I don't want to be an elf!

"Natsume-chan, please don't tell anyone what happened just now."

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Ministry of Defense's Activities

Every action has a purpose.

The more attention-grabbing the action, the more so.

Kotobuki thought that the reason why Nia Honjo had demonstrated her abilities and brought up religion in front of her was to try to recruit her as a believer.

But to her surprise, the purpose of the attack was much simpler than she had imagined; it was merely to wash away the filth from her body.

Although summoning dark clouds for a bath might seem like an overreaction, the three of them did indeed smell strongly. It was already quite an achievement that they managed to hold back their vomiting, let alone endure the stench all the way back from here.

"Anyway, thank you for your assistance."

The mature Shou Xia Shi quickly adjusted his mindset and expressed his gratitude to the two: "If it weren't for your help, I definitely wouldn't have been able to stop this Gastrea. If it had entered the city, the casualties would have been incalculable."

"You're welcome. It was just a favor. Even if you hadn't asked for help, we would have done it anyway to get the bounty."

Then, Nia Honjo looked around and asked with some confusion, "By the way, I remember your facilitator was Ikuma Shokane, right? Why don't I see him around you?"

Yi Xiong will be the supervisor, and the police officer ranked 1500th is the promoter.

Unlike other police partners, ordinary police officers are initiators who are responsible for combat, while facilitators are responsible for assisting or acting as monitors.

However, this pair of partners are doing things the opposite way. Ikuma Shōken, whose brute strength is comparable to that of the cursed child, is in charge of the battle, while Suzuka Sei, who has dolphin factor and is more intelligent than ordinary people but relatively weak in combat, is in charge of the support.

That's why Nia Honjou found it very strange when she saw Sukayo fighting alone.

“Mr. Ikuma did not accept this request, and my appearance here to fight Gastrea is just a coincidence,” Shou Xiasheng explained. “Today, when I was out buying daily necessities, I met a cursed child who came from the fringe area for help. Her friend’s corruption rate exceeded fifty percent, and he mutated into a Gastrea.”

"I see. No wonder you didn't even bring your firearms."

Honjou Nia nodded, having gained a general understanding of what had happened.

The cursed children living in the fringe do not know how to control the Gastrea virus in their bodies, and occasionally they will mutate into Gastrea because the rate of invasion exceeds the limit.

This time, however, the mutated, cursed child had a companion by her side. After the mutation, her companion was unable to fight her alone, so she came to the city to find someone to help her get rid of her.

While shopping outside, Susuke Hatsumi happened to encounter the cursed child who had come to the city, and the two joined forces.

Because he went out alone without any weapons and without Ikuma Shōgan by his side, he had just been caught in a fierce battle.

"What about the cursed child who asked you for help? I haven't seen her." Nia Honjou looked around. "We didn't sense anyone's presence when we first arrived. Where did the cursed child who asked you for help go?"

“It was eaten by her friend,” Shou Xiasheng said expressionlessly. “That’s why this Gastrea evolved so quickly.”

The two Asians were speechless for a moment.

While public opinion makes cursed children deeply disliked by ordinary people, the very act of being cursed is itself a reason for their rejection.

Once the erosion rate exceeds fifty percent, these adorable girls will mutate into bloodthirsty Gastrea, destroying everything in their path.

Whether they are friends or family, they will be torn to pieces by these women who have lost their humanity and reason.

Even if they mutate and eat people, that's considered a relatively good situation. If they were to eat the flesh and blood of a cursed child, their evolution speed would increase exponentially.

"Well then, the matter is resolved, and I should head back now."

Having rested for a short while, thanks to the self-healing ability of the cursed child, Su Xia Shi's injuries had almost fully recovered.

So she bowed slightly to her two saviors and said, "As you said before, I will not take a penny of the reward. I will not tell anyone what I just saw. Please rest assured."

After saying goodbye, the girl straightened her tattered clothes and headed towards the distant city.

Watching Suzuka's departing figure, Honjou Nia wanted to say something more to her.

After hesitating for a moment, she quietly watched the girl leave.

Just now, she demonstrated her ability to speak in suspense in front of Shou Xia Shi. Although the main reason was indeed that she couldn't stand the smell on her body, she had more than just that thought in mind.

Another reason was that she wanted to leave a deep impression on Suga Shi.

This will make it easier to undermine someone else's position.

Yes, as soon as she arrived here and saw Suzuka Sei's face, recalling her identity, Honjou Nia decided to poach her.

With his dolphin genes, Susuke is extremely intelligent, and keeping him by Ikuma's side would be a waste of his talents.

Such a talented person would truly be able to utilize her abilities by helping her build a future for the cursed children.

If possible, Nia Honjo would like to recruit her to her side right now.

However, Suzuka Sei obviously wouldn't agree so easily. After all, Honjo Nia had no reputation, no background, and no money. For Suzuka Sei, it would be better to continue following Ikuma Shūgan.

Although Ikuma Shōken is an absolute muscle-bound idiot, obsessed with fighting and violence, and uses the Initiators as tools, he is still a qualified facilitator.

At least he would provide Su Xia Shi with enough food and clothing, and would basically satisfy any desires she might have. Even if he treated Su Xia Shi as a tool, he was still a person who cherished that tool.

Among the diverse and often unreliable police officers, being able to join Yi Xiong's supervisory team is considered a stroke of luck.

Because among the other police officers, there are many who facilitate the abuse of the initiators. Some even vent their own desires on these children, killing the initiators every now and then, fabricating the cause of death, and then going to collect new initiators.

The International Originators Watch organization turns a blind eye to this phenomenon; after all, in their eyes, the cursed children are nothing more than renewable resources.

The cursed children have never been treated as human beings; they can be anything other than human.

Therefore, it was impossible for Suzuka, who had found a stable life by Ikuma Shokane's side, to easily accept Honjo Nia's invitation.

Not to mention, even if she did accept the invitation, it wouldn't matter. Her ownership was with Yi Xiong Jiangjian. If anyone really wanted to poach her, they would have to get past him first.

Considering various limitations, Honjou Nia only showed her her skills once, planting a seed of curiosity in her heart, and did not speak rashly.

"Let's wait for another opportunity to snatch that child back. For now, let's focus on doing the things at hand well."

After glancing at the gruesome death of the Stage 3 Gastrea, Nia Honjou quickly turned her gaze to Nibelkol.

It must be said that this sub-elf's combat power is quite high.

At least, it is higher than that of Honjo Nia, who did not use the veil of veiled proclamation.

If it weren't for Nibekol, she wouldn't have had such an easy time escaping from the Gastrea's stomach today.

With this thought in mind, her feelings toward Nibekol improved considerably.

"You did a great job this time, you played a significant role, you deserve a reward!" Honjou Nia patted her head. "What kind of reward do you want? I'll use this bounty to buy it for you."

"Anything is fine?" Nibekol's eyes lit up.

"Of course not, anything beyond one's capabilities is not allowed."

"Ok."

Nibekol racked her brains, her mind filled with many things she wanted, making it difficult for her to choose.

After a long pause, she decided on the reward she wanted and exclaimed excitedly, "I want fries! I want them for all three meals!"

"French fries from McDonald's? That sounds good. Which three meals?"

"Breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

"No, only two meals."

"Okay, this meal and the next one."

"No, only one meal."

"it is good."

Which meal?

"Every meal."

"Are you kidding me?" Nia Honjou flicked her forehead. "Can't you use the same cleverness you have for food on something else?"

“What other aspects…” Nibekol muttered.

“Well… never mind.” Nia Honjou sighed. “You can have half of this bounty. Go buy whatever you want.”

"Great!"

Seeing her seemingly uninterested in anything other than food, Honjou Nia couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head.

Although her personality is unlike that of the Demon King's daughter in the original work, her fighting strength is by no means inferior, which is enough for her.

"Alright, let's report on the mission then."

Nia Honjo took out her phone and dialed her boss's number.

"Kisara, I've finished hunting the Gastrea."

"Great, the personnel handling the scene will be there soon. Once you've finished coordinating with them, you can leave."

"Okay, speaking of which, this Gastrea is Stage 3, can we raise the bounty a bit?"

"Phase Three?! Those damn bastards told me it was only Phase One!"

“For some reason, its evolution speed is a bit faster.” Nia Honjo coughed awkwardly twice, “But I can confirm that it is indeed a Stage 3 Gastrea, and it’s not just any ordinary troublemaker. I almost capsized in the gutter.”

"Are you OK?"

"Let's just say it's nothing serious, just a little bit of suffering. A little more money can ease my psychological trauma."

"No problem, I won't pay you for eliminating Phase One when it's actually Phase Three!" Tendo Kisara said angrily. "If I don't charge double the bounty to the person who issued the request, I'll change my name!"

"Then I'll leave the rest to you."

Just as Nia Honjo was about to hang up the phone, Kisara Tendo stopped her.

"Wait a minute, actually, there's something else I'd like to discuss with you."

"What's wrong? Is there a problem with your relationship with the boy?"

"This isn't a relationship discussion! This is serious business!"

"Dating is a serious matter, especially for a girl like Kisara-chan. It's the most important thing."

“I have no interest in talking about this kind of thing until I’ve done my revenge. Ahem, let’s get back to the point,” said Kisara Tendo. “Just now, the Ministry of Defense sent me a message that there’s a major commission to be made to all the police and security companies in Tokyo, and I’ve been invited.”

"A request from the Ministry of Defense?" Nia Honjo narrowed her eyes.

The Ministry of Defense is the most central area in the Tokyo region.

It is the residence of all important figures, including those in power in the Tokyo area, as well as other political families, business families, military tycoons, and so on.

Generally speaking, when the government has important announcements, it invites the owners of various police stations to attend.