In the middle of a forest near the orphanage, where tall green trees were supposed to be, only a massive crater was present. 5 minutes had already passed since the explosion, and dust seemed to be finally done settling down.
In the middle of the crater stood a brown-haired nun with a floating red cross beside her. The nun had a surprised expression on her face as she looked at the three men in front of her, yes, three. Before the blast reached Ken and Jake it seemed that there was a third person hiding, waiting for the perfect opportunity to interfere.
"Hohoh, a barrier type gift huh? To think 3 talented people who received gifts other than [Physical Enhancement] would actually be no good crooks who attempted to kidnap my precious children away, the world really is unfair huh?" (Teresa)
"Hah..hah…hah… you guys alright?!"
"Kukk! If you hadn't arrived on time our entire bodies would be incinerated by now, thanks Des." (Kendrick)
"Damn…. What kind of trouble did we get into?! My barrier is capable of taking on the entire brunt of anti-tank guns without a scratch, yet one shot from her gift and I'm already at my limit." (Des)
"If you want to get angry at someone, blame this idiot." (Ken)
Said Ken as he pointed at Jake who was just starting to wake up.
"Arghh…. To think that the first thing I'll hear when waking up is you badmouthing me, but your right, I'm sorry for getting us into this mess. I didn't think that a monster was hiding in a town like this."
"Boss is probably the only person I know who'll be able to take her on so we have no chance."
"So, what now? I think it's too late to try and explain the situation to her, so what's our next move? Even if all three of us decide to take her on at the same time I'm not confident in our chances of winning." (Des)
"Your right about that, but I'm sure releasing a blast of that level should've drained her as well. Now that she's weakened it is the perfect time to counter attack. We might not be able to win but we should at least be able to escape." (K)
"Ok, I've regained a bit of strength so I'll take the front." (Jake)
"Hmm, you guys done saying your prayers, sure took your time huh? .... Ok then, cross, once more please."
With a command from Teresa the cross floating in the air glowed slightly and started charging again for another blast.
"…"
"…"
"…Fuck….RUNNN!!!!"
Seeing as there was no hope for them, with all their might they started running at the opposite direction from the nun.
"You think I'll just let you go? Heh not so fas--- what!?"
Des who was at the lead of the group turned his head backwards to see what the surprise voice was about. But before he could fully do so he suddenly felt a cold, sharp knife pressing his neck from the back.
"Don't move."
Said a black-haired boy calmly as he sat on his shoulders.
Ken and Jake seeing the situation froze in their tracks, not daring to test what the boy will do.
{Did that kid just fall from the tree?… no, more importantly, how did he manage to hide his killing intent that well?! Even Des, an experienced professional wasn't able to react to him before a knife was already on his throat.} (ken)
"Gulp…. Um… l-listen here little guy, I think there's been a misundersta-."
"You guys aren't here to kidnap us, are you? I know. What kind of kidnapper doesn't bring a single weapon at all. The only people who would do that would be those who were extremely confident on the offensive capabilities of their gifts. Another thing to point out is that although they were knocked out, none of the nuns were actually injured. Rather than a fight, it seems that your here for another purpose entirely."
"What are you doing here Jericho!"
"Oh, good afternoon sister Teresa, as you can see I'm here to stop you from killing three people due to a misunderstanding."
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"So, let me get this straight, the three of you are not no good hooligans who came here to kidnap children, but instead are agents that were sent here by a mysterious organization to try and recruit talented children?"
"U-um, yes, I know that it might seem farfetched but it's the truth."
"I see…... cross, once more pl—"
"Wait wait wait! I promise you that we're telling the truth!"
"Then why did that pink haired asshole try to pick a fight with us?!"
"Because he's an idiot." (Ken and Des)
straight faced Ken and Des answered her together.
"…" (Jake)
"Sister Teresa, please calm down. I know your agitated because of how farfetched the situation sounds right now, but if you look at the situation calmly, they seem to be telling us the truth."
"…To think that a day would come when a 5-year-old would actually tell me to calm down and reprimand me. Life's weird I tell you."
"ehem… anyway there's something I've been meaning to ask. Why children though? Wouldn't adults who you can use immediately be more beneficial? Especially when you consider the fact that it hasn't even been a year since "gifts" were a thing."
"Well although that's reasonable, there are actually three reasons as to why we decided to focus on children this time around."
"Oh, do tell."
"First is because of age, children with their age are more prone to receiving the benefits of this changing world than the adults who have to take on the responsibility of maintaining it. Another is that our organization right now is focusing on the future, so rather than adults who are growing more arrogant by the day because of their new-found powers children are easier to train long term wise."
"Hmmmm, I see…. what about the third factor?"
Ken seemed to be hesitant in answering the question as he looked at Des for confirmation. After being glared at by the angry nun he gave in.
"Since you are a clever lad, I hope that you'll be able to keep this a secret. As this is one of the most important secrets our organization possesses."
"I promise I won't say a word about this to anyone. So, will Sister Teresa, right?"
"…tsk, fine"
"Thank you for understanding!…ehem* so to keep it short for you, our third and most important reason for focusing on children,... is that they tend to receive better gifts compared to adults."
"!?"