and those below that are the lower class people. Kryhi is strong and smart, but he is still only one person, so even within ãStrange Freak (Nageki no Akuryo)ã, it is mainly us who are in charge of gathering information. Finding information on foot is something we are quite good at. Near this buildingââThe area under Alisha-ojouâs jurisdiction is full of lower-class people, with almost no citizens living there, while the areas ruled by the other royal families are teeming with people.
Alongside the residents who have lived in this city for a long time, there are the newcomers Red Hunters who have recently flowed in from the outside.
In this city, the system manages all aspects of life, including food, clothing, and shelter. The city system also builds buildings and provides food. Labor is basically not needed at all. Maybe because of this, most of the citizens have a lot of free time on their hands, so it is fairly easy to listen to what they have to say.
This Code is divided into seven areas, each of which is managed by a faction leaded by the King of Code and his descendants, the Royal FamilyââThe Class 8. Recently, each faction has been actively scouting for new fighters. The sudden influx of people from the outside is also part of this. Most of the citizens are aware of Alisha-ojouâs imprisonment, which means that very few citizens live in the very small area given to Alisha-ojou, instead she has many lower-class citizens. This mean that an unmanaged area is perfect for the lower-class people.
We also tried to gather information about the prison, but we found very little useful information.
All we know is that the prison has never been breached since its conception. Not only the security of Code is maintained by the city system, but in addition to that, the prison is also equipped with many weapons. The most troublesome of all would be the sensors. There is no way to fool sensors that can detect dangerous items being brought in, or sensors used to eliminate dangerous people in advance by reading a personâs mental state and thoughts, and at the moment the sensors react, troops will be sent in to maintain order, without asking any questions.
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In addition, it seems that Kryhi is currently attracting a lot of attention from royalty and nobility. A brave and reckless man who has challenged the impregnable Code, which has ravaged the surrounding area and defeated the Explorer Association and their powerful Hunters twice. The strongest Magi who has even managed to break through the barrier on the outer wall of Code even for a moment despite it never being broken before.
Magic is almost impossible to use in this Code. This is because the current King of Code has decreed so. It is probable that Kryhi can hardly use Magic in this city, but that doesnât seem to matter to the Royalty and nobles.
Among all the nobles and Royalty, the one who is most obsessed with Kryhi is Nora-ojou. She has several handsome young men at her service, and is said to be the second most powerful person in the Royal Family.
She has a lively and inhibited personality, is smart but has strong likes and dislikes, and has thrown people she doesnât like into prison in a way that doesnât violate the city system. She has declared that she will show no mercy to those who target Kryhi, so Nora-ojou will likely be the biggest enemy for us who are trying to rescue Kryhi.
If we cannot break him out of the prison, we have no choice but to go for a legitimate release. If all we wanted was to release him, we could have waited until Nora-ojouâs application for his release is accepted, but there is a reason why that this is not possible.
Because Nora-ojou probably has a way to get Kryhi to do what she wants.
There has been many speculation as to why Nora-ojouâs application for his release has not been approved, but there is no accurate information available. However, Nora-ojou is quite frustrated by her repeated failures to obtain Kryhi.
As a member of the Royal Family, she has the authority to change the rules of the prison itself. Although she has not yet begun to change the rules, it is rumored that it is only a matter of time before she does so.
Zuri is gathering information in Nora-ojouâs area. If the situation changes, she will let us know immediately. That is the time limit given to us.
But there is no card we can play. I have no idea what the ãOpportunityã that ãInfinite Variety (Senpen Banka)ã is looking for.
In order to release Kryhi through legitimate means, we must first apply for his release. Only nobility, Class 6 or above can give it. However, everyone who is Class 6 or above belongs to another royal faction.
In this city where even sensors that can read minds exist, betrayal and collusion are extremely difficult. If you have a high rank in this city, you can do anything. You can even see the footage from the cameras installed throughout the city, listen to the audio, and check the emails of other citizensââ.
It wouldnât be surprising if our actions are exposed at any time.
As I frown at the unfavorable situation and clutch my chest, Kutry lets out a suspicious chuckle.
âKuhkuhkuhâ¦â¦ I have good news. Iâve made contact with the lower class people. They were wary of us, but for this Kutry, it is as easy as taking candy from a kid. After all, Iâm the worst.â (Kutry)
In this Code, the lower classes are, in a way, people even lower than criminals.
Criminals are stripped of all authority under the city rules, but lower class people have no powers to begin with.
The city system does not treat the lower classes as people.
Criminals will not lose their lives. It is because the death penalty is not present in the cityâs rules.
The mechanized soldiers act with consideration for human life. They are based on an exclusively defensive approach, and even when they are forced to take suppressive action, they try to avoid killing as much as possible.
Powerful lethal weapons such as incinerators generally cannot be fired at people inside the city and there are various other rules in place to protect the citizenâs rights.
But those rules do not apply to non-citizens.
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Therefore, the lower classes, who are not protected by the city system, live in hiding from the citizens. To avoid being seen or being caught by the citizens. Even if they are captured and treated like slavesââNo one will protect them.
Contacting lower-class citizens who have a grudge against the citizens is one of the most dangerous ways to gather information. That is why this became Kutryâs job as she has been through most battlefields. Kutry takes a drag on the cigar generated by the city system, exhales the smoke, sighs and says.
âOnce they found out I was from outside, they became more talkative. Although, it seems Danna had contacted them first. Kuh, kuhâ¦â¦ I donât know what he was thinking, but it seems he scouted them to become Royal Guards.â (Kutry)
âWell, well, wellâ¦â¦â¦â¦ Thatâs very bold.â (Kool)
This is a very bold plan. To make the lower classes, who hate the citizens, into Royal Guards. In the first place, it is not possible to appoint a lower-class citizen who does not have citizenship as Royal Guards. It is very difficult to give rights to someone who does not have citizenship in this city. We were given one but we were just an exception.
Or is there some plan on-going that we donât know about?
âDanna was quite disliked by them. It seems that royalty and nobility are targets of long-standing resentment from the lower classes. Oops, I have gotten off topicâ¦â¦â¦â¦ I heard some interesting stories from them.â (Kutry)
Interesting story, is it?
As I adjust my glasses, Kutry continues with a defiant smile.
âIt seems that the king here will soon die. The reason why the Royal Family is gathering forces from outside is because they are all aiming to become the next king. This is completely different from what Danna told us, isnât it?â (Kutry)
The Kingâs death. Aiming for the throne. I gasp at the disturbing words that I would normally never hear if I live a normal life.
âThe moment the throne becomes vacant, it seems like the fundamental parts of the city system will be greatly restricted. They arenât stating it explicitly, but the lower-class people I spoke to seem to be planning something as well. Theyâve prepared weapons, and there seem to be a lot of them. Kekekeâ¦â¦ This is getting interesting.â (Kutry)
The kingâs death is coming soon. The Royal Family is eagerly gathering forces to take the throne, and the lower-classes are arming themselves.
If that information is true, then the purpose that ãInfinite Variety (Senpen Banka)ã mentionedââãSecure the Royal Familyã have a different meaning. It goes without saying that forcibly securing the Royal Family who reign over this city and are gathering forces in an attempt to take the throne is much more difficult than rescuing them from captivity. Taking into account the support of the mechanized soldiers and the cityâs systems, their fighting power would far surpass that of an entire country.
Even Kryhi, who has improved his skills since the âSupreme Martial Arts Festival (Buteisai)â, lost. He put dozens of Codeâs soldiers out of action, but was defeated by the endless numbers that attacked him. It may be that we were pulling his leg, but even without us, his defeat would have only been a matter of time.
It seems that ãInfinite Variety (Senpen Banka)ã has two companions with him but this is not a request that can be completed by just three people.
However, there is no way ãInfinite Variety (Senpen Banka)ã would not understand something that I could understand.
MaybeââWe have ended up indebted to one hell of a personâ¦â¦
It is a mission that is far beyond our ability to handle. It is a mission of such magnitude that even our Leader, Kryhi, would not be able to handle it. In comparison, rescuing Kryhi seems like a simple task.
What kind of terrifying plan will ãInfinite Variety (Senpen Banka)ã use to overcome this difficulty?
I stop thinking as fear wells up from deep within my body.
I wipe the sweat off my face and push my glasses up. I must not think any deeper about this. Right now we must think only about what we can doââSaving Kryhi.
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Thanks for reading! Kool once again understanding how terrifying Cry is! I love to read other people pov on Cry, always so funny!
Also just saw that J-novel Club has fully translated Volume 5! Do purchase it to support the author And who knows maybe one day they will make physical copy of the light novel (fingers crossed)