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Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 11 Chapter 1

2021-09-28T05:33:43Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Part 1 */

==Chapter 1 – Ash’s Determination and the New Student Council Organisation==
=== Part 1 ===
—Year 1366 of the A.S.B. calendar, the month of Pisces.

The magic ship Escavaron of Avalon’s Holy Dragons’ Emperor Knights had already been moored in the Academy City Ansarivan for quite some time.

“Huh…as expected of super-ancient magical engineering technology, it’s quite intriguing.”

Whilst in the cockpit, Mirabel wiped sweat from her forehead as she held a tool in her other hand. She lay prone on the ground under the navigator’s seat. Driven by her insatiable curiosity, she would observe how internal mechanisms worked so long as she found any panel that was seemingly removable. Mirabel had already repeated such a routine here for a while.

Last month, Oscaia I had just ascended to the throne in the neighbouring country. After that, the tumultuous days of the past vanished as if they had all just been a lie, and they enjoyed a smooth, trouble-free period that continued to this day. Mirabel considered this to be an excellent opportunity for her research activities.

“—Princess-sama, excuse me.”

The door was pushed open, and her personal maid Eunice walked in. Mirabel rescinded her status as the Third Princess of the Lautreamont Knight Country in exchange for joining Avalon’s Holy Dragons’ Emperor Knights. Yet, Eunice continued to address her as ‘princess-sama’, nonetheless.

“Oh, is it already teatime?”

Mirabel glanced back in surprise. After all, she had only just tasted that black tea at nine o’clock in the morning.

“No, I’m here to deliver letters.”

Eunice said, while presenting a stack of letters at the same time. There were so many that she had to secure them with both hands.

“What is all of that?”

Mirabel frowned as she asked, and in response, Eunice made a wry smile.

“They’re mainly petitions sent by students because they want to join Avalon’s Holy Dragons’ Emperor Knights…”

Mirabel was both amazed and proud of the number of letters before her. She understood the thoughts and feelings of the students. After all, Avalon’s Holy Dragons’ Emperor Knights had just shown off their incredible aptitude, and they were anchored right next to the Academy. Moreover, including Knight Commander Ash, most of their members were also students. Mirabel had actually foreseen that people would want to join their group. Having said that, she couldn’t simply accept everything with joy.

“We’re really popular, but I still want to avoid accepting too many students if possible. Our foundation as an independent country isn’t solid yet, and the number of people that the Escavaron can accommodate is limited.”

“Indeed.”

“Aside from these petitions, are there any other letters?”

“Yes. We have also received interview requests from media outlets all over the world.”

“Again? They certainly don’t know when to give up…”

As the commander, Ash did his best not to appear in public so as to avoid the spotlight. Nonetheless, given his immense achievements, it was only natural that reporters would come knocking on his door.

“It would be best to politely decline. Our actions are most certainly not for the sake of status or honour. And, perhaps…spies from the Empire might disguise themselves as reporters.”

“That is indeed a possibility. The Empire seems to have been somewhat quiet as of late, but…by the way, Princess-sama?”

Mirabel couldn’t help but feel a bit curious when Eunice suddenly switched to a serious tone.

“It’s about time that you get dressed…”

“Oh, sorry. How forgetful of me.”

Mirabel hadn’t realised until now that she was dressed only in her underwear, which was rather inappropriate. After acquiring her long-awaited holy relic — the magical ship Escavaron, its analysis was just about the only thing that weighed on her mind. Following the same routine this morning, she went straight to the cockpit and didn’t even bother spending the time to get dressed after taking a bath.

“Here, princess-sama. Please put this on.”

With Eunice’s assistance, Mirabel slid her arms into the sleeves of a blouse. It was at that moment when the door suddenly opened…

“Good day, Mirabel-san — uwah!?”

Ash appeared at the doorway.

“—!?”

Mirabel’s face immediately became hot. Eunice was buttoning up her blouse, but she hadn’t put her skirt on yet.

“Nooooooooooo!”

Mirabel made a high-pitched shriek as she crouched down on the spot. She was so embarrassed that her cheeks felt like they were about to burst into flames.

“You mustn’t look, Ash-sama!”

Eunice exerted an impressive amount of strength as she pushed Ash back out through the doorway.

[[Image:SnRK V11 022.png|thumb]]

…A few minutes later.

“I’m sorry…”

Ash made a deep bow and apologised when he was finally allowed to enter the cockpit. In actuality, a clear view of Mirabel’s underwear had already been imprinted in his mind — that included details such as its violet silk material and bright lace decoration.

“…No. It’s my fault for getting dressed in the cockpit.”

Let’s put this matter to rest — Mirabel lightly coughed a few times as if to convey this, and then sat down in the captain’s seat.

“So, what’s the matter today?”

“Well, there’s isn’t actually anything in particular, but…I just felt like talking to you, Mirabel-san.”

“Eh!?”

Mirabel’s cheeks were dyed an even deeper shade of red compared to when she was seen in her underwear. She fidgeted shyly, her thighs rubbed against each other, and she exuded an alluring charm.

“I wanted to talk to you about Avalon’s Holy Dragons’ Emperor Knights.”

“About the Knights?”

Mirabel’s expression seemed to indicate a complicated blend of simultaneous relief and disappointment.

“Yes. It’s been a month now since Oscar’s ascension to the throne. I’ve thought about it a lot during this time, but I just can’t see what we should do or what we should be aiming for…”

Ash expressed his feelings in a sincere manner.

“Indeed, we’ve made great progress in the past month. The Chevron Kingdom and Lautreamont Knight Country have signed a treaty of alliance, and Raquel has also officially recognised us as an independent country.”

“Yes. With things going so smoothly, I’m honestly a little scared, but I suppose it’s only natural when reflecting on the achievements of Avalon’s Holy Dragons’ Emperor Knights.”

“Yes. And in terms of funding, both Paladin Oswald and Oscar have offered their assistance. Thanks to them, the cost of maintenance for the magic ship has fallen — but it feels as if something is still amiss.”

“That’s probably because of the relationship between Mordred and Cassandra-anesama, right? The whereabouts of Kiira Brava Henriksen are still unknown as well.”

“That’s one of the reasons. However, there are still other things that worry me.”

When Ash said that, for some reason, the corners of Mirabel’s mouth formed a smile.

“Mirabel-san?”

“Hey, Ash? Aren’t you forgetting something important?”

At that moment, Mirabel’s demeanour shifted to that of an educator admonishing a student.

“There is no doubt that you are now the Commander of Avalon’s Holy Dragons’ Emperor Knights, in other words, a head of state. The people praise you as a Nation-Saving Hero…but in reality, you’re still just a student.”

“Yeah, that’s true…”

Mirabel gazed at the puzzled look on Ash’s face and then stood up.

“Your current priority should be your academic studies.”

“Can I really do that?”

Ash gazed back at Mirabel with a slightly anxious expression.

“You’re still a student of this Dragon Riding Academy, and that fact has not changed. I will also continue to serve as this Academy’s headmistress for a while.”

Ash had already heard about this matter. Although Mirabel wanted to quit her post and devote herself to research, both the Knight Country’s government and the students hoped that Mirabel would continue.

“That’s right. How about this?”

Mirabel clapped her hands together in a rarely seen gesture.

“Avalon’s Holy Dragons’ Emperor Knights can just inherit the functions of the entire student council.”

“What!?”

Ash couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.

“Yes, that would be for the best. After all, most of the current members are also officers of the student council. As the headmistress, I’d like to make it a formal request. Will you accept?”

Mirabel seemed quite pleased with her sudden flash of inspiration, and her expression was rather bright in comparison to Ash’s confused look. Upon seeing Mirabel’s expression, Ash also began to think that it was a good suggestion. Rather than a half-hearted approach where he was neither fully the Commander of the Knights or a student of the Academy, the best option was to fulfil his duties as a student first and foremost. Moreover, as for the future of the Knights, he had time to think about it while continuing his studies.

“Thank you, Mirabel-san. Thanks to you, all of my worries have cleared up!”

Ash stood up on impulse and took Mirabel’s hands. He clasped both of Mirabel’s slender hands with his own.

Mirabel’s eyes widened as she froze on the spot.

“Huh? Mirabel-san…?”

Ash tilted his head in confusion.

“Umm, Ash-sama? If this continues, it might be a bit too much for princess-sama to handle…”

Eunice said to Ash with a wry smile. At that moment…

“—I know you’re here, Ash!”

When the door was pushed open, Eco unreservedly appeared.

“What are you dawdling for? We have a meeting in Julius Hall soon!”

Silvia followed after her.

“Good morning, Ash-sama.”

A few seconds later, it was Cosette who offered a gentle greeting.

“…Hey, Ash. What the hell are you doing to aneue!?”

Silvia’s expression instantly changed.

“You’re not planning to make a move on Mirabel too, are you?”

Eco’s infuriation seemed to resemble a dragon baring its fangs.

“I-It’s not like that! This is a misunderstanding!”

Ash hurriedly let go of Mirabel’s hands.

“The enemy of women must be dealt with by the hammer of death — that’s my family motto!”

“I’m going to trample you!”

Silvia unleashed her iron fist, while Eco erupted with a heavy kick.

===Part 2===

At eleven o’clock in the morning, in the meeting room of Julius Hall.

“The reason that you’ve all been gathered here today is—”

Rebecca coolly stood up and began to speak.

“I’m going to announce what should have been decided last autumn.”

“Why so formal…what is it?”

Jessica asked with a look of surprise.

“Yes, it’s about the student council’s new organisational structure.”

Those words caused Ash to breathe a sigh of relief. Just as Rebecca said, the student council’s new structure was supposed to have been decided in the autumn of last year. If two or more people wanted to have the same position, it would be put to a vote. However, because the <Schwarz Drachen Panzer> led by Klaus had destroyed many Academy facilities, the students spent a lot of time rebuilding the Academy.

The devastated Apollo House had just been rebuilt, and its inauguration ceremony was only a few days ago. Including Ash and Eco, the male students of the Senios course who originally lived in Apollo House moved back into the dormitory and enjoyed peaceful lives. Along with the completion of the new Apollo House, most of the Academy City had also been reconstructed. As such, it was only natural that Rebecca would bring up the topic of a new organisational structure at this time.

“Even the graduation ceremony for the third years of the Senios course was postponed again following a postponement. I should’ve graduated a long time ago.”

Rebecca smiled as she looked down at her uniform. She then cast her sharp gaze towards Ash.

“Ash.”

“Yes!”

Ash sensed the unusual atmosphere and hurriedly stood up. Rebecca gazed straight at Ash and awe-inspiringly declared,

“I hope that you can take over as the next Student Council President.”

“I’m going to take over as the Student Council President!?”

Ash’s entire body tensed up. He recalled what Rebecca said to him last summer. Back then, Julius Hall had just been unsealed and Ash was cleaning the interior. When it was just him and Rebecca…

—I want you to become the next Student Council President. I’m going to graduate in half a year’s time, so I need to start looking for candidates to be my successor.

Indeed, it had already been more half a year since then. The time for a successor to be determined had finally arrived. The air in the room was filled with tension as everyone focused their attention to Ash. Ash suddenly recalled the events that transpired a year ago. Back then, Eco wasn’t born yet, and he was still regarded as the Academy’s Number One Problem Child. The idea of holding such a position would’ve been a dream as distant as clouds in the sky. Unexpectedly, he had just been nominated as the successor by the current president, Rebecca. The heavy responsibility that came with it caused Ash to tremble. However, he was no longer the same person that he once was. In addition to his irreplaceable partner, Eco, he was also blessed with the support of many friends, such as Silvia. I should be able to do it now — Ash thought to himself. As if everything had been arranged by the hand of fate, Ash naturally answered,

“I humbly accept.”

Following a moment’s silence, Ash was surrounded by a warm round of applause.

===Part 3===

That afternoon.

An impromptu assembly was held in the auditorium, and a grand announcement of the new student council organisation was made.

President: Ash Blake
Vice President: Silvia Lautreamont
Secretary: Lucca Sarlinen
Treasurer: Maximillian Russell
Disciplinary Affairs Officer: Jessica Valentine
General Affairs Officer: Raymond Kirkland
Mascot: Eco

The only member who could be considered as new was Raymond. They had worked together since Ash’s foundation of Avalon’s Holy Dragons’ Emperor Knights, so he was entrusted with general affairs. On the other hand, Jessica’s appointment as the Disciplinary Affairs Officer was a subject of much debate. Because Jessica always coveted Ash’s seed, there were doubts as to whether she could be the Disciplinary Affairs Officer…although some people raised such objections, it was decided because of Jessica’s overwhelming enthusiasm and the fact that there were no other candidates. The impromptu assembly concluded with Mirabel’s declaration.

“I hereby announce — Avalon’s Holy Dragons’ Emperor Knights will henceforth be provisionally based in Ansarivan. At the same time, they will carry out activities as members of the Academy’s student council.”

“Prologue of Part III ~A.S.B.1366.03~” is closed.

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| Back to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 11 Prologue|Prologue]]
| Return to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 11 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Phenomeno:Prologue

2021-09-25T16:33:07Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1:

==Prologue==

''"There are some things people are not meant to see."''

A line my now late grandmother used to say, and one that was quite true.

I had been interested in the occult since about when I was a brat, and upon entering university, I learned the truth of those words, stepping many times into the abyss of the spirit world. Ghosts — beings that are impossible for anyone to decisively determine whether they truly exist or not — and the legends that revolve them are at the center of this story.

And this story can also be said to be the one of that person and I.

As their eyes glimmered facing mystery, as their entranced face breathed out words, they warped the world that I had always believed in. The anxiety they built within me made me feel like the Earth would split apart. Simply listening would instill a fear that made me not want to look at my behind, a fear as if someone were peeking at me from the shadows through a half-open door.

It was probably because the words they spoke included truths about the other side, truths so scant, grotesque, and twisted that only dead men could make use of them.

Only now, after that person is gone, do I finally understand that.

As my grandmother had said, it was definitely a world that I was not meant to see. It was a story that should not be known to a living person.

However—

However, I'm gonna tell that story now, I think.

I'm gonna spill everything I have here, I think.

Because if I don't — that person won't be able to rest in peace.

Because they, having lived in the depths of darkness, having struggled through darkness, won't be able to rest in peace.

Yes — I'll say it only once more.

From here onwards is a story that should not be known.

<noinclude>
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| Return to [[Phenomeno|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Phenomeno:Case_01|Case 01]]
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</noinclude>

Yuusha de Aru Series

2021-09-12T02:10:03Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Yuusha de Aru Series novel */

[[File:Washio000.jpg|250px|thumb|Cover of Washio Sumi light novel]]

'''Yuusha de Aru''' Series (''勇者である''シリーズ, ''Is a Hero'' Series) refer to a series of multimedia project containing novel '''Washio Sumi wa Yuusha de Aru''' (''鷲尾須美は勇者である, Washio Sumi is a Hero''), anime '''Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru''' (''結城友奈は勇者である, Yuuki Yuuna is a Hero''), novel '''Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru''' (''乃木若葉は勇者である, Nogi Wakaba is a Hero''), and novel '''Kusunoki Mebuki wa Yuusha de Aru''' (''楠芽吹は勇者である, Kusunoki Mebuki wa Yuusha de Aru'').

All novel in the series so far are written by '''Takahiro'''(タカヒロ) or '''Shuhaku Aoi'''(朱白あおい) and illustrated by BUNBUN. Most novel chapter of the series serialize on Dengeki G's Magazine in a pace of a chapter per month before releasing as a book.

Connection and recommended reading order between different series can be found at [http://i.imgur.com/fJ85z0u.png here].

==Story Synopsis==
Washio Sumi wa Yuusha de Aru:
In the year 298 from the era of the gods, elementary school girls Washio Sumi, Nogi Sonoko, and Minowa Gin are tasked with an important mission. They are to become heroes and fight Vertex, a mysterious enemy that is attacking Shinju-sama, the god tree that protects Shikoku, the only area in the world that is still habitable. ([http://myanimelist.net/manga/83169/Washio_Sumi_wa_Yuusha_de_Aru Source])

==Recent Updates==
*Project page created.
*Third party translations added
*Illustrations added
*Series page renamed.

== Translation ==

===[[Yuusha de Aru Series:Registration_Page|Registration]]===

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first notify a supervisor beforehand.

'''Translators are asked to [[Yuusha de Aru Series:Registration_Page|register]] which chapters they're working on'''

===Project Details===
*[[Baka-Tsuki:Project Conventions]]

==Yuusha de Aru Series novel==
===Washio Sumi wa Yuusha de Aru by Takahiro ([[Washio Sumi wa Yuusha de Aru: Full Text|Full Text]])===
Done, more or less. I connected the Fanbook stories just for completion sake. -Omoi (5/7)

*[[Washio Sumi wa Yuusha de Aru: Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[Washio Sumi wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 1|Chapter 1 Washio Sumi]]
*[[Washio Sumi wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 2|Chapter 2 Minowa Gin]]
*[[Washio Sumi wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 3|Chapter 3 Nogi Sonoko]]
*[[Washio Sumi wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 4|Chapter 4 Battle]]
*[[Washio Sumi wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 5|Chapter 5 Goodbye]]
*[[Washio Sumi wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 6|Chapter 6 Fairies]]
*[[Washio Sumi wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 7|Chapter 7 Promise]]
*[[Washio Sumi wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 8|Chapter 8 Friendship]]
*[[Washio Sumi wa Yuusha de Aru: Extra Chapter|Extra Chapter Special Newly Written]]
*[[Washio Sumi wa Yuusha de Aru: Hero's Memoirs (Original)|Hero's Memoirs (Original)]]
*[[Washio Sumi wa Yuusha de Aru: Takahiro's Interview|Takahiro's Interview]]

===Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru Visual Fanbook===
*[[Washio Sumi wa Yuusha de Aru: yyyVF Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[Washio Sumi wa Yuusha da Aru: Sonoko After|Sonoko After]]
*[[Washio Sumi wa Yuusha de Aru: Second Volume Hero's Memoir| Second Volume Hero's Memoir]]

===Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru by Shuhaku Aoi===
Translation [https://www.reddit.com/r/YuYuYu/ here], PDFs [https://www.mediafire.com/folder/jokcujdo2jq4n/Nogi_Wakaba_is_a_Hero_LN here]
to do: Wiki-fy
====Volume 1====
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Setting|Character Settings]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 1|Chapter 1 Origin]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 2|Chapter 2 Flower Bud]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 3|Chapter 3 Blooming]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 4|Chapter 4 Hidden Leaf]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 5|Chapter 5 First Leaf]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 6|Chapter 6 Root of Evil]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 7|Chapter 7 Sprout]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 8|Chapter 8 Glowing Flower]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 9|Chapter 9 Petal of Light]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 10|Chapter 10 Lingering Snow]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Extra Chapter|Extra Chapter Shiratori Utano wa Yuusha de Aru]]
====Volume 2====
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 11|Chapter 11 Seeds]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 12|Chapter 12 Field Day]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 13|Chapter 13 Falling Petals]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 14|Chapter 14 Thorny Path]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 15|Chapter 15 Blighted Leaves]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 16|Chapter 16 Off Season Flower]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 17|Chapter 17 Funeral Flowers]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 18|Chapter 18 Uproot]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 19|Chapter 19 Uproot]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Extra Chapter 2|Extra Chapter The Passed Baton]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Hero's Memoirs (Original)|Hero's Memoirs (Original)]]
*[[Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Takahiro x Shuhaku Aoi Interview|Takahiro x Shuhaku Aoi Interview]]

===Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter Washio Sumi Special===
Specials of WaSuYu movie
[https://pastebin.com/iSuBKCHD Washio Sumi wa Yuusha de Aru: Movie Extra Novel|Short Story: Silver coloured memories ]

===Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter Sonoko special===

[https://pastebin.com/Uxk8uVGf Short Story: Sonoko in Reminiscence]

===Kusunoki Mebuki wa Yuusha de Aru by Shuhaku Aoi===
*[[Kusunoki Mebuki wa Yuusha de Aru: Setting|Character Settings]]
*[[Kusunoki Mebuki wa Yuusha de Aru: Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[Kusunoki Mebuki wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 1|Chapter 1 As if a dead flower could bloom.]]

==Visual Novel==
===Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru Minatosoft version===
*done
===Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru S Minatosoft version===
*done
===Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru: Jukai no Kioku===
*Partially translated. See other sites for translation progress.
===Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru: Hanayui no Kirameki===
*Partially translated. See other sites for translation progress.
==Project Staff==
All of the following are hosted translators.
*Anonymous
*Washio LN
*Washio LN 2

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Visual novel]]
[[Category:Hosted Projects]]
[[Category:Linked Projects]]

BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Chapter 1

2021-09-06T20:55:02Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Part 3 */

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| [[BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Illustrations|Illustrations]]
|-
| [[BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Prologue|Prologue:Rebirth]]
|-
| [[BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1: Contact]]
|-
| [[BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Chapter 2|Chapter 2: Immortal]]
|-
| [[BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3: Mitsurugi]]
|-
| [[BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Chapter 4|Chapter 4: Secret]]
|-
| [[BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Chapter 5|Chapter 5: Encounter]]
|-
| [[BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Chapter 6|Chapter 6: Interlude]]
|-
| [[BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|[[BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Afterword|Afterword]]
|-
|}

==BBBE Chapter 1: Contact==

===Part 1===

Somewhere, far off into the distance, a piercing noise echoes. The sound fuels an impending sense of crisis, it's loud and jarring despite being muffled by various structures like how a wall act like a protective membrane to the actions of one's neighbor; despite such distance and protective membranes, the noise is still hard on the ears.

Rather than a crisis, this feeling is more akin to how your alarm clock disturbs would someone’s pleasant rest, screaming until you act to silence it, making you want to destroy it even. Who wouldn’t hate that noise? A certain boy here knows he can't stand it at least.

The boy immediately wanted to be freed from this sound that was offensive to the ear. Thus, Naoto Kurogane's arm unreluctantly leaves the warm cocoon of blankets atop the futon, reaching for the alarm clock switch above its head. The said clock is an elliptically shaped non-digital type.

"...stupid bastard..."

Following a light touch, the cruel cries cease from the alarm. He is left with a small satisfaction similar to smashing one of the world's greatest evils. Then, motivated by victory, Naoto slips into the warmth of his futon once again.

But shortly after accepting the lullaby of drowsiness' advances, the front-door’s bell beyond the bedroom door chimes. And it's not only once or twice, it rings over and over and doesn’t seem to stop.

It’s too loud... Despite lacking the strength to voice his irritation, he wraps the futon around his head in resistance to that noise. This act serves to muffle the disturbing noise for earlier even, making that old problem feel distant and irrelevant. However, soon after the doorbell goes silent, as if in response to Naoto's shallow and lazy act of resistance and soon the melodies of metallic mechanisms and tumblers enters the bedroom. It is the familiar sound of a key entering a lock and turning and is then followed by groaning sound of the door in the entrance.

(...again?)

Meanwhile, the sounds of someone entering his home reaches Naoto's ears. That familiar presence stirs Naoto, a look of resignation rather than confusion or annoyance on his face while he gives up in his rebellion, as he crawls out the warm confines of his cocoon. In a simple T-shirt jersey and night clothes, he performs an large awakening stretch as he rises from his bedding in the center of the purposely and simply furnished bedroom.

Naoto's apartment is described as a Japanese'1LDK' or an apartment with a single separated bedroom and another large, combined kitchen, dining room, and kitchen (includes a single bathroom). It takes Naoto only a few short steps from the bedroom to reach the front door. But as he slowly rubs his drooping eyelids in his drowsiness, the door to his bedroom swings open with excessive force.

"Oh my. He's already up..."

Standing in the doorway peaking at the drowsy boy, is a long-haired girl in a pleated skirt sailor uniform with a blue ribbon and white base color. She voices her thoughts, tinged with a faint, vibrant sound of disappointment, as her hair sways, there being a white hair clip to complete the refreshing, uniformed look.
The intruding girl's name is Haruka Hayami. She is Naoto's childhood friend and a classmate attending the same high school. She also happens to be the daughter of the apartment building's owner where Naoto lives.

"With so many doorbell presses showing results, that makes me confident in one thing. I think we've finally found the sure-fire way to get you up, don't you agree?"

Although he did not intend to get up while the doorbell was ringing, he decides to avoid such a familiar scenario. Haruka lifted her shoulder mischievously, giggling as she entered Naoto's bedroom, with an overly familiar confidence, teasing her childhood friend.

"It's not like I was going to come over everyday. But I'm disappointed. Just like the childhood friends in Nao-kun's favorite games, I wanted to lovingly wake you up with a 'Nao-kun, wake-up~.' I thought that would help fill your affection meter."

"What are you saying, idiot? That's a template! A cliche trope! There's no way genuine childhood friends really do that! What respectable Japanese girl enters a man's room suggestively saying 'I don't like to be apart from you~<3~<3'! Seriou-...Wh-what game?"

Naoto only comprehended Haruka's earlier words just now, too rushed to contest her 'template' words and deeds to act with more discretion. At that moment, Naoto's drowsiness and clouded mind was grimly awoken by Haruka's words.

Wh-Why did Haruka suddenly bring up the topic of games and childhood friend templates? Before Naoto could contrive an answer, Haruka's eyes teasingly met his now alert gaze.

"Or, is 'Hurry and wake up, Onii-chan!~' your preferred route's heroine?"

"Th-that's not something I know about!"

"No, it's okay. You is a growing boy. It's not particularly weird or abnormal. Rather, having lots of girls come out just to suit a boy's fancy, isn't everyone satisfying their urges that way? I thought having just the game was a little lonesome..."

"O-Okay! I admit I have those games, but I didn't buy them myself! Fukuda forced those games on me, okay!?"

Naoto exaggeratedly shakes his head in denial, but it can't be helped when it sounded like a shallow excuse for a undeniably truth.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. I'll get you a change of clothes and while you can go wash your face~.”

"That's the kind of thing you never do! And do not open the wardrobe without my permission! Noooo!!!”

Naoto hurriedly interrupted Haruka, who was reaching for the wardrobe in a motherly manner. He is not sure how to clear up this situation, but hopes that Haruka will understand regardless.

"I can get my clothes myself. Please, just go over there.”

"Yeah? Then I will prepare breakfast for you, but don’t fall asleep again.”

“I know…” he said after taking a deep sigh.

After seeing Haruka off with a light wry smile on her face, Naoto went to the bathroom as he was told. The wooden floor in the hallway and the bathroom are a little cool and the chill air made him stretch his back a bit.

This was Naoto's usual morning scenario. He is reluctant to get up, but Haruka would eventually unlock the door, enter his room, and forcefully waking him up. It's a scenario that has been going on for a while now, a scene that has been all too common for him at this point.

(Everything is still the same...)

Wiping off the cold water he had bathed in with a towel, Naoto looks up and sees his reflection in the mirror as he always did in the morning. His hair bounces back even when you stroke it carefully, and his eyes are bottoms up, lacking any sense of tension. He is not the strongest guy around, but he has a reasonably fit body.

In the mirror… a row of strange symbols that are floating above his head, are reflected. The symbols make up for a number. Though it’s a number, it isn’t the kind of number that people would perceive as one. Naoto understands these symbols as numbers. While he can see these strange numbers appearing above people's heads, they are only visible for him. He doesn’t know why, but that is simply a fact.

"’The Eye of the Hunter’… huh?”

He mutters that bitterly to himself, while he stares at the numbers that are above his head, as if they were a way too expensive price tag.

The number he can read from the symbols is '9810'. He doesn’t know if this is some accurate deciphering or not, but there is no way he could check the answer for that anyways. For a certain while now, Naoto's number has been static like this. What do they mean? Basically, these numbers show someone’s life force, their physical strength and health and so on. Depending on how person’s conditions are, the number can change. For example, martial artists and sportsmen have a relatively high one, while people with some kind of illnesses or physical handicaps are generally low. In addition, it can fluctuate in 100 up or down depending on how someone feels, so it becomes low if you are depressed or high if you are in a good mood.

But there is a reason why we can tell with certainty that it shows a living beings life force, even though he doesn’t know if the numbers he reads are always correct or not. Naoto has witnessed the moment when the value above someone’s head turns to '0'.

It was the moment when a person in front of him, ...his mother, died.

The moment she died the number said '0'.

He also remembers very well what happened after that...

"Naoto-kun, breakfast is ready!”

“Yeah, I'm coming!”

When he heard Haruka's voice from the living room, Naoto put his towel back on the towel rack and left the bathroom.

He went back to his room, took off his nightgown, hurriedly changed clothes and went into the living room and as soon as Naoto entered, he was greeted by a delicious smell that stimulated his empty stomach.

The person standing in the kitchen next to the small counter is, of course, Haruka. Dressed in her Shinkawahama High School uniform, she gripped a fry spatula and placed a freshly cooked bacon and egg on a white plate. Beside her, there was already a row of lightly browned toast, and a mini-salad with lettuce, tomatoes and broccoli was prepared on the table.

How she could prepare breakfast so efficiently in such a short time was still a mystery to Naoto, as it was every morning.

"Here, some milk. Eat quickly or you'll be late."

Haruka hurriedly placed her favorite mug on her usual seat, along with a plate of bacon and eggs and toast.

"You're looking good this morning..." He muttered to himself and hurried to the dining table.

As usual, he looked at the top of his childhood friend's head. There was a strange number floating that only Naoto could see. The number he sees is "10500". Her number is always higher than Naoto's, but this morning it was about 50 higher than yesterday. Haruka seems to be in good shape.

"Itadakimasu."

“Eat plenty.”

Since Naoto was woken up at the right time, he had plenty of time to enjoy his breakfast. After clasping his hands together and bowing lightly, Naoto gratefully reached for the hot, steamy meal. Spreading some margarine on a piece of toast and biting into it. It's his favorite thing to do every morning.

The fried egg attached to the crispy bacon was cooked to Naoto's liking, with a thin layer of half-boiled yolk and white meat. The lemon-scented dressing on the mini salad was also refreshing and tasty. But then he realized. He is sure there was nothing so lofty in their fridge.

"Hey, Haruka. Did you make this by any chance?"

When Naoto asked Haruka, who must have eaten breakfast at her house already, she nodded from her seat in front of him.

"Of course. Nao-kun, you saw me frying an egg earlier, didn't you?

"No, that's not it. I meant the dressing for the salad.”

“This.” Naoto said, indicating with his fork to a small plate that had been turned into a salad bowl. Haruka nodded again, this time smiling.

"Oh, you mean that? Yeah, because the only thing that looks like that in your fridge is mayonnaise."

"Well, if it is... then why don't you just put mayonnaise on it?"

"It's not that big of a deal. Oh, maybe it doesn't taste so good?”

"No, it's really good. I'm impressed actually."

"Haha... that's good."

"What's with the weird laugh?"

Was it embarrassment or pride? Smiling at Haruka's distracting laughter, Naoto stabbed a tomato with his fork with a renewed sense of gratitude.

As always, I take my hat off to my childhood friend for her cooking skills. No, not only in cooking, but also in housework in general, her abilities are something to behold. This is why Naoto can't get Haruka out of his head.

Haruka's mother, Yuki Hayami, who owns this apartment, is actually renting this place to him for free considering their relationship as aunt and nephew. In addition, Haruka not only comes to wake Naoto up every morning, but also cooks dinner and cleans his room, taking great care of him.

After several years of living away from home, Naoto's life would not have been possible without Hayami and her daughter.

(I'm spoiled, aren't I?)

Naoto sighed lightly in his chest as he took the last bite of his toast.

Before he knew it, he began to eat the breakfast Haruka prepared for me without any suspicion and the attitude of looking at it as a problem, like being spoiled, became just a distant feeling.

After all, it was very comfortable knowing that Haruka and her mother, Yuki, gave him a peaceful life.

When Naoto thinks about it, he feels grateful from the bottom of his heart, but at the same time, he feels ashamed of himself for being this naive. However, it would be a shame to let go of this warm breakfast atmosphere, so Naoto chewed on the second slice of a tomato as the calm feeling flowed through the dining room.

It usually takes about 30 minutes to walk from the apartment building where Naoto and Haruka live to Shinkawahama First High School, which they attend. If they were to take the bus, they could relax at home until later, but Naoto, who dislikes crowded buses and prefers the busy downtown area, normally choses to walk to school. Naturally, Haruka walks with him to their school together.

Naoto has told her several times that she should just take the bus instead, since she doesn't have to do anything more for him than already, but everytime she does it regardless. Haruka would then laugh and follow him, saying it's good for her own health. However, when she can't go home with him, such as when she leaves for school, she takes the bus without hesitation, so it seems that her definition of "healthy" has a lot of flexibility.

Passing through a residential area with many apartment buildings, they waited for green light in front of a crosswalk.

It is the beginning of October. The remnants of the summer season that had been here a few days ago had almost completely faded away and the cool morning temperature was just right for Naoto's new uniform.

The sky was clear as day, with thin white clouds hanging over it, and when he looked up, Naoto felt a sense of peacefulness. As he was chewing down a sigh of relief from this peaceful feeling, Haruka, who had been acting strangely nervous for a while, peeked up at me.

"You know what? Back to the topic at hand, Nao-kun. Do you like that kind of stuff...?”

"What 'that kind of stuff'?"

Not knowing what she was talking about, Naoto rubbed the corners of his eyes with his thumbs and asked.

Haruka's eyes immediately wandered from side to side as if she was in panic.

"So, um, you know, like that... that game where the girl with the pink hair was giving the m-main character… i-in the bathroom─"

Haruka's words, while puzzling they are, caused Naoto's blood to run cold.

The traffic light turned green at this point. However, he couldn't get his foot out of his mouth.

"What did you mean by that... Haruka-san?"

"Oh, Nao-kun, it's green."

Without giving Naoto's distoreded feelings any attention, Haruka joyfully pulls on Naoto's sleeves. After being pushed by her, he managed to move his feet and awkwardly crossed the crosswalk, being sure that he is not in the condition right now, where he should do even a simply action like this.

After they were on the other side of the street, Naoto awkwardly turns to Haruka as if he had been shot by a bullet.

"What the hell?! How do you know about all these details!?”

"AH! God, you scared me! I was just wondering what kind of things you are into and since there were so many of ‘them’, I thought one would be alright at least..."

Her shoulders jumped up from Naoto's comment and Haruka defended herself as she crossed and untied her index fingers in front of her chest.

She feels a little embarrassed. However, it is not necessary to confirm the fact that she has touched Naoto's personal belongings without permission, but rather the fact that she has threatened Naoto's heart with her earlier comments.

"You see, I have a mission to know all about Nao-kun's daily activities and what he is interested in."

"What kind of mission is that?! I mean, why are you suddenly speaking so formal?"

"I'm not sure what you mean by that. In any case, that one game is about the secret of a young maiden’s life... Oh yeah, if you're a fan of ‘Love Love School Paradise’, the girl with blue hair is cute and adorable. If you ask me about the ‘It's with My Sister!’ game, then the heroine would be..."

"It's not just one game, it's a full series! And don't change the subject! This shouldn’t even be a topic!"

The tone of Naoto's voice, as he interrupted Haruka's talking to give him detailed advice, was as if he was begging her to give him a break and not continue any further. What’s so sad about this is, that he had to ask his childhood friend, who was like family to him, to stop giving him advice for games he had, for good reasons, hidden away from her.

But whether she knew about Naoto's intentions or not, Haruka narrowed her shoulders and looked up at him with a strangely relaxed expression.

"Well, you see. I'm not even really interested in that kind of stuff, but if Nao-kun is, then I don’t mind trying it out..."

"Can you not call it 'that kind of stuff' all the time, Haruka? Also, I'll say it again, it's only a game-" He was just about to shout: "Why are we still talking about this subject?!", but then... Naoto got stuck on what he was about to say.

His panicked gaze was not on Haruka's eyes, which peered out to him, but instead slightly above her head where Naoto could see a strange row of symbols. The numbers there moved, rising to 12. Naoto felt an uncomfortable feeling at that slight change.

The number above her head represents her life-force. In the past year or so, Naoto learned that it fluctuates slightly depending on someone’s emotional state as well as their physical condition.

The number above her head represents her life-force. In the past years or so, Naoto learned that it fluctuates slightly depending on someone’s emotional state as well as their physical condition. It's sadness, grief, hatred, despair, and pain that bring someone down. The only thing that raises it would be feelings like joy, goodwill and happiness, sometimes rage and irritation, and... shame.

He tries to be as unconcerned and unaware as possible. But even so, Naoto can't help but to look at them. It's irritating.

Naoto turned away from Haruka as if to escape her sight, her number.

Despite of his ability, he has never been good at reading the feelings of others. He's more of a slow thinker.

So, if he wants to know how a person's feelings are right now, he could just look at these strange numbers... However, Naoto doesn't want to do that.

The route they took had reached a busy downtown area near the train station, that is located somewhat between his apartment and the school, by now.

As the two walked along the street, the crowd of people gradually increased, and eventually, when they came to a large intersection, it became so crowded that it was difficult for them to walk side by side.

Naoto stepped in front of Haruka as he always does. Haruka follows by stepping back and lightly grasping the bag that Naoto carries on his shoulder to prevent them from getting separated.

He feels a little extra weight on his shoulder. This is the signal for him that Haruka was properly following behind his back.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

He looks back once to make sure he hadn't left Haruka behind, like he always does. Seeing her behind him, she looks up at Naoto and nods her head in response at him.

After five minutes of walking, the crowd finally calms down. They couldn’t talk about any silly subjects, like earlier, during these five minutes at all. But as he crossed the roadway and passed the intersection, Naoto suddenly loses the small extra weight that he had felt on his shoulder just a moment ago.

"Huh? What is it?"

He thought that she had taken her hand off his bag, but when Naoto turned around wondering why she just tagged off, he sees that Haruka isn’t there. No, it wasn't just Haruka that was gone.

No one was there.

The crowds of people, the cars waiting for the traffic light to change and even the crows on the wires had disappeared, leaving an empty downtown that was devoid of all life. It was as if Naoto had been left behind in a movie set, all alone.

"...H-hey? Haruka?"

The word "daydreaming" pops into Naoto's head.

He wonders what the hell is going on here. There was no way he could have fallen asleep while walking through this large crowd of people that were just here a moment ago. On the other hand, there was no way he could have been in such a ridiculous scenario, for real, where he turns around and suddenly finds out that all the people had disappeared while he was left behind.

If this was a movie set, the genre would probably be horror, if you would ask Naoto. With this in mind, Naoto carefully looked around, feeling a sweaty tension on his back. As he observes the scenery, he slowly looks behind his back.

In that moment, he stopped breathing.

In this empty, uninhabited downtown area, a girl was standing on the other end of it. It would be a perfect performance if this were from an actual horror movie.

Naoto was dazed, unable to understand what was going on, but he couldn't take his eyes off the girl, as if he was sewn to her.

Naoto can’t see the details of her figure clearly. The distance between them is too big to make anything out of her looks, but what was hindering his view even more was this strange light coming from the other side where that girl stands.

[[File:BE1-4.png|frameless|right]]

But she has long, beautiful blond hair that is tied up on both sides and is dressed in a generous black dress. She looks about twelve years old. The girl has a unique atmosphere that doesn't match with her age.

Her skin is as white as if it’s transparent and her eyes are as red as blood as she looks at him. What beautiful eyes. Naoto thought so immediately.

But what drew Naoto's attention more than anything else were the ribbons that tied up her long hair. The big black ribbons stand up straight, making the girl's silhouette look like that of a rabbit.

The rabbit girl has a very sad expression on her face. She looks as if she is grieving for someone's future or remembering someone's face... That kind of look.

With a look that could only be described as sadness or grief, the girl looks straight at Naoto with her crimson eyes.

Who are you?

Naoto wanted to ask that, but he couldn't speak. He couldn't even move his body, but he had a feeling that he saw this girl somewhere before.

It was a feeling that was so distant and thin that it seemed as if it would fade away at any moment, a feeling of déjà vu that was too vague to search his memories for where they had met.

(But I think I know... this girl, don't I?)

Who are you?

He tried to ask again. But as if to interrupt him, the girl's small lips moved.

She seemed to have muttered something. The short words that sounded like a sigh which never reached Naoto, made it impossible for him to hear what she said. However, it seemed to be a very important message, so Naoto tried to lean forward, but he still couldn't hear her well.

Please say it again. He tried to say so, but... With a thud, something hit his back with a quiet noise.

"Ah-!"

He heard a voice close by, which made him gasp. In that instant, the crowd returned to Naoto's surroundings. Or perhaps you could say that Naoto's consciousness came back to the crowd.

The next thing he knew, his surroundings were filled with people passing by, leaving Naoto standing there dumbfounded.

A few adults gave him suspicious glances as the boy suddenly stopped in his tracks, and then walked past him as if they didn't care after all.

Haruka, who was right behind him again, peeked at Naoto, who was standing there with his mouth half open, her eyebrows raised in concern.

"What's the matter? You suddenly stopped so abruptly."

She must have bumped into Naoto's back earlier because she is rubbing her forehead lightly.

Looking back at her round, somewhat animal-like eyes, Naoto shoved a hand into her hair and brushed her head as if to confirm that she was here.

"Huh?"

Wasn't there a girl just now?! Naoto was about to ask that, but immediately stopped. Of course, there was a girl just now, but there was no way Naoto could explain the unusual phenomenon that he had just experienced in any words, let alone about that rabbit girl.

A man in a suit must have been walking right behind them as he hurried past them, looking at Naoto with annoyance that he suddenly stopped in the moving crowd.

The entire area had become completely normal. No one seems to know that anything was amiss moments ago.

"It's nothing..."

Yeah, it was nothing. It was just a little girl looking at him after all. It's not like there was anything crazy happening. Nothing to be concerned about. Nothing.

After telling himself that several times, Naoto takes a single breath.

"Let's go, Haruka."

"Are you really okay to go... You're not sick or anything, are you?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. It's just that I suddenly got kinda drowsy, so I almost fell asleep."

He is unsure what to say but knows what he needs to do. The last thing Naoto wants is making Haruka feel worried, no matter what the situation might be.

"You were about to fall asleep while walking? That is not fine at all, Nao-kun, that is dangerous."

"I know, I know. Look, I am already fully awake again."

"That's not the point. I'm really worried about you this morning, Nao-kun..."

Naoto is sure that she would be happy to know that he is not the only one who's a little worried.

"You know... you're like my mother."

In truth, he is more worried about the fact that Haruka would take such a crude lie seriously. However, he is still not sure what to say, so he will keep his real thoughts to himself for now. It would only make Haruka worry about him more if he did otherwise.

"Well, being your mother is not really what I want."

"What did you say? Now, come on, let's go."

With a somewhat displeased look on her face, he waited for Haruka to grab his bag again and once again, Naoto pushed his way through the crowd. As he takes his first step, he suddenly realized.

That young girl. Something was awfully strange about her...

(There were no numbers.)

A number above a person's head reveals their life force.

There has never been a time where Naoto couldn't see someone's number. If anything... it only happens in his dreams.

(So, I really was asleep?)

It's true that he is weak to early mornings, but he didn't expect it to be this severe that he would daydream in the middle of a crowd. Naoto scratched his head again and sighed instead of blurting out any comments.

If it was a dream, so be it. In a dream, anything is possible, no matter how unexplainable it might be.

The boy has been trying to put it behind with the excuse that he was sleepwalking, but even though he had been trying for some time now, Naoto's mind was still replaying the image of that girl from earlier.

===Part 2===

As the sun rises and noon approaches, the classrooms at Shinkawahama High School are filled with a heat that could remind one of summer, even though it's already autumn.
It was break time after the end of the second period of modern literature class. As the boy listened to the refreshing sound of someone opening a soda bottle at the front of the classroom, Naoto took off his jacket because it was indeed very hot. As he rested it on the back of his chair, he saw a man casually approaching him.

"Oi, Kurogane-kun. Can I have you for a moment?"

The person who came right up to Naoto's seat and started the conversation with a delicate cough was his classmate and friend from junior high school, Shinnosuke Fukuda.

The girls in his class thought that his short haircut made him look pretty, while others say it made him look silly. Naoto has a rather casual attitude and in comparison to Shinnosuke, this trait is emphasized even more by his overflowing cheerful personality.

He is about the same size as Naoto. They have similar grades, and their interests are about the same. Overall, they are good friends.

Naoto recalled that the bond they had formed as best friends years ago had led to a troubling incident this morning.

"Damn you, Shinnosuke. You made me get into a terrible mess there..."

Why should his childhood friend, who is like family to him, investigate his preferences in visual novel heroin’s?!

"What's wrong? Whatever."

Shinnosuke looks at Naoto with a resentful look at first, but he doesn't seem to take offense in the slightest, instead he looks back at him with a pleased smile. For a moment, Naoto thought about explaining it to him to scold him. However, such thoughts quickly disappeared. He would only be laughed at. Furthermore, it will only result in exposing his own pettiness.

"It's nothing, ...I don't want to talk about it."

"Is that so? Well, that's all right. How did you like the learning 'material' I lent you? Did it help you?"

It's ‘learning material’, huh? A dry laugh escaped from Naoto's mouth.

"No, not at all."

If anything, he thinks it may have been Haruka, not him, who learned something from the game that was forced upon him. But he won't reveal that.

"You realize these games are just fantasy, right?"

When Naoto shakes his head reluctantly, Shinnosuke's eyes widen in disappointment.

"What are you saying? You're the one who is living that fantasy life."

“WHA-? Hey, you're the one who's talking."

"Are you out of your mind now?! Your childhood friend, who is also your cousin, wakes you up every morning and makes you breakfast every day, and when you come home, you eat dinner together every afternoon, in the apartment that you live alone in. ...Now, what part of that doesn't sound like fantasy to you, chap?!"

"Stop calling me that! You'll take responsibility if it sticks as a nickname!"

Shinnosuke leaned forward and clenched his fists when he made his impassioned speech. Naoto, striking back, also said that he was out of his mind. But Shinnosuke is not the kind of man who will back down against such little resistance. He grabbed Naoto's head with both of his hands and forcefully pushed it in the other direction. This is a great way to get the most out of your free time in the usually boring classroom.

"…What?"

"Look closely, Naoto."

He directed Naoto's head to the front of the classroom.

Shinnosuke was in a rather serious mood. They turned to look at Haruka, who was sitting in the front seat chatting with her friends. While grabbing Naoto's head, Shinnosuke continued in a low voice with a strong tone.

"She has a kind and gentle personality, is popular enough to be elected to the student council and always has the ability to be very approachable. In addition, she is good at housework, especially at cooking, which is extremely delicious. She is not the most beautiful girl, but she is cute and pretty. She has above-average boobs too...!"

"Hey you... Where are you looking at?"

"On top of that, her mother is a wealthy woman who owns an entire mansion and she's also an incredibly beauty with big tits! There is no way you can't make a mistake with that! A win-win!"

"Hey! You’re too loud!!"

Shaking off Shinnosuke, who shouted in his ear, Naoto hurriedly covered his friend's dirty mouth.

As expected, Haruka, who seemed to have heard the voice, turned around and tilted her head. As expected, Haruka, who seemed to have heard Shinnosuke's voice, turned around and tilted her head. As soon as she did, she waved her hand and Naoto conveyed a message with a gesture. She nodded in agreement and returned to chatting with her friend. After witnessing this, Naoto released Shinnosuke's breath.

"Ha... ha... shit..."

Apparently, it was really hindering his breathing. Naoto simply apologized to Shinnosuke, who was looking a bit more grim than usual.
"Oh, anyway. I think you should be a little more aware of your own privileged circumstances. One of these days you're going to get beaten up by some less fortunate boys."

"Like you, for instance?"

"Oh, I wish."

Shinnosuke's eyes were unexpectedly serious as he turned and looked down at him. Naoto immediately withdrew his mischievous smile.

Naoto put a hand on his cheek and gazed at Haruka again. It seemed that they were having a lot of fun talking about various cheerful topics, making it a little difficult for high school boys to approach them.

Haruka was smiling happily, and she certainly had a rather nice appearance. According to what Shinnosuke told him before, she is known as a cute girl not only among her classmates but also among her seniors and juniors. Some of them are even seriously trying to become her boyfriend. However, Naoto was still unable to understand why Haruka was so popular.

(I wonder if it is because she’s cute...)

For Naoto, the feeling of meddling, nagging, not being able to leave him alone, filled his mind when thinking about her instead of how cute she is. Haruka, for Naoto, acted more like a mother than a girl of her age after all.

There is no such thing as a "mistake" to be made with Haruka, as Shinnosuke said, but in the first place, he had never even considered such a thing.

(Come to think of it, Yuki says it all the time, too.)

Naoto's eyebrows wrinkle with mixed feelings as he remembers.

Yuki, Haruka's mother, is the one person Naoto can't get over more than Haruka. She is very busy with her work and rarely comes home, so they only see each other occasionally, but every time they do, she approaches Naoto with a suggestive smile on her face.

'When are you going to get your hands on Haruka?'
'You're a man, right?'
And so on.

(What is wrong with them anyway? I mean, Yuki-san is her mother, right? A normal mother wouldn't tell some guy to go and make the move on her own daughter. I really don't know what she's thinking at all sometimes.)

As he was mumbling to himself, Shinnosuke, who stands beside him gave a short "Oh". At the sound of his voice, Naoto also noticed. The bell was ringing, announcing the end of break time. Haruka also checked her watch, cut off her conversation and went back to her seat. As she did, she looked at Naoto, smiled friendly and waved lightly. He has no bad feeling about it. When Naoto smiled back, Shinnosuke was looking at him with a hint of envy in his eyes.

But before Shinnosuke could say anything, the door to the classroom was opened exactly on time. The person who came in was Tadayuki Isa, the teacher in charge of the next class, Geology.

He was not tall, but he had a sturdy build, and his round, chubby face always had a serious frown on it. He was in his mid-forties, Naoto believes. He wears square glasses of an old-fashioned design, always wears the same kind of clothes, and is not the type of person who cares much about his appearance. In addition to geology, he is also in charge of life guidance, but his nagging and critical nature has made him into a teacher who is getting a bad reputation among the students at many times.

Shinnosuke is another one who has a hard time with Isa. As soon as he caught sight of him, he turned around and went back to his seat, not wanting to be spotted.

He glances over his slack eyelids at each of the students as if to confirm that they are in a hurry to straighten up their appearance, and then he roughly places the attendance book and textbook on the teacher's table.

It was not an unusual sight. It was the beginning of another depressing class that came around twice a week.

But Naoto was struck by the second... surprise of his day.

(What is... that number?)

He blinked multiple times to make sure he wasn't looking at some wrong number, but the number remained unchanged like a label above the wrinkled, middle-aged man's head.

"925". You don't see this kind of number every day. It's just too low…

"Kurogane! How dare you did not take out your textbooks and notebooks! Class has already started!"

"Huh... Ah, yes, sorry!"

Naoto came back to his senses when the thick finger of a shouting man pointed at him. He pulled his textbook out of his bag and spread it out on the desk. After seeing that, Isa gave a lecture on how foolish it is not to be well prepared for anything, and then began his lesson in a heavy, pompous tone.

Holding the textbook in his hand, he writes hard-to-read characters with such strong pressure that the tip of the white chalk cracks. He often took out his handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead, as if he was hot. Actually, there was nothing particularly unusual about this scene. But Naoto's heart was in a buzz. The classes were never very interesting to begin with, but today he couldn't listen to Isa's at all, because…

(925? Are you kidding me...? Even patients at a university hospital have more decent numbers.)

He wondered if there was something wrong with his eyes. But when he looked around the classroom, there was no one other than Isa who was showing abnormal readings. How can it be possible that only a particular person's values are not normal?

(What is going on with him...?)

Naoto covered his eyes with the palms of his hands. Turns out that that was a bad idea.

"Kurogane!!"

The whole classroom tensed up at the angry voice that came again. When Naoto looked up to see what was going on, he saw Isa glaring at him from in front of the teacher's table with a terrifying expression.

"You've got some nerve to fall asleep in my class..."

"No, I wasn't sleeping..."

"Don't you dare to talk back to me!"

Isa's voice came at him with even more force. Naoto knew that he had made a mistake. When he's in a bad mood, Isa hates it when a student says something he doesn't agree with. You could even say that he hates the students.

Today, Isa seemed to be in a worse mood than ever before. He slammed the textbook he was clutching in his thick hands onto the table and pointed at Naoto with his hand.

"Answer the question I just asked you. You would know if you weren't asleep."

(Ugh…)

Naoto was at a loss for words. He hadn't been sleeping, but he also didn't listen to anything Isa had said, so naturally, Naoto didn't know what the question was.

"I'm sorry, I don't know."

It's not like he can just admit that he didn't hear it, so he tried to keep his emotions in check and answered calmly. As soon as he did, Isa's mouth twisted up and he looked at him with both rage and dominance in his eyes.

"There you go. This is why you shouldn't sleep. Hayami... Answer me instead."

"Y-Yes."

When Haruka replied with a hint of surprise, Naoto reflexively raised his eyebrows. He is sure it wasn't intentional that Haruka was picked instead, but he feels guilty that he caused this fire to start.

"It's from volcanic activity..."

"That's right. You are indeed studying well, Hayami. You may sit down."

He looked strangely pleased and then Isa moved his head in a big vertical motion. Naoto had to wrinkle his brow again at the sight of him.

(The numbers are...)

It increased.

It increased. More than 70 at once. It was way too big of a change for Naoto to be happy that his classmates were able to answer his questions.

"On the other hand, you, Kurogane..."

With a harsh tone, Isa turned to look at Naoto again. The number on his head increased again. This time, the number rose to 37. The fluctuations are quite large. This is not a normal change at all.

Isa pointed at Naoto and glared at him, his thick lips moving rapidly as he talked about how hopeless he was. Normally, he would be frustrated and uncomfortable with this one-sided argument, but he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut because it would make the conversation even longer. Naoto is listening to the teacher's words but is not paying any attention. He just keeps staring at the value above his head, continuously increasing and decreasing by one or two.

It's so strange. He had no idea why this was happening and this uncomfortable feeling that is sticking around inside of him. He can't stand it, so Naoto opened his mouth.

"Isa-sensei. Is there something wrong with you?"

For a moment, the classroom fell silent. He found that everyone who had been holding their breath during Isa's lecture had stopped breathing completely. Eventually, Isa's face turned red with anger as he shook his fists on the table. He did it. Naoto couldn't help but clutch his head at the regret that had come so late.

Isa roughly banged on the teaching table with his clenched fist.

"You brought this on yourself, Kurogane!!"

The air around Isa was numbed by the outrage in his voice. The boy thought he was going to be hit by his teacher, but Naoto's ears picked up a strange sound as he lifted his shoulders in a shrug.

'-thung’

It was like the sound of a coil being wound. But it was a more unpleasant, biological sound. The instinctive disgust he felt gave Naoto goosebumps for a moment. Is something in there? Naoto frowned, horrified by the disgusting presence, and then...

The bell rang, signaling the end of class.

"By next week, each of you should have researched at least two different things that volcanic activity can bring about. I'll ask you about them in the next class."

After saying that, Isa hurried out of the classroom.

Just before Isa disappeared behind the door of the classroom, Naoto finally saw that his number was 1007. It was still far too low for someone who could walk on his own feet.

"Pff..."

The stifling atmosphere that had been present in the classroom earlier came to an end with Isa's departure. As Naoto listened to the voices of his classmates, who had faintly returned to their normal routines, he propped himself up on his desk and exhaled deeply.

His head was full of inexplicable thoughts and couldn't quite put his finger on this experience. He dug his hands into his spiky hair and roughly brushed it around. It was an old habit of Naoto's that he tended to do when he was feeling embarrassed.

"I can't believe you interrupted Isa while he was in his preaching mode. He was totally on to you."

Shinnosuke came running up to Naoto as soon as Isa left the classroom and said that with a dumbfounded look on his face. He was somewhat unhappy, probably because he had been given an extra task as collateral damage thanks to Naoto. Naoto had no choice but to apologize for that.

Naoto looks up with his hands still in his hair. And beside Shinnosuke stood Haruka with a worried expression on her face.

"Nao-kun, are you still feeling a little woozy this morning? Lack of sleep, maybe?"

"No, it's not that, but... well..."

He couldn't say thing. Naoto was at a loss for words. Neither Haruka nor Shinnosuke knew about this mysterious eye of Naoto's – ‘the eye of the hunter’.

Of course, he wasn't going to talk about it. So how could he say anything about the numbers, that represent the life-force of someone? Naoto couldn't help but be curious, so he asked the two in front of him as if he was checking on something.

"Hey, you two. Wasn't there something off about Isa today?"

"Yeah? Nothing out of the ordinary if you ask me. Just the usual Mr. Isa stuff."

Shinnosuke's answer came back to him immediately and it was a simple one. Naoto smiled out of the corner of his mouth. In the first place, Shinnosuke must not even remember the content of the class, let alone Isa's condition. This boy is very much like himself in many ways.

To be fair, he didn't expect much from his best bad friend. Naoto looked at Haruka who had a troubled look on her face and turned her finger on her small chin as if she was thinking.

"...Although it wasn't that that strange. When I was called after Nao-kun didn't answer, Isa-sensei's eyes were kind of flashing."

"Is that so...?"

"Yeah. He would stare at me and then suddenly look away and then right back at me again. And although his eyes were looking at me, they weren't really focused. I thought it was a little strange."

Even Haruka, who could not see the numbers, felt Isa's discomfort. It could be wrong observation. It could be a misunderstanding. If anything, it seemed perfectly natural to think that way.

But this uncomfortable feeling was like an ominous chest pounding, making Naoto's nerves tingle with annoyance.

===Part 3===

After school was over, Naoto was walking alone on his way home from Shinkawahama First High School to his apartment.

...

===Part 4===

===Part 5===

<noinclude>
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|-
| Back to [[BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Prologue|Prologue:Rebirth]]
| Return to [[BlazBlue|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Chapter 2|Chapter 2: Immortal]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (Indonesia)

2021-09-01T03:23:21Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Volume 2 */

[[Image:Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Cover_Vol_01_Cover.jpg|thumb|Volume 1 Cover]]
'''Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken/ Regarding Reincarnated to Slime''' (転生したらスライムだった件,) Adalah Web Novel yang di tulis oleh Fuse dan di ilustrasikan oleh Mitz Vah, Saat ini web novel berlangsung 10 Volume/250 Chapter berstatuskan Complete. Yang di publikasikan oleh Micro Magazine.

==='''Source'''===
[https://circustranslations.com/chapter-list/ '''Circus Translation'''] '''Dan''' [http://gurotranslation.blogspot.co.id/p/ioduction.html?m=1 '''Guro Translation''']

==Sinopsis Cerita==
Mikami Satoru adalah, Seorang pria dewasa berusia 37 tahun sukses yang memiliki masalah: dia tidak pernah punya pacar dan sementara memenuhi pangilan untuk membantu rekannya di jalan, Satoru mendapat ditusuk oleh penjambret. Hasilnya? Dia telah bereinkarnasi sebagai lendir. Apakah itu kemalangan ataukah berkat?

== Translation ==
Bagi yang mampu berbahasa inggris dan ingin meninjau ulang dari aslinya, bantuan anda sangat kami hargai.

==[[Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Bahasa Indonesia:Registration Page|Pendaftaran]]==
'''Penerjemah diminta untuk meminta izin kepada [[User:Baka-Tsuki Update Indonesia|Proyek Manager]] setelah di setujui penerjemah di persilahkan [[Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Bahasa Indonesia:Registration Page|'''mendaftarkan''']] bab mana yang ingin dikerjakan'''

=== Format Standar ===
*[[Format_guideline | General Format/Style Guideline]]

== Update ==
<div style="overflow:auto; max-height: 150px;">

*15 Oktober 2016 Proyek ditinjau ulang mulai Chapter 1
* 13 Oktober 2016 Volume 1 '''Selesai'''
* 23 September 2016 Proyek Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Indonesia dimulai.
</div>
Hahaha alok

==Status==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Volume !! Status !! Keterangan
|-
| Volume 1 || 100% || Sedang diedit ulang
|-
|}

==Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken By Fuse==

===Volume 1 ([[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken (Indonesia):Volume 1|Teks Utuh]])===
[[File:Slime_Datte_Ken_16.jpg|thumb|Volume 1 Sampul]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Ilustrasi_(Indonesia)|Ilustrasi]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Prolog_(Indonesia)|Prolog - Kematian dan Reinkarnasi]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_01_(Indonesia)|Chapter 01 - Mari Kita Lihat Apa yang Bisa Kulakukan]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_02_(Indonesia)|Chapter 02 - Pertemuan Pertama]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_03_(Indonesia)|Chapter 03 - Percakapan Pertama]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_04_(Indonesia)|Chapter 04 - Teman Pertama]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_05_(Indonesia)|Chapter 05 - Pengadukan Masalah]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_06_(Indonesia)|Chapter 06 - Keterampilan Akusisi]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_07_(Indonesia)|Chapter 07 - Pertempuran Pertama]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_08_(Indonesia)|Chapter 08 - Kekuatan di Tangan ku]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_09_(Indonesia)|Chapter 09 - Negosiasi Dengan Goblin]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_10_(Indonesia)|Chapter 10 - Pertempuran Di Desa Goblin]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_11_(Indonesia)|Chapter 11 - Perkembangan Monster]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_12_(Indonesia)|Chapter 12 - Mempersiapkan Lingkungan Kami]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_13_(Indonesia)|Chapter 13 - Mengunjungi Kerajaan Dwarf]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_14_(Indonesia)|Chapter 14 - Masalah]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_15_(Indonesia)|Chapter 15 - Deal Dengan Pengawal]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_16_(Indonesia)|Chapter 16 - Blacksmith Dwarft]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_17_(Indonesia)|Chapter 17 - Hasil Dari Janji]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_18_(Indonesia)|Chapter 18 - Akhir Dari Gejolak]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_Ekstra_(Indonesia)|Chapter Ekstra - Bagworm Gobuta]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_19_(Indonesia)|Chapter 19 - Kembali Ke Desa]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_20_(Indonesia)|Chapter 20 - Menjelang Pembangunan Desa]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_21_(Indonesia)|Chapter 21 - Gerakan Baru]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_22_(Indonesia)|Chapter 22 - Para Petualang Akhirnya Tiba]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_23_(Indonesia)|Chapter 23 - Monster Api]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_24_(Indonesia)|Chapter 24 - Reminiscence ~ Funeral March]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_25_(Indonesia)|Chapter 25 - Transformasi Menjadi Manusia!]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_26_(Indonesia)|Chapter 26 - Kemampuan Baru]]

Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 5 (May 30th, 2015) ISBN-4896375076

===Volume 15===
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_06_Chapter_06_(Indonesiaf)|Chapter 102 - Pertemuan dengan Para monster]]

*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_06_Chapter_07_(Indonesia)|Chapter 103 - Budak Monster]]

==Staf Proyek==
*Supervisor:
*Project Manager: [[User:Baka-Tsuki Update Indonesia|Baka-Tsuki Update Indonesia]]
===Penerjemah===
Aktif.

===Penyunting===
Aktif

Tidak Aktif
*[[User:Rin.chan|Rin.chan]]

==Series Overview==

*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 1 (May 30th, 2014) ISBN-4896374592
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 2 (August 30th, 2014) ISBN-4896374738
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 3 (December 24th, 2014) ISBN-4896374886
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 4 (April 30th, 2015) ISBN-4896375025
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 5 (May 30th, 2015) ISBN-4896375076
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 6 (October 30th, 2015) ISBN-4896375386
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 7 (April 28th, 2016) ISBN-4896375610
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 8 (August 30th, 2016) ISBN-4896375777
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 8.5 (August 30th, 2016) ISBN-4896375807
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 9 (November 30th, 2016) ISBN-4896376005
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 10 (April 7th, 2017) ISBN-4896376307

[[Category:Light novel (Indonesian)]]
[[Category:Indonesian]]

User:GabrielMR

2021-08-31T21:40:13Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Light Novels lidas / read */

==Introdução / Introduction==

===English===

Hello! My name is Gabriel Marshall Rebello, I'm a brazilian who love fantasy stories, I always loved books, and when I had read for the first time a ''light novel'', I couldn't stop anymore.

My original profession and formation is of analyst and developer of systems, a programmer, and here on Baka-Tsuki I assumed the role of a translator between english and portuguese as well as a editor.

===Português===

Olá! Meu nome é Gabriel Marshall Rebello, eu sou um brasileiro que ama histórias de fantasia, eu sempre amei livros, e quando li pela primeira vez uma ''light novel'', eu não pude mais parar.

Minha profissão e formação original é de analista e desenvolvedor de sistemas, um programador, e aqui no Baka-Tsuki eu assumi o papel de um tradutor entre inglês e português como também o de editor.

==Projetos / Projects==

===[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVTLNAxvdEXscxWSrGUBwKWgR3Cybj3QH 11eyes (Visual Novel) ~Brazilian Portuguese~]===

'''Gameplay do jogo em progresso.'''

===[[Kikou Shoujo wa Kizutsukanai ~Brazilian Portuguese~]]===

'''Volume I: Ready / Pronto.'''

Volume II: Translation in progress / Tradução em progresso.

===[[Notes. ~Brazilian Portuguese~]]===

'''Notes.: Project finished. / Projeto finalizado.'''

===[[Owari no Seraph - Ichinose Guren, Jyuurokusai no Catastrophe ~Brazilian Portuguese~]]===

'''Volume 1: Up until Chapter 2 ready. / Até o capítulo 2 pronto.'''

==Light Novels lidas / read==

:* Absolute Duo [5]
:* Accel World [23]
:* Akaoni: Contract With a Vampire [1]
:* Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor [+6]
:* Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest [11]
:* Arifureta Zero: From Commonplace to World's Strongest [4]
:* '''Death Note: Another Note - The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases'''
:* '''Fate/Zero'''
:* '''Hakomari - The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria'''
:* '''I Hold Your Voice Alone, Under The Starry Sky'''
:* I Surrendered My Sword for a New Life as a Mage [1]
:* Kotenbu Series: Hyouka [5]
:* Log Horizon [7]
:* Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei [1]
:* Maou no Ore ga Dorei Elf wo Yome ni Shitanda ga Dou Medereba Ii? [10]
:* My Friend's Little Sister Has It In for Me! [2]
:* MotoMusu [3]
:* '''Notes.'''
:* '''Owari no Seraph - Ichinose Guren, Jyuurokusai no Catastrophe'''
:* Owari no Seraph - Ichinose Guren, Jyuukyuusai Sekai no Resurrection
:* Rakudai Kishi no Eiyuutan [3]
:* '''Rakuin no Monshou'''
:* Re:Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu [16]
:* Re:Zero Kara Hajimeru Shouhenshuu [2]
:* Seirei Gensouki - Spirit Chronicles [13]
:* '''Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance'''
:* Shakugan no Shana [3]
:* '''Silver Cross & Draculea'''
:* '''Shuumatsu Nani Shitemasu ka? Isogashii desu ka? Sukutte Moratte Ii desu ka?'''
:* Spice and Wolf [3]
:* Sword Art Online [20]
:* Sword Art Online: Progressive [6]
:* Tate no Yuusha: The Rising of the Shield Hero [16]
:* The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten [1]
:* The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt (Hey, How About Treason?) [5]
:* '''Toradora!'''
:* Kikou Shoujo wa Kizutsukanai [4]
:* '''Zero no Tsukaima'''
:* Yahari Ore no Seishun Rabukome wa Machigatteiru [1]

Nota: Títulos em negrito foram finalizados || Note: Bold titles were finished

==Visual Novels lidas / read==

:* '''11eyes'''
:* '''Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm'''
:* '''Fate/Stay Night'''
:* '''Fate/Hollow Ataraxia'''
:* '''Kagetsu Tohya'''
:* Mahou Tsukai no Yoru [C. 5]
:* '''Memory's Dogma CODE:01'''
:* '''Rewrite'''
:* '''Steins;Gate'''
:* '''Tsukihime'''

Nota: Títulos em negrito foram finalizados || Note: Bold titles were finished

==Contato / Contact==

:* Discord -> GabrielMR#0554

:* E-mail -> GabrielMR-Dragon@Hotmail.com

:* Facebook -> [https://www.facebook.com/gabriel.marshallrebello Gabriel Marshall Rebello]

:* Twitter -> [https://twitter.com/GabrielMRebello @GabrielMRebello]

User:KeXagon

2021-08-23T21:23:16Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Anfrage auf Projekte */

==Welcome==
Hello and welcome to my userpage! I usually translate and edit english translations into german ones. My name is Kev, coming from Germany and likes Animes and Light Novels, my english knowledges are well and my german skills close to a native speaker. Just having problems with german articles, heheh... Enjoy!
==Anfrage auf Projekte==
Da ich nicht kontinuierlich die Seite verfolge, bitte ich euch, bei einer Teilnahme an einem Projekt mich per Email zu kontaktieren:

==Projects==

BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Chapter 1

2021-08-21T21:55:00Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Part 1 */

Wazamonogatari ~Brazilian Portuguese~/Bom Apetite, Acerola 011

2021-08-21T15:48:03Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1:

===011===

Eu não sou um vampiro particularmente pensativo, mas até mesmo eu posso entender isto quando já morri cinco vezes. Preparar essa comida requisitará medidas drásticas.

Eu tentei ser prudente, mas, por ela ter aumentado o meu apetite, fiquei impaciente e acabei pensando somente em maneiras de matá-la — e eu não fiz absolutamente progresso algum.

Eu comecei a me sentir bastante faminto.

É difícil digerir esse dilema — especialmente com um estômago vazio — mas eu preciso mudar a minha mentalidade. (I)

Claro, eu preciso revolucionar a minha própria maneira de pensar, mas, mais do que isso, eu preciso de algum coup d’etat contra a princesa em si.
Eu preciso fazer que Princesa Acerola mude.

Eu quero preservar o sabor do material base ao máximo que posso, mas é preciso de um tempo — ajustando o sabor, eu posso torná-lo mais fácil de comer.
Apesar de ter ressalvas quanto a uma humana inferior ficar no castelo, meu leal servo, Tropicalesque Home-A-Wave Dog-Strings esteve fora à procura de um método de cozinhamento (sério, ele é a lealdade encarnada), porém eu não posso simplesmente esperá-lo retornar — é contra minha natureza deixar tudo nas mãos de meu subordinado.

Há alguns alimentos que não devem ser colocados juntos.

... A propósito, falando de coisas contra a minha natureza, como eu prometi a Tropicalesque, eu carregaria sozinho a responsabilidade de cuidar do meu alimento.

Eu adquiro comida humana, a cozinho em um estilo humano e a entrego no quarto que preparei para ela três vezes ao dia — deixando de lado a manhã e a noite, é infernal me levantar ao meio-dia, mas fui capaz de tolerar isso pensando nisso como um passo na receita.

Desde que eu durmo em um caixão, eu jamais usei nenhuma das camas do castelo, mas a minha responsabilidade se estendeu a até preparar a cama dela.

Fico contente que Tropicalesque esteja fora.

Cuidar galantemente de um humano não é algo que eu posso mostrar felizmente ao meu subordinado.

Mas eu preciso deixar minha comida confortável.

Seria ruim se o sabor dela diminuísse por conta do estresse de estar em um ambiente estranho.

— Nós somos mais que a habilidade de vermos nossas necessidades.

Claro, “Princesa Beleza” era bem-versada neste assunto e recusara, mas eu não sei, algo não parecia estar certo para mim.

Talvez a criação dela fosse ainda melhor do que eu imaginara.

Ela certamente tinha a habilidade para sustentar-se, porém, durante sua jornada vagante após ser expulsa de seu país (tendo o destruído) — eu não tenho dúvidas de que a única razão que uma jovem mulher poderia ter para chegar tão longe sozinha é por conta do apoio de seus arredores.

As roupas que ela veste parecem ser “tributos” de pessoas pelas quais ela passou — bem, se ela não tivesse as aceitado, talvez eles oferecessem suas vidas em troca, então Princesa Acerola não estava em posição de recusar tal intromissão.

Mas, no presente, não havia uma única pessoa neste reino para oferecê-la roupas ocidentais, então isso também era algo que eu precisava preparar para ela — a princesa pode não gostar disso, desde que ela fez viver simplesmente e frugalmente um princípio, mas eu sou do tipo de que se importa bastante com o arranjo da minha comida.

Eu pedi um vestido decisivamente lindo — embora não houvesse sentido em pedir tal vestido para alguém que parece bonita em qualquer tipo de roupa.

De qualquer forma, contrário às expectativas de Tropicalesque, eu estava fazendo um bom trabalho cuidando da minha comida.

Porém, eu tenho que fazer isto de qualquer maneira.

Mesmo que eu seja imortal.

— E então, Princesa Acerola, eu farei tu mudar tua mentalidade também.

— ... Em outras palavras, tu alterará minha mentalidade de alguma forma a fim de comer-me. É isso que estás dizendo, Suicide-Master? Entendo. — assentiu a princesa.

Ela realmente entendeu?

Eu pensei que essa dona de grande beleza, impiedosamente abatendo pessoas por onde ela vai, poderia ter caído em desespero, mas essa mulher certamente tinha mais força mental do que isso — por outro lado, poder-se-ia até mesmo dizer que sua dureza é o que tornou o problema tão ruim quanto está.

Há um perigo de ela se tornar insossa.

— Neste momento, acredito ter tentado de tudo ao meu poder, entretanto, Suicide-Master. Precisamente, o que está envolvido no ato de se mudar a mentalidade de alguém?

— Isto foi o que o meu subordinado disse antes; em vez de chamar suas circunstâncias atuais de um resultado da maldição da bruxa, seria mais preciso dizer que é o resultado de tua própria beleza. Então, nós devemos focar nossos esforços não na maldição da bruxa, mas na tua beleza em si.

— .......?

Por conta de sua atitude modesta, era difícil dizer se Princesa Acerola estava legitimamente consciente de sua própria “beleza” em primeiro lugar, e não parecia que o que eu estava dizendo estava a alcançando.

Ou talvez eu simplesmente tivesse dado uma explicação porca.

Mas eu preciso que ela entenda.

Eu a farei consciente.

Esta receita contém alguns passos extremamente complicados, está em um nível completamente diferente do que pisar nas costas de Tropicalesque.

— Essencialmente, Princesa Acerola, estou dizendo para parar tua beleza de encantar humanos e fazê-los sacrificar suas preciosas vidas, tu precisas parar de ser bela.

— ... Ainda assim, isso não resolve o problema, resolve? Não é muito diferente da ideia de desistir da vida e cometer suicídio.

Ela realmente fala com franqueza.

Sem nenhum medo quaisquer diante de um vampiro.

Claro, ela está correta.

E essa solução não era a minha verdadeira intenção também, se, como um resultado de mudar sua mentalidade, Princesa Acerola pudesse rejeitar sua atitude modesta e consideração, sua nobreza e bondade inatas, e seu senso de ética... então não haveria mais nenhum abate.

As pessoas não morreriam.

Ela não continuaria a destruir nações.

Contudo, não penso que essa solução era a que Princesa Acerola desejava, e não é a solução que eu queria também — tal receita não faria uso completo do sabor do material cru.

Acabaria alterando o sabor.

— Bem, escute, Princesa Acerola. Realmente não há nenhuma necessidade de renunciar tua beleza, tudo que tens de fazer é ''fingir'' fazer tal. É uma questão de arranjo e decoração.

O que vem a seguir é crítico.

— Fin... gir?

— Pelo que eu ouvi, a causa para tudo isto foi que as pessoas eram seduzidas pela tua beleza exterior, e ninguém focava em como tu eras por dentro, correto? É por isso que tu foste até a bruxa que fizera com que ninguém fosse seduzido por tua aparência, porém, em vez disso, todos fossem enfeitiçados pela tua beleza interior. Não és verdade? Claro, não estou te dizendo para jogar fura tua beleza interior.

Seria impossível, de qualquer forma, mesmo que eu dissesse a ela para fazê-lo.

Se ela pudesse fazer isso, não teríamos nenhum problema em primeiro lugar.

A única possibilidade, então, é um ato realizado desde tempos ancestrais: mudar sua mentalidade.

Eu não podia controlar o meu apetite, e Princesa Acerola não podia controlar sua pureza e nobreza — isso está bem, tudo bem.

Isso por si só está bem.

Porém.

— Porém, mesmo que tu não possas mudar como tu és por dentro, tu deves ''ser capaz de mudar o teu comportamento''.

— Falas de... comportamento?

— De maneira simples, estou falando sobre agir como uma ‘má pessoa’.

Fingindo ser pior do que se realmente é.

— Dê um fim a essa maneira elegante de falar, essa maneira graciosa de se levar, agora mesmo, não é como se tu estivesse mudando a essência de tua beleza, então não deve ser um problema.

— ......

Princesa Acerola pressionou seus dedos contra os lábios em consideração.

Ela parecia estar em pensamento profundo, mas, implacável, eu apontei: “Isso não é nada bom”.

— De agora em diante, quando quer que estejas pensando sobre algo, faça-o com os braços cruzados. Não ponha tua mão nos teus lábios. Mas não é como se isso mudasse o que tu estás a pensar, certo? O gesto é diferente, mas seus pensamentos não mudam de modo algum.

— B-Braços cruzados...?

Princesa Acerola parecia confusa, como se ela nunca cruzara os braços antes, se eu pudesse ter tudo que eu quisesse, faria ela pensar sentando de pernas cruzadas em cadeiras, ou jogando-se em uma cama, mas eu não deveria mirar tão alto tão cedo.

Bem, não que isso seja muito a se pedir em primeiro lugar.

Eu só tenho que trabalhar de maneira constante no que ela é capaz de fazer.

— De agora em diante, eu prepararei vestidos com designs mais espalhafatosos para ti também e não use talheres para refeições, coma com tuas mãos nuas.

— M-Mãos nuas?

Julgando pela reação dela, parecia que ela não podia acreditar nisso, mas, tentando prevalecer sobre ela, pressionei-a ainda mais.

— Dependendo da tua perspectiva, comer refeições usando somente uma faca afiada pode ser ainda mais barbárico.

Minha persuasão é a única coisa que deu certo.

Bem, o que é barbárico versus o que não é barbárico é uma questão de cultura local, uma questão de aparências — e estou dizendo que a aparência em si é um ponto focal.

Um ponto tão focal que faria uma marca de grelha.<ref>A palavra para "ponto focal" em japonês é 焦点 (''shouten''), que contém o kanji para carbonizar/queimar e também é usado na palavra "marca de grelha" (焦げ目).</ref>

Como ela é vista — como ela vê.

— M-Mas, Suicide-Master. Eu...

— Pare de ser tão elegante quando tu falas. Sempre que usar esse estilo real e majestoso, imagine que um milhão de pessoas morreram, de agora em diante, fale como uma pessoa normal.

— N-Normal? Ah... Então o meu modo de falar há de mudar também... Criando frases em uma maneira mais arrogante, mais desagradável...

Princesa Acerola assentiu com um olhar fervoroso em seu rosto.

Se ela está tendo ideias sozinha, seu entendimento foi mais rápido do que eu esperava.

Essa velocidade de entendimento por si só era um problema, e ela não deveria fazer tal rosto pensativo de agora em diante, mas, de novo, eu não deveria tentar mudar tudo de uma vez, vamos primeiro mudar o que somos capazes de mudar.

Devagar e constante, em passos de bebê.

— Eu não estou dizendo que tu se tornes uma má pessoa, e eu penso que manchá-la com maldade é completamente impossível, independentemente. Não estou dizendo para que tu faças qualquer coisa que tu não possas fazer. Então, finja ser má, para dizer isto de outra maneira, tu deves se tornar uma dessas pessoas que ‘são boas na verdade’.

Sua beleza exterior não podia mais obscurecer sua beleza interior — foi essa a maldição da bruxa, o dom da “Princesa Beleza”.

Então, se ela renuncia somente sua beleza exterior, enquanto preserva esse interior, podemos ser capazes de burlar a regra das maldições e dons ao mascarar sua beleza interior.

Se eu tenho de dizer.

É como embrulhar algo em papel antes de assá-lo.

Princesa Acerola não tem de matar mais pessoas do que ela já matou.

E eu posso matá-la.

Mas é uma hipótese que vale a pena testar.

Que vale a pena verificar — poderia chamar isso de degustar para ver se há veneno.

É possível que nós estejamos fazendo algo tão divertido que não podemos olhar um ao outro diretamente, mas estamos totalmente sérios.

— Eu entendo. Er, eu saquei.

Com determinação tremenda, Princesa Acerola arqueou suas costas — é provavelmente a primeira vez em sua vida que ela fez tal pose dominadora.

— De agora em diante, eu me esforçarei, digo, eu vou tentar me comportar e parecer o mais vulgar possível. O máximo que eu puder. Suicide-Master, eu seguirei o seu exemplo!”

— ......

Essa última parte foi bastante desnecessário, mas eu reconheço o seu esforço. Agora que nós chegamos aqui, deve ser bom mudar esse nome fofo e elegante que é Princesa Acerola também.

Não parece que ela irá reclamar, então eu hei de pensar em um nome apropriado para colocá-la no menu — em frente da princesa ansiosa, na fraca luz de esperança que eu não havia visto havia muito tempo, foi isso que eu pensei.

===Notas do Tradutor===
<references/>

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Retornar para [[Wazamonogatari ~Brazilian Portuguese~/Bom Apetite, Acerola 010|Bom Apetite, Acerola 010]]
| Voltar para a [[Monogatari_~Brazilian Portuguese~|Página Monogatari - Português Brasileiro]]
| Continuar para [[Wazamonogatari ~Brazilian Portuguese~/Bom Apetite, Acerola 012|Bom Apetite, Acerola 012]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Wazamonogatari ~Brazilian Portuguese~/Bom Apetite, Acerola 010

2021-08-21T01:56:54Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1:

===010===

Eu posso dizer, sem nenhum temor por mal-entendidos, que eu não tinha nenhum plano.

Nenhuma ação a tomar, nenhum plano a fazer.

Eu não tinha ideia do que fazer quanto a minha refeição.

Naquele tempo, eu racharia minha cabeça para tentar parar a partida da princesa a qualquer custo; embora eu tivesse eloquentemente a persuadido dizendo que ela não devia impensadamente seguir para outro país, eu fui quase tão impensável quanto ela era, nem mesmo isso; eu fui ainda mais irreflexivo que ela.

Eu dissera que nós arranjaríamos um jeito de desfazer a maldição da bruxa juntos, mas não é como se eu tivesse uma ideia específica de como fazer isso.

Eu não tive nenhuma ideia.

Certamente não era uma mentira dizer que eu tinha algum conhecimento de feitiçaria, porém ele realmente estava no nível de “algum”; não havia como eu ser capaz de desfazer a maldição da bruxa ou equipará-la com uma maldição diferente ou algo do tipo.

Eu havia tornado uma prioridade armazenar “Princesa Beleza” em um lugar frio e escuro como o Castelo Cadáver para fazer preparações para comê-la, mas eu não tinha a mais vaga ideia de como proceder daqui em diante.

Embora, como um vampiro, eu naturalmente sabia de uma ou duas coisas sobre transformações e névoa...

Veremos.

— Então, eu quero pegar sua sabedoria emprestado, Tropicalesque. Como me recordo, quando tu eras um humano, tu veios de uma linhagem de feiticeiros, correto?

— Isso foi há muito tempo.

Tropicalesque deu uma resposta cortês e imediata à questão de seu mestre — não era de mal temperamento (bem, pode ter sido), mas parece que esse homem dignificado odiava do fundo do seu coração lembrar-se de seu tempo como um humano.

Bem, existe todo tipo de feiticeiros, e não parece que esse homem era tratado muito bem naquela época, então não é como se eu não fosse capaz de entender os seus sentimentos (embora eu não ache que ele possa dizer que está sendo tratado muito bem agora também).

Mas esta não é a hora de considerar toda e qualquer de nossas delicadas sensitividades — eu não sou uma pessoa tão compreensiva quanto Princesa Beleza.

Tudo que compreendo é a dificuldade da tarefa atual.<ref>O japonês inclui um trocadilho com a expressão先が思いやられる (''saki ga omoiyarareru''), que significa algo como “será uma ação dura” e 思いやり (''omoiyari''), “irreflexão/consideração”.</ref>

— Basicamente, a ‘beleza’ dela parece-se com o ‘charme’ de um vampiro, não parece?

Ostentando a fachada de um vampiro que era absolutamente indiferente aos sentimentos de Tropicalesque, eu arrisquei minha própria interpretação.

Charme.

Uma das típicas “habilidades” vampíricas, com o qual ambos Tropicalesque e eu somos dotados, como o primeiro passo na criação de criados, ele interfere com a mente de um humano, quase como um hipnotismo; tem alguma semelhança com o encantamento de Princesa Beleza, no sentido de que ambos envolvem enfeitiçar pessoas.

Sua efetividade depende na força mental do alvo, mas, em qualquer caso, nós podemos controlá-lo, podemos ligá-lo e desligá-lo.

Então, mesmo que Princesa Beleza não parecesse ser capaz de controlar seu encantamento, eu pensei que talvez ele pudesse ser controlado da mesma maneira que o nosso, e que ele pudesse ser ligado ou desligado dependendo de como ele for usado, mas Tropicalesque rejeitou essa ideia sem rodeios.

— Não, os dois são completamente diferentes.

Ele não hesita mais em apontar os meus erros.

Ótimo, ótimo.

— Em primeiro lugar, o que a Princesa Beleza sofre de não é uma maldição.

— Não é uma maldição?

— Se qualquer coisa, não seria um dom? Ela foi abençoada.

Tropicalesque falou como se tivesse visto isso ele mesmo, não importa o quanto ele desgoste de suas memórias como um humano, pau que nasce torto nunca se endireita, como dizem.<ref>A tradução original em inglês utilizou de um ditado inglês que significa que a personalidade dos adultos é formada quando eles são crianças, tentei usar um ditado em português que tivesse uma conotação parecida.</ref>

Parece que ele tem uma opinião pessoal neste assunto.

— O que você quer dizer com ‘abençoada’?

— A beleza que encanta aqueles ao redor dela é puramente dela mesma; não há mágica ou feitiçaria nisso — no máximo, a bruxa simplesmente tornou essa beleza visível aos outros.

— Hm. Tornou visível, hein.

Eu concordei da maneira que eu normalmente o faço, porém não tinha realmente entendido.

Tornar a beleza visível.

Beleza interior — deve ser isso.

Em termos de cozinha, isso seria o sabor, certo?

Não arranjo ou decoração.

— Nesse caso, não podemos usar magia para fazer sua beleza invisível, então?

Cancelando a maldição.

Olho por olho, dente por dente.

Maldição por maldição.

Se é um dom realmente, então usar uma maldição é ainda mais apropriado.

— Isso seria difícil, creio eu. Pode ter sido possível muito tempo atrás, mas agora qualquer magia que nós usemos que leve uma maldição seria visto como um ‘ataque’, e muito provavelmente seria refletida de volta para o feiticeiro — em nove de dez vezes, eu diria. Defesas perfeitas. Mesmo que nós tentássemos ‘encantar’ Princesa Beleza, nós mesmos iríamos, é claro, sermos encantados.

— ... O que significa que, se eu tentasse matá-la e comê-la, seria eu a ser morto e comido? Eu? Deahtopia Virtuoso Suicide-Master?

Eu tentei perguntar de maneira brincalhona.

— Isso é muito provável. — A resposta de Tropicalesque foi séria como sempre. — Nós podemos conjecturar que esta situação é somente possível porque tu fizestes ''parecer'' que tu e Princesa Beleza têm um interesse mútuo, Suicide-Master.

Tropicalesque enfatizou a palavra “parecer” como se quisesse dizer que eu estava a enganando.

— Tu estás enganando-a.

Ele disse!

— Eu estou completamente pasmo com a ideia do meu mestre de convidar Princesa Beleza para o nosso castelo com a pretensão de aninhar-se próximo aos desejos dela, porém se tu falhares ao menos uma vez daqui em diante, tua má intenção para Princesa Beleza começará a retornar de volta para ti.

— Bem, eu estou preparado para isso.

Eu já morri três vezes.

É tarde demais para pensar em evitar a morte.

Contudo, não é má intenção que foi refletida de volta nessas três vezes, é apetite.

— Eu não dissentirei mais, Suicide-Master, mas tu hás de se preparar apropriadamente antes de agir. Preparar, quero dizer, sua condição física... Eu não penso que essa é uma pessoa com a qual se lide de estômago vazio.

— Eu já decidi. A primeira coisa que eu colocarei em meu estômago vazio é aquela mulher.

Eu não preciso de aperitivos.

Falando estritamente, eu já comi o meu próprio coração, mas isso não conta neste caso.

— ... Eu entendo. Eu também começarei a pesquisar se existe uma maneira — Eu gostaria de tentar investigar além do domínio da feitiçaria. Como tal, Mestre, eu te peço, por favor, não sejas apressado e tenhas cautela em suas preparações.

— Ah, claro. Não precisas me pedir. Meu nome pode ser Suicide-Master, mas não é como se eu tivesse algum desejo particular de morrer.

Apesar de reassegurar Tropicalesque, eu apressadamente me atirei a Princesa Beleza mais duas vezes após isso e, portanto, perdi minha vida mais duas vezes.

Eu não sujo o nome de Suicide-Master.

===Notas do Tradutor===
<references/>

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Retornar para [[Wazamonogatari ~Brazilian Portuguese~/Bom Apetite, Acerola 009|Bom Apetite, Acerola 009]]
| Voltar para a [[Monogatari_~Brazilian Portuguese~|Página Monogatari - Português Brasileiro]]
| Continuar para [[Wazamonogatari ~Brazilian Portuguese~/Bom Apetite, Acerola 011|Bom Apetite, Acerola 011]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Chapter 1

2021-08-21T00:27:10Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Part 1 */

BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Chapter 1

2021-08-20T23:04:09Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Part 1 */

BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Chapter 1

2021-08-20T19:53:26Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Part 2 */

BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Chapter 1

2021-08-20T18:21:52Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Part 2 */

BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Chapter 1

2021-08-20T17:35:05Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Part 1 */

BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Chapter 1

2021-08-20T17:17:39Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Part 1 */

Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (Indonesia)

2021-08-15T01:08:59Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Volume 2 */

[[Image:Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Cover_Vol_01_Cover.jpg|thumb|Volume 1 Cover]]
'''Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken/ Regarding Reincarnated to Slime''' (転生したらスライムだった件,) Adalah Web Novel yang di tulis oleh Fuse dan di ilustrasikan oleh Mitz Vah, Saat ini web novel berlangsung 10 Volume/250 Chapter berstatuskan Complete. Yang di publikasikan oleh Micro Magazine.

==='''Source'''===
[https://circustranslations.com/chapter-list/ '''Circus Translation'''] '''Dan''' [http://gurotranslation.blogspot.co.id/p/ioduction.html?m=1 '''Guro Translation''']

==Sinopsis Cerita==
Mikami Satoru adalah, Seorang pria dewasa berusia 37 tahun sukses yang memiliki masalah: dia tidak pernah punya pacar dan sementara memenuhi pangilan untuk membantu rekannya di jalan, Satoru mendapat ditusuk oleh penjambret. Hasilnya? Dia telah bereinkarnasi sebagai lendir. Apakah itu kemalangan ataukah berkat?

== Translation ==
Bagi yang mampu berbahasa inggris dan ingin meninjau ulang dari aslinya, bantuan anda sangat kami hargai.

==[[Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Bahasa Indonesia:Registration Page|Pendaftaran]]==
'''Penerjemah diminta untuk meminta izin kepada [[User:Baka-Tsuki Update Indonesia|Proyek Manager]] setelah di setujui penerjemah di persilahkan [[Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Bahasa Indonesia:Registration Page|'''mendaftarkan''']] bab mana yang ingin dikerjakan'''

=== Format Standar ===
*[[Format_guideline | General Format/Style Guideline]]

== Update ==
<div style="overflow:auto; max-height: 150px;">

*15 Oktober 2016 Proyek ditinjau ulang mulai Chapter 1
* 13 Oktober 2016 Volume 1 '''Selesai'''
* 23 September 2016 Proyek Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Indonesia dimulai.
</div>
Hahaha alok

==Status==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Volume !! Status !! Keterangan
|-
| Volume 1 || 100% || Sedang diedit ulang
|-
|}

==Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken By Fuse==

===Volume 1 ([[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken (Indonesia):Volume 1|Teks Utuh]])===
[[File:Slime_Datte_Ken_16.jpg|thumb|Volume 1 Sampul]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Ilustrasi_(Indonesia)|Ilustrasi]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Prolog_(Indonesia)|Prolog - Kematian dan Reinkarnasi]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_01_(Indonesia)|Chapter 01 - Mari Kita Lihat Apa yang Bisa Kulakukan]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_02_(Indonesia)|Chapter 02 - Pertemuan Pertama]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_03_(Indonesia)|Chapter 03 - Percakapan Pertama]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_04_(Indonesia)|Chapter 04 - Teman Pertama]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_05_(Indonesia)|Chapter 05 - Pengadukan Masalah]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_06_(Indonesia)|Chapter 06 - Keterampilan Akusisi]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_07_(Indonesia)|Chapter 07 - Pertempuran Pertama]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_08_(Indonesia)|Chapter 08 - Kekuatan di Tangan ku]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_09_(Indonesia)|Chapter 09 - Negosiasi Dengan Goblin]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_10_(Indonesia)|Chapter 10 - Pertempuran Di Desa Goblin]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_11_(Indonesia)|Chapter 11 - Perkembangan Monster]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_12_(Indonesia)|Chapter 12 - Mempersiapkan Lingkungan Kami]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_13_(Indonesia)|Chapter 13 - Mengunjungi Kerajaan Dwarf]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_14_(Indonesia)|Chapter 14 - Masalah]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_15_(Indonesia)|Chapter 15 - Deal Dengan Pengawal]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_16_(Indonesia)|Chapter 16 - Blacksmith Dwarft]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_17_(Indonesia)|Chapter 17 - Hasil Dari Janji]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_18_(Indonesia)|Chapter 18 - Akhir Dari Gejolak]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_Ekstra_(Indonesia)|Chapter Ekstra - Bagworm Gobuta]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_19_(Indonesia)|Chapter 19 - Kembali Ke Desa]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_20_(Indonesia)|Chapter 20 - Menjelang Pembangunan Desa]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_21_(Indonesia)|Chapter 21 - Gerakan Baru]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_22_(Indonesia)|Chapter 22 - Para Petualang Akhirnya Tiba]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_23_(Indonesia)|Chapter 23 - Monster Api]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_24_(Indonesia)|Chapter 24 - Reminiscence ~ Funeral March]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_25_(Indonesia)|Chapter 25 - Transformasi Menjadi Manusia!]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_26_(Indonesia)|Chapter 26 - Kemampuan Baru]]

===Volume 2===
[[File:Slime_Datta_Ken_01.jpg|thumb|Volume 2 Sampul]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Ilustrasi_(Indonesia)|Ilustrasi]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_01_(Indonesia)|Chapter 27 - Suku Ogre]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_02_(Indonesia)|Chapter 1222212121212121 - Pekerjaan]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_03_(Indonesia)|Chapter 29 - Penyerangan Lizardman]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_04_(Indonesia)|Chapter 30 - Utusan]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_05_(Indonesia)|Chapter 31 - Rapat Darurat]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_06_(Indonesia)|Chapter 32 - Tahap Tirai Meningkat]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_07_(Indonesia)|Chapter 33 - Pemirsa]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_08_(Indonesia)|Chapter 34 - Wabah Perang]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_09_(Indonesia)|Chapter 35 - Persiapan Perang]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_10_(Indonesia)|Chapter 36 - Berpartisipasi Dalam Perang]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_11_(Indonesia)|Chapter 37 - Encounter - Benimaru & Ranga]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_12_(Indonesia)|Chapter 38 - Demon Gelmudo]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_13_(Indonesia)|Chapter 39 - Gears of Fate]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_14_(Indonesia)|Chapter 40 - Bencana Orc]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_15_(Indonesia)|Chapter 41 - Predator]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_16_(Indonesia)|Chapter 42 - Aliansi Besar Hutan Jura]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_17_(Indonesia)|Chapter 43 - Reparasi Perang]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_18_(Indonesia)|Chapter 44 - Dan dengan demikian kami menyelesaikan kota]]

===Volume 15===
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_06_Chapter_06_(Indonesiaf)|Chapter 102 - Pertemuan dengan Para monster]]

*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_06_Chapter_07_(Indonesia)|Chapter 103 - Budak Monster]]

==Staf Proyek==
*Supervisor:
*Project Manager: [[User:Baka-Tsuki Update Indonesia|Baka-Tsuki Update Indonesia]]
===Penerjemah===
Aktif.

===Penyunting===
Aktif

Tidak Aktif
*[[User:Rin.chan|Rin.chan]]

==Series Overview==

*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 1 (May 30th, 2014) ISBN-4896374592
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 2 (August 30th, 2014) ISBN-4896374738
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 3 (December 24th, 2014) ISBN-4896374886
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 4 (April 30th, 2015) ISBN-4896375025
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 5 (May 30th, 2015) ISBN-4896375076
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 6 (October 30th, 2015) ISBN-4896375386
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 7 (April 28th, 2016) ISBN-4896375610
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 8 (August 30th, 2016) ISBN-4896375777
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 8.5 (August 30th, 2016) ISBN-4896375807
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 9 (November 30th, 2016) ISBN-4896376005
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 10 (April 7th, 2017) ISBN-4896376307

[[Category:Light novel (Indonesian)]]
[[Category:Indonesian]]

Toaru Majutsu no Index:GT Volume4 Chapter3

2021-08-12T13:50:50Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1:

==Chapter 3: The Counterattack Begins – Boy_not_“Dark”.==

===Part 1===

“I’m sorry to say this year’s nightly tournament project is a Cinderella story for unpopular guys and women who aren’t anywhere near as good looking as they think! The time has come for the 0-1 Grand Prix to determine the top comedian. We’re Double Magnet and we’ll be your hosts this year!”

“Unfortunately, accepting this job means we can’t be contestants.”

“I consider it an honor. They’re competing to be the top of the punished, but we get to do the punishing. It means we’ve reached the next rank as entertainers.”

“Then why even have the tournament? Just give us the 10 million in prize money.”

“We have a tournament to run here, hosts! Quit getting greedy and wasting the whole 2 hours on your prattle!!”

When the secondary comedian interrupted and some obviously staged laughter followed, Shokuhou Misaki tilted her head, letting her honey-blonde hair sway along the back of her babydoll. She frowned and spoke to her roommate, Misaka Mikoto.

“What about this is even remotely funny?”

“Enjoying comedy requires empathy and cooperation, two things you are sorely lacking in.”

They got into a scuffle on the bed, but in a purely physical battle, she had no chance against the chestnut-haired grizzly that was Academy City’s #3. Shokuhou Misaki had made a mistake from the moment she challenged the girl who could slice apart a naval cruiser.

“I paid extra to get this cable broadcast of the comedy channel, so you don’t get to complain!!”

“The ''polite'' thing to do would be to wear headphones! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!?”

“Speaking of polite, can’t you wear something other than that see-through babydoll!? I’m embarrassed just looking at you! I mean, wow. I can see everything through it ''and'' it keep slipping out of place!!”

“I am a very delicate girl who can only sleep in her usual nightwear!!”

Pushed back onto the bed with her wrists pinned down, Shokuhou Misaki turned her head to the side and childishly pouted her lips. They probably would have been getting complaints from the other four girls in the room if the others hadn’t already been unable to sleep after ruining their sleep schedule staying up for their Christmas parties.

And Shokuhou’s next line was not “You might have control of my body, but my spirit will never give in.” Instead…

“(Also, well, I have trouble with hospital gowns. They remind me of ''that old project''.)”

“Huh?”

“I’m just surprised with you, that’s all☆”

When her psychological powers did not work on someone, Academy City’s #5 kept the upper hand with plain words. But this was only a secondary skill for her, so it was not at the level of that girl who could control every aspect of someone with nothing more than words.

“I mean, I’m surprised you’re watching a comedy show as if you had nothing better to do. I thought for sure you would be using all of your monstrous strength to barge your way in to ''that trial''.”

“Sitting in the same room glaring at him won’t change the outcome.” It was Mikoto’s turn to look away. “I won’t help anyone by fretting over it. And it’s getting so much attention that any channel I might be watching is bound to cut away to some emergency news the instant a verdict is reached.”

“You’re relying on the TV news when you’ll have a flood of trending online news and recommended videos coming your way, saving you the trouble of even searching for it? Besides, don’t modern trials use computers to partially automate the process?”

“Why do you know that? You aren’t manipulating the lay judges, are you?”

“Oh, c’mon. I wouldn’t go that far.”

“And how far ''would'' you go?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know☆”

That was when Shirai Kuroko arrived. The rehabilitation rooms were not open this late, but she may have been secretly receiving some counseling related to the previous incident.

But as far as appearances went, the twintailed underclassman was smiling brightly and spreading her arms.

“Oneeee-samaaaa, what are you- brfahflshf!!!??? Th-they’re making a super-sweet macaron sandwich in the same bed!? And Onee-sama is the top!? ''She’s'' the dominant one!? How powerful are your pheromones, Shokuhou Misaki!?”

“Shokuhou, did you mess with Kuroko’s brain?”

“Logical brainwashing can’t make someone act like that. It would seem the human body is still a treasure trove of mysteries.”

Just then, Misaka Mikoto’s phone played a monotone melody from the side table.

The three girls turned toward it.

===Part 2===

Kamijou Touma walked through the minus-20 weather of Los Angeles.

He had a single goal: find Melzabeth Grocery, who had been set up as the culprit behind the disappearances as part of R&C Occultics’s conspiracy, take her back to her daughter Helcalia, and have her apologize for worrying the girl.

He would fight anything to accomplish it.

Powerful resolve filled his mind as he asked a question with a white puff of breath.

“''Umm, where am I supposed to find Melzabeth''?”

He was almost in tears. It was 20 below outside. It was closer to midday than morning now, but the temperature showed no sign of rising. He had barely escaped Union Station with his life, but if he walked around aimlessly, he would turn into a popsicle before long.

Othinus sighed in exasperation from his shoulder and recrossed her legs. She also crossed her arms to give him a haughty look.

“In the broadest sense, Los Angeles is a collection of several large cities. Trying to find a single person there on foot is as reckless as plans come. If you still don’t understand the sheer size of LA, keep in mind that there are 375km of pipe drawing water across the desert to the city center here. This is the US’s 2nd biggest city and its economic value makes all that development more than worth it.”

“Y-you mean it’s too large to walk from one side to the other?”

“A splendid answer well worth seeking out a god’s aid for, don’t you think?”

Now he was even more certain he would freeze to death before finding that Indian mother. Just walking brought him closer to death out here, so searching without a single hint was much too difficult.

So…

“Do you think there could be anything more hidden on here?”

He let out another white puff of breath as he pulled out that smartwatch. The square face, the red and black band, and the small scratches and smudges sure seemed to hide some important meaning, but none of it did him any good when he didn’t have a code sheet telling him how to interpret it.

It was like having a list of all the correct answers for a multiple choice test but not knowing what test it went to.

Othinus sighed.

“If you want to pursue Melzabeth Grocery, you do have a few keywords to go off of. 1. Her daughter Helcalia. 2. R&C Occultics. 3. Space Engage. Searching based on those things would probably be the most realistic option.”

Kamijou Touma looked down at the smartwatch again.

“I must be big dumb-dumb cause that didn’t help me at allllll.”

“You aren’t trying to get out of thinking for yourself because you think people find you cute when you’re dumb, are you?”

But if he couldn’t find anything with the smartwatch, maybe it was best to try something else. He also had the phone that synced with the watch.

Needless to say, that Grapple MilliPhone had to be chock full of personal information, but an ordinary high school boy had no way of getting past the lock screen to see inside.

“In that case…hmm, I guess I’ll have to ask her for help.”

“You aren’t even trying to do this on your own, are you? Being stupid will not work out in your favor, you know?”

Othinus sounded utterly exasperated while Kamijou operated a mobile device. But this was not the mother’s phone he had collected.

He used his own Academy City phone to call one of the numbers in the address book.

It was only a phone call, but he spoke with the world’s ugliest attempt at sounding ingratiating.

“M-Misaka-shaaaan? I’d like some help from your zappy powers.”

[[Image:GT_Index_v04_214.jpg|thumb]]

It was so pathetic that Helcalia Grocery might have reflexively kicked him in the balls if she heard it so soon after trusting him to the point of tears.

However, he was not a private eye or a veteran police detective and there was only so much a high school boy could do.

But he had decided to do what he could.

He would not let that mother and daughter be lost in the darkness, no matter what it took. So if he lacked the skills and knowledge, he would find a way to make up for it. He would not hold anything in reserve. He would use every single thing he could think of. And just because he was a failure of a Level 0 did not mean everyone around him was too.

On the other side of the phone, Academy City’s #3 spoke with ice in her voice.

“So you vanish from the hospital without telling me, but the instant you need some help, you decide to get me involved in your own mess like I’m suddenly a party member again? I see, I see, I see.”

“Kyahh! Is that Kamijou-san!? Why is he calling!? Where is he right now!? Kyah, kyah!!” shouted ''a mysterious voice'', but he couldn’t focus on that right now.

“Please, Biri Biri! This is an international call, not a free calls app!! Your anger is understandable, but I need you to act quickly right now!!”

“Oh, if you have a problem with this, I can always connect you to a mysterious call center in South Africa. Then you can think long and hard about what you’ve done while watching the call time rise on that abnormally pricey connection that refuses to hang up no matter how many times you hit the ‘end call’ button.”

“What in the world!? Did that defunct Dial Q service come back to haunt us as a phone fee black hole!?”

“And please stop shrieking, Shokuhou! Since when are you the giddy schoolgirl type!?”

“I was born this way.”

“And since when did you have hearts in your eyes?”

“I was born this way! Yes, born this way!”

“Well, it stops right now or I’m killing you.”

He heard a physical altercation over the phone, but he could not have this conversation delayed indefinitely. Those girls back in their peaceful country did not know the hell that was international phone rates.

Othinus, meanwhile, sighed with her arms still crossed.

“(She complains a lot for someone who picked up on the third ring. Was she waiting in front of her phone?)”

“Hey, put on that girl I just heard whispering,” said Mikoto. “I need to have a talk with her. And depending on her answer, I might just blow up the lithium battery by your ear.”

“?”

Kamijou looked puzzled and Othinus only gave a carefree whistle from his shoulder.

At any rate…

“I need to get past a phone’s lock screen, so can you open it with your powers?”

“A phone, huh? What kind? An Alkaloid?”

“It’s a Grapple MilliPhone. Why don’t you sound too confident?”

“It’d be a cinch if I had it in front of me, but over the internet is trickier. Those small, multifunction devices are so easy to accidentally break. Plus, the MilliPhones are rumored to have a planned obsolescence system called Telomere… Is the data backed up? If I fry the chip, you’ll never be able to see what’s on it.”

“But I really need to track down Melzabeth. The places she normally visits, her hideouts…anything really.”

“Dwehahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!”

A bizarre yell suddenly burst from the phone.

He thought maybe Miss Misaka Mikoto had overworked her brain and gone crazy, but apparently not.

“Onee-sama!! I wasn’t done speaking with you! And now you’re having a phone conversation in bed? You know you shouldn’t use phones in the hospital, don’t you? There, justification acquired! Now I can drag her to a mysterious basement of loving and courageous punishment! Calexa, order me a scavenger’s daughter and a pear of anguish!!”

“You don’t have to be so careful about it without any specialized equipment in this room, so settle down, Kuroko!!”

“Pant, pant!! And you, whoever that is helplessly on the other end of the phone!! What do you think is happening to Onee-sama right now? Just what deliciously naughty things are being done to her!? Heh heh heh. Use your imagination to its fullest and strain your ears to pick up every little sound. Weh heh heh. This! Yes, ''this'' is the true joy of cuckoldryyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!”

Mikoto seemed busy, so maybe it was about time he hung up, had a snack, and tried again later. The international fees were really starting to scare him now.

But even as he stared off into the distance, the previous intruder said something more.

“Also, ''what was that about Melzabeth Grocery''?”

“?”

For a moment, he really thought he couldn’t breathe.

How had she known his question before he asked? Had she heard what he said to Mikoto? But he didn’t remember giving the Grocery last name. Why did someone know about Melzabeth Grocery all the way in Academy City!?

“Wait, um, why do you know about Melzabeth? Because, uh…”

“Sigh. You mean the president of Space Engage, don’t you? Then again, it’s one of that giant IT company’s slave companies now.”

Kamijou and Othinus exchanged a glance.

Why did someone on the other side of the globe – and a first year in middle school at that – know about this?

Shirai Kuroko replied before he could even ask and she made it sound like a silly question.

He was quickly reminded that the students of prestigious Tokiwadai Middle School really did live in another world.

“Um, why do you sound so surprised? My bank and investment firm contact me all the time about these things. And when they tell me about a promising new start-up with private equity, of course I’m going to check it out.”

“Investment firm? Private equity?”

Kamijou glanced down at his Transla-Pen.

But no. He couldn’t give up yet. This conversation was supposedly in Japanese, after all.

“To be clear, I am not an actual trader or marketer. It’s not about making money; it’s about getting a feel for how money moves around. Think of it like a form of social studies. The experts have already gone over all of this before introducing it to me and their reputation is riding on their recommendations. Maybe it’s like a fishing pond for special customers. This is ''entry level'' stuff that would get me a derisive snort from the actual mathematicians and financial engineers who are braving the tall mountain to go fishing in the most dangerous streams.”

Shirai Kuroko sounded utterly exasperated. When kids in the Tokiwadai world were taught the value of money, it apparently was not done by pedaling their bike around as a paperboy over winter break.

But even so…

“If you are interested in her keynote speech on private spaceflight, it should still be up on the video sites. You know, that thing so many American start-ups do, where they proudly announce their new project up on stage wearing a casual shirt and jeans. Of course, her corporate policies and principles were wiped out once she sold that new tech to that IT company, so I sold all my stock then. In fact, it doesn’t look like R&C Occultics even intends to let the company survive. They were only interested in the distribution infrastructure and rights to the technology, so they aren’t expected to actually produce those new products. They probably see her company like an empty candy wrapper now.”

A shareholder.

It was a completely different tug-of-war compared to the connections he was more accustomed to, like enemy, ally, family, or stranger.

“W-wait!! Are you saying you know a lot about Space Engage? I know they’re completely subservient now, but do you know where their office or lab was during the initial start-up days!?”

“Of course I do. Investigating a company’s assets and equipment is the least you should do before investing. Any prospective shareholder will ask for that data first and foremost. Without that, you wouldn’t know if their proud presentation is within their means or a complete bluff.”

===Part 3===

Tokyo was the capital of Japan. London was the capital of England. In most countries, the most developed city was also the capital, but there were exceptions. For example, what was the capital of Brazil? Some might say Rio de Janeiro, but they would be wrong. The correct answer was Brasilia.

Similarly, the world’s most famous man lived in a city much more minor than LA or New York.

The city was Washington DC and his home was known as the White House.

That building was packed full of so much history and tradition, but right now it rang with an intellectual woman’s shouting voice. Her name was Roseline Krackhart and she was a presidential aide with a specialty in national security. Although at the moment, she felt more like the babysitter for an abnormally large baby.

“Why was there a call girl waiting outside!? How many times are you going to do this!? You can’t just pick up your phone and call one here whenever you’re feeling bored!!”

“Now, hold on. Are you saying you sent her away? This is my home and I’m allowed to order whatever I want. Speaking of, what happened to my four cheese and soft-boiled egg carbonara pizza? Really, you sent that back too!? I need my fuelllllll!”

The large Hispanic man added “you could have at least given them a tip” while Roseline silently formed two fists and began pummeling the balance ball in a corner of the room. The White House actually had more stress relief products for the staff than it did its actual resident’s personal possessions.

The bearded man named Roberto Katze would likely have been terrorizing the seven seas as a pirate if he hadn’t become president. In fact, Roseline sometimes wondered if that was the real timeline and his presence in the oval office with his leather shoes up on the desk was proof that this was an unnatural parallel timeline.

“It’s a free country and I’m single, so it’s not even cheating if I decide to cut loose and have some fun.”

“And what if she is a honey trap sent by the opposition party? Besides, the profiles on those sites are all self-reported, so you can’t trust any of it. Oh, god. What if people start to suspect you’re carelessly leaking information to foreign spies? Your political career will be ruined…”

“Quit your bellyaching. Miss Jane I met the other day was a real adult who understands how society works, not some kid like you who never stops complaining. So it’s fine.”

“When and where did you sneak out to meet with this woman!!!???”

The White House was protected inside and out by the secret service and the marines, but this man had developed escape skills straight out of a ninja action film. Whenever justice or his libido were on the line, he had the uncanny ability to transform into a shirtless, Gatling-gun-toting monster who could fight space aliens head on.

Currently, he switched gears to the non-libido side of things.

“How are things in LA?”

“Did you really expect any progress? We still can’t reach the state governor or legislature.” Roseline answered his question with a question of her own and placed her shapely butt atop the balance ball. “Fortunately, Overlord Revenge was run by England and Academy City, so America was not directly involved.”

That was the only way it could have worked. The US military could not fire on their own citizens in their own country, with one exception: if that citizen broke into one of their bases. So they could not make a preemptive strike inside the country. That restriction felt downright silly now that 30 million people had disappeared, though.

Could the actions of a single company really be called a civil war or a revolution?

To answer that, they had to determine ''what exactly R&C Occultics had done''. If it involved nuclear or chemical weapons, they might have the excuse they needed to deploy the military, but so far, they just had an inexplicable mass disappearance. As silly as it seemed, the law could do nothing until they figured out how it had happened. With disappearances alone, they had to seriously consider the possibility of people running away from home en masse. Legally speaking, anyway.

So they could not authorize military action, leaving them stuck and unable to act.

It was true police special forces had militarized a lot in recent years, but they were not trained to endure a real war.

The aide breathed a heavy sigh.

“On the other hand, you will be publicly criticized for authorizing an attack by foreign troops, even if they are allies. I will put together a flowchart of expected questions and their answers, giving you a political defense that will withstand at least 256 different branching possibilities. The Vice President says he will play the role of your criticizer to help you practice.”

“Bleh, that’s not fortunate or unfortunate. It’s trivial.” The President made a verbal attack with his feet up on the desk. “What matters is figuring out what happened to those 30 million. I want to know for sure if they’re alive or dead and, if possible, drag them all out of the darkness alive and well. Only then can we talk about what’s fortunate and unfortunate. Don’t give up on the most important part before you know how it’s gonna turn out.”

The intellectual aide sighed too quietly for anyone to hear.

She was especially careful to make sure the president didn’t hear.

It was his ability to talk boldly here that earned him so many votes despite his unprecedented behavior. He was nothing like the other politicians who always said they would do their best and work towards everyone’s happiness but who were too afraid of going too far or saying the wrong thing to actually give a straight answer when it counted.

The words of this president left a solid footprint in the ground.

And it was that trail of footprints that was defining the future of this country and the world as a whole. So everyone in the United States, regardless of gender, generation, race, or religion, wanted to see where this man would take them.

The way he elevated the country made the election fun for once and he convinced all of the people that they were lucky to have a say in electing him.

And now Roberto Katze took another step forward.

“What about the NSA?”

“They are waiting outside of LA.”

“The CIA?”

“Keeping them from recklessly rushing in there has not been easy. If they did that, they would probably only disappear along with everyone else.”

“Then we just have to find someone who knows what’s going on.”

Telling Roberto there was nothing they could do was not enough to stop him.

The mysterious occult were not the only ones with secret forces they could covertly send out.

“Still no word from our Overlord Revenge contact? Then we’ll have to contact the people in charge.”

“You’ve heard what’s going on in Academy City. I doubt we would have a chance to speak with ''the defendant'' while he’s cut off from the outside world for the trial.”

“What about England?”

“Our hotline is up and running, but who is even in charge of that country? Their elected head of state is already begging our operator to pick up the phone.”

“It would have to be whoever was in charge of Overlord Revenge and whoever would know how things stood right up to the end.”

“That would be the church then,” readily answered Roseline. “You want the Anglicans.”

===Part 4===

“Long Beach?”

Kamijou Touma tilted his head and stared down at his phone.

Othinus sighed on his shoulder.

“I get the feeling you wouldn’t recognize Anaheim or Chinatown either.”

Shirai Kuroko had sent him a certain data file. It was not password-locked or anything, but it had an extension he had never seen before and he had trouble figuring out to open it on his phone. That had required nervously downloading a free decompression tool from a sketchy-looking foreign site. Why couldn’t they use a reputable app store?

“Oh.”

“Wait, Othinus! This is safe, isn’t it!? If ''you’re'' lost, then I’ll be forever trapped in this online world!!”

Everything was done paperless these days, so he opened the file to find a company pamphlet. Except it included a few specialized numbers and names, providing data not released to the general public.

He was unfamiliar with this sort of document, so it took some time to read through it.

It was the afternoon before he knew it.

“Long Beach is exactly what it sounds like. It’s strong in the aerospace and steel industries and its beaches are pretty fancy.”

“Fancy? You mean like an invite-only-”

“They are not nudist beaches.”

“Do you have to glare at me like I’m a bug crawling on the floor!!!???”

Despite wearing little more than a cape herself, that god did not like people who were too eager.

She continued her explanation, sounding like she was only giving the bare minimum she felt obligated to provide.

“But being a nice area means it gets crowded fast, so getting any land there has to be a challenge. So instead of doing launches on a vast stretch of land, they may have run their experiments out at sea. Space Engage is a space company, right? A simulator would be enough for their initial experiments, but practical experiments would be necessary eventually. Even if they only used scaled-down models.”

It didn’t really matter, but it was apparently 20-30km from Downtown to Long Beach. If they did not find some kind of vehicle, it would be time for a marathon in the minus-20 weather.

“This might be exactly what we needed.”

“In what way?”

“You know what I mean.” Othinus crossed her arms on his shoulder. “Melzabeth Grocery screwed up. You could even say you were only following the rails of failure she had set up. The smartwatch was a convenient collection of hints, but following it to the end would only have led to the same fate as her. The best way to use that watch is to ''play a game of chicken where you get as much use out of it as you can and bail at the last second.'' You at least need to jump from the car before it plummets from the edge of the cliff.”

In that sense, maybe it was good they had found a new source of information.

This would give them a view from outside that single set of rails.

The world would open up around them.

Every part of the frozen city was marred by sand. Every step had the same crunch as at a busy seaside restaurant, but it was all a remnant of R&C Occultics’s attack.

The sand magic had caused everyone to vanish from Los Angeles.

Kamijou’s focus turned to his right hand.

The Rosicrucian magic was called Citrinitas and the 30 million missing people had been turned into nutrients and absorbed by the sand…or so he had been told.

This was an occult effect, so he might be able to negate it with a touch from his right hand.

He might be able to save the trapped people.

“Don’t even think about it,” warned Othinus. “You can negate the magic, but what happens then is a mystery. You might be able to drag them all out of the sand safe and sound, but what if ''you negate the special life support effect keeping them alive as no more than nutrients''? Then only the nutrient-rich sand will remain and the people can’t be revived.”

“That’s…a good point.”

He could negate it, but he could not define how the occult would be destroyed.

Was this Citrinitas magic similar to a cold sleep device? They did not know if they could safely retrieve the victims by smashing the device from the outside, so it was best to avoid touching any of it until they knew for sure. People’s lives were at stake.

“So would it be better to directly defeat the villain using the Citrinitas magic? I feel like it would save everyone if I destroyed the tool they’re using as a core of the magic. Like a magic wand or a crystal ball.”

“I’m reluctant to agree with that, but it would be fastest to get the defeated magician to tell you what to do. And you don’t need to be friends to get them to talk. You just need to do whatever it takes to win.”

That would require searching out someone.

Maybe the sand magician, maybe Anna Sprengel, and maybe Melzabeth Grocery.

Who would know the answer? Where could they find any hints to their whereabouts?

“What is this? Rental scooters?”

“Use that pen of yours to read the English sign, human. They have a big motor attached, so they can reach speeds of around 50km/h.

“You can use these on the streets? What kind of license does that require?”

“Forget the restrictive Japanese rules. American standards are always scarily relaxed.”

You could apparently hold your phone up and immediately pay to rent one. Othinus sighed when Kamijou held his own phone up to the reader.

“There’s no one here, so you could just use Melzabeth’s phone.”

“I’m not doing that.”

Toys that looked like someone attached T-shaped handlebars to a motorized skateboard lined the sidewalk. He removed the stopper from one and pulled it out with both hands.

“Huh? Why do you look so pleased, Othinus?”

“I have a soft spot for these American toys. Especially two-wheeled ones ridden standing up.”

He took off along the road without a helmet.

It was unthinkable in Japan, but Othinus insisted that you drove on the right in America. His Japanese instincts very nearly led him to his doom. In fact, he might have died almost immediately if LA wasn’t deserted.

The wind was agonizing in this 20-below world. His cheap jacket was no help whatsoever.

He finally understood why Stiyl had insisted on using the dark subway tunnel before.

“My ears are gonna fall off!!!???”

“How is this too much for you? You trekked across frigid Denmark with me, remember?”

Othinus started talking like an old grandmother who insisted rubbing yourself with a dry towel was the best way to fight the cold.

“I don’t care what, just tell me something that will distract me from this biting pain!”

“Fine. You might be interested to know that even America requires a helmet and a license to drive one of these on the streets. Oh, and you broke another law too. You need to be 18 to drive one.”

“Why did I ask!?”

Riding out on the open road felt dangerous, but it was still a relief to rapidly leave the area they had been sniped in earlier.

He saw something slowly pass by overhead in the distance.

“What is that?”

“A Logistic Hornet. One of the 12 mobile delivery bases surrounding the world.”

“Are you sure it doesn’t use magic? It really uses no more than the laws of physics to stay in the air?”

“Does that look like a flying broomstick to you?”

“I-I guess Academy City isn’t the only place with crazy tech…”

From a distance, it looked like a V-shaped boomerang, but it actually had another triangular tail wing attached behind that. But more than that, the center of the main V had a giant hole in it. The centerless aircraft produced a low rumbling.

At the same time, orange sparks flew from it.

The donut-like part surrounding the hole began to glow and then the flashing moved back to the tail wing. Then an orange beam of light was launched diagonally upwards.

Like with lightning, the loud boom shook Kamijou’s eardrums and gut after a short delay.

“Wh-what the hell!?”

“That would be the mass driver that carries cargo outside the atmosphere. A linear motor builds up circular acceleration and then it’s fired from the rear launch port. The orange light is probably the heated electromagnets being exposed to the external air to cool down. I guess you can think of it like a roller coaster where the track ends partway through. …But that one was moving awfully slow. I can’t imagine it would do much more than glide slowly through the upper atmosphere.”

That aircraft boosted the Citrinitas magic by creating sandstorms and other weather conditions made by manipulating the temperature with liquid nitrogen and naphtha.

“I-it disappeared beyond the horizon.”

“You have to look at it on the scale of the weather map. You’ve seen the maps they show during the forecast with what look like the rings of a tree, right? This intentionally creates and distorts those, so their sketchbook has to cover 50 or even 100km.”

Kamijou saw an unnatural sunrise in the southern sky. No, was that the naphtha fire being used to heat the air? It shined for about 10 seconds before gradually vanishing once more.

Even Othinus sounded shocked by the extraordinary American size of it all.

“That thing can carry an obscene amount of supplies. If that was pure napalm that just detonated in the sky, we’re talking about enough firepower to have ended the Vietnam War in three days. I know they needed it to control the wind and carry enough sand to the city for their magic, but this is still impressive.”

“More like absurd… Why even control the weather when they can blast us with that explosion?”

“I’m sure it has its restrictions. It was originally designed for peaceful launches, so the coordinate settings and the mass driver’s movement range won’t allow it to target the nearby surface.”

“Can’t planes flip upside down?”

“You fool, don’t you know what would happen if you flew a large transport plane or strategic bomber the same way as a small fighter? And this thing is 5000m across, so it’s a miracle it stays airborne at all. The tech here is even better than that Radiosonde Castle we used in Gremlin.”

At that size, he wondered if it could change the wind currents by tilting just enough to catch the wind.

“Does it launch everything by noisily blasting it into the air?”

“That would be unnecessarily inconvenient. At 5000m across, its wings can be used as runways. They can also hang transport planes and drones from the bottom and accelerate them like a monorail.”

But Othinus was viewing this from another angle as well.

“The hornet name is a symbol.”

“?”

“The rose is the organization, the nectar hidden within the flower is knowledge, and I supposed the hornets buzzing around the flower would be the experts seeking that hidden knowledge. Hmph, quite the name for the tools flying around the world for a massive IT company.” Othinus sounded half exasperated and half impressed. “They function much like an aircraft carrier, but the upwards-pointing mass drivers can also launch flying objects into ballistic orbit. And if that asshole priest is to be believed, the launches cost less than 1% of a multistage rocket launch.”

“How incredible is that?”

“More so than an oil field that never runs dry. Even if it is limited to ballistic flight, this invention makes spaceflight more accessible than the highway. Melzabeth Grocery must be the kind of person who ends up unhappy after winning the lottery.”

A high school boy did not know much about oil fields or highways either, so Kamijou still didn’t really get it.

But more importantly…

“How does that giant thing take off and land? I doubt it can use an ordinary airport.”

“I was guessing either the ocean or the desert, but since we’re on our way to Long Beach, probably the ocean. Then again, they might rely on midair refueling to stay in flight indefinitely.”

“You mean using an air tanker?”

“They went to all that trouble to create stateless mobile bases, but those would require using ordinary airports for refueling. Maybe they send up tanks attached to giant balloons. That would let them refuel from land or sea without needing a stationary airport.”

Kamijou recalled Stiyl mentioning that in the diner. Something about them using gliders and missile launch vehicles to send cargo to the Logistic Hornets. So they might do the same thing to provide fuel and maintenance equipment.

However they worked, they were R&C Occultics’s toys now.

It would not be that easy to neutralize them by cutting off the fuel supply.

Those things were so big that nothing they could do on the surface would bring it down. It was like challenging the moon or the sun.

He was driving at the speed of a motorcycle, but it was still a long distance to travel. And time was passing the entire time. The abnormal weather was bad enough to begin with, but he felt like his body temperature was dropping as time passed.

He finally grumbled a complaint while operating the unusually fast scooter.

“So you’re saying we have to fight that thing? Stiyl said it’s so big it can control the weather and entire meteorological disasters. Isn’t this entire 20-below mess its fault? Not only can it part the ocean or send spears raining down on our head, but it can boost that sand magician’s magic to the point that not even a Saint like Kanzaki could win.”

“So are you going to give up?”

“''I didn’t say that.''”

He didn’t even need to think about it.

He would find and rescue the missing mother named Melzabeth Grocery, he would take her back to her daughter Helcalia Grocery, and he would make sure this ended happily.

''He would do anything to pull it off.

''There was no doubt in his mind about it.

They passed by an English sign. Kamijou could not read all of the simple English, but he could read the two biggest words: Long Beach.

===Part 5===

“Defendant, can you confirm for us that the adults did not use their weapons or authority to coerce you into these criminal acts and that you chose to kill these people of your own free will? And while they were clones, we are talking about 20,000 innocent people here.”

“Your Honor, this question is deliberately phrased to assist the prosecution! I fear it is a leading question!”

“The existence of this alleged experiment using cloned humans has yet to be proven, so we should not be discussing the possibility of homicides based on that premise. Academy City denies any and all accusations of such an experiment.”

“We have ample testimony and data to suggest the very likely possibility that the defendant is mentally unstable, so is it not highly immature to continue asking him questions in this state?”

“We request a recess. We of the prosecution wish for victory in a fair trial. This trial is meant to reveal the truth, so we request a recess even if it might assist the defense!!”

That ‘human’ gave a snort of laughter.

Academy City’s #1 Level 5 and new Board Chairman, a thorn in so many people’s sides, laughed weakly from the defendant break room’s sofa.

“Hee hee. Ee hee hee. Nee hee. Ah hee hee.”

He also heard another voice laughing.

The papers sitting in a corner of the room and the dried leaves from the potted plants swirled around on their own and finally burst from within, revealing a translucent girl wearing a shabby dress made from English newspapers.

She was a true demon.

She was hard at work this morning too.

“This is certainly a strange situation. I mean, I thought human trials were about the prosecution and the defense arguing against each other, so ''why does the prosecution keep protecting you by bringing up your mental state, master''?”

Mentally unstable. The prosecution was meant to gather evidence, search out witnesses, and win a guilty verdict for the defendant, so that should have been the last card they wanted played. It was a necessary part of the system, but people with something to hide had a tendency to claim it like a trump card.

“Hmph. Getting them to admit to the clone experiment is the real challenge here. Because there’s no evidence. They’re trying to throw out all of my testimony and reports by claiming ''I hallucinated it all and none of it was real.'' Far too many people in the city feel they would be better off with that result.”

The defense wanted a not guilty verdict (whether the defendant himself wanted it or not) since that was their job, but even the prosecution wanted to avoid a guilty verdict this time.

It was truly a bizarre trial. Accelerator, the defendant up on the chopping block, was the only one hoping for a guilty verdict that would mean more than 10 thousand years of prison time.

He could not let this be dragged out with a mental evaluation or a reexamination of the evidence. Because the #1 had a good reason for wanting a guilty verdict.

“Can’t say I envy your position there. I mean, you’re exposing your own misdeeds to keep the world from noticing the clone girls you didn’t kill, right?”

Hearing a sneering voice, Accelerator clicked his tongue.

The voice came from Qliphah Puzzle 545, but her shoulders had gone slack, her arms hung limply down, her head lolled, and her eyes were devoid of light.

Like some kind of mistake, someone else’s words came from the crescent moon slit of her mouth.

“What did you do?”

“Did you forget already? Qliphah Puzzle 545 calls herself a demon, but she was originally ''something like a grimoire'' created in England. That makes her a lot like me, the Great Dion Fortune, since I’m made from 78 cards. Revealing the Qliphoth and hijacking control wasn’t all that hard.”

Dion Fortune.

The original magician had belonged to the legendary Golden magic cabal and this version now reigned as the Archbishop at the top of the Anglican Church.

“The US President was not happy. Darris Hewlane, was it? Japan will collapse pretty quick without America sticking around as its training wheels, so how about being a little nicer? Academy City – no, that tiiiiny Asian archipelago will be in trouble otherwise.”

“Darris is the Vice President.”

“Oh, excuse me. He’s the more sensible one who actually contacts us, so he came to mind first. …I’m surprised a monster like you actually bothers remembering people’s names. Have you finally learned how to moderate yourself as a leader?”

“Hmph.”

“Anyway, it didn’t look like I could contact you by phone, so I improvised.”

Dion Fortune made it sound like little more than a minor magic trick.

And for the head of the Anglicans, maybe that’s all it was.

Someone else spoke through the mouth of the demon whose arms hung limply and whose marine tail squirmed on the floor.

“True, it probably isn’t ideal for you to be contacting an outsider in the middle of your trial, even during a recess. You could receive some hint that might overturn the testimony presented at trial, or you could have an outside team cover up some evidence.”

She appeared to be laughing.

She had laid out those rules so she could overturn them.

“Those are your science side rules, so we can ignore them here on the magic side. Overlord Revenge is still ongoing, so we can’t have you ignoring the Japan-UK-US hotline for your own ''personal'' affairs.”

England did not care what happened with the #1’s trial.

Wiping out R&C Occultics was much more important.

Was that why she was so concerned about the outcome of the Academy City and Anglican Operation Overlord Revenge? What was that about moderating yourself as a leader? He felt like it was she who had gone soft.

“Listen, Accelerator. This isn’t our first contact, since we already met at Windsor Castle. I get the feeling you don’t think too highly of my abilities and think I’m beneath you. I won’t deny it either. I might be a stranger from a different land, but I will use my endless love and patronizing affection to guarantee you freedom of speech and thought, no matter how tiny those thoughts might be. …Besides, it has long been known that people are much easier to trip up if they underestimate you.”

“So how are things going?”

“The Saint was defeated and the infiltration team fell apart afterwards. So not great. Plus, the HQ building in LA doesn’t really matter. That collection of glass and concrete is far less important than the R Rose drone control server. If they can break that apart and escape the city with it, they can easily rebuild. R&C Occultics can’t be weakened without taking out the 12 Logistic Hornets that act as the cornerstone of their online shopping network and as a global meteorological weapon, so what are they even doing down there?”

“Sounds like I wasn’t underestimating you at all. I was dead on in my estimation.”

“Do go on believing that. That way I win even if I come back emptyhanded this time.”

Dion Fortune did not seem to care.

The slumping demon girl’s lips continued to crawl.

“And do remember that I’m not my predecessor. I’m no good at conspiracies and I don’t much care for them either. So what you see is what you get with me. And let me be clear, that should scare you. That means I won’t compromise, cover things up, make secret arrangements, or guess at what other people are plotting. So let me take this opportunity to make one rule of this new world crystal clear for you.”

She made this sound even more serious than the ongoing end of the world.

“''I’m not interested in any sob stories about what went down over there. I know you have Hamazura Shiage hooked up to tubes and cords in the ICU. If he dies, then you’re facing all-out war with England.''”

She ignored everything else they had been talking about.

Even the battle against R&C Occultics was of secondary importance.

If Academy City and England started obstructing each other’s efforts, there really would be no one left to stop Anna Sprengel and R&C Occultics. But she was not ignorant of that. That Golden magician ''was well aware of it, yet she did not hesitate.''

That may have been the proof she was of the Golden.

It pointed to the nature of the world’s largest magic cabal once led by Mathers and later joined by Crowley. Individuals were not to compromise themselves for the dreary needs of the world at large. They believed in the will of the individual and they never let the world come between them and what they chose to do.

She did not care that a single mistaken command could lead humanity to extinction over an unnecessary detour. She let her personal issues taint everything, which in turn allowed no room for compromise.

“Humanity itself is only a temporary ruler. Sooner or later, they will die out.”

“…”

“So my role is not to provide eternal happiness to the entire population. The planet’s resources are finite and the sun will eventually expand all on its own, so the human race has a limited lifespan and the concept of eternity is meaningless. My job is to delay that destruction by just a bit and to avoid leaving a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. So let me be clear: I do not fear the destruction of humanity. Because technically speaking, I don’t even qualify as human.”

She was arrogant and selfish.

She did not even consider how much explaining her pet theory would distort the world around her. This was exactly how the Golden magicians acted.

A transparent thread dripped from the girl’s crescent moon mouth.

“So I will make full use of the privileges granted me for fulfilling my duties as Archbishop. Hamazura Shiage is my friend, my savior, and a crucial part of not leaving a bad taste in people’s mouths. So if he dies, ''I will give up on avoiding that bad taste''. This is simple arithmetic. I am saying that I will not do what I cannot do. If you hope to trigger a pointless apocalypse, then I hope you have the keys to heaven on hand. To be honest, this is one of the more boring scenarios leading to humanity’s destruction.”

For anyone other than the #1, the tense atmosphere would have suffocated them.

And it ended there.

The air seemed to relax around him.

Dion Fortune was once more turning the gears of conversation.

“So let me ask you once more: ''Take care of Hamazura Shiage for me.'' As long as you do that, I will cooperate with you in anything you might want. I will lend you the full power of the Anglican Church, the part of this planet’s magic half that excels in combating magicians.”

Accelerator breathed a disinterested sigh.

And he spoke without hesitation.

“What are you saying you can do?”

“I already told you: my job is to delay the destruction of humanity just a bit and to avoid leaving a bad taste in people’s mouths. And that includes the points of contention in that trial of yours.”

“…”

Dion Fortune also spoke without hesitation.

Even though she knew how risky it was to do that in front of the #1.

“Yes, so how about this as a way to support your adorable little legal trickery and our much more important Overlord Revenge? There are still nearly 10,000 clone girls left around the world. With #00000, #20001, Dolly, and Worst, I really don’t know what the exact number is, but don’t you want to give them a place to live and give them true acceptance by the world? In other words, don’t you want to ''actually'' save them?”

===Part 6===

Los Angeles was a large place, but it was entirely deserted at present. Any noise, light, or other sensory stimulus was extremely conspicuous. And if that noise or light was a gunshot or gunpowder smoke, it would put any observer on guard. Plus, the R&C Occultics HQ building was within visual range.

Thus, Stiyl Magnus immediately relocated.

Even a meter of distance could prevent being sniped if it went unnoticed.

The tall priest carried the unconscious “villain’s daughter” back to where the grimoire library waited and then they moved to a small store. The glass showcases must not have been enough space because a fence had been attached to the wall and display products were attached to that with hanger-like devices.

The products in question were assault rifles and submachine guns with their full-auto capability removed, commercial handguns, extended barrels, stocks, and even modification kits to provide rapid-fire capability. The selection of bullets included softer ones that would be crushed within the body and armor-piercing ones with artificial diamond powder worked into the surface.

Gun shops like these could be found anywhere in America. This was a health-conscious country where bullets were more plentiful than cigarettes.

(What a pain.)

When Stiyl pushed his shortened cigarette into the ashtray, he realized this was his third one in a row. That showed just how much time had passed. If he was having this much trouble making a decision, he must have had more doubts than he had thought.

He would show no mercy even against young children when necessary.

He had thought he could do this without guilt, but maybe he was having difficulties this time.

Because this small girl reminded him of ''that girl''’s past.

“Phew.”

He pushed the cigarette into the ashtray and made up his mind.

Helcalia Grocery, the sole survivor, was hiding something. And she showed no intention of letting Stiyl or Index know what it was. She might open up if he took the time to earn her trust, but he did not have that kind of time.

That job was supposed to have been Kamijou Touma’s, but he had refused to share his information with Stiyl. The intimidating priest could try to do it himself, but there was very little chance the frightened girl would open up to him in such a short time.

Which meant…

(Maybe the beer rune would work.)

His rune magic worked by engraving a rune into the target object and then dyeing the rune to activate its power. The rune could then be scraped away or otherwise eliminated to cancel the magic effect.

Rune magic had long been used to give special powers to physical objects. For example, you could carve a victory rune into a sword or a ward rune into a gold coin.

Along the same lines, ''what if you used a blade to carve a rune into someone’s body and dyed that?

''What effect would a talking rune have?

“No.”

It was like she had read his mind.

No, the silver-haired nun standing protectively between him and the 10-year-old subject had an even greater understanding of rune magic than Stiyl, who trusted it with his life.

He would show no mercy against even young children.

If he ''intentionally left the suspect unsupervised'' with so many weapons around, she might just grab a handgun. And if Helcalia was up to anything, she would assume the worst about her situation and act accordingly. But the priest’s assumptions did not play out.

(She’s weirdly hopeful about her situation. Is that because I didn’t let her actually see him get shot?)

Had it been a mistake not to isolate her? Young Helcalia was fighting back tears and hiding behind Index. When had those two built this bond of trust? It felt like he had let bacteria into the wine barrel, ruining the entire batch.

Stiyl sighed and switched gears.

“I didn’t even say anything.”

“Naudiz, #10 of the Germanic Futhark. It phonetically stands for ‘n’ and it means distress. It is also one of the runes needed for the beer rune spell. The spell is said to ensure a wicked woman cannot deceive you. The actual effect of the spell is to split in two if the container contains poison, saving the user’s life. Right?”

''As expected,'' she saw through it right away.

But Stiyl had stopped moving for a different reason.

He could never betray this girl. He had promised as much long ago. Even if the girl glaring back at him now had no memory of it.

“By placing it on the center of a human body, it might split their body in two if they so much as lie. But even without that, I will not let you pick up a blade and leave indelible scars on someone’s body. The Anglican Church is meant to protect people from the threat of magic, so it’s wrong for us to use magic to harm the suffering people we are meant to protect.”

“And who says Helcalia is an innocent victim?” Stiyl quietly clicked his tongue. “We’ve only known her for a few hours. We have no idea what she did before that.”

“''But Touma saved her.''”

It took all of Stiyl’s willpower not to grimace.

But the girl with the perfect memory may have noticed the beginnings of one anyway.

“''I know this is what Touma would do, so I’ll do the same thing.''”

Again, Index had a perfect memory. She would never forget something she had seen. So even a minor error in front of her could have a lasting effect. Because she would possess the memory until the day she died.

But Stiyl’s lips still gave a tremble.

He could not help but mutter under his breath.

“I wish that boy’s corpse was here so I could shoot him again.”

===Part 7===

Long Beach apparently referred to quite a large area of land. The houses or villas alongside the beach looked like toxic bite-sized chocolates with their red, blue, and pink colors. A retired warship in the ocean had been turned into a museum. If they had not known what address to look for, they would have gotten lost and frozen to death in this minus-20 open world adventure.

Kamijou did not even notice the sunset.

He just knew it had gotten a lot darker and a second night was beginning.

“Wait, it’s this late already?”

“In LA, the sun sets early during the winter. Wait for the five o’clock news and it’ll be dark out.”

Kamijou and Othinus rode long the beach to reach a concrete yacht harbor.

He did not hear any waves along the way, so he looked over curiously to find no movement there. The beach was covered with frost like the inside of a freezer and the seawater had fully frozen.

“For real? This doesn’t even feel like the yearly drift ice showing up. It’s a solid sheet like at a skating rink.”

“The entire population of Los Angeles is missing, but there must have been a large margin of error. The ocean is white out to the horizon. I wonder if that Skybus 550 is all right.”

It felt like seeing the grilled corn from a New Year’s festival frozen solid.

It was physically possible, but why bother?

It felt wrong to see such incredible waste.

The pointy-haired boy kept his electric scooter running as he spoke his thoughts aloud.

“So this is Long Beach…wait, is that it!?”

He pressed one of his shoes against the ground while his voice cracked in surprise.

Space Engage was an American high-tech start-up in the private spaceflight business, so he had expected a smart building covered in glass or a bizarre underground lab.

But he instead found the frozen ocean.

Something unusual sat at one corner of the concrete harbor lined with fancy yachts and cruisers.

It was not even made to float in the ocean.

It looked like a skinny, wheeled shed about the size of an RV. It was more like a rounded capsule than a rectangular container. He was pretty sure it was called a mobile home.

There was no vehicle to tow it around. The rear living space had been separated and left here. If he had not already been given the company’s address, he might have mistaken it for some abandoned scraps no one wanted.

It felt terribly out of place with nothing else like it here. Almost like inexplicably finding skis in the department store swimsuit section.

“Information any shareholder would know, huh?”

“What now, human? Worried you might find R&C Occultics here?”

“Yeah,” he admitted.

He had no idea how stocks worked, but the massive IT company that made the start-up an affiliate and then worked to kill it would have to have been involved. They would know anything he knew, so even if there was a crucial hint here, they might have detected it and disposed of it already. That meant anything he found here could be modified lies.

But Othinus shook her head on his shoulder.

“I doubt it.”

“Why?”

“Let me ask you this: why the mobile home? The official documentation would only have the building’s location – it points to the ''land''. So whenever R&C Occultics was coming for an inspection or examination, she would only have to remove her lab and place an identical mobile home in its place. It’s a simple way of preserving her secrets, so I can’t imagine why she wouldn’t do it.”

“…”

“If she didn’t need it, she could get rid of it. The harbor fees aren’t cheap, you know? Yet she still has her original mobile home here. That means it contains something she was reluctant to part with. So be careful. The enemy you’re imagining hasn’t been here.”

Kamijou viewed the frozen mobile home, but he could not see inside thanks to the curtains covering the windows. The metal sliding door did not have a keyhole. Instead, there was something like a calculator’s number pad next to the door. However, most of the buttons were missing.

“The panel colors are…red and black?”

“The same colors as the watch band. The decoy home may have used a different color combination.”

He approached and a bright light dazzled his eyes.

And he heard a gentle woman’s voice.

“Welcome to, ahem, Emptiness Marriage.”

“Yikes!? Eh? What just welcomed me?”

Kamijou gave a start and then glanced down at his Transla-Pen. The god sighed in exasperation.

“It’s a standard security sensor. It makes a lot of light and noise when someone approaches the entrance. But what was that weird sigh in the middle? Did Melzabeth record this herself?”

“Y-you mean no one’s here?”

“It’s too soon to say that, but try holding up that mother’s phone.”

He did as Othinus suggested and was surprised to find the metal door opened on its own. The place may have been hooked up to an external power supply to accommodate a long-term stay.

The inside was still cold, but not freezing.

He found himself in another dimension once he stepped inside.

“This is incredible.”

Kamijou spoke aloud, forgetting all about the possible danger. The mobile home must have been based on an RV. About the same space as a tour bus was divided into a kitchen, bathroom, and bath and the furniture like a table, sofa, and bed could be folded up and stored in the walls. To save space, the TV, phone, and computer were all set to display on the same monitor.

But.

“The walls and ceiling are covered in these colorful things? Is it all spacecraft related?”

He was right. There was so much it obscured the color of the original wallpaper. Clippings from specialist papers were covered with sticky notes scribbled with equations. Colorful masking tape connected them to visualize the connections and possible combability between technologies.

The table was mostly covered by a 2.5m model instead of food. It looked about as big as a decent-sized surfboard.

The model was of a Logistic Hornet.

Othinus sighed when she looked to the walls and ceiling.

“The Melzabeth Method. I see. Now I get it.”

“?”

“Remember how I mentioned the difficulties of making a 5000m object fly using wings?” Othinus stood on the table and pointed her thumb at the detailed model covering most of the surface. “5km is enough to reach another train station and a new district. That means a difference in temperature, humidity, wind direction, and even the weather – sunny, rainy, etc. The different wind strength and air resistance on different parts of the craft would ‘twist’ it and ultimately break it apart in midair. But Melzabeth came up with an intriguing solution: human skin.”

“Skin? You mean it uses biomaterials instead of mechanical ones!?”

“It doesn’t have to go that far. It may be an offshoot of neurocomputers that come up with ideas using the same structure as a brain. A ''spinal cord'' is artificially created and the Logistic Hornet itself is given delicate cutaneous receptors so it can make adjustments based on reflexes that do not require conscious thought. Just like a fingertip running down your spine makes your hair stand on end. That same reaction is applied to every last part of the 5000m craft to make aerodynamic adjustments by moving the armor scales. That is impressive. There are more than a million of them in all. If you tried to think about each of them before giving a command, you would never finish in time, so Melzabeth set it up to ''give commands without thinking''. The very idea is different from all that junk AI out there.”

“…”

“Melzabeth’s own data is apparently used for the aerial attitude control. Those giant launch pads are controlled based on data taken from her subconscious muscle tension and center of gravity control while hang gliding. That means those flying machines include Melzabeth Grocery’s subconscious, from the core of her body to the very last bit of peach fuzz. Ha ha. Who creates an aerial fortress like that? We’re not just talking about an electronically-controlled stealth fighter here. That giant thing’s smooth flight is controlled by nothing more than a mother’s sensitive body. I doubt even Academy City’s Kiharas could have come up with something like this!”

Kamijou was speechless.

Was the word “genius” really enough to cover all of this?

Kamijou doubted he understood even half of what made this so impressive. He felt like the word genius was just a lazy label used to stop thinking about something he did not understand.

All the detailed math made his head spin, but he could not let himself be overwhelmed.

He wanted something to help track down missing Melzabeth Grocery. He pulled out the Transla-Pen synced with his phone. He had no idea if it would work on the text hastily jotted-down on the sticky notes, but he had to try.

No longer would he fear an unknown truth.

Melzabeth Grocery had chosen to hand over her new tech to a massive IT company because they had taken her daughter hostage. She had been ordered to do all sorts of things after receiving their assistance as an affiliated independent company, but she had eventually refused to obey and rebelled.

The current state of LA was the result.

Othinus had said they may have controlled her using some magic like the St. Germain pill. Or they could have threatened her with something other than Helcalia.

Regardless, Anna Sprengel had decided to purge the traitor by making Melzabeth destroy what she most cared about. Anna had sent things up so the mother and daughter would be in conflict. So even if Melzabeth’s actions made her look like a villain involved in the disappearance of LA’s people, ''Kamijou would save that mother.'' He had made that decision before he even started working on this. Finding some inconvenient truth now was not going to stop him.

“What is this?”

Kamijou Touma was not all that great with digital things, so his focus naturally turned toward the analog media.

In addition to the many sticky notes, he found a small picture frame in the kitchen space.

An even younger Helcalia stood in the center of the photo. Her gender was hard to tell at a glance at that age. Smiling next to her was a silver-haired brown-skinned woman with a strong family resemblance in the face. That had to be Melzabeth Grocery.

Then who was the man standing on the other side of the girl?

(The most obvious guess would be her father.)

Something was handwritten at the top of the photo.

The writing was large and distinct. It was very different from the birthday present’s card, so it may have been the father’s handwriting.

Kamijou ran the Transla-Pen over it through the protective glass and the artificial voice translated it into Japanese.

“A moon rock tiara for my daughter’s wedding.”

He looked to the photo again and smiled. Helcalia was still too young to easily judge her gender, so her father must have been quite the doting parent.

(But where would you even get a moon rock? The moon has its own gravity, so they wouldn’t fall to earth all that easily.)

He flipped over the picture frame and found nothing more than a cork panel. But when he removed the cork and extracted the photo, he could see something handwritten on the white back of the photo. This was the same flowing cursive he had seen on the message card.

He was unsure if the cheap device could handle cursive, but he ran the Transla-Pen over it anyway.

The awkward translation came out as follows:

''Age of death: 29. Multistage rocket Uranus III failed atmosphere exit.

“…”

Kamijou quietly clenched his teeth.

He felt like he had stumbled upon a secret origin point.

Had the mother’s obsession with her daughter’s wedding not been hers alone?

“Hey, Othinus.”

“Yes?”

Small Othinus looked back toward the kitchen space while walking back and forth along the folding table a short distance away.

“Um…about Space Engage. Did they ever launch ordinary rockets in addition to those gigantic Logistic Whatevers?”

“Of course not. The existing methods are the safe and affordable home turf of the experienced. If a new start-up wants to get into the space development business, they need some new method in order to outdo NASA.”

(Then was Melzabeth not involved in this launch experiment?)

She had lost someone in a state-run rocket launch.

The man had never gotten that moon rock. He had never been able to attend that future wedding. But Melzabeth had truly understood her husband’s reasons for venturing into space as an astronaut, so she had been unable to despise space enough to give up on it.

So she had begun to wonder if there was another way.

A safe way that anyone could use.

That was her dream for space travel.

“Othinus, space is so far away. Its an absurd dream located even higher than the clouds in the sky. So why do start-ups try to reach it without the help of their country?”

“For money.” Othinus coldly sliced through the thoughts in his mind. “There is no fair competition when the state is running the space industry. Only the companies trusted by government officials get any business, so technological development is actually pretty slow. Once a ‘belief’ sets in, all the research goes in that direction. For example, the idea that space shuttles are safe and can keep launch costs down, or the idea that lunar probes should be made out of aluminum even though there are so many nonmetals lighter and sturdier than steel these days.”

“…”

“Their neighbors in Russia are even worse. They insist that nuclear energy makes for a clean power system and actually threw a running nuclear reactor out into zero-g space. They ultimately lost control and the entire satellite fell back down to earth. Yet they continue their research into developing a clean nuclear reactor for use in space. But if you let multiple companies compete fairly and compare data, those ‘beliefs’ wouldn’t last long.”

Othinus explained that this was not limited to space. Those “beliefs” were rampant in fields with a small market share. For example, the idea that golf clubs should be made of carbon or the idea that handguns should have a caliber of .45.

In other words, that had been the starting point.

Melzabeth had wanted to change how things were done in the national space program that insisted on continuing down a mistaken path. She had believed she could reduce the number of “unfortunate accidents” if she started a new age where anyone was free to join in the industry and only the company providing the easiest and most comfortable space flight would survive.
Giving her daughter a wedding in space sounded like a joke, but she had drawn out serious plans to achieve that dream, all to help give her some peace of mind.

Yet Anna Sprengel had twisted it into something ugly.

“Hey.”

Othinus was holding something atop the table she had been walking around. At her size, it looked like a body pillow, but it was actually a USB memory stick even more compact than a tube of lipstick.

“What’s that?”

“It was inside the model. And I found it in the most important part: the storage room for the digital spinal cord.”

Othinus was 15cm tall, so searching that 2.5m model had to have been an adventure for her.

The only label was a symbolic one.

A large red X had been drawn on the side of the USB memory with a permanent marker.

“This has to mean something.”

Kamijou first assumed it was telling him not to look inside, but then why store it on the USB memory? Any unneeded data could be deleted and no one could ever read the contents if the memory itself was broken in two.

Yet it had been left in an accessible form.

Why do people hide things? There could be many different reasons, but Kamijou already had a reference point to gaze into Melzabeth's thoughts.

It reminded him of how she had hidden the smartwatch in the safe to show how valuable it was.

Thinking back, telling Helcalia to hide in the locker may have been something similar. She had left the possibility of someone else picking the girl up if she could not.

When Melzabeth Grocery wanted someone to find something important, she had a habit of hiding it in a conspicuous location.

“Is there any way to view the data on this? Would her phone work?”

“You can’t directly plug it into the MilliPhone; you would need a dongle. It would be simpler to check it on a computer. Do you see one around here?”

“What about my phone?”

“The hospital recommended it to you for use with their health management app, remember? That cheap senior model is entirely out of the question.”

“Eh!? This is an old person phone?”

He checked around and found a big laptop hidden behind the fridge. It was the size of a drawing board, so he wasn’t sure why you would bother making it a laptop. Thanks to the extra cooling device attached to the bottom, it was thicker than the average encyclopedia. The laptop had been criticized for the size of the computer and its bulky power adapter. Kamijou used both hands to place it on the table and Othinus stared at the enormous laptop that had to be 40 inches.

“Looks like it’s based on an e-sports gaming computer, but it’s only a terminal. This isn’t enough for a space simulator, so I bet it connects to the real computer over the internet. It might not even be in LA.”

“But it’s still a computer, right? We can use it after switching it on, I hope? What if it needs a password or fingerprint?”

“This will be easy if it just wants a fingerprint, but we might not be that lucky.”

“?”

Well, it wasn’t a self-destruct device in an old spy movie. When he tried turning on the gaming computer, it connected to the large TV. Suddenly, Kamijou’s face was displayed in a small window. A rectangular cursor appeared over his mouth and a wavy line was displayed at the bottom of the window. The camera at the top of the laptop screen had apparently activated. Othinus doubled over in laughter.

“Ha ha! Voice recognition of all things? Talk about insecure! Or is that digital exhibitionist doing it on purpose!?”

“Um?”

If it used her voice, didn’t that mean they needed the brown mama herself to get in? The legends said she could switch between god and human, but did that antique blonde gal think she could change her appearance and voice at will?

“Were you just thinking something rude, human?”

“Well, um, uh…sorry.”

“Hmph. Since you were honest, I will forgive you this once.”

She picked up a plastic pin a lot like the ones used to skewer bento meatballs and threw it at him. The famous god, whose forgiveness apparently included throwing spears at people, explained her point.

“The worst form of biometric ID is the fingerprint. The second worst is the voice. You stamp your fingerprints all over the place over the course of your daily life and the distinctive ‘traits’ of your voice can be easily recorded these days. That just means we need a recording of Melzabeth Grocery’s voice.”

“A recording?”

“And do you remember what made you jump at the entrance earlier? The sensor-triggered message most likely used her own voice, so use it.”

Walking to the front door and back was all it took to get past the login screen. Kamijou actually felt hesitant now.

“A-are you sure this is okay? I mean, the recording meant to keep people from breaking in unlocked her laptop.”

“With tech, the attackers are always a step ahead of the defenders. If you want your device secure, you at least need to use the veins or bones in your palm. Your ear hole or your teeth work as well. Really, any kind of biometric that never leaves your body works.”

Now they could see inside the USB memory.

But something else caught his attention first. The desktop displayed on the synced TV only had one icon on it. It was clear that everything else had been deleted to leave only this there. It was located at the top left and it belonged to a video file.

The filename was “Message”.

She tended to hide the things she wanted found.

“Well, this isn’t a spam email, so I doubt it’s malware.”

Othinus crossed her arms and tapped her heel twice on the laptop’s touchpad to double click. Maybe it was something Melzabeth insisted on herself or maybe this was standard in America, but Kamijou did not recognize the video player that started up and played back an image from the past in a rectangular window.

It appeared to be filmed in this very mobile home.

He guessed it had been done with the laptop’s camera because it showed a woman’s face from a flat, head-on angle reminiscent of a student ID photo.

She had silver hair cut to shoulder length and brown skin.

She looked to be in her 30s or maybe even younger. She wore a baggy white T-shirt and a tight skirt with her legs covered by pantyhose or something. The blue scarf around her neck had a chrysanthemum decoration. It was a casual but refined outfit, but it was unlikely you would find the combination in an ordinary office. It made her look like a company president announcing a new phone.

Kamijou Touma muttered her name.

While picturing a family photo taken with her daughter, not the woman herself.

“Melzabeth…”

Unsurprisingly, she did not answer him.

The woman faced the camera dead on and her eyes would occasionally flit side to side. It looked like she was worried about something and overreacting to every little noise she heard outside.

“I could not stop the powerful support…no, the invasion.”

Her face showed agony and humiliation.

And most of all, regret.

He could only get so much information through his clearance rack Transla-Pen, but the raw emotions came through in her untranslated voice and her expression on the screen.

“At first, I thought they sympathized with the dream. I thought business profit didn’t matter. But it changed when they took control of company, including right to speak, and chose to bring tragedy.”

“Either the private equity or allowing a single patron was a mistake,” muttered Othinus.

Kamijou was not quite sure what it all meant, but he could tell she had been deceived in some way.

“The company could only be bound as affiliate. But this original beginning was not told to the parent company. Maybe you are a stranger who happened across it and maybe a colleague who shared my dream. One of the engineers who left is fine too. But if you are an R&C Occultics investigation team, then I have really and truly lost. I pray that is not the case.”

The woman on the screen waved something she held between her slender fingers.

It was the USB memory with the red X on it.

“This is a type of program.”

“…”

“The program sneaks into center of Logistic Hornet system disguised as drone network mutual authorization signal and destroys chain of command. To put simply, this one thing can permanently destroy the Logistic Hornet system. …Maybe it is technically called malware or a worm. It should be treated as such unless used for correct purpose.”

Why was she leaving this with someone she didn’t even know?

If she had a trump card like that, why not use it herself?

But that was the wrong way to look at this.

With such a crucial trump card, she would never have just the one copy. And generally speaking, ''any kind of digital data could be copied.

Kamijou Touma clenched his teeth.

“Did she stay with R&C Occultics so she could sneak into their HQ as a cooperator and inject this into their system?”

“That would be suicide.”

“Kh.”

A corrupt corporation had tried to use the private space flight system she had been building to prevent another tragedy like her husband’s and to bring happiness to her daughter. She could not stop it any other way, so she had decided to end the entire project herself.

It was an admirable motivation.

What would bad people do if you gave them great riches? And the Logistic Hornets could cause cataclysms across the planet. She would have wanted to stop that no matter what.

She had been prepared to give up her life if need be. That put a new perspective on her plans for leading someone to Helcalia. Trying to retrieve the girl herself could have put her at greater risk, so she had chosen not to. She had bit her lip and shed tears of blood in order to focus on her final attempt instead.

But the result had been obvious from the beginning. It was plain as day. R&C Occultics was ''not just an ordinary company''. Reading someone’s mind and nipping their attempt in the bud was a piece of cake for a professional magician. If a normal gun was enough to defend against them, then the Academy City element of Overlord Revenge would not have lost so fully.

She had made her attempt and failed.

The smartwatch had been found in a safe within an outdoors base. She must have been attacked by the sand before even reaching the HQ building, so she hid the watch in the safe and then ran toward enemy lines even if it cost her her life. She knew nothing of magic and she attempted to reach the HQ building that not even Stiyl and Kanzaki had been able to reach.

This here was only her “insurance” in case ''exactly that happened.

“Your own judgment is fine. The decision is left with you. If the Logistic Hornets continue to fly around the world and you find the smallest danger that they guide the world in a bad direction.”

How had she felt when she left this hope?

She had wanted to hold her daughter’s wedding in space.

One by one, the colleagues and subordinates who had sympathized with that simple dream and trusted her had started leaving. And now she was baring her fangs toward their own creation. None of them had understood the painful decision she had been forced to make.

It had meant abandoning her dream of taking space development out of the country’s hands and decreasing the risk to astronauts like her husband through the free competition between companies. She had held onto the company even as so many of its engineers left and she had even earned the suspicion of her daughter.

But in order to protect her colleagues, her remaining family, and the world as a whole, she had chosen a lonely path without the chance to ask anyone else for advice.

Yet even those feelings had been trampled underfoot and her attempt had ended in failure.

How much strength had she poured into this will left behind in case that worst-case scenario played out?

The woman faced forward and spoke the words that seemed to reject everything she had lived for.

“Please destroy this foolish dream we started. Leave nothing left.”

The next thing Kamijou Touma knew, he had slammed his clenched fist down on the table.

Was this the truth?

Was there really nothing beyond this? It ended like this? Were there no words of salvation for this mother? Not even one!?

“Anna…Spreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeengellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!!!!!!!”

The boy roared loud enough to tear his throat, but it did nothing to change the past.

The video ended there, the footage flickering out just like her courage and determination had.

Her will was over.

The Rosicrucian magic cabal had hidden in the shadows of history. No one knew what exactly R&C Occultics was, even as it chose to unilaterally influence the entire world. And it was all controlled by Anna Sprengel, who stepped on Secret Chief Aiwass and selfishly wielded power greater than a god.

So what?

What did any of it matter?

Did that give her the right to trample on people’s dreams? Some geniuses had gathered their ideas together and finally made their dream a reality, but some asshole had stolen it all away just because it could be used to earn a profit. And she had remade it into a weapon of war, a trigger for meteorological disasters, and an ingredient that would bring misfortune to all!!

And it had all led to someone earnestly begging anyone who would listen to destroy the very dream she had worked so hard to realize.

Kamijou Touma would say it again

He would ask this question as many times as it took.

Who in the world had the right to mock and spit on the dream someone had dedicated their life to and then force that person to throw their own dream in the garbage!?

Kamijou was not naïve enough to think any dream would come true as long as you worked at it.

High schoolers had their own cynical view of such things.

But even so.

Someone had sneered as they selfishly stole away a dream that was already set to come true. She had decided the world’s throne belonged to her and she would force everyone on the planet to do the same. Using big data and AI, she would separate out the achievable dreams from the unachievable ones, harvest the achievable ones for herself, demand people give up on the unachievable ones, and ultimately trample on both.

Maybe it was the most efficient thing to do, but it was unquestionably wrong.

Whether it was to be an athlete, an astronaut, a chef, or a doctor, the people who had made their dreams come true deserved to be happy. Something was wrong if they were not granted as much happiness and success as the effort they put in. And no one had the right to steal away those dreams and their rewards without putting in any effort themselves. Kamijou Touma still trusted in dreams enough to reach that conclusion on pure reflex.

And yet.

This ''was worse'' than just an unfulfilled dream.

As long as Anna Sprengel placed a ceiling on the world, no one could find happiness even if they did achieve their dreams. Instead, her filthy hands would pluck the half-blossomed buds from the stems, suck out all the nectar before the flower had a chance to bloom, and cruelly throw away what remained. And this was not a hypothetical or a possible future. ''The world had already been remade in that way without anyone noticing.

“A world where you can pour all your efforts into a dream, but the result is stolen away from you. I see. That explains the extremely unnatural ending to Handcuffs. That white monster should have been able to achieve his dream of eliminating the dark side, but some asshole twisted and stole away that outcome.”

“Othinus?”

“Oh, nothing. ''Just some magic side stuff.''”

The small god cut off that line of thinking.

And she intentionally changed the subject.

“This may have been what Anna Sprengel was after.”

“?”

“Didn’t you find it odd?” asked Othinus. “Anna Sprengel holds a position similar to a priestess, but she actually has complete control of a superior being like Aiwass and has become a legendary magician greater even than a Magic God. Yet she always travels on foot and directly appears before her enemies. Why? Sure, you can say she does it for fun or on a whim since she’s the strongest, but I see a simpler theory.”

“''You mean she doesn’t have anyone else to rely on''?” stated Kamijou in a daze.

He had already clashed with her a few times either directly or indirectly, yet the idea had never occurred to him. Whenever Anna made an appearance, the world revolved around her. She held all the cards. She would mock and deny everything. She had never seemed lacking in anything.

Othinus nodded.

“That may be why she wanted Melzabeth. It had never bothered her before, but once she became aware of it, it bugged her to no end. …Doesn’t that sound like the simple logic that selfish girl operates on?”

And she had sent shockwaves throughout the entire world as a result.

She had destroyed Los Angeles and made 30 million people disappear.

This monster was much harder to deal with than an evil demon king who meticulously built up a master plan.

“Citrinitas is a term found in one of the three sacred Rosicrucian texts. Through conversions to black, white, yellow, and red, an expert void of worldly desire can acquire the supreme stone. Citrinitas is the yellowing stage and it refers to the act of burying it in sand so it can ‘ferment’.” Othinus sighed. “Once something has died and decomposed, it undergoes a beneficial transformation underground, giving it new value. Hmph, Anna is more obsessed than I thought. Even after Melzabeth turned her back on her and betrayed her, Anna was using Citrinitas on her to redo things. To get her to turn back her way.”

“But why? She runs a giant IT company, so she must have hundreds of thousands of employees. So why the obsession with Melzabeth?”

“Because of what Melzabeth did,” answered Othinus with a snort. “Out of those hundreds of thousands around the globe, who was the only one to disobey and display noble justice in the end? Who was the fearsome individual who resisted all of the sweet promises and threats and refused to throw out her good heart even though she knew she couldn’t win? To Anna, that must have shined as bright as a crimson jewel. She must have been smiling even as her pet dog bit her hand and got burned playing with fire. She wants to break her and make her hers. The genius named Melzabeth Grocery has impressed her that much.”

“But…”

“It seems wrong to start a war to apply pressure to a single individual? Einstein’s brain was removed and preserved. When Saint Thomas Becket was assassinated by four swords, the people nearby gathered up his splattered blood and brains and took it home, believing it to be a panacea. …So in this one instance, we can’t just chalk it up to Anna being insane. Humans are willing to go to such lengths for people in which they sense mystery. We should assume Melzabeth has reached that level for Anna.”

Othinus let out a quiet but heavy sigh.

“If only it was that easy to obtain a true understander. No comfort is found in validation found through brainwashing. A lesson I am sure ''a certain #5'' is very well acquainted with.”

Melzabeth Grocery.

Even Kamijou wished he could have spoken with her sooner. He wished he had gotten to know her so he could have helped her, at least a little bit.

But that would be entirely meaningless if he was forcing it on her for his own purposes.

Melzabeth had her own dream.

She had her pride, her dignity, and so much that she had wanted to protect more than her own life.

If all of that was stripped away and control of her very being was taken from her, then you could no longer call the result Melzabeth Grocery.

Did lonely and isolated Anna Sprengel not realize that?

“And, human. The situation could hardly be worse, but we have not hit a dead end yet. I don’t know if that USB memory is the original or a copy, but the malware does exist. It is not too late to plug that it into the control server deep in the HQ building and destroy the global distribution network and dangerous meteorological weapons created by the network of 12 Logistic Hornets.”

“Right…”

He clenched his teeth.

He clenched them tight because he could only live in the world that existed after that cruel defeat.

“Right!! She left this task with me. She begged me to destroy her dream because she couldn’t, even though she had no idea who would receive the message!! So I’ll do it. I won’t let Anna abuse those geniuses’ original dream any longer!!!!!!”

Then he heard a small sound.

But it came from outside the mobile home’s thin wall. So why hadn’t the security sensor reacted?

Kamijou Touma and Othinus both understood that 30 million people had vanished from Los Angeles, leaving no one to make a sound like that.

And they understood that Anna Sprengel would not hesitate to steal away someone’s dream and she had a childish, short-tempered personality that left her with no patience for anything that stood in her way.

“Human!!”

“I know!!!!!!”

He shouted his response and held his right palm toward the wall just in time.

That very moment, the aluminum and stainless steel mobile home was shredded like tissue paper and blown away.

But Kamijou Touma was not focused on that.

The real threat was the sand. ''He could not let it envelop him.'' His right hand obliterated a torrent of pressurized sand flying his way like a laser and, unsatisfied with that, he rolled on out through the newly-formed gash in the mobile home’s wall. He focused upwind and made extra certain he was not swallowed up by the billowing cloud of sand.

Needless to say, the magician did not have to worry about being caught in the scattered sand.

Citrinitas was it?

The search of the mobile home must have taken longer than he thought because it was already dark out. He heard solid clacking sounds out there. Almost like a large dog was pressing its full weight on its thick claws while walking along the asphalt.

Two figures appeared through the murky curtain, as if parting the row of luxury yachts and cruisers brought up onto land.

But…what was that?

One stood tall and held a dog leash.

The other wore a collar and crawled on the ground.

He would have called the second one a dog if their silhouette was not so weirdly alluring. And they were not standing on a pair of front legs and a pair of back legs.

They were down on hands and knees. They were a crawling human.

There was a chance Melzabeth Grocery was being manipulated using some kind of magic.

After doing so much to 30 million people, R&C Occultics was never going to worry about respecting someone’s rights. So there was a concern they would control a captive ''like that''.

Or so Kamijou Touma thought.

''But he was wrong.

“Ugh!?”

A chilly breeze swept away the sandy curtain.

The enemy made no real attempt to hide.

Kamijou groaned when he saw the identity of the magician standing in the yacht harbor.

The one figure was wearing a large collar at the end of a thick leash. The dog was large enough to weigh 50kg, or maybe more. If it leaped at him, he would be knocked to the ground and helplessly pinned while it ripped his windpipe out.

Or so he feared.

“The unanalyzed sand magic and largescale weather control using the Logistic Hornet…”

''But he was wrong.

Those were not a pair of front legs; they were five-fingered hands.

Othinus clicked her tongue on his shoulder while holding the USB memory like a body pillow.

“I thought it was strange when Kanzaki Kaori lost. She is a Saint, so she can draw on a portion of the Son of God’s power. She should have won, so I had wondered what made her stop attacking. Well, now we know!!”

The thing crawling around like a dog was not covered in clothing or skin. It was a feminine doll with exposed ball joints. The face was covered by something like a cage made by bending panels of black metal about the size of sticks of gum. A section the size of a coffee can stuck out in front almost like a dog’s snout. And it clacked open and closed like a bamboo tube or cup split vertically.

Then who was the figure being weakly tugged along by the leash?

[[Image:GT_Index_v04_283.jpg|thumb]]

“You’re…kidding.”

She had shoulder-length silver hair and brown skin.

She wore a baggy T-shirt, a tight skirt, and pantyhose. She wore a blue scarf around her neck. It was definitely Melzabeth Grocery, the woman he had seen in that video. Or was it? There was something wrong with her. Her shoulders were slanted, her head was tilted limply to the side, and there was no light of intelligence in her eyes. A string of drool dripped from the corner of her mouth.

The leash and collar were not playing their intended roles. Like a poorly-trained animal, the crawling doll was dragging the woman around behind it.

It was unclear who was in charge.

Should he simply break apart the ball-jointed doll and save the woman holding the leash since she looked just like the woman in the video? Really??? Yet the doll looked so masochistic crawling around like a dog. Its butt was lifted higher than its head and it kicked at the sand with its back legs. Come to think of it, the doll was a size larger than Melzabeth, so was it possible ''an entire person had been forcibly stuffed inside?

Was it the obvious answer, or was it a trick?

Or was it a reverse trick?

Where did R&C Occultics and Anna Sprengel’s malice lie? It could be a reverse trick, where the appearance of trickery was used to distance him from the obvious answer. Or was this some larger trap set by the giant IT company? The more he thought about it, the more dark uncertainty roiled within him.

Was it the unsteady woman holding the leash, or was it the collared doll pulling her around? They both demonstrated ways of stripping someone of their dignity.

Who was in control? Which one was being controlled?

What was the crux of the issue?

Who did he need to defeat?

“Which one?” he muttered.

That was when an even nastier problem came to mind.

Kanzaki Kaori refused to kill and she was aware of her great destructive power as a Saint, so she had hesitated to attack.

She had failed to reach an answer out of fear of choosing wrong.

And that moment of hesitation had been her undoing.

Kamijou Touma clenched his right fist in the icy night and spoke his question aloud.

He had already seen that sand magic before. Could his right hand react in time to a direct attack? Holding it in the wrong direction could be fatal.

He felt like a grotesquely blossomed rose was swallowing up the world around him.

A precarious tightrope walk had begun.

“Is it the owner or the pet? ''Which one is the real Melzabeth Grocery''!?”

===Part 8===

“God, is everyone still talking about R&C Occultics? This is ''my house'', you know?”

“We can’t stop their aboveboard lobbying. An IT company that big can throw a lot of money around, so we have people questioning your decisions from the opposition party ''and'' from our own party. Today’s online debate is going to be rough from the very beginning.”

“(You’re not naïve enough to think that aboveboard money is the only thing at play here, are you? Damn them for ruining my chance to hold the entire country’s attention during primetime.)”

Aide Roseline Krackhart quietly caught up to President Roberto Katze and Vice President Darris Hewlane in a White House corridor.

“Excuse me, Vice President, but no phones allowed past this point. I will hold onto that for you.”

“Oh? But this doesn’t use Panda OS.”

“The Patriot Act just had another minor amendment, so all phones are banned regardless of developer. Not even Grapple or Bagel are allowed anymore. They can be used to spy even when powered down.”

“How do you even leak information from a debate being aired live to the entire world?”

This corridor doubled as the stage for any last futile resistance.

The White House was the President’s home, but he could not just wander around the entire place in a bathrobe. And that was especially true of the press room overflowing with so many reporters.

The beautiful aide stuck the Vice President’s phone in her pocket and then whispered in the President’s ear.

“This is an online charity debate, but the opposition intends to go full throttle right out of the gate.”

“And this is supposed to be a relaxed affair used to gather ad money for the disadvantaged.” Roberto scratched roughly at his head with a glove-like hand. “And if I’m gonna have someone mad at me, I’ll take your graceful, polite voice over those smelly old folks on the opposition. Makes me jealous just hearing you’re mad at them instead.”

“Don’t worry. I will never smile for a sexual harasser with no sense of decorum or manners.”

He decided it was best not to ask how she had gotten the scripts and flowcharts the opposition party was using.

“But right now I’m worried about you because you can be so sloppy. Are you wearing a tie? What about socks? Please tell me you’re sober this time.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve thought this through.”

“Which hand do you use when swearing on the bible?”

“I’m insulted you have to ask. You do it like this, mommy.”

“FYI: using a digital bible on a tablet is still controversial. And I have to confiscate it anyway.”

While a phone would fit in her pocket, Roseline was unsure what to do with the tablet.

“Again, they are taking this very seriously. Show any opening and they will lay the blame on you until your political career is dead. So do not give them that opening. Even a bit of bedhead could be catastrophic.”

The aide’s sharp words made Roberto sigh.

“What, more fighting over money?”

“Not just that. The opposition leader’s son and daughter-in-law live in Los Angeles. Her first grandchild was part of the disappearances. You can infuriate a politician just like you can a gang member. Go after a family member too young to be aware what their job is and they ''go ballistic''. She will be attacking you more than her job requires. But if she lets her emotions run wild, you might have a chance to strike back.”

“Forget it. I’m no good at all those brainy tricks.”

“Don’t worry. No one is better than you at infuriating sensible people.”

Roseline turned out to be right.

Among all the reporters filling the press room, the greatest threat was the opposition party leader. The room was not large enough for hundreds of congress members to fit, but they could join the debate through their online social media accounts. Rumor had it that unseen hackers were working to see if they could hijack any of those accounts. Same for administrative access to the teleprompters displaying the politicians’ scripts. ''Never a dull moment in this country,'' thought Roberto.

After the President placed his hand on the bible and swore to tell the truth, he saw the genius who had failed to become empress stop herself from biting her thumbnail three times before the moderator from a neutral TV station took over.

“President, is it true you neglected your duties as commander-in-chief of the US military and left a foreign unit in charge of our country’s public order?” she asked, once it was her turn to speak.

“Are you asking if I am guilty of dereliction of duty as well as instigation of foreign aggression?” Roberto snorted with laughter. “We can’t use any branch of our military to resolve domestic issues. Especially for a preemptive strike against an attack that ''might'' happen. This is basic stuff.”

“And who is it protecting you in your very own home? The President’s life is guarded by the secret service, SWAT, and – yes – some of the marines, yet you abandon the very people who trust in you and pay you with their taxes? Shall I assume you intend to do absolutely nothing until the entire population of LA is dead?”

(I’m sure she’s trying to bait the President into saying the wrong thing, but this is quite the tightrope walk for her too.)

Roseline nearly clenched her teeth while listening from a short distance away.

During the morning, the US government had given each news company a calm reporting of the facts concerning the disappearance of Los Angeles’s people, but the internet had been unsure how to respond. 30 million people had inexplicably disappeared. It felt so unreal that most of the social media posts assumed even the government’s announcement was part of a promotion for a new movie or drama.

That silly optimism would die here.

The opposition party leader was using it as a trump card to attack the President. And the entire world was watching it live over the internet. How much shock and chaos would this confirmation spread across the country?

And this was only the beginning.

More and more of the opposition party raised their voiceless voices in the form of text. Some truly wonderful messages filled the live broadcast’s comments. They were displayed on the wall filling the space between the President and the opposition leader.

“Do we even know for sure R&C Occultics’s HQ is in LA?”

“If that IT company has broken the law, isn’t this an economic crime?”

“This never would have happened if you had waited until the LA residents and their assets could be safely evacuated before authorizing a military operation.”

There was no actual meaning behind the questions.

They were only bluffs meant to overwhelm the President with the sheer number of questions. It was like a bird’s nest created from tangling countless threads.

Then it was the opposition leader’s turn to speak again.

The look on her face was very different from the smile she gave for the cameras when donating money to the church or welfare organizations.

“President, why are you so hellbent on interacting with our and other countries through the military? When you suspect a crime within the country and you wish to investigate, that is a job for the police, is it not? Then you could have avoided this interference from Academy City and England.”

“Now, hold on. Try to remember what you yourself said earlier. I’m both this country’s leader and our military’s commander-in-chief. Seems a bit unfair to ask me not to think about the military. And if I agreed, I can already imagine you finding a way to complain about ''that'' too.”

“You chose to work with Academy City, who I hear has manufactured human clones, a clear violation of international law. Not just that, but a group of them with enough organization to carry out military action. And this is not just a malicious rumor; it comes from their new Board Chairman’s official testimony at his trial. You invited those savages into our country and gave them permission to use military weaponry! …Can you raise your right hand and swear to the American people that you made the correct decision as commander-in-chief? Can you swear that no fault can be found in your choices!?”

“…”

“Oh? You paused. I do not know what you are weighing in your mind, but a second’s hesitation can be the doom of a politician. You just implicitly told us all that you cannot wholeheartedly defend your actions. Is there something you are reluctant to tell us in front of the cameras broadcasting across the globe?”

An aide was no more than an aide. With Vice President Darris standing by Roberto’s side, Roseline did not have the authority to push past Darris and give Roberto some advice.

She instead sighed quietly by the wall where she would not be in the reporters’ way.

The opposition leader was so hard to deal with because she wielded truths and falsehoods simultaneously.

First of all, it was only natural for the military to protect the White House. The President was their commander-in-chief and the White House included a shelter and contained plenty of military secrets. Interpret it as protecting their own base and it was not at all unusual for the marines to be stationed here. It was entirely different from deploying them to LA.

But breathe a sigh of relief there and you would come to regret it.

Had allowing in England and Academy City really been the right thing to do? 30 million people had disappeared and they had no solid report on what had happened, so that was not a question anyone could answer immediately. Accurate information was needed first.

(But sending in ''ordinary'' forces would only lead to more loss of life.)

Unfortunately, only those who had actual experience with magic would understand that. Roseline had once been caught in the middle of an incident crawling with Gremlin magicians in Hawaii, but things that only a select few understood could not be used to explain official decisions.

If you did not explain your actions with a clear and simple logic that everyone could understand, then they would see you as a dictator.

Whether that was true or not, you would be rejected just the same.

The people were looking for an incomparable genius when they cast their votes, but they hoped for standard and relatable answers once their candidate was in office.

(Besides, tell congress we want to send in the military and one of them might leak it all to R&C Occultics. I don’t know how many of those greedy congress members have been lured in with a stack of cash slapping them on the cheek, but we could end up losing even more people if our attack loses the element of surprise.)

Carelessly making that argument out loud would probably result in the entire opposition party demanding to know what could be worse than 30 million people missing.

Those politicians saw themselves as heroes, but did they realize that whatever had caused the disappearances could directly attack Washington DC next? Since no one knew what caused it or what its range was, there was no way to defend against it. Being on the east coast was no guarantee of safety. Roseline could not believe how secure they sounded making their complaints even though it was all happening in the same country.

Having to helplessly watch it all play out was frustrating, but it was not without merit.

She could easily speculate that R&C Occultics was throwing money at the politicians just like any other aggressive corporation. And that would come in many forms – from honeytraps to taking data from their phones. She was on the lookout for any congress members forcibly altering the course of the debate. The online format was convenient since it left simple records of everything said. If she searched through all of that and drew lines between the friendships and other relationships, she might be able to detect the influence of the IT company.

Once she understood that, the President would not need to make the decision on his own.

“But…”

(We have to wait for now. It’s too soon to go on the offensive. I just hope that dumbass President doesn’t get baited into dropping any bombshells here.)

The beautiful aide glanced next to the President.

Vice President Darris Hewlane looked oddly nervous.

He appeared overly concerned about every little move the President made. The man preferred a Japanese diet of vegetables and fish for health reasons and his stomach was probably squeezing tight right about now.

(I know exactly how he feels. Or rather, if I have to associate myself with one of the two, I refuse to fall into the same category as that President. But the Vice President worries me specifically because he’s a reasonable person. I hope his nerves don’t make him do something stupid.)

===Part 9===

Torturing the information out of her would be easy.

But the problem was Index. She had a perfect memory and would never forget anything she saw, so he wanted to avoid going too far with her around.

It was already dark out and they had moved from the gun shop to a British-style pub. Stiyl Magnus sighed.

(What am I doing here? I thought I had already made my decision here.)

“Ahh!” screamed Helcalia.

But only because she had spilled a cup of water while playing with Index. She snatched up a small box and held it up high while the water spread out across the table and then spilled down onto her thighs and lower stomach.

“Wh-what do I do? Won’t my wet clothes freeze?”

“Come here.”

“I don’t have any other clothes, though.”

“I know a way to dry the ones you have. It just takes some guts!”

Index took Helcalia’s small hand and led her to the back of the pub. Maybe it was because Index had complimented the birthday present’s wrapping paper and maybe it was because she seemed like less of a threat than Stiyl, but Helcalia had grown attached to Index despite fearing her so much before.

Stiyl watched them go and only realized a second later that he had let Index leave his sight alone with the daughter of their biggest suspect.

(I’m surprised with myself. Am I not as worried about her as I thought?)

After a bit, he heard the whirring of a motor running.

“Gyah!? I-I think it’s going to blow up!!” shouted Index.

“Driers don’t blow up,” insisted Helcalia. “But I bet it would be bad for my skin to do this while I’m wearing the clothes. I should take them off first.”

“Wow!? Th-that is some mature underwear…”

“Mama’s is see-through.”

“…What are they doing?” grumbled Stiyl.

But he could not let himself go back and forth on this issue. If he did not fully commit himself, he could not build up enough speed and would plummet into the canyon without reaching the other side.

He had chosen to shoot Kamijou Touma and not tell that girl about it.

Had he really thought they could be friends after that?

He did not mind if his own dependence on her led to his failure, but he could not let it bring harm to her.

(I need to focus on just the one task. I need to choose one thing and pour all of my energy into that.)

First of all, the sand magic being used on LA was Citrinitas. It was the third stage of the four said to create the red stone in the Rose tradition.

R&C Occultics had used the dark web to reveal to everyone around the world how they could use magic. But he had checked those sites and none of them mentioned Citrinitas. That meant this was someone the IT company had sent in, not an LA resident who had seen those sites.

So…

(They should be an originalist. Well, they are modifying it with the Logistic Hornet, but when making a cocktail, you want your ingredients to be as close to the original as possible.)

And in this case, the original grimoire would be written in German.

“No, wait…”

Things were different than before.

Once the two girls returned, they would probably be making a lot of noise again, so he needed to search Helcalia’s things while he could.

Kamijou Touma had managed to dig up a birthday present for her.

Stiyl did not care what was inside. He only needed the card.

''Happy birthday, Helcalia.

It should have been nothing more than some flowing cursive writing.

But Stiyl gulped.

(The handwriting has no German elements to it?)

Could you really tell someone’s language history from the idiosyncrasies of their handwriting? Couldn’t handwriting analysis only ''maybe'' determine if it was really by a specific person or not? Most any Asian would ask those same questions. But European culture generally used signatures instead of seals and signatures were used to authorize everything from marriage to war, so they put a lot more focus on handwriting.

In fact, handwriting played a role in a well-known story on the magic side. Yes, the story of the letters regarding the establishment of the Golden cabal. Westcott insisted they showed his correspondence with Miss Sprengel who lived in Nuremburg, Germany, but Ellic Howe and other skeptics had some handwriting analysis done, which revealed the spelling used in the letters were those of a Brit pretending to be a German, not an actual German.

It was the same as native pronunciation. A Brit who learned German later in life and one who learned German from birth would have subtle differences in their pronunciations.

“…”

Stiyl Magnus pulled out an invisible dye.

He had managed to read some residual thoughts from the Academy City printouts, so with handwritten text, he would be able to hear an actual voice like he was playing back a record.

He breathed in and out to refine the lifeforce circulating through his body into magic power.

He reached something unseen hidden within the message card’s handwriting. An unfamiliar woman’s voice played in his head like he had set the needle down on a record.

“Let’s see, I want this s-sach…? Oh, forget its name. I want this chocolate cake here. No, I don’t want a Christmas message on the chocolate plate. This is a birthday cake! How big would be best for two? Eh? It’s pronounced sachertorte? Spelled like that?”

Stiyl just stared, entirely forgetting to end the ceremony.

“Ha ha.”

That conversation had been nothing more than a mother preparing to celebrate her daughter’s birthday.

But it was devastating to Stiyl Magnus.

The Citrinitas spell had to have been learned by decoding a German original grimoire. That was a requisite step to use the magic directly or to indirectly support it with the Logistic Hornet. Magic and science working together might sound simple enough, but it was actually a risky bit of acrobatics. It required both sides to know exactly what the other would be doing.

And yet.

Sachertorte was as standard a German word as Kaiser. For that matter, if you pronounced A-B-C as ay-bee-see, you had the foundations of German entirely wrong. She probably pronounced Hamburg the American way too.

Residual thoughts could not lie.

No one could escape an answer they had found themselves.

“Melzabeth Grocery…”

Admitting to your own mistakes was a form of strength. If you stubbornly bent the truth instead, you were truly lost.

Kanzaki had sacrificed herself to entrust him with this.

But he refused to lose his cool.

In that sense, he was still the same priest he always was. He wrinkled his brow, bit down on the cigarette filter, and spoke under his breath.

“Damn, this means she can’t possibly be involved in the Citrinitas. I was 100% wrong there. And I can’t let ''an innocent person'' die because of it!!”

===Part 10===

Kamijou Touma knew what kind of person Anna Sprengel was.

He had to choose between the ball-jointed doll wearing a dog-snout restraint and crawling like a dog and the alluring woman being weakly pulled along by the leash. The owner of the beautiful face might actually be her, but the real one could also be hidden within the doll. It was a challenge similar to someone pushing up one of their cards while playing old maid. It was too obvious, which scared him. But reading too much into it could also lead to disaster.

Could he really trust the appearance of the beautiful woman? Could he really deny the possibility of the real one being hidden inside the creepy doll?

Choose wrong and he could not save LA or Melzabeth. It would also leave him open to a deadly attack from the other one.

So he had to analyze R&C Occultics’s cruelty.

But the more he thought about it, the more either option seemed likely. He even came up with new possibilities, like the city being flooded with decoy women and decoy dolls, or a large group of magicians gathering to control Melzabeth.

If he let himself be led astray, it could send his fist in the wrong direction and lead to unnecessary bloodshed. If that happened, Anna was bound to activate whatever trap she had set up, trample on his justice and goodness, and relentlessly mock him.

In other words…

“It isn’t the owner or the pet…”

If you could bury as many mines as you liked, how could you guarantee the enemy soldiers would step on one? Placing just one on the vast battlefield and guiding them toward it with the terrain and psychology was hard, so why limit yourself like that?

There was a reason the term “minefield” existed.

And that was his answer.

“You’re both fakes! Melzabeth Grocery was never a part of this! She’s still trapped in the sand along with the other 30 million!!”

It didn’t matter if he chose the doll in the doglike restraints or the human being pulled along by the dog.

Anna had immaturely laid a trap on every path ahead.

If they pretended to be in pain and agony after he attacked, he would assume he had mistakenly attacked the real one and hesitate. Then they could use that opening to win.

What other possibility was there? There could be more decoy women and dolls hidden throughout the city, or R&C Occultics could be using its status as a large company to control Melzabeth with a large group, each one holding one of the puppet’s strings.

But it wasn’t either of those. If they had magic to control Melzabeth like that, they could just put her in danger to use her as a hostage. If they were placing several options in view to confuse him, then he could at least punch out these two here.

“Gee hee.”

And.

After that…

“Ee hee ha!! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha gee hee hee ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha hee hee ha (■Error analyzing voice. Please repeat that more slowly)!!!!!!”

Maniacal laughter echoed through the biting cold of the night.

It was not that either the owner or the pet was laughing.

The unsteady silver-haired woman and the crawling doll laughed crudely together. Almost like they were trying to strip away the dignity of the real woman who was not even here.

He doubted the Transla-Pen’s poor specs were to blame this time.

The doll raised its head like a howling dog and released a terribly distorted voice.

“Yes, yes. Indeed correct. Only ugly artificials here!!”

He heard a deafening buzzing sound.

But it was not a supernatural phenomenon produced by magic. It came from countless drones that looked like giant crane flies. They had cameras attached to their bellies and could record footage in the same high definition used for TV broadcasts.

He looked up to see them nearly covering the sky overhead.

“Are those reinforcements from the Logistic Hornet?” asked Othinus from his shoulder.

That would mean R&C Occultics was planning to broadcast their own crimes.

But that would not end up being a self-destructive confession.

The ball-jointed doll formed a large vertical curve like a dolphin jumping from the waves. At the same time, the silver-haired silhouette dropped to the ground.

The collar and leash came away and the positions of owner and pet switched.

The doll now held the leash and the silver-haired woman now crawled like a dog with the collar around her throat. Either could play either role. Perhaps there was no real hierarchy between them.

Both mouths shouted at once.

“But so what? The person here is no different in the face than Melzabeth Grocery. The crimes committed by me will all be Melzabeth’s crimes. The truth is easy to twist because the rules are made that way!!”

They drew a circle in midair as woman and doll swapped leash and collar again.

Citrinitas.

The true defender and trump card of the R&C Occultics HQ.

“Frustrated? Regret-filled? The good person dissolved in sand has no say. Even if the whole world hears this talk, the whole world will decide ''Melzabeth Grocery has gone crazy and talks nonsense''!”

The woman was back to crawling on the ground. She lifted the butt of her tight skirt higher than her head and her baggy T-shirt slid up far enough to see her navel. If this was meant to destroy her socially, they didn’t need to worry how the pose made her look.

“Is that all you wanted to say?” The boy silently but powerfully clenched his fist. “The jig is up. My fist can destroy the likes of you in a single blow and I have no reason to hesitate anymore. …I happen to know a nonhuman magician – a count was designed specifically to hijack people’s minds. But he proved that being made that way doesn’t mean you have to be a bad person.”

Yes.

That magician had entered Kamijou Touma’s body as a black pill and nearly hijacked his body, but he had instead lent Kamijou his power to resist Anna Sprengel’s atrocities and he had ultimately chosen his own destruction to save Kamijou.

Kamijou did not know what the other St. Germains had been like.

But at the very least, ''that one'' had not been an evil being.

He had been a person worthy of the utmost respect.

“So I won’t let you use that excuse.”

A mere high school boy spoke clearly.

He wouldn’t let people take it for granted that a nonhuman being or a user of terrible magic had to be a bad person.

He would challenge that assumption with the life St. Germain had saved.

“You aren’t a bad person because that’s just what you are or because that’s the only magic you can use. No matter what you are, you can always fight it and make a new path for yourself. That makes you actual scum who never even tried to fight it. So I won’t go easy on you. Now that I know you’re both enemies, I’ve got nothing to fear. Nothing can protect you now.”

“Were you even listening?” The crawling woman lifted the butt of her tight skirt high and her smile split apart, looking like drool could drip from her mouth at any time. “My crimes will be Melzabeth’s crimes. I said that, I believe? So! I am saying I will now commit a clear crime that even general society will see that way!!!!”

He heard a solid metallic sound.

No, not just one. They came from the road, the park, behind the frozen trees, and the building rooftops. He was surrounded by them. They came from giant mantises and jellyfish. More than 100 – no, more than 200 – of the bizarre powered suits designed to mechanically reproduce the #3 and #4’s powers were now targeting the one boy.

Those weapons could operate unmanned.

They were hybrid models that could switch between manned and remote-controlled modes, so they could operate in a deserted city.

Hadn’t Othinus suggested the possibility of the Academy City force being destroyed by its own hijacked weapons? And being able to use sand magic did not mean you could not use machines as well.

“The jig is up.”

The enemy mockingly threw his line back at him. The woman now held the leash and the doll crawled with the collar on its neck. They flipped roles like the two sides of a coin and the smooth-faced doll shouted at him. While the woman laughed maniacally.

“And these bullets can destroy the likes of you in a single blow!! Gee gee ee hee hee! Die in this crime-ridden city. ''And the point is for Melzabeth Grocery to never be able to recover from it''!!”

It was disgusting.

It was unbelievably ugly.

Kamijou had been pushed close enough to the brink of death that time seemed to slow, yet his thoughts were on the information mechanically translated for him by the Transla-Pen.

They were going to frame an innocent woman for their crimes to leave her social standing in tatters.

They were going to tear apart her family bonds and friendships, steal her job, and trample her purpose in life.

She would lose any place to live beyond R&C Occultics – no, beyond the Rosicrucians who had connections across the hidden side of the world. They would leave the woman entirely stranded, with nowhere else to turn. Was that any way to act when you were attracted to someone’s goodness and justice and wanted them to join you!?

“Human!! Those are only network-connected machines. Destroy their communications or computer chips and you have a chance. An EMP or powerful microwaves should do the trick! Just destroy some kind of high-power electronic device to create a lot of noise!!!!!”

Kamijou took off running as if physically struck by Othinus’s shout.

The mobile home had already been shredded and destroyed, but there was more to this harbor. A streetlight wouldn’t be enough, nor would a vending machine or ATM. But what about a giant disaster warning speaker attached atop a stainless-steel pole taller than the streetlights? The industrial power supply would be boosted further with a large amp to produce a volume loud enough to reach past the horizon, so it was sure to scatter lots of invisible electromagnetic waves if you destroyed it!

“No use, no use.”

The two figures swapped places again. The standing doll wagged its index finger while the crawling woman shook her head.

“''How do you expect to break down stainless-steel pole with puny hands''!? I could understand if your right hand shot fire. I would feel cautious if you could shoot out vacuum. But your right hand only destroys illusions!!”

“!!!???”

“Please try it if you think your right hand can actually break it! You think good intentions can defeat laws of physics? Then show me a miracle or a synonym! If you are capable!!”

It was not a question of reaching the speaker or not.

Even if he did reach it, he could not do anything with it.

So the enemy did not even bother using magic to stop him. Citrinitas only sent a merciless command to the mantises and jellyfish surrounding him.

The world had slowed to a crawl for Kamijou.

The machines were aiming more than just machineguns his way. These were the #3 and the #4. The attack coming for him a second from now would be true death. He could not move himself in any way that would dodge it. Stuffing paper below his clothing would not save him this time.

He had no way of avoiding death.

And the promised one second passed.

A dull crash range out.

“What?”

But.

It was Citrinitas, not Kamijou Touma, who raised their voice in surprise.

The silver stainless-steel pole thicker than a human arm had been cleanly broken away at the base.

The power cable running through it had broken and the powerful sparks scattered electromagnetic waves as a secondary effect, knocking out all of the Five Overs.

The pole heavier than a barbell fell atop a nearby yacht, crushing it.

This was undeniably real.

The destruction sounded unusually light because the boat was made of fiber-reinforced plastic, not metal.

Staring at the result in disbelief, the Citrinitas doll and crawling woman spoke in unison.

“Was the metal fatigued due to minus-20 weather? Did the sandstorm weather away the surface? No, no!! I question what happened!! That is not enough to explain!! Hee hee. H-how did you cheat? A normal human fist cannot break pillar of stainless steeeeeel!!!!!!”

He knew that.

Kamijou Touma agreed that this was cheating.

He could not explain it either. Because he was not the one who had caused it!

“''It is high time…''”

A single footstep rang loud in the frozen world.

“''…that you shut the fuck up, coldly warns Misaka while trying to suppress her irritation.''”

Kamijou was as taken aback as anyone.

What was she doing here?

She had short chestnut hair. She was short. She was a human clone girl wearing a thick coat over a prestigious middle school uniform, with special goggles on her forehead and a powerful anti-materiel rifle in her hands.

She was one of the mass-produced #3 clones known as the Sisters.

It was obvious how she had broken the stainless-steel pole. If you could not do it with your bare hands, you only had to use a weapon.

“But…why?” asked Kamijou in a daze.

“The Misakas were sent all around the world, explains Misaka. Most of us were sent outside of Academy City to different cooperative institutions. And that of course included some American labs.”

Her eyes remained entirely void of emotion, but there was definitely something there.

“And it is also possible for us to gather in a single location by coordinating over the Misaka Network. We used the information from ''the British government'' to rapidly respond to your crisis. From there, we observed you from a safe distance and worked out a plan.”

“…”

“Misaka apologizes if the habits she picked up in America show through, but fuck them. Misaka is sick of sitting idly by while those assholes have their way, says Misaka to demonstrate her intent to join the battle. Misaka also cannot bear to watch you take any more punishment.”

“Hee hee!”

A sound like an electric razor thrummed through the air as drones flew by over the two fake magicians.

“I captured that critical moment, you big fool!! The aerial surveillance drones are sending the footage out on a global stream. No way to hide it now. If you are really a clone, then you were doomed before the battle begins!”

The doll tried to deny the value of someone’s life while cackling with distorted laughter.

But then Citrinitas froze.

They were shocked.

Even after being told the drones were filming everything and streaming it to the entire world, the girl stood her ground.

No, not just her. Too many footsteps to count approached the park, the sounds blending together into something like leaves or grass rustling in the wind.

They were identical in every way.

No one could deny now that these girls were clones whose existence violated international law.

They were working to save the life of the boy who had been so enraged by the villain’s actions that he stood up to defend someone’s trampled dignity and was even now struggling to keep fighting.

Yes. They had not hesitated to gather on the battlefield as people with undeniably human hearts!!

“You said every crime you commit here will be blamed on Melzabeth Grocery. You said the rules allow the truth to be twisted as much as necessary.”

The group of girls all aimed their guns.

The Sisters spoke without a twinge of doubt.

“Then just try and twist this truth, announces Misaka. The Misakas here are an army of identical clones. So kiss Misaka’s ass, monster. Let’s see who gets all the attention: the Misakas or your precious twisted truth.”

“Hee, gee hee!”

“Misaka will reveal an answer not even you can hide: ''that Melzabeth Grocery did nothing wrong.'' And Misaka is more than willing to use the truth of her existence if it will overflow R&C Occultics’s processing power that lets you manipulate the world’s information.”

They were not really even watching the enemy anymore.

They had their say and did not bother listening to the rebuttal.

The doll took a trembling step back, but was stopped by a tugging on the leash. The identical girls kept their eyes on that, but they also glanced over at the boy.

“An army is best fought with an army, and technology is best fought with technology. Let the Misakas handle these bullet-spewing wimps. And you settle this in a way only you can, says Misaka, confident her war buddy has her back.”

Mechanical sounds came from all around as the incompletely destroyed Five Overs rebooted themselves.

But the clone girls were unfazed.

They readied their assault rifles, shotguns, and anti-materiel rifles like a single giant hedgehog in order to fight back.

“Go save the real Melzabeth Grocery and give us the ultimate happy ending, requests Misaka, knowing you would do it anyway. That is the obvious and simplest answer and it should be the natural way of our world. That is a cause Misaka is willing to fight for.”

“Hee hah hah!! Go to hell! I will crush it all! Clone killing has been added as an option, yes! Ee hee hah, you ***** (■Possible Southern US slang related to nonstandard sexual proclivities?)! I will guide that woman to hell’s depths, by making it all her crimes!!!!!!”

===Part 11===

The aide could not hide her grave expression as she whispered into the President’s ear, but Roberto smiled fearlessly.

“I thought he was just a coward with a pointy chin and a pretty face, but looks like he knows what he’s doing.”

A certain boy had intentionally inspired public backlash by confessing to the crime of killing clones.

He had hogged the seat of the wrongdoer by making himself the villain who had killed 10 thousand people.

That distracted people from any hatred or disgust they might have had toward the human clones themselves. He made sure the identical girls were viewed as victims and could not be so easily criticized.

If he had simply built up their defenses to dodge the issue like that, Roberto would not have felt a need to defend him. Academy City’s inexperienced leader could have called it quits there, but he had taken it one step further.

He had revealed them, despite the danger.

He had shown them thinking human thoughts, sympathizing with someone’s trampled heart, and taking up arms for a just cause.

He had shown off how human they were and then asked the world whether or not it would accept those girls.

It was quite the gamble.

If the world was not moved, they might easily conclude that the clones were violations of international law and should be disposed of, no matter how many of them there were.

And when Roberto saw this once-in-a-lifetime gamble made with something that boy cared about more than his own life, he had just one thought in his head.

''Go for the big payout.

''If you run from what you really want to do and try to win enough small bets that they add up in the end, you’ll find yourself losing more and more as time goes on.

[[Image:GT_Index_v04_318-319.jpg|thumb]]

“My fellow Americans!!” Roberto grabbed the mic in his powerful grip and began speaking more like a professional wrestling announcer than a president giving a speech. “Academy City? Clone tech? It sounds like the opposition leader is trying to trip me up with some meaningless detours, but I’m game if she is. After all, taking some detours is a lot more fun than just heading straight home!! Listen up, USN Broadcasting and TV AMB! I’m about to get you the best ratings you’ve had in years!!” He winked toward the cameras broadcasting this nationwide. “I came from outside this country. In fact, I got my start as an undocumented immigrant who crossed the Mexican border with means I’d rather not get into here. From there, I learned to read and do math, I successfully modified the election laws, and then the American people chose me to be the third Hispanic to ever serve as president!! If a high school dropout like me can be elected, then anyone has a chance. I carry the hopes of so many people in this great country. Race? Ethnicity? Religion? Gender? Language? Education? Class? They can all eat shit. Here in the best damn country in the world, we go around tearing down those meaningless barriers, so why the hell should we criticize people for ''the circumstances of their birth''!? Here in the land of the stars and stripes, we need to smile and welcome in anyone who shows up at our doorstep, no matter how they got there. And that goes double for these girls who have chosen to take up weapons and risk their lives to save 30 million of our own people! To take back Los Angeles!! And to protect an innocent woman from being blamed for crimes she didn’t commit!!!!!!”

Roseline’s face crinkled up like she had just eaten a Japanese umeboshi. With the President straying from his prepared speech and providing a deluge of adlibbing instead, even her elite brain was feeling overloaded. Which was usually how these things went.

So it was the Vice President who whispered in his ear. His job was to support the President, so he could not have the man making a mess of things with his excess courage and enthusiasm.

“President, none of this had been confirmed yet. What is the clones’ objective? We do not actually know they are fighting for our sake. They may simply be running wild.”

“No!! I trust them wholeheartedly!! Because whether they’re born from a sperm and an egg saying howdy deep inside someone’s body or they’re born from the DNA extracted from someone’s cells, all people have the same human heart beating in their chest! Those girls in LA have kind hearts! Oh, man! Standing up and yelling has got me a little hard, but I swear it wasn’t from talking about those girls!”

“That argument is nonsensical!!”

“It was the talk of a sperm and an egg that did it! And it’s not a full one, just the startings of one, so it’s all good!”

“Stop talking about that, goddammit!! What connection do those clones even have to Melzabeth Grocery anyway? It seems highly unlikely they would do all this for a complete stranger!!”

“Really, Darris!? You’re getting a lot of gray in your hair nowadays, but don’t trust the legends saying Asian eel will help you get it up. We’re Americans, so when we have trouble in bed, we eat red meat! Go for that pound of sirloin and don’t be afraid to add some garlic!!!!!! …Oh, and one other thing.”

“Yes?” blinked the Vice President.

He could not keep up with Roberto, who brought the mic up to his mouth before continuing. And he was not recommending foods to boost an old man’s virility.

“''How did you know the woman being framed was named Melzabeth Grocery''?”

For a brief moment, Darris Hewlane could not get his mind to focus on what the President had said.

But then it hit him. He should not have tuned out Roberto Katze’s emotional speech. Roberto had intentionally made the lengthy speech as a distraction. During his speech, he had only said the clones were protecting “an innocent woman from being blamed for crimes she didn’t commit”!

“I thought I might catch someone with that one, but I didn’t expect you, Darris. And unlike those cute clones, you can’t claim you were secretly gathering information in LA while standing here. I mean that’s on the other coast and there’s only one of you.”

“Oh…”

“And 30 million people disappeared from LA, including the undocumented immigrants. Pretty unlikely that you would guess the right name out of a pool that large. You might have better odds of guessing the nuclear launch codes on the first try.”

He could seem like he didn’t care.

But the President of the United States actually had an overwhelming presence.

It was not an issue of party. When he put together a plan, it was to make the entire country a better place. When he made a decision that made his own party grimace and when he invited the opposition leader to his own home to have a shouting match, it was all because he trusted that the conflict would lead to a wonderful idea.

Ultimately, he saw anyone who worked to better the USA as his ally.

But he would never allow the opposite.

He was always watching and shaking hands with his American allies, but he would also mercilessly strike down his enemies.

“I’m sorry, President. I shouldn’t have been checking my phone while working.”

“This isn’t one of Japan’s silly closed room trials. This debate is being broadcast nationwide. We have 100 cameras on us – maybe even 200. They’re watching us from every angle and we can check the footage if you really want us to. But if we discover you never once touched your phone since the debate began, then it’s over for you.”

“…”

The debate was indeed being streamed live to video sites, but the participants were not allowed to bring their own mobile devices with them. The only online information here was the comments from the congress members displayed on the wall. They could not freely search the web or check the online news.

So no matter how much the news was making waves around the world, the Vice President should have had no way of knowing about it.

The President himself only knew because his aide had whispered it to him.

“For that matter, my cute aide confiscated your phone back in the corridor. Or do you carry two, just like a high school girl? Sounds like you’re pretty young at heart, Darris. Now, if you insist you saw it on your phone, pull it out and show it to me. Assuming you actually have one, of course.”

“………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………”

R&C Occultics had thrown money around, set up honeytraps, taken data from phones, and used their PR advisors to plant deep roots around the country. No one knew where they would find a double-crosser.

But now they had their answer.

Roberto Katze shrugged and Darris Hewlane sighed.

Then they both pulled a semiauto shotgun from within their fancy suit.

The stocks extended just like a folding cane or hanger.

They aimed for each other’s vitals at point-blank range and forcibly held the gun with just their dominant hand, the long barrels intersecting between them. It looked more like a fencing match than a Western shootout.

“I don’t know what has you sucking up to that immoral company.”

The US President, the most powerful man in the world, grinned inside his own home.

“But this isn’t just getting yourself involved in some kids’ fight. You’ve gotten your grimy fingers on a peaceful family only so you can tear them apart. I won’t stand for that kind of behavior in my White House, Darris. As commander-in-chief, it’s my job to protect the American people and the world’s future, so I have to admit I’m mighty pissed about this. So how ‘bout a quick duel?”

Roseline Krackhart wanted to die.

She could understand the Vice President sneaking a gun into the White House since he was a traitor. In the sense that she could see an immoral criminal so flagrantly flouting the rules.

The problem was the other man.

The blonde woman forgot what was going on around her and shouted in anger.

“Why in the world did you bring a loaded gun to a charity debate, you presidential dumbass!!!???”

“Did you forget? We live in the land of car chases, sex, and gunfights.”

===Between the Lines 3===

'''R&C Occultics is the True Culprit Theory

Proposer: Kamijou Touma.

A theory suggesting the ball-jointed doll and the silver-haired brown-skinned woman, who can switch between the roles of pet and owner, are both fakes prepared by R&C Occultics and devastation awaits no matter which one Kamijou chooses. According to this theory, the real Melzabeth is hidden in the sand with the other 30 million people.

That would make the real Melzabeth entirely unrelated to the disappearances.

Also, R&C Occultics’s goal was to frame the real Melzabeth for more and more crimes until she had nowhere left to turn and was forced to become a convenient puppet for CEO Anna Sprengel.

Melzabeth Grocery did not want her Logistic Hornets to be misused, so she planned to feign ignorance and sneak into the R&C Occultics HQ to destroy their massive distribution network with a piece of malware she had written. Her attempt was stopped before it even began, but the fact that she resisted to the very end is speculated to have drawn Anna’s interest.

Anna wanted her specifically because she was so noble and pure of heart.

It may be a desire she cannot abandon no matter how much it contradicts her position as a villain.

This theory has Othinus, the Sisters, and President Roberto Katze’s support.

Stiyl Magnus has also confirmed that Melzabeth cannot read German.

Magician Citrinitas and Vice President Darris Hewlane were both successfully revealed to be villains.

The time has come to fulfill the promise made with a sobbing girl.

The only task left is to defeat a powerful foe. Do that and a happy ending awaits.

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HEAVY OBJECT:Volume18 Chapter 1

2021-08-10T12:04:13Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1:

==Chapter 1: Overture >> Attack on the Turkana District Space Elevator – Gr. Base==

===Part 1===

Mom, dad, how are you?

It’s your son, Quenser Barbotage.

I have been working hard out here. I came here as a battlefield student to study Objects, but they keep giving me work to do. And there’s always more no matter how much I do, so is there any way to escape this?

Please look after your health.

I would also appreciate it if you used your heads a little more when sending me gifts. Vacuum-packed roast beef? A ready-made white stew that’s supposed to taste just as good as a restaurant if you add hot water? Why stuff a box full of delicious safe country preserved food when the military has a cargo inspection gate it needs to pass, you stupid parents?

“Die, die, die, die!! Oh, shit! We’re gonna be overwhelmed by that guerilla charge!”

“We’re supposed to be celebrating a happy New Year, so what the hell are we doing all the way out in Africa!?”

The two idiots with sand coating their hair could not be blamed for yelling.

The shitty world was once again treating the Legitimacy Kingdom potatoes to a violent potato washing. How violent, you ask? A local guerilla group was crossing a minefield by poking at the ground with sticks and, when someone carelessly blew up a mine, the rest of the group continued pushing onwards from behind. They apparently thought they would be safe if they were a long stick’s length away when it went off, but that was not enough to escape the landmine’s effective range. The rest was just pure desperation.

The machinegun fire could not keep up.

It was like a long horizontal wave of people pushing in from the horizon.

Student Quenser Barbotage and Noble Heivia Winchell withdrew to the back of their encampment while holding a heavy machinegun and a large radio.

“Let’s contact the Princess. We can’t win this without that kind of largescale support!”

“She’s so focused on that huge thing she can’t see us down on the ground. Or are you saying you’re gonna take care of ''that thing'' for her, skinny boy!?”

The two boys had not hidden behind a large boulder or a thick concrete wall. They were behind a tank that was kept low by staying in a large hole they had dug into the dried and cracked ground.

They were less than 2m away, but they received an encrypted transmission from the digital generation girl within.

“I know I should have asked this ages ago, but how stupid are you, Heivia!? Digging a hole to hide this cutie is meaningless if you lead the enemy right to her! And this sheltered girl is worth several million euros, I might add!!”

“Shut up, Myonri!! Give that fancy villainess a good slap on the ass!! Blow them away with those explosive rounds already, you idiot!!”

Africa was a vast continent, but it could generally be divided into 6 categories.

The dry desert, or the wet greenery.

The worthless barren land, or the valuable arable land.

The undisturbed nature, or the urbanized cities.

The Turkana District was located on the equator in eastern Africa and it was best known for its enormous lakes. It was supposed to be a nature park large enough to contain the entire Island Nation with nothing but verdant forests, grassy plains, and all sorts of life as far as the eye could see, but things had changed recently.

It was so bad you wanted to avoid breathing too deeply without a mask.

Scorched sand and dry, cracked land were the only things visible out to the horizon in every direction.

“Are you kidding me? Humanity is gonna wipe itself out from destroying the environment before our wars can do us in.”

“Then how about we make these tanks electric? Cough, it reeks of diesel back here!”

Then Myonri fired an explosive round.

It was like horizontally launching a firework made of metal and gunpowder.

With a loud boom, the 45ton tank slid a bit backwards. The new shells they had received in the latest version-up for the weaponry had way too much gunpowder inside, so Quenser and Heivia were nearly crushed by the steel continuous track while leaning against the thick armor.

The shell flew along a flattened arc that looked nearly straight.

The encampment the potatoes had abandoned still had ammo cases and soap-like rations left behind. Just as the guerillas’ charge slowed somewhat by their interest in that, the shell flew in. Its coating and 2000 metal balls were propelled in all directions by the explosive force in the center of the enemy group.

A very red and very liquid explosion splattered everywhere.

Quenser and Heivia did not even have it in them to complain about the ringing in their ears from the blast.

“Ew…”

“You’re the ones that requested support, so don’t act shocked by this,” said Myonri. “You’re not a pacifist back in a safe country watching talk shows with a snack in hand.”

“Underestimate an unsatisfied housewife and you will soon fall victim to one, Myonri.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You need to be careful. It’s the defenseless types like you that those experienced housewives will prey on first. And they don’t care about gender either.”

“Commander, please check the tank’s biological weapon alert. Everyone outside seems to be living in a fantasy world!”

Myonri was learning how to make better comebacks. Major Frolaytia Capistrano’s 37th Mobile Maintenance Battalion could help a shy and nervous girl open up, but it might chip away at her prudence and refinement in the process.

At any rate, modern tanks could complete the automatic reload and smart targeting process in no time, so several more anti-personnel explosive rounds were launched to efficiently tear through the guerilla ranks.

The potatoes hiding behind the steel vehicle with nothing better to do began to cheerfully sing with their eyes shining bright.

“Guerillas, guerillas, kill the guerillas, kill them all now☆”

“One, two, three, two, two, three, four, kaboom, kaboom!!”

“Oh, god. What’s wrong with you two now? Is the gunfire rattling your heads so bad you forgot what morality is?”

The battle had become a slaughter similar to sweeping the eraser across the blackboard to eliminate all the chalk writing. But for some reason, this did nothing to stop the advance of the guerillas. The flesh-and-blood humans continued charging right at the purely industrial tank.

The two idiots finally returned to their senses.

“Why do they want to protect that big-ass thing so much!?” asked Heivia.

“It all comes down to money. Humans are the one animal willing to die for money, after all. I mean, the simple monetary value of that thing is dozens of times that of an oil field. And unlike petroleum, you don’t have to worry about this drying up. Africa has plenty of valuable resources – gold, diamonds, petroleum, rare earths – but they’ll all run out eventually. So anyone would be desperate to protect a permanent fortune that will never run out.”

“And that’s the space elevator, huh?”

Heivia groaned and leaned out from behind the tank to look far into the distance.

An ultra-tall structure stood around 2000m tall and looked as thin as a needle.

And several wires extended far, far above that like part of a string instrument.

That giant structure towered into the sky from beyond the horizon and its impossibly tall silhouette did not have a visible top because it eventually faded into the blue sky above. That was because it was so tall that the thick layer of air between blocked the light. That was the same reason high altitude spy planes could not be seen with the naked eye.

Objects were known as colossal weapons, but this thing dwarfed even them.

It was said the Tower of Babel was a symbol of humanity’s arrogance and that seemed appropriate after seeing this horrifically large structure.

That was the Space Elevator Mother Lady.

“We can see it so clearly, but we’re still 70km away, right? Not even the Island Nation’s Mt. Fuji can hold a candle to this. It’s insane.”

“And instead of the laser type that fires powerful beams into the cargo tanks’ asses, this is the wire type that was thought to be impossible. They said an SF director cried tears of joy after hearing about it.”

Since the 37th’s soldiers were here, their Object, the Baby Magnum, was as well. But there was an obvious reason why the Princess was hanging around behind the battleline instead of crushing the guerillas and driving up to Mother Lady.

A blinding lightning-like beam of light passed by them far above their heads.

But that was not the Object firing on the space elevator.

Quite the opposite.

“Goddamn that thing!!” shouted Heivia.

“It can do whatever the hell it wants with that ridiculous amount of power,” said Quenser.

“I thought we cut off its power source? It doesn’t have any power cables left intact.”

“There are several theories about that. It might have a web of power cables running underground and it might have a nuclear reactor hidden somewhere.”

“We’re talking about the world’s largest artificial structure here. They’ve essentially erected themselves an enormous silicone you-know-what out here. Y’know, starts with a ‘d’ and ends in ‘ildo’.”

“Way to show off your ignorance there, buddy. When it’s powered by a battery inside, it’s named after the vibrating it does.”

“You idiot!! Modern toys either use a USB cable or are wirelessly charged using microwaves. Now who’s showing off their ignorance!?”

“You dare question my knowledge on this subject!? How about I tell you about the latest tech that perverted safe country professors are researching in their labs? In a truly shocking turn of events, a mysterious new massager that has its own balls made from iPS cell sheets nearly impregnated the very curious housewife who volunteered to test it out!!”

“Ew, that’s just gross! What part of that is supposed to be sexy!?”

“What if I told you the perverted professor in question was single 20-year-old STEM blonde genius girl who skipped past several years of her schooling, looks amazing in glasses and high heels, and is way more into women than men?”

“Okay, you win this round. That changes everything.”

“Ah ha ha. She has an IQ of over 200, but when she got scared, she went pale and tried dumping cola down there.”

“I already said you win this round! Now you’re just showing off!!”

“What is wrong with you two!?” cut in Myonri. “Carbonated drinks don’t actually do a thing to help with that, so stop bragging about believing false information! Our entire battalion can hear your radio transmissions, you know!? Frolaytia, will you please do something to stop this ungodly stupid and disgusting conversation!?”

“Oh, now here’s a surprise. Myonri actually knew what we were talking about. And she even knows her fact from fiction on the subject.”

“Why’s that a surprise, Quenser? Anyone would get pent up stuck in a cramped tank like that. And she’s a gadget girl, so you just know she’s particular about what toys she uses.”

“Now that you mention it. I bet she’s spent some quality time with a massage chair or some VR goggles.”

“Do I need to shoot you?” warned Myonri.

The space elevator’s foundational structure extended like a spear up from the ground base. In fishing terms, that would be the rod instead of the line, but for some reason, it had an enormous laser beam cannon attached at the top.

And its power was on par with an Object.

That was why the Princess could not approach so easily. Dealing with the guerillas standing in the way would be easy enough, but if she was stopped for even a moment, Mother Lady’s laser beam would blast right through her. Quenser and the others wanted to get their Object to the elevator if at all possible. At close range, it apparently fired anti-tank coilguns down from its walls, so the infantry would be forced into a very bloody charge if they could not get the Princess to break through with her thick armor.

“What do we do? This entire mission is going to fail if we don’t hurry up.”

“Planning your moves in advance, Heivia? Since when were you so thoughtful?”

So the plan was for Quenser, Heivia, and the rest of the potatoes to clear out the surface and confirm things were safe before the Baby Magnum could charge in as quickly as possible and the Princess could use her graceful hands to tear down the base of the elevator.

The elevator was fixed in place and the Object could move.

It was obvious which one had an advantage there, yet the Princess was still unable to attack.

Quenser and the others should have been vaporized with nowhere to hide from that humongous long-range laser beam cannon, but for whatever reason, the space elevator never directly targeted the ground. Maybe it had to do with the angle of fire or the targeting system, but they could not truly rest easy without knowing the actual reason for it. When their lives were on the line, “for whatever reason” was not good enough.

“So how’d they build that thing anyway?” asked Heivia half in disgust. “It takes months to build a department store, so couldn’t we have come in here and stopped things mid-construction without having to mess with all this now?”

“They didn’t build it up from the ground. First, they secretly built the space station and then they let most of the rest drop down like a waterfall.”

“Like a waterfall?”

“The ground base looks like a huge spear sticking up into the sky, but more than 99.9% of its 100,000km length is actually carbona nanotube wires. So think of it like letting a fishing line drop down. Although the earth’s centrifugal force is apparently tugging on it.”

Conflicts were also fought in space using unmanned spacecraft and killer satellites, but there were still fewer watchful eyes up there than down on the surface. The world was a cramped place, but there was still enough room for large units to be launched into orbit as supposed radio telescopes or power generation satellites only to secretly join together into a giant robot. And nothing was as rude as attacking in the middle of a transformation sequence.

Of course, this project was much too big for the local guerillas to have done on their own.

Someone else was behind it.

“The Capitalist Corporations really do control space, don’t they?”

Specifically, the Federation of Elevator Industries.

That was a powerful space development agency started with joint funding from 7th Core, the seven major companies that controlled the home country of the Capitalist Corporations.

Online news had reported on the beginning of construction on the elevator a while back, but not much was known what had happened with it since.

“They’ve got so much tech they had time to choose between a mass driver or an elevator. They eventually did go with the elevator, though.”

“Thanks to the support of online stores, that is.” Quenser breathed an exasperated sigh. “Because an elevator that can cheaply launch large quantities of whatever into space will revolutionize distribution. Even high-altitude spy planes can’t fly any faster than Mach 6 or 7 since they have to move through the air, but in the vacuum of space, they can try to reach Mach 15 or even 20. And if they only have to drop the package ‘down’ in zero-g, they don’t even have to use up any fuel for a rocket or engine. Once the online payment goes through, a parachute-equipped container will use your location information to reach you with a margin of error of only 100cm. That gives them the ultimate delivery network that can reach anywhere on the planet and even the lunar villas in 60 minutes or less.”

“What’s the point of that? If you want to use the elevator to deliver a pizza, you’d have to take it to this desert first. And that’s true for anywhere in the world.”

“They’ve been giving it a ‘test run’ for about a year since the elevator was completed.”

It was the elevator that had turned the area into a parched desert.

That was not a change that happened overnight.

“There haven’t been any real problems with it and nothing during the test period counts as an industrial achievement. No matter how much they earn, they aren’t making any profit off of it. So no matter how many tons of deliveries they make around the world, it won’t show up in the sea of records. Or it shouldn’t have. But they got greedy. The unseen earnings grew too large and it stood out in the records.”

“Ugh.”

“The idea of ‘global coverage’ may have been too much of a draw for the 7th Core parent companies. Y’know how the ads for same day delivery always have fine print excluding certain regions or islands? They wanted to eliminate those exceptions no matter what it took. And if they’re dropping the deliveries from above, the cost of a delivery to the peak of Everest or the middle of Antarctica is no more expensive than anything else. They could even deliver to a cruise ship in international waters or to territories belonging to other world powers. The world would end flooded with even more empty delivery boxes than now, though.”

“So they wanted to fill in all the gaps, like how the number of convenience stores in a big city just keeps growing?”

“They are the Capitalist Corporations, after all. And this is funded by 7th Core that runs their home country.”

So the space elevator itself was incredibly convenient, but the biggest bottleneck was finding a place to construct it. First of all, it had to be near the equator. The carbon nanotubes used for the wires connecting the heavens with the earth were strong, but being made of carbon meant they were weak against high-voltage currents and they would easily break if thick thunderclouds moved through. So placing the elevator in the path of a hurricane would be a problem.

Since the wires had to stretch all the way up into space, they would constantly be exposed to the 2000+-degree thermosphere. That meant the material had to have some resistance to heat, but not even that was enough to endure the instantaneous temperature of 30,000 degrees caused by lightning. And the static electricity built up within a cloud’s moisture by friction could be enough to cause that.

That meant the first big question was where to locate the elevator.

The Capitalist Corporations’ Federation of Elevator Industries had apparently chosen to throw money around to win over the locals instead of slaughtering the residents of that blank zone that existed outside the four world powers. Hence why the guerillas were acting as their pawns. They were working to help, but they were not actual soldiers, so they were not counted amount the official war dead when they died. That was a valuable loophole, so the Capitalist Corporations was free to send them on reckless suicide missions like this.

The locals had given up their land for money, believing it would earn them even more money, and now they were fighting for money and dying before seeing a single dime.

“So all of this was worked into the plan? Man, I almost feel sorry for the poor bastards.”

“It’s not like the Legitimacy Kingdom is much better. We claim to be here to protect the precious natural resources, but we’re only interested in preserving the bugs and flowers here because they might just be useful for developing new drugs.” Quenser sighed while wiping off his sandy face. “I’m talking about you fancy nobles here, by the way. None of this matters at all to us commoners with common DNA. Your special genetic structures make you susceptible to fancy VIP genetic diseases, so you want to have as many possible drug ingredients as you can get just in case one of them comes in handy.”

Looking at the population alone, the commoners were an overwhelming majority, but it was the minority of royals and nobles packed full of rare DNA that decided what they would fight their wars over. That was just how the Legitimacy Kingdom did things.

“Isn’t anyone out there fighting to bring peace to the world?”

“If you don’t like it, then go do it yourself, Heivia.”

The space elevator was a colossal structure.

Just like mountain ranges and valleys altered the wind currents to produce unique forms of weather, that elevator sliced through the air currents like a giant blade, causing the wind to split out into a Y-shape. That had apparently distorted the natural winds of the region. And people suspected meteorological weapons were deployed in response to any irregular weather changes since the elevator could not have any thunderclouds passing through. Simply put, the area around the elevator was always sunny. Unnaturally so.

But anyway…

“Has the tank changed the battle’s momentum? Hey, Myonri! We’re gonna resume marching, but every round you fired detonated, right? I don’t want to be blown away by our own unexploded ordnance!!”

“How should I know? I only operated the gun as ordered. If you have any complaints with the product, direct them to the safe country defense contractor’s customer service desk.”

“I’d only get redirected around the globe twice over by automatic recordings if I tried that.”

Of course, the tank did not have unlimited ammo. Their unit did have dedicated supply vehicles that would transport new shells to them, but even with that, trying to suppress a large infantry force with only a tank’s explosive rounds was not a good plan. Sadly, the shells cost far more than unofficial soldiers did. If they did not want Major Frolaytia Capistrano to spank them with her lit kiseru after she read through the expense report later on, Quenser, Heivia, and the rest of the potatoes needed to put in a more budget-friendly effort here.

“Dammit, we’re left with two options here: avoid punishment at all costs or learn to accept the punishment as a reward,” complained Heivia.

“The problem is that Frolaytia always wears her uniform,” said Quenser. “If she would just change into black leather bondage gear, I’d let her whip me all day long.”

They wanted to change the battle’s momentum.

Now that the tank had stopped the advancing guerillas, it would be best if the infantry could resume marching while spraying machinegun fire.

“Keep in mind where the explosive rounds hit,” said Myonri. “There will be craters there and those will function as makeshift trenches. It would be best to make your attack while rushing from point to point.”

“Roger that, Myonri. That’s better than nothing on this flat desert.”

“Yeah, but if they chuck a grenade into one of those crater trenches, you can say goodbye to everyone inside it.”

The potatoes’ heavy machineguns gave a roar even louder than construction equipment demolishing a concrete building. Those were meant to be operated by a team of four, but when the soldiers emerged from behind the tank and moved across the cracked ground, they were carrying the assembled units with them in something like part of the cavalry battle game at an Island Nation sports festival.

When one of them was shooting it, the others would be running. Then they would swap positions. Of course, they would spurt blood and collapse if one of the enemy’s filthy and scratched-up bullets hit them.

There was no perfect tactic or safe ground here.

A special loophole was out of the question.

“Man, I wish I had a 5th or 6th generation powered suit right now. Tech really is the cheat code of the modern age. I wanna be the overpowered guy who doesn’t have to put any blood, sweat, or tears into winning.”

“If you want to run around in the nasty training wear someone else was using and never washed, be my guest. Keep in mind that thing covers you from head to toe. Now, I won’t kinkshame you, but don’t expect me to understand it.”

“The last person wearing it might have been an athlete schoolgirl whose sweat glitters like diamonds or a housewife who takes yoga lessons every weekday afternoon!!”

“Have you ''seen'' the people stuck working on the 37th’s front line!? It’s nothing but filthy potatoes. In what fantasy world are you finding anyone good looking out here!?”

“I heard that, Heivia,” cut in Myonri.

The 37th generally had the upper hand with only the occasional pushback from the guerillas who had become puppets of the Federation of Elevator Industries. When that happened, Myonri would fire explosive rounds from the tank to support them. The tank attempted to use as little ammo as possible by only firing on the problem areas, but seeing their own side’s shells flying by overhead was still a nerve-wracking experience. The 37th Mobile Maintenance Battalion was a truly wonderful workplace, but you could never enjoy the thrill rides at an amusement park afterwards.

Quenser shouted wide-eyed in protest, but not for any humanitarian reasons.

“Hey, don’t rely on the tank too much! Those shells are expensive! We might win the battle, but we’ll end up buried in debt!!”

“You can worry about money once we’ve won.”

They had more than just the one heavy machinegun unit. While the other infantry were spraying bullets to push back the human wave, Quenser and Heivia’s group carried the 20kg mass of metal toward the next crater. There, they began spraying their own bullets to cover for the others.

“I won’t be able to eat grilled meat for a while. There’s more human gore lying around than empty cartridges.”

“Hey, that’s a lot of nutrients and moisture, so maybe it’ll bring green back to the desert. Oh, don’t get too near the corpses, Heivia.”

“What, you think they might be playing dead? None of them are in one piece anymore!”

“''They'' aren’t, but some of their equipment is still intact. If the detonators or fuses are still live, the slightest bump could set them off. And I mean the ammo, the grenades, and…are those things the size of rugby balls rocket warheads? Y’know, the ones that cost 80 euros a pop but can blow up a tank that costs millions?”

Heivia decided to keep his distance from the chunks of meat full of unexploded ordnance.

“But that’s only when they score a surprise hit form the side, right? Myonri’s tank is way back there and shoved down in a hole we dug. They don’t have to worry about an attack from the side. Those cheap rockets and recoilless rifles don’t have homing functionality, so it’s not like they can curve around to hit the tank in the side from here.”

That was when they heard a quiet sound.

It sounded like the buzzing of a bug’s wings.

No, it was more like the motor of an electric razor.

Puzzled, the two idiots poked their heads out of the crater.

They saw a black spot in the blue sky.

No, it was a 70cm crane fly made from a lightweight aluminum frame. Or you could call it a multicopter drone supported by multiple rotors.

But instead of a delivery package, it was carrying something the size of a rugby ball.

That something was an anti-tank rocket pointed straight toward the ground.

“Really!?”

Heivia quickly turned around and prepared to shout into his radio, but he was too slow.

The rocket ignited and stabbed straight down like a lightning strike.

Right into the roof – the primary weak point – of the tank providing such powerful support from behind.

===Part 2===

Things had changed for the worse.

“The guerillas have better equipment than expected. The space elevator must have supplied it for them. Everyone, focus on making smart attacks using your electronic equipment!!”

Silver-haired and busty Major Frolaytia Capistrano’s words would have been useful had they not come so late. The two idiots really wished they could put a collar and chain on her and take her for a walk along the front line.

The actual attack was more or less just a toy made by combining a flying drone with an anti-tank rocket that some dead soldier had been holding onto. It was a lot like reusing a rocket as a landmine after losing the launcher for it – not the kind of recycling you wanted to see. But Quenser’s group had heard nothing about the sandy guerillas using multicopter drones. Drones were a niche hobby at the home electronics level, but these wireless units looked very powerful. They were fast and made almost no noise.

The student grabbed his radio.

“Wait, you dumbass!! What happened to Myonri!?”

“That jack-of-all-trades managed to escape in time. We have confirmed her survival, so worry about yourself. You can’t expect any support from her tank anymore.”

“Oh, I see. So we’re stuck out here, huh? I swear you bring us nothing but trouble!!”

“Quenser, stop taking out your frustrations on a lovely lady like me. And don’t think I’ve forgotten the sexual harassment of that highly-inappropriate conversation from before.”

“Oh, god! You heard that!?”

“You were warned: the military records everything you say.”

They would be able to last a while firing the heavy machineguns from the craters, but if the enemy could blow up a tank, they could do the same to a cluster of infantry. Once one of those drone bombs arrived overhead, the rocket would be launched straight down and the blast would fill the crater the potatoes were using to hide.

“The drones are top priority,” said Heivia. “Quenser, you’ve got nothing else to do, so use your binocs to keep an eye on the filthy sky! Don’t overlook even one! We need to shoot them down before they get here or we’re dead!!”

“Focus too much on the drones and the guerillas will reach us on the ground!!”

“Radar alert,” said a voice on the radio. “Several unnatural readings are approaching the battlefield. They are almost certainly support materials being dropped from the Mother Lady space elevator. We estimate their size to be about that of a large tour bus!! Their contents are unknown, so they could contain anything from powered suits to tanks!!”

“What the hell are we supposed to focus on first!!!???” shouted Heivia while bristling.

Despite his question, their top priority was the cargo tanks dropping from the sky. If the guerillas obtained a 120mm cannon with a gas turbine engine while the 37th’s tanks were crushed, the guerillas could make a comeback. Wars were not determined by morality or emotions. It was all about quantity and cutting-edge equipment. And no one wanted to end up on the losing end where they were devoured by a monster that had the upper hand on both counts.

“Online stores are doing same-day delivery of weapons now.”

“Doesn’t this mean they’re in geostationary orbit? They responded awfully quickly after the request down here was made. Are they launching cargo tanks with a simple coilgun or something instead of just letting them drop? In the vacuum of space, that might give them more speed than if they did the same on the surface.”

Or it was possible they had other space stations positioned in lower orbits than the main one. Like the various foods positioned down the length of a skewer sitting on a grill. That would provide plenty of defense around the elevator.

Regardless, complaining was not going to change anything.

Those unwanted gift boxes were dropping onto the battlefield and it would be a huge pain if the enemy managed to collect them.

“Myonri, I don’t care if it can’t move. How many tanks aren’t on fire yet?”

“You’re still forcing me to work after all that?”

“If you didn’t want to work, you should’ve played dead, smartypants. Now quit lying around and get to work. Since you’re amplifying your signal with a tank’s equipment, you must have already reached a surviving one, right? Anyway, you’re upwind of us, so gather smoke from that intact tank and then release it all! Hurry!!”

Far behind them, a pink smokescreen spread out like cotton candy while a tailwind pushed it toward Quenser’s group. With nothing to obstruct it, the smoke continued on and enveloped the guerillas as well. It had a toxic-looking chemical coloration, but since it was not tear gas, it would not actually stop the enemy. However, the enemy would panic until they realized that.

Also, the supplies for the guerillas were descending from high in the sky, but no matter how accurately Mother Lady dropped them, the guerillas on the ground would have trouble moving into position with the giant pink cotton candy cloud obscuring their vision.

Tech was the cheat code of the modern age, but it provided the same benefit to everyone.

Outside of the Pilot Elites who operated Objects, no special bloodline or talent was needed to operate it.

If the 37th picked up the Capitalist Corporations cargo tanks first, they could destroy them or even use the contents for themselves.

“Cough, ugh.”

“It’s a harmless health product – it even has skin-friendly collagen inside. So don’t let the placebo effect do you in, Heivia. C’mon, let’s get going. Remove the spring from the machinegun and ditch the rest.”

From here, it was all about speed.

After removing a key component from the 20kg machinegun so it would no longer function, the potatoes abandoned the heavy machinery and rushed from the edge of the crater. The smokescreen not only blocked ordinary vision, it also absorbed or reflected EM, IR, and other forms of mechanical scans. They ran through the swollen pink cumulonimbus cloud and, whenever they found a guerilla within 2m of them, Heivia would cover their mouth and slit their throat with his knife.

“Man, we’re actually doing real war stuff for once.”

“I am, maybe! You’re doing jack shit, Quenser!!”

“And what am I supposed to do with my bombs? Make a bunch of noise that draws the guerillas to us, defeating the entire purpose of the smokescreen?”

Even the largest group could be divided into nothing but individuals if their vision and means of communication were cut off. With EM blocked, everyone would be sending out panicked radio signals, so no one would question it if someone was not answering. This was not enough to wipe out a large army of course, but you could take out individuals and sneak into the enemy lines as long as the panic lasted.

Their goal was the predicted landing point for one cargo tank.

If they did not reach and destroy it before the local guerillas arrived there, the battle’s momentum could be reversed. Being killed by the very people they had been so easily defeating before would make this the worst New Years ever. They were not interested in an unpredictable rollercoaster or a surprise twist on the last two pages. Not when they were the ones who would suffer for it.

“Am I imagining it, or are there a lot fewer people around here?”

“We’re near Point D4. After dropping that thing, they have to slow it down with a parachute at the end. If the wind blows just wrong, anyone in the area could be crushed by that thing’s huge ass, so everyone’s watching from a distance until it lands.”

That meant the Legitimacy Kingdom potatoes were sweatily chasing after that big mama’s butt when not even the guerillas were interested. Happy New Year – have a new fetish. Their only choice was to assume this was one of those immortal mamas who looked just like a schoolgirl no matter how old she got.

“Heivia, prepare your shoulder-fired missile. If the guerillas reach it first, blow away the people surrounding it.”

“I’ll do it, but they’re dropping multiple cargo tanks and I can’t cover all of them.”

That was when they heard a loud boom.

It came from a good distance away.

Quenser and Heivia stared blankly for a while.

They heard a comrade speaking over an ultrasound transmission designed to travel through the smoke that blocked radar waves and IR.

“C2 here. Our cargo tank blew up from the inside! It killed Raver since he got there first!! There’s a password written on the back of his organ donor card. Someone use that to fulfill his final wish by secretly erasing his hard drive and cloud storage!!”

“Did those sons of bitches send down decoys along with the real ones!?”

Anyone trying to obstruct them would have to take out all the cargo tanks, but the recipients would be told which ones were real and could focus on those. It was a primitive but effective method.

And hadn’t Heivia said earlier that there were not many people around here?

That would suggest…

“This one’s a decoy too. Fall back, Heivia! Hurry!!”

Just as Quenser shouted and gestured his warning, the thick pink smoke was torn through by something dropping nearby. It was a hunk of metal that had been carelessly separated from its parachute in midair.

Before Heivia could even widen his eyes, a container that looked like a cross between an oblong box and a water bottle exploded from within due to the impact of the fall.

===Part 3===

Lieutenant Milinda Brantini was a member of the Legitimacy Kingdom’s 37th Mobile Maintenance Battalion.

She was commonly referred to as the Princess.

She was the Pilot Elite who operated the Baby Magnum, a multirole First Generation Object with 7 main cannons and an upside-down Y-shaped propulsion device, so you could say that every one of the battalion’s nearly 1000 soldiers – from the sentries to the commander – had all been deployed to allow her to fight to her fullest. She had short blonde hair and pale blue eyes, she never batted an eye no matter what might happen, and she would move swiftly and aim accurately to protect the battalion and defeat the enemy. She had a beauty so great it could not even be compared to anything as cliché as ice.

“Bwuh…it’s ''so'' hot. Why does the A/C have to be broken???”

But this…this had broken her.

She was in no state to be seen at present.

The sweaty girl sat limply in the cockpit located at the center of her nuke-resistant Object. But she was not exhausted after moving that 200,000ton mass around with MMA-like footwork. It was hot. Just plain hot. Wiping off her brow did little to stem the flow of sweat.

Silver-haired and busty Frolaytia breathed an exasperated sigh on a small window on the cockpit screen.

“That cockpit was designed to endure a nuclear attack, so of course it can’t take in outside air. Your own body heat is trapped in there, so blame yourself☆”

“Ayyy seee.”

“I do feel bad about that, but there was no room in the schedule to fix it. Oh, and the transport plane carrying the new one was just shot down by the elevator’s anti-air lasers. I honestly have no idea when the next one can arrive, so you’ll be better off finishing this job so you can leave that cockpit than continuing to stew in your own sweat. It’s 28 degrees with 40% humidity out here, which is even nicer than Hawaii.”

Their commander was apparently lounging on a beach chair with a cold drink in hand. She was of course positioned somewhere that no snipers or mortars could easily target her, but it was still wrong to be commanding your troops while wearing a bikini, sipping on a colorful soda, and munching on assorted fruits.

[[Image:HO_v18_BW1.jpg|thumb]]

As the legend foretold, the Princess did not bat an eye.

Her expression remained entirely blank as she puffed out her cheeks like a squirrel.

“I can’t take it anymore.”

“Hey, wait!”

She quickly stripped off her blue skintight special suit. She freed her pink-flushed nape and then the entirety of her back. She unzipped the suit, removed the sleeves, and then pulled it down to her hips.

Her sports bra left her flat tummy visible, but she was beyond caring. She shook her head like a puppy wet from the rain and drops of sweat flew from her.

This was enough for Frolaytia to sit up from her beach chair.

“That special suit helps fight the Gs and protect you from impacts.”

“You don’t get to talk when you’re lying around in a bikini.” The heat must have really gotten to her because the Princess did not even try to hide her flushed skin as she replied in a gloomy way. “And I’ll be fine. Nothing is going to happen anytime soon.”

“That kind of carelessness is exactly what-”

“I’ll be fine,” she reiterated. Still with no expression on her face.

It was true that the attack on the Capitalist Corporations space elevator was essentially at a stalemate. The Baby Magnum should have been at an advantage since it could move and the space elevator was immobile, yet she was stuck here and unable to attack. The space elevator effectively had more firepower than the Object.

(But Objects are supposed to be the strongest weapons.)

She pouted her lips like a small child and reached around toward the minifridge installed behind her seat. She felt around for a pouch of ice-cold jelly drink and pulled it out.

“Unyahhh.”

Instead of quenching her thirst with it, she first held it between her flushed cheek and shoulder to let the chilliness soothe her soul.

“Mother Lady has two main attacks,” she said. “The ultra-long-range laser beam that it fires horizontally from the top of the spear-like structure, and the artificial meteor shower attack that it calls down from outside the atmosphere.”

There were also close-range coilguns on the side of the elevator, but those were only anti-tank weapons and Object armor could shrug them off.

“The laser beam has a range of about 700km and the artificial meteor shower uses chunks of depleted uranium and tungsten alloy,” said Frolaytia. “Just one of those hitting the ground creates a crater on par with a small nuclear warhead, but we’re talking about 100 to 1000 of them.”

That might sound like a truly horrifying attack, but they were only hunks of metal with no rockets or tail fins. And Objects were designed to perfectly intercept a MaRV that’s movement was controlled by a program or a MIRV-class nuclear warhead that scattered nuclear weapons across a set area.

With the anti-air laser beam weapons covering the spherical main body’s surface like a sea urchin or chestnut burr, it would not miss a single one. And when something was entering the atmosphere, the slightest crack would increase the air friction to the point that it broke apart and created a massive shockwave. She could actually use the high altitude from which the artificial meteor shower was dropped. After determining its distribution, she could shoot down a bare minimum of the pieces so that the resulting shockwaves would hit the surrounding pieces, causing them to break apart, and resulting in a chain reaction. Even if 100 or 1000 artificial “meteors” filled the African sky, she did not have to target each and every one of them individually.

“Get too relaxed there and they’ll attack,” warned Frolaytia.

“I know.”

The Princess held the drink pouch between her thighs.

With her hands free, she grabbed the grips on either side and kicked the Object to the right.

The dust and moisture in the air were scorched orange as a powerful beam passed by just barely to her side.

She had only moved one Object’s-width to the side, but that meant the 200,000ton mass had moved 50m at more than 500km/h. It had to have whipped up a wind more powerful than when a train passed through a subway tunnel.

It was so easy she did not even bother humming.

“I’m so bored.”

“But you can’t move in any closer.”

Construction equipment had been used to dig into the ground around the space elevator and pour in static-absorbing gel, barbed wire coils thicker than a tunnel had been set up, and other Object-obstruction methods had been implemented. She might be able to power her way through all of them, but if they slowed her at all, she would be pummeled by the thick laser beams and artificial meteor shower.

That meant this was a job for the infantry.

She must have been too hot to care because the Princess kept the pouch of jelly drink in a fairly indecent place as she continued the conversation.

“But with a range of 700, I don’t see how Quenser and the others can get close either.”

Keep in mind that the units here were not in meters.

“It never fires its laser beam into the ground,” said Frolaytia. “That might be because the ground would rapidly absorb the heat and produce an unnatural updraft that could produce clouds not in their meteorological data. Mother Lady’s wires are carbon nanotubes, so they’re strong against impacts but weak to electricity.”

And if they had a weakness like that, it was best to take advantage of it. The Princess fired her high-power laser beams onto the empty ground while making sure not to hit any of her allies or the battalion’s vehicles.

(Sigh, why is the world’s strongest weapon doing a rain dance?)

“Princess, um, shouldn’t you put your top back on soon?”

“It’s not like Quenser and the others can see me.”

“You’re as careless as the people who bring a tablet with a camera into the bathroom with them. Now, I might not care that much, but I’m worried about the old maintenance lady’s blood pressure. Are you trying to get her to lecture you?”

The Princess ignored that kind warning and continued to fire her main cannons.

But this time, not to indirectly create unexpected thunderclouds.

She tried directly targeting the elevator, but her laser beams and railguns curved unnaturally before reaching it.

Heat.

Smoke.

Water.

Sand.

To avoid clouds, the enemy had to have some way of manipulating the atmosphere. She could not hope to hit just by adjusting for a margin of error.

EM and IR weapon lock-ons were well-known, but that was why so many countermeasures existed. And sometimes pushing for quantity could reduce accuracy.

By spreading around iron sand or gel to increase the density of the air, shells that pushed through the air resistance would have their trajectory distorted and laser beams would attenuate.

That was why she could not score a clean hit on the stationary elevator that she could plainly see in front of her.

Long-range attacks were not good enough. If she wanted to force her attacks through that interference, she would have to move in closer.

It towered into the heavens so conspicuously, yet she could not hit it. It felt like trying to attack a divine spear made out of a mirage.

The colossal landmark seemed to entirely rewrite the rules of war.

This was different from all of her previous battles.

(It’s no fun at all.)

The frustration building in her body must have caused her to tense up too much.

“Hyah!”

Her thigh pressure grew too great for the cap of the jelly drink held against her teenage crotch because it popped off and the heavy liquid within splattered across her body. She reached up to touch her cheek and bangs before growing somewhat tearful.

“Ugh, this is the worst.”

“Princess, I know you didn’t mean to do that, but the old lady is definitely lecturing you until morning this time.”

===Part 4===

Things could hardly be worse.

The cargo tank must have been loaded with something like tank shells with their fuses swapped out. With those van-sized containers packed full, this reached the level of a small aerial bombing. The blasts and shockwaves covered a radius of 200m.

The only reason Quenser and Heivia were not turned to mincemeat was due to falling into a thick trench in the dry ground. There were traces of concrete mixed in with the scorching sand. This must have originally been an agricultural irrigation ditch, but it had completely dried up.

“We’re dead. We are so dead. That big mama’s ass exploded in our faces. That ultra-heavyweight mama has no tact at all. Don’t just fart in people’s faces.”

“More importantly, what happened with the real cargo tanks? The guerillas didn’t collect them, did they!?”

The smoke would not cover the battlefield forever. The wind had grown stronger, so Quenser and Heivia made certain they did not stick their heads above the former irrigation ditch. They watched as the cotton candy cleared away overhead, revealing the brutal near-equator sun overhead once more.

With the pink smokescreen gone, they switched from ultrasound to ordinary encrypted radio for their transmissions.

Their 18-year-old leader, Frolaytia Capistrano, had this to say:

“A9 failed to reach their target. I repeat, failed to reach their target. The guerillas have entered the cargo tank. The threat level just increased, so be on your guard!!”

“Shut up! If you don’t like it, get out here and do it yourself!! Oh, this isn’t good! The adrenaline is hitting me in all the wrong ways!”

They were not going to fix anything by saying unwise things much like someone in a sleep-deprived high after trying and failing to get to sleep. It would only get them in trouble later on, so wise Quenser asked about something else.

“Frolaytia, what weapon did the guerillas obtain?”

“Hm, hmmm.”

“Look at the screen and stop covering your eyes!! I’ll record any more of those naughty-sounding groans, so please just tell us the bad news already!!”

He really wanted their beautiful and capable adult of a commander to understand the simple fact that they were the ones who wanted to cry. Please.

Finally, the silver-haired and busty commander responded.

“They managed to acquire some of the UGV22 Lunchboxes used by the Capitalist Corporations. They now have around 20 of those unmanned ground vehicles.”

“Unmanned!?”

“The enemy must like packing things in tight to fit 20 of those in a single cargo tank. What are they, a Class Rep or a young housewife? Each one is 3m long, weighs 2 tons, and has 50cm-thick armor on the front. Their primary weapons are a heavy machinegun and a grenade launcher. They’ve made those small things as tough as an armored truck and they can charge right into a barrage since they’re unmanned. Do not let them near you because they will ignite their remaining ammo to self-destruct if they’re immobilized. I don’t want to waste our human primates on those masses of metal and silicon, so prepare for electronic warfare!!”

Armored trucks had thin armor compared to tanks, but they were still too much for an assault rifle or grenade to handle. These unmanned vehicles were apparently only 3m long, but since they did not need any space for anyone inside, they could be packed in tight to reduce the size of the entire weapon.

They might as well have had 3m hunks of metal coming for them.

That was a problem.

No one wanted to try punching or kicking something like that and throwing rocks from afar would do nothing to slow them. They would always move at a constant speed and attack with deadly accuracy. They did not even care if they stepped in dog doo.

“What do we do? We left our machinegun in that crater and the others in this area will have already retrieved it. We only have its spring! This thing won’t not even satisfy a bored housewife!!”

“Quit flopping that thing around, Heivia. Argh, why’d the smokescreen have to clear up now? If we don’t find another way to stop those things, they’ll turn us to Swiss cheese from a safe distance.”

They only had so many shoulder-fired missiles and it would be foolish for the humans to raise a war cry and go charging in against remote-controlled toys. They were fighting with their one and only life which could not be repaired or replaced if something happened to it. Their best bet was to find some way to cut off the guerillas’ line of communication, cause a malfunction in the unmanned weapons’ circuitry, or otherwise avoid fighting them altogether.

“Hey, what do we do?” asked Heivia. “Unmanned weapons were supposed to be our thing. I don’t wanna fight a war with inferior tech, so I vote we go home.”

“How in the world did you look at that enormous elevator and conclude we had the superior tech here? Besides, the guerillas are only borrowing those things from the Capitalist Corporations. Come with me, Heivia, this has turned into a battle of engineering. Those guerillas haven’t read the manual and just assume they know what they’re doing, just like pretty much everyone with their phones, so let’s show them how wrong they are.”

===Part 5===

However, things did not always work out the way you wanted.

“Never mind! I was wrong! Retreat, retreat!!”

“I should really tie up that overconfident skinny boy and leave him out here!!!!!!”

===Part 6===

Quenser and Heivia rolled into a crack in the dry ground while pursued by the roar of an automatically swiveling heavy machinegun that scattered 700 bullets a minute. And each of those bullets was the same size as the 12.7mm ones used in anti-materiel rifles. A graze to the thigh would be enough to tear off the leg like wringing a rag.

The bugs hiding in a gap in the ground groaned while protecting their heads with their hands.

“This is worse than I imagined!!”

“Why do you always do this!? You’re always so shocked every time some new Object shows up!! Why give the enemy the reaction they want!?”

Quenser had tried to use an attack that was harmless to people but deadly to machines: heat, EM waves, dust, dirt, static, moisture, etc. Unmanned weapons were giant communication devices encased in thick armor. Just like with a phone or computer, machines had plenty of weaknesses unique to themselves.

Or so the theory goes. But…

“Damn, it didn’t work. They’re completely airtight, so no dust or moisture can get in. What kind of cooling system do they use? I didn’t see the wire mesh for a radiator. Do those bastards use stylish fully-enclosed liquid cooling!?”

“Keep bragging about the enemy’s specs and I’m shoving my magnum in your yapping mouth, skinny boy!!”

They heard the sound of metal panels scraping together.

Those 3m box-shaped machines called Lunchboxes did not need any space for someone inside, so they were filled with armor instead. That made them heavy. They were only about 2 tons, but that was still too much for skinny tires that matched their size.

“Are you kidding me with these brand-new things? They’re all bright and shiny like at a motor show.”

“That isn’t just paint or wax.”

Quenser and Heivia were lucky the Lunchboxes’ weight prevented them from moving very fast. They traveled at about the speed of a scooter while suppressing the enemy with their machinegun and grenades. Instead of nimbly pursuing their target, they were likely meant to be placed at a particular point to prevent anyone from getting through. By generally surrounding a target with several of them, they could then slowly close in on the target.

But as Quenser and Heivia were pushed back by them, the fear was much like being slowly crushed by the moving walls in some ancient ruins. They were already within range of the barrage. At this rate, the unmanned weapons would catch up to them on their continuous tracks, but carelessly sticking their heads up from the crack in the ground would only get their torso torn in two by anti-materiel bullets.

Quenser looked up into the slice of the blue sky he could see out of the crack.

“From the way they move, I’m guessing they’re operated remotely instead of using a program to patrol a set area. Can’t our side jam them or something?”

“They refuse to attempt something when they know they’ll fail. Since it detracts from their score. Have you forgotten what we’re up against here, Quenser? The Mother Lady space elevator. That thing moves the elevator cars by blasting them with microwaves from the surface to get the motor running. And the Capitalist Corporations controls everything in space up above. Their signals are more powerful than ours, so we can’t forcibly jam theirs.”

“Wait, that would mean…ah, ah, ahhhh!?”

Deafening static pierced his head from right to left, so he grimaced and removed his earphone.

His mobile device might as well have been a ceramic tile.

The emblem on the corner of the screen said he had no signal.

“The data link is down.”

“So’s the radio. Damn, what century of warfare are we fighting now!?”

This is what happened when your side’s communications equipment was inferior. The guerillas protecting the space elevator could communicate and coordinate all they liked, but the 37th had to figure things out individually. Their maps were no longer updating, leaving them in the dark as to what was happening, where their enemies and allies were located, what the current timetable was, or even where they were located themselves. And since they could not share their own locations, there was a chance that the Princess would blow them away with an attack. Luring them in and then cutting off their communications was downright cruel.

The Legitimacy Kingdom was one of the four world powers, so they would not normally run into this kind of trouble.

That showed just how unusual this battle against the space elevator was.

“What do we do?” asked Heivia. “We’ll get lost out here if we’re not careful. Do we just charge toward Mother Lady as the most obvious landmark?”

“And die just like Frolaytia taught us to!? Anyway, be quiet, Heivia. One of those unmanned weapons is coming, so shut up!”

Some sand came away from the walls as the ground shook from continuous tracks similar to on construction equipment. It was close.

Quenser and Heivia curled up at the bottom of the crack just before the sunlight was blocked.

A Lunchbox was passing by directly above the narrow crack in the ground.

“––––––!?”

“(Settle down, you noble chicken! Do I need to stuff a handkerchief in your mouth!?)”

Dust was falling down on their heads and the sunlight could not reach them. Quenser felt a squeezing in his heart as the 2 tons of thick metal passed by overhead. If they were discovered, they were dead, but it could also lose its balance and crush them to death. At this point, his life was entirely in the hands of luck.

Looking up, he saw the metal belly of the machine and the track thicker than a chainsaw.

The bottom was not as shiny as a sportscar.

It symbolized death as much as falling rocks or a cave-in, but there was nothing more there. The lunchbox did not have any cameras or sensors to detect anyone below it. Of course, it was only 3m long and did not sit very high up from the ground, so there would not normally be enough of a gap for someone to crawl underneath it.

Yet Quenser saw no opening here.

A tank could not fire from too close to avoid being caught in the blast or hit by a ricochet, but this thing was unmanned. It would not have to worry about human damage. The instant it noticed them, the fireworks show would begin.

Unlike the tank Myonri had been using, he did not smell any exhaust. Was it actually electric despite weighing so much?

It must have only taken 10 seconds to pass by, but that felt maddeningly long.

The Capitalist Corporations unmanned ground vehicle passed above the two idiots, but Heivia still did not stick his head out of the crack for a while.

“What now? We’re past their defensive line!”

“Why should we do all the work? Myonri and the others have their tanks back there, so they can blast through that thick armor with-”

Quenser trailed off when he realized something.

The Capitalist Corporations’ Federation of Elevator Industries was jamming them using the microwave bases surrounding the ground base and the many military stations built up in space, so Quenser and Heivia could not communicate or use their datalink to tell their allies where they were.

What if the tanks began their own individual attacks right now?

The Legitimacy Kingdom would want to do something about the slow-moving but thick-armored Lunchboxes, so those would be the top priority target at the moment.

But. Would the others notice that the two idiots were hiding in a crack not 10m away from this one?

“W-we need to use a smoke bomb!! What’s the color for an emergency signal!?”

They did not have time for that.

A shell flew in from a Legitimacy Kingdom tank.

It very kindly knocked them unconscious as it blew them away.

===Part 7===

[[Image:HO_v18_BW2.jpg|thumb]]

Quenser Barbotage was being dragged.

He could not tell up from down and his memory was still fuzzy, but he could tell someone was holding him by the arms and dragging him.

Wherever he was, it was dark, but he could not figure out if it was a cave or a basement somewhere.

“Ah, ugh?”

“(Stay quiet if you want to live.)”

A suppressed male voice brought the blood rapidly back to the student’s head. His mind quickly regained its focus.

Who was this?

At the very least, it did not seem to be Heivia Winchell.

“You’re one of the foreign soldiers, aren’t you? You might not want treatment from a blank zone doctor with far from the latest equipment, but it’s better than dying. Listen, you need to stay still. I disinfected you and stopped the bleeding, but I don’t have any real equipment here. I can’t even guess what state your bones or organs are in.”

“Who…are you?”

“Braskine Mintfrappe.”

The young man slowly named himself.

He had dark skin and short black hair. He was wearing a desert military uniform, but he also wore a starched white coat over that. He was tall and fairly muscular, but it looked somehow calculated. Like he had intentionally built up that muscle instead of coming by it naturally.

That family name was unfamiliar, so he was probably native to this blank zone instead of any of the four world powers.

“You people might see someone like me as no more than a witch doctor, but I’ll have you know I studied medicine in Berlin when I was younger. I never managed to spread that knowledge after returning here, though.”

In that case…

“You’re with the guerill- agh!?”

Quenser tried to roll away from the man, but every last joint in his body cried out in pain.

The man named Braskine shook his head.

“I said I don’t know what state your bones and organs are in, remember? You might have been hiding below ground level, but you were still in the lethal range of that shaped charge. I held off on giving you morphine so I wouldn’t medicate you without your consent, but how about now?”

Now it was Quenser’s turn to shake his head while trying to catch his breath. He was not trusting enough to let some random person inject him with something.

Anyway, it turned out miracles did happen.

In that last moment, Quenser and Heivia had been hiding in a crack in the dried ground. That very ground must have been blown away (by the tank gun operated by that dumbass Myonri), but the crack must not have fully collapsed since Quenser was still in one piece. And how had this supposed doctor collected him from the crack while the tank and the unmanned weapon fought?

That question had a simple answer.

“The battleline has moved on. The tank and unmanned ground vehicle can both move, so the frontline left you two behind while you slept.”

“Dammit.”

Quenser was not going to just believe everything this guy told him, but that did seem like the only real possibility.

He had thought the area was so dark because this was a cave with thick bedrock overhead, but it was just that enough time had passed for the sun to fall beyond the horizon.

He had been abandoned out here for that long.

Essentially, he had fallen into enemy hands. The largescale jamming from the parabolic antennas on the ground and the space station up above meant his radio and datalink were useless. That made it unlikely the operator in the maintenance base zone was monitoring his location.

Help was not on its way.

He slowly breathed out before checking on something.

“You said ‘you two’.”

“I treated another boy in the same uniform as you. Over there.”

Quenser intentionally avoided mentioning any names, but Braskine gestured with his chin toward where Private Heivia Winchell was lying sprawled out on the ground. Shockingly, his large handgun remained in its holster. Whatever this man’s intentions were, he must not have been interested in confiscating their weapons.

A small old truck and a roofless buggy sat nearby.

No, the doctor had probably carried the buggy out here in the back of the truck. The cheap emblems told Quenser both vehicles were Island Nation brands. That country had withdrawn into partial isolationism, so it was unclear how these had made their way all the way to Africa.

“Can you drive?” Braskine dropped a simple key without a keychain into Quenser’s hand. “Then you can take the buggy. Load your friend in there and hurry back to your maintenance base.”

“Are you sure about that? If we return alive, we’ll report everything that happened. If you’re walking around without any real weapons while the Legitimacy Kingdom and Capitalist Corporations clash here, you must have some kind of secret route, be it tunnels or pipelines.”

“Keeping you here would be a bigger problem,” spat out the man. “What if your people put together a largescale rescue mission for you two? That benevolent act of charity will keep the war going. My job is to treat the wounded, so I don’t want your people hurting anyone else.”

“You’re with the guerillas, so don’t you want to protect the elevator no matter what?”

“Mother Lady has brought us money. A lot of money. Over the nine-month test period, the Turkana District has probably become the wealthiest part of Africa. And with the profits going unrecorded since it’s all supposed to be a simple test. I bet we’re doing even better than the diamond mines or the water business.”

He sounded bitter, so he must have noticed this was not exactly a good thing.

“But wealth doesn’t necessarily bring happiness. We’re going through lives even faster than we used to. Clutching a still-unpaid contract in your hand doesn’t do you any good when you take a bullet and die.”

“…”

The Capitalist Corporations were using the local guerillas knowing what it would mean for them.

They had bought up the land for the space elevator and made lucrative promises to be fulfilled after the elevator’s completion to hire a defense force against the other world powers. And if those defenders died before the Capitalist Corporations had to pay them, all the better.

Even when the locals realized they had been betrayed, they could not turn their weapons on the elevator.

Why not?

They had abandoned their old lives and invested in this new path. That had earned them some new wealth. Could they really throw out that new life and redo things just because they knew it was wrong?

They could not.

Humans could not fight the new desires they discovered. Like TV, air conditioning, online shopping, refrigerators, convenience stores, microwaves, delivery drones, and smartphones. It was the same for everyone. No one could give up everything and return to a more natural life just because people had lived that way a hundred years ago.

Without the space elevator, the world powers would lose all interest in this region. The test period was only a test. If the results were unsatisfactory and it was branded a failure, the Capitalist Corporations would be freed of their obligation to build bases and cities here. All that would remain was the dry and cracked desert.

And they would no longer need to maintain the high-level infrastructure they had put in place.

The locals would have been given a taste of a more comfortable life only for the tap to be shut off. That was the same method used by rotten drug dealers on the streets who would initially sell their white powder for almost nothing to get people addicted before they jacked up the prices.

In that sense, it was a very Capitalist Corporations negotiating tactic.

On the other hand, Quenser had no right to criticize them. The Legitimacy Kingdom only cared about the Turkana District for its flora and fauna that ''might'' make a useful drug. The minority of royals and nobles had sent in everyone from the royals to the commoners because they feared a genetic bomb that their special genealogy ''might'' possess.

Did no one at all care about the local people?

Was that why the locals had been left with no choice but to fight as guerillas?

And then even that decision had been used against them?

“We never should have agreed to it,” said Braskine Mintfrappe, the doctor who had helped caused all this through the pursuit of happiness. “We made a fatal error with our very first decision. We’ve worried over every decision since, trying to do the best thing at every fork in the road, but we were already stuck on a path straight toward the precipice.”

===Part 8===

Things were going well.

The space elevator was the largest structure in human history, but that also meant it had an absurd amount of secondary facilities and equipment. Enough so that the infrastructure for a whole city was not enough. The entire region’s water was sucked up for cooling purposes, a massive amount of power was needed, and powerful microwave was used to wirelessly send power to the elevator car.

A Legitimacy Kingdom tank traveled through the pitch-black night without even a single streetlight.

With a crew of four teenage girls, the inside ended up smelling awfully sweet. Specifically, it smelled of deodorant spray.

“We will have control of the #4 parabolic antenna power transmission station soon! Send the fuel and ammo supply unit this way! We will move on ahead once we have resupplied!!”

The tank commander, who was a bit older than the rest, pulled a moistened towel from the small fridge and placed it against the back of her overheated neck.

“Myonri, we’re being jammed, so the maintenance base can’t hear you.”

“There are four of us crammed in here, so can’t one of us at last shine some laser art on the night sky to communicate!?”

Whoever made the suggestion was generally stuck with doing it. Especially when they were the lowest ranking member. Myonri grew tearful as she was handed a special ray gun with a barrel about as thick as a relay baton, but she had no choice but to push open the manhole-like metal hatch and poke her head out from the sweet-smelling tank.

Needless to say, that ray gun was not a next-gen portable superweapon.

It was a backup signal device that could send instructions to their allies by drawing out lines not visible with the naked eye. They were used to prevent friendly fire during a nighttime aerial bombing or to call for rescue when stuck out on the battlefield, so it was a useful piece of equipment everyone much preferred to never have to use.

“I have plenty of qualifications, so I really need to see about getting a transfer.”

“I heard that, Myonri.”

“I really, really need a transfer!!”

Just as the short-haired girl tearfully bit her lip, she saw a flash of light in the night sky.

It almost looked like a shooting star, except it was not alone.

The night sky was soon filled with a wild dance of light.

“I-is there an alert!?”

“Why?”

“It’s that elevator!! Mother Lady!!”

She did not hear a single electronic tone from within the tank before the explosive boom pounded on her eardrums.

It came from beyond the horizon.

In a long horizontal line as far as the eye could see, a terrifying dust cloud rose several dozen meters into the air. And instead of stopping there, more explosions occurred a bit in front of that after a short pause. The pattern repeated like that, moving ever closer. The desert was filled with explosive blasts just like an industrial printer filling a blank piece of copy paper with small text.

And the explosions were gradually approaching their position.

(The artificial meteor shower!? Are the Capitalist Corporations sending down a storm of titanium or tungsten alloy!?)

“Noooo!?”

Myonri forgot to even duck back into the tank as she screamed.

Didn’t each and every one of those falling titanium or tungsten pieces rival a nuclear warhead in destructive power?

The entire scenery was obliterated by the solid walls of destruction that were spaced out enough to avoid any overlap in explosions.

Even if Myonri did duck inside the tank, the entire vehicle would be blown away. This was worse than gathering clams on the beach at low tide. This was like tearing up the entire beach with a cultivator’s row of rotating blades. Any clam that shut itself up tight would only be smashed to pieces.

Just then, a bluish-white beam of light shot up from the surface and blew away the evenly-spaced downpour of death.

A huge hole was torn into the lights in the sky. The hole had a diameter of more than 3km. That area of darkness remained as the lights descended, allowing Myonri’s group to survive, like they had been in the gap of a falling ceiling. It felt a lot like being forced through a ring of fire.

The beam of light had been a low-stability plasma cannon.

Myonri covered her mouth and nose against the powerful cloud of dust that filled the air and she saw a giant silhouette through that filthy screen.

That was the First Generation Baby Magnum.

The all-purpose multirole was an older model, but that was why it was actually capable of intercepting ballistic missiles. Thanks to the various methods of obstruction that messed with its targeting and the paths of its projectiles, it could not attack the stationary elevator without moving in close, but it could still protect the 37th while they were within that range.

“W-we’re alive?”

The artificial meteor shower continued to fall, but it was more definitive this time. More artificial light was launched upwards to fill the starry sky and protect the soldiers down on the desert.

“Our guardian deity,” said a sweaty and hotblooded girl inside the tank.

Their datalink was down thanks to the enemy jamming, but people had to be saying much the same thing all across the battlefield. In fact, a stadium-like cheer shook the desert night just a few seconds later.

“Ohhhhhh!! We have a guardian deity. We aren’t going to die here!! This battle is ours!!”

===Part 9===

Meanwhile, the Princess’s small butt had slid forward from its usual position.

She was operating the control sticks with her toes.

She had unintentionally taken a position where her legs formed an M as she muttered expressionlessly to herself.

“I’m so bored.”

===Part 10===

More low rumblings came from elsewhere. The “copy machine” was running somewhere else. The battlefield was tilled from one end to the other, destroying everything manmade along the way.

Tens of thousands of titanium or tungsten alloy pieces dropped from satellite orbit.

It was known as an artificial meteor shower.

The Princess was tearing holes through that to protect them, but it was too soon to celebrate. The Baby Magnum was just one Object. She would be overwhelmed if too many requests for support came in. Once that happened, she would start with protecting whatever was most strategically valuable. The potatoes stuffed inside a tin can of composite armor would not make the cut there.

Their safety was not assured unless they took matters into their own hands.

(But what exactly are we supposed to do?)

Myonri was at a loss when she heard a voice from within the tank.

“Myonri, they aren’t using radar or IR. I can only guess, but they’re probably targeting us by directly looking down at us with lenses in the sky.”

“…”

“That’s why we aren’t receiving any alerts in advance. We’re already done for once the night sky lights up. Their warheads aren’t using tricky chemistry or nuclear physics. They can rival a small nuke just by dropping garbage on us, so they won’t feel any need to hold back.”

They could do the same thing anywhere in the world, battlefield country or safe country, without worrying about air superiority or an invasion route. And they could drop as much as they wanted. This could be used for more than just general aerial bombings. If they were hooked up to a city’s security cameras, they could track an individual. And once they had a lock, that person could not escape no matter how many times they fled all the way around the globe.

Now was no time to worry about appearances.

When Myonri took a look out from the tank again, she saw that the #4 parabolic antenna power transmission station they were meant to take over had been torn to shreds. That station was necessary to send up the elevator car and there would have been staff still working inside, not to mention the many guerilla soldiers defending the perimeter.

But the enemy had shown no mercy.

The Capitalist Corporations determined people’s value based on the size of their savings and salary, but this still felt excessively callous. They had destroyed their assets rather than let them fall into enemy hands. Whether it was a cornerstone of the jamming or whatever else, the number suggested there were other parabolic antenna power transmission stations. Hence the arrogance of their decision.

Even if someone fought for everyone’s sake and achieved record-breaking results, they would still be thrown out the instant that was more convenient.

(Isn’t there something?)

Myonri thought to herself almost as if praying.

(Isn’t there something we can do? Something that will turn the tide here!?)

===Part 11===

The M became a V.

The Princess had detected a change in the battlefield’s momentum, so her slender legs had stretched upwards in alarm. However…

“Ow!? Leg cramp!!”

Thanks to that, she was slow to provide assistance.

A monotone beeping filled the sealed cockpit.

The change had begun with a transmission. She had detected a coded transmission using ultrasound that was not influenced by the jamming. It came from the maintenance base zone far behind her.

“Princess!!”

“I-I am only accepting good news right now.”

“Then you might as well destroy all of your communication equipment. I don’t want to tell you this anymore than you want to hear it.”

The conversation with Frolaytia continued a while longer.

Something had changed.

But not all changes were for the better. And it was no use complaining after the fact.

“I can’t believe this.”

The Princess tearfully placed her hand on her right big toe and pulled it toward her while using just her other hand to accurately operate the Baby Magnum’s anti-air weaponry.

“This really is mind-numbingly boring,” she said. “Aren’t there any more exciting battles we could be fighting?”

“Getting addicted to war is a good way to end the world, you know?”

===Part 12===

Myonri heard more and more explosions, but she could no longer tell if those meant she had been saved or abandoned to die.

Everything falling from the heavens rivaled a nuclear warhead and the Object intercepted them with extreme low-stability plasma cannons. It was the most apocalyptic fireworks show ever.

A staticky voice managed to break through the powerful wide-range jamming to reach Myonri’s ears.

“I’m so bored.”

It was the Princess.

Her communications equipment was on the level of an entire radar station, so she was using that to force her way through the jamming.

And the first words out of her mouth were not what Myonri wanted to hear.

They might as well have been a death sentence.

“Wait, what’s this? Is she losing interest in the battle? Oh, no! I’ll play a word game with you, read you a book, or whatever it takes! Just don’t get bored! Please don’t go home and leave us here!!”

Myonri paled and shouted in desperation, but there was no response.

The jamming must have prevented the Object from receiving anything from the tank. She simply heard the Princess’s flat voice accompanied by intense static.

“I mean, that’s just bullying the weak locals here. If the Legitimacy Kingdom decides this is a good way to use Objects, they’ll never be able to stop. This war is not going to end well at this rate.”

“?”

“Check through the peephole.”

Myonri grabbed the grip of the heavy machinegun attached in front of the hatch. She was interested in its multipurpose scope. She looked through that to see several lines of light in the night sky that were not visible with the naked eye. They were either infrared or ultraviolet. They flashed red, red, blue to mean “major damage”.

Other invisible lines of light rose from a different angle. Those came from the maintenance base zone.

They flashed blue, red, blue. Then red, red, red.

The two signals meant “retaliation operation, get ready.”

The atmosphere in Myonri’s tank grew heavier. This was different than the fear of being killed.

And the Princess again spoke over the radio with a sigh in her voice.

“This really is boring. Maybe I should run away to a tropical island.”

===Part 13===

Quenser held the assault rifle he had borrowed from unconscious Heivia.

He needed the multipurpose scope.

He had thought he saw something flashing in the sky. Infrared and ultraviolet were not normally visible, but the diffusion and diffraction caused by atmospheric conditions and sand in the air could alter the wavelength. The lines in the night sky could be understood by anyone with the appropriate equipment and knowledge of the code.

“Wait, wait, wait! Why are bigshots in the base making that decision for us!?”

“Because the elevator attacked you.”

Quenser saw a small light in the darkness. The guerilla doctor named Braskine had placed a frying pan on top of a portable camping stove.

His response was made with a hateful tone even though that attack should have been exactly what his side needed.

“The elevator’s artificial meteor shower hits everything from the front line to the base in the rear. Those officers with chests full of medals assume they’ll be safe as long as they send their troops out as cannon fodder, so it was probably a surprise when they found they were in danger too.”

“You mean our busty commander…I mean, uh, Frolaytia feels that way too!?”

“Fro-? I don’t know how your chain of command works, but that artificial meteor shower can be sent anywhere in the world. Your safe countries and home country are no exception. It’s possible this didn’t come from the local commander in charge of your maintenance base. And if it was their higher ups who are panicking, then they would be powerless to stop it.”

The skinny boy blinked before asking another question.

“Um, what does that mean for us?”

“Exactly what you think it does, unfortunately.”

“What happened to them putting together a rescue mission for us!? Have they completely forgotten about us!? We’ll be slaughtered in their big aerial bombing mission along with all of you!! Dammit, if they’re gonna pretend I don’t exist, then I might as well go peep on the women’s bath!!”

It looked like he would have to figure something out on his own.

If the rules of the battalion would not protect him, then he had no reason to obey those rules. He plopped his butt down on the ground to eat some delicious food in violation of military regulations. If the man was going to poison him, he would have injected him with something while he was unconscious.

Also…

“Wait, you’re making pizza toast?”

“Yup. I can’t carry around everything needed to cook a whole pizza, but the toppings are a different story. Although there’s a trick to cooking even this with just a frying pan.”

“No, that’s not my point. I thought African food was more…well, not this.”

“You don’t even know what African food is, do you?” Braskine breathed an exasperated sigh. “I learned how to cook this kind of stuff when I was a poor college student in Europe. My roommate Louisiana loved this kind of junk food.”

“So like cooking pasta in salty water and only adding a bit of olive oil for flavor?”

“You think I had anything as fancy as that, boy? You aren’t a true poor college student until you’re figuring out what you can do with a cabbage core.”

The two of them shared a laugh.

They were in completely different positions and there might be no room for compromise between them, but they had both lived as students. That gave them something in common.

“What kind of toppings do you like?” asked Braskine while lightly shaking the hot frying pan. “We need to heat those up in a smaller pan before toasting the bread.”

“Cheese goes without saying, I assume? As long as the cheese isn’t too strong, then I like some basil and sliced olives. Oh, and some kind of seafood if you have it.”

“Hm, are you from a coastal area?” inquired the young doctor while opening a can of shellfish.

While gathering information even more crudely than with a blood type horoscope, Braskine added some cheese and tomato puree to his pizza toast and then placed some cooked chicken on top of that. It was all very formal and by-the-book. He was not the type to ever take a step beyond the basics.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re a boring guy? Girls in particular?”

“All the time. But I can’t help it – I’m just an ordinary guy. I just can’t do pizza toast the way Louisiana did. She would pile on thinly-sliced melon and fries.”

“Melon?”

“It’s not even about whether it would be good or not – you never would have even thought of it, right? She claimed to like the mix of sweet and salty, but that’s what a true genius is like. You might want to copy them, but they’re too far out of reach.”

Quenser drank some of the coffee he was given and wrinkled his brow at how strong and astringent it was. It was probably meant to wake you up more than taste or smell nice.

“My time at school in Berlin was more fun than any other time in my life,” said Braskine while watching the portable stove.

“Couldn’t you have stayed in Europe? I mean, a medical license is a sign of being in the privileged class. I’m jealous.”

“There’s more to life than fun.” The words were soft and almost seemed to spill from his mouth. “You have to face reality. Besides, I decided to become a doctor so I could support the people who were dying because they could not receive the medical exams and treatments most people take for granted. I couldn’t protect my home if I remained in a world that already had everything it needed.”

Quenser fell silent for a bit before asking a question.

“Is it really that bad here?”

“When a child has to prepare to die after a simple mosquito bite. That’s how fragile lives are here. And it wouldn’t be that way if we only had vaccines that coast 5 dollars each.”

“…”

“Yes, only 5 dollars. But we can’t get them. Being declared a nature reserve actually worked against us because we can’t capture and sell the rare plants and animals here. I thought maybe we could dig out and sell some stones or sand if we only needed 5 dollars, but no. The small bits of quartz or iron sand mixed in makes them useless trash. Not something anyone’s going to bother sending a truck all the way out here to buy. The fuel costs would leave them in the red.”

He could not protect his home if he remained in a world that already had everything it needed.

Quenser was starting to see what the man meant.

The ordinary ways of doing things did not always protect people’s lives.

“That’s why we were all so thankful for that elevator. It dried up the ground and we couldn’t preserve our traditional way of life, but it ended an era where you had no recourse while your precious child was dying.”

Braskine smiled in a self-deprecating way.

He wanted to protect his home.

He had gone as far as earning a medical license, but he still found himself unable to save people without sufficient medical supplies. Ironically, it was Mother Lady towering up from the desert that had provided him with that.

It had saved their lives.

Their own and those of the people they cared for even more.

That was why the local people continued to fight even if it meant becoming guerillas. Even though they knew deep down it was wrong and even though they had an inkling that more people would die of this war than of disease.

If they lost, they would lose the benefits of the space elevator.

They had not wanted to return to an age when they were forced to accept so much as unavoidable.

“Louisiana, the college roommate I mentioned, apparently wanted to protect the entire world. The thing about ordinary people is that we restrict our own dreams and stuff them into a smaller box. She always found it puzzling why I was so delighted while restricting my own possibilities like that. And she was right. I was so busy polishing up a comfortable fish tank for myself that I never lived up to my potential. I couldn’t head out into the vast ocean to change the world like her.”

The pizza toast was like a feast compared to the soap-like rations.

And once Quenser’s stomach was full to give him some energy, he could no longer distract himself that way. The immediate problem weighed on him all the more.

At this rate, the Legitimacy Kingdom was going to begin a retaliation operation.

Quenser and Heivia had been forgotten thanks to the powerful jamming, so they would be blown away along with the enemy. And Braskine of course did not want the local people to be attacked.

No amount of prayer would cause a hero or powerful warrior to appear.

So they would have to solve this themselves.

However, Quenser Barbotage could not drive and Heivia still showed no sign of coming to.

Braskine seemed to want the stranded soldiers to leave before they brought disaster, but their plan for returning to base had been ruined by the Capitalist Corporations elevator. The Legitimacy Kingdom was so intent on retaliating they had completely forgotten about the cheap soldiers they had sent out there. Nothing about this was likely to change any time soon.

As things were, there would be a full-on clash between the Capitalist Corporations artificial meteor shower and the Legitimacy Kingdom’s ground-based retaliation. Neither side was giving any thought to the guerillas who were not part of the four world powers. If anything, the Legitimacy Kingdom might actively target the guerillas in order to add more to their kill count and preserve their honor.

Braskine used a special detergent to wash his cooking utensils with as little water as possible and he grimaced after Quenser shared what he knew.

“I need a vehicle,” concluded the student. “And I need your help.”

“Dammit, then you’d better give something in return. If I help you, then you’re fighting to protect my people!”

Quenser himself did not want the Princess to dirty her hands with unnecessary retaliation. He doubted attacking the local guerillas would cause any trouble at all for the Capitalist Corporations operators. And besides the armed guerillas, there would also be plenty of noncombatant residents in their villages. What if the Object was sent in to attack there? That kind of needless killing would not even be war – only a massacre.

So Quenser calmly nodded.

“We’re after the Capitalist Corporations space elevator, so we’re not interested in who lives in the area. So as long as you help us destroy that thing.”

“So what’s your plan!?”

“We find a way to take control of the elevator before the retaliation can begin. Or we at least bring back a way to do so as a souvenir. Then the Legitimacy Kingdom will lose its excuse to slaughter the guerillas. This battle is over the space elevator, so the guerillas are only a distraction.”

“That’s not a plan!!”

They argued back and forth as they walked to the beat-up truck.

The young doctor got in the driver’s seat and Quenser in the passenger seat. Unconscious Heivia, the buggy, and the camping supplies were loaded into the enclosed back.

They drove out into the desert night, but it was unexpectedly warm.

And not just because they were so close to the equator.

“It’s that elevator. It uses the chill of the night to cool the coolant once it’s taken in so much frictional heat. I’m sure you could calculate out the amount of energy from the length of the wires, but you only need to know it’s a lot.”

“I assumed they were cooling it with a nuclear reactor.”

“They use thermal power down below the parabolic antenna bases. Were you overwhelmed by the laser beams and coilguns? If you link together enough power generation facilities to supply an entire state’s worth of electricity, you can do most anything even with older tech.”

“Can you draw me out a map of those underground waterways?”

“What good is that? We never would have had it so hard if we could get water that easily.”

“Stick a thick metal sheet deep in the earth and you can block off those waterways. Then the elevator loses its supply of coolant.”

“Finally, an actual plan,” laughed Braskine.

He kept one hand on the wheel and used the other to draw something out in the notebook he had open on his lap. Then he tossed the notebook to Quenser.

With that souvenir, they might be able to stop the meaningless retaliation operation. But they did not drive the truck straight back to the Legitimacy Kingdom maintenance base zone.

They kept the headlights off and Quenser kept an eye out ahead with night-vision goggles while they repeatedly drove around certain obstacles. The goggles were from the Capitalist Corporations. They were one of the kind gifts given to the guerillas. The rich had essentially told the locals to put those on so they could look stylish when they died.

“Can’t you wear these while you drive?”

“Are you sure you want that? Those old-style goggles blur your vision a lot when you turn your head too quickly.”

It was obvious what they were using the goggles to avoid.

“Another one,” said Quenser in disgust. “There’s a Lunchbox 500m ahead. Those things have finally gotten tired and decided to take a break.”

“Wouldn’t they normally be even more fired up and ready to go after a successful counterattack?”

“The operators probably think moving them will get them caught in the artificial meteor shower.”

“I believe those things’ batteries can last a week in standby mode.”

They made sure to steer clear of every single one they saw.

Since they had to repeatedly take detours, it felt a lot like they were driving around in circles. Especially since the continuing jamming from the elevator’s military station made the map on Quenser’s mobile device entirely useless.

“There’s no time to spare. Yes, I expect the retaliation will begin within 12 hours from now.”

“How do you know?”

“It’s the Legitimacy Kingdom way. You can’t help being take off guard at times. We aren’t Faith Organization fortunetellers, so there’s only so much we can predict in advance. So the royals and nobles prefer to defend their honor through appropriate retaliation. But if enough time passes after an attack, you’re labeled as a fool who couldn’t do anything to get back at your attacker. And 12 hours from now is about the limit on that. You can’t let a full 24 hours pass. You need to use that time to make full use of a huge-ass simulator and calculate out how much damage you need to do in retaliation for the damage you received.”

“…”

“The going rate is killing ten times as many people as you had killed, I think. Sometimes the calculation comes out closer to nine times or eleven times, though.” Quenser clicked his tongue. “We really can’t get back without doing something about those unmanned weapons. Could we go to the guerilla HQ and have them open a path for us? They’re on the verge of having their village razed after all.”

“We don’t control those things from our village. They’re directly controlled by Federation of Elevator Industries operators in Mother Lady’s ground base. We don’t have that kind of technical skill.”

Braskine made it sound like they were being lent equipment but not being trained in how to use it.

The Capitalist Corporations saw them as replaceable and disposable, so they were not going to increase the cost of each one by pouring money into training them. That would only lose the Capitalist Corporations money.

They slid the truck down into a V-shaped dip in the ground to avoid being seen by the unmanned ground vehicles. It was probably the remnants of a now-dried river. They saw the occasional remains of a wooden pier or small boats left behind there.

“We have 12 hours until the ‘swift retaliation’ begins. I expect they’ll repeat the simulation as many times as they can before the limit to make sure they can put together a mission that causes exactly the damage their calculations say they need.”

“Is there any chance they’ll remember you’re out here while they do that?”

“If they did remember, it would affect their timetable, so anyone who does will do everything they can to forget again. If they ‘unknowingly’ kill us in friendly fire, no one can be charged with a crime.”

The potatoes’ lives were just not that important.

Quenser sighed while leaning back in the stopped truck’s passenger seat.

“That means tomorrow at noon is the limit. Heivia and I need to return to the maintenance base zone before then so we can force them to redo the simulation based on a new calculation sheet. And if we don’t give them the information needed to block up the underground waterways used to cool the elevator, they really will begin their misguided retaliation against the guerillas. Since that means you, I know you don’t want that.”

Needless to say, the Legitimacy Kingdom’s enemy was the Capitalist Corporations, not the local guerillas.

But with only the immediate records available, they would satisfy themselves by attacking the guerrillas. Even though the Lunchboxes were actually being controlled by the operators in the air-conditioned elevator ground base.

“You world powers seem to think you can just dig into the ground around here and find an unlimited supply of guerillas, but the people dying are the kids raised in my village. No, not just my village. They come from all the villages and towns around the elevator. All of them had their own hopes and dreams and the idea was for them to realize those dreams by using the money from the elevator to get an education in Asia or Europe. You can’t just plant some seeds in a field to grow more of them. I want to avoid any more sacrifices here.”

Truth be told, Quenser was not 100% in agreement with Braskine. No matter what the man said, Quenser was on the side trying to destroy the Mother Lady space elevator. He felt it was too naïve to think he could just grab that outstretched hand and find a solution to the entire mess without going to any real effort.

Children had to be prepared for death after a simple mosquito bite.

The vaccine to prevent it cost only 5 dollars.

It was a moving story, but the Capitalist Corporations had not been offering help out of the goodness of their hearts. Given their intelligence-gathering capabilities, they must have known about the disastrous situation in this region long ago. They had ignored it for so long and only now approached with a smile on their faces so they could use it as a bargaining chip to get the land they needed.

Quenser was a commoner, so he would normally live his life having the nobles and royals extracting everything from him they could get.

But he also knew how risky it was to fight back against that. That was why he had come all the way to the battlefield to learn about Object design. He had made a powerful enemies and barely dodged death more than a few times to have his way.

You were free to break free of society’s role for you if you wanted.

But once you did, you were choosing to face the unnecessary dangers placed upon any who dared defy society’s rules.

Opportunities always came with risk.

Generally, the ones who won were those who made the rules and made sure they were paid first.

If you did not understand that and were not prepared to use it to your advantage, this is what happened. You would fail to see past the tempting promises. Just like someone who took out a generous student loan without realizing that was actually a debt system set up by the state.

What should they have sold instead? Could they have found a way to attract tourists? Quenser did not know the right answer here.

Regardless, he would have to rework his plan.

He started by double checking an important fact.

“Since those unmanned weapons aren’t run by the guerilla villages, there won’t be any hard feelings if we destroy them, right?”

“Right. But can you destroy them? Those Lunchboxes are the Capitalist Corporations’ latest model and they’ve repelled soldiers with advanced equipment a few times already. Not to protect our lives, of course.”

The conditions for that would depend on the time and situation.

For now, Quenser hopped out of the truck’s passenger seat, circled behind it, and opened the boxy enclosed back.

“Heivia. Hey, Heivia.”

“Ugh…where am I? Panty heaven???”

“I’m not expecting anything from you, so just hand over your water and rations. You can keep dreaming in here. Food is for people who actually work.”

Once he realized he would be slowly killed if he did not help out, Heivia rapidly woke back up. The mindset of cruel Frolaytia’s 37th had reached even the lowest levels.

As a doctor, Braskine was particular about a healthy diet.

He could not believe his eyes when he saw Quenser.

“What’s this? You only just ate some pizza toast. Maybe you’re in a growth spurt, but it’s best to avoid forming bad lifestyle habits.”

“Dammit, Quenser!! You were having the time of your life while I was out, weren’t you!?”

“I don’t know what he’s talking about. You really shouldn’t trust everything these guerillas say.”

They munched on the soap-like flavorless rations while holding a strategy meeting.

“The retaliation operation begins tomorrow afternoon, right? Then why not wait until then?” That was newly-awakened Heivia’s opinion. “It’ll be a ground operation primarily carried out by the mechanized unit, so we can find our way to an allied tank or armored truck and have them pick us up. I don’t give a crap what happens to the guerillas.”

That was an impeccably logical plan, but the idiot had left all of his kindness behind somewhere.

That was when Braskine pulled out a weapon even more frightening than a Gatling gun. It was a bottle rocket with a whistle attached. The doctor who saw all lives as equally important spoke with a blank expression.

“This is used to signal an enemy’s approach. People are sensitive to unusual sounds, so the villagers will rush in from all over even in the middle of a sandstorm. Whatever your reasons might have been, you’re the ones that killed these people’s sons and daughters. But if you think you can handle those grieving parents, then be my guest.”

“…”

“There was nothing a doctor could do. In the 9 months since the Elevator’s testing period began, I’ve attended so many funerals. I even helped dig their graves, but a lot of the bodies couldn’t be retrieved. Now, let’s talk about emotions. Do you think these people will care at all who started it now that they’ve lost their kids? Do you really think they’ll accept your logical explanation of events and back off? This is just my personal opinion as a doctor, but there is little violence as brutal as that of an enraged group that has never even heard of the various war treaties. Do you want a lesson – a deadly lesson – as to why the constantly bickering powers-that-be really need to sit down together and work out their differences peacefully?”

Heivia shut his mouth and raised both hands in surrender. While trembling.

Then Quenser got down to business.

“I want to know the basic specs of the Capitalist Corporations’ Lunchboxes. We can’t return to our maintenance base zone in time without doing something about them. And even if we do get back, we’ll still be forced to continue the attack on the elevator. It wouldn’t hurt to come back with a way to destroy those boxy machines as a souvenir. We were separated from the battalion thanks to some asshole’s friendly fire and I’m sure Frolaytia is absolutely pissed at us by now, so we need something to calm her down.”

“But that’s suicide,” said Heivia. “You aren’t planning to abandon our temporary safety to attack those cutting-edge murderous paperweights, are you? You’ll just get yourself torn apart by their heavy machineguns and grenades!!”

“That’s what will happen if you don’t hand over any useful information.”

He had mostly been on the run, but Heivia had indeed fought the Lunchboxes. They had to rely on his observations from then.

“First of all, they’re basically big hunks of armor. Firing a missile at them head on, from the sides, or even on the top won’t destroy them.”

Since unmanned weapons did not need space for anyone inside, they could add in more armor. That much Quenser had already known.

“It goes without saying that assault rifles and anti-materiel rifles are useless against them. You might be able to destroy the exposed lenses or sensors, but the act of shooting would also give away your position. Even if we were hiding behind cover, they could fire their fully-auto grenade launcher to fill the entire space with explosive flames. Explosives would be raining from the sky, so I wouldn’t call that an effective tactic.”

Quenser licked his lips before responding.

“That means they’re heavy, doesn’t it? Could we focus our attacks on the continuous tracks?”

“Maybe we could stop them from moving, but they’d still fire back on us and they have a longer range than us. Making the mobile turrets into stationary ones won’t prevent this used truck from being obliterated by bullets.”

In fact, they were currently stopped because of all the Lunchboxes in standby mode. Those things were not frightening because they made unpredictable patrols. Even if you immobilized them, they would already have you surrounded. Stopping them was not enough to escape.

“What about their power usage?”

According to Braskine, they could last for a week while in standby mode.

But on the other hand…

“They’re electric and it has to take a lot of power to move something so heavy. If we had them run a needless marathon to drain their batteries, they wouldn’t be able to shoot back anymore.”

“You want us to wait for their batteries to die while being chased by a machinegun that fires 700 shots a minute? Our bodies would be riddled with tens of thousands of bullets before that happened. It isn’t realistic.” Heivia breathed an exasperated sigh. “Besides, we got lucky and slipped through a gap in their circle. Just like some small fish left behind in a tide pool. If we do anything to stand out now, they’ll change their formation to include us. And once that tide pool is gone, we suffocate. The end.”

“…”

Their objective was returning to the maintenance base zone.

Beginning a misguided retaliation operation against the guerillas would not solve anything. The armored Lunchboxes were being controlled by the operators in the space elevator’s ground base, so the retaliation operation had to be reworked to attack them instead.

The data they needed for that could be found in the underground waterways Braskine had told Quenser about. Since the jamming prevented them from transmitting with a single tap of the touchscreen, they would have to bring it back themselves.

If they could do that, they could avoid carrying around that unnecessary guilt.

In other words, Quenser was not looking for any major upheaval on the battlefield. Finding a way to take out those cutting-edge unmanned ground vehicles would be best.

“If you’re going to act, you should do it soon,” said Braskine to hurry them along. “Those unmanned ground vehicles are worth more to the Federation of Elevator Industries than the local guerillas, so they’ll want to avoid having to abandon them after their batteries die. They periodically send around an unmanned power vehicle to recharge them. And the Lunchbox formation might change when that happens.”

This was all thanks to the elevator.

Everything needed for war, from lunches to bombs, could be sent down from the heavens. And in quantities of several dozen tons. The power vehicles, the work vehicles needed to maintain those, and even additional Lunchboxes to protect the work vehicles could be sent down in near limitless numbers.

Quenser agreed that it would be best to take action before the next time that happened.

“They’re covered in armor and taking out their continuous tracks only turns them into stationary turrets.” The student placed a hand on his chin. “We also can’t wait for them to run out of power. And they were designed to withstand the extreme African environment, so I doubt they’re going to malfunction all that easily.”

“There you go again, bragging about the enemy’s specs.”

Heivia sounded annoyed, but that was not what Quenser was doing.

He had wondered about something this whole time, so he returned to that question here.

“Then what do they do about ''that''?”

===Part 14===

They waited until the following morning.

The battle would begin once the sun had risen.

Braskine Mintfrappe’s impatience had him in an irritable mood.

“Hey, how long are we going to wait here? The largescale retaliation begins this afternoon, doesn’t it? That’s not long now!”

“I really would have preferred to wait longer, but you’re right about us running out of time,” said Quenser after waking from a nap. “Things have heated up now, so I guess we should get started.”

Heivia walked up and whispered to him. His face was greasy since he had not had a chance to wash it.

“(Gotta admit, this is clever.)”

“Huh?”

“(Cut the act. You don’t have any plan at all for the Lunchboxes, do you? You’re just buying enough time for the retaliation operation to begin. But I say we forget about letting them pick us up. Why not let them think we’re dead while we run off to a tropical island? We can reveal our ‘miraculous survival’ once we’ve got a nice tan. So just keep lying to that guy while the clock ticks down until the afternoon.)”

After satisfying himself by punching that heartless bastard, Quenser got down to business.

Quenser and Heivia had no equipment that could accurately pass their location to the Legitimacy Kingdom. And even if they did, the jamming would block it. Once the retaliation operation began, they would be blown away as much as any of guerillas. The only question was whether it would be Myonri in a tank or the Princess in her Object that did it.

The skinny boy rapped his hand against the hood of the beat-up truck.

“That should about do it. Braskine, let’s get started. Given the current wind direction, we can start heading northwest.”

“What are you- hold on, what’s that?”

Quenser answered Heivia while showing off what was filling the heavy sack he held.

There was a black powder inside.

“I cleaned out the truck and buggy’s mufflers yesterday. That was a much bigger job than cleaning up a kitchen’s grease stains.”

“Nitrogen oxide?” The young doctor looked puzzled. “Are you saying we can defeat those unmanned ground vehicles with that? They’re machines, so poisons don’t work on them.”

“Don’t be so sure.”

They did not want to trigger any explosion that would draw a lot of attention, so it would be best to quietly stop the machinegun-equipped hunks of metal from operating without even having to approach them.

(That elevator is constantly casting a giant shadow here. The contrast between light and shadow will create a temperature difference and that will create air currents.)

Quenser dug through the powder as he thought.

Braskine still looked skeptical.

“You really think this will work?”

“They’re using the same thing themselves.”

Quenser got down on the cracked ground and peered out from behind a boat left out here. He could see one of those 3m boxes a few hundred meters away. Maybe it was to preserve power and maybe it was to avoid being caught in the artificial meteor shower, but they did not seem to move unless something warranted it.

They still blocked the way as stationary turrets, but there was a way of using that.

Opportunities always came with risk.

The student gently lowered something to the dry ground. It was a handmade unmanned device made from a container that resembled a cake box with wheels attached and had a cable coming from the back. It was even cheaper than the toys found at safe country electronics stores. But cheap as it was, it could still be operated from Quenser’s mobile device.

“I call it the Kitchen Knife.”

“Do you really have to name these things?” complained Heivia.

“I thought that looked awfully clean for a sweaty and sandy guerilla.”

Quenser pointed at the white coat Braskine was wearing.

It looked good as new after being washed with detergent, bleached, and starched.

“That’s thanks to the elevator, isn’t it? The Turkana District is under the control of a massive online shopping company, so you can find motors, batteries, sensors, and plastic boxes lying around everywhere here. Because they have delivery drones flying all over the place.”

“So you’re operating that thing via a cable?”

“Weapons like this have been around for a very long time. They predate the word drone for things like this. Besides, we can’t send wireless signals with the jamming in effect. And wired control has its advantages. It can only move 200m away from us, but it can also approach the enemy without the control signal being detected.”

The Kitchen Knife was only 30cm tall, so it could get stuck on the terrain pretty easily. A crack in the ground or even a small stone in the wrong spot were all it would take. They had to get as close as they could, control their precious device from there, and have it approach the unmoving Lunchbox.

They had already confirmed there were no cameras or sensors on the bottom of the Lunchboxes.

Once the Kitchen Knife had slipped below this one, Quenser tapped his mobile device’s screen while still hiding behind cover.

The result could not be called an explosion.

After a muffled sound, the Lunchbox was coated in black powder.

Quenser pulled the thin fiber optic cable back like he was reeling in a fishing line.

“Okay, that worked.”

“I seriously doubt that’s enough to destroy a Capitalist Corporations unmanned weapon.”

“You’re right about that, doc, but the point was to color its surface black.” Quenser grinned. “This is Africa near the equator. Once the sun rises, it’s so blazing hot that the land here is all dry and cracked. And needless to say, black absorbs light most efficiently.”

“Oh,” said Braskine.

“Since the Lunchboxes are covered on all sides with solid armor, I was curious how they managed to cool their electronics. They clearly aren’t using air cooling and even liquid cooling would need to expose the metal pipes to the air to remove heat from the coolant. Y’know, like a car’s radiator or that elevator’s heat exhaust. But the Lunchboxes had nothing like that. So how do they do it?”

There was nothing hidden below them either.

Quenser and Heivia had seen one slowly pass overhead while they were hiding in a crack in the ground, but they had not seen anything of the sort. It would also be foolish to put their weak point at the spot easiest to target with landmines.

So…

“Do they use the same method as modern smartphones and tablets?”

“Bingo. The metal exterior itself doubles as the cooling plate. By exposing that metal to the air, the heat inside can escape. That’s why those unmanned ground vehicles don’t have a wire mesh anywhere and why you can’t hear a vent fan turning. …So this should work. By coating them with a black substance, the sunlight will deliver the finishing blow. The cooling can’t keep up with the unexpected rate of heating. We don’t have to touch the weapons or the tracks when the overheating will shut down its computer. We just have to set things up so we could fry an egg on the hood, just like in an informercial for car wash soap.”

If they attacked with a flamethrower or napalm, the Lunchbox would quickly work to put out the fire. Either by rolling over to cover itself with sand or by triggering a nearby explosion to rob the fire of the oxygen it needed.

But they had not caused any major changes here.

Something had quietly ruptured below the Lunchbox where it lacked cameras and sensors, but it had been too small to call an explosion and the machine remained unharmed, only covered in a black powder. It might have felt a small tremor, but smaller than if its thick tracks crushed a rock and a piece struck it from below. It was unlikely that would trigger an error report or an emergency inspection.

Not even that cutting-edge unmanned ground vehicle would occasionally pull out a mirror to make sure its makeup was not coming off.

“But will that really stick to it? It’s just powder, right?”

“That depends on the material.” Quenser checked to make sure it had worked. “That thing is coated in sand, right? They’ve coated the metal armor with a gel to increase the cooling effect, so the powder will stick to it nicely. If that hadn’t worked, I was thinking of borrowing the starch you use for your white coat.”

They were not using any guns or knives, but the damage was increasing.

Once the heat had built up far enough, a slight change came over the Lunchbox. It tilted to the side. It had lost the ability to match the hydraulic cylinders of its tracks to the slant of the terrain. That was all it really was, but it almost looked like the machine had passed out.

“Heivia. Hey, Heivia. Attach your mid-range scope.”

“Shut up. Why should I have to help with this?”

“If you don’t want me tying you up and leaving you here as I head back to base, then get your gun ready and shoot that thing.”

After a gunshot muffled by the silencer, the rifle bullet knocked on the Lunchbox’s armor and sparks sprayed out, but there was no response from the machine.

The overheating had killed it.

“Okay, let’s move on.”

They turned back and set the beat-up truck in motion.

Quenser used a small knife to cut off the end of the fiber optic cable skinnier than pasta that he had reeled back in and he attached it to the back of another Kitchen Knife. They had needed to wait until the sun was out, but they had not spent that time doing nothing. They had prepared a large stock of wired drones.

It was a race against time.

The wait for the sun left them with less time before the retaliation operation. They had no time to spare.

The Lunchboxes generally stayed in standby mode until they were needed, but that did not mean they never moved. Even if the affected ones would fail to notice the change, another one might spot an unnaturally blackened Lunchbox. Once they knew that was not a simple malfunction or accident and it was in fact intentional sabotage using the sun, things would get way worse.

So they needed to escape before that happened.

They had to return to the Legitimacy Kingdom maintenance base zone.

“Lunchbox at 2 o’clock. Distance of 700,” said Braskine from the driver’s seat.

“There are too many cracks there for the Kitchen Knife to get through, so take a clockwise route around it. This side of things is lower down, so it probably won’t notice us. And if we run into another one that way, we can take care of it instead.”

The Kitchen Knife could incapacitate the Lunchboxes, but it required certain conditions to work. The terrain had to be fairly level and its wheels could get tangled in dried weeds if too many of those remained. Fine sand was also a risk. They had a lot of the black powder and the Kitchen Knives to transport it, but it was still not an unlimited supply. It was a nerve-wracking experience. If they did not choose the correct Lunchboxes to attack, they would find themselves at a dead end before long.

It was shockingly sunny yet again, but there were some white clouds in places. Those were artificial clouds created by the pressure difference of the elevator’s wires slicing through the wind. The clouds cast areas of shadow like an inverted spotlight and those shadows were like zones of death for Quenser’s group.

Braskine groaned.

He stepped out of the truck, got down on the ground, and looked downwind.

“The Lunchbox up there is in a shadow.”

“Stay still. We’re not talking about a daylong rain shower and the black powder has recolored its body. The artificial cloud will move on in time, so just wait. We’ll be fine.”

That “we’ll be fine” was more for Quenser to convince himself than the doctor.

Quenser did not want to die either. As things were, the Legitimacy Kingdom would begin a meaningless retaliation operation. That could get him killed by friendly fire, but it could also trigger the Lunchboxes into motion. Opportunities always came with risk. How many people knew where they were? Did the Princess? Did Frolaytia?

(That would never end well. It’s even possible we’d be crushed to death under the Princess’s ass.)

After all, they were talking about the 37th Mobile Maintenance Battalion which was led by a commander kind enough to react with even more surprise than Quenser each time a new Object made an appearance. She was responsible for so many lives he really wished she would gather more information in advance.

At any rate, his life was on the line here, so he wanted to take control.

But just then…

“Hey, something isn’t right,” said Heivia while waving his sensor-equipped rifle around.

Quenser had also noticed the sound of metal continuous tracks and clouds of sand rising into the air.

The Lunchboxes in the area were moving even though they were supposed to stay curled up in standby mode unless something was wrong.

“It’s the power vehicle,” spat out Quenser when he realized the truth.

A military vehicle larger than the 3m boxes was slowly approaching from the horizon. It was shaped like a large semi-trailer truck with two linked cargo containers attached. After seeing that, the unmanned ground vehicles left their positions to gather around it. Almost like children swarming a military convoy to beg for treats.

That set the entire area in motion.

Their temporary safe zone would not be safe for long. Quenser’s group had survived so long thanks to the tide pool, but they were now thrown out onto the exposed rock.

First, one Lunchbox spotted another one colored an unnatural black. Then it spotted the thin fiber optic cable running along the ground and its camera turned to follow that back to its source.

The unmanned ground vehicle turned on the spot and its eyes met Quenser’s.

It had noticed them.

“Dammit, get down!!”

The attack began with a horizontal burst from the heavy machinegun. Quenser and the others rolled to a lower point of the dry ground to avoid that, but then they heard several sounds like corks popping.

Grenades even larger than hand grenades were launched into the blue sky like a long throw in baseball.

Fourteen in all.

“!!”

Heivia grabbed the skinny boy’s uniform and dragged him below the truck.

The grenades detonated not three seconds after landing.

The explosions and impacts from above caused the beat-up truck to bounce up and down several times. The suspension must have broken partway through because it ended up tilted at an unnatural angle. If Quenser had not quickly pulled his legs in, they would have been pinned below the truck.

The explosives were only designed for anti-personnel use.

The heavy machinegun was actually the more frightening weapon when they had a truck.

Quenser grimaced at a ringing in his ears like someone had jammed an icepick into them. When he shouted, he felt like his voice was not reaching Heivia despite the boy being right next to him.

“What happened to the doctor? Where’s Braskine!?”

“How should I know!? He’s just one of the guerillas even if he did help us! Or would you prefer I rescued him and left you to die!?”

Quenser immediately silenced the stupid noble with a punch.

Heivia had been unconscious for so long he must not have remembered who had saved their lives after they were blown away by Myonri’s friendly fire. But Quenser knew. He knew it was silly, but he had gotten to know the man too well. He could not just abandon him now.

The scenery around them blurred.

The color of sand filled their vision and the sun dimmed like it was evening. A localized sandstorm must have whipped up.

This was their only chance.

“Why did this have to happen, dammit!?”

“Hey, wait! Quenser!!”

The student ignored his awful friend’s calls and crawled out from below the truck.

He already smelled blood.

He could barely see anything in the sandstorm, but that much he could tell. As he pushed his way through the thick curtain of sand, he spotted someone lying on their back.

It was Braskine Mintfrappe.

If the Capitalist Corporations really saw them as allies, that doctor never would have been caught in the attack by the unmanned weapon.

“Go,” said the man. “Hurry.”

[[Image:HO_v18_BW3.jpg|thumb]]

“Are you kidding me?”

“The truck isn’t going anywhere now, but there’s still the buggy in the back. The Lunchboxes can’t target you in the sandstorm, so get your bearings and then take a straight shot for your base. This is your only chance.”

“Are you kidding me!? I still haven’t repaid you for saving us!!”

Braskine smiled at that.

As a doctor, he would know better than anyone how bad it was he had gotten so much sand in his wound, but he showed no sign of caring.

“You’ve done enough. I’ve won just by finding someone who actually cares.”

“Cares about what?”

“You must stop the space elevator. You must stop Mother Lady.”

He was having trouble breathing, but he still got out his request while looking up at that colossal tower that would bring no one happiness.

“Stop it before it becomes a disaster even greater than a disease that can be prevented with a 5-dollar vaccine.”

“…”

“Mother Lady is too powerful a medicine. I’m certain ''she'' didn’t want this, so someone has to stop it. But no one ever cared no matter what I told them. Not even the parents whose kids had fought valiantly as guerillas only to die. None of them could give up the modern lifestyle Mother Lady gave them.”

“She?” asked Quenser without thinking.

But that may have been a mistake. The doctor uttered a name he had brought up a few times before.

“Louisiana was moved to emotion when she saw the beautiful nature of the Turkana District. That much I know is true.”

Quenser did not like where this was headed.

Braskine’s eyes began to focus on somewhere other than here and now.

“It happened back when I was in college.”

“Hey, now’s not the time for reminiscing.”

“That was where I met Louisiana who was studying aerospace engineering. It was a completely different field, but it didn’t take long before we hit it off. And she believed that a space elevator would shine a spotlight on Africa since the conditions needed for building one were so restrictive. But she was wrong. It pained her to see it and she wanted to save the Turkana District. She wondered why Africa and Europe were so different and what made the desert here so different from the ones in North America. She thought it was unfair to treat different lands so differently just because some terrains are easier to develop than others. Someone needed to stop her, but I couldn’t do it myself.”

“I said stop!! Come back to reality! Stop withdrawing into your memories!! Hey!?”

Quenser kept calling out to the man, but he had stopped moving altogether.

The powerful sandstorm blew right into his wide-opened eyes, but he did not even blink.

There was nothing Quenser could have done.

He looked away from the dead man and shook his head.

Then he returned to the slanted truck. Specifically, to the enclosed back of the truck. The surface was torn up, but that did not mean the contents had been.

“Heivia! Help me drag out the buggy. We need to get back alive no matter what!!”

===Part 15===

The engine roared.

They could not see in the sandstorm. Even with the headlights on, visibility was limited to a few meters ahead at the most. On top of that, their radios and the map on their mobile devices were still useless thanks to the jamming.

After searching out the direction of the barely-visible orange sun, they had to take a straight shot toward the maintenance base zone. If they got lost even once, it was all over. With zero visibility, they could easily end up driving in endless circles.

The Lunchboxes were not functioning either.

Their cameras, microphones, and sensors were useless with the sandstorm scraping against them and the sand might also be blocking their transmissions. The Capitalist Corporations were probably using ultrasound or infrared transmissions to avoid their own jamming, but not even that was perfect. During the day, the desert sand would be hotter than a human body and it would be mixed with plenty of iron sand. The sandstorm might function even better than chaff or a flare.

Quenser and Heivia crossed a few different humps in the road in quick succession.

The buggy flew off of those like a ramp.

They passed by only a few meters from something like big hunk of rock. No, that was probably one of the Capitalist Corporations’ unmanned ground vehicles. They heard machinegun fire shortly afterwards, but they could not even imagine where the bullets were flying.

The buggy had no roof.

Heivia held the collar of his uniform over his mouth as he shouted.

“We should’ve just waited for this in the first place!! Then we wouldn’t have had to risk our lives getting so close to the damn things!!”

“It wouldn’t work out that well. Do you know a space elevator’s biggest weakness, Heivia?”

“Huh?”

“The carbon nanotube wires are resistant enough to heat to be constantly exposed to the thermosphere, but they’re still weak to high-voltage currents – in other words, lightning. The Capitalist Corporations has to be using defensive meteorological weapons to avoid that!!”

With a loud bursting noise, things cleared up overhead.

Some kind of giant explosion had blown away the sandstorm. Several large holes had formed in the filthy screen and the blue sky was visible beyond like a famous model’s head pasted onto a nude body, but each of those holes had to be kilometers across.

“What the hell!? Did Mother Lady drop something again!?”

“There was no flash of light or explosive boom, so that was probably concentrated sulfuric acid or something.”

“Those greedy bastards are dropping that dangerous stuff on our heads!?”

Heivia’s eyes bugged out, but Quenser maintained a serious expression as he continued.

Whatever it was had detonated at more than 10,000 meters up, so it would not fall straight down. But it would contaminate the ground somewhere. Either as a mist or as acid rain after absorbing more moisture.

In other words…

“Similar to a thermobaric, weapon, they cram it into the warhead in a concentrated state and it spreads out over kilometers in a mist-like state once it detonates. Sulfuric acid can dissolve metal, but it can also be used as a rapid drying agent. Clouds are basically collections of moisture, right? If you want to chemically eliminate the thunderclouds, there’s no cheaper and more effective chemical. If you don’t give a crap about the local environment, that is!!”

Rapidly removing the moisture would change the density of the air, causing a large shift in the atmosphere. In other words, it created wind. The localized sandstorm vanished like they were waking from a dream.

A single space elevator made all of this possible.

Weather forecasts were no longer necessary. Whether it was sunny or rainy, the direction of the wind, and the humidity could all be manipulated from one hour to the next.

And for fleeing Quenser and Heivia, the sandstorm had been a thick curtain protecting them from harm. With it suddenly stripped away, they were exposed to the Lunchboxes’ eyes.

“Can you use those little drones of yours!?” asked Heivia.

“The Kitchen Knives can only move as fast as a toy and they’re wired! You can’t just throw one out of a moving car and expect it to work!!”

Quenser instead grabbed the shoulder-fired missile launcher that Heivia had been walking around with.

He had not been trained in its use, so he could not fire a missile from it.

However.

The instant he leaned out from the passenger seat with the launcher on his shoulder, the machinegun fire strayed away from them.

“The hell? What’d you do!?”

“This thing has to use a really powerful IR laser for targeting, so I aimed that at the Lunchbox’s camera lens. It’s the same as a rude spectator shining a laser pointer in a soccer player’s eyes. That trick works on machines too!!”

But it would not work every time.

If something that simple would have worked consistently, the Lunchboxes never would have been such a threat.

Quenser knew they would have to use every trick in the book here, so…

“How much further to the maintenance base zone!?”

“We’re going 120km/h right now!! I’m flooring this thing to the point that it’ll burn out the lawnmower-size engine eventually, so I doubt it’ll take even an hour!!”

The 30cm Kitchen Knives were no longer helpful.

To avoid being shot from behind, Quenser leaned out and dumped the contents of his water bottle and the black powder on the exposed rear wheel. The power of the tire launched the stuff backwards.

“Everything you’re doing is like a makeshift weapon built from items at a dollar store, but these are cutting-edge Capitalist Corporations weapons. Can you really keep tricking them like this!?”

Several grenades were launched in an arc so they fell in a line, but they exploded a decent distance away from the two boys. The air overhead must have been so unstable that they veered off course. That meant it had nothing at all to do with Quenser and Heivia’s efforts. Without the wind, that would have killed them since the simple buggy had no roof or walls.

“Figure something out already!!” snapped Heivia while holding the steering wheel in both hands.

“Shut up and give me time to think!!”

Needless to say, driving along an unpaved area of land was enough of a risk in and of itself. Doing so at more than 100km/h was tantamount to suicide. The buggy was made for off-roading, but as it bounced around, it could have lost its balance and tilted up onto two wheels at any time.

“They have to be using IR – we just can’t see it ourselves. And even if the grenades fly in an arc, they have to have a direct line of sight when targeting. Distance is more important than direction. If we can get them to mistake our distance, they won’t be able to hit us.”

“Here it comes, Quenser!!”

“Dammit!!”

Heivia heard the sound of splitting plastic and looked over in shock.

“Why are you destroying your own equipment!? Have you gone insane!?”

“Shut up and watch where you’re driving!!”

Quenser removed his uniform’s jacket, dismantled one of his Kitchen Knives, and removed the black powder. He coated the outside of the jacket with the powder but left the inside clean. Then he tied the two sleeves to the metal bar on top of the buggy so it flew like a flag.

It flapped wildly like a pirate flag in the 120km/h wind.

The unusually round sounds of weapons fire continued, but the soaring grenades exploded well before reaching the buggy.

This time, it was no coincidence.

“Black absorbs light and white reflects it. That’s true for the invisible infrared range too. Laser range finders shine a straight-line laser and measure the reflection and attenuation, so they can’t deal with something that rapidly switches between white and black. The value keeps changing, so they can’t figure out the actual distance.”

They continued racing across the desert.

They drove ever closer to the maintenance base zone.

But none of their makeshift countermeasures were a fundamental solution. The Lunchboxes could retry no matter how may times their attacks failed and the Mother Lady space elevator could drop more cargo tanks from the heavens if need be.

Some unnatural static burst from the buggy’s radio.

They were under the effects of some powerful jamming, but this was something else.

“Radar targeting? We can’t do anything about that!!”

“Hang on tight!!”

Heivia slammed down the gas pedal even more.

With their thick armor, the Lunchboxes could only move as fast as a scooter, so the buggy could lose them while zooming 120km/h down the wasteland.

But losing the physical machines did not necessarily mean they could escape firing range. The heavy machineguns that fired anti-materiel bullets thicker than someone’s thumb could blow away a soldier’s head from a range of 2000m. The grenades launched along parabolic arcs could reach even further than that.

And there was an even more horrifying possibility than either of those.

What if the targeting data from the surface was being shared with the giant space elevator?

“What?” Heivia was not watching where he was driving. “It’s midday, but there are stars shining in the sky.”

“That’s Mother Lady’s artificial meteor shower, dammit!!”

A kilometers-long wall of dust clouds rose from beyond the horizon behind them. And it did not end there. Another row appeared and then yet another like a giant copier printing something on the ground here. The ground was torn apart evenly, thoroughly, and mercilessly.

It did not matter that the allies giving the elevator its targeting data were still in that area. The Lunchboxes were unmanned. And for that matter, would the elevator have responded any differently had the data come from living soldiers?

The explosions were advancing faster than the buggy.

Heivia Winchell knew only one way they could survive this.

He had noticed something earlier.

The buggy flew right past a Legitimacy Kingdom turret.

Or more accurately, a tank hiding in a hole in the ground to keep it low and harder to detect.

The instant they passed by, the deafening roar of a cannon slammed into the buggy and the two idiots within.

But not from the tank.

The Capitalist Corporations were not the only ones who could share targeting information. A colossal weapon had received that data via IR or ultrasound and then fired.

The attack came from one of the Baby Magnum’s main cannons.

The roar of the cannon really did flip the buggy over as it drove. Quenser and Heivia nearly had their crushed flesh and blood soak into the dry African land, but the massive beam of energy tore through the lights in the sky. A hole was opened in the artificial meteor shower and the Legitimacy Kingdom potatoes were spared that orbital bombing.

The unmanned ground vehicles were fully-armored, but they were only 3m long.

The Lunchboxes were obliterated by the friendly fire.

Either being within 10m was close enough or the tank was loaded with powerful equipment because they heard a staticky voice over their radio for the first time in a long while.

“Quenserrrr, Heiviaaa. You certainly took your sweet time. Did you finally decide to return so you could be thrown into the detention barracks for deserting?”

“It was your friendly fire that got us into this mess, Myonri!!!!!!”

===Part 16===

The meaning of their retaliation had changed.

With the underground water data from Quenser’s mobile device, they now had a way to attack Mother Lady’s ground base. Once the data being inputted was correct, they could automatically produce accurate calculation sheets.

The guerillas were only borrowing their equipment, so attacking them would not be emotionally satisfying. Directly attacking the elevator would be better. For example, they could block up the underground waterways used for cooling in order to fully take over the elevator.

It looked like they would have this worked out by sunset.

It helped a lot that Quenser and Heivia’s information had led them to a solution concerning the Lunchboxes. The Legitimacy Kingdom loaded some paint rounds with black paint before heading back out. The tanks would blow away most of them, but any that slipped through would be overheated using the powerful sunshine of equatorial Africa. The Capitalist Corporations operators noticed what was going on and tried to shake it off, but that did nothing with the special quick-drying paint being used.

The combat engineers stabbed thick metal plates straight down to seal off the underground waterways deep belowground.

(The Federation of Elevator Industries isn’t just a company. They’re a massive space development agency jointly funded by the seven major companies that control the Capitalist Corporations’ home country. This isn’t going to end here.)

Quenser held his radio to his mouth near a surface facility several dozen times the size of a domed stadium.

The military station’s jamming was still active, but they could communicate using large communication relay trucks. The trick was apparently to convert the signal to high-power infrared.

“We’ve settled things here, Frolaytia. The Princess used her armor to power through the anti-tank coilguns attached higher up, so we’ve successfully conquered Mother Lady’s ground base. The Federation of Elevator Industries operators have put their hands up and surrendered. Taking them prisoner would be a pain, so can we just hand them over to the local guerillas?”

“No, you can’t. Prisoners have a diplomatic use, so treat them with care as you bring them back. A Legitimacy Kingdom spy infiltrating Los Angeles blew his cover, so we already need as many bargaining chips as we can get on the first day of the new year.”

“Tch. Fine, but only if you promise me they’ll be thrown in cells smaller than those capsule hotels used for terrorists.”

Quenser clicked his tongue and then looked elsewhere.

Just the base of that structure was 2000 meters tall and the wires continued on up out of sight.

“A lot of guerillas died in our attempt to take this thing. And they’re going to blame us, not the Capitalist Corporations.”

“What, feeling sorry for the enemy, Quenser? Go speak with our counselor about it. Those guerillas had sided with the Capitalist Corporations from the moment they believed those sweet promises and allowed a military base to be built here. You don’t get to be a pacifist just because you live in a blank zone. We have no reason to go easy on someone who’s benefiting from the Federation of Elevator Industries who are acting on behalf of 7th Core, the rulers of an enemy home country. If that isn’t enough to convince you, then go get a prescription.”

She was correct.

That answer scored a perfect 100, but that perfection irritated Quenser for some reason.

Did the correct answer not always align with the right thing to do?

“What’s our next job? The explosives I have in my bag aren’t enough to blow up the base of the elevator here.”

“I’m not expecting that much from a student. I don’t like it either, but it seems the higher ups want us to solve this troublesome elevator problem before we take time off for the carnival. That means the next battle will be fought elsewhere.”

“?”

They had solved the problem on the ground.

But she made it sound like there was still a problem concerning the Mother Lady space elevator.

“In the time the Federation of Elevator Industries managed to buy here, they have apparently spent several days using the elevator to launch their primary forces into space. It seems they intend to take the space station and continue the fight there.”

“Are you for real?”

“That fortress has a diameter of 20km and we can’t cut off its power supply from down here because the space station uses a separate power system. If that federation is to be believed, the orbital station is loaded with enough weapons to turn any part of the planet – battlefield country or safe country – to ashes just by dropping their equipment from orbit. But unfortunately, the Legitimacy Kingdom refuses to listen to threats. Thus, we cannot choose to stop fighting. We started it, so we have to finish it. You’re going to visit space soon, Quenser. But don’t upload any photos to social media no matter what color the earth is.”

===Between the Lines 1===

Seven massive companies controlled the Capitalist Corporations home country that covered the western half of North America.

Those companies were known as 7th Core.

They held great influence over every last part of that world power and they were deeply involved in this space elevator as well. The Federation of Elevator Industries was a space development agency jointly funded by those seven companies.

They were an incarnation of capitalism.

All things, from war to philanthropy, were judged by whether or not they would bring profit to the company.

“Then I will sell three company-owned buildings in Seattle, Cascade District. Is that okay?”

“Yes.”

“But one of those is an exceedingly high-level IT research facility.”

“As long as it will bring us even greater profit.”

That elderly man would not bat an eye at a mere 100 million dollars.

He sounded annoyed with his young and beautiful secretary for seeking confirmation about every little thing.

“For example, we could buy out a rival company. In fact, get started on that after inflating the funds with some arbitrary market deals. …AI research is such nonsense. Get rid of that pesky rival and we’re freed from wasting so much money on that pointless development race. Then we can focus on what really matters. What I want right now is steel and sturdy cars.”

“Then I will do that.”

For them, everything was about money. That meant they had a monetary reason for constructing the space elevator in Africa’s Turkana District. And not the immediate benefit of spreading the reach of online shopping to cover the entire planet.

They were focused on much greater profit.

“What do you think?” asked the elderly man while calmly progressing a plan that would ruin the lives of hundreds of his own employees and more than ten times as many of the rival company’s employees.

“It seems like a reasonable distribution.”

They were in Los Angeles in the Central Valley District of western America.

That was the capital of the Capitalist Corporations’ home country. This conversation took place in the top floor of a smart building sticking up even higher than all the other towering skyscrapers.

The elderly man seated in the president’s office that took up an entire building floor was named Raphael Goldenclipper.

The much younger secretary in a suit was named Serenade Blackrose.

“Short-term-stay villas have been constructed on the moon, but they are reliant on the transportation of goods from earth,” said the secretary. “No one can move their indefinitely. Mars and Jupiter also seem unlikely at this stage, so relying on any existing planet will likely never be realistic. That is why I consider ''her'' suggestion to be useful.”

“This planet will eventually run dry.”

“Our advertising agency’s simulator determined that a plan to reduce the human population would cost too much.”

“So the final problem is the humans, huh?”

“Yes,” calmly confirmed the secretary. “But if personnel expenses and service charges were eliminated, it would reduce the accepted prices for the products. If the factories were fully automated, we would have no choice but to sell the products for the cost of the original materials. To efficiently make money, inefficient humans must be made a part of the production system somewhere.”

“Hm.”

“Humans increase the price of the product and humans buy the product at that increased price. But they must have stable lives to do so. That is where Objects come in. If we recruited soldiers from the general populace, it would only allow former soldiers to bring along firearms when they riot. And the damage will be greater the more advanced and unique the technology. Hence, it is best for only a limited few to hold all the power to fight.”

The rulers of capital never actually touched paper money.

Money was a status symbol, but what you really needed was a useful position in a company. In that case, the money need not exist in a non-digital form. Paper money might as well have been a silly toy to them.

“What are the other six companies saying?”

“They are mostly in agreement. Some do not trust the Federation of Elevator Industries, but no alternatives have been suggested. If they truly intended to break away, they would instead say nothing at all.”

The elderly man did not even attend the secret meetings held over the internet. Some people were safer when they remained ignorant of what was going on around them. All the dirty work was left to his secretary.

It was that special arrangement that had allowed such a young woman to push past a veritable harem of beautiful secretaries to become the strategic secretary who stood alongside the CEO.

“Then you’ll be continuing as before?”

“Yes, I will continue to monitor the situation.”

<noinclude>{{HEAVYOBJECT Nav|prev=HEAVY OBJECT:Volume18 Prologue|next=HEAVY OBJECT:Volume18 Chapter 2}}</noinclude>

Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia)

2021-08-10T07:32:22Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Jilid XI */

{{Status|Active}}

[[File:Shinmai Vol1 0000.jpg|thumb|300px|'''Volume 1 Cover''']]
Shinmai Maou no Tesutamento (新妹魔王の<ruby><rb>契約者</rb><rp>（</rp><rt>テスタメント</rt><rp>）</rp></ruby>) ditulis oleh Tetsuto Uesu dan diilustrasi oleh Nekosuke Ookuma. Itu diterbitkan oleh Kadokawa di bawah label Sneaker Bunko. Serial ini tamat di jilid 12.

'''Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha''' juga tersedia dalam bahasa:
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha|English (English)]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha - Polski|Polish (Polski)]]
*[[Shinmai_Maou_no_Keiyakusha_~Russian_Version~ |Russian (Русский)]]
*(Spañish [Español])
*(Brazilian [Portuguese])

==Sinopsis==

"Hei, katamu kau ingin imouto, kan?" Murid kelas 1 SMA, Toujou Basara, mendadak ditanyai pertanyaan ini oleh ayahnya, dan dia merasa panik. Terlebih, ayah yang eksentrik mengatakan kepadanya bahwa dia akan menikah lagi. Dia kemudian berangkat ke luar negeri setelah membawa Basara dua adik tiri yang cantik. Tapi bentuk sejati Mio dan Maria sebenarnya adalah calon Raja Iblis dan succubus!? Basara hampir dipaksa membuat kontrak tuan dan budak dengan Mio, tapi kontrak "terbalik" dibentuk karena kesalahan, dan Basara kini adalah tuannya!? Selain itu, Basara sedang dilanda situasi ''ecchi'' satu demi satu karena kontrak, tapi hidup Mio sedang dikejar oleh suku iblis dan suku pahlawan lainnya!! Drama aksi keinginan kontraktor yang paling kuat dimulai!

==Informasi Serial==

*'''Genre:''' Action, Ecchi, Fantasy, Romance, Shounen, Hentai
*'''Judul Original:''' 新妹魔王の契約者(テスタメント)
*'''Pengarang:''' Tetsuto Uesu
*'''Ilustrator:''' Nekosuke Ookuma
*'''Jilid yang Diterbitkan:''' 12
*'''Status:''' Selesai

==Update==
*'''21 Juni 2018''' - Laman dibuat
*'''16 Juni 2019''' - Jilid 9 Selesai

==Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha oleh Tetsuto Uesu==

===Jilid I ([[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid I|Full Text]])===
[[File:Shinmai Vol1 0000.jpg|thumb|x200px]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid I Ilustrasi|Ilustrasi]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid I Prolog|Prolog - Hari Dia Mendapatkan Imouto]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid I Bab 1|Bab 1 - Cara Menaklukkan Adik Tirimu]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid I Bab 2|Bab 2 - Kontrak Tuan dan Budak Pertama]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid I Bab 3|Bab 3 - Di Ambang Batas Kepercayaan dan Reuni]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid I Bab 4|Bab 4 - Sampai Kesedihanmu Menjadi Nol]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid I Epilog|Epilog - Apa yang Ingin Dia Lindungi]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid I Penutup|Penutup]]
 

===Jilid II===
[[File:Shinmai_v02_000.jpg|thumb|x200px]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid II Ilustrasi|Ilustrasi]]
*Prolog
*Bab 1
*Bab 2
*Bab 3
*Bab 4
*Epilog
*Penutup
 

===Jilid III===
[[File:Shinmai_v03_000.jpg|thumb|x200px]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid III Ilustrasi|Ilustrasi]]
*Prolog
*Bab 1
*Bab 2
*Bab 3
*Epilog
*Penutup
 

===Jilid IV===
[[File:Shinmai_v04_000.jpg|thumb|x200px]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid IV Ilustrasi|Ilustrasi]]
*Prolog
*Bab 1
*Bab 2
*Bab 3
*Epilog
*Penutup
 

===Jilid V===
[[File:Shinmai_v05_000.jpg|thumb|x200px]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid V Ilustrasi|Ilustrasi]]
*Prolog
*Bab 1
*Bab 2
*Bab 3
*Bab 4
*Epilog
*Penutup
 

===Jilid VI===
[[File:SMnT V06 000a.png|thumb|x200px]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid VI Ilustrasi|Ilustrasi]]
*Bab 1
*Bab 2
*Bab 3
*Bab 4
*Penutup
 

===Jilid VII===
[[File:SMnT V07 cover.png|thumb|x200px]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid VII Ilustrasi|Ilustrasi]]
*Prolog
*Bab 1
*Bab 2
*Bab 3
*Bab 4
*Epilog
*Penutup
 

===Jilid VIII===
[[File:Shinmai_v08_000.jpg|thumb|x200px]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid VIII Ilustrasi|Ilustrasi]]
*Bab 1
*Bab 2
*Bab 3
*Penutup
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid VIII SS|Short Story]]
 

===Jilid IX ([[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid IX|Full Text]]) ===
[[File:Shinmai_v09_000.jpg|thumb|x200px]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid IX Ilustrasi|Ilustrasi]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid IX Prolog|Prolog - Menghadapi Musim-Musim Berliku]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid IX Bab 1|Bab 1 - Bilang Padaku Arti Menghentikan Waktu]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid IX Bab 2|Bab 2 - Apa yang Membawa Reuni Tersebut]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid IX Bab 3|Bab 3 - Denganmu pada Malam Kebangkitan Ini]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid IX Bab 4|Bab 4 - Meskipun Begitu Jangan Menyerah pada Masa Depan]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid IX Epilog|Epilog - Menghadapi Masa Depan dengan Tekad yang Teguh]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid IX Penutup|Penutup]]
 

===Jilid X ([[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid X|Full Text]])===
[[File:Shinmai_v10_000.jpg|thumb|x200px]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid X Ilustrasi|Ilustrasi]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid X Prolog|Prolog - Awal Malam yang Panjang]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid X Bab 1|Bab 1 - Apa yang Ditatap Mata Itu]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid X Bab 2|Bab 2 - Melampaui Empat Dewa]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid X Bab 3|Bab 3 - Menyelesaikan Kontrak Tuan-Budak]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid X Epilog|Epilog - Sumpah Diantara Mereka yang Terikat Bersama-sama]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid X Penutup|Penutup]]
 

===Jilid XI===
[[File:Sh inmai_v11_000.jpg|thumb|x200px]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid XI Ilustrasi|Ilustrasi]]
*Prolog
*Bab 1
*Bab 2
*Epilog
*Penutup
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid XI SS|Short Story - Bermimpi dan Belajar Pengalaman Pertama]]
 

===Jilid XII===
[[File:Shinmai_v12_000.png|thumb|x200px]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid XII Ilustrasi|Ilustrasi]]
*Bab 1
*Bab 2
*Penutup
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid XII SS|Short Story]]
 

===Volume Light!===
[[File:Shinmai_vlight_000.png|thumb|x200px]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Light! Ilustrasi|Ilustrasi]]
*Prolog
*Bab 1
*Bab 2
*Bab 3
*Bab 4
*Bab 5
*Bab 6
*Bab 7
*Bab 8
*Bab 9
*Bab 10
*Epilog
*Penutup
 

===Volume Sweet! ([[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Sweet!|Full Text]])===
[[File:Shinmai_vsweet_000.jpg|thumb|x200px]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Sweet! Ilustrasi|Ilustrasi]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Sweet! Prolog|Prolog]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Sweet! Bab 1|Bab 1 - Iblis Adik Perempuan Baru di Hari Valentine]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Sweet! Bab 2|Bab 2 - Aku Tak Bisa Jujur Padamu]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Sweet! Bab 3|Bab 3 - Lost Day Valentine]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Sweet! Bab 4|Bab 4 - Succubus Oriental!]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Sweet! Bab 5|Bab 5 - Rahasia Ketangkasan Sang Maid]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Sweet! Bab 6|Bab 6 - Keluarga Toujou ke Taman Hiburan]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Sweet! Bab 7|Bab 7 - Ogre-slayer's Slayer]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Sweet! Bab 8|Bab 8 - Yang Ditakuti Pahlawan dan Raja Iblis]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Sweet! Bab 9|Bab 9 - Keseharian Seorang Pahlawan]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Sweet! Bab 10|Bab 10 - Testament's White Day]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Sweet! Epilog|Epilog]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Sweet! Penutup|Penutup]]
 

==Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha Cerita Sampingan==
===EX===
''Dibundel dengan BD Volume 1 musim pertama''
[[File:SMnT EX 00.jpg|right|border|x200px]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):EX Ilustrasi|Ilustrasi]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):EX|EX]]
 

===Cerita Sampingan Jilid 8===
''12 halaman buku kecil yang berisi SS, dibundel dengan edisi khusus Jilid 8''
[[File:Shinmai Maou Kakioroshi SS Cover.jpg|right|border|x200px]]
*[[Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha (Indonesia):Jilid VIII SS|Berharap pada Santa Claus]]
 

==Project Staff==
:*Supervisor:
:*Project Manager:

===Translator===
'''Active'''
:* tidak ada
'''Inactive'''
:*[[user:setia|setia-kun]] (Cumaaaa, berhenti)

===Editor===
'''Active'''

'''Inactive'''

==Series Overview==
*新妹魔王の契約者I (September 29, 2012 ISBN 978-4-04-100495-1-C0193)
*新妹魔王の契約者II (January 31, 2013 ISBN 978-4-04-100670-2-C0193)
*新妹魔王の契約者III (June 1, 2013 ISBN 978-4-04-100860-7-C0193)
*新妹魔王の契約者IV (November 1, 2013 ISBN 978-4-04-101061-7-C0193)
*新妹魔王の契約者V (April 1, 2014 ISBN 978-4-04-101297-0-C0193)
*新妹魔王の契約者VI (September 1, 2014 ISBN 978-4-04-101433-2-C0193)
*新妹魔王の契約者VII (January 1, 2015 ISBN 978-4-04-102268-9-C0193)
*新妹魔王の契約者VIII (July 1, 2015 ISBN 978-4-04-102576-5-C0193)
*新妹魔王の契約者LIGHT! (September 30, 2015 ISBN 978-4-04-103691-4-C0193)
*新妹魔王の契約者IX (December 1, 2015 ISBN 978-4-04-103747-8-C0193)
*新妹魔王の契約者SWEET! (August 1, 2016 ISBN 978-4-04-104654-8-C0193)
*新妹魔王の契約者X (February 1, 2017 ISBN 978-4-04-103748-5-C0193)
*新妹魔王の契約者XI (November 1, 2017 ISBN 978-4-04-105173-3-C0193)
*新妹魔王の契約者XII (April 1, 2018 ISBN 978-4-04-106815-1-C0193)

[[Category:Indonesian]]

Hyouka:Volume 1 Chapter 5

2021-08-10T01:25:09Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: Formatting correction

==5 - The Hidden Seal of the Pedigree Classics Club ==

While Kamiyama High School does provide curriculum for university entrance exams, it does not particularly do much to improve its university entrance rankings. It only holds mock exams for prospective university students once or twice annually, and they do not hold extra lessons during holidays. All in all, it was a pretty laid back school.

Even so, Kamiyama High still has regular exams. If a high-school student's life is rose-coloured, then the exam halls would be his natural enemy. And so the Classics Club activities had come to a halt as club activities are prohibited during the End of Semester Exams for the First Semester. Though it's not like we have much to do anyway, we still had to hand the club room key over to the school.

Today is the final day of the exams. I laid down on my bed in my own room and stared at the ceiling. And as usual, there was nothing particularly different about this white ceiling.

In terms of exam results, the members of the Classics Club yielded some interesting revelations.

First, Fukube Satoshi. Though he's well-versed in all sorts of useless trivial knowledge, he doesn't have much interest in regular studies. As the exams have just ended today, I can't exactly tell how he performed, but I do know that he was terrible in the Mid-Term Tests. At any rate, back then Satoshi explained to me, "That's because I was busy studying why Japanese people nowadays no longer write their kanji in the cursive style<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cursive_script_(East_Asia) Wikipedia]</ref>." If Satoshi thinks something is important, then it must be important enough for him. No disrespect to him, but in the long-term, I think it probably sounds foolish. Though I don't think Satoshi would care one bit. If I call him a free soul because of it, he'd probably take it as a compliment. To put it simply, he's just a generic fool.

Though she's normally with the Manga Studies Club, in order to continue pursuing Satoshi, Ibara Mayaka too has joined the Classics Club. She's probably the hard-working type. As she would usually make sure to check up on any mistakes made, her grades are in the upper half of the class. However, devoting so much time to studying does not seem to improve her grades at all. To put it simply, Ibara's a bit neurotic — you could say she's a perfectionist. Though her tongue may be sharp, her downside is probably that she is too obsessed with perfection, and would end up struggling to find the perfect answers to her exam questions. I think she applies the same standards to herself as well.

Then there's Chitanda Eru, who stands out among the rest with her high scores. A look at the score ranking board reveals she's ranked 6th in the entire grade. Though she doesn't seem satisfied with that, or even the high school curriculum for that matter. She once told me she wasn't content with just learning the parts, she wanted to learn the entire system. I had absolutely no idea what she meant by that. Though her words were vague, I could tell why this lady was so intent on getting her curiosity resolved. For example, the case involving her uncle — she probably wanted to find out the entire "system" regarding the information concerning what her uncle said to her back then. She's the sort that wants to find out the cause by all means.

As for me, my grades were normal.

Out of 350 people, I ranked 175th. As though it was some sort of prank, I was ranked right in the middle. I was not concerned about Chitanda's curiosity getting her good grades or Satoshi's eccentricity getting him bad grades, nor did I think much about Ibara being unhappy with the mistakes she's made. While I wasn't that laid back as to not study for the exams, my studying was lukewarm at best. Occasionally, I would get people telling me how much I've changed, but to me, it simply means they aren't really that observant. I am positioned below the cream of the crop and above the bottom of the heap. I have no desire to go either up or down. I see, so that's why Satoshi said that he can't think of anything apart from grey for the colour of my high-school life.

Of course, colour isn't confined to academic grades. There's also club activities, sports, hobbies, romance... The things that constitute our humanity. There is the saying that one can't see the forest for the trees, after all, and one result cannot be used to generalize for the whole picture. Though the Japanese dictionary defined life in high-school as rose-coloured, these roses would still need to be planted in the right places in order to blossom.

Let's just say I'm not the suitable type of soil for roses to grow in.

As I lay on my bed thinking all these things, I heard a sound coming from downstairs. It sounded like a letter had arrived.

After making sure it was indeed a letter, I was dumbfounded. The envelope was covered in red, blue and white stripes, that could only be international mail. After checking the recipient name was correct, I concluded that the only person who could send international mail to the Oreki residence was Oreki Tomoe. Now where was this sent from... Istanbul?

I opened the letter right there and found many letters inside, one of which was for me.

Dear Houtarou,

I am currently in Istanbul. Due to some mishaps I'm hiding out at the Japanese consulate, so I haven't been seeing much of the city yet.

I'm sure it's an amazing city. If I could take a time machine and visit this place in the past, I think I'd want to try to lock the city gates myself, perhaps I'd change history as a result. I'm no historian, so I'm no good at speculating at these "what ifs".

It's an interesting trip, I'm sure I'll look back ten years from now and view every day I'm out here without regret.

So how's the Classics Club? Have the members increased?

Do not be discouraged even if it's just you alone! Solitude helps make a man grow stronger.

If there are other people, then excellent. It helps to improve one's interaction with others.

Anyway, I'm writing because there's something that I'm concerned about.

Have you (guys) started work on publishing an essay anthology yet? The Classics Club always publishes one every year, so I'm wondering if you're continuing with that.

If you are, I figured you're probably at a loss for what to write. After all, the anthologies aren't stored in the library.

You should be able to find the back issues inside an old chemical safe in the club room. The key's broken already, so you can just open the box right away.

I'll call you when I arrive at Pristina.

With love,
Tomoe.

Hiding in the Japanese consulate? Just what have you done this time, Sis? Anyway, it's not that I'm worried. The details are probably written in the letter for my old man. Now where have I heard of Pristina? I can't quite remember. Since it's my sister going, it's no doubt some ancient battlefield or something.

Anyway, I couldn't help but sigh. Does my sister have some sort of intelligence network that collects information about my activities? And I didn't know the Classics Club kept their back issues so secretly for generations either. Indeed, we were looking for the back issues but couldn't find where they were.

It was only a few days since Chitanda tasked me with a personal errand of hers, though she also has another errand for us as President of the Classics Club - the publishing of the essay anthology. Chitanda looked troubled when she found out the library archives did not store the back issues, but if my sister is right, then it could be of great help.

If the purpose is the result itself, then achieving the said result will fulfill that purpose. Though I sense another layer being added to such a bothersome definition, it just felt cruel if I withheld such information. As usual, Oreki Tomoe is messing with my life.

At any rate, I stuffed the letter in the pocket of my uniform trousers that I hung in the closet.

The following day after classes, I went straight towards the club room. The weather was rather pleasant for a relaxing day after the end of the exams, that one would be in a mood to join any club. The training sounds of the sports teams could be heard from the sports ground, while music was being played by the Brass Band, Light Music Club, Japanese Traditional Music Club, etc. While the sports teams are the most visible of the lot, the Kanya Festival is better known for its flurry of activities organized by the arts-related clubs. During this time of day, the Special Block which holds these arts clubs would be full of people.

And within the uppermost corner of this Special Block lies the Geology Room, where Chitanda and Ibara were. Though they've only just met during the case of the peculiar library book, it seems like they're getting along well with each other already. Today they were sitting facing each other, as though they were engaged in some conversation. As summer had arrived, the summer uniforms that they wore felt breezy. Ibara's tanned arms from her short sleeve shirt were in contrast to Chitanda's pale white arms. It was already the season when the sun is shining more often, yet our lady here doesn't seem to have much melanin in her. I tilted my head over to hear what the girls were talking about.

"In other words, the articles need to be on topic."

"Do you mean we can count on others for our anthology?"

"Don't you worry, I think I can get some connections within the Manga Studies Club."

"Can you do that?"

Ah, talking about the anthology, huh? Well, good luck.

Suddenly, Chitanda's body went stiff as she covered her face with her hands.

What's happening?

"... Ah-choo!"

She sneezed. And she's doing it in an old-fashioned quiet way.

"Ah-choo! Ah-choo!"

"What's wrong? You have cold? Or is it hay fever?"

"... Ah, I'm feeling better now. This is quite embarrassing, but it seems to me that I have caught a summer cold..."

Hmm, a summer cold is tough. Come to think of it, her voice sounded different from usual.

Anyway, I decided to call them out.

"Hey, Chitanda, Ibara,"

"Ah, Oreki-san,"

"Ibara, is the Manga Studies Club okay with you being here?"

"Yup, it's all settled. What, you have a problem with me?"

Why should I?

Anyway.

I decided to cut the niceties and went straight to the point as I took out my sister's letter from my trouser pocket,

"My sis used to be with the Classics Club, so she wrote me a letter showing us where we could find the anthology back issues."

Chitanda merely looked puzzled. It seems she still didn't understand.

"I know where we can find the Classics Club anthology back issues."

She bit her lips many times while struggling to find the right words.

"Is..."

She was so lost for words that her eyes went wide.

"Is that true!?"

"Of course it's true. What do I gain by lying to you anyway?"

As though affirming what I said, Chitanda's thin lips broke into a smile. While the elegantly fine lady of the Chitanda clan wasn't exactly grinning from ear to ear, she was clearly quite happy. Even if I were to obtain something that I desired a lot, I would not be able to make such a face. Compared to this, the Chitanda I saw in the Cafe Pineapple Sandwich with her deep expressions felt like a different person altogether.

"I see, the anthologies, huh..."

I could hear her whispering softly,

"... Tee hee, back issues..."

This Chitanda Eru can be quite a dangerous person.

However, Ibara raised her eyebrow and questioned, "Are you sure about that? Why would someone write a letter just to say that?"

A good question. No one in their right mind would think of seeking information about where to find stuff concerning the Cultural Festival in a letter from Istanbul. But this was indeed a letter from my sis, and no one could ever guess just what it is that Oreki Tomoe would consider important.

"Well, fact is I've got the letter here, so you'll be able to tell whether it's true or not. Wanna read?"

I unfolded the letter and laid it on the table for Ibara and Chitanda to see. As they followed every word in the letter, they gradually went quiet. The first to break the silence was Chitanda.

"... Does your sister like to visit Turkey?"

"She likes to visit the world."

"Such an amazing sister you have."

While her interest was drawn by the curious part of the letter, that's not where I wanted her to look.

"'I'll look back ten years from now and view every day I'm out here with much nostalgia.' Ahh, such a melancholic sentence."

Well, I agree, but that's not it either.

As they read on, they both opened their mouths at the same time.

"... The chemical safe?"

"The chemical safe, huh?"

Ibara looked around the Geology Room, and then put her arms on her waist and puffed her chest.

"Hmm, I don't see anything like that here."

"Guess so."

That's not hard to figure out. Though Chitanda seemed to have gone pale all of a sudden.

"Eh!? T-then w-where are... the anthologies..."

"Chi-chan! Calm down, calm down!"

As to who Ibara was calling Chi-chan, I could think of no one else but Chitanda. "Chi-chan", that Ibara sure has given her quite a cute nickname. So her sharp tongue is not used against Chitanda, huh? Though it is indeed difficult to be hostile to a person like Chitanda anyway.

I waved my sis's letter to a now calmed-down Chitanda and said,

"Chitanda, this letter said 'old chemical safe in the club room'. It's been two years since my sis graduated from here. The club room has probably changed during that time."

"Ah... Is that so?"

"So, Oreki, do you know where the club room was two years ago?"

To avoid any oversight, I made sure to visit the staff room beforehand.

"I've asked the supervising teacher, and he said it was in the Biology Lecture Room."

"You sure are quite prepared for this."

"Well, it's efficient."

"How enthusiastic of you."

That's not exactly true, I'm normally not that enthusiastic.

"The Biology Lecture Room... that's just one floor below us. Now that we know, shall we head over there?"

Having said that, Chitanda left the room at once.

If there's anyone that's enthusiastic, it's her.

The Biology Room was, as Chitanda said, right under the Geology Room. If the Geology Room, located in the corner of the Special Block, was the remotest region of Kamiyama High, then the Biology Room, located on the third floor, would also be considered a backwater area. While I did say the Special Block was full of people, there were exceptions. Like the Geology Room, which was hardly surrounded by any other club rooms, was extremely quiet. It seems the Biology Room was the same as well. While the corridor was lively with people, the path towards the Biology Room was full of empty classrooms, and there was no one else heading towards it besides us.

Along the way, Chitanda sneezed many times.

"Is your cold that bad?"

"Please don't worry too much about me. I might not be able to stop sneezing, but it's just a sensitive nose... Ah-choo!"

I don't know. If it were me, I would have felt terrible sneezing this many times. As expected of our lady here, who can be extremely modest.

Walking ahead of us, Ibara turned her head around and said to us,

"Oreki, do you have the key with you?"

"Nope, someone else seems to have borrowed it."

"Ah-choo! ... The key's been borrowed? Does that mean the Biology Room is currently being used by some club?"

"As long as it isn't some fool that's borrowed it, it could be possible."

"Oreki-san... it's rude to call people fools."

I got scolded. If she gets upset by even that, then not even Satoshi or Ibara would have been able to retort, so I smiled bitterly and looked around, and something by the corridor wall entered my field of vision. I wonder what that was. Neither Chitanda nor Ibara seemed to notice it... It was a small box, and as it was painted in the same white colour as the corridor walls, it was rather inconspicuous. Looking at the opposite side of the corridor, I saw another similar box. I Wonder if someone left these behind? As it didn't seem valuable, I paid no more attention to it. Bending down to pick up something that's worth less than one yen is not worth the effort, as the energy spent is more or less equivalent to one yen. So it's basic common sense for energy savers like me.

We now stood before the Biology Room. While considering whether to knock or not, Chitanda had already reached out for the door knob.

"Huh?"

The door wouldn't open.

"It's locked."

"So it seems."

The two girls turned to look at me, Chitanda looking concerned while Ibara stared coldly. It's bothersome to have them to look at me with such eyes.

"No, I really don't have the key with me. So I wouldn't know why the door's locked."

Once again, Ibara tried to open the door, but could only hear the lock creaking. Quite aptly, Chitanda said what I was about to say, "... Again?"

Yes, that again.

"Chi-chan, what do you mean?"

"Umm, it happened in April..."

I don't think Chitanda knows this, but it seems Kami High's classroom doors are jinxed. As Chitanda recounted that story in April, I began to think of how to get around this situation without a key.

"... And that's how it was."

"Hmm, so Oreki managed to do all that, huh?"

I turned my heels around and shouted through the door jokingly,

"IS ANYONE IN THERE?"

Of course, I expected no answer.

However, there was an answer. The blunt sound of the door being unlocked was heard.

"Yes?"

The door then opened from the inside.

Standing there was a male student wearing a thin shirt and uniform trousers. He was quite tall and slender. Though he looked more like the intelligentsia type than the athletic type of person. Upon identifying our grades from the colour of my collar, he smiled politely and said, "Oh, sorry about that. I had the door locked. You guys interested in joining the Wall Newspaper Club?"

If you're inside then you should've opened the door right away, dammit. Rather than what I was thinking, I said, "This is the Wall Newspaper Club?"

"That's right. Aren't you here to join?"

The male student shut the door upon coming out of the room. At that moment I smelled some sort of alcoholic disinfectant odour coming from him. It seems our intelligentsia fellow here has a penchant for deodorants. He raised his brows upon seeing me twitch my nose at his deodorant odour, as though saying "You got a problem with that?" Though he quickly reverted to his courteous manner and said, "Then, how may I help you?"

We exchanged glances with each other, and decided it was best for our President Chitanda to speak.

"Good afternoon. I'm Chitanda Eru, President of the Classics Club. You must be Toogaito-senpai from Class 3-E, right?"

The guy called Toogaito raised his brow in amazement,

"How do you know my name?"

A good question. Anyone would be amazed if they were suddenly addressed by name by a complete stranger. After all, that's what I felt back in April. And like back then, Chitanda merely smiled gently.

"We met at the Manninbashi mansion last year."

"Manninbashi... Wait a minute, you said your name's Chitanda, could you be related to Chitanda-san from Kanda?"

"Yes, he is my father. Thank you for taking care of him."

...Hmm, this feels like a high-society reunion. I knew that as an old clan, the Chitandas were farmland owners, but I never expected them to be so well-connected. It seems this world that I've never seen before really does exist. Come to think of it, Satoshi did mention something about the old clans of Kamiyama, and the Toogaito clan was amongst them.

"Ah, no, the pleasure's all mine. I see, you're with the Chitandas."

"Yes... Ah-choo!"

"Summer cold? Must be bad for you. Take care of yourself."

Upon learning that Chitanda Eru was from the Chitanda Clan with their large farmlands, Toogaito's attitude changed in a strange way. While he was still courteous, his gaze was now more stiff. Was he scared of Chitanda or something? I can't begin to imagine, but it does seem there is some sort of power influence between the old clans. Maybe it's just me, but Toogaito didn't seem to meet Chitanda's gaze and he spoke as though picking his words carefully.

"Well, what is it?"

On the other hand, Chitanda didn't seem to mind Toogaito's reaction and said, "Yes, actually, I heard that the back issues for the Classics Club's essay anthology were stored here in the Biology Room. This used to be the club room for the Classics Club, right?"

"... It was when I was still in first year. Though they moved the club rooms all over the place last year."

"Then, do you know where the anthologies are?"

Toogaito paused for a moment before replying, "Nope, never seen them."

Quietly listening to their conversation, Ibara turned and looked at me, to which I nodded gently. Anyone with an intuition would realize that Toogaito was behaving strangely.

"I see..."

Though she has an amazing memory, Chitanda's intuition level was below average. And so Chitanda looked dejected and was about to leave when Ibara interrupted, "Excuse me, Senpai, do you mind if we search around for them?"

"And you are?"

"Ibara Mayaka of the Classics Club. Since you have no use for the anthologies, maybe you haven't noticed them before, right?"

Though I see no point in doing so, I decided to go on a fool's errand and back them up.

"We'll try to do so without obstructing your club activities. Or is that too much trouble for you?"

"Please."

"I ask of you as well."

Upon our constant barrage of requests, Toogaito gave a sullen look.

"Well, I would rather not have outsiders in the club room..."

Upon hearing that line, Ibara quickly jumped on it.

"But Senpai, while this is a club room, this is also a classroom, right?"

I held back my laughter, since Ibara was basically saying "You have no right to refuse students entry into the school classrooms". Toogaito looked rather troubled as a result, but as Ibara was rather persistent, he finally relented.

"... Alright then. You may come in, but, just try not mess anything up."

And so the President of the Wall Newspaper Club opened the door to the Biology Room.

The room we entered was designed in the exact same layout as the Geology Room, from the blackboard, the chairs, the table, to the cleaning tools, they were generally the same... Though it does have one extra door. Above that door was a sign that read "Biology Preparation Room". In the fourth floor, this would be where the storage room was, and it was not possible to enter it directly from the Geology Room.

There were hardly any other members in the Wall Newspaper Club today. Though Toogaito explained, "We normally have four members, though as there's no activities today, only I'm here to think about what to publish for the Kanya Festival."

If I remember correctly, the Kanya Festival starts in October. So about two and a half months from now.

"What's the difference between the Wall Newspaper Club and the Newspaper Club?"

Chitanda asked a totally irrelevant question, which Toogaito answered courteously.

"There are three periodicals published in Kami High. There's the 'Seiryuu' distributed to the classrooms every other month; the 'Kami High Student Council News', posted outside the Student Council office in irregular intervals; and the 'Kami High Monthly', which publishes every month except August and December, and is posted on the notice board by the school entrance. We're in charge of the 'Kami High Monthly'."

"Who publishes the other two?"

"The 'Seiryuu' is by the Newspaper Club, while the 'Kami High Student Council News' is of course by the Student Council. Though we have the longest history of the three periodicals. The 'Kami High Monthly' will be reaching its four hundredth issue soon, the other two haven't even reached their one hundredth."

Four hundred issues, huh? Besides us, the Wall Newspaper Club too has a long-standing tradition of its own. Come to think of it, if Chitanda's uncle was with the Classics Club 33 years ago, then the Classics Club has been around for at least 33 years. No matter how tumultuous my life might become, it surely cannot compare to the history of the Classics Club. Then again, it's not like my life has been tumultuous so far.

"Doesn't seem to be in this room."

Ibara concluded after looking around the room. As the Biology Room was rather empty, it was hard for her to miss anything. That leaves the Preparation Room. I asked about entering that room, "May we please check the Preparation Room as well?"

"... Yeah, go ahead."

Upon hearing Toogaito reply behind me, I entered the room, and could hear the sound of paper fluttering as well as the sound of some motor. I wonder what that was.

As expected, the Preparation Room was a small room, about one third the size of the Biology Room.

This room was originally made to store teaching equipment for Biology lessons, though right now only microscopes could be found on the shelves. As Kami High is more focused on theory learning more than practical experiments, it would seem most of the other experiment tools and equipment were stored away in another separate room. As a result, this became a tool room for the Wall Newspaper Club.

There was an amateur looking camera, a collection of pens of various thicknesses and colours, cardboard boxes cluttered beside a photocopier, and a small speaker. As for the item that most caught our eyes, it was the makeshift table in the centre of the narrow room. Rather than a table, it was merely a thick plywood board placed on top of a cardboard box. On top of it were spread a bunch of B1 papers with scribbles that can only be read by their author, with a heavy-looking metallic pen case placed on top of them. The fluttering noise came from these papers being blown by the wind.

Wind?

There was wind inside the room. Though the window was open, the wind came from indoors. That must be where the motor sound came from. It was hard to spot as it was placed beside the stack of cardboard boxes, but there was a small electric fan in front of the makeshift table and opposite the window, and its wind speed was turned to the maximum.

There was something else that the wind was blowing on. Hanging by the window was a Kami High male summer uniform shirt. It was simply hung there casually.

"...?"

"Oreki, what do you think?"

I turned around and found Chitanda and Ibara standing by the Preparation Room entrance.

Ah yes, we had to look for the chemical safe.

Still, with things being placed everywhere in such a narrow room, there was no way to search like that. Simply by observation alone, there didn't seem to be anything resembling a chemical safe. It should be an old-styled box with the lock damaged. Perhaps I did see it but didn't notice it properly.

Hmm...

I crossed my arms and stepped away from the room and asked Toogaito, who had been watching us, "Do you know why the club rooms were moved around last year?"

"Nope. Maybe they were trying to fill out the rooms emptied by clubs that no longer existed?"

"How many boxes did you bring in when you moved in here?"

Toogaito thought for a while before replying, "... Now that you mention it, how many boxes did we move?"

"The cardboard boxes?"

"Yeah."

I see. Then it should be there. I'd nearly forgotten that the Toogaito clan was also quite a prestigious clan; it would make sense once I considered the circumstances concerning his clan.

I'd more or less figured out where the anthologies were, though obtaining them would be a problem... Let's try setting up a trap. I turned to face Toogaito.

"Senpai, since there are so many things lying around, it would be quite tedious to search like that. This might trouble you a bit, but do you mind if we ask Ooide-sensei to come help us search as well?"

Though he'd put on a sober expression until now, Toogaito's brows were raised.

"... No. I told you not to mess with anything inside."

"We'll place the objects back where we found them when we're done, please let us search."

"I said no!"

He suddenly raised his voice.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Toogaito-senpai. It's fine, I guess that's too bad."

Chitanda replied frantically while Toogaito continued speaking loudly.

"I'm already quite busy today as I have to submit my ideas to the editorial team by tomorrow. Just what is this entering into our place to search all over for stuff? Your anthologies ain't here, so leave already!"

While Toogaito was getting increasingly agitated, I merely looked at him coldly. It seems he's sprung the trap as I had expected him to.

I gazed at Toogaito while holding a friendly smile.

"Senpai, we're interested in the contents of a chemical safe."

"... What?"

"The anthologies are supposed to be inside the chemical safe. If you said they're not here, then they surely must not be here. Since we don't want to trouble you any further."

I then stopped smiling and added, "By the way, we'll be heading to the library now. If after we leave you manage to find the anthologies, would you please be so kind as to bring them over to the Geology Room? We'll leave the door unlocked."

It seemed Toogaito was really furious at my proposal, as he twisted his previously rational face and stared at me. In contrast, I treated it as though it was nothing special. After all, I've never heard of anyone in the history of this world getting injured just by being stared at.

"W-why you, how did you..."

"Yes, Senpai?"

After restraining himself, Toogaito swallowed what he was about to say.

He then sighed deeply and reverted back to his courteous self.

"Fine, I'll do it when I find them."

"I am most grateful... Well, shall we go, Chitanda, Ibara?"

Probably not understanding the meaning behind my exchange with Toogaito, the startled girls merely agreed with me and followed me out, as there was no point in staying any longer.

"Oreki-san, what just happened?"

"I'll explain later."

After telling them so, I led them out of the Biology Room.

A voice called out to me from behind, "You, first year. I still haven't heard what your name is."

I turned and replied indifferently, "Oreki Houtarou... Sorry about that just now."

Along the corridor linking the Special Block and the General Block, I leaned against one of the walls. As we were killing time here, the two girls took this chance to ask me, "Oreki, I don't know what's going on, but aren't we heading to the library?"

I waved my hand.

"Nope, since there's no need to."

"I don't get it. If there's no need to, why aren't we going back to the club room?"

"We can't. We'll need to wait a bit longer."

Ibara muttered, "Just what is he up to" while still looking unconvinced.

Chitanda, while sniffling her nose, took over for Ibara and asked, "Oreki-san, Toogaito-senpai looked furious."

"It seems so."

"Of course it's good if the back issues are indeed found, but to make such a forceful request out of him..."

"Forceful? I merely requested him reasonably."

Chitanda opened and closed her mouth as she was at a loss for words. That is to be expected. Since all I asked was "to help look for our stuff" and "bring them over once they're found".

"But, Toogaito-senpai was furious."

"Was he that furious?"

Standing beside Chitanda, Ibara raised her brow and asked, "After Oreki made that request of him, his anger looked more like he was acting."

Oh, so she noticed.

"Is that so?"

Though apparently Chitanda still hasn't.

I took a look at my watch. Three minutes had passed... Should be about time. I stood away from the wall I was leaning on and asked, "Chitanda, how well-known are the Toogaitos?"

Chitanda tilted her head, wondering why I would ask for something like this and answered, "The Toogaitos? They're quite influential in the high school educational circles. They've got one member in the Prefectural School Board and one in the City School Board, as well as one school principal and two teachers."

Now I see.

"Oreki, what about the anthologies already?"

I replied, "I think it's time we return."

Chitanda and Ibara looked at each other upon hearing my answer. I merely smiled.

And so we arrived at the Geology Room.

"Ah, here they are."

It was as I said. On top of the teacher's desk were stacked dozens of thin notebooks. I couldn't help but pump my fist. It feels good to have something go completely according to plan.

"They came? How can that be possible?" Ibara said while walking towards the teacher's desk. As she picked up one of the notebooks, she muttered, "... It's really the anthologies..."

"Eh, eh?? Eru, let me have a look as well!"

"How did you do that, Oreki? Did you know something we didn't?"

Ibara's stern questioning made it sound as though I did something wrong. I was never good at evading questions, so I leaned on one of the tables nearby and answered, "I just did a bit of blackmailing, that's all."

"Blackmailing? Against the President of the Wall Newspaper Club?"

"Yup. But, Ibara, can you be more discreet?"

Ibara made a sullen face upon me saying that.

"It's not like I would go tell anyone."

"Yeah, but you don't sound too reliable. It's supposed to be a secret that Toogaito is doing errands for a first year student, it'll be too pitiful for him if that secret is not kept."

"I won't tell anyone... If you don't trust me, then I'm fine if you don't give me the explanation." she said brusquely. She's probably not lying. Chitanda was a completely different matter; sating her curiosity wasn't exactly a priority for her. So if she realizes that trouble may arise from me explaining, then she'd rather not hear it. She's the sort that would come up with such solutions.

Anyway, now that I've tested them, it seemed safe to assume that the girls won't go telling anyone else.

"Sorry about that. Anyway, Ibara, didn't you find it strange as to why Toogaito would have the door locked?"

Ibara replied bluntly, "He probably didn't want anybody to disturb him, as he did say he was preparing articles to publish, didn't he?"

"Then, what about the Preparation Room? Why was the fan on when the window was already open?"

"Maybe he's feeling hot?"

"Then he could have just placed the fan next to the window. Yet the fan was placed opposite it. With the fan in that position, if the pen case was moved slightly, all the B1 paper underneath would have been blown away."

Ibara rubbed her hair in irritation.

"So what about it?"

"Don't you get it? What Toogaito was intending to do?"

"If you put it that way, then I kind of get it. Was he trying to ventilate the room?"

I gently lifted my thumb and praised her. Of course, Ibara wasn't going to find that interesting and so turned her gaze away.

"Now then, the next question would be, why would he want to ventilate the room? To further elaborate, what was Toogaito, from a family of respected educators, doing alone in the club room with the door locked with infrared sensors set outside?"

"W-wait a minute! What infrared sensors? Are we in a spy novel or something?"

Ah, I forgot to explain, "Don't you ever see those gadget store commercials? They were selling those infrared sensors that would trigger the security alarm a while ago. I think you might get them for 5000 yen now."

"Where did you find them?"

"By the side of the third floor corridor just outside the Wall Newspaper Club room. They were camouflaged in white. It's hard to conclude that they're sensors just by observation alone, but the fact that there was a speaker inside the Preparation Room more or less confirmed my suspicions."

Ibara raised her brow and said, "You really are weird."

"Stop treating me as some outcast... Anyway, where were we? Ah yes, upon being informed by the sensors in advance that someone was approaching, why would he risk getting the B1 papers blown away just to ventilate the room? Any thoughts?"

Ibara began thinking at my question, and so I waited.

She then replied with an incredulous look befitting her sharp tongue, "... Could it be some odour...?"

I gently clapped my hands two to three times,

"You got it. He was trying to get rid of an odour. If we think along this line, then him using anti-odour sprays had nothing to do with any obsession with cleanliness. Now, what was the odour he was trying to get rid of? By the way, it's not any sort of narcotics."

"Then, could it be...?"

"That's right, he's probably smoking... It was a device used so that he may do so in peace. Considering that he comes from a prestigious clan, you can imagine what a scandal it would be if a son of a noble upbringing were caught doing something illegal. Since the Toogaitos are supposed to be respected high school educators. In this day and age, if you're a doctor, teacher or police officer, even just yawning in public could get you in a lot of trouble."

"... I see. If that's true, then he sure has gone to a lot of trouble doing all that."

Indeed. That's what I thought as well. Had the circumstances been different, the problem he faced would have been different as well. Thinking back, he seemed visibly shaken when he learned that Chitanda was from the Chitanda clan. He must have been thinking that if his deeds were exposed by someone from another prestigious clan, the relationship between his and other clans would have been greatly affected. After all, we all know how sensitive Chitanda's senses are. Had Chitanda not caught a cold, no amount of ventilation or removing of his shirt would have fooled her.

"Well, I don't exactly understand his desire to smoke on the school grounds, though. Happy with the explanation now?"

Upon saying that, Ibara's gaze changed. Whoa, she's showing her true worth with such a cold stare.

"You know, I was merely trying to ask how Toogaito-senpai had brought the anthologies over. While I get how you blackmailed him with his dirty secret in order to get him to bring them over, you still haven't explained where they were in the first place."

I see, I must have missed that part. So I explained, "They must be in the chemical safe."

"O-re-ki!"

"I...I'm not trying to ridicule you! The problem here is where the chemical safe was... Remember Toogaito mentioned something about moving cardboard boxes in when the rooms changed? He had no reason to lie about this, so I figured that the chemical safe was somewhere in the club room."

"... But I didn't see it."

"It doesn't mean it's not there. You couldn't see it because it was hidden... I'm talking about the safe itself, not just the anthologies."

I let Ibara digest what I meant by that as I continued, "As a result, the anthologies were also hidden along with it. As for why he hid the safe away, that's because he was using it to store his cigarettes. Notice we didn't see any cigarettes, lighters or ash trays? That's because he hid them all inside the safe. Did you notice his expression when I suggested to ask Ooide-sensei to search the room with us? Anyway, as for where the safe was hidden, I'd guess that it was probably under that makeshift cardboard box table."

I took a deep sigh upon finishing my explanation.

I did something bad to Toogaito by putting him in a position where he had to comply with my request. Though I had no intention of exposing his secret, as we all have secrets to keep, and I wouldn't like it if mine were exposed either. Let's just say he was unlucky.

Ibara, whom I've been speaking to all this time, took a sidelong glance. Following it, I noticed the presence of a person who ought to have been more talkative about this. I turned to face her.

"Chitanda?"

Chitanda was looking at the anthologies on the teacher's desk. Though she was only looking and had not opened any of them. Her serious gaze was the same as those I saw in the Cafe Pineapple Sandwich. It was as though she didn't even hear me call out to her.

"What's wrong, Chitanda?"

As she didn't hear me, I got up from the table I was leaning on and walked up to tap her shoulder.

"Is something the matter?"

"Oh, Oreki-san... Have a look at this."

She handed one of the anthologies over to me.

It was a thin notebook, with the same dimensions as those Campus Notebooks seen in stationary stores<ref>A poular brand of notebooks in Japan - [http://static1.jetpens.com/images/a/000/014/14136.jpg Image], [http://www.kokuyo-st.co.jp/stationery/campus/top2.html Official Site]</ref>. The books were stitched together elegantly. They must have relied on someone professional to help them publish these. The cover was made of brown leather; on top was an ink painting of a dog and a hare drawn in a deformed cartoonish style.

A number of hares formed an outer ring, and within the centre were a dog and a hare biting each other. The dog's canine teeth were sunken into the hare's torso as though ripping it apart, while the hare's incisor teeth were nibbling deeply at the dog's neck. As it was drawn in a deformed way, it looked hilarious instead of grotesque. Though it also felt ominous. There was an old saying in the past about the hunting dogs getting cooked alongside the hares that they just hunted<ref>TL Note - 狡兎死して走狗烹らる (Koutoshishi soukuniraru) Japanese idiom introduced straight from the same Chinese idiom, referring to victorious emperors ruthlessly eradicating their generals once they had served their purpose of vanquishing the enemy</ref>. But now the dog and hare were instead hunting each other. Two of the hares in the ring looked on at such a seemingly cute scene.

On top of the illustration were some words, printed in proper fonts that read "Hyouka<ref>Hyouka (氷菓) means "frozen treats" such as ice cream, popsicles, etc.</ref> Volume 2". The publication date was 1968... That's quite old, and the name...

"Hyouka...?"

Is that the title?

"Such a strange title."

Ibara peeked across my shoulder, and agreed with me, "Yeah, and a hard to understand one as well."

We felt the same way as I felt hearing the name Kanya Festival for the first time, although guessing the origin for the name Kanya Festival was more straightforward. If the writers of this anthology had to decide upon a name, they would most likely choose one that's strongly connected to its contents. But I can see no connection between "Classics Club Essay Anthology" and the name "Hyouka".

Pointing at the illustration at the cover, I asked Ibara, "As someone from the Manga Studies Club, what do you think of this cover?"

"I think it's drawn superbly. The illustration design has brilliantly discarded all sense of perspective regarding distance... Hmm, this is good. I like this."

I was a bit surprised, as it's not normally possible for Ibara to clearly say whether she likes or dislikes something. Besides, this illustration has managed to leave an impression on her. As though regretting she just said she liked this, Ibara returned the book to me and began her justification,

"Er, 'like' is not exactly right. Since the art is not that beautiful... it looks threatening as well, after all. And I wasn't talking from an artistic point of view, but from a media perspective..."

Meanwhile, Chitanda didn't seem like she would tremble from joy at finally obtaining the long sought after back issues. Rather, it looked as though her expression had been sucked out by a vampire.

I asked her once again, "Chitanda, is something the matter?"

Upon hearing me, she dragged me to the corner of the classroom and said, "This."

"What?"

Rather than her eyes glittering in curiosity, the neat expression of our elegant lady that was drenched in the orange sunset looked more like she was discovering a secret as she whispered, "I found this. This is what my uncle wanted to show me. If I have this, then I should be able to find out what it was that my uncle said to me."

I see.

"So do you remember anything?"

In place of an answer, she pointed to the "Hyouka Volume 2" I was holding.

"This mentioned something about my uncle. Something seemed to have happened with the Classics Club 33 years ago... Have a look inside."

I did as she told me and opened the cover, and before me was written a foreword.

Foreword

And so we have a Cultural Festival again this year.

It has been one year since Sekitani-senpai left us.

During this year, Senpai has fallen into legend and become a hero. As a result, the five day Cultural Festival will commence as usual.

However, as the legend spread, I went into deep thought. Would people ten years from now still remember the silent warrior and the kind hero? All Senpai has left behind is this anthology "Hyouka", for which he has provided the title.

As a sacrifice of the conflict, even Senpai's smile would end up along the flow of time into eternity. 

No, perhaps it is better that we do not remember it. As it was not intended to be a heroic tale.

Once the subjectivity is taken away, this story will become a classic as it transcends all historical perspectives.

Will the day come when our stories become a classic for someone in the future?

October 13th, 1968
Kooriyama Youko

"This is..."

"The 'last year' referred to here meant 33 years ago today. In that case, the 'Sekitani-senpai' of the Classics Club must be my uncle. What happened to my uncle back then? The answer that my uncle told me had something to do with the Classics Club then..."

I smiled, and I did not wonder why Chitanda wasn't smiling as well as I said, "Isn't this fine? You should be able to remember now."

Yet Chitanda's expressionless face gave way to one of gloominess as she struggled to get the words out softly,

"But, I just can't. Even though I was this close! I- Am I really that bad at remembering things? What was it my uncle said to me? What happened to him 33 years ago?"

I could not tell whether her muffled voice came from her cold or her tears.

Chitanda...

I decided to speak, "Let's investigate it."

I didn't think I spoke coldly.

The anthology "Hyouka Volume 2" that I took back from Chitanda was written 32 years ago. On it was the strange name "Hyouka" which was given by Sekitani Jun, as well as the mentioning of a forgotten incident.

This was a great chance. For these clues were like lights that shone for us who were groping in the dark. In order for Chitanda to regain her past, I firmly believe we must not discard such clues.

That's why I said again, "Then we'll just need to investigate what happened 33 years ago."

"But..."

Chitanda drooped her shoulders.

"But it said they'd rather not remember it."

I was surprised at her timidity for such things.

"But you want to remember it, right?"

"Of course, but if we investigate further..."

She paused before continuing, "... If we investigate further, we might end up finding something unpleasant. There are things that are better forgotten, aren't there?"

"..."

That's because you're too kind, Chitanda.

"Even if it's happened 33 years ago?"

"Is that wrong?"

I shook my head.

"Yeah. After all, didn't it say here as well? 'Once the subjectiveness is taken away, this story will become a classic as it transcends all historical perspectives.'"

"..."

"In other words, there's an expiration date for that."

I made a smile. Though Chitanda didn't smile as well, she nodded gently.

"... OK."

And so.

Yes, and so, I chuckled within my heart as I remained smiling. Investigating shouldn't take up much effort. If the second volume mentions something about "last year", all we had to do was look in the first volume to find out what happened to Sekitani Jun. It should be finished in no time. Though I wouldn't say which was the easier option: the avoidance of the problem or the solving of the problem.

... I was naive to think like that. As Ibara was quietly fishing through the remaining volumes, she said indignantly,

"What the? There's no volume 1!"

In order to digest what I had just heard, it seemed I needed some time.

<noinclude>

==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Hyouka:Volume 1 Chapter 4|4 - The Descendants of the Eventful Classics Club]]
| Return to [[Hyouka|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Hyouka:Volume 1 Chapter 6|6 - The Old Days of the Glorious Classics Club]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Hyouka:Volume 1 Chapter 5

2021-08-10T01:24:33Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: Formatting correction

==5 - The Hidden Seal of the Pedigree Classics Club ==

While Kamiyama High School does provide curriculum for university entrance exams, it does not particularly do much to improve its university entrance rankings. It only holds mock exams for prospective university students once or twice annually, and they do not hold extra lessons during holidays. All in all, it was a pretty laid back school.

Even so, Kamiyama High still has regular exams. If a high-school student's life is rose-coloured, then the exam halls would be his natural enemy. And so the Classics Club activities had come to a halt as club activities are prohibited during the End of Semester Exams for the First Semester. Though it's not like we have much to do anyway, we still had to hand the club room key over to the school.

Today is the final day of the exams. I laid down on my bed in my own room and stared at the ceiling. And as usual, there was nothing particularly different about this white ceiling.

In terms of exam results, the members of the Classics Club yielded some interesting revelations.

First, Fukube Satoshi. Though he's well-versed in all sorts of useless trivial knowledge, he doesn't have much interest in regular studies. As the exams have just ended today, I can't exactly tell how he performed, but I do know that he was terrible in the Mid-Term Tests. At any rate, back then Satoshi explained to me, "That's because I was busy studying why Japanese people nowadays no longer write their kanji in the cursive style<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cursive_script_(East_Asia) Wikipedia]</ref>." If Satoshi thinks something is important, then it must be important enough for him. No disrespect to him, but in the long-term, I think it probably sounds foolish. Though I don't think Satoshi would care one bit. If I call him a free soul because of it, he'd probably take it as a compliment. To put it simply, he's just a generic fool.

Though she's normally with the Manga Studies Club, in order to continue pursuing Satoshi, Ibara Mayaka too has joined the Classics Club. She's probably the hard-working type. As she would usually make sure to check up on any mistakes made, her grades are in the upper half of the class. However, devoting so much time to studying does not seem to improve her grades at all. To put it simply, Ibara's a bit neurotic — you could say she's a perfectionist. Though her tongue may be sharp, her downside is probably that she is too obsessed with perfection, and would end up struggling to find the perfect answers to her exam questions. I think she applies the same standards to herself as well.

Then there's Chitanda Eru, who stands out among the rest with her high scores. A look at the score ranking board reveals she's ranked 6th in the entire grade. Though she doesn't seem satisfied with that, or even the high school curriculum for that matter. She once told me she wasn't content with just learning the parts, she wanted to learn the entire system. I had absolutely no idea what she meant by that. Though her words were vague, I could tell why this lady was so intent on getting her curiosity resolved. For example, the case involving her uncle — she probably wanted to find out the entire "system" regarding the information concerning what her uncle said to her back then. She's the sort that wants to find out the cause by all means.

As for me, my grades were normal.

Out of 350 people, I ranked 175th. As though it was some sort of prank, I was ranked right in the middle. I was not concerned about Chitanda's curiosity getting her good grades or Satoshi's eccentricity getting him bad grades, nor did I think much about Ibara being unhappy with the mistakes she's made. While I wasn't that laid back as to not study for the exams, my studying was lukewarm at best. Occasionally, I would get people telling me how much I've changed, but to me, it simply means they aren't really that observant. I am positioned below the cream of the crop and above the bottom of the heap. I have no desire to go either up or down. I see, so that's why Satoshi said that he can't think of anything apart from grey for the colour of my high-school life.

Of course, colour isn't confined to academic grades. There's also club activities, sports, hobbies, romance... The things that constitute our humanity. There is the saying that one can't see the forest for the trees, after all, and one result cannot be used to generalize for the whole picture. Though the Japanese dictionary defined life in high-school as rose-coloured, these roses would still need to be planted in the right places in order to blossom.

Let's just say I'm not the suitable type of soil for roses to grow in.

As I lay on my bed thinking all these things, I heard a sound coming from downstairs. It sounded like a letter had arrived.

After making sure it was indeed a letter, I was dumbfounded. The envelope was covered in red, blue and white stripes, that could only be international mail. After checking the recipient name was correct, I concluded that the only person who could send international mail to the Oreki residence was Oreki Tomoe. Now where was this sent from... Istanbul?

I opened the letter right there and found many letters inside, one of which was for me.

Dear Houtarou,

I am currently in Istanbul. Due to some mishaps I'm hiding out at the Japanese consulate, so I haven't been seeing much of the city yet.

I'm sure it's an amazing city. If I could take a time machine and visit this place in the past, I think I'd want to try to lock the city gates myself, perhaps I'd change history as a result. I'm no historian, so I'm no good at speculating at these "what ifs".

It's an interesting trip, I'm sure I'll look back ten years from now and view every day I'm out here without regret.

So how's the Classics Club? Have the members increased?

Do not be discouraged even if it's just you alone! Solitude helps make a man grow stronger.

If there are other people, then excellent. It helps to improve one's interaction with others.

Anyway, I'm writing because there's something that I'm concerned about.

Have you (guys) started work on publishing an essay anthology yet? The Classics Club always publishes one every year, so I'm wondering if you're continuing with that.

If you are, I figured you're probably at a loss for what to write. After all, the anthologies aren't stored in the library.

You should be able to find the back issues inside an old chemical safe in the club room. The key's broken already, so you can just open the box right away.

I'll call you when I arrive at Pristina.

With love,
Tomoe.

Hiding in the Japanese consulate? Just what have you done this time, Sis? Anyway, it's not that I'm worried. The details are probably written in the letter for my old man. Now where have I heard of Pristina? I can't quite remember. Since it's my sister going, it's no doubt some ancient battlefield or something.

Anyway, I couldn't help but sigh. Does my sister have some sort of intelligence network that collects information about my activities? And I didn't know the Classics Club kept their back issues so secretly for generations either. Indeed, we were looking for the back issues but couldn't find where they were.

It was only a few days since Chitanda tasked me with a personal errand of hers, though she also has another errand for us as President of the Classics Club - the publishing of the essay anthology. Chitanda looked troubled when she found out the library archives did not store the back issues, but if my sister is right, then it could be of great help.

If the purpose is the result itself, then achieving the said result will fulfill that purpose. Though I sense another layer being added to such a bothersome definition, it just felt cruel if I withheld such information. As usual, Oreki Tomoe is messing with my life.

At any rate, I stuffed the letter in the pocket of my uniform trousers that I hung in the closet.

The following day after classes, I went straight towards the club room. The weather was rather pleasant for a relaxing day after the end of the exams, that one would be in a mood to join any club. The training sounds of the sports teams could be heard from the sports ground, while music was being played by the Brass Band, Light Music Club, Japanese Traditional Music Club, etc. While the sports teams are the most visible of the lot, the Kanya Festival is better known for its flurry of activities organized by the arts-related clubs. During this time of day, the Special Block which holds these arts clubs would be full of people.

And within the uppermost corner of this Special Block lies the Geology Room, where Chitanda and Ibara were. Though they've only just met during the case of the peculiar library book, it seems like they're getting along well with each other already. Today they were sitting facing each other, as though they were engaged in some conversation. As summer had arrived, the summer uniforms that they wore felt breezy. Ibara's tanned arms from her short sleeve shirt were in contrast to Chitanda's pale white arms. It was already the season when the sun is shining more often, yet our lady here doesn't seem to have much melanin in her. I tilted my head over to hear what the girls were talking about.

"In other words, the articles need to be on topic."

"Do you mean we can count on others for our anthology?"

"Don't you worry, I think I can get some connections within the Manga Studies Club."

"Can you do that?"

Ah, talking about the anthology, huh? Well, good luck.

Suddenly, Chitanda's body went stiff as she covered her face with her hands.

What's happening?

"... Ah-choo!"

She sneezed. And she's doing it in an old-fashioned quiet way.

"Ah-choo! Ah-choo!"

"What's wrong? You have cold? Or is it hay fever?"

"... Ah, I'm feeling better now. This is quite embarrassing, but it seems to me that I have caught a summer cold..."

Hmm, a summer cold is tough. Come to think of it, her voice sounded different from usual.

Anyway, I decided to call them out.

"Hey, Chitanda, Ibara,"

"Ah, Oreki-san,"

"Ibara, is the Manga Studies Club okay with you being here?"

"Yup, it's all settled. What, you have a problem with me?"

Why should I?

Anyway.

I decided to cut the niceties and went straight to the point as I took out my sister's letter from my trouser pocket,

"My sis used to be with the Classics Club, so she wrote me a letter showing us where we could find the anthology back issues."

Chitanda merely looked puzzled. It seems she still didn't understand.

"I know where we can find the Classics Club anthology back issues."

She bit her lips many times while struggling to find the right words.

"Is..."

She was so lost for words that her eyes went wide.

"Is that true!?"

"Of course it's true. What do I gain by lying to you anyway?"

As though affirming what I said, Chitanda's thin lips broke into a smile. While the elegantly fine lady of the Chitanda clan wasn't exactly grinning from ear to ear, she was clearly quite happy. Even if I were to obtain something that I desired a lot, I would not be able to make such a face. Compared to this, the Chitanda I saw in the Cafe Pineapple Sandwich with her deep expressions felt like a different person altogether.

"I see, the anthologies, huh..."

I could hear her whispering softly,

"... Tee hee, back issues..."

This Chitanda Eru can be quite a dangerous person.

However, Ibara raised her eyebrow and questioned, "Are you sure about that? Why would someone write a letter just to say that?"

A good question. No one in their right mind would think of seeking information about where to find stuff concerning the Cultural Festival in a letter from Istanbul. But this was indeed a letter from my sis, and no one could ever guess just what it is that Oreki Tomoe would consider important.

"Well, fact is I've got the letter here, so you'll be able to tell whether it's true or not. Wanna read?"

I unfolded the letter and laid it on the table for Ibara and Chitanda to see. As they followed every word in the letter, they gradually went quiet. The first to break the silence was Chitanda.

"... Does your sister like to visit Turkey?"

"She likes to visit the world."

"Such an amazing sister you have."

While her interest was drawn by the curious part of the letter, that's not where I wanted her to look.

"'I'll look back ten years from now and view every day I'm out here with much nostalgia.' Ahh, such a melancholic sentence."

Well, I agree, but that's not it either.

As they read on, they both opened their mouths at the same time.

"... The chemical safe?"

"The chemical safe, huh?"

Ibara looked around the Geology Room, and then put her arms on her waist and puffed her chest.

"Hmm, I don't see anything like that here."

"Guess so."

That's not hard to figure out. Though Chitanda seemed to have gone pale all of a sudden.

"Eh!? T-then w-where are... the anthologies..."

"Chi-chan! Calm down, calm down!"

As to who Ibara was calling Chi-chan, I could think of no one else but Chitanda. "Chi-chan", that Ibara sure has given her quite a cute nickname. So her sharp tongue is not used against Chitanda, huh? Though it is indeed difficult to be hostile to a person like Chitanda anyway.

I waved my sis's letter to a now calmed-down Chitanda and said,

"Chitanda, this letter said 'old chemical safe in the club room'. It's been two years since my sis graduated from here. The club room has probably changed during that time."

"Ah... Is that so?"

"So, Oreki, do you know where the club room was two years ago?"

To avoid any oversight, I made sure to visit the staff room beforehand.

"I've asked the supervising teacher, and he said it was in the Biology Lecture Room."

"You sure are quite prepared for this."

"Well, it's efficient."

"How enthusiastic of you."

That's not exactly true, I'm normally not that enthusiastic.

"The Biology Lecture Room... that's just one floor below us. Now that we know, shall we head over there?"

Having said that, Chitanda left the room at once.

If there's anyone that's enthusiastic, it's her.

The Biology Room was, as Chitanda said, right under the Geology Room. If the Geology Room, located in the corner of the Special Block, was the remotest region of Kamiyama High, then the Biology Room, located on the third floor, would also be considered a backwater area. While I did say the Special Block was full of people, there were exceptions. Like the Geology Room, which was hardly surrounded by any other club rooms, was extremely quiet. It seems the Biology Room was the same as well. While the corridor was lively with people, the path towards the Biology Room was full of empty classrooms, and there was no one else heading towards it besides us.

Along the way, Chitanda sneezed many times.

"Is your cold that bad?"

"Please don't worry too much about me. I might not be able to stop sneezing, but it's just a sensitive nose... Ah-choo!"

I don't know. If it were me, I would have felt terrible sneezing this many times. As expected of our lady here, who can be extremely modest.

Walking ahead of us, Ibara turned her head around and said to us,

"Oreki, do you have the key with you?"

"Nope, someone else seems to have borrowed it."

"Ah-choo! ... The key's been borrowed? Does that mean the Biology Room is currently being used by some club?"

"As long as it isn't some fool that's borrowed it, it could be possible."

"Oreki-san... it's rude to call people fools."

I got scolded. If she gets upset by even that, then not even Satoshi or Ibara would have been able to retort, so I smiled bitterly and looked around, and something by the corridor wall entered my field of vision. I wonder what that was. Neither Chitanda nor Ibara seemed to notice it... It was a small box, and as it was painted in the same white colour as the corridor walls, it was rather inconspicuous. Looking at the opposite side of the corridor, I saw another similar box. I Wonder if someone left these behind? As it didn't seem valuable, I paid no more attention to it. Bending down to pick up something that's worth less than one yen is not worth the effort, as the energy spent is more or less equivalent to one yen. So it's basic common sense for energy savers like me.

We now stood before the Biology Room. While considering whether to knock or not, Chitanda had already reached out for the door knob.

"Huh?"

The door wouldn't open.

"It's locked."

"So it seems."

The two girls turned to look at me, Chitanda looking concerned while Ibara stared coldly. It's bothersome to have them to look at me with such eyes.

"No, I really don't have the key with me. So I wouldn't know why the door's locked."

Once again, Ibara tried to open the door, but could only hear the lock creaking. Quite aptly, Chitanda said what I was about to say, "... Again?"

Yes, that again.

"Chi-chan, what do you mean?"

"Umm, it happened in April..."

I don't think Chitanda knows this, but it seems Kami High's classroom doors are jinxed. As Chitanda recounted that story in April, I began to think of how to get around this situation without a key.

"... And that's how it was."

"Hmm, so Oreki managed to do all that, huh?"

I turned my heels around and shouted through the door jokingly,

"IS ANYONE IN THERE?"

Of course, I expected no answer.

However, there was an answer. The blunt sound of the door being unlocked was heard.

"Yes?"

The door then opened from the inside.

Standing there was a male student wearing a thin shirt and uniform trousers. He was quite tall and slender. Though he looked more like the intelligentsia type than the athletic type of person. Upon identifying our grades from the colour of my collar, he smiled politely and said, "Oh, sorry about that. I had the door locked. You guys interested in joining the Wall Newspaper Club?"

If you're inside then you should've opened the door right away, dammit. Rather than what I was thinking, I said, "This is the Wall Newspaper Club?"

"That's right. Aren't you here to join?"

The male student shut the door upon coming out of the room. At that moment I smelled some sort of alcoholic disinfectant odour coming from him. It seems our intelligentsia fellow here has a penchant for deodorants. He raised his brows upon seeing me twitch my nose at his deodorant odour, as though saying "You got a problem with that?" Though he quickly reverted to his courteous manner and said, "Then, how may I help you?"

We exchanged glances with each other, and decided it was best for our President Chitanda to speak.

"Good afternoon. I'm Chitanda Eru, President of the Classics Club. You must be Toogaito-senpai from Class 3-E, right?"

The guy called Toogaito raised his brow in amazement,

"How do you know my name?"

A good question. Anyone would be amazed if they were suddenly addressed by name by a complete stranger. After all, that's what I felt back in April. And like back then, Chitanda merely smiled gently.

"We met at the Manninbashi mansion last year."

"Manninbashi... Wait a minute, you said your name's Chitanda, could you be related to Chitanda-san from Kanda?"

"Yes, he is my father. Thank you for taking care of him."

...Hmm, this feels like a high-society reunion. I knew that as an old clan, the Chitandas were farmland owners, but I never expected them to be so well-connected. It seems this world that I've never seen before really does exist. Come to think of it, Satoshi did mention something about the old clans of Kamiyama, and the Toogaito clan was amongst them.

"Ah, no, the pleasure's all mine. I see, you're with the Chitandas."

"Yes... Ah-choo!"

"Summer cold? Must be bad for you. Take care of yourself."

Upon learning that Chitanda Eru was from the Chitanda Clan with their large farmlands, Toogaito's attitude changed in a strange way. While he was still courteous, his gaze was now more stiff. Was he scared of Chitanda or something? I can't begin to imagine, but it does seem there is some sort of power influence between the old clans. Maybe it's just me, but Toogaito didn't seem to meet Chitanda's gaze and he spoke as though picking his words carefully.

"Well, what is it?"

On the other hand, Chitanda didn't seem to mind Toogaito's reaction and said, "Yes, actually, I heard that the back issues for the Classics Club's essay anthology were stored here in the Biology Room. This used to be the club room for the Classics Club, right?"

"... It was when I was still in first year. Though they moved the club rooms all over the place last year."

"Then, do you know where the anthologies are?"

Toogaito paused for a moment before replying, "Nope, never seen them."

Quietly listening to their conversation, Ibara turned and looked at me, to which I nodded gently. Anyone with an intuition would realize that Toogaito was behaving strangely.

"I see..."

Though she has an amazing memory, Chitanda's intuition level was below average. And so Chitanda looked dejected and was about to leave when Ibara interrupted, "Excuse me, Senpai, do you mind if we search around for them?"

"And you are?"

"Ibara Mayaka of the Classics Club. Since you have no use for the anthologies, maybe you haven't noticed them before, right?"

Though I see no point in doing so, I decided to go on a fool's errand and back them up.

"We'll try to do so without obstructing your club activities. Or is that too much trouble for you?"

"Please."

"I ask of you as well."

Upon our constant barrage of requests, Toogaito gave a sullen look.

"Well, I would rather not have outsiders in the club room..."

Upon hearing that line, Ibara quickly jumped on it.

"But Senpai, while this is a club room, this is also a classroom, right?"

I held back my laughter, since Ibara was basically saying "You have no right to refuse students entry into the school classrooms". Toogaito looked rather troubled as a result, but as Ibara was rather persistent, he finally relented.

"... Alright then. You may come in, but, just try not mess anything up."

And so the President of the Wall Newspaper Club opened the door to the Biology Room.

The room we entered was designed in the exact same layout as the Geology Room, from the blackboard, the chairs, the table, to the cleaning tools, they were generally the same... Though it does have one extra door. Above that door was a sign that read "Biology Preparation Room". In the fourth floor, this would be where the storage room was, and it was not possible to enter it directly from the Geology Room.

There were hardly any other members in the Wall Newspaper Club today. Though Toogaito explained, "We normally have four members, though as there's no activities today, only I'm here to think about what to publish for the Kanya Festival."

If I remember correctly, the Kanya Festival starts in October. So about two and a half months from now.

"What's the difference between the Wall Newspaper Club and the Newspaper Club?"

Chitanda asked a totally irrelevant question, which Toogaito answered courteously.

"There are three periodicals published in Kami High. There's the 'Seiryuu' distributed to the classrooms every other month; the 'Kami High Student Council News', posted outside the Student Council office in irregular intervals; and the 'Kami High Monthly', which publishes every month except August and December, and is posted on the notice board by the school entrance. We're in charge of the 'Kami High Monthly'."

"Who publishes the other two?"

"The 'Seiryuu' is by the Newspaper Club, while the 'Kami High Student Council News' is of course by the Student Council. Though we have the longest history of the three periodicals. The 'Kami High Monthly' will be reaching its four hundredth issue soon, the other two haven't even reached their one hundredth."

Four hundred issues, huh? Besides us, the Wall Newspaper Club too has a long-standing tradition of its own. Come to think of it, if Chitanda's uncle was with the Classics Club 33 years ago, then the Classics Club has been around for at least 33 years. No matter how tumultuous my life might become, it surely cannot compare to the history of the Classics Club. Then again, it's not like my life has been tumultuous so far.

"Doesn't seem to be in this room."

Ibara concluded after looking around the room. As the Biology Room was rather empty, it was hard for her to miss anything. That leaves the Preparation Room. I asked about entering that room, "May we please check the Preparation Room as well?"

"... Yeah, go ahead."

Upon hearing Toogaito reply behind me, I entered the room, and could hear the sound of paper fluttering as well as the sound of some motor. I wonder what that was.

As expected, the Preparation Room was a small room, about one third the size of the Biology Room.

This room was originally made to store teaching equipment for Biology lessons, though right now only microscopes could be found on the shelves. As Kami High is more focused on theory learning more than practical experiments, it would seem most of the other experiment tools and equipment were stored away in another separate room. As a result, this became a tool room for the Wall Newspaper Club.

There was an amateur looking camera, a collection of pens of various thicknesses and colours, cardboard boxes cluttered beside a photocopier, and a small speaker. As for the item that most caught our eyes, it was the makeshift table in the centre of the narrow room. Rather than a table, it was merely a thick plywood board placed on top of a cardboard box. On top of it were spread a bunch of B1 papers with scribbles that can only be read by their author, with a heavy-looking metallic pen case placed on top of them. The fluttering noise came from these papers being blown by the wind.

Wind?

There was wind inside the room. Though the window was open, the wind came from indoors. That must be where the motor sound came from. It was hard to spot as it was placed beside the stack of cardboard boxes, but there was a small electric fan in front of the makeshift table and opposite the window, and its wind speed was turned to the maximum.

There was something else that the wind was blowing on. Hanging by the window was a Kami High male summer uniform shirt. It was simply hung there casually.

"...?"

"Oreki, what do you think?"

I turned around and found Chitanda and Ibara standing by the Preparation Room entrance.

Ah yes, we had to look for the chemical safe.

Still, with things being placed everywhere in such a narrow room, there was no way to search like that. Simply by observation alone, there didn't seem to be anything resembling a chemical safe. It should be an old-styled box with the lock damaged. Perhaps I did see it but didn't notice it properly.

Hmm...

I crossed my arms and stepped away from the room and asked Toogaito, who had been watching us, "Do you know why the club rooms were moved around last year?"

"Nope. Maybe they were trying to fill out the rooms emptied by clubs that no longer existed?"

"How many boxes did you bring in when you moved in here?"

Toogaito thought for a while before replying, "... Now that you mention it, how many boxes did we move?"

"The cardboard boxes?"

"Yeah."

I see. Then it should be there. I'd nearly forgotten that the Toogaito clan was also quite a prestigious clan; it would make sense once I considered the circumstances concerning his clan.

I'd more or less figured out where the anthologies were, though obtaining them would be a problem... Let's try setting up a trap. I turned to face Toogaito.

"Senpai, since there are so many things lying around, it would be quite tedious to search like that. This might trouble you a bit, but do you mind if we ask Ooide-sensei to come help us search as well?"

Though he'd put on a sober expression until now, Toogaito's brows were raised.

"... No. I told you not to mess with anything inside."

"We'll place the objects back where we found them when we're done, please let us search."

"I said no!"

He suddenly raised his voice.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Toogaito-senpai. It's fine, I guess that's too bad."

Chitanda replied frantically while Toogaito continued speaking loudly.

"I'm already quite busy today as I have to submit my ideas to the editorial team by tomorrow. Just what is this entering into our place to search all over for stuff? Your anthologies ain't here, so leave already!"

While Toogaito was getting increasingly agitated, I merely looked at him coldly. It seems he's sprung the trap as I had expected him to.

I gazed at Toogaito while holding a friendly smile.

"Senpai, we're interested in the contents of a chemical safe."

"... What?"

"The anthologies are supposed to be inside the chemical safe. If you said they're not here, then they surely must not be here. Since we don't want to trouble you any further."

I then stopped smiling and added, "By the way, we'll be heading to the library now. If after we leave you manage to find the anthologies, would you please be so kind as to bring them over to the Geology Room? We'll leave the door unlocked."

It seemed Toogaito was really furious at my proposal, as he twisted his previously rational face and stared at me. In contrast, I treated it as though it was nothing special. After all, I've never heard of anyone in the history of this world getting injured just by being stared at.

"W-why you, how did you..."

"Yes, Senpai?"

After restraining himself, Toogaito swallowed what he was about to say.

He then sighed deeply and reverted back to his courteous self.

"Fine, I'll do it when I find them."

"I am most grateful... Well, shall we go, Chitanda, Ibara?"

Probably not understanding the meaning behind my exchange with Toogaito, the startled girls merely agreed with me and followed me out, as there was no point in staying any longer.

"Oreki-san, what just happened?"

"I'll explain later."

After telling them so, I led them out of the Biology Room.

A voice called out to me from behind, "You, first year. I still haven't heard what your name is."

I turned and replied indifferently, "Oreki Houtarou... Sorry about that just now."

Along the corridor linking the Special Block and the General Block, I leaned against one of the walls. As we were killing time here, the two girls took this chance to ask me, "Oreki, I don't know what's going on, but aren't we heading to the library?"

I waved my hand.

"Nope, since there's no need to."

"I don't get it. If there's no need to, why aren't we going back to the club room?"

"We can't. We'll need to wait a bit longer."

Ibara muttered, "Just what is he up to" while still looking unconvinced.

Chitanda, while sniffling her nose, took over for Ibara and asked, "Oreki-san, Toogaito-senpai looked furious."

"It seems so."

"Of course it's good if the back issues are indeed found, but to make such a forceful request out of him..."

"Forceful? I merely requested him reasonably."

Chitanda opened and closed her mouth as she was at a loss for words. That is to be expected. Since all I asked was "to help look for our stuff" and "bring them over once they're found".

"But, Toogaito-senpai was furious."

"Was he that furious?"

Standing beside Chitanda, Ibara raised her brow and asked, "After Oreki made that request of him, his anger looked more like he was acting."

Oh, so she noticed.

"Is that so?"

Though apparently Chitanda still hasn't.

I took a look at my watch. Three minutes had passed... Should be about time. I stood away from the wall I was leaning on and asked, "Chitanda, how well-known are the Toogaitos?"

Chitanda tilted her head, wondering why I would ask for something like this and answered, "The Toogaitos? They're quite influential in the high school educational circles. They've got one member in the Prefectural School Board and one in the City School Board, as well as one school principal and two teachers."

Now I see.

"Oreki, what about the anthologies already?"

I replied, "I think it's time we return."

Chitanda and Ibara looked at each other upon hearing my answer. I merely smiled.

And so we arrived at the Geology Room.

"Ah, here they are."

It was as I said. On top of the teacher's desk were stacked dozens of thin notebooks. I couldn't help but pump my fist. It feels good to have something go completely according to plan.

"They came? How can that be possible?" Ibara said while walking towards the teacher's desk. As she picked up one of the notebooks, she muttered, "... It's really the anthologies..."

"Eh, eh?? Eru, let me have a look as well!"

"How did you do that, Oreki? Did you know something we didn't?"

Ibara's stern questioning made it sound as though I did something wrong. I was never good at evading questions, so I leaned on one of the tables nearby and answered, "I just did a bit of blackmailing, that's all."

"Blackmailing? Against the President of the Wall Newspaper Club?"

"Yup. But, Ibara, can you be more discreet?"

Ibara made a sullen face upon me saying that.

"It's not like I would go tell anyone."

"Yeah, but you don't sound too reliable. It's supposed to be a secret that Toogaito is doing errands for a first year student, it'll be too pitiful for him if that secret is not kept."

"I won't tell anyone... If you don't trust me, then I'm fine if you don't give me the explanation." she said brusquely. She's probably not lying. Chitanda was a completely different matter; sating her curiosity wasn't exactly a priority for her. So if she realizes that trouble may arise from me explaining, then she'd rather not hear it. She's the sort that would come up with such solutions.

Anyway, now that I've tested them, it seemed safe to assume that the girls won't go telling anyone else.

"Sorry about that. Anyway, Ibara, didn't you find it strange as to why Toogaito would have the door locked?"

Ibara replied bluntly, "He probably didn't want anybody to disturb him, as he did say he was preparing articles to publish, didn't he?"

"Then, what about the Preparation Room? Why was the fan on when the window was already open?"

"Maybe he's feeling hot?"

"Then he could have just placed the fan next to the window. Yet the fan was placed opposite it. With the fan in that position, if the pen case was moved slightly, all the B1 paper underneath would have been blown away."

Ibara rubbed her hair in irritation.

"So what about it?"

"Don't you get it? What Toogaito was intending to do?"

"If you put it that way, then I kind of get it. Was he trying to ventilate the room?"

I gently lifted my thumb and praised her. Of course, Ibara wasn't going to find that interesting and so turned her gaze away.

"Now then, the next question would be, why would he want to ventilate the room? To further elaborate, what was Toogaito, from a family of respected educators, doing alone in the club room with the door locked with infrared sensors set outside?"

"W-wait a minute! What infrared sensors? Are we in a spy novel or something?"

Ah, I forgot to explain, "Don't you ever see those gadget store commercials? They were selling those infrared sensors that would trigger the security alarm a while ago. I think you might get them for 5000 yen now."

"Where did you find them?"

"By the side of the third floor corridor just outside the Wall Newspaper Club room. They were camouflaged in white. It's hard to conclude that they're sensors just by observation alone, but the fact that there was a speaker inside the Preparation Room more or less confirmed my suspicions."

Ibara raised her brow and said, "You really are weird."

"Stop treating me as some outcast... Anyway, where were we? Ah yes, upon being informed by the sensors in advance that someone was approaching, why would he risk getting the B1 papers blown away just to ventilate the room? Any thoughts?"

Ibara began thinking at my question, and so I waited.

She then replied with an incredulous look befitting her sharp tongue, "... Could it be some odour...?"

I gently clapped my hands two to three times,

"You got it. He was trying to get rid of an odour. If we think along this line, then him using anti-odour sprays had nothing to do with any obsession with cleanliness. Now, what was the odour he was trying to get rid of? By the way, it's not any sort of narcotics."

"Then, could it be...?"

"That's right, he's probably smoking... It was a device used so that he may do so in peace. Considering that he comes from a prestigious clan, you can imagine what a scandal it would be if a son of a noble upbringing were caught doing something illegal. Since the Toogaitos are supposed to be respected high school educators. In this day and age, if you're a doctor, teacher or police officer, even just yawning in public could get you in a lot of trouble."

"... I see. If that's true, then he sure has gone to a lot of trouble doing all that."

Indeed. That's what I thought as well. Had the circumstances been different, the problem he faced would have been different as well. Thinking back, he seemed visibly shaken when he learned that Chitanda was from the Chitanda clan. He must have been thinking that if his deeds were exposed by someone from another prestigious clan, the relationship between his and other clans would have been greatly affected. After all, we all know how sensitive Chitanda's senses are. Had Chitanda not caught a cold, no amount of ventilation or removing of his shirt would have fooled her.

"Well, I don't exactly understand his desire to smoke on the school grounds, though. Happy with the explanation now?"

Upon saying that, Ibara's gaze changed. Whoa, she's showing her true worth with such a cold stare.

"You know, I was merely trying to ask how Toogaito-senpai had brought the anthologies over. While I get how you blackmailed him with his dirty secret in order to get him to bring them over, you still haven't explained where they were in the first place."

I see, I must have missed that part. So I explained, "They must be in the chemical safe."

"O-re-ki!"

"I...I'm not trying to ridicule you! The problem here is where the chemical safe was... Remember Toogaito mentioned something about moving cardboard boxes in when the rooms changed? He had no reason to lie about this, so I figured that the chemical safe was somewhere in the club room."

"... But I didn't see it."

"It doesn't mean it's not there. You couldn't see it because it was hidden... I'm talking about the safe itself, not just the anthologies."

I let Ibara digest what I meant by that as I continued, "As a result, the anthologies were also hidden along with it. As for why he hid the safe away, that's because he was using it to store his cigarettes. Notice we didn't see any cigarettes, lighters or ash trays? That's because he hid them all inside the safe. Did you notice his expression when I suggested to ask Ooide-sensei to search the room with us? Anyway, as for where the safe was hidden, I'd guess that it was probably under that makeshift cardboard box table."

I took a deep sigh upon finishing my explanation.

I did something bad to Toogaito by putting him in a position where he had to comply with my request. Though I had no intention of exposing his secret, as we all have secrets to keep, and I wouldn't like it if mine were exposed either. Let's just say he was unlucky.

Ibara, whom I've been speaking to all this time, took a sidelong glance. Following it, I noticed the presence of a person who ought to have been more talkative about this. I turned to face her.

"Chitanda?"

Chitanda was looking at the anthologies on the teacher's desk. Though she was only looking and had not opened any of them. Her serious gaze was the same as those I saw in the Cafe Pineapple Sandwich. It was as though she didn't even hear me call out to her.

"What's wrong, Chitanda?"

As she didn't hear me, I got up from the table I was leaning on and walked up to tap her shoulder.

"Is something the matter?"

"Oh, Oreki-san... Have a look at this."

She handed one of the anthologies over to me.

It was a thin notebook, with the same dimensions as those Campus Notebooks seen in stationary stores<ref>A poular brand of notebooks in Japan - [http://static1.jetpens.com/images/a/000/014/14136.jpg Image], [http://www.kokuyo-st.co.jp/stationery/campus/top2.html Official Site]</ref>. The books were stitched together elegantly. They must have relied on someone professional to help them publish these. The cover was made of brown leather; on top was an ink painting of a dog and a hare drawn in a deformed cartoonish style.

A number of hares formed an outer ring, and within the centre were a dog and a hare biting each other. The dog's canine teeth were sunken into the hare's torso as though ripping it apart, while the hare's incisor teeth were nibbling deeply at the dog's neck. As it was drawn in a deformed way, it looked hilarious instead of grotesque. Though it also felt ominous. There was an old saying in the past about the hunting dogs getting cooked alongside the hares that they just hunted<ref>TL Note - 狡兎死して走狗烹らる (Koutoshishi soukuniraru) Japanese idiom introduced straight from the same Chinese idiom, referring to victorious emperors ruthlessly eradicating their generals once they had served their purpose of vanquishing the enemy</ref>. But now the dog and hare were instead hunting each other. Two of the hares in the ring looked on at such a seemingly cute scene.

On top of the illustration were some words, printed in proper fonts that read "Hyouka<ref>Hyouka (氷菓) means "frozen treats" such as ice cream, popsicles, etc.</ref> Volume 2". The publication date was 1968... That's quite old, and the name...

"Hyouka...?"

Is that the title?

"Such a strange title."

Ibara peeked across my shoulder, and agreed with me, "Yeah, and a hard to understand one as well."

We felt the same way as I felt hearing the name Kanya Festival for the first time, although guessing the origin for the name Kanya Festival was more straightforward. If the writers of this anthology had to decide upon a name, they would most likely choose one that's strongly connected to its contents. But I can see no connection between "Classics Club Essay Anthology" and the name "Hyouka".

Pointing at the illustration at the cover, I asked Ibara, "As someone from the Manga Studies Club, what do you think of this cover?"

"I think it's drawn superbly. The illustration design has brilliantly discarded all sense of perspective regarding distance... Hmm, this is good. I like this."

I was a bit surprised, as it's not normally possible for Ibara to clearly say whether she likes or dislikes something. Besides, this illustration has managed to leave an impression on her. As though regretting she just said she liked this, Ibara returned the book to me and began her justification,

"Er, 'like' is not exactly right. Since the art is not that beautiful... it looks threatening as well, after all. And I wasn't talking from an artistic point of view, but from a media perspective..."

Meanwhile, Chitanda didn't seem like she would tremble from joy at finally obtaining the long sought after back issues. Rather, it looked as though her expression had been sucked out by a vampire.

I asked her once again, "Chitanda, is something the matter?"

Upon hearing me, she dragged me to the corner of the classroom and said, "This."

"What?"

Rather than her eyes glittering in curiosity, the neat expression of our elegant lady that was drenched in the orange sunset looked more like she was discovering a secret as she whispered, "I found this. This is what my uncle wanted to show me. If I have this, then I should be able to find out what it was that my uncle said to me."

I see.

"So do you remember anything?"

In place of an answer, she pointed to the "Hyouka Volume 2" I was holding.

"This mentioned something about my uncle. Something seemed to have happened with the Classics Club 33 years ago... Have a look inside."

I did as she told me and opened the cover, and before me was written a foreword.

Foreword

And so we have a Cultural Festival again this year.

It has been one year since Sekitani-senpai left us.

During this year, Senpai has fallen into legend and become a hero. As a result, the five day Cultural Festival will commence as usual.

However, as the legend spread, I went into deep thought. Would people ten years from now still remember the silent warrior and the kind hero? All Senpai has left behind is this anthology "Hyouka", for which he has provided the title.

As a sacrifice of the conflict, even Senpai's smile would end up along the flow of time into eternity. 

No, perhaps it is better that we do not remember it. As it was not intended to be a heroic tale.

Once the subjectivity is taken away, this story will become a classic as it transcends all historical perspectives.

Will the day come when our stories become a classic for someone in the future?

October 13th, 1968
Kooriyama Youko

"This is..."

"The 'last year' referred to here meant 33 years ago today. In that case, the 'Sekitani-senpai' of the Classics Club must be my uncle. What happened to my uncle back then? The answer that my uncle told me had something to do with the Classics Club then..."

I smiled, and I did not wonder why Chitanda wasn't smiling as well as I said, "Isn't this fine? You should be able to remember now."

Yet Chitanda's expressionless face gave way to one of gloominess as she struggled to get the words out softly,

"But, I just can't. Even though I was this close! I- Am I really that bad at remembering things? What was it my uncle said to me? What happened to him 33 years ago?"

I could not tell whether her muffled voice came from her cold or her tears.

Chitanda...

I decided to speak, "Let's investigate it."

I didn't think I spoke coldly.

The anthology "Hyouka Volume 2" that I took back from Chitanda was written 32 years ago. On it was the strange name "Hyouka" which was given by Sekitani Jun, as well as the mentioning of a forgotten incident.

This was a great chance. For these clues were like lights that shone for us who were groping in the dark. In order for Chitanda to regain her past, I firmly believe we must not discard such clues.

That's why I said again, "Then we'll just need to investigate what happened 33 years ago."

"But..."

Chitanda drooped her shoulders.

"But it said they'd rather not remember it."

I was surprised at her timidity for such things.

"But you want to remember it, right?"

"Of course, but if we investigate further,"

She paused before continuing, "... If we investigate further, we might end up finding something unpleasant. There are things that are better forgotten, aren't there?"

"..."

That's because you're too kind, Chitanda.

"Even if it's happened 33 years ago?"

"Is that wrong?"

I shook my head.

"Yeah. After all, didn't it say here as well? 'Once the subjectiveness is taken away, this story will become a classic as it transcends all historical perspectives.'"

"..."

"In other words, there's an expiration date for that."

I made a smile. Though Chitanda didn't smile as well, she nodded gently.

"... OK."

And so.

Yes, and so, I chuckled within my heart as I remained smiling. Investigating shouldn't take up much effort. If the second volume mentions something about "last year", all we had to do was look in the first volume to find out what happened to Sekitani Jun. It should be finished in no time. Though I wouldn't say which was the easier option: the avoidance of the problem or the solving of the problem.

... I was naive to think like that. As Ibara was quietly fishing through the remaining volumes, she said indignantly,

"What the? There's no volume 1!"

In order to digest what I had just heard, it seemed I needed some time.

<noinclude>

==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Hyouka:Volume 1 Chapter 4|4 - The Descendants of the Eventful Classics Club]]
| Return to [[Hyouka|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Hyouka:Volume 1 Chapter 6|6 - The Old Days of the Glorious Classics Club]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Hyouka:Volume 1 Chapter 5

2021-08-10T01:23:26Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: Formatting correction

==5 - The Hidden Seal of the Pedigree Classics Club ==

While Kamiyama High School does provide curriculum for university entrance exams, it does not particularly do much to improve its university entrance rankings. It only holds mock exams for prospective university students once or twice annually, and they do not hold extra lessons during holidays. All in all, it was a pretty laid back school.

Even so, Kamiyama High still has regular exams. If a high-school student's life is rose-coloured, then the exam halls would be his natural enemy. And so the Classics Club activities had come to a halt as club activities are prohibited during the End of Semester Exams for the First Semester. Though it's not like we have much to do anyway, we still had to hand the club room key over to the school.

Today is the final day of the exams. I laid down on my bed in my own room and stared at the ceiling. And as usual, there was nothing particularly different about this white ceiling.

In terms of exam results, the members of the Classics Club yielded some interesting revelations.

First, Fukube Satoshi. Though he's well-versed in all sorts of useless trivial knowledge, he doesn't have much interest in regular studies. As the exams have just ended today, I can't exactly tell how he performed, but I do know that he was terrible in the Mid-Term Tests. At any rate, back then Satoshi explained to me, "That's because I was busy studying why Japanese people nowadays no longer write their kanji in the cursive style<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cursive_script_(East_Asia) Wikipedia]</ref>." If Satoshi thinks something is important, then it must be important enough for him. No disrespect to him, but in the long-term, I think it probably sounds foolish. Though I don't think Satoshi would care one bit. If I call him a free soul because of it, he'd probably take it as a compliment. To put it simply, he's just a generic fool.

Though she's normally with the Manga Studies Club, in order to continue pursuing Satoshi, Ibara Mayaka too has joined the Classics Club. She's probably the hard-working type. As she would usually make sure to check up on any mistakes made, her grades are in the upper half of the class. However, devoting so much time to studying does not seem to improve her grades at all. To put it simply, Ibara's a bit neurotic — you could say she's a perfectionist. Though her tongue may be sharp, her downside is probably that she is too obsessed with perfection, and would end up struggling to find the perfect answers to her exam questions. I think she applies the same standards to herself as well.

Then there's Chitanda Eru, who stands out among the rest with her high scores. A look at the score ranking board reveals she's ranked 6th in the entire grade. Though she doesn't seem satisfied with that, or even the high school curriculum for that matter. She once told me she wasn't content with just learning the parts, she wanted to learn the entire system. I had absolutely no idea what she meant by that. Though her words were vague, I could tell why this lady was so intent on getting her curiosity resolved. For example, the case involving her uncle — she probably wanted to find out the entire "system" regarding the information concerning what her uncle said to her back then. She's the sort that wants to find out the cause by all means.

As for me, my grades were normal.

Out of 350 people, I ranked 175th. As though it was some sort of prank, I was ranked right in the middle. I was not concerned about Chitanda's curiosity getting her good grades or Satoshi's eccentricity getting him bad grades, nor did I think much about Ibara being unhappy with the mistakes she's made. While I wasn't that laid back as to not study for the exams, my studying was lukewarm at best. Occasionally, I would get people telling me how much I've changed, but to me, it simply means they aren't really that observant. I am positioned below the cream of the crop and above the bottom of the heap. I have no desire to go either up or down. I see, so that's why Satoshi said that he can't think of anything apart from grey for the colour of my high-school life.

Of course, colour isn't confined to academic grades. There's also club activities, sports, hobbies, romance... The things that constitute our humanity. There is the saying that one can't see the forest for the trees, after all, and one result cannot be used to generalize for the whole picture. Though the Japanese dictionary defined life in high-school as rose-coloured, these roses would still need to be planted in the right places in order to blossom.

Let's just say I'm not the suitable type of soil for roses to grow in.

As I lay on my bed thinking all these things, I heard a sound coming from downstairs. It sounded like a letter had arrived.

After making sure it was indeed a letter, I was dumbfounded. The envelope was covered in red, blue and white stripes, that could only be international mail. After checking the recipient name was correct, I concluded that the only person who could send international mail to the Oreki residence was Oreki Tomoe. Now where was this sent from... Istanbul?

I opened the letter right there and found many letters inside, one of which was for me.

Dear Houtarou,

I am currently in Istanbul. Due to some mishaps I'm hiding out at the Japanese consulate, so I haven't been seeing much of the city yet.

I'm sure it's an amazing city. If I could take a time machine and visit this place in the past, I think I'd want to try to lock the city gates myself, perhaps I'd change history as a result. I'm no historian, so I'm no good at speculating at these "what ifs".

It's an interesting trip, I'm sure I'll look back ten years from now and view every day I'm out here without regret.

So how's the Classics Club? Have the members increased?

Do not be discouraged even if it's just you alone! Solitude helps make a man grow stronger.

If there are other people, then excellent. It helps to improve one's interaction with others.

Anyway, I'm writing because there's something that I'm concerned about.

Have you (guys) started work on publishing an essay anthology yet? The Classics Club always publishes one every year, so I'm wondering if you're continuing with that.

If you are, I figured you're probably at a loss for what to write. After all, the anthologies aren't stored in the library.

You should be able to find the back issues inside an old chemical safe in the club room. The key's broken already, so you can just open the box right away.

I'll call you when I arrive at Pristina.

With love,
Tomoe.

Hiding in the Japanese consulate? Just what have you done this time, Sis? Anyway, it's not that I'm worried. The details are probably written in the letter for my old man. Now where have I heard of Pristina? I can't quite remember. Since it's my sister going, it's no doubt some ancient battlefield or something.

Anyway, I couldn't help but sigh. Does my sister have some sort of intelligence network that collects information about my activities? And I didn't know the Classics Club kept their back issues so secretly for generations either. Indeed, we were looking for the back issues but couldn't find where they were.

It was only a few days since Chitanda tasked me with a personal errand of hers, though she also has another errand for us as President of the Classics Club - the publishing of the essay anthology. Chitanda looked troubled when she found out the library archives did not store the back issues, but if my sister is right, then it could be of great help.

If the purpose is the result itself, then achieving the said result will fulfill that purpose. Though I sense another layer being added to such a bothersome definition, it just felt cruel if I withheld such information. As usual, Oreki Tomoe is messing with my life.

At any rate, I stuffed the letter in the pocket of my uniform trousers that I hung in the closet.

The following day after classes, I went straight towards the club room. The weather was rather pleasant for a relaxing day after the end of the exams, that one would be in a mood to join any club. The training sounds of the sports teams could be heard from the sports ground, while music was being played by the Brass Band, Light Music Club, Japanese Traditional Music Club, etc. While the sports teams are the most visible of the lot, the Kanya Festival is better known for its flurry of activities organized by the arts-related clubs. During this time of day, the Special Block which holds these arts clubs would be full of people.

And within the uppermost corner of this Special Block lies the Geology Room, where Chitanda and Ibara were. Though they've only just met during the case of the peculiar library book, it seems like they're getting along well with each other already. Today they were sitting facing each other, as though they were engaged in some conversation. As summer had arrived, the summer uniforms that they wore felt breezy. Ibara's tanned arms from her short sleeve shirt were in contrast to Chitanda's pale white arms. It was already the season when the sun is shining more often, yet our lady here doesn't seem to have much melanin in her. I tilted my head over to hear what the girls were talking about.

"In other words, the articles need to be on topic."

"Do you mean we can count on others for our anthology?"

"Don't you worry, I think I can get some connections within the Manga Studies Club."

"Can you do that?"

Ah, talking about the anthology, huh? Well, good luck.

Suddenly, Chitanda's body went stiff as she covered her face with her hands.

What's happening?

"... Ah-choo!"

She sneezed. And she's doing it in an old-fashioned quiet way.

"Ah-choo! Ah-choo!"

"What's wrong? You have cold? Or is it hay fever?"

"... Ah, I'm feeling better now. This is quite embarrassing, but it seems to me that I have caught a summer cold..."

Hmm, a summer cold is tough. Come to think of it, her voice sounded different from usual.

Anyway, I decided to call them out.

"Hey, Chitanda, Ibara,"

"Ah, Oreki-san,"

"Ibara, is the Manga Studies Club okay with you being here?"

"Yup, it's all settled. What, you have a problem with me?"

Why should I?

Anyway.

I decided to cut the niceties and went straight to the point as I took out my sister's letter from my trouser pocket,

"My sis used to be with the Classics Club, so she wrote me a letter showing us where we could find the anthology back issues."

Chitanda merely looked puzzled. It seems she still didn't understand.

"I know where we can find the Classics Club anthology back issues."

She bit her lips many times while struggling to find the right words.

"Is..."

She was so lost for words that her eyes went wide.

"Is that true!?"

"Of course it's true. What do I gain by lying to you anyway?"

As though affirming what I said, Chitanda's thin lips broke into a smile. While the elegantly fine lady of the Chitanda clan wasn't exactly grinning from ear to ear, she was clearly quite happy. Even if I were to obtain something that I desired a lot, I would not be able to make such a face. Compared to this, the Chitanda I saw in the Cafe Pineapple Sandwich with her deep expressions felt like a different person altogether.

"I see, the anthologies, huh..."

I could hear her whispering softly,

"... Tee hee, back issues..."

This Chitanda Eru can be quite a dangerous person.

However, Ibara raised her eyebrow and questioned, "Are you sure about that? Why would someone write a letter just to say that?"

A good question. No one in their right mind would think of seeking information about where to find stuff concerning the Cultural Festival in a letter from Istanbul. But this was indeed a letter from my sis, and no one could ever guess just what it is that Oreki Tomoe would consider important.

"Well, fact is I've got the letter here, so you'll be able to tell whether it's true or not. Wanna read?"

I unfolded the letter and laid it on the table for Ibara and Chitanda to see. As they followed every word in the letter, they gradually went quiet. The first to break the silence was Chitanda.

"... Does your sister like to visit Turkey?"

"She likes to visit the world."

"Such an amazing sister you have."

While her interest was drawn by the curious part of the letter, that's not where I wanted her to look.

"'I'll look back ten years from now and view every day I'm out here with much nostalgia.' Ahh, such a melancholic sentence."

Well, I agree, but that's not it either.

As they read on, they both opened their mouths at the same time.

"... The chemical safe?"

"The chemical safe, huh?"

Ibara looked around the Geology Room, and then put her arms on her waist and puffed her chest.

"Hmm, I don't see anything like that here."

"Guess so."

That's not hard to figure out. Though Chitanda seemed to have gone pale all of a sudden.

"Eh!? T-then w-where are... the anthologies..."

"Chi-chan! Calm down, calm down!"

As to who Ibara was calling Chi-chan, I could think of no one else but Chitanda. "Chi-chan", that Ibara sure has given her quite a cute nickname. So her sharp tongue is not used against Chitanda, huh? Though it is indeed difficult to be hostile to a person like Chitanda anyway.

I waved my sis's letter to a now calmed-down Chitanda and said,

"Chitanda, this letter said 'old chemical safe in the club room'. It's been two years since my sis graduated from here. The club room has probably changed during that time."

"Ah... Is that so?"

"So, Oreki, do you know where the club room was two years ago?"

To avoid any oversight, I made sure to visit the staff room beforehand.

"I've asked the supervising teacher, and he said it was in the Biology Lecture Room."

"You sure are quite prepared for this."

"Well, it's efficient."

"How enthusiastic of you."

That's not exactly true, I'm normally not that enthusiastic.

"The Biology Lecture Room... that's just one floor below us. Now that we know, shall we head over there?"

Having said that, Chitanda left the room at once.

If there's anyone that's enthusiastic, it's her.

The Biology Room was, as Chitanda said, right under the Geology Room. If the Geology Room, located in the corner of the Special Block, was the remotest region of Kamiyama High, then the Biology Room, located on the third floor, would also be considered a backwater area. While I did say the Special Block was full of people, there were exceptions. Like the Geology Room, which was hardly surrounded by any other club rooms, was extremely quiet. It seems the Biology Room was the same as well. While the corridor was lively with people, the path towards the Biology Room was full of empty classrooms, and there was no one else heading towards it besides us.

Along the way, Chitanda sneezed many times.

"Is your cold that bad?"

"Please don't worry too much about me. I might not be able to stop sneezing, but it's just a sensitive nose... Ah-choo!"

I don't know. If it were me, I would have felt terrible sneezing this many times. As expected of our lady here, who can be extremely modest.

Walking ahead of us, Ibara turned her head around and said to us,

"Oreki, do you have the key with you?"

"Nope, someone else seems to have borrowed it."

"Ah-choo! ... The key's been borrowed? Does that mean the Biology Room is currently being used by some club?"

"As long as it isn't some fool that's borrowed it, it could be possible."

"Oreki-san... it's rude to call people fools."

I got scolded. If she gets upset by even that, then not even Satoshi or Ibara would have been able to retort, so I smiled bitterly and looked around, and something by the corridor wall entered my field of vision. I wonder what that was. Neither Chitanda nor Ibara seemed to notice it... It was a small box, and as it was painted in the same white colour as the corridor walls, it was rather inconspicuous. Looking at the opposite side of the corridor, I saw another similar box. I Wonder if someone left these behind? As it didn't seem valuable, I paid no more attention to it. Bending down to pick up something that's worth less than one yen is not worth the effort, as the energy spent is more or less equivalent to one yen. So it's basic common sense for energy savers like me.

We now stood before the Biology Room. While considering whether to knock or not, Chitanda had already reached out for the door knob.

"Huh?"

The door wouldn't open.

"It's locked."

"So it seems."

The two girls turned to look at me, Chitanda looking concerned while Ibara stared coldly. It's bothersome to have them to look at me with such eyes.

"No, I really don't have the key with me. So I wouldn't know why the door's locked."

Once again, Ibara tried to open the door, but could only hear the lock creaking. Quite aptly, Chitanda said what I was about to say, "... Again?"

Yes, that again.

"Chi-chan, what do you mean?"

"Umm, it happened in April..."

I don't think Chitanda knows this, but it seems Kami High's classroom doors are jinxed. As Chitanda recounted that story in April, I began to think of how to get around this situation without a key.

"... And that's how it was."

"Hmm, so Oreki managed to do all that, huh?"

I turned my heels around and shouted through the door jokingly,

"IS ANYONE IN THERE?"

Of course, I expected no answer.

However, there was an answer. The blunt sound of the door being unlocked was heard.

"Yes?"

The door then opened from the inside.

Standing there was a male student wearing a thin shirt and uniform trousers. He was quite tall and slender. Though he looked more like the intelligentsia type than the athletic type of person. Upon identifying our grades from the colour of my collar, he smiled politely and said, "Oh, sorry about that. I had the door locked. You guys interested in joining the Wall Newspaper Club?"

If you're inside then you should've opened the door right away, dammit. Rather than what I was thinking, I said, "This is the Wall Newspaper Club?"

"That's right. Aren't you here to join?"

The male student shut the door upon coming out of the room. At that moment I smelled some sort of alcoholic disinfectant odour coming from him. It seems our intelligentsia fellow here has a penchant for deodorants. He raised his brows upon seeing me twitch my nose at his deodorant odour, as though saying "You got a problem with that?" Though he quickly reverted to his courteous manner and said, "Then, how may I help you?"

We exchanged glances with each other, and decided it was best for our President Chitanda to speak.

"Good afternoon. I'm Chitanda Eru, President of the Classics Club. You must be Toogaito-senpai from Class 3-E, right?"

The guy called Toogaito raised his brow in amazement,

"How do you know my name?"

A good question. Anyone would be amazed if they were suddenly addressed by name by a complete stranger. After all, that's what I felt back in April. And like back then, Chitanda merely smiled gently.

"We met at the Manninbashi mansion last year."

"Manninbashi... Wait a minute, you said your name's Chitanda, could you be related to Chitanda-san from Kanda?"

"Yes, he is my father. Thank you for taking care of him."

...Hmm, this feels like a high-society reunion. I knew that as an old clan, the Chitandas were farmland owners, but I never expected them to be so well-connected. It seems this world that I've never seen before really does exist. Come to think of it, Satoshi did mention something about the old clans of Kamiyama, and the Toogaito clan was amongst them.

"Ah, no, the pleasure's all mine. I see, you're with the Chitandas."

"Yes... Ah-choo!"

"Summer cold? Must be bad for you. Take care of yourself."

Upon learning that Chitanda Eru was from the Chitanda Clan with their large farmlands, Toogaito's attitude changed in a strange way. While he was still courteous, his gaze was now more stiff. Was he scared of Chitanda or something? I can't begin to imagine, but it does seem there is some sort of power influence between the old clans. Maybe it's just me, but Toogaito didn't seem to meet Chitanda's gaze and he spoke as though picking his words carefully.

"Well, what is it?"

On the other hand, Chitanda didn't seem to mind Toogaito's reaction and said, "Yes, actually, I heard that the back issues for the Classics Club's essay anthology were stored here in the Biology Room. This used to be the club room for the Classics Club, right?"

"... It was when I was still in first year. Though they moved the club rooms all over the place last year."

"Then, do you know where the anthologies are?"

Toogaito paused for a moment before replying, "Nope, never seen them."

Quietly listening to their conversation, Ibara turned and looked at me, to which I nodded gently. Anyone with an intuition would realize that Toogaito was behaving strangely.

"I see..."

Though she has an amazing memory, Chitanda's intuition level was below average. And so Chitanda looked dejected and was about to leave when Ibara interrupted, "Excuse me, Senpai, do you mind if we search around for them?"

"And you are?"

"Ibara Mayaka of the Classics Club. Since you have no use for the anthologies, maybe you haven't noticed them before, right?"

Though I see no point in doing so, I decided to go on a fool's errand and back them up.

"We'll try to do so without obstructing your club activities. Or is that too much trouble for you?"

"Please."

"I ask of you as well."

Upon our constant barrage of requests, Toogaito gave a sullen look.

"Well, I would rather not have outsiders in the club room..."

Upon hearing that line, Ibara quickly jumped on it.

"But Senpai, while this is a club room, this is also a classroom, right?"

I held back my laughter, since Ibara was basically saying "You have no right to refuse students entry into the school classrooms". Toogaito looked rather troubled as a result, but as Ibara was rather persistent, he finally relented.

"... Alright then. You may come in, but, just try not mess anything up."

And so the President of the Wall Newspaper Club opened the door to the Biology Room.

The room we entered was designed in the exact same layout as the Geology Room, from the blackboard, the chairs, the table, to the cleaning tools, they were generally the same... Though it does have one extra door. Above that door was a sign that read "Biology Preparation Room". In the fourth floor, this would be where the storage room was, and it was not possible to enter it directly from the Geology Room.

There were hardly any other members in the Wall Newspaper Club today. Though Toogaito explained, "We normally have four members, though as there's no activities today, only I'm here to think about what to publish for the Kanya Festival."

If I remember correctly, the Kanya Festival starts in October. So about two and a half months from now.

"What's the difference between the Wall Newspaper Club and the Newspaper Club?"

Chitanda asked a totally irrelevant question, which Toogaito answered courteously.

"There are three periodicals published in Kami High. There's the 'Seiryuu' distributed to the classrooms every other month; the 'Kami High Student Council News', posted outside the Student Council office in irregular intervals; and the 'Kami High Monthly', which publishes every month except August and December, and is posted on the notice board by the school entrance. We're in charge of the 'Kami High Monthly'."

"Who publishes the other two?"

"The 'Seiryuu' is by the Newspaper Club, while the 'Kami High Student Council News' is of course by the Student Council. Though we have the longest history of the three periodicals. The 'Kami High Monthly' will be reaching its four hundredth issue soon, the other two haven't even reached their one hundredth."

Four hundred issues, huh? Besides us, the Wall Newspaper Club too has a long-standing tradition of its own. Come to think of it, if Chitanda's uncle was with the Classics Club 33 years ago, then the Classics Club has been around for at least 33 years. No matter how tumultuous my life might become, it surely cannot compare to the history of the Classics Club. Then again, it's not like my life has been tumultuous so far.

"Doesn't seem to be in this room."

Ibara concluded after looking around the room. As the Biology Room was rather empty, it was hard for her to miss anything. That leaves the Preparation Room. I asked about entering that room, "May we please check the Preparation Room as well?"

"... Yeah, go ahead."

Upon hearing Toogaito reply behind me, I entered the room, and could hear the sound of paper fluttering as well as the sound of some motor. I wonder what that was.

As expected, the Preparation Room was a small room, about one third the size of the Biology Room.

This room was originally made to store teaching equipment for Biology lessons, though right now only microscopes could be found on the shelves. As Kami High is more focused on theory learning more than practical experiments, it would seem most of the other experiment tools and equipment were stored away in another separate room. As a result, this became a tool room for the Wall Newspaper Club.

There was an amateur looking camera, a collection of pens of various thicknesses and colours, cardboard boxes cluttered beside a photocopier, and a small speaker. As for the item that most caught our eyes, it was the makeshift table in the centre of the narrow room. Rather than a table, it was merely a thick plywood board placed on top of a cardboard box. On top of it were spread a bunch of B1 papers with scribbles that can only be read by their author, with a heavy-looking metallic pen case placed on top of them. The fluttering noise came from these papers being blown by the wind.

Wind?

There was wind inside the room. Though the window was open, the wind came from indoors. That must be where the motor sound came from. It was hard to spot as it was placed beside the stack of cardboard boxes, but there was a small electric fan in front of the makeshift table and opposite the window, and its wind speed was turned to the maximum.

There was something else that the wind was blowing on. Hanging by the window was a Kami High male summer uniform shirt. It was simply hung there casually.

"...?"

"Oreki, what do you think?"

I turned around and found Chitanda and Ibara standing by the Preparation Room entrance.

Ah yes, we had to look for the chemical safe.

Still, with things being placed everywhere in such a narrow room, there was no way to search like that. Simply by observation alone, there didn't seem to be anything resembling a chemical safe. It should be an old-styled box with the lock damaged. Perhaps I did see it but didn't notice it properly.

Hmm...

I crossed my arms and stepped away from the room and asked Toogaito, who had been watching us, "Do you know why the club rooms were moved around last year?"

"Nope. Maybe they were trying to fill out the rooms emptied by clubs that no longer existed?"

"How many boxes did you bring in when you moved in here?"

Toogaito thought for a while before replying, "... Now that you mention it, how many boxes did we move?"

"The cardboard boxes?"

"Yeah."

I see. Then it should be there. I'd nearly forgotten that the Toogaito clan was also quite a prestigious clan; it would make sense once I considered the circumstances concerning his clan.

I'd more or less figured out where the anthologies were, though obtaining them would be a problem... Let's try setting up a trap. I turned to face Toogaito.

"Senpai, since there are so many things lying around, it would be quite tedious to search like that. This might trouble you a bit, but do you mind if we ask Ooide-sensei to come help us search as well?"

Though he'd put on a sober expression until now, Toogaito's brows were raised.

"... No. I told you not to mess with anything inside."

"We'll place the objects back where we found them when we're done, please let us search."

"I said no!"

He suddenly raised his voice.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Toogaito-senpai. It's fine, I guess that's too bad."

Chitanda replied frantically while Toogaito continued speaking loudly.

"I'm already quite busy today as I have to submit my ideas to the editorial team by tomorrow. Just what is this entering into our place to search all over for stuff? Your anthologies ain't here, so leave already!"

While Toogaito was getting increasingly agitated, I merely looked at him coldly. It seems he's sprung the trap as I had expected him to.

I gazed at Toogaito while holding a friendly smile.

"Senpai, we're interested in the contents of a chemical safe."

"... What?"

"The anthologies are supposed to be inside the chemical safe. If you said they're not here, then they surely must not be here. Since we don't want to trouble you any further."

I then stopped smiling and added, "By the way, we'll be heading to the library now. If after we leave you manage to find the anthologies, would you please be so kind as to bring them over to the Geology Room? We'll leave the door unlocked."

It seemed Toogaito was really furious at my proposal, as he twisted his previously rational face and stared at me. In contrast, I treated it as though it was nothing special. After all, I've never heard of anyone in the history of this world getting injured just by being stared at.

"W-why you, how did you..."

"Yes, Senpai?"

After restraining himself, Toogaito swallowed what he was about to say.

He then sighed deeply and reverted back to his courteous self.

"Fine, I'll do it when I find them."

"I am most grateful... Well, shall we go, Chitanda, Ibara?"

Probably not understanding the meaning behind my exchange with Toogaito, the startled girls merely agreed with me and followed me out, as there was no point in staying any longer.

"Oreki-san, what just happened?"

"I'll explain later."

After telling them so, I led them out of the Biology Room.

A voice called out to me from behind, "You, first year. I still haven't heard what your name is."

I turned and replied indifferently, "Oreki Houtarou... Sorry about that just now."

Along the corridor linking the Special Block and the General Block, I leaned against one of the walls. As we were killing time here, the two girls took this chance to ask me, "Oreki, I don't know what's going on, but aren't we heading to the library?"

I waved my hand.

"Nope, since there's no need to."

"I don't get it. If there's no need to, why aren't we going back to the club room?"

"We can't. We'll need to wait a bit longer."

Ibara muttered, "Just what is he up to" while still looking unconvinced.

Chitanda, while sniffling her nose, took over for Ibara and asked, "Oreki-san, Toogaito-senpai looked furious."

"It seems so."

"Of course it's good if the back issues are indeed found, but to make such a forceful request out of him..."

"Forceful? I merely requested him reasonably."

Chitanda opened and closed her mouth as she was at a loss for words. That is to be expected. Since all I asked was "to help look for our stuff" and "bring them over once they're found".

"But, Toogaito-senpai was furious."

"Was he that furious?"

Standing beside Chitanda, Ibara raised her brow and asked, "After Oreki made that request of him, his anger looked more like he was acting."

Oh, so she noticed.

"Is that so?"

Though apparently Chitanda still hasn't.

I took a look at my watch. Three minutes had passed... Should be about time. I stood away from the wall I was leaning on and asked, "Chitanda, how well-known are the Toogaitos?"

Chitanda tilted her head, wondering why I would ask for something like this and answered, "The Toogaitos? They're quite influential in the high school educational circles. They've got one member in the Prefectural School Board and one in the City School Board, as well as one school principal and two teachers."

Now I see.

"Oreki, what about the anthologies already?"

I replied, "I think it's time we return."

Chitanda and Ibara looked at each other upon hearing my answer. I merely smiled.

And so we arrived at the Geology Room.

"Ah, here they are."

It was as I said. On top of the teacher's desk were stacked dozens of thin notebooks. I couldn't help but pump my fist. It feels good to have something go completely according to plan.

"They came? How can that be possible?" Ibara said while walking towards the teacher's desk. As she picked up one of the notebooks, she muttered, "... It's really the anthologies..."

"Eh, eh?? Eru, let me have a look as well!"

"How did you do that, Oreki? Did you know something we didn't?"

Ibara's stern questioning made it sound as though I did something wrong. I was never good at evading questions, so I leaned on one of the tables nearby and answered, "I just did a bit of blackmailing, that's all."

"Blackmailing? Against the President of the Wall Newspaper Club?"

"Yup. But, Ibara, can you be more discreet?"

Ibara made a sullen face upon me saying that.

"It's not like I would go tell anyone."

"Yeah, but you don't sound too reliable. It's supposed to be a secret that Toogaito is doing errands for a first year student, it'll be too pitiful for him if that secret is not kept."

"I won't tell anyone... If you don't trust me, then I'm fine if you don't give me the explanation." she said brusquely. She's probably not lying. Chitanda was a completely different matter; sating her curiosity wasn't exactly a priority for her. So if she realizes that trouble may arise from me explaining, then she'd rather not hear it. She's the sort that would come up with such solutions.

Anyway, now that I've tested them, it seemed safe to assume that the girls won't go telling anyone else.

"Sorry about that. Anyway, Ibara, didn't you find it strange as to why Toogaito would have the door locked?"

Ibara replied bluntly, "He probably didn't want anybody to disturb him, as he did say he was preparing articles to publish, didn't he?"

"Then, what about the Preparation Room? Why was the fan on when the window was already open?"

"Maybe he's feeling hot?"

"Then he could have just placed the fan next to the window. Yet the fan was placed opposite it. With the fan in that position, if the pen case was moved slightly, all the B1 paper underneath would have been blown away."

Ibara rubbed her hair in irritation.

"So what about it?"

"Don't you get it? What Toogaito was intending to do?"

"If you put it that way, then I kind of get it. Was he trying to ventilate the room?"

I gently lifted my thumb and praised her. Of course, Ibara wasn't going to find that interesting and so turned her gaze away.

"Now then, the next question would be, why would he want to ventilate the room? To further elaborate, what was Toogaito, from a family of respected educators, doing alone in the club room with the door locked with infrared sensors set outside?"

"W-wait a minute! What infrared sensors? Are we in a spy novel or something?"

Ah, I forgot to explain, "Don't you ever see those gadget store commercials? They were selling those infrared sensors that would trigger the security alarm a while ago. I think you might get them for 5000 yen now."

"Where did you find them?"

"By the side of the third floor corridor just outside the Wall Newspaper Club room. They were camouflaged in white. It's hard to conclude that they're sensors just by observation alone, but the fact that there was a speaker inside the Preparation Room more or less confirmed my suspicions."

Ibara raised her brow and said, "You really are weird."

"Stop treating me as some outcast... Anyway, where were we? Ah yes, upon being informed by the sensors in advance that someone was approaching, why would he risk getting the B1 papers blown away just to ventilate the room? Any thoughts?"

Ibara began thinking at my question, and so I waited.

She then replied with an incredulous look befitting her sharp tongue, "... Could it be some odour...?"

I gently clapped my hands two to three times,

"You got it. He was trying to get rid of an odour. If we think along this line, then him using anti-odour sprays had nothing to do with any obsession with cleanliness. Now, what was the odour he was trying to get rid of? By the way, it's not any sort of narcotics."

"Then, could it be...?"

"That's right, he's probably smoking... It was a device used so that he may do so in peace. Considering that he comes from a prestigious clan, you can imagine what a scandal it would be if a son of a noble upbringing were caught doing something illegal. Since the Toogaitos are supposed to be respected high school educators. In this day and age, if you're a doctor, teacher or police officer, even just yawning in public could get you in a lot of trouble."

"... I see. If that's true, then he sure has gone to a lot of trouble doing all that."

Indeed. That's what I thought as well. Had the circumstances been different, the problem he faced would have been different as well. Thinking back, he seemed visibly shaken when he learned that Chitanda was from the Chitanda clan. He must have been thinking that if his deeds were exposed by someone from another prestigious clan, the relationship between his and other clans would have been greatly affected. After all, we all know how sensitive Chitanda's senses are. Had Chitanda not caught a cold, no amount of ventilation or removing of his shirt would have fooled her.

"Well, I don't exactly understand his desire to smoke on the school grounds, though. Happy with the explanation now?"

Upon saying that, Ibara's gaze changed. Whoa, she's showing her true worth with such a cold stare.

"You know, I was merely trying to ask how Toogaito-senpai had brought the anthologies over. While I get how you blackmailed him with his dirty secret in order to get him to bring them over, you still haven't explained where they were in the first place."

I see, I must have missed that part. So I explained, "They must be in the chemical safe."

"O-re-ki!"

"I...I'm not trying to ridicule you! The problem here is where the chemical safe was... Remember Toogaito mentioned something about moving cardboard boxes in when the rooms changed? He had no reason to lie about this, so I figured that the chemical safe was somewhere in the club room."

"... But I didn't see it."

"It doesn't mean it's not there. You couldn't see it because it was hidden... I'm talking about the safe itself, not just the anthologies."

I let Ibara digest what I meant by that as I continued, "As a result, the anthologies were also hidden along with it. As for why he hid the safe away, that's because he was using it to store his cigarettes. Notice we didn't see any cigarettes, lighters or ash trays? That's because he hid them all inside the safe. Did you notice his expression when I suggested to ask Ooide-sensei to search the room with us? Anyway, as for where the safe was hidden, I'd guess that it was probably under that makeshift cardboard box table."

I took a deep sigh upon finishing my explanation.

I did something bad to Toogaito by putting him in a position where he had to comply with my request. Though I had no intention of exposing his secret, as we all have secrets to keep, and I wouldn't like it if mine were exposed either. Let's just say he was unlucky.

Ibara, whom I've been speaking to all this time, took a sidelong glance. Following it, I noticed the presence of a person who ought to have been more talkative about this. I turned to face her.

"Chitanda?"

Chitanda was looking at the anthologies on the teacher's desk. Though she was only looking and had not opened any of them. Her serious gaze was the same as those I saw in the Cafe Pineapple Sandwich. It was as though she didn't even hear me call out to her.

"What's wrong, Chitanda?"

As she didn't hear me, I got up from the table I was leaning on and walked up to tap her shoulder.

"Is something the matter?"

"Oh, Oreki-san... Have a look at this."

She handed one of the anthologies over to me.

It was a thin notebook, with the same dimensions as those Campus Notebooks seen in stationary stores<ref>A poular brand of notebooks in Japan - [http://static1.jetpens.com/images/a/000/014/14136.jpg Image], [http://www.kokuyo-st.co.jp/stationery/campus/top2.html Official Site]</ref>. The books were stitched together elegantly. They must have relied on someone professional to help them publish these. The cover was made of brown leather; on top was an ink painting of a dog and a hare drawn in a deformed cartoonish style.

A number of hares formed an outer ring, and within the centre were a dog and a hare biting each other. The dog's canine teeth were sunken into the hare's torso as though ripping it apart, while the hare's incisor teeth were nibbling deeply at the dog's neck. As it was drawn in a deformed way, it looked hilarious instead of grotesque. Though it also felt ominous. There was an old saying in the past about the hunting dogs getting cooked alongside the hares that they just hunted<ref>TL Note - 狡兎死して走狗烹らる (Koutoshishi soukuniraru) Japanese idiom introduced straight from the same Chinese idiom, referring to victorious emperors ruthlessly eradicating their generals once they had served their purpose of vanquishing the enemy</ref>. But now the dog and hare were instead hunting each other. Two of the hares in the ring looked on at such a seemingly cute scene.

On top of the illustration were some words, printed in proper fonts that read "Hyouka<ref>Hyouka (氷菓) means "frozen treats" such as ice cream, popsicles, etc.</ref> Volume 2". The publication date was 1968... That's quite old, and the name...

"Hyouka...?"

Is that the title?

"Such a strange title."

Ibara peeked across my shoulder, and agreed with me, "Yeah, and a hard to understand one as well."

We felt the same way as I felt hearing the name Kanya Festival for the first time, although guessing the origin for the name Kanya Festival was more straightforward. If the writers of this anthology had to decide upon a name, they would most likely choose one that's strongly connected to its contents. But I can see no connection between "Classics Club Essay Anthology" and the name "Hyouka".

Pointing at the illustration at the cover, I asked Ibara, "As someone from the Manga Studies Club, what do you think of this cover?"

"I think it's drawn superbly. The illustration design has brilliantly discarded all sense of perspective regarding distance... Hmm, this is good. I like this."

I was a bit surprised, as it's not normally possible for Ibara to clearly say whether she likes or dislikes something. Besides, this illustration has managed to leave an impression on her. As though regretting she just said she liked this, Ibara returned the book to me and began her justification,

"Er, 'like' is not exactly right. Since the art is not that beautiful... it looks threatening as well, after all. And I wasn't talking from an artistic point of view, but from a media perspective..."

Meanwhile, Chitanda didn't seem like she would tremble from joy at finally obtaining the long sought after back issues. Rather, it looked as though her expression had been sucked out by a vampire.

I asked her once again, "Chitanda, is something the matter?"

Upon hearing me, she dragged me to the corner of the classroom and said, "This."

"What?"

Rather than her eyes glittering in curiosity, the neat expression of our elegant lady that was drenched in the orange sunset looked more like she was discovering a secret as she whispered, "I found this. This is what my uncle wanted to show me. If I have this, then I should be able to find out what it was that my uncle said to me."

I see.

"So do you remember anything?"

In place of an answer, she pointed to the "Hyouka Volume 2" I was holding.

"This mentioned something about my uncle. Something seemed to have happened with the Classics Club 33 years ago... Have a look inside."

I did as she told me and opened the cover, and before me was written a foreword.

Foreword

And so we have a Cultural Festival again this year.

It has been one year since Sekitani-senpai left us.

During this year, Senpai has fallen into legend and become a hero. As a result, the five day Cultural Festival will commence as usual.

However, as the legend spread, I went into deep thought. Would people ten years from now still remember the silent warrior and the kind hero? All Senpai has left behind is this anthology "Hyouka", for which he has provided the title.

As a sacrifice of the conflict, even Senpai's smile would end up along the flow of time into eternity. 

No, perhaps it is better that we do not remember it. As it was not intended to be a heroic tale.

Once the subjectivity is taken away, this story will become a classic as it transcends all historical perspectives.

Will the day come when our stories become a classic for someone in the future?

October 13th, 1968
Kooriyama Youko

"This is..."

"The 'last year' referred to here meant 33 years ago today. In that case, the 'Sekitani-senpai' of the Classics Club must be my uncle. What happened to my uncle back then? The answer that my uncle told me had something to do with the Classics Club then..."

I smiled, and I did not wonder why Chitanda wasn't smiling as well as I said, "Isn't this fine? You should be able to remember now."

Yet Chitanda's expressionless face gave way to one of gloominess as she struggled to get the words out softly,

"But, I just can't. Even though I was this close! I- Am I really that bad at remembering things? What was it my uncle said to me? What happened to him 33 years ago?"

I could not tell whether her muffled voice came from her cold or her tears.

Chitanda...

I decided to speak, "Let's investigate it."

I didn't think I spoke coldly.

The anthology "Hyouka Volume 2" that I took back from Chitanda was written 32 years ago. On it was the strange name "Hyouka" which was given by Sekitani Jun, as well as the mentioning of a forgotten incident.

This was a great chance. For these clues were like lights that shone for us who were groping in the dark. In order for Chitanda to regain her past, I firmly believe we must not discard such clues.

That's why I said again, "Then we'll just need to investigate what happened 33 years ago."

"But,"

Chitanda drooped her shoulders.

"But it said they'd rather not remember it."

I was surprised at her timidity for such things.

"But you want to remember it, right?"

"Of course, but if we investigate further,"

She paused before continuing, "... If we investigate further, we might end up finding something unpleasant. There are things that are better forgotten, aren't there?"

"..."

That's because you're too kind, Chitanda.

"Even if it's happened 33 years ago?"

"Is that wrong?"

I shook my head.

"Yeah. After all, didn't it say here as well? 'Once the subjectiveness is taken away, this story will become a classic as it transcends all historical perspectives.'"

"..."

"In other words, there's an expiration date for that."

I made a smile. Though Chitanda didn't smile as well, she nodded gently.

"... OK."

And so.

Yes, and so, I chuckled within my heart as I remained smiling. Investigating shouldn't take up much effort. If the second volume mentions something about "last year", all we had to do was look in the first volume to find out what happened to Sekitani Jun. It should be finished in no time. Though I wouldn't say which was the easier option: the avoidance of the problem or the solving of the problem.

... I was naive to think like that. As Ibara was quietly fishing through the remaining volumes, she said indignantly,

"What the? There's no volume 1!"

In order to digest what I had just heard, it seemed I needed some time.

<noinclude>

==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Hyouka:Volume 1 Chapter 4|4 - The Descendants of the Eventful Classics Club]]
| Return to [[Hyouka|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Hyouka:Volume 1 Chapter 6|6 - The Old Days of the Glorious Classics Club]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Hyouka:Volume 1 Chapter 5

2021-08-10T01:15:29Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: Formatting correction

==5 - The Hidden Seal of the Pedigree Classics Club ==

While Kamiyama High School does provide curriculum for university entrance exams, it does not particularly do much to improve its university entrance rankings. It only holds mock exams for prospective university students once or twice annually, and they do not hold extra lessons during holidays. All in all, it was a pretty laid back school.

Even so, Kamiyama High still has regular exams. If a high-school student's life is rose-coloured, then the exam halls would be his natural enemy. And so the Classics Club activities had come to a halt as club activities are prohibited during the End of Semester Exams for the First Semester. Though it's not like we have much to do anyway, we still had to hand the club room key over to the school.

Today is the final day of the exams. I laid down on my bed in my own room and stared at the ceiling. And as usual, there was nothing particularly different about this white ceiling.

In terms of exam results, the members of the Classics Club yielded some interesting revelations.

First, Fukube Satoshi. Though he's well-versed in all sorts of useless trivial knowledge, he doesn't have much interest in regular studies. As the exams have just ended today, I can't exactly tell how he performed, but I do know that he was terrible in the Mid-Term Tests. At any rate, back then Satoshi explained to me, "That's because I was busy studying why Japanese people nowadays no longer write their kanji in the cursive style<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cursive_script_(East_Asia) Wikipedia]</ref>." If Satoshi thinks something is important, then it must be important enough for him. No disrespect to him, but in the long-term, I think it probably sounds foolish. Though I don't think Satoshi would care one bit. If I call him a free soul because of it, he'd probably take it as a compliment. To put it simply, he's just a generic fool.

Though she's normally with the Manga Studies Club, in order to continue pursuing Satoshi, Ibara Mayaka too has joined the Classics Club. She's probably the hard-working type. As she would usually make sure to check up on any mistakes made, her grades are in the upper half of the class. However, devoting so much time to studying does not seem to improve her grades at all. To put it simply, Ibara's a bit neurotic — you could say she's a perfectionist. Though her tongue may be sharp, her downside is probably that she is too obsessed with perfection, and would end up struggling to find the perfect answers to her exam questions. I think she applies the same standards to herself as well.

Then there's Chitanda Eru, who stands out among the rest with her high scores. A look at the score ranking board reveals she's ranked 6th in the entire grade. Though she doesn't seem satisfied with that, or even the high school curriculum for that matter. She once told me she wasn't content with just learning the parts, she wanted to learn the entire system. I had absolutely no idea what she meant by that. Though her words were vague, I could tell why this lady was so intent on getting her curiosity resolved. For example, the case involving her uncle — she probably wanted to find out the entire "system" regarding the information concerning what her uncle said to her back then. She's the sort that wants to find out the cause by all means.

As for me, my grades were normal.

Out of 350 people, I ranked 175th. As though it was some sort of prank, I was ranked right in the middle. I was not concerned about Chitanda's curiosity getting her good grades or Satoshi's eccentricity getting him bad grades, nor did I think much about Ibara being unhappy with the mistakes she's made. While I wasn't that laid back as to not study for the exams, my studying was lukewarm at best. Occasionally, I would get people telling me how much I've changed, but to me, it simply means they aren't really that observant. I am positioned below the cream of the crop and above the bottom of the heap. I have no desire to go either up or down. I see, so that's why Satoshi said that he can't think of anything apart from grey for the colour of my high-school life.

Of course, colour isn't confined to academic grades. There's also club activities, sports, hobbies, romance... The things that constitute our humanity. There is the saying that one can't see the forest for the trees, after all, and one result cannot be used to generalize for the whole picture. Though the Japanese dictionary defined life in high-school as rose-coloured, these roses would still need to be planted in the right places in order to blossom.

Let's just say I'm not the suitable type of soil for roses to grow in.

As I lay on my bed thinking all these things, I heard a sound coming from downstairs. It sounded like a letter had arrived.

After making sure it was indeed a letter, I was dumbfounded. The envelope was covered in red, blue and white stripes, that could only be international mail. After checking the recipient name was correct, I concluded that the only person who could send international mail to the Oreki residence was Oreki Tomoe. Now where was this sent from... Istanbul?

I opened the letter right there and found many letters inside, one of which was for me.

Dear Houtarou,

I am currently in Istanbul. Due to some mishaps I'm hiding out at the Japanese consulate, so I haven't been seeing much of the city yet.

I'm sure it's an amazing city. If I could take a time machine and visit this place in the past, I think I'd want to try to lock the city gates myself, perhaps I'd change history as a result. I'm no historian, so I'm no good at speculating at these "what ifs".

It's an interesting trip, I'm sure I'll look back ten years from now and view every day I'm out here without regret.

So how's the Classics Club? Have the members increased?

Do not be discouraged even if it's just you alone! Solitude helps make a man grow stronger.

If there are other people, then excellent. It helps to improve one's interaction with others.

Anyway, I'm writing because there's something that I'm concerned about.

Have you (guys) started work on publishing an essay anthology yet? The Classics Club always publishes one every year, so I'm wondering if you're continuing with that.

If you are, I figured you're probably at a loss for what to write. After all, the anthologies aren't stored in the library.

You should be able to find the back issues inside an old chemical safe in the club room. The key's broken already, so you can just open the box right away.

I'll call you when I arrive at Pristina.

With love,
Tomoe.

Hiding in the Japanese consulate? Just what have you done this time, Sis? Anyway, it's not that I'm worried. The details are probably written in the letter for my old man. Now where have I heard of Pristina? I can't quite remember. Since it's my sister going, it's no doubt some ancient battlefield or something.

Anyway, I couldn't help but sigh. Does my sister have some sort of intelligence network that collects information about my activities? And I didn't know the Classics Club kept their back issues so secretly for generations either. Indeed, we were looking for the back issues but couldn't find where they were.

It was only a few days since Chitanda tasked me with a personal errand of hers, though she also has another errand for us as President of the Classics Club - the publishing of the essay anthology. Chitanda looked troubled when she found out the library archives did not store the back issues, but if my sister is right, then it could be of great help.

If the purpose is the result itself, then achieving the said result will fulfill that purpose. Though I sense another layer being added to such a bothersome definition, it just felt cruel if I withheld such information. As usual, Oreki Tomoe is messing with my life.

At any rate, I stuffed the letter in the pocket of my uniform trousers that I hung in the closet.

The following day after classes, I went straight towards the club room. The weather was rather pleasant for a relaxing day after the end of the exams, that one would be in a mood to join any club. The training sounds of the sports teams could be heard from the sports ground, while music was being played by the Brass Band, Light Music Club, Japanese Traditional Music Club, etc. While the sports teams are the most visible of the lot, the Kanya Festival is better known for its flurry of activities organized by the arts-related clubs. During this time of day, the Special Block which holds these arts clubs would be full of people.

And within the uppermost corner of this Special Block lies the Geology Room, where Chitanda and Ibara were. Though they've only just met during the case of the peculiar library book, it seems like they're getting along well with each other already. Today they were sitting facing each other, as though they were engaged in some conversation. As summer had arrived, the summer uniforms that they wore felt breezy. Ibara's tanned arms from her short sleeve shirt were in contrast to Chitanda's pale white arms. It was already the season when the sun is shining more often, yet our lady here doesn't seem to have much melanin in her. I tilted my head over to hear what the girls were talking about.

"In other words, the articles need to be on topic."

"Do you mean we can count on others for our anthology?"

"Don't you worry, I think I can get some connections within the Manga Studies Club."

"Can you do that?"

Ah, talking about the anthology, huh? Well, good luck.

Suddenly, Chitanda's body went stiff as she covered her face with her hands.

What's happening?

"... Ah-choo!"

She sneezed. And she's doing it in an old-fashioned quiet way.

"Ah-choo! Ah-choo!"

"What's wrong? You have cold? Or is it hay fever?"

"... Ah, I'm feeling better now. This is quite embarrassing, but it seems to me that I have caught a summer cold..."

Hmm, a summer cold is tough. Come to think of it, her voice sounded different from usual.

Anyway, I decided to call them out.

"Hey, Chitanda, Ibara,"

"Ah, Oreki-san,"

"Ibara, is the Manga Studies Club okay with you being here?"

"Yup, it's all settled. What, you have a problem with me?"

Why should I?

Anyway.

I decided to cut the niceties and went straight to the point as I took out my sister's letter from my trouser pocket,

"My sis used to be with the Classics Club, so she wrote me a letter showing us where we could find the anthology back issues."

Chitanda merely looked puzzled. It seems she still didn't understand.

"I know where we can find the Classics Club anthology back issues."

She bit her lips many times while struggling to find the right words.

"Is..."

She was so lost for words that her eyes went wide.

"Is that true!?"

"Of course it's true. What do I gain by lying to you anyway?"

As though affirming what I said, Chitanda's thin lips broke into a smile. While the elegantly fine lady of the Chitanda clan wasn't exactly grinning from ear to ear, she was clearly quite happy. Even if I were to obtain something that I desired a lot, I would not be able to make such a face. Compared to this, the Chitanda I saw in the Cafe Pineapple Sandwich with her deep expressions felt like a different person altogether.

"I see, the anthologies, huh..."

I could hear her whispering softly,

"... Tee hee, back issues..."

This Chitanda Eru can be quite a dangerous person.

However, Ibara raised her eyebrow and questioned, "Are you sure about that? Why would someone write a letter just to say that?"

A good question. No one in their right mind would think of seeking information about where to find stuff concerning the Cultural Festival in a letter from Istanbul. But this was indeed a letter from my sis, and no one could ever guess just what it is that Oreki Tomoe would consider important.

"Well, fact is I've got the letter here, so you'll be able to tell whether it's true or not. Wanna read?"

I unfolded the letter and laid it on the table for Ibara and Chitanda to see. As they followed every word in the letter, they gradually went quiet. The first to break the silence was Chitanda.

"... Does your sister like to visit Turkey?"

"She likes to visit the world."

"Such an amazing sister you have."

While her interest was drawn by the curious part of the letter, that's not where I wanted her to look.

"'I'll look back ten years from now and view every day I'm out here with much nostalgia.' Ahh, such a melancholic sentence."

Well, I agree, but that's not it either.

As they read on, they both opened their mouths at the same time.

"... The chemical safe?"

"The chemical safe, huh?"

Ibara looked around the Geology Room, and then put her arms on her waist and puffed her chest.

"Hmm, I don't see anything like that here."

"Guess so."

That's not hard to figure out. Though Chitanda seemed to have gone pale all of a sudden.

"Eh!? T-then w-where are... the anthologies..."

"Chi-chan! Calm down, calm down!"

As to who Ibara was calling Chi-chan, I could think of no one else but Chitanda. "Chi-chan", that Ibara sure has given her quite a cute nickname. So her sharp tongue is not used against Chitanda, huh? Though it is indeed difficult to be hostile to a person like Chitanda anyway.

I waved my sis's letter to a now calmed-down Chitanda and said,

"Chitanda, this letter said 'old chemical safe in the club room'. It's been two years since my sis graduated from here. The club room has probably changed during that time."

"Ah... Is that so?"

"So, Oreki, do you know where the club room was two years ago?"

To avoid any oversight, I made sure to visit the staff room beforehand.

"I've asked the supervising teacher, and he said it was in the Biology Lecture Room."

"You sure are quite prepared for this."

"Well, it's efficient."

"How enthusiastic of you."

That's not exactly true, I'm normally not that enthusiastic.

"The Biology Lecture Room... that's just one floor below us. Now that we know, shall we head over there?"

Having said that, Chitanda left the room at once.

If there's anyone that's enthusiastic, it's her.

The Biology Room was, as Chitanda said, right under the Geology Room. If the Geology Room, located in the corner of the Special Block, was the remotest region of Kamiyama High, then the Biology Room, located on the third floor, would also be considered a backwater area. While I did say the Special Block was full of people, there were exceptions. Like the Geology Room, which was hardly surrounded by any other club rooms, was extremely quiet. It seems the Biology Room was the same as well. While the corridor was lively with people, the path towards the Biology Room was full of empty classrooms, and there was no one else heading towards it besides us.

Along the way, Chitanda sneezed many times.

"Is your cold that bad?"

"Please don't worry too much about me. I might not be able to stop sneezing, but it's just a sensitive nose... Ah-choo!"

I don't know. If it were me, I would have felt terrible sneezing this many times. As expected of our lady here, who can be extremely modest.

Walking ahead of us, Ibara turned her head around and said to us,

"Oreki, do you have the key with you?"

"Nope, someone else seems to have borrowed it."

"Ah-choo! ... The key's been borrowed? Does that mean the Biology Room is currently being used by some club?"

"As long as it isn't some fool that's borrowed it, it could be possible."

"Oreki-san... it's rude to call people fools."

I got scolded. If she gets upset by even that, then not even Satoshi or Ibara would have been able to retort, so I smiled bitterly and looked around, and something by the corridor wall entered my field of vision. I wonder what that was. Neither Chitanda nor Ibara seemed to notice it... It was a small box, and as it was painted in the same white colour as the corridor walls, it was rather inconspicuous. Looking at the opposite side of the corridor, I saw another similar box. I Wonder if someone left these behind? As it didn't seem valuable, I paid no more attention to it. Bending down to pick up something that's worth less than one yen is not worth the effort, as the energy spent is more or less equivalent to one yen. So it's basic common sense for energy savers like me.

We now stood before the Biology Room. While considering whether to knock or not, Chitanda had already reached out for the door knob.

"Huh?"

The door wouldn't open.

"It's locked."

"So it seems."

The two girls turned to look at me, Chitanda looking concerned while Ibara stared coldly. It's bothersome to have them to look at me with such eyes.

"No, I really don't have the key with me. So I wouldn't know why the door's locked."

Once again, Ibara tried to open the door, but could only hear the lock creaking. Quite aptly, Chitanda said what I was about to say, "... Again?"

Yes, that again.

"Chi-chan, what do you mean?"

"Umm, it happened in April..."

I don't think Chitanda knows this, but it seems Kami High's classroom doors are jinxed. As Chitanda recounted that story in April, I began to think of how to get around this situation without a key.

"... And that's how it was."

"Hmm, so Oreki managed to do all that, huh?"

I turned my heels around and shouted through the door jokingly,

"IS ANYONE IN THERE?"

Of course, I expected no answer.

However, there was an answer. The blunt sound of the door being unlocked was heard.

"Yes?"

The door then opened from the inside.

Standing there was a male student wearing a thin shirt and uniform trousers. He was quite tall and slender. Though he looked more like the intelligentsia type than the athletic type of person. Upon identifying our grades from the colour of my collar, he smiled politely and said, "Oh, sorry about that. I had the door locked. You guys interested in joining the Wall Newspaper Club?"

If you're inside then you should've opened the door right away, dammit. Rather than what I was thinking, I said, "This is the Wall Newspaper Club?"

"That's right. Aren't you here to join?"

The male student shut the door upon coming out of the room. At that moment I smelled some sort of alcoholic disinfectant odour coming from him. It seems our intelligentsia fellow here has a penchant for deodorants. He raised his brows upon seeing me twitch my nose at his deodorant odour, as though saying "You got a problem with that?" Though he quickly reverted to his courteous manner and said, "Then, how may I help you?"

We exchanged glances with each other, and decided it was best for our President Chitanda to speak.

"Good afternoon. I'm Chitanda Eru, President of the Classics Club. You must be Toogaito-senpai from Class 3-E, right?"

The guy called Toogaito raised his brow in amazement,

"How do you know my name?"

A good question. Anyone would be amazed if they were suddenly addressed by name by a complete stranger. After all, that's what I felt back in April. And like back then, Chitanda merely smiled gently.

"We met at the Manninbashi mansion last year."

"Manninbashi... Wait a minute, you said your name's Chitanda, could you be related to Chitanda-san from Kanda?"

"Yes, he is my father. Thank you for taking care of him."

...Hmm, this feels like a high-society reunion. I knew that as an old clan, the Chitandas were farmland owners, but I never expected them to be so well-connected. It seems this world that I've never seen before really does exist. Come to think of it, Satoshi did mention something about the old clans of Kamiyama, and the Toogaito clan was amongst them.

"Ah, no, the pleasure's all mine. I see, you're with the Chitandas."

"Yes... Ah-choo!"

"Summer cold? Must be bad for you. Take care of yourself."

Upon learning that Chitanda Eru was from the Chitanda Clan with their large farmlands, Toogaito's attitude changed in a strange way. While he was still courteous, his gaze was now more stiff. Was he scared of Chitanda or something? I can't begin to imagine, but it does seem there is some sort of power influence between the old clans. Maybe it's just me, but Toogaito didn't seem to meet Chitanda's gaze and he spoke as though picking his words carefully.

"Well, what is it?"

On the other hand, Chitanda didn't seem to mind Toogaito's reaction and said, "Yes, actually, I heard that the back issues for the Classics Club's essay anthology were stored here in the Biology Room. This used to be the club room for the Classics Club, right?"

"... It was when I was still in first year. Though they moved the club rooms all over the place last year."

"Then, do you know where the anthologies are?"

Toogaito paused for a moment before replying, "Nope, never seen them."

Quietly listening to their conversation, Ibara turned and looked at me, to which I nodded gently. Anyone with an intuition would realize that Toogaito was behaving strangely.

"I see..."

Though she has an amazing memory, Chitanda's intuition level was below average. And so Chitanda looked dejected and was about to leave when Ibara interrupted, "Excuse me, Senpai, do you mind if we search around for them?"

"And you are?"

"Ibara Mayaka of the Classics Club. Since you have no use for the anthologies, maybe you haven't noticed them before, right?"

Though I see no point in doing so, I decided to go on a fool's errand and back them up.

"We'll try to do so without obstructing your club activities. Or is that too much trouble for you?"

"Please."

"I ask of you as well."

Upon our constant barrage of requests, Toogaito gave a sullen look.

"Well, I would rather not have outsiders in the club room..."

Upon hearing that line, Ibara quickly jumped on it.

"But Senpai, while this is a club room, this is also a classroom, right?"

I held back my laughter, since Ibara was basically saying "You have no right to refuse students entry into the school classrooms". Toogaito looked rather troubled as a result, but as Ibara was rather persistent, he finally relented.

"... Alright then. You may come in, but, just try not mess anything up."

And so the President of the Wall Newspaper Club opened the door to the Biology Room.

The room we entered was designed in the exact same layout as the Geology Room, from the blackboard, the chairs, the table, to the cleaning tools, they were generally the same... Though it does have one extra door. Above that door was a sign that read "Biology Preparation Room". In the fourth floor, this would be where the storage room was, and it was not possible to enter it directly from the Geology Room.

There were hardly any other members in the Wall Newspaper Club today. Though Toogaito explained, "We normally have four members, though as there's no activities today, only I'm here to think about what to publish for the Kanya Festival."

If I remember correctly, the Kanya Festival starts in October. So about two and a half months from now.

"What's the difference between the Wall Newspaper Club and the Newspaper Club?"

Chitanda asked a totally irrelevant question, which Toogaito answered courteously.

"There are three periodicals published in Kami High. There's the 'Seiryuu' distributed to the classrooms every other month; the 'Kami High Student Council News', posted outside the Student Council office in irregular intervals; and the 'Kami High Monthly', which publishes every month except August and December, and is posted on the notice board by the school entrance. We're in charge of the 'Kami High Monthly'."

"Who publishes the other two?"

"The 'Seiryuu' is by the Newspaper Club, while the 'Kami High Student Council News' is of course by the Student Council. Though we have the longest history of the three periodicals. The 'Kami High Monthly' will be reaching its four hundredth issue soon, the other two haven't even reached their one hundredth."

Four hundred issues, huh? Besides us, the Wall Newspaper Club too has a long-standing tradition of its own. Come to think of it, if Chitanda's uncle was with the Classics Club 33 years ago, then the Classics Club has been around for at least 33 years. No matter how tumultuous my life might become, it surely cannot compare to the history of the Classics Club. Then again, it's not like my life has been tumultuous so far.

"Doesn't seem to be in this room."

Ibara concluded after looking around the room. As the Biology Room was rather empty, it was hard for her to miss anything. That leaves the Preparation Room. I asked about entering that room, "May we please check the Preparation Room as well?"

"... Yeah, go ahead."

Upon hearing Toogaito reply behind me, I entered the room, and could hear the sound of paper fluttering as well as the sound of some motor. I wonder what that was.

As expected, the Preparation Room was a small room, about one third the size of the Biology Room.

This room was originally made to store teaching equipment for Biology lessons, though right now only microscopes could be found on the shelves. As Kami High is more focused on theory learning more than practical experiments, it would seem most of the other experiment tools and equipment were stored away in another separate room. As a result, this became a tool room for the Wall Newspaper Club.

There was an amateur looking camera, a collection of pens of various thicknesses and colours, cardboard boxes cluttered beside a photocopier, and a small speaker. As for the item that most caught our eyes, it was the makeshift table in the centre of the narrow room. Rather than a table, it was merely a thick plywood board placed on top of a cardboard box. On top of it were spread a bunch of B1 papers with scribbles that can only be read by their author, with a heavy-looking metallic pen case placed on top of them. The fluttering noise came from these papers being blown by the wind.

Wind?

There was wind inside the room. Though the window was open, the wind came from indoors. That must be where the motor sound came from. It was hard to spot as it was placed beside the stack of cardboard boxes, but there was a small electric fan in front of the makeshift table and opposite the window, and its wind speed was turned to the maximum.

There was something else that the wind was blowing on. Hanging by the window was a Kami High male summer uniform shirt. It was simply hung there casually.

"...?"

"Oreki, what do you think?"

I turned around and found Chitanda and Ibara standing by the Preparation Room entrance.

Ah yes, we had to look for the chemical safe.

Still, with things being placed everywhere in such a narrow room, there was no way to search like that. Simply by observation alone, there didn't seem to be anything resembling a chemical safe. It should be an old-styled box with the lock damaged. Perhaps I did see it but didn't notice it properly.

Hmm...

I crossed my arms and stepped away from the room and asked Toogaito, who had been watching us, "Do you know why the club rooms were moved around last year?"

"Nope. Maybe they were trying to fill out the rooms emptied by clubs that no longer existed?"

"How many boxes did you bring in when you moved in here?"

Toogaito thought for a while before replying, "... Now that you mention it, how many boxes did we move?"

"The cardboard boxes?"

"Yeah."

I see. Then it should be there. I'd nearly forgotten that the Toogaito clan was also quite a prestigious clan; it would make sense once I considered the circumstances concerning his clan.

I'd more or less figured out where the anthologies were, though obtaining them would be a problem... Let's try setting up a trap. I turned to face Toogaito.

"Senpai, since there are so many things lying around, it would be quite tedious to search like that. This might trouble you a bit, but do you mind if we ask Ooide-sensei to come help us search as well?"

Though he'd put on a sober expression until now, Toogaito's brows were raised.

"... No. I told you not to mess with anything inside."

"We'll place the objects back where we found them when we're done, please let us search."

"I said no!"

He suddenly raised his voice.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Toogaito-senpai. It's fine, I guess that's too bad."

Chitanda replied frantically while Toogaito continued speaking loudly.

"I'm already quite busy today as I have to submit my ideas to the editorial team by tomorrow. Just what is this entering into our place to search all over for stuff? Your anthologies ain't here, so leave already!"

While Toogaito was getting increasingly agitated, I merely looked at him coldly. It seems he's sprung the trap as I had expected him to.

I gazed at Toogaito while holding a friendly smile.

"Senpai, we're interested in the contents of a chemical safe."

"... What?"

"The anthologies are supposed to be inside the chemical safe. If you said they're not here, then they surely must not be here. Since we don't want to trouble you any further."

I then stopped smiling and added, "By the way, we'll be heading to the library now. If after we leave you manage to find the anthologies, would you please be so kind as to bring them over to the Geology Room? We'll leave the door unlocked."

It seemed Toogaito was really furious at my proposal, as he twisted his previously rational face and stared at me. In contrast, I treated it as though it was nothing special. After all, I've never heard of anyone in the history of this world getting injured just by being stared at.

"W-why you, how did you..."

"Yes, Senpai?"

After restraining himself, Toogaito swallowed what he was about to say.

He then sighed deeply and reverted back to his courteous self.

"Fine, I'll do it when I find them."

"I am most grateful... Well, shall we go, Chitanda, Ibara?"

Probably not understanding the meaning behind my exchange with Toogaito, the startled girls merely agreed with me and followed me out, as there was no point in staying any longer.

"Oreki-san, what just happened?"

"I'll explain later."

After telling them so, I led them out of the Biology Room.

A voice called out to me from behind, "You, first year. I still haven't heard what your name is."

I turned and replied indifferently, "Oreki Houtarou... Sorry about that just now."

Along the corridor linking the Special Block and the General Block, I leaned against one of the walls. As we were killing time here, the two girls took this chance to ask me, "Oreki, I don't know what's going on, but aren't we heading to the library?"

I waved my hand.

"Nope, since there's no need to."

"I don't get it. If there's no need to, why aren't we going back to the club room?"

"We can't. We'll need to wait a bit longer."

Ibara muttered, "Just what is he up to" while still looking unconvinced.

Chitanda, while sniffling her nose, took over for Ibara and asked, "Oreki-san, Toogaito-senpai looked furious."

"It seems so."

"Of course it's good if the back issues are indeed found, but to make such a forceful request out of him..."

"Forceful? I merely requested him reasonably."

Chitanda opened and closed her mouth as she was at a loss for words. That is to be expected. Since all I asked was "to help look for our stuff" and "bring them over once they're found".

"But, Toogaito-senpai was furious."

"Was he that furious?"

Standing beside Chitanda, Ibara raised her brow and asked, "After Oreki made that request of him, his anger looked more like he was acting."

Oh, so she noticed.

"Is that so?"

Though apparently Chitanda still hasn't.

I took a look at my watch. Three minutes had passed... Should be about time. I stood away from the wall I was leaning on and asked, "Chitanda, how well-known are the Toogaitos?"

Chitanda tilted her head, wondering why I would ask for something like this and answered, "The Toogaitos? They're quite influential in the high school educational circles. They've got one member in the Prefectural School Board and one in the City School Board, as well as one school principal and two teachers."

Now I see.

"Oreki, what about the anthologies already?"

I replied, "I think it's time we return."

Chitanda and Ibara looked at each other upon hearing my answer. I merely smiled.

And so we arrived at the Geology Room.

"Ah, here they are."

It was as I said. On top of the teacher's desk were stacked dozens of thin notebooks. I couldn't help but pump my fist. It feels good to have something go completely according to plan.

"They came? How can that be possible?" Ibara said while walking towards the teacher's desk. As she picked up one of the notebooks, she muttered, "... It's really the anthologies..."

"Eh, eh?? Eru, let me have a look as well!"

"How did you do that, Oreki? Did you know something we didn't?"

Ibara's stern questioning made it sound as though I did something wrong. I was never good at evading questions, so I leaned on one of the tables nearby and answered, "I just did a bit of blackmailing, that's all."

"Blackmailing? Against the President of the Wall Newspaper Club?"

"Yup. But, Ibara, can you be more discreet?"

Ibara made a sullen face upon me saying that.

"It's not like I would go tell anyone."

"Yeah, but you don't sound too reliable. It's supposed to be a secret that Toogaito is doing errands for a first year student, it'll be too pitiful for him if that secret is not kept."

"I won't tell anyone... If you don't trust me, then I'm fine if you don't give me the explanation." she said brusquely. She's probably not lying. Chitanda was a completely different matter; sating her curiosity wasn't exactly a priority for her. So if she realizes that trouble may arise from me explaining, then she'd rather not hear it. She's the sort that would come up with such solutions.

Anyway, now that I've tested them, it seemed safe to assume that the girls won't go telling anyone else.

"Sorry about that. Anyway, Ibara, didn't you find it strange as to why Toogaito would have the door locked?"

Ibara replied bluntly, "He probably didn't want anybody to disturb him, as he did say he was preparing articles to publish, didn't he?"

"Then, what about the Preparation Room? Why was the fan on when the window was already open?"

"Maybe he's feeling hot?"

"Then he could have just placed the fan next to the window. Yet the fan was placed opposite it. With the fan in that position, if the pen case was moved slightly, all the B1 paper underneath would have been blown away."

Ibara rubbed her hair in irritation.

"So what about it?"

"Don't you get it? What Toogaito was intending to do?"

"If you put it that way, then I kind of get it. Was he trying to ventilate the room?"

I gently lifted my thumb and praised her. Of course, Ibara wasn't going to find that interesting and so turned her gaze away.

"Now then, the next question would be, why would he want to ventilate the room? To further elaborate, what was Toogaito, from a family of respected educators, doing alone in the club room with the door locked with infrared sensors set outside?"

"W-wait a minute! What infrared sensors? Are we in a spy novel or something?"

Ah, I forgot to explain, "Don't you ever see those gadget store commercials? They were selling those infrared sensors that would trigger the security alarm a while ago. I think you might get them for 5000 yen now."

"Where did you find them?"

"By the side of the third floor corridor just outside the Wall Newspaper Club room. They were camouflaged in white. It's hard to conclude that they're sensors just by observation alone, but the fact that there was a speaker inside the Preparation Room more or less confirmed my suspicions."

Ibara raised her brow and said, "You really are weird."

"Stop treating me as some outcast... Anyway, where were we? Ah yes, upon being informed by the sensors in advance that someone was approaching, why would he risk getting the B1 papers blown away just to ventilate the room? Any thoughts?"

Ibara began thinking at my question, and so I waited.

She then replied with an incredulous look befitting her sharp tongue, "... Could it be some odour...?"

I gently clapped my hands two to three times,

"You got it. He was trying to get rid of an odour. If we think along this line, then him using anti-odour sprays had nothing to do with any obsession with cleanliness. Now, what was the odour he was trying to get rid of? By the way, it's not any sort of narcotics."

"Then, could it be...?"

"That's right, he's probably smoking... It was a device used so that he may do so in peace. Considering that he comes from a prestigious clan, you can imagine what a scandal it would be if a son of a noble upbringing were caught doing something illegal. Since the Toogaitos are supposed to be respected high school educators. In this day and age, if you're a doctor, teacher or police officer, even just yawning in public could get you in a lot of trouble."

"... I see. If that's true, then he sure has gone to a lot of trouble doing all that."

Indeed. That's what I thought as well. Had the circumstances been different, the problem he faced would have been different as well. Thinking back, he seemed visibly shaken when he learned that Chitanda was from the Chitanda clan. He must have been thinking that if his deeds were exposed by someone from another prestigious clan, the relationship between his and other clans would have been greatly affected. After all, we all know how sensitive Chitanda's senses are. Had Chitanda not caught a cold, no amount of ventilation or removing of his shirt would have fooled her.

"Well, I don't exactly understand his desire to smoke on the school grounds, though. Happy with the explanation now?"

Upon saying that, Ibara's gaze changed. Whoa, she's showing her true worth with such a cold stare.

"You know, I was merely trying to ask how Toogaito-senpai had brought the anthologies over. While I get how you blackmailed him with his dirty secret in order to get him to bring them over, you still haven't explained where they were in the first place."

I see, I must have missed that part. So I explained, "They must be in the chemical safe."

"O-re-ki!"

"I...I'm not trying to ridicule you! The problem here is where the chemical safe was... Remember Toogaito mentioned something about moving cardboard boxes in when the rooms changed? He had no reason to lie about this, so I figured that the chemical safe was somewhere in the club room."

"... But I didn't see it."

"It doesn't mean it's not there. You couldn't see it because it was hidden... I'm talking about the safe itself, not just the anthologies."

I let Ibara digest what I meant by that as I continued, "As a result, the anthologies were also hidden along with it. As for why he hid the safe away, that's because he was using it to store his cigarettes. Notice we didn't see any cigarettes, lighters or ash trays? That's because he hid them all inside the safe. Did you notice his expression when I suggested to ask Ooide-sensei to search the room with us? Anyway, as for where the safe was hidden, I'd guess that it was probably under that makeshift cardboard box table."

I took a deep sigh upon finishing my explanation.

I did something bad to Toogaito by putting him in a position where he had to comply with my request. Though I had no intention of exposing his secret, as we all have secrets to keep, and I wouldn't like it if mine were exposed either. Let's just say he was unlucky.

Ibara, whom I've been speaking to all this time, took a sidelong glance. Following it, I noticed the presence of a person who ought to have been more talkative about this. I turned to face her.

"Chitanda?"

Chitanda was looking at the anthologies on the teacher's desk. Though she was only looking and had not opened any of them. Her serious gaze was the same as those I saw in the Cafe Pineapple Sandwich. It was as though she didn't even hear me call out to her.

"What's wrong, Chitanda?"

As she didn't hear me, I got up from the table I was leaning on and walked up to tap her shoulder.

"Is something the matter?"

"Oh, Oreki-san... Have a look at this."

She handed one of the anthologies over to me.

It was a thin notebook, with the same dimensions as those Campus Notebooks seen in stationary stores<ref>A poular brand of notebooks in Japan - [http://static1.jetpens.com/images/a/000/014/14136.jpg Image], [http://www.kokuyo-st.co.jp/stationery/campus/top2.html Official Site]</ref>. The books were stitched together elegantly. They must have relied on someone professional to help them publish these. The cover was made of brown leather; on top was an ink painting of a dog and a hare drawn in a deformed cartoonish style.

A number of hares formed an outer ring, and within the centre were a dog and a hare biting each other. The dog's canine teeth were sunken into the hare's torso as though ripping it apart, while the hare's incisor teeth were nibbling deeply at the dog's neck. As it was drawn in a deformed way, it looked hilarious instead of grotesque. Though it also felt ominous. There was an old saying in the past about the hunting dogs getting cooked alongside the hares that they just hunted<ref>TL Note - 狡兎死して走狗烹らる (Koutoshishi soukuniraru) Japanese idiom introduced straight from the same Chinese idiom, referring to victorious emperors ruthlessly eradicating their generals once they had served their purpose of vanquishing the enemy</ref>. But now the dog and hare were instead hunting each other. Two of the hares in the ring looked on at such a seemingly cute scene.

On top of the illustration were some words, printed in proper fonts that read "Hyouka<ref>Hyouka (氷菓) means "frozen treats" such as ice cream, popsicles, etc.</ref> Volume 2". The publication date was 1968... That's quite old, and the name...

"Hyouka...?"

Is that the title?

"Such a strange title."

Ibara peeked across my shoulder, and agreed with me, "Yeah, and a hard to understand one as well."

We felt the same way as I felt hearing the name Kanya Festival for the first time, although guessing the origin for the name Kanya Festival was more straightforward. If the writers of this anthology had to decide upon a name, they would most likely choose one that's strongly connected to its contents. But I can see no connection between "Classics Club Essay Anthology" and the name "Hyouka".

Pointing at the illustration at the cover, I asked Ibara, "As someone from the Manga Studies Club, what do you think of this cover?"

"I think it's drawn superbly. The illustration design has brilliantly discarded all sense of perspective regarding distance... Hmm, this is good. I like this."

I was a bit surprised, as it's not normally possible for Ibara to clearly say whether she likes or dislikes something. Besides, this illustration has managed to leave an impression on her. As though regretting she just said she liked this, Ibara returned the book to me and began her justification,

"Er, 'like' is not exactly right. Since the art is not that beautiful... it looks threatening as well, after all. And I wasn't talking from an artistic point of view, but from a media perspective..."

Meanwhile, Chitanda didn't seem like she would tremble from joy at finally obtaining the long sought after back issues. Rather, it looked as though her expression had been sucked out by a vampire.

I asked her once again, "Chitanda, is something the matter?"

Upon hearing me, she dragged me to the corner of the classroom and said, "This."

"What?"

Rather than her eyes glittering in curiosity, the neat expression of our elegant lady that was drenched in the orange sunset looked more like she was discovering a secret as she whispered, "I found this. This is what my uncle wanted to show me. If I have this, then I should be able to find out what it was that my uncle said to me."

I see.

"So do you remember anything?"

In place of an answer, she pointed to the "Hyouka Volume 2" I was holding.

"This mentioned something about my uncle. Something seemed to have happened with the Classics Club 33 years ago... Have a look inside."

I did as she told me and opened the cover, and before me was written a foreword.

Foreword

And so we have a Cultural Festival again this year.

It has been one year since Sekitani-senpai left us.

During this year, Senpai has fallen into legend and become a hero. As a result, the five day Cultural Festival will commence as usual.

However, as the legend spread, I went into deep thought. Would people ten years from now still remember the silent warrior and the kind hero? All Senpai has left behind is this anthology "Hyouka", for which he has provided the title.

As a sacrifice of the conflict, even Senpai's smile would end up along the flow of time into eternity. 

No, perhaps it is better that we do not remember it. As it was not intended to be a heroic tale.

Once the subjectivity is taken away, this story will become a classic as it transcends all historical perspectives.

Will the day come when our stories become a classic for someone in the future?

October 13th, 1968
Kooriyama Youko

"This is..."

"The 'last year' referred to here meant 33 years ago today. In that case, the 'Sekitani-senpai' of the Classics Club must be my uncle. What happened to my uncle back then? The answer that my uncle told me had something to do with the Classics Club then..."

I smiled, and I did not wonder why Chitanda wasn't smiling as well as I said, "Isn't this fine? You should be able to remember now."

Yet Chitanda's expressionless face gave way to one of gloominess as she struggled to get the words out softly,

"But, I just can't. Even though I was this close! I, am I really that bad at remembering things? What was it my uncle said to me? What happened to him 33 years ago?"

I could not tell whether her muffled voice came from her cold or her tears.

Chitanda...

I decided to speak, "Let's investigate it."

I didn't think I spoke coldly.

The anthology "Hyouka Volume 2" that I took back from Chitanda was written 32 years ago. On it was the strange name "Hyouka" which was given by Sekitani Jun, as well as the mentioning of a forgotten incident.

This was a great chance. For these clues were like lights that shone for us who were groping in the dark. In order for Chitanda to regain her past, I firmly believe we must not discard such clues.

That's why I said again, "Then we'll just need to investigate what happened 33 years ago."

"But,"

Chitanda drooped her shoulders.

"But it said they'd rather not remember it."

I was surprised at her timidity for such things.

"But you want to remember it, right?"

"Of course, but if we investigate further,"

She paused before continuing, "... If we investigate further, we might end up finding something unpleasant. There are things that are better forgotten, aren't there?"

"..."

That's because you're too kind, Chitanda.

"Even if it's happened 33 years ago?"

"Is that wrong?"

I shook my head.

"Yeah. After all, didn't it say here as well? 'Once the subjectiveness is taken away, this story will become a classic as it transcends all historical perspectives.'"

"..."

"In other words, there's an expiration date for that."

I made a smile. Though Chitanda didn't smile as well, she nodded gently.

"... OK."

And so.

Yes, and so, I chuckled within my heart as I remained smiling. Investigating shouldn't take up much effort. If the second volume mentions something about "last year", all we had to do was look in the first volume to find out what happened to Sekitani Jun. It should be finished in no time. Though I wouldn't say which was the easier option: the avoidance of the problem or the solving of the problem.

... I was naive to think like that. As Ibara was quietly fishing through the remaining volumes, she said indignantly,

"What the? There's no volume 1!"

In order to digest what I had just heard, it seemed I needed some time.

<noinclude>

==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Hyouka:Volume 1 Chapter 4|4 - The Descendants of the Eventful Classics Club]]
| Return to [[Hyouka|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Hyouka:Volume 1 Chapter 6|6 - The Old Days of the Glorious Classics Club]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Hyouka:Volume 1 Chapter 5

2021-08-10T00:25:01Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: Formatting correction

==5 - The Hidden Seal of the Pedigree Classics Club ==

While Kamiyama High School does provide curriculum for university entrance exams, it does not particularly do much to improve its university entrance rankings. It only holds mock exams for prospective university students once or twice annually, and they do not hold extra lessons during holidays. All in all, it was a pretty laid back school.

Even so, Kamiyama High still has regular exams. If a high-school student's life is rose-coloured, then the exam halls would be his natural enemy. And so the Classics Club activities had come to a halt as club activities are prohibited during the End of Semester Exams for the First Semester. Though it's not like we have much to do anyway, we still had to hand the club room key over to the school.

Today is the final day of the exams. I laid down on my bed in my own room and stared at the ceiling. And as usual, there was nothing particularly different about this white ceiling.

In terms of exam results, the members of the Classics Club yielded some interesting revelations.

First, Fukube Satoshi. Though he's well-versed in all sorts of useless trivial knowledge, he doesn't have much interest in regular studies. As the exams have just ended today, I can't exactly tell how he performed, but I do know that he was terrible in the Mid-Term Tests. At any rate, back then Satoshi explained to me, "That's because I was busy studying why Japanese people nowadays no longer write their kanji in the cursive style<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cursive_script_(East_Asia) Wikipedia]</ref>." If Satoshi thinks something is important, then it must be important enough for him. No disrespect to him, but in the long-term, I think it probably sounds foolish. Though I don't think Satoshi would care one bit. If I call him a free soul because of it, he'd probably take it as a compliment. To put it simply, he's just a generic fool.

Though she's normally with the Manga Studies Club, in order to continue pursuing Satoshi, Ibara Mayaka too has joined the Classics Club. She's probably the hard-working type. As she would usually make sure to check up on any mistakes made, her grades are in the upper half of the class. However, devoting so much time to studying does not seem to improve her grades at all. To put it simply, Ibara's a bit neurotic — you could say she's a perfectionist. Though her tongue may be sharp, her downside is probably that she is too obsessed with perfection, and would end up struggling to find the perfect answers to her exam questions. I think she applies the same standards to herself as well.

Then there's Chitanda Eru, who stands out among the rest with her high scores. A look at the score ranking board reveals she's ranked 6th in the entire grade. Though she doesn't seem satisfied with that, or even the high school curriculum for that matter. She once told me she wasn't content with just learning the parts, she wanted to learn the entire system. I had absolutely no idea what she meant by that. Though her words were vague, I could tell why this lady was so intent on getting her curiosity resolved. For example, the case involving her uncle — she probably wanted to find out the entire "system" regarding the information concerning what her uncle said to her back then. She's the sort that wants to find out the cause by all means.

As for me, my grades were normal.

Out of 350 people, I ranked 175th. As though it was some sort of prank, I was ranked right in the middle. I was not concerned about Chitanda's curiosity getting her good grades or Satoshi's eccentricity getting him bad grades, nor did I think much about Ibara being unhappy with the mistakes she's made. While I wasn't that laid back as to not study for the exams, my studying was lukewarm at best. Occasionally, I would get people telling me how much I've changed, but to me, it simply means they aren't really that observant. I am positioned below the cream of the crop and above the bottom of the heap. I have no desire to go either up or down. I see, so that's why Satoshi said that he can't think of anything apart from grey for the colour of my high-school life.

Of course, colour isn't confined to academic grades. There's also club activities, sports, hobbies, romance... The things that constitute our humanity. There is the saying that one can't see the forest for the trees, after all, and one result cannot be used to generalize for the whole picture. Though the Japanese dictionary defined life in high-school as rose-coloured, these roses would still need to be planted in the right places in order to blossom.

Let's just say I'm not the suitable type of soil for roses to grow in.

As I lay on my bed thinking all these things, I heard a sound coming from downstairs. It sounded like a letter had arrived.

After making sure it was indeed a letter, I was dumbfounded. The envelope was covered in red, blue and white stripes, that could only be international mail. After checking the recipient name was correct, I concluded that the only person who could send international mail to the Oreki residence was Oreki Tomoe. Now where was this sent from... Istanbul?

I opened the letter right there and found many letters inside, one of which was for me.

Dear Houtarou,

I am currently in Istanbul. Due to some mishaps I'm hiding out at the Japanese consulate, so I haven't been seeing much of the city yet.

I'm sure it's an amazing city. If I could take a time machine and visit this place in the past, I think I'd want to try to lock the city gates myself, perhaps I'd change history as a result. I'm no historian, so I'm no good at speculating at these "what ifs".

It's an interesting trip, I'm sure I'll look back ten years from now and view every day I'm out here without regret.

So how's the Classics Club? Have the members increased?

Do not be discouraged even if it's just you alone! Solitude helps make a man grow stronger.

If there are other people, then excellent. It helps to improve one's interaction with others.

Anyway, I'm writing because there's something that I'm concerned about.

Have you (guys) started work on publishing an essay anthology yet? The Classics Club always publishes one every year, so I'm wondering if you're continuing with that.

If you are, I figured you're probably at a loss for what to write. After all, the anthologies aren't stored in the library.

You should be able to find the back issues inside an old chemical safe in the club room. The key's broken already, so you can just open the box right away.

I'll call you when I arrive at Pristina.

With love,
Tomoe.

Hiding in the Japanese consulate? Just what have you done this time, Sis? Anyway, it's not that I'm worried. The details are probably written in the letter for my old man. Now where have I heard of Pristina? I can't quite remember. Since it's my sister going, it's no doubt some ancient battlefield or something.

Anyway, I couldn't help but sigh. Does my sister have some sort of intelligence network that collects information about my activities? And I didn't know the Classics Club kept their back issues so secretly for generations either. Indeed, we were looking for the back issues but couldn't find where they were.

It was only a few days since Chitanda tasked me with a personal errand of hers, though she also has another errand for us as President of the Classics Club - the publishing of the essay anthology. Chitanda looked troubled when she found out the library archives did not store the back issues, but if my sister is right, then it could be of great help.

If the purpose is the result itself, then achieving the said result will fulfill that purpose. Though I sense another layer being added to such a bothersome definition, it just felt cruel if I withheld such information. As usual, Oreki Tomoe is messing with my life.

At any rate, I stuffed the letter in the pocket of my uniform trousers that I hung in the closet.

The following day after classes, I went straight towards the club room. The weather was rather pleasant for a relaxing day after the end of the exams, that one would be in a mood to join any club. The training sounds of the sports teams could be heard from the sports ground, while music was being played by the Brass Band, Light Music Club, Japanese Traditional Music Club, etc. While the sports teams are the most visible of the lot, the Kanya Festival is better known for its flurry of activities organized by the arts-related clubs. During this time of day, the Special Block which holds these arts clubs would be full of people.

And within the uppermost corner of this Special Block lies the Geology Room, where Chitanda and Ibara were. Though they've only just met during the case of the peculiar library book, it seems like they're getting along well with each other already. Today they were sitting facing each other, as though they were engaged in some conversation. As summer had arrived, the summer uniforms that they wore felt breezy. Ibara's tanned arms from her short sleeve shirt were in contrast to Chitanda's pale white arms. It was already the season when the sun is shining more often, yet our lady here doesn't seem to have much melanin in her. I tilted my head over to hear what the girls were talking about.

"In other words, the articles need to be on topic."

"Do you mean we can count on others for our anthology?"

"Don't you worry, I think I can get some connections within the Manga Studies Club."

"Can you do that?"

Ah, talking about the anthology, huh? Well, good luck.

Suddenly, Chitanda's body went stiff as she covered her face with her hands.

What's happening?

"... Ah-choo!"

She sneezed. And she's doing it in an old-fashioned quiet way.

"Ah-choo! Ah-choo!"

"What's wrong? You have cold? Or is it hay fever?"

"... Ah, I'm feeling better now. This is quite embarrassing, but it seems to me that I have caught a summer cold..."

Hmm, a summer cold is tough. Come to think of it, her voice sounded different from usual.

Anyway, I decided to call them out.

"Hey, Chitanda, Ibara,"

"Ah, Oreki-san,"

"Ibara, is the Manga Studies Club okay with you being here?"

"Yup, it's all settled. What, you have a problem with me?"

Why should I?

Anyway.

I decided to cut the niceties and went straight to the point as I took out my sister's letter from my trouser pocket,

"My sis used to be with the Classics Club, so she wrote me a letter showing us where we could find the anthology back issues."

Chitanda merely looked puzzled. It seems she still didn't understand.

"I know where we can find the Classics Club anthology back issues."

She bit her lips many times while struggling to find the right words.

"Is..."

She was so lost for words that her eyes went wide.

"Is that true!?"

"Of course it's true. What do I gain by lying to you anyway?"

As though affirming what I said, Chitanda's thin lips broke into a smile. While the elegantly fine lady of the Chitanda clan wasn't exactly grinning from ear to ear, she was clearly quite happy. Even if I were to obtain something that I desired a lot, I would not be able to make such a face. Compared to this, the Chitanda I saw in the Cafe Pineapple Sandwich with her deep expressions felt like a different person altogether.

"I see, the anthologies, huh..."

I could hear her whispering softly,

"... Tee hee, back issues..."

This Chitanda Eru can be quite a dangerous person.

However, Ibara raised her eyebrow and questioned, "Are you sure about that? Why would someone write a letter just to say that?"

A good question. No one in their right mind would think of seeking information about where to find stuff concerning the Cultural Festival in a letter from Istanbul. But this was indeed a letter from my sis, and no one could ever guess just what it is that Oreki Tomoe would consider important.

"Well, fact is I've got the letter here, so you'll be able to tell whether it's true or not. Wanna read?"

I unfolded the letter and laid it on the table for Ibara and Chitanda to see. As they followed every word in the letter, they gradually went quiet. The first to break the silence was Chitanda.

"... Does your sister like to visit Turkey?"

"She likes to visit the world."

"Such an amazing sister you have."

While her interest was drawn by the curious part of the letter, that's not where I wanted her to look.

"'I'll look back ten years from now and view every day I'm out here with much nostalgia.' Ahh, such a melancholic sentence."

Well, I agree, but that's not it either.

As they read on, they both opened their mouths at the same time.

"... The chemical safe?"

"The chemical safe, huh?"

Ibara looked around the Geology Room, and then put her arms on her waist and puffed her chest.

"Hmm, I don't see anything like that here."

"Guess so."

That's not hard to figure out. Though Chitanda seemed to have gone pale all of a sudden.

"Eh!? T-then w-where are... the anthologies..."

"Chi-chan! Calm down, calm down!"

As to who Ibara was calling Chi-chan, I could think of no one else but Chitanda. "Chi-chan", that Ibara sure has given her quite a cute nickname. So her sharp tongue is not used against Chitanda, huh? Though it is indeed difficult to be hostile to a person like Chitanda anyway.

I waved my sis's letter to a now calmed-down Chitanda and said,

"Chitanda, this letter said 'old chemical safe in the club room'. It's been two years since my sis graduated from here. The club room has probably changed during that time."

"Ah... Is that so?"

"So, Oreki, do you know where the club room was two years ago?"

To avoid any oversight, I made sure to visit the staff room beforehand.

"I've asked the supervising teacher, and he said it was in the Biology Lecture Room."

"You sure are quite prepared for this."

"Well, it's efficient."

"How enthusiastic of you."

That's not exactly true, I'm normally not that enthusiastic.

"The Biology Lecture Room... that's just one floor below us. Now that we know, shall we head over there?"

Having said that, Chitanda left the room at once.

If there's anyone that's enthusiastic, it's her.

The Biology Room was, as Chitanda said, right under the Geology Room. If the Geology Room, located in the corner of the Special Block, was the remotest region of Kamiyama High, then the Biology Room, located on the third floor, would also be considered a backwater area. While I did say the Special Block was full of people, there were exceptions. Like the Geology Room, which was hardly surrounded by any other club rooms, was extremely quiet. It seems the Biology Room was the same as well. While the corridor was lively with people, the path towards the Biology Room was full of empty classrooms, and there was no one else heading towards it besides us.

Along the way, Chitanda sneezed many times.

"Is your cold that bad?"

"Please don't worry too much about me. I might not be able to stop sneezing, but it's just a sensitive nose... Ah-choo!"

I don't know. If it were me, I would have felt terrible sneezing this many times. As expected of our lady here, who can be extremely modest.

Walking ahead of us, Ibara turned her head around and said to us,

"Oreki, do you have the key with you?"

"Nope, someone else seems to have borrowed it."

"Ah-choo! ... The key's been borrowed? Does that mean the Biology Room is currently being used by some club?"

"As long as it isn't some fool that's borrowed it, it could be possible."

"Oreki-san... it's rude to call people fools."

I got scolded. If she gets upset by even that, then not even Satoshi or Ibara would have been able to retort, so I smiled bitterly and looked around, and something by the corridor wall entered my field of vision. I wonder what that was. Neither Chitanda nor Ibara seemed to notice it... It was a small box, and as it was painted in the same white colour as the corridor walls, it was rather inconspicuous. Looking at the opposite side of the corridor, I saw another similar box. I Wonder if someone left these behind? As it didn't seem valuable, I paid no more attention to it. Bending down to pick up something that's worth less than one yen is not worth the effort, as the energy spent is more or less equivalent to one yen. So it's basic common sense for energy savers like me.

We now stood before the Biology Room. While considering whether to knock or not, Chitanda had already reached out for the door knob.

"Huh?"

The door wouldn't open.

"It's locked."

"So it seems."

The two girls turned to look at me, Chitanda looking concerned while Ibara stared coldly. It's bothersome to have them to look at me with such eyes.

"No, I really don't have the key with me. So I wouldn't know why the door's locked."

Once again, Ibara tried to open the door, but could only hear the lock creaking. Quite aptly, Chitanda said what I was about to say, "... Again?"

Yes, that again.

"Chi-chan, what do you mean?"

"Umm, it happened in April..."

I don't think Chitanda knows this, but it seems Kami High's classroom doors are jinxed. As Chitanda recounted that story in April, I began to think of how to get around this situation without a key.

"... And that's how it was."

"Hmm, so Oreki managed to do all that, huh?"

I turned my heels around and shouted through the door jokingly,

"IS ANYONE IN THERE?"

Of course, I expected no answer.

However, there was an answer. The blunt sound of the door being unlocked was heard.

"Yes?"

The door then opened from the inside.

Standing there was a male student wearing a thin shirt and uniform trousers. He was quite tall and slender. Though he looked more like the intelligentsia type than the athletic type of person. Upon identifying our grades from the colour of my collar, he smiled politely and said, "Oh, sorry about that. I had the door locked. You guys interested in joining the Wall Newspaper Club?"

If you're inside then you should've opened the door right away, dammit. Rather than what I was thinking, I said, "This is the Wall Newspaper Club?"

"That's right. Aren't you here to join?"

The male student shut the door upon coming out of the room. At that moment I smelled some sort of alcoholic disinfectant odour coming from him. It seems our intelligentsia fellow here has a penchant for deodorants. He raised his brows upon seeing me twitch my nose at his deodorant odour, as though saying "You got a problem with that?" Though he quickly reverted to his courteous manner and said, "Then, how may I help you?"

We exchanged glances with each other, and decided it was best for our President Chitanda to speak.

"Good afternoon. I'm Chitanda Eru, President of the Classics Club. You must be Toogaito-sempai from Class 3-E, right?"

The guy called Toogaito raised his brow in amazement,

"How do you know my name?"

A good question. Anyone would be amazed if they were suddenly addressed by name by a complete stranger. After all, that's what I felt back in April. And like back then, Chitanda merely smiled gently.

"We met at the Manninbashi mansion last year."

"Manninbashi... Wait a minute, you said your name's Chitanda, could you be related to Chitanda-san from Kanda?"

"Yes, he is my father. Thank you for taking care of him."

...Hmm, this feels like a high-society reunion. I knew that as an old clan, the Chitandas were farmland owners, but I never expected them to be so well-connected. It seems this world that I've never seen before really does exist. Come to think of it, Satoshi did mention something about the old clans of Kamiyama, and the Toogaito clan was amongst them.

"Ah, no, the pleasure's all mine. I see, you're with the Chitandas."

"Yes... Ah-choo!"

"Summer cold? Must be bad for you. Take care of yourself."

Upon learning that Chitanda Eru was from the Chitanda Clan with their large farmlands, Toogaito's attitude changed in a strange way. While he was still courteous, his gaze was now more stiff. Was he scared of Chitanda or something? I can't begin to imagine, but it does seem there is some sort of power influence between the old clans. Maybe it's just me, but Toogaito didn't seem to meet Chitanda's gaze and he spoke as though picking his words carefully.

"Well, what is it?"

On the other hand, Chitanda didn't seem to mind Toogaito's reaction and said, "Yes, actually, I heard that the back issues for the Classics Club's essay anthology were stored here in the Biology Room. This used to be the club room for the Classics Club, right?"

"... It was when I was still in first year. Though they moved the club rooms all over the place last year."

"Then, do you know where the anthologies are?"

Toogaito paused for a moment before replying, "Nope, never seen them."

Quietly listening to their conversation, Ibara turned and looked at me, to which I nodded gently. Anyone with an intuition would realize that Toogaito was behaving strangely.

"I see..."

Though she has an amazing memory, Chitanda's intuition level was below average. And so Chitanda looked dejected and was about to leave when Ibara interrupted, "Excuse me, Sempai, do you mind if we search around for them?"

"And you are?"

"Ibara Mayaka of the Classics Club. Since you have no use for the anthologies, maybe you haven't noticed them before, right?"

Though I see no point in doing so, I decided to go on a fool's errand and back them up.

"We'll try to do so without obstructing your club activities. Or is that too much trouble for you?"

"Please."

"I ask of you as well."

Upon our constant barrage of requests, Toogaito gave a sullen look.

"Well, I would rather not have outsiders in the club room..."

Upon hearing that line, Ibara quickly jumped on it.

"But Sempai, while this is a club room, this is also a classroom, right?"

I held back my laughter, since Ibara was basically saying "You have no right to refuse students entry into the school classrooms". Toogaito looked rather troubled as a result, but as Ibara was rather persistent, he finally relented.

"... Alright then. You may come in, but, just try not mess anything up."

And so the President of the Wall Newspaper Club opened the door to the Biology Room.

The room we entered was designed in the exact same layout as the Geology Room, from the blackboard, the chairs, the table, to the cleaning tools, they were generally the same... Though it does have one extra door. Above that door was a sign that read "Biology Preparation Room". In the fourth floor, this would be where the storage room was, and it was not possible to enter it directly from the Geology Room.

There were hardly any other members in the Wall Newspaper Club today. Though Toogaito explained, "We normally have four members, though as there's no activities today, only I'm here to think about what to publish for the Kanya Festival."

If I remember correctly, the Kanya Festival starts in October. So about two and a half months from now.

"What's the difference between the Wall Newspaper Club and the Newspaper Club?"

Chitanda asked a totally irrelevant question, which Toogaito answered courteously.

"There are three periodicals published in Kami High. There's the 'Seiryuu' distributed to the classrooms every other month; the 'Kami High Student Council News', posted outside the Student Council office in irregular intervals; and the 'Kami High Monthly', which publishes every month except August and December, and is posted on the notice board by the school entrance. We're in charge of the 'Kami High Monthly'."

"Who publishes the other two?"

"The 'Seiryuu' is by the Newspaper Club, while the 'Kami High Student Council News' is of course by the Student Council. Though we have the longest history of the three periodicals. The 'Kami High Monthly' will be reaching its four hundredth issue soon, the other two haven't even reached their one hundredth."

Four hundred issues, huh? Besides us, the Wall Newspaper Club too has a long-standing tradition of its own. Come to think of it, if Chitanda's uncle was with the Classics Club 33 years ago, then the Classics Club has been around for at least 33 years. No matter how tumultuous my life might become, it surely cannot compare to the history of the Classics Club. Then again, it's not like my life has been tumultuous so far.

"Doesn't seem to be in this room."

Ibara concluded after looking around the room. As the Biology Room was rather empty, it was hard for her to miss anything. That leaves the Preparation Room. I asked about entering that room, "May we please check the Preparation Room as well?"

"... Yeah, go ahead."

Upon hearing Toogaito reply behind me, I entered the room, and could hear the sound of paper fluttering as well as the sound of some motor. I wonder what that was.

As expected, the Preparation Room was a small room, about one third the size of the Biology Room.

This room was originally made to store teaching equipment for Biology lessons, though right now only microscopes could be found on the shelves. As Kami High is more focused on theory learning more than practical experiments, it would seem most of the other experiment tools and equipment were stored away in another separate room. As a result, this became a tool room for the Wall Newspaper Club.

There was an amateur looking camera, a collection of pens of various thicknesses and colours, cardboard boxes cluttered beside a photocopier, and a small speaker. As for the item that most caught our eyes, it was the makeshift table in the centre of the narrow room. Rather than a table, it was merely a thick plywood board placed on top of a cardboard box. On top of it were spread a bunch of B1 papers with scribbles that can only be read by their author, with a heavy-looking metallic pen case placed on top of them. The fluttering noise came from these papers being blown by the wind.

Wind?

There was wind inside the room. Though the window was open, the wind came from indoors. That must be where the motor sound came from. It was hard to spot as it was placed beside the stack of cardboard boxes, but there was a small electric fan in front of the makeshift table and opposite the window, and its wind speed was turned to the maximum.

There was something else that the wind was blowing on. Hanging by the window was a Kami High male summer uniform shirt. It was simply hung there casually.

"...?"

"Oreki, what do you think?"

I turned around and found Chitanda and Ibara standing by the Preparation Room entrance.

Ah yes, we had to look for the chemical safe.

Still, with things being placed everywhere in such a narrow room, there was no way to search like that. Simply by observation alone, there didn't seem to be anything resembling a chemical safe. It should be an old-styled box with the lock damaged. Perhaps I did see it but didn't notice it properly.

Hmm...

I crossed my arms and stepped away from the room and asked Toogaito, who had been watching us, "Do you know why the club rooms were moved around last year?"

"Nope. Maybe they were trying to fill out the rooms emptied by clubs that no longer existed?"

"How many boxes did you bring in when you moved in here?"

Toogaito thought for a while before replying, "... Now that you mention it, how many boxes did we move?"

"The cardboard boxes?"

"Yeah."

I see. Then it should be there. I'd nearly forgotten that the Toogaito clan was also quite a prestigious clan; it would make sense once I considered the circumstances concerning his clan.

I'd more or less figured out where the anthologies were, though obtaining them would be a problem... Let's try setting up a trap. I turned to face Toogaito.

"Sempai, since there are so many things lying around, it would be quite tedious to search like that. This might trouble you a bit, but do you mind if we ask Ooide-sensei to come help us search as well?"

Though he'd put on a sober expression until now, Toogaito's brows were raised.

"... No. I told you not to mess with anything inside."

"We'll place the objects back where we found them when we're done, please let us search."

"I said no!"

He suddenly raised his voice.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Toogaito-sempai. It's fine, I guess that's too bad."

Chitanda replied frantically while Toogaito continued speaking loudly.

"I'm already quite busy today as I have to submit my ideas to the editorial team by tomorrow. Just what is this entering into our place to search all over for stuff? Your anthologies ain't here, so leave already!"

While Toogaito was getting increasingly agitated, I merely looked at him coldly. It seems he's sprung the trap as I had expected him to.

I gazed at Toogaito while holding a friendly smile.

"Sempai, we're interested in the contents of a chemical safe."

"... What?"

"The anthologies are supposed to be inside the chemical safe. If you said they're not here, then they surely must not be here. Since we don't want to trouble you any further."

I then stopped smiling and added, "By the way, we'll be heading to the library now. If after we leave you manage to find the anthologies, would you please be so kind as to bring them over to the Geology Room? We'll leave the door unlocked."

It seemed Toogaito was really furious at my proposal, as he twisted his previously rational face and stared at me. In contrast, I treated it as though it was nothing special. After all, I've never heard of anyone in the history of this world getting injured just by being stared at.

"W, why you, how did you..."

"Yes, Sempai?"

After restraining himself, Toogaito swallowed what he was about to say.

He then sighed deeply and reverted back to his courteous self.

"Fine, I'll do it when I find them."

"I am most grateful... Well, shall we go, Chitanda, Ibara?"

Probably not understanding the meaning behind my exchange with Toogaito, the startled girls merely agreed with me and followed me out, as there was no point in staying any longer.

"Oreki-san, what just happened?"

"I'll explain later."

After telling them so, I led them out of the Biology Room.

A voice called out to me from behind, "You, first year. I still haven't heard what your name is."

I turned and replied indifferently, "Oreki Houtarou... Sorry about that just now."

Along the corridor linking the Special Block and the General Block, I leaned against one of the walls. As we were killing time here, the two girls took this chance to ask me, "Oreki, I don't know what's going on, but aren't we heading to the library?"

I waved my hand.

"Nope, since there's no need to."

"I don't get it. If there's no need to, why aren't we going back to the club room?"

"We can't. We'll need to wait a bit longer."

Ibara muttered, "Just what is he up to" while still looking unconvinced.

Chitanda, while sniffling her nose, took over for Ibara and asked, "Oreki-san, Toogaito-sempai looked furious."

"It seems so."

"Of course it's good if the back issues are indeed found, but to make such a forceful request out of him..."

"Forceful? I merely requested him reasonably."

Chitanda opened and closed her mouth as she was at a loss for words. That is to be expected. Since all I asked was "to help look for our stuff" and "bring them over once they're found".

"But, Toogaito-sempai was furious."

"Was he that furious?"

Standing beside Chitanda, Ibara raised her brow and asked, "After Oreki made that request of him, his anger looked more like he was acting."

Oh, so she noticed.

"Is that so?"

Though apparently Chitanda still hasn't.

I took a look at my watch. Three minutes had passed... Should be about time. I stood away from the wall I was leaning on and asked, "Chitanda, how well-known are the Toogaitos?"

Chitanda tilted her head, wondering why I would ask for something like this and answered, "The Toogaitos? They're quite influential in the high school educational circles. They've got one member in the Prefectural School Board and one in the City School Board, as well as one school principal and two teachers."

Now I see.

"Oreki, what about the anthologies already?"

I replied, "I think it's time we return."

Chitanda and Ibara looked at each other upon hearing my answer. I merely smiled.

And so we arrived at the Geology Room.

"Ah, here they are."

It was as I said. On top of the teacher's desk were stacked dozens of thin notebooks. I couldn't help but pump my fist. It feels good to have something go completely according to plan.

"They came? How can that be possible?" Ibara said while walking towards the teacher's desk. As she picked up one of the notebooks, she muttered, "... It's really the anthologies..."

"Eh, eh?? Eru, let me have a look as well!"

"How did you do that, Oreki? Did you know something we didn't?"

Ibara's stern questioning made it sound as though I did something wrong. I was never good at evading questions, so I leaned on one of the tables nearby and answered, "I just did a bit of blackmailing, that's all."

"Blackmailing? Against the President of the Wall Newspaper Club?"

"Yup. But, Ibara, can you be more discreet?"

Ibara made a sullen face upon me saying that.

"It's not like I would go tell anyone."

"Yeah, but you don't sound too reliable. It's supposed to be a secret that Toogaito is doing errands for a first year student, it'll be too pitiful for him if that secret is not kept."

"I won't tell anyone... If you don't trust me, then I'm fine if you don't give me the explanation." she said brusquely. She's probably not lying. Chitanda was a completely different matter; sating her curiosity wasn't exactly a priority for her. So if she realizes that trouble may arise from me explaining, then she'd rather not hear it. She's the sort that would come up with such solutions.

Anyway, now that I've tested them, it seemed safe to assume that the girls won't go telling anyone else.

"Sorry about that. Anyway, Ibara, didn't you find it strange as to why Toogaito would have the door locked?"

Ibara replied bluntly, "He probably didn't want anybody to disturb him, as he did say he was preparing articles to publish, didn't he?"

"Then, what about the Preparation Room? Why was the fan on when the window was already open?"

"Maybe he's feeling hot?"

"Then he could have just placed the fan next to the window. Yet the fan was placed opposite it. With the fan in that position, if the pen case was moved slightly, all the B1 paper underneath would have been blown away."

Ibara rubbed her hair in irritation.

"So what about it?"

"Don't you get it? What Toogaito was intending to do?"

"If you put it that way, then I kind of get it. Was he trying to ventilate the room?"

I gently lifted my thumb and praised her. Of course, Ibara wasn't going to find that interesting and so turned her gaze away.

"Now then, the next question would be, why would he want to ventilate the room? To further elaborate, what was Toogaito, from a family of respected educators, doing alone in the club room with the door locked with infrared sensors set outside?"

"W, wait a minute! What infrared sensors? Are we in a spy novel or something?"

Ah, I forgot to explain, "Don't you ever see those gadget store commercials? They were selling those infrared sensors that would trigger the security alarm a while ago. I think you might get them for 5000 yen now."

"Where did you find them?"

"By the side of the third floor corridor just outside the Wall Newspaper Club room. They were camouflaged in white. It's hard to conclude that they're sensors just by observation alone, but the fact that there was a speaker inside the Preparation Room more or less confirmed my suspicions."

Ibara raised her brow and said, "You really are weird."

"Stop treating me as some outcast... Anyway, where were we? Ah yes, upon being informed by the sensors in advance that someone was approaching, why would he risk getting the B1 papers blown away just to ventilate the room? Any thoughts?"

Ibara began thinking at my question, and so I waited.

She then replied with an incredulous look befitting her sharp tongue, "... Could it be some odour...?"

I gently clapped my hands two to three times,

"You got it. He was trying to get rid of an odour. If we think along this line, then him using anti-odour sprays had nothing to do with any obsession with cleanliness. Now, what was the odour he was trying to get rid of? By the way, it's not any sort of narcotics."

"Then, could it be...?"

"That's right, he's probably smoking... It was a device used so that he may do so in peace. Considering that he comes from a prestigious clan, you can imagine what a scandal it would be if a son of a noble upbringing were caught doing something illegal. Since the Toogaitos are supposed to be respected high school educators. In this day and age, if you're a doctor, teacher or police officer, even just yawning in public could get you in a lot of trouble."

"... I see. If that's true, then he sure has gone to a lot of trouble doing all that."

Indeed. That's what I thought as well. Had the circumstances been different, the problem he faced would have been different as well. Thinking back, he seemed visibly shaken when he learned that Chitanda was from the Chitanda clan. He must have been thinking that if his deeds were exposed by someone from another prestigious clan, the relationship between his and other clans would have been greatly affected. After all, we all know how sensitive Chitanda's senses are. Had Chitanda not caught a cold, no amount of ventilation or removing of his shirt would have fooled her.

"Well, I don't exactly understand his desire to smoke on the school grounds, though. Happy with the explanation now?"

Upon saying that, Ibara's gaze changed. Whoa, she's showing her true worth with such a cold stare.

"You know, I was merely trying to ask how Toogaito-sempai had brought the anthologies over. While I get how you blackmailed him with his dirty secret in order to get him to bring them over, you still haven't explained where they were in the first place."

I see, I must have missed that part. So I explained, "They must be in the chemical safe."

"O-re-ki!"

"I, I'm not trying to ridicule you! The problem here is where the chemical safe was... Remember Toogaito mentioned something about moving cardboard boxes in when the rooms changed? He had no reason to lie about this, so I figured that the chemical safe was somewhere in the club room."

"... But I didn't see it."

"It doesn't mean it's not there. You couldn't see it because it was hidden... I'm talking about the safe itself, not just the anthologies."

I let Ibara digest what I meant by that as I continued, "As a result, the anthologies were also hidden along with it. As for why he hid the safe away, that's because he was using it to store his cigarettes. Notice we didn't see any cigarettes, lighters or ash trays? That's because he hid them all inside the safe. Did you notice his expression when I suggested to ask Ooide-sensei to search the room with us? Anyway, as for where the safe was hidden, I'd guess that it was probably under that makeshift cardboard box table."

I took a deep sigh upon finishing my explanation.

I did something bad to Toogaito by putting him in a position where he had to comply with my request. Though I had no intention of exposing his secret, as we all have secrets to keep, and I wouldn't like it if mine were exposed either. Let's just say he was unlucky.

Ibara, whom I've been speaking to all this time, took a sidelong glance. Following it, I noticed the presence of a person who ought to have been more talkative about this. I turned to face her.

"Chitanda?"

Chitanda was looking at the anthologies on the teacher's desk. Though she was only looking and had not opened any of them. Her serious gaze was the same as those I saw in the Cafe Pineapple Sandwich. It was as though she didn't even hear me call out to her.

"What's wrong, Chitanda?"

As she didn't hear me, I got up from the table I was leaning on and walked up to tap her shoulder.

"Is something the matter?"

"Oh, Oreki-san... Have a look at this."

She handed one of the anthologies over to me.

It was a thin notebook, with the same dimensions as those Campus Notebooks seen in stationary stores<ref>A poular brand of notebooks in Japan - [http://static1.jetpens.com/images/a/000/014/14136.jpg Image], [http://www.kokuyo-st.co.jp/stationery/campus/top2.html Official Site]</ref>. The books were stitched together elegantly. They must have relied on someone professional to help them publish these. The cover was made of brown leather; on top was an ink painting of a dog and a hare drawn in a deformed cartoonish style.

A number of hares formed an outer ring, and within the centre were a dog and a hare biting each other. The dog's canine teeth were sunken into the hare's torso as though ripping it apart, while the hare's incisor teeth were nibbling deeply at the dog's neck. As it was drawn in a deformed way, it looked hilarious instead of grotesque. Though it also felt ominous. There was an old saying in the past about the hunting dogs getting cooked alongside the hares that they just hunted<ref>TL Note - 狡兎死して走狗烹らる (Koutoshishi soukuniraru) Japanese idiom introduced straight from the same Chinese idiom, referring to victorious emperors ruthlessly eradicating their generals once they had served their purpose of vanquishing the enemy</ref>. But now the dog and hare were instead hunting each other. Two of the hares in the ring looked on at such a seemingly cute scene.

On top of the illustration were some words, printed in proper fonts that read "Hyouka<ref>Hyouka (氷菓) means "frozen treats" such as ice cream, popsicles, etc.</ref> Volume 2". The publication date was 1968... That's quite old, and the name...

"Hyouka...?"

Is that the title?

"Such a strange title."

Ibara peeked across my shoulder, and agreed with me, "Yeah, and a hard to understand one as well."

We felt the same way as I felt hearing the name Kanya Festival for the first time, although guessing the origin for the name Kanya Festival was more straightforward. If the writers of this anthology had to decide upon a name, they would most likely choose one that's strongly connected to its contents. But I can see no connection between "Classics Club Essay Anthology" and the name "Hyouka".

Pointing at the illustration at the cover, I asked Ibara, "As someone from the Manga Studies Club, what do you think of this cover?"

"I think it's drawn superbly. The illustration design has brilliantly discarded all sense of perspective regarding distance... Hmm, this is good. I like this."

I was a bit surprised, as it's not normally possible for Ibara to clearly say whether she likes or dislikes something. Besides, this illustration has managed to leave an impression on her. As though regretting she just said she liked this, Ibara returned the book to me and began her justification,

"Er, 'like' is not exactly right. Since the art is not that beautiful... it looks threatening as well, after all. And I wasn't talking from an artistic point of view, but from a media perspective..."

Meanwhile, Chitanda didn't seem like she would tremble from joy at finally obtaining the long sought after back issues. Rather, it looked as though her expression had been sucked out by a vampire.

I asked her once again, "Chitanda, is something the matter?"

Upon hearing me, she dragged me to the corner of the classroom and said, "This."

"What?"

Rather than her eyes glittering in curiosity, the neat expression of our elegant lady that was drenched in the orange sunset looked more like she was discovering a secret as she whispered, "I found this. This is what my uncle wanted to show me. If I have this, then I should be able to find out what it was that my uncle said to me."

I see.

"So do you remember anything?"

In place of an answer, she pointed to the "Hyouka Volume 2" I was holding.

"This mentioned something about my uncle. Something seemed to have happened with the Classics Club 33 years ago... Have a look inside."

I did as she told me and opened the cover, and before me was written a foreword.

Foreword

And so we have a Cultural Festival again this year.

It has been one year since Sekitani-sempai left us.

During this year, Sempai has fallen into legend and become a hero. As a result, the five day Cultural Festival will commence as usual.

However, as the legend spread, I went into deep thought. Would people ten years from now still remember the silent warrior and the kind hero? All Sempai has left behind is this anthology "Hyouka", for which he has provided the title.

As a sacrifice of the conflict, even Sempai's smile would end up along the flow of time into eternity. 

No, perhaps it is better that we do not remember it. As it was not intended to be a heroic tale.

Once the subjectivity is taken away, this story will become a classic as it transcends all historical perspectives.

Will the day come when our stories become a classic for someone in the future?

October 13th, 1968
Kooriyama Youko

"This is..."

"The 'last year' referred to here meant 33 years ago today. In that case, the 'Sekitani-sempai' of the Classics Club must be my uncle. What happened to my uncle back then? The answer that my uncle told me had something to do with the Classics Club then..."

I smiled, and I did not wonder why Chitanda wasn't smiling as well as I said, "Isn't this fine? You should be able to remember now."

Yet Chitanda's expressionless face gave way to one of gloominess as she struggled to get the words out softly,

"But, I just can't. Even though I was this close! I, am I really that bad at remembering things? What was it my uncle said to me? What happened to him 33 years ago?"

I could not tell whether her muffled voice came from her cold or her tears.

Chitanda...

I decided to speak, "Let's investigate it."

I didn't think I spoke coldly.

The anthology "Hyouka Volume 2" that I took back from Chitanda was written 32 years ago. On it was the strange name "Hyouka" which was given by Sekitani Jun, as well as the mentioning of a forgotten incident.

This was a great chance. For these clues were like lights that shone for us who were groping in the dark. In order for Chitanda to regain her past, I firmly believe we must not discard such clues.

That's why I said again, "Then we'll just need to investigate what happened 33 years ago."

"But,"

Chitanda drooped her shoulders.

"But it said they'd rather not remember it."

I was surprised at her timidity for such things.

"But you want to remember it, right?"

"Of course, but if we investigate further,"

She paused before continuing, "... If we investigate further, we might end up finding something unpleasant. There are things that are better forgotten, aren't there?"

"..."

That's because you're too kind, Chitanda.

"Even if it's happened 33 years ago?"

"Is that wrong?"

I shook my head.

"Yeah. After all, didn't it say here as well? 'Once the subjectiveness is taken away, this story will become a classic as it transcends all historical perspectives.'"

"..."

"In other words, there's an expiration date for that."

I made a smile. Though Chitanda didn't smile as well, she nodded gently.

"... OK."

And so.

Yes, and so, I chuckled within my heart as I remained smiling. Investigating shouldn't take up much effort. If the second volume mentions something about "last year", all we had to do was look in the first volume to find out what happened to Sekitani Jun. It should be finished in no time. Though I wouldn't say which was the easier option: the avoidance of the problem or the solving of the problem.

... I was naive to think like that. As Ibara was quietly fishing through the remaining volumes, she said indignantly,

"What the? There's no volume 1!"

In order to digest what I had just heard, it seemed I needed some time.

<noinclude>
==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Hyouka:Volume 1 Chapter 4|4 - The Descendants of the Eventful Classics Club]]
| Return to [[Hyouka|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Hyouka:Volume 1 Chapter 6|6 - The Old Days of the Glorious Classics Club]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Hyouka:Volume 1 Chapter 5

2021-08-10T00:21:17Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: Formatting correction

==5 - The Hidden Seal of the Pedigree Classics Club ==

While Kamiyama High School does provide curriculum for university entrance exams, it does not particularly do much to improve its university entrance rankings. It only holds mock exams for prospective university students once or twice annually, and they do not hold extra lessons during holidays. All in all, it was a pretty laid back school.

Even so, Kamiyama High still has regular exams. If a high-school student's life is rose-coloured, then the exam halls would be his natural enemy. And so the Classics Club activities had come to a halt as club activities are prohibited during the End of Semester Exams for the First Semester. Though it's not like we have much to do anyway, we still had to hand the club room key over to the school.

Today is the final day of the exams. I laid down on my bed in my own room and stared at the ceiling. And as usual, there was nothing particularly different about this white ceiling.

In terms of exam results, the members of the Classics Club yielded some interesting revelations.

First, Fukube Satoshi. Though he's well-versed in all sorts of useless trivial knowledge, he doesn't have much interest in regular studies. As the exams have just ended today, I can't exactly tell how he performed, but I do know that he was terrible in the Mid-Term Tests. At any rate, back then Satoshi explained to me, "That's because I was busy studying why Japanese people nowadays no longer write their kanji in the cursive style<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cursive_script_(East_Asia) Wikipedia]</ref>." If Satoshi thinks something is important, then it must be important enough for him. No disrespect to him, but in the long-term, I think it probably sounds foolish. Though I don't think Satoshi would care one bit. If I call him a free soul because of it, he'd probably take it as a compliment. To put it simply, he's just a generic fool.

Though she's normally with the Manga Studies Club, in order to continue pursuing Satoshi, Ibara Mayaka too has joined the Classics Club. She's probably the hard-working type. As she would usually make sure to check up on any mistakes made, her grades are in the upper half of the class. However, devoting so much time to studying does not seem to improve her grades at all. To put it simply, Ibara's a bit neurotic — you could say she's a perfectionist. Though her tongue may be sharp, her downside is probably that she is too obsessed with perfection, and would end up struggling to find the perfect answers to her exam questions. I think she applies the same standards to herself as well.

Then there's Chitanda Eru, who stands out among the rest with her high scores. A look at the score ranking board reveals she's ranked 6th in the entire grade. Though she doesn't seem satisfied with that, or even the high school curriculum for that matter. She once told me she wasn't content with just learning the parts, she wanted to learn the entire system. I had absolutely no idea what she meant by that. Though her words were vague, I could tell why this lady was so intent on getting her curiosity resolved. For example, the case involving her uncle — she probably wanted to find out the entire "system" regarding the information concerning what her uncle said to her back then. She's the sort that wants to find out the cause by all means.

As for me, my grades were normal.

Out of 350 people, I ranked 175th. As though it was some sort of prank, I was ranked right in the middle. I was not concerned about Chitanda's curiosity getting her good grades or Satoshi's eccentricity getting him bad grades, nor did I think much about Ibara being unhappy with the mistakes she's made. While I wasn't that laid back as to not study for the exams, my studying was lukewarm at best. Occasionally, I would get people telling me how much I've changed, but to me, it simply means they aren't really that observant. I am positioned below the cream of the crop and above the bottom of the heap. I have no desire to go either up or down. I see, so that's why Satoshi said that he can't think of anything apart from grey for the colour of my high-school life.

Of course, colour isn't confined to academic grades. There's also club activities, sports, hobbies, romance... The things that constitute our humanity. There is the saying that one can't see the forest for the trees, after all, and one result cannot be used to generalize for the whole picture. Though the Japanese dictionary defined life in high-school as rose-coloured, these roses would still need to be planted in the right places in order to blossom.

Let's just say I'm not the suitable type of soil for roses to grow in.

As I lay on my bed thinking all these things, I heard a sound coming from downstairs. It sounded like a letter had arrived.

After making sure it was indeed a letter, I was dumbfounded. The envelope was covered in red, blue and white stripes, that could only be international mail. After checking the recipient name was correct, I concluded that the only person who could send international mail to the Oreki residence was Oreki Tomoe. Now where was this sent from... Istanbul?

I opened the letter right there and found many letters inside, one of which was for me.

Dear Houtarou,

I am currently in Istanbul. Due to some mishaps I'm hiding out at the Japanese consulate, so I haven't been seeing much of the city yet.

I'm sure it's an amazing city. If I could take a time machine and visit this place in the past, I think I'd want to try to lock the city gates myself, perhaps I'd change history as a result. I'm no historian, so I'm no good at speculating at these "what ifs".

It's an interesting trip, I'm sure I'll look back ten years from now and view every day I'm out here without regret.

So how's the Classics Club? Have the members increased?

Do not be discouraged even if it's just you alone! Solitude helps make a man grow stronger.

If there are other people, then excellent. It helps to improve one's interaction with others.

Anyway, I'm writing because there's something that I'm concerned about.

Have you (guys) started work on publishing an essay anthology yet? The Classics Club always publishes one every year, so I'm wondering if you're continuing with that.

If you are, I figured you're probably at a loss for what to write. After all, the anthologies aren't stored in the library.

You should be able to find the back issues inside an old chemical safe in the club room. The key's broken already, so you can just open the box right away.

I'll call you when I arrive at Pristina.

With love,
Tomoe.

Hiding in the Japanese consulate? Just what have you done this time, Sis? Anyway, it's not that I'm worried. The details are probably written in the letter for my old man. Now where have I heard of Pristina? I can't quite remember. Since it's my sister going, it's no doubt some ancient battlefield or something.

Anyway, I couldn't help but sigh. Does my sister have some sort of intelligence network that collects information about my activities? And I didn't know the Classics Club kept their back issues so secretly for generations either. Indeed, we were looking for the back issues but couldn't find where they were.

It was only a few days since Chitanda tasked me with a personal errand of hers, though she also has another errand for us as President of the Classics Club - the publishing of the essay anthology. Chitanda looked troubled when she found out the library archives did not store the back issues, but if my sister is right, then it could be of great help.

If the purpose is the result itself, then achieving the said result will fulfill that purpose. Though I sense another layer being added to such a bothersome definition, it just felt cruel if I withheld such information. As usual, Oreki Tomoe is messing with my life.

At any rate, I stuffed the letter in the pocket of my uniform trousers that I hung in the closet.

The following day after classes, I went straight towards the club room. The weather was rather pleasant for a relaxing day after the end of the exams, that one would be in a mood to join any club. The training sounds of the sports teams could be heard from the sports ground, while music was being played by the Brass Band, Light Music Club, Japanese Traditional Music Club, etc. While the sports teams are the most visible of the lot, the Kanya Festival is better known for its flurry of activities organized by the arts-related clubs. During this time of day, the Special Block which holds these arts clubs would be full of people.

And within the uppermost corner of this Special Block lies the Geology Room, where Chitanda and Ibara were. Though they've only just met during the case of the peculiar library book, it seems like they're getting along well with each other already. Today they were sitting facing each other, as though they were engaged in some conversation. As summer had arrived, the summer uniforms that they wore felt breezy. Ibara's tanned arms from her short sleeve shirt were in contrast to Chitanda's pale white arms. It was already the season when the sun is shining more often, yet our lady here doesn't seem to have much melanin in her. I tilted my head over to hear what the girls were talking about.

"In other words, the articles need to be on topic."

"Do you mean we can count on others for our anthology?"

"Don't you worry, I think I can get some connections within the Manga Studies Club."

"Can you do that?"

Ah, talking about the anthology, huh? Well, good luck.

Suddenly, Chitanda's body went stiff as she covered her face with her hands.

What's happening?

"... Ah-choo!"

She sneezed. And she's doing it in an old-fashioned quiet way.

"Ah-choo! Ah-choo!"

"What's wrong? You have cold? Or is it hay fever?"

"... Ah, I'm feeling better now. This is quite embarrassing, but it seems to me that I have caught a summer cold..."

Hmm, a summer cold is tough. Come to think of it, her voice sounded different from usual.

Anyway, I decided to call them out.

"Hey, Chitanda, Ibara,"

"Ah, Oreki-san,"

"Ibara, is the Manga Studies Club okay with you being here?"

"Yup, it's all settled. What, you have a problem with me?"

Why should I?

Anyway.

I decided to cut the niceties and went straight to the point as I took out my sister's letter from my trouser pocket,

"My sis used to be with the Classics Club, so she wrote me a letter showing us where we could find the anthology back issues."

Chitanda merely looked puzzled. It seems she still didn't understand.

"I know where we can find the Classics Club anthology back issues."

She bit her lips many times while struggling to find the right words.

"Is..."

She was so lost for words that her eyes went wide.

"Is that true!?"

"Of course it's true. What do I gain by lying to you anyway?"

As though affirming what I said, Chitanda's thin lips broke into a smile. While the elegantly fine lady of the Chitanda clan wasn't exactly grinning from ear to ear, she was clearly quite happy. Even if I were to obtain something that I desired a lot, I would not be able to make such a face. Compared to this, the Chitanda I saw in the Cafe Pineapple Sandwich with her deep expressions felt like a different person altogether.

"I see, the anthologies, huh..."

I could hear her whispering softly,

"... Tee hee, back issues..."

This Chitanda Eru can be quite a dangerous person.

However, Ibara raised her eyebrow and questioned, "Are you sure about that? Why would someone write a letter just to say that?"

A good question. No one in their right mind would think of seeking information about where to find stuff concerning the Cultural Festival in a letter from Istanbul. But this was indeed a letter from my sis, and no one could ever guess just what it is that Oreki Tomoe would consider important.

"Well, fact is I've got the letter here, so you'll be able to tell whether it's true or not. Wanna read?"

I unfolded the letter and laid it on the table for Ibara and Chitanda to see. As they followed every word in the letter, they gradually went quiet. The first to break the silence was Chitanda.

"... Does your sister like to visit Turkey?"

"She likes to visit the world."

"Such an amazing sister you have."

While her interest was drawn by the curious part of the letter, that's not where I wanted her to look.

"'I'll look back ten years from now and view every day I'm out here with much nostalgia.' Ahh, such a melancholic sentence."

Well, I agree, but that's not it either.

As they read on, they both opened their mouths at the same time.

"... The chemical safe?"

"The chemical safe, huh?"

Ibara looked around the Geology Room, and then put her arms on her waist and puffed her chest.

"Hmm, I don't see anything like that here."

"Guess so."

That's not hard to figure out. Though Chitanda seemed to have gone pale all of a sudden.

"Eh!? T, then w, where are... the anthologies..."

"Chi-chan! Calm down, calm down!"

As to who Ibara was calling Chi-chan, I could think of no one else but Chitanda. "Chi-chan", that Ibara sure has given her quite a cute nickname. So her sharp tongue is not used against Chitanda, huh? Though it is indeed difficult to be hostile to a person like Chitanda anyway.

I waved my sis's letter to a now calmed-down Chitanda and said,

"Chitanda, this letter said 'old chemical safe in the club room'. It's been two years since my sis graduated from here. The club room has probably changed during that time."

"Ah... Is that so?"

"So, Oreki, do you know where the club room was two years ago?"

To avoid any oversight, I made sure to visit the staff room beforehand.

"I've asked the supervising teacher, and he said it was in the Biology Lecture Room."

"You sure are quite prepared for this."

"Well, it's efficient."

"How enthusiastic of you."

That's not exactly true, I'm normally not that enthusiastic.

"The Biology Lecture Room... that's just one floor below us. Now that we know, shall we head over there?"

Having said that, Chitanda left the room at once.

If there's anyone that's enthusiastic, it's her.

The Biology Room was, as Chitanda said, right under the Geology Room. If the Geology Room, located in the corner of the Special Block, was the remotest region of Kamiyama High, then the Biology Room, located on the third floor, would also be considered a backwater area. While I did say the Special Block was full of people, there were exceptions. Like the Geology Room, which was hardly surrounded by any other club rooms, was extremely quiet. It seems the Biology Room was the same as well. While the corridor was lively with people, the path towards the Biology Room was full of empty classrooms, and there was no one else heading towards it besides us.

Along the way, Chitanda sneezed many times.

"Is your cold that bad?"

"Please don't worry too much about me. I might not be able to stop sneezing, but it's just a sensitive nose... Ah-choo!"

I don't know. If it were me, I would have felt terrible sneezing this many times. As expected of our lady here, who can be extremely modest.

Walking ahead of us, Ibara turned her head around and said to us,

"Oreki, do you have the key with you?"

"Nope, someone else seems to have borrowed it."

"Ah-choo! ... The key's been borrowed? Does that mean the Biology Room is currently being used by some club?"

"As long as it isn't some fool that's borrowed it, it could be possible."

"Oreki-san... it's rude to call people fools."

I got scolded. If she gets upset by even that, then not even Satoshi or Ibara would have been able to retort, so I smiled bitterly and looked around, and something by the corridor wall entered my field of vision. I wonder what that was. Neither Chitanda nor Ibara seemed to notice it... It was a small box, and as it was painted in the same white colour as the corridor walls, it was rather inconspicuous. Looking at the opposite side of the corridor, I saw another similar box. I Wonder if someone left these behind? As it didn't seem valuable, I paid no more attention to it. Bending down to pick up something that's worth less than one yen is not worth the effort, as the energy spent is more or less equivalent to one yen. So it's basic common sense for energy savers like me.

We now stood before the Biology Room. While considering whether to knock or not, Chitanda had already reached out for the door knob.

"Huh?"

The door wouldn't open.

"It's locked."

"So it seems."

The two girls turned to look at me, Chitanda looking concerned while Ibara stared coldly. It's bothersome to have them to look at me with such eyes.

"No, I really don't have the key with me. So I wouldn't know why the door's locked."

Once again, Ibara tried to open the door, but could only hear the lock creaking. Quite aptly, Chitanda said what I was about to say, "... Again?"

Yes, that again.

"Chi-chan, what do you mean?"

"Umm, it happened in April..."

I don't think Chitanda knows this, but it seems Kami High's classroom doors are jinxed. As Chitanda recounted that story in April, I began to think of how to get around this situation without a key.

"... And that's how it was."

"Hmm, so Oreki managed to do all that, huh?"

I turned my heels around and shouted through the door jokingly,

"IS ANYONE IN THERE?"

Of course, I expected no answer.

However, there was an answer. The blunt sound of the door being unlocked was heard.

"Yes?"

The door then opened from the inside.

Standing there was a male student wearing a thin shirt and uniform trousers. He was quite tall and slender. Though he looked more like the intelligentsia type than the athletic type of person. Upon identifying our grades from the colour of my collar, he smiled politely and said, "Oh, sorry about that. I had the door locked. You guys interested in joining the Wall Newspaper Club?"

If you're inside then you should've opened the door right away, dammit. Rather than what I was thinking, I said, "This is the Wall Newspaper Club?"

"That's right. Aren't you here to join?"

The male student shut the door upon coming out of the room. At that moment I smelled some sort of alcoholic disinfectant odour coming from him. It seems our intelligentsia fellow here has a penchant for deodorants. He raised his brows upon seeing me twitch my nose at his deodorant odour, as though saying "You got a problem with that?" Though he quickly reverted to his courteous manner and said, "Then, how may I help you?"

We exchanged glances with each other, and decided it was best for our President Chitanda to speak.

"Good afternoon. I'm Chitanda Eru, President of the Classics Club. You must be Toogaito-sempai from Class 3-E, right?"

The guy called Toogaito raised his brow in amazement,

"How do you know my name?"

A good question. Anyone would be amazed if they were suddenly addressed by name by a complete stranger. After all, that's what I felt back in April. And like back then, Chitanda merely smiled gently.

"We met at the Manninbashi mansion last year."

"Manninbashi... Wait a minute, you said your name's Chitanda, could you be related to Chitanda-san from Kanda?"

"Yes, he is my father. Thank you for taking care of him."

...Hmm, this feels like a high-society reunion. I knew that as an old clan, the Chitandas were farmland owners, but I never expected them to be so well-connected. It seems this world that I've never seen before really does exist. Come to think of it, Satoshi did mention something about the old clans of Kamiyama, and the Toogaito clan was amongst them.

"Ah, no, the pleasure's all mine. I see, you're with the Chitandas."

"Yes... Ah-choo!"

"Summer cold? Must be bad for you. Take care of yourself."

Upon learning that Chitanda Eru was from the Chitanda Clan with their large farmlands, Toogaito's attitude changed in a strange way. While he was still courteous, his gaze was now more stiff. Was he scared of Chitanda or something? I can't begin to imagine, but it does seem there is some sort of power influence between the old clans. Maybe it's just me, but Toogaito didn't seem to meet Chitanda's gaze and he spoke as though picking his words carefully.

"Well, what is it?"

On the other hand, Chitanda didn't seem to mind Toogaito's reaction and said, "Yes, actually, I heard that the back issues for the Classics Club's essay anthology were stored here in the Biology Room. This used to be the club room for the Classics Club, right?"

"... It was when I was still in first year. Though they moved the club rooms all over the place last year."

"Then, do you know where the anthologies are?"

Toogaito paused for a moment before replying, "Nope, never seen them."

Quietly listening to their conversation, Ibara turned and looked at me, to which I nodded gently. Anyone with an intuition would realize that Toogaito was behaving strangely.

"I see..."

Though she has an amazing memory, Chitanda's intuition level was below average. And so Chitanda looked dejected and was about to leave when Ibara interrupted, "Excuse me, Sempai, do you mind if we search around for them?"

"And you are?"

"Ibara Mayaka of the Classics Club. Since you have no use for the anthologies, maybe you haven't noticed them before, right?"

Though I see no point in doing so, I decided to go on a fool's errand and back them up.

"We'll try to do so without obstructing your club activities. Or is that too much trouble for you?"

"Please."

"I ask of you as well."

Upon our constant barrage of requests, Toogaito gave a sullen look.

"Well, I would rather not have outsiders in the club room..."

Upon hearing that line, Ibara quickly jumped on it.

"But Sempai, while this is a club room, this is also a classroom, right?"

I held back my laughter, since Ibara was basically saying "You have no right to refuse students entry into the school classrooms". Toogaito looked rather troubled as a result, but as Ibara was rather persistent, he finally relented.

"... Alright then. You may come in, but, just try not mess anything up."

And so the President of the Wall Newspaper Club opened the door to the Biology Room.

The room we entered was designed in the exact same layout as the Geology Room, from the blackboard, the chairs, the table, to the cleaning tools, they were generally the same... Though it does have one extra door. Above that door was a sign that read "Biology Preparation Room". In the fourth floor, this would be where the storage room was, and it was not possible to enter it directly from the Geology Room.

There were hardly any other members in the Wall Newspaper Club today. Though Toogaito explained, "We normally have four members, though as there's no activities today, only I'm here to think about what to publish for the Kanya Festival."

If I remember correctly, the Kanya Festival starts in October. So about two and a half months from now.

"What's the difference between the Wall Newspaper Club and the Newspaper Club?"

Chitanda asked a totally irrelevant question, which Toogaito answered courteously.

"There are three periodicals published in Kami High. There's the 'Seiryuu' distributed to the classrooms every other month; the 'Kami High Student Council News', posted outside the Student Council office in irregular intervals; and the 'Kami High Monthly', which publishes every month except August and December, and is posted on the notice board by the school entrance. We're in charge of the 'Kami High Monthly'."

"Who publishes the other two?"

"The 'Seiryuu' is by the Newspaper Club, while the 'Kami High Student Council News' is of course by the Student Council. Though we have the longest history of the three periodicals. The 'Kami High Monthly' will be reaching its four hundredth issue soon, the other two haven't even reached their one hundredth."

Four hundred issues, huh? Besides us, the Wall Newspaper Club too has a long-standing tradition of its own. Come to think of it, if Chitanda's uncle was with the Classics Club 33 years ago, then the Classics Club has been around for at least 33 years. No matter how tumultuous my life might become, it surely cannot compare to the history of the Classics Club. Then again, it's not like my life has been tumultuous so far.

"Doesn't seem to be in this room."

Ibara concluded after looking around the room. As the Biology Room was rather empty, it was hard for her to miss anything. That leaves the Preparation Room. I asked about entering that room, "May we please check the Preparation Room as well?"

"... Yeah, go ahead."

Upon hearing Toogaito reply behind me, I entered the room, and could hear the sound of paper fluttering as well as the sound of some motor. I wonder what that was.

As expected, the Preparation Room was a small room, about one third the size of the Biology Room.

This room was originally made to store teaching equipment for Biology lessons, though right now only microscopes could be found on the shelves. As Kami High is more focused on theory learning more than practical experiments, it would seem most of the other experiment tools and equipment were stored away in another separate room. As a result, this became a tool room for the Wall Newspaper Club.

There was an amateur looking camera, a collection of pens of various thicknesses and colours, cardboard boxes cluttered beside a photocopier, and a small speaker. As for the item that most caught our eyes, it was the makeshift table in the centre of the narrow room. Rather than a table, it was merely a thick plywood board placed on top of a cardboard box. On top of it were spread a bunch of B1 papers with scribbles that can only be read by their author, with a heavy-looking metallic pen case placed on top of them. The fluttering noise came from these papers being blown by the wind.

Wind?

There was wind inside the room. Though the window was open, the wind came from indoors. That must be where the motor sound came from. It was hard to spot as it was placed beside the stack of cardboard boxes, but there was a small electric fan in front of the makeshift table and opposite the window, and its wind speed was turned to the maximum.

There was something else that the wind was blowing on. Hanging by the window was a Kami High male summer uniform shirt. It was simply hung there casually.

"...?"

"Oreki, what do you think?"

I turned around and found Chitanda and Ibara standing by the Preparation Room entrance.

Ah yes, we had to look for the chemical safe.

Still, with things being placed everywhere in such a narrow room, there was no way to search like that. Simply by observation alone, there didn't seem to be anything resembling a chemical safe. It should be an old-styled box with the lock damaged. Perhaps I did see it but didn't notice it properly.

Hmm...

I crossed my arms and stepped away from the room and asked Toogaito, who had been watching us, "Do you know why the club rooms were moved around last year?"

"Nope. Maybe they were trying to fill out the rooms emptied by clubs that no longer existed?"

"How many boxes did you bring in when you moved in here?"

Toogaito thought for a while before replying, "... Now that you mention it, how many boxes did we move?"

"The cardboard boxes?"

"Yeah."

I see. Then it should be there. I'd nearly forgotten that the Toogaito clan was also quite a prestigious clan; it would make sense once I considered the circumstances concerning his clan.

I'd more or less figured out where the anthologies were, though obtaining them would be a problem... Let's try setting up a trap. I turned to face Toogaito.

"Sempai, since there are so many things lying around, it would be quite tedious to search like that. This might trouble you a bit, but do you mind if we ask Ooide-sensei to come help us search as well?"

Though he'd put on a sober expression until now, Toogaito's brows were raised.

"... No. I told you not to mess with anything inside."

"We'll place the objects back where we found them when we're done, please let us search."

"I said no!"

He suddenly raised his voice.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Toogaito-sempai. It's fine, I guess that's too bad."

Chitanda replied frantically while Toogaito continued speaking loudly.

"I'm already quite busy today as I have to submit my ideas to the editorial team by tomorrow. Just what is this entering into our place to search all over for stuff? Your anthologies ain't here, so leave already!"

While Toogaito was getting increasingly agitated, I merely looked at him coldly. It seems he's sprung the trap as I had expected him to.

I gazed at Toogaito while holding a friendly smile.

"Sempai, we're interested in the contents of a chemical safe."

"... What?"

"The anthologies are supposed to be inside the chemical safe. If you said they're not here, then they surely must not be here. Since we don't want to trouble you any further."

I then stopped smiling and added, "By the way, we'll be heading to the library now. If after we leave you manage to find the anthologies, would you please be so kind as to bring them over to the Geology Room? We'll leave the door unlocked."

It seemed Toogaito was really furious at my proposal, as he twisted his previously rational face and stared at me. In contrast, I treated it as though it was nothing special. After all, I've never heard of anyone in the history of this world getting injured just by being stared at.

"W, why you, how did you..."

"Yes, Sempai?"

After restraining himself, Toogaito swallowed what he was about to say.

He then sighed deeply and reverted back to his courteous self.

"Fine, I'll do it when I find them."

"I am most grateful... Well, shall we go, Chitanda, Ibara?"

Probably not understanding the meaning behind my exchange with Toogaito, the startled girls merely agreed with me and followed me out, as there was no point in staying any longer.

"Oreki-san, what just happened?"

"I'll explain later."

After telling them so, I led them out of the Biology Room.

A voice called out to me from behind, "You, first year. I still haven't heard what your name is."

I turned and replied indifferently, "Oreki Houtarou... Sorry about that just now."

Along the corridor linking the Special Block and the General Block, I leaned against one of the walls. As we were killing time here, the two girls took this chance to ask me, "Oreki, I don't know what's going on, but aren't we heading to the library?"

I waved my hand.

"Nope, since there's no need to."

"I don't get it. If there's no need to, why aren't we going back to the club room?"

"We can't. We'll need to wait a bit longer."

Ibara muttered, "Just what is he up to" while still looking unconvinced.

Chitanda, while sniffling her nose, took over for Ibara and asked, "Oreki-san, Toogaito-sempai looked furious."

"It seems so."

"Of course it's good if the back issues are indeed found, but to make such a forceful request out of him..."

"Forceful? I merely requested him reasonably."

Chitanda opened and closed her mouth as she was at a loss for words. That is to be expected. Since all I asked was "to help look for our stuff" and "bring them over once they're found".

"But, Toogaito-sempai was furious."

"Was he that furious?"

Standing beside Chitanda, Ibara raised her brow and asked, "After Oreki made that request of him, his anger looked more like he was acting."

Oh, so she noticed.

"Is that so?"

Though apparently Chitanda still hasn't.

I took a look at my watch. Three minutes had passed... Should be about time. I stood away from the wall I was leaning on and asked, "Chitanda, how well-known are the Toogaitos?"

Chitanda tilted her head, wondering why I would ask for something like this and answered, "The Toogaitos? They're quite influential in the high school educational circles. They've got one member in the Prefectural School Board and one in the City School Board, as well as one school principal and two teachers."

Now I see.

"Oreki, what about the anthologies already?"

I replied, "I think it's time we return."

Chitanda and Ibara looked at each other upon hearing my answer. I merely smiled.

And so we arrived at the Geology Room.

"Ah, here they are."

It was as I said. On top of the teacher's desk were stacked dozens of thin notebooks. I couldn't help but pump my fist. It feels good to have something go completely according to plan.

"They came? How can that be possible?" Ibara said while walking towards the teacher's desk. As she picked up one of the notebooks, she muttered, "... It's really the anthologies..."

"Eh, eh?? Eru, let me have a look as well!"

"How did you do that, Oreki? Did you know something we didn't?"

Ibara's stern questioning made it sound as though I did something wrong. I was never good at evading questions, so I leaned on one of the tables nearby and answered, "I just did a bit of blackmailing, that's all."

"Blackmailing? Against the President of the Wall Newspaper Club?"

"Yup. But, Ibara, can you be more discreet?"

Ibara made a sullen face upon me saying that.

"It's not like I would go tell anyone."

"Yeah, but you don't sound too reliable. It's supposed to be a secret that Toogaito is doing errands for a first year student, it'll be too pitiful for him if that secret is not kept."

"I won't tell anyone... If you don't trust me, then I'm fine if you don't give me the explanation." she said brusquely. She's probably not lying. Chitanda was a completely different matter; sating her curiosity wasn't exactly a priority for her. So if she realizes that trouble may arise from me explaining, then she'd rather not hear it. She's the sort that would come up with such solutions.

Anyway, now that I've tested them, it seemed safe to assume that the girls won't go telling anyone else.

"Sorry about that. Anyway, Ibara, didn't you find it strange as to why Toogaito would have the door locked?"

Ibara replied bluntly, "He probably didn't want anybody to disturb him, as he did say he was preparing articles to publish, didn't he?"

"Then, what about the Preparation Room? Why was the fan on when the window was already open?"

"Maybe he's feeling hot?"

"Then he could have just placed the fan next to the window. Yet the fan was placed opposite it. With the fan in that position, if the pen case was moved slightly, all the B1 paper underneath would have been blown away."

Ibara rubbed her hair in irritation.

"So what about it?"

"Don't you get it? What Toogaito was intending to do?"

"If you put it that way, then I kind of get it. Was he trying to ventilate the room?"

I gently lifted my thumb and praised her. Of course, Ibara wasn't going to find that interesting and so turned her gaze away.

"Now then, the next question would be, why would he want to ventilate the room? To further elaborate, what was Toogaito, from a family of respected educators, doing alone in the club room with the door locked with infrared sensors set outside?"

"W, wait a minute! What infrared sensors? Are we in a spy novel or something?"

Ah, I forgot to explain, "Don't you ever see those gadget store commercials? They were selling those infrared sensors that would trigger the security alarm a while ago. I think you might get them for 5000 yen now."

"Where did you find them?"

"By the side of the third floor corridor just outside the Wall Newspaper Club room. They were camouflaged in white. It's hard to conclude that they're sensors just by observation alone, but the fact that there was a speaker inside the Preparation Room more or less confirmed my suspicions."

Ibara raised her brow and said, "You really are weird."

"Stop treating me as some outcast... Anyway, where were we? Ah yes, upon being informed by the sensors in advance that someone was approaching, why would he risk getting the B1 papers blown away just to ventilate the room? Any thoughts?"

Ibara began thinking at my question, and so I waited.

She then replied with an incredulous look befitting her sharp tongue, "... Could it be some odour...?"

I gently clapped my hands two to three times,

"You got it. He was trying to get rid of an odour. If we think along this line, then him using anti-odour sprays had nothing to do with any obsession with cleanliness. Now, what was the odour he was trying to get rid of? By the way, it's not any sort of narcotics."

"Then, could it be...?"

"That's right, he's probably smoking... It was a device used so that he may do so in peace. Considering that he comes from a prestigious clan, you can imagine what a scandal it would be if a son of a noble upbringing were caught doing something illegal. Since the Toogaitos are supposed to be respected high school educators. In this day and age, if you're a doctor, teacher or police officer, even just yawning in public could get you in a lot of trouble."

"... I see. If that's true, then he sure has gone to a lot of trouble doing all that."

Indeed. That's what I thought as well. Had the circumstances been different, the problem he faced would have been different as well. Thinking back, he seemed visibly shaken when he learned that Chitanda was from the Chitanda clan. He must have been thinking that if his deeds were exposed by someone from another prestigious clan, the relationship between his and other clans would have been greatly affected. After all, we all know how sensitive Chitanda's senses are. Had Chitanda not caught a cold, no amount of ventilation or removing of his shirt would have fooled her.

"Well, I don't exactly understand his desire to smoke on the school grounds, though. Happy with the explanation now?"

Upon saying that, Ibara's gaze changed. Whoa, she's showing her true worth with such a cold stare.

"You know, I was merely trying to ask how Toogaito-sempai had brought the anthologies over. While I get how you blackmailed him with his dirty secret in order to get him to bring them over, you still haven't explained where they were in the first place."

I see, I must have missed that part. So I explained, "They must be in the chemical safe."

"O-re-ki!"

"I, I'm not trying to ridicule you! The problem here is where the chemical safe was... Remember Toogaito mentioned something about moving cardboard boxes in when the rooms changed? He had no reason to lie about this, so I figured that the chemical safe was somewhere in the club room."

"... But I didn't see it."

"It doesn't mean it's not there. You couldn't see it because it was hidden... I'm talking about the safe itself, not just the anthologies."

I let Ibara digest what I meant by that as I continued, "As a result, the anthologies were also hidden along with it. As for why he hid the safe away, that's because he was using it to store his cigarettes. Notice we didn't see any cigarettes, lighters or ash trays? That's because he hid them all inside the safe. Did you notice his expression when I suggested to ask Ooide-sensei to search the room with us? Anyway, as for where the safe was hidden, I'd guess that it was probably under that makeshift cardboard box table."

I took a deep sigh upon finishing my explanation.

I did something bad to Toogaito by putting him in a position where he had to comply with my request. Though I had no intention of exposing his secret, as we all have secrets to keep, and I wouldn't like it if mine were exposed either. Let's just say he was unlucky.

Ibara, whom I've been speaking to all this time, took a sidelong glance. Following it, I noticed the presence of a person who ought to have been more talkative about this. I turned to face her.

"Chitanda?"

Chitanda was looking at the anthologies on the teacher's desk. Though she was only looking and had not opened any of them. Her serious gaze was the same as those I saw in the Cafe Pineapple Sandwich. It was as though she didn't even hear me call out to her.

"What's wrong, Chitanda?"

As she didn't hear me, I got up from the table I was leaning on and walked up to tap her shoulder.

"Is something the matter?"

"Oh, Oreki-san... Have a look at this."

She handed one of the anthologies over to me.

It was a thin notebook, with the same dimensions as those Campus Notebooks seen in stationary stores<ref>A poular brand of notebooks in Japan - [http://static1.jetpens.com/images/a/000/014/14136.jpg Image], [http://www.kokuyo-st.co.jp/stationery/campus/top2.html Official Site]</ref>. The books were stitched together elegantly. They must have relied on someone professional to help them publish these. The cover was made of brown leather; on top was an ink painting of a dog and a hare drawn in a deformed cartoonish style.

A number of hares formed an outer ring, and within the centre were a dog and a hare biting each other. The dog's canine teeth were sunken into the hare's torso as though ripping it apart, while the hare's incisor teeth were nibbling deeply at the dog's neck. As it was drawn in a deformed way, it looked hilarious instead of grotesque. Though it also felt ominous. There was an old saying in the past about the hunting dogs getting cooked alongside the hares that they just hunted<ref>TL Note - 狡兎死して走狗烹らる (Koutoshishi soukuniraru) Japanese idiom introduced straight from the same Chinese idiom, referring to victorious emperors ruthlessly eradicating their generals once they had served their purpose of vanquishing the enemy</ref>. But now the dog and hare were instead hunting each other. Two of the hares in the ring looked on at such a seemingly cute scene.

On top of the illustration were some words, printed in proper fonts that read "Hyouka<ref>Hyouka (氷菓) means "frozen treats" such as ice cream, popsicles, etc.</ref> Volume 2". The publication date was 1968... That's quite old, and the name...

"Hyouka...?"

Is that the title?

"Such a strange title."

Ibara peeked across my shoulder, and agreed with me, "Yeah, and a hard to understand one as well."

We felt the same way as I felt hearing the name Kanya Festival for the first time, although guessing the origin for the name Kanya Festival was more straightforward. If the writers of this anthology had to decide upon a name, they would most likely choose one that's strongly connected to its contents. But I can see no connection between "Classics Club Essay Anthology" and the name "Hyouka".

Pointing at the illustration at the cover, I asked Ibara, "As someone from the Manga Studies Club, what do you think of this cover?"

"I think it's drawn superbly. The illustration design has brilliantly discarded all sense of perspective regarding distance... Hmm, this is good. I like this."

I was a bit surprised, as it's not normally possible for Ibara to clearly say whether she likes or dislikes something. Besides, this illustration has managed to leave an impression on her. As though regretting she just said she liked this, Ibara returned the book to me and began her justification,

"Er, 'like' is not exactly right. Since the art is not that beautiful... it looks threatening as well, after all. And I wasn't talking from an artistic point of view, but from a media perspective..."

Meanwhile, Chitanda didn't seem like she would tremble from joy at finally obtaining the long sought after back issues. Rather, it looked as though her expression had been sucked out by a vampire.

I asked her once again, "Chitanda, is something the matter?"

Upon hearing me, she dragged me to the corner of the classroom and said, "This."

"What?"

Rather than her eyes glittering in curiosity, the neat expression of our elegant lady that was drenched in the orange sunset looked more like she was discovering a secret as she whispered, "I found this. This is what my uncle wanted to show me. If I have this, then I should be able to find out what it was that my uncle said to me."

I see.

"So do you remember anything?"

In place of an answer, she pointed to the "Hyouka Volume 2" I was holding.

"This mentioned something about my uncle. Something seemed to have happened with the Classics Club 33 years ago... Have a look inside."

I did as she told me and opened the cover, and before me was written a foreword.

Foreword

And so we have a Cultural Festival again this year.

It has been one year since Sekitani-sempai left us.

During this year, Sempai has fallen into legend and become a hero. As a result, the five day Cultural Festival will commence as usual.

However, as the legend spread, I went into deep thought. Would people ten years from now still remember the silent warrior and the kind hero? All Sempai has left behind is this anthology "Hyouka", for which he has provided the title.

As a sacrifice of the conflict, even Sempai's smile would end up along the flow of time into eternity. 

No, perhaps it is better that we do not remember it. As it was not intended to be a heroic tale.

Once the subjectivity is taken away, this story will become a classic as it transcends all historical perspectives.

Will the day come when our stories become a classic for someone in the future?

October 13th, 1968
Kooriyama Youko

"This is..."

"The 'last year' referred to here meant 33 years ago today. In that case, the 'Sekitani-sempai' of the Classics Club must be my uncle. What happened to my uncle back then? The answer that my uncle told me had something to do with the Classics Club then..."

I smiled, and I did not wonder why Chitanda wasn't smiling as well as I said, "Isn't this fine? You should be able to remember now."

Yet Chitanda's expressionless face gave way to one of gloominess as she struggled to get the words out softly,

"But, I just can't. Even though I was this close! I, am I really that bad at remembering things? What was it my uncle said to me? What happened to him 33 years ago?"

I could not tell whether her muffled voice came from her cold or her tears.

Chitanda...

I decided to speak, "Let's investigate it."

I didn't think I spoke coldly.

The anthology "Hyouka Volume 2" that I took back from Chitanda was written 32 years ago. On it was the strange name "Hyouka" which was given by Sekitani Jun, as well as the mentioning of a forgotten incident.

This was a great chance. For these clues were like lights that shone for us who were groping in the dark. In order for Chitanda to regain her past, I firmly believe we must not discard such clues.

That's why I said again, "Then we'll just need to investigate what happened 33 years ago."

"But,"

Chitanda drooped her shoulders.

"But it said they'd rather not remember it."

I was surprised at her timidity for such things.

"But you want to remember it, right?"

"Of course, but if we investigate further,"

She paused before continuing, "... If we investigate further, we might end up finding something unpleasant. There are things that are better forgotten, aren't there?"

"..."

That's because you're too kind, Chitanda.

"Even if it's happened 33 years ago?"

"Is that wrong?"

I shook my head.

"Yeah. After all, didn't it say here as well? 'Once the subjectiveness is taken away, this story will become a classic as it transcends all historical perspectives.'"

"..."

"In other words, there's an expiration date for that."

I made a smile. Though Chitanda didn't smile as well, she nodded gently.

"... OK."

And so.

Yes, and so, I chuckled within my heart as I remained smiling. Investigating shouldn't take up much effort. If the second volume mentions something about "last year", all we had to do was look in the first volume to find out what happened to Sekitani Jun. It should be finished in no time. Though I wouldn't say which was the easier option: the avoidance of the problem or the solving of the problem.

... I was naive to think like that. As Ibara was quietly fishing through the remaining volumes, she said indignantly,

"What the? There's no volume 1!"

In order to digest what I had just heard, it seemed I needed some time.

<noinclude>
==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Hyouka:Volume 1 Chapter 4|4 - The Descendants of the Eventful Classics Club]]
| Return to [[Hyouka|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Hyouka:Volume 1 Chapter 6|6 - The Old Days of the Glorious Classics Club]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Hyouka:Volume 1 Chapter 2

2021-08-09T23:45:10Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: Formatting correction

==2 - The Rebirth of the Traditional Classics Club==

It's often said that life in high school is rose-coloured. As the year 2000 comes to an end, the arrival of the day that matches that description as defined by a Japanese dictionary isn't too far off.

However, that doesn't mean that all high school students would wish for such a rose-coloured life. Whether it's studying, sports or romance, there will always be some people who would prefer a grey-coloured life rather than all that; I know quite a few within my own reckoning. Still, it's quite a lonely way to live one's life.

Here I was striking up a conversation of such a topic with my old friend Fukube Satoshi in the classroom filled with the light of the sunset. As always, Satoshi would smile and say, "That's what I thought as well. By the way, I never knew you were so masochistic."

How unfortunately wrong he was. So I protested, "Are you saying my life is grey-coloured?"

"Did I say that? But Houtarou, whether it's studying, sports, or what was the other one? Romance? I don't think you've ever been forward-looking in any of those."

"I'm not exactly backward-looking either."

"Well, true,"

Satoshi's smile broadened.

"You're just 'saving energy' after all."

I gave my approval to that with a snort. It's fine as long as you understand that I don't exactly hate getting myself active. I simply dislike wasting energy on anything bothersome. My style is to save energy for the betterment of the planet. In other words, "If I don't have to do it, I won't. If I have to do it, make it quick."

As I utter my motto, Satoshi would shrug his shoulders as usual.

"Whether it's saving energy or cynicism, it's the same thing, isn't it? Have you ever heard of instrumentalism<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instrumentalism</ref>?"

"Nope."

"In short, it means that for a person like you who has no particular interest, just by observing the fact that you have not joined any club here in Kamiyama High, the Holy Land of high school club activities, makes you a grey-coloured person."

"What? Are you saying death from murder is no different from death from negligence?"

Satoshi answered without hesitation, "From a certain perspective, yeah. Though it's a different matter completely if you're trying to convince a dead person that his death is due to your negligence in order to exorcise his soul."

"..."

Cheeky bastard. I once again looked at the person before me. Fukube Satoshi, my old friend, worthy opponent and deadly rival, is rather short for a guy. Even as a high school student, he could be mistaken as a feminine-looking weakling, but he's totally different on the inside. It's quite difficult to explain just what that difference is ー anyway, he just feels different. Besides carrying a smile all the time, he's always seen with a drawstring bag, as well as his trademark cheekiness. He's also a member of the Handicraft Club, don't ask me why.

Arguing with him is just a waste of energy. I waved my hand to signify the end of this conversation.

"Yeah, whatever. Just go home already."

"Yeah, you're right. I haven't got any club activities today... maybe I'll go home."

As Satoshi stretched his waist, he suddenly realized something and looked at me.

"'Go home already'? That's rare hearing that from you."

"What is?"

"If it's going home, wouldn't you usually have done so before even uttering that sentence? Just what business would you have after school when you aren't affiliated with any clubs?"

"Ah."

I raised my eyebrow and took out a piece of paper from the inner right pocket of my uniform jacket. After quietly handing it to Satoshi, his eyes widened in amazement. No, he's overreacting. It's not like he's really surprised, though it's true that his eyes have widened. Satoshi is well-known for such exaggerated reactions after all.

"What?! How can this be?!"

"Satoshi, behave yourself."

"Isn't this a club application form? I'm surprised. Just what on earth has happened? For Houtarou to actually join a club..."

It was indeed a club application form. Upon seeing the club name that was written in, Satoshi raised his eyebrow.

"The Classics Club...?"

"You heard of it?"

"Of course, but, why the Classics Club? Have you suddenly found an interest in classic literature?"

Now how should I explain this? I scratched my head and took out another piece of paper from my inner left pocket. It was a letter with scribbled handwriting, which I handed over to Satoshi.

"Read it."

Satoshi promptly took the letter and started going through it, and as expected, began to laugh.

"Haha, Houtarou, now that sure is troublesome. A request from your sister, huh? No way you could refuse that."

Why was he looking so gleeful? On the other hand, I was very aware that I was showing a bitter expression. This airmail from India that arrived this morning was attempting to make adjustments to my lifestyle. Oreki Tomoe is constantly like that, sending letters to derail my life.

'Houtarou, safeguard the Classics Club, the youth of your big sis.'

When I had opened the envelope and read through that brief letter this morning, I became aware of its self-centered content. I had no obligation to safeguard my sister's memories, but...

"What was it that your sis is specialized in? Jujutsu?"

"Aikido and Taiho-jutsu<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiho_Jutsu</ref>. It can be pretty painful if one has the intent to hurt."

Yup, my sister, a university student proficient in both academics and martial arts, was not content with conquering Japan alone and had decided to go out and challenge the world as well. It would not be wise to incur her fury.

Then again, while I could attempt to resist with what little pride I had, it was also true that I had little reason to oppose her. Indeed my sister had hit the bullseye by pointing out that I didn't have anything better to do anyway. I decided that I might as well be an invisible club member rather than an unaffiliated student, and so without hesitation, "I submitted that application this morning."

"You know what this means, Houtarou?"

Satoshi said while glancing at my sister's letter. I sighed and said, "Yeah, there doesn't seem to be any benefit from this."

"... No, that's not what I meant."

Lifting his gaze from the letter, Satoshi said with a strangely cheerful tone. He tapped the letter with the back of his palm and said, "There are currently no members in the Classics Club, right? This means that ''you'' get to keep the club room for yourself. Isn't that great? A private base within school for your own use."

A private base?

"... That's an interesting way to look at this."

"Don't you like that?"

Such strange reasoning. Satoshi was basically saying I could have my own secret base in school. I could never have come up with such an idea. A private space, huh? It's not like I really desired such a thing and would have strived to work hard for it... But it's not so bad if it comes as a perk. I took back the letter from Satoshi and replied, "Guess it's not so bad. I might go have a look."

"Good. Opportunities are there for you to try out."

Opportunities there to try out, huh? Well, it's not like it didn't suit my personality at all, so I smiled bitterly and picked up my shoulder bag.

I was still faithful to my own motto.

From the opened windows, the shouts of the Athletics Team could be heard.

"... Fight! Fight! Fight!..."

I wouldn't want to get myself involved in such wasteful energy consumption. Don't get me wrong--I'm not saying that saving energy is the superior option, so I'm not dismissing those active people as fools at all. I headed towards the Classics Club room while hearing them continue with their chants.

I walked along the tiled corridor and up towards the third floor. Upon meeting the janitor, who was carrying a large ladder, I asked him where the Classics Club room was and was directed to the Geology Lecture Room on the fourth floor of the Special Purposes Block.

This school, Kamiyama High School, was neither copious in its number of students nor large in its campus area.

The total number of students was somewhere around a thousand. While the school provides curricula for university entrance exams like most high schools, it wasn't particularly noted for its academics. In other words, it's a normal high school. On the other hand, the school had an extraordinarily large number of clubs (such as the Water Paint Club or the A Capella Club, as well as the Classics Club), hence it was quite well known for having a lively annual Cultural Festival.

Within the campus grounds there are three large buildings. The General Block which houses the regular classrooms, the Special Purposes Block with its special purposes classrooms, and the Gymnasium. That's quite normal really. There's also the Martial Arts Dojo and the Sports Equipment Storage Room. The fourth floor of the Special Purposes Block, where the Classics Club room is located, is relatively remote.

While cursing at such a waste of energy, I walked across the connecting corridor and up the stairs towards the fourth floor, where I quickly found the Geology Room. Without hesitation, I proceeded to slide the door open, but found that it was locked. This was to be expected, as most special purposes rooms are normally locked. I took out the key which I borrowed beforehand in order to save energy and unlocked the door.

After turning the lock open, I slid the door open. Inside the empty Geology Room, the sunset could be seen from its westward-facing window.

Did I say empty? Nope, turns out it was not what I expected.

Within the sunset drenched Geology Room, which is the Classics Club room, there was already someone inside.

A student was standing beside the window looking towards me. It was a girl.

While "graceful" and "neat" weren't exactly the first words that came to my mind upon seeing her, there were no other words that I could think of to describe her properly. Her long black hair flowed past her shoulders, and her sailor uniform suited her very well. She was tall for a girl, probably taller than Satoshi. While it was clear she was a high school girl, her thin lips and forlorn figure reinforced this old-fashioned image of what a school girl would look like within my mind. In contrast, her pupils were big, and rather than graceful, they looked energetic.

She was a girl that I didn't recognize.

Yet upon seeing me, she smiled and said, "Hello. You must be Oreki-san of the Classics Club, right?"

"... Who're you?"

I asked candidly. Though I was never good at interacting with people, I didn't intend to treat someone I had just met for the first time coldly. While I didn't know who she was, for some reason, she seemed to know who I am.

"Don't you remember me? My name is Chitanda, Chitanda Eru."

Chitanda Eru. Even though she had given her name, I still have no clue. By the way, Chitanda is quite a rare surname, and so is her first name, Eru. It was not possible for me to forget such a name.

I looked once again at the girl called Chitanda. After making sure that I didn't know her, I replied, "I'm sorry, I don't think I remember who you are."

While maintaining her smile, she tilted her head, apparently confused.

"You're Oreki-san, right? Oreki Houtarou of Class 1-B?"

I nodded.

"I'm from Class 1-A."

''So do you remember now?'' Was what she seemed to be hinting at... Was my memory really that bad?

Hang on. Since I'm from Class B and she's from Class A, was there any chance of us having met before?

Even within the same grade, it was not possible for students from different classes to interact with each other at all. The only chance they got to do so was via club activities or friends. I had no such links through either. Then it must have involved the entire student body, but the only event I could think of was the school's opening ceremony at the start of the semester. Besides, I don't think I had ever been introduced to anyone from outside my class then.

No, wait. I remember. That's it, there were chances for us to interact with other classes during lessons. If it involved the use of special equipment, then it's more feasible to teach more than one class at the same time. That must mean during PE or arts-related subjects. During middle school, there would also be vocational classes, but as this high school is a mainly academic school, that's out of the equation. And PE is gender-separated, so that leaves...

"Could it be that we had music lessons together?"

"Yes, that's it!"

Chitanda nodded her head greatly.

Despite figuring that out myself, I was still surprised. For the sake of my remaining pride, I must confess that I have only attended any of those optional arts lessons once ever since enrolling here. So it was of course impossible for me to remember any faces or names!

But on the other hand, this girl called Chitanda managed to remember me after seeing me just once, so here was living proof that it was not exactly impossible... Let me tell you this, she must have possessed a frightening level of observation and memory.

Still, it could also be that it's all coincidental. Different people could interpret different meanings from reading the same newspaper article, after all. I regained my senses and asked, "So, Chitanda-san. What brings you here to the Geology Room?"

She quickly replied, "I've joined the Classics Club, so I thought I should come to greet you."

Joined the Classics Club, in other words, a member.

At that moment I had wanted her to guess how I was feeling. If she's joining the club, it would mean the end of my private space as well as having to fulfill my obligation to my sister. I had no reason to join the Classics Club. I sighed within my heart... ''It was a futile effort.'' While thinking that, I asked, "Why are you in the Classics Club as well?"

''I didn't want to join this club!'' I tried to convey this implied message within my question, but it seemed like she totally didn't get it.

"Well, I have personal reasons for joining."

She even evaded my question. Unexpectedly, this Chitanda Eru is quite suspicious.

"What about you, Oreki-san?"

"Me?"

Now that's tricky. How should I answer her? I don't think she'd understand that I came here due to an order from my sister. But as I began to think about it, I realized she didn't really need to know my reason.

Suddenly the door slid open and a loud voice boomed inwards, "Hey! What are you guys doing here?"

It was a teacher. Probably patrolling the campus after school time. With a firm body and tanned skin, he seems to be a PE teacher. Though he wasn't carrying a bamboo sword, it wouldn't look too far fetched to imagine him with one. While he's way past his prime, he still has that air of authority around him.

Chitanda shirked back for a bit upon getting yelled at so suddenly but soon reverted to her calming smile. She then went to greet the teacher.

"Good afternoon, Morishita-sensei."

She made a perfect salutation by the way she bowed her head with the right speed and angle. Seeing how she maintained her manners regardless of where she was, I couldn't help but feel envious of her. The teacher called Morishita was briefly stunned into silence by her courtesy but soon went back to talking loudly again.

"I saw the door unlocked so I came over to see what was going on. What are you doing entering the classroom without permission? What's your name and class?"

... Hmph, without permission, huh?

"I'm Oreki Houtarou of Class 1-B. By the way, Sensei, this is the Classics Club room, and I'm afraid you've interrupted our club activities,"

"The Classics Club...?"

Without hiding his suspicions, he continued, "I thought that had been abolished."

"Well, that was before today. It's been reactivated this morning. You can confirm with our supervising teacher, umm..."

"Ooide-sensei,"

"Yes, you can confirm with Ooide-sensei."

A suitable explanation at a suitable moment. Morishita quickly lowered his volume.

"Oh. I see. Well, continue with what you're doing."

"But you've only just seen us."

"And remember to return the key when you're done."

"Yes, sir."

Morishita once again turned to gaze at us before shutting the door roughly. Chitanda once again cowered her body at the loud sound, but then gently whispered, "He's..."

"Hmm?"

"He's quite loud for a teacher."

I smiled.

Anyway.

Guess I have no more business here.

"Alright. Now that we're done with the introductions, shall we go home?"

"Huh? We're not having any activities today?"

"Well, I'm going home."

I picked up my shoulder bag, which doesn't have much stuff in it, and turned my back towards Chitanda.

"I'll count on you to lock the door. You don't want to get yelled at like that again, do you?"

"Eh?"

I then proceeded to leave the Geology Room.

Or rather, I was about to leave, when I was stopped by Chitanda's discerning voice.

"Please wait!"

I turned around to look at Chitanda, who looked as though she had been told something quite unthinkable, and who said blankly, "I, I can't lock the door."

"Why's that?"

"Because I don't have the key."

Oh, yeah. The key's with me. There weren't that many spare keys available to be borrowed, it seems. So I took the key from my pocket and held it towards her.

"Here, you take care of... Sorry, I mean, please take care of this, Chitanda-san."

But Chitanda didn't respond. She simply stared at the key hanging from my finger, and before long she tilted her head and asked, "Oreki-san, why are you carrying that?"

Is she missing a few screws in her head?

"Well, I couldn't have come in without a key... Wait a minute, how the hell... sorry, how did you come into this room, Chitanda-san?"

"The door wasn't locked when I came in. I thought someone else had entered before me, so I didn't need a key to enter."

I see. Unless she had received a letter from a former member as I had, she wouldn't have known that there were no other members in the Classics Club.

"Is that so? When I came the door was locked."

Turns out it was a mistake for me to utter that so nonchalantly, as the expression in Chitanda's eyes changed instantly and her gaze became sharp. Was it me or have her pupils gotten larger? Indifferent to my startled expression, she slowly asked me, "When you said the door was locked, do you mean that door which you came through?"

While feeling confused at such a change in expression for such a graceful girl, I nodded. Whether consciously or unconsciously, Chitanda took one step towards me.

"So this means that I was locked inside, right?"

The clear batting sounds made by the Baseball Team could be heard from the outside. While I have no more business with this room, Chitanda seemed to want to talk for a bit longer. I sighed and relented, and placed my shoulder bag down on a table nearby.

Locked inside, was what Chitanda had said. Is that so? I thought for a bit. The key was with me, while Chitanda was inside the room. I have no memory of ever locking the door. Then the answer was simple.

"Wasn't it you who locked the door from the inside?"

Yet Chitanda shook her head and denied that unequivocally.

"I never did that."

"Well, the key's with me. Who else could have locked the door besides you?"

"..."

"Well, there are times when people forget whether they've locked the door or not,"

Yet Chitanda doesn't seem to be paying attention to my explanation, and suddenly pointed right behind me.

"By the way, is that your friend over there?"

I turned around and found the silhouette of a black uniform collar from behind the gap of the slightly ajar door. His gaze quickly met with mine. I remember seeing those brown eyes that look as though they're smiling, so I raised my voice and called out, "Satoshi! That's some sick hobby you've got, eavesdropping on other people's conversations!"

The door was opened, and as expected, the person that entered was Fukube Satoshi. Totally feeling unashamed, he said brazenly, "Well, sorry. I wasn't intending to eavesdrop."

"You may not be intending to, but you ended up doing so anyway."

"That may be so. But I just couldn't barge in when I saw the usually inactive Houtarou spending quality time alone with a girl in a special classroom during sunset. I don't want to end up getting kicked out."

What's he talking about?

"I thought you went home already."

"Yeah, I was about to, but then I saw you with this girl inside this room from downstairs. Guess I'm still inexperienced as a peeping tom."

I ignored Satoshi's comments about seeing us from the outside, as that's his usual way of joking. Yet for people who're not used to such light-hearted jokes, they might end up taking him seriously.

Seems like Chitanda too has been fooled.

"Eh, eh, I..."

Her calm expression from a while ago had disappeared, being replaced by a flustered look. She seems to be the type that wears her expressions on her face, as she appears to be saying "Look, I'm feeling flustered right now" with a nervous look. While it was fun to see her like that, I wasn't going to let it go on any longer.

Fortunately, in order to expose Satoshi's joke, all you needed to do was ask him, "Are you serious?"

"Of course not."

''Phew.'' Chitanda breathed a sigh of relief. Such was Satoshi's motto: "Jokes are to be made on the spot, so too are misunderstandings to be dispelled right away."

"... Oreki-san, who might this be?"

After recovering from Satoshi's joke, Chitanda asked a bit wearily. Guess I should introduce Satoshi to her, or we won't get anywhere. I said briefly, "Oh him? That's Fukube Satoshi, a pseudo-human."

"Pseudo?"

A most suitable introduction, which Satoshi seems to have taken in good humour as well.

"Haha, great introduction, Houtarou. Pleased to meet you. And you are?"

"Chitanda, Chitanda Eru."

Upon hearing the name of Chitanda, Satoshi gave an unexpected reaction. For once, he actually went speechless. For someone so talkative like Satoshi, it was rare to see him like that.

"Chi, Chitanda-san? ''That'' Chitanda?"

"Hmm? I don't know which Chitanda you may be referring to, but I believe I'm the only one with that name in this school."

"Then it must be that. I'm surprised."

Satoshi's surprise was genuine. And if he was surprised, then I should be too. I learned some time ago that this fellow has a way of finding out all sorts of amazing information. Yet what was it that made him so surprised? I couldn't even guess.

"Hey, Satoshi, what is it this time?"

"What is it, you say? I know you're not that well-informed, but are you telling me that you've never even heard of the Chitanda Clan?"

This time, Satoshi shook his head and sighed in an exaggerated way. Of course, this was one of Satoshi's ways of joking. Since I know he's extremely well-versed in all sorts of useless knowledge, I was not at all ashamed about being ignorant of one of them.

"What about Chitanda-san's family?"

Nodding satisfactorily, Satoshi began to explain.

"While there are quite a few old prestigious clans in Kamiyama Town, the most prominent are the four 'Exponential Clans'. The Juumonji (十文字) Clan that runs the Arekusu Shrine, the Sarusuberi (百日紅) Clan that operates the bookstores, the Chitanda (千反田) Clan with their large farmlands, and the Manninbashi (万人橋) Clan of the mountain. The first kanji character of their surnames is represented by an exponent of the number ten (十百千万), hence they're called the 'Exponential Clans". The only other clans to be on equal footing with those four are the Irisu Clan that runs the local hospital, and the Toogaito Clan with their dominance in the field of education."

Dumbfounded, I blinked suspiciously and asked, "Four Clans? Satoshi, are you serious?"

"How rude. Have I ever lied about stuff like this?"

If Satoshi says it's true, then it's most likely true. Yet, prestigious clans in this day and age? While Satoshi was still scowling, Chitanda came to his aid.

"Umm, I've heard of that story before. Though I'm not quite sure about my family being a famous clan."

"So it's all true?"

"But, this is the first time I've heard about the four 'Exponential Clans'."

As I stared at Satoshi, he merely shrugged his shoulders.

"I didn't say I was lying."

"But that was all made up anyway, wasn't it?"

"Well, I always wanted to be the one to get a legend started,"

As though wanting this topic to end, Satoshi clapped his hands together and said, "Anyway, Houtarou, what seems to be the trouble here?"

You sure are inquisitive. So in order to make a long story short, I briefly explained the details to him.

It was getting a bit dark, so Chitanda went to turn on the lights.

After hearing the story, Satoshi crossed his arms and started to groan.

"Hmm, it is a strange case."

"How so? It's just that Chitanda happened to forget that she locked the door, isn't it?"

"No, it ''is'' strange."

Satoshi uncrossed his arms and clapped his hands.

"Lately, schools have been very demanding on how their campuses are run. Kami High's management of its classrooms is particularly bothersome. In case you haven't noticed, none of the classrooms here can be locked from the inside. The reason is to prevent students from doing anything suspicious inside."

As Satoshi explained triumphantly, a suspicion was raised in my head. I know Satoshi can be particularly diligent in finding out such trivial knowledge, but isn't he learning a bit too much? Considering he's only been in this school for less than a month.

"How'd you know about this stuff?"

"Well, I was trying to hide in a classroom in order to experiment with something last week, but then I found out I couldn't lock the door from the inside."

"You know? I think the school designed its doors to prevent specifically the likes of ''you'' from 'doing anything suspicious'."

"Well, I guess so."

"You bet."

We both laughed. As a result of our dry laughter, Chitanda took a step backward. Noticing this, I cleared my throat and said, "Well, something must be wrong with the lock then. It's getting dark, so I'm going home."

I stood up from the table I was sitting on.

I felt someone grab my shoulder. I turned and saw Chitanda, who had somehow approached me from behind without me realizing.

"Please wait!"

"What is it now?"

"I'm curious about it."

Upon seeing Chitanda's close-up face, I winced.

"So?"

"Why was I being locked inside? ... If I wasn't locked inside, then how did I manage to come inside in the first place?"

Chitanda's gaze had a sort of power that seemed like it wouldn't accept a foolish answer as a response. Feeling overwhelmed by this, I replied meekly, "So, what about it?"

"If it was a mistake by someone, then who is it? And how did they end up locking me in by mistake?"

"No, I think there's something wrong with the lock..."

"I'm ''really'' curious about it."

She said as she advanced forward, forcing me to move back.

At first I thought Chitanda to be a sort of graceful lady, but that was merely my first impression based on her appearance. I now realized that I was looking at her true self. Especially her large energetic looking eyes, which are in contrast to her overall appearance. Those eyes reflected her true nature. "I'm curious about it", that sentence alone had made this "Exponential Clan" lady the poster child for curiosity itself.

"Why has this happened? Oreki-san, and Fukube-san as well, will you help think about this?"

"Why do I have to..."

"Well, it looks interesting."

Interrupting me, Satoshi accepted her challenge right away. As expected from Satoshi, but, "Well, I'm going home. Not interested."

It goes without explanation, for me, it's a waste of energy. And if I don't have to do it, I'm out of it.

Yet, Satoshi, who ought to know my modus operandi very well, said, "Oh, come on, Houtarou, help us out. I'd do it if I could, but I can't come to any conclusions just based on my own database alone."

"This is stupid, I'm..."

As I was about to continue, Satoshi glanced sideways. Following his glance, I saw Chitanda.

"... Ugh."

With her mouth tightly shut, and her fists clutching her skirt, she glared upwards at me. I subconsciously took another step backwards away from her. If it's just comparing the intensity of personalities, she wouldn't lose to my sister. It was a warning from Satoshi: ''I think you're better off going along with her whims.''

Glancing alternately between Chitanda and Satoshi, I nodded softly towards Satoshi and honestly took his advice. Otherwise, we might incur misfortune upon ourselves.

"... Yeah, I guess it ''is'' interesting. I'll think about it."

I had no choice but to say that in a deadpan tone. Yet that response was enough to get Chitanda to relax her glance.

"Oreki-san, have you thought of a solution already?"

"Hold it right there. Houtarou is the type that likes to think before he moves. Yet once he's put his thoughts together, he's capable of getting things done."

Stop being so talkative. Though moving before thinking is never good.

And so I began to think.

When Chitanda entered this room, the lock was opened. Yet when I arrived, it was clearly locked.

If Satoshi is to be believed, then there's no way Chitanda could have locked the door from the inside. However, rather than such an arbitrary reason, it could be that it was the result of an unconscious action. For example, the door was in a semi-locked state when Chitanda entered the room, and the spring within the lock must have somehow been triggered after she was inside and locked her in as a result.

After explaining this theory, Chitanda tilted her head while reserving her judgment, though Satoshi instantly raised his voice.

"That would be impossible. There is no way the locks in Kami High could have gone into a semi-locked condition based on its design. The key would not have come out in such a state."

No room for a middle ground, huh?

If that's the case, then that leaves the lock being locked knowingly by someone. So I asked, "Do you remember what time you entered this room?"

Chitanda thought for a while and said, "Right before you. About three minutes, I think."

Three minutes, that's too short. There wouldn't be time, as the Geology Room is the most remote place in Kami High.

... Now this is getting tricky. As I was starting to think all over again, Chitanda suddenly shouted, "Ah!"

"What is it, Chitanda-san?"

"I know. Think about it, who else has the key?"

"Huh? Who?"

Chitanda had a joyful look in her smile... For some reason, I had a bad feeling about this. As expected, our lady here turned towards me and said, "Oreki-san, of course. He has the key."

Just as predicted. Rather than concluding that it was a good deduction, she realized something and said, "Ah, but is this even possible? Isn't Oreki-san a trustworthy person?"

... Are you supposed to say such things in front of the person concerned? While I was speechless, Satoshi laughed and said, "Well, I don't know about Houtarou being trustworthy or not, but I don't think he's the sort of person that would have fun by locking you inside. He's got nothing to gain from it, after all."

Spot on there. You know me well - I wouldn't do anything that doesn't benefit me.

This means it wasn't me that locked the door.

Then... who was it?

I don't get this. So I proceeded to scratch my head.

I don't even have a clue. For some reason, I felt guilty as I asked, "This is no good. You got any clues?"

"Clue? What do you mean by that?"

What a straight counter-question.

"A clue is a clue."

Satoshi helped elaborate on my over-simplified explanation.

"Something that's different from the norm. Did you notice anything that feels different or strange, Chitanda-san?"

"Hmm, now that you mention..."

''Is there something different?'' While I wasn't exactly expecting much, Chitanda was looking around the Geology Room before turning her gaze downward and said gently, "A while ago, I heard some sounds coming from beneath my feet."

Sounds?

So someone did lock the door? I had no idea.

No, what if, that's the case?

... I see. I've somehow come to an understanding. Satoshi noticed my expression and said, "Houtarou, you seemed to have realized something."

I silently picked up my shoulder bag.

"W-where are you going, Oreki-san?"

"We're going to witness the reenactment of the scene of the crime. If we're lucky, we might get to see it."

I sensed Chitanda frantically following me, and Satoshi is right behind her, no doubt.

It was already quite late as closing time was approaching. The Baseball Team could clearly be seen tidying up their equipment. Chitanda and Satoshi, whom I should have already left behind long ago, ended up accompanying me. Or rather, they were following me.

Chitanda walked beside me and asked, "Tell us already. How come you've figured out already?"

Satoshi too asked from behind, "She's right, you know. We're not supposed to have secrets between us."

Stop saying something so gross. Without turning my head, I said, "It's not exactly a secret. It's just that it's so simple that it doesn't require much explanation."

"It may be simple for you, Oreki-san. But I still can't understand."

Chitanda pouted... While it's bothersome to explain, evading her questions is also a waste of energy. I straightened my shoulder bag and wondered where I should start.

"Alright, how about if I say that you were locked inside by someone using a master key?"

As I said something that was a matter of fact to me, Chitanda's voice was raised in surprise. Looks like we'll have to start the explanations here.

"Ehh? How is that so?"

"The Geology Room is located far off in the campus. If someone were to lock you inside using the regular key, he would need to return it to the staff room before I could have borrowed it. Three minutes would be too short for anyone to attempt to do that."

"I see. So it must be another key, and since there's only one regular key, that would leave the master key, right?"

Exactly. And naturally, it's to be expected that the master key couldn't normally be used by students.

Furthermore, there is another piece of decisive information.

"Chitanda-san, you said you heard something coming from the floor below you, right?"

"Yes."

"If the sound comes from the floor of the fourth floor, what would you normally have thought of first?"

Satoshi, who looked quite relaxed, answered, "The sound comes from the ceiling of the third floor?"

"Right. And that's our master key user."

The only person who would work on fixing stuff on the classroom ceilings after lesson time would be...

"I'm amazed you managed to figure out that it's the janitor."

Chitanda said while nodding eagerly.

The person that we saw on the third floor was the janitor, who was carrying a large ladder. As he emerged from a classroom, he placed the ladder on the floor and took out a key from his pocket. And right before our eyes, he began to lock the doors of the third floor classrooms one by one. In other words, he first unlocked all the classroom doors, then proceeded to do whatever he was working on inside the classrooms. And when he was done, he would then come back to lock them all at once. If someone happens to enter the classrooms when the doors were unlocked, then that unlucky person would have ended up getting locked inside... Much like Chitanda here.

As to what the janitor was working on, I had no idea. By going through so many classrooms and carrying a large ladder with him, it could be that he's changing the light bulbs for the classrooms, or perhaps checking on the glow starters or fire alarms or something like that. At any rate, Chitanda's question has been largely solved.

And thus a case is closed.

"You see? Told you he'd get things done if he puts his thoughts together."

"You're right. I'm amazed."

I don't see myself as that amazing... After all, it was Satoshi that told me about the key management system, while it was Chitanda that noticed the sound coming from below. I was planning on playing dumb all along... Oh well, they can think whatever they like of me. At any rate, I was made to go through all that trouble, but upon looking at Chitanda and seeing such honest admiration reflected in her meaningful eyes, I ended up swallowing any complaints that I may have had.

"Well, anyway. Even though you were in an indoor environment, I still don't understand how you didn't hear the door being locked."

Yet Chitanda didn't take that as a criticism or sarcasm, and merely smiled.

"Well, I could explain that. I was... yes, I was looking at that building from the window."

She said and pointed towards a building by the road. It was the Martial Arts Dojo. It was a shabby looking wooden building, worn down after being exposed to the elements for so long. I decided to take a leaf out of Chitanda's book and voiced my honest opinion, "Seems like you're really mesmerized by that."

"No, it's just that I find this building to be quite mysterious."

"Hmm."

I don't see how this building was mysterious, but Satoshi seemed to have understood something when he muttered, "Well, it does look particularly old."

"Yes, it is."

Is that so? It could be, though for her to have been distracted by such an old building, I had no idea whether she was being elegant or just carefree.

Before long, we came upon a red traffic light. Like us, there were other students heading home from school.

"By the way, we haven't properly greeted each other yet," Chitanda gently said.

"Greeted?"

"Yes, the Classics Club is going to commence its activities from now on, after all. Let us have fun together."

The Classics Club! I've totally forgotten about that! I was supposed to just go take a look at the club room, but it was all for naught as Chitanda had joined the club... But this is all in hindsight now. My application has already been submitted and subsequently filed on record. In this school, it was impossible to quit a club after joining it for one month.

As I lowered my head, Chitanda turned to smile at Satoshi.

"Are you joining the Classics Club as well, Fukube-san?"

Satoshi crossed his arms and looked as though he was thinking, but very soon replied, "Well, it sounds interesting. Alright, I'm in."

"It'll be a pleasure to get to know you, Fukube-san."

"No, the pleasure's all mine... Pleased to meet you as well, Houtarou."

I glanced mockingly at Satoshi, who decided to play dumb.

As the traffic light turned green, I started to walk. Sticking my hand in my pocket, I felt the letter inside. It was the letter from my sister. Indeed, ever since this letter from Oreki Tomoe had arrived, I had this feeling that something had been set in motion.

You happy now, sis? There are now three people within your youth that is the Classics Club. The traditional Classics Club has now been resurrected. This is also probably goodbye to my peaceful energy saving days. As for why...

"Ah yes, we still haven't decided on a president yet. What should we do?"

"You're right. Though Houtarou definitely doesn't seem to be the sort of person to be a club president."

These folks probably wouldn't put up with my energy-saving ways. If it were just Satoshi alone, I could still handle him somehow, but the main problem is...

Our eyes met. Chitanda Eru smiled with her big eyes.

The main problem is with this lady here. I just have a vague feeling about this.

<noinclude>

==Translator's Notes and References==
<references />

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|-
| Back to [[Hyouka:Volume 1 Chapter 1|1 - Letter from Benares]]
| Return to [[Hyouka|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Hyouka:Volume 1 Chapter 3|3 - The Activities of the Prestigious Classics Club]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Mushoku Tensei Spanish:Volume 14

2021-08-04T18:24:49Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* 1ª Parte */

<big>'''Volumen 14 - Juventud - Época de la Invocación'''</big>

[[Image:Mushoku_14_(01).jpg|500px]]

Esta traducción ha sido realizada a partir de la versión inglesa encontrada en Baka-Tsuki.

<big>''Traducido por [[User:Alia|Alia]], Christian Cutipa, [[User:Sheci|Sheco]], [[User:Max15Craft|Max15Craft]], [[user:Sergiocamjur|Sergio Campos]].''</big>
Editado por [[User:Juanez1013|Esteban Arévalo]].

== Capítulo 144 - Fortaleza Flotante ==

=== 1ª Parte ===

A medio día a pie de la Ciudad Mágica de Sharia, y ni siquiera una hora a caballo, yacen las ruinas de una ciudad.

O más bien, lo que queda de un castillo.

Grandes columnas se encuentran tiradas en el suelo, baldosas de piedra están dispersas alrededor.

Esto debe ser un panteón después de años de deterioro.

En algún tiempo debió ser un espectáculo para la vista.

Da la impresión de ser un tesoro histórico.

"Lo que queda del castillo Scotts, una reliquia de cuando la humanidad luchó contra Laplace. Se dijo que miles vinieron a defenderse de la invasión del demonio. Al final, todo fue en vano, y fue capturado."

Me explica la hermosa chica de dorado pelo trenzado que camina a mi lado.

Con una elegante apariencia, vestida con cara ropa de viaje, y una figura evidentemente carismática incluso vista desde lejos.

Correcto, la única e inigualable Ariel Anemoi Asura.

"..."

¿Esa explicación era para mí?

Con esto en mente, miré a mi alrededor.

Luke y Sylphy no están demasiado lejos.

Un poco más atrás, están Roxy, Zanoba, Cliff y Elinalise.

Nanahoshi va delante de nosotros.

Ariel mira hacia mí, no hay nadie entre nosotros.

"Ariel-sama sabe muchas cosas."

Sería grosero no hacerle caso.

Le conteste con eso en mente. Ariel sonrió suavemente en respuesta.

"Los cuentos populares de esta zona a menudo mencionan este tema."

"¿Está interesada en los cuentos populares?"

"Es necesario para desarrollar relaciones con la aristocracia de la zona."

Explica Ariel como si fuera algo obvio.

Memorizo la historia local con el fin de trabar amistad con la aristocracia local.

Ella lo tiene difícil.

"Pero tras llegar a un lugar como este, ¿podemos realmente llegar a Pelagius-sama desde aquí?"

"Para ser honesto, no sé realmente que debemos hacer ahora, pero ..."

Miro hacia Nanahoshi que camina frente a nosotros.

Llevando una mochila pesada y moviéndose sin impedimentos por los escombros alrededor de nosotros, ella nos conduce mirando hacia delante.

Ella nos dijo que sólo debemos seguir avanzando, pero ¿podemos realmente llegar desde aquí?

Por lo que puedo recordar, sus notas no cuentan con un círculo mágico de teleportacion en esta ubicación.

"Me preocupa más que al llevar tanta gente con nosotros seamos una molestia."

Al escuchar eso, Ariel soltó una carcajada.

"Ludeus-sama realmente se preocupa por cosas de lo más extrañas. Incluso si él no es el rey de un país, es llamado ”Rey”, ¡un verdadero héroe! Unos invitados como nosotros no deben ser una molestia".

"Si usted lo dice..."

Echo un vistazo a nuestras espaldas.

Nanahoshi, Ariel, Sylphy, Luke, Roxy, Zanoba, Cliff, Elinalise y yo.

9 en total.

Pensé que es un poco demasiado, pero desde la perspectiva de la realeza, no debería ser nada.

Para la realeza, los huéspedes vienen en decenas, 9 no deben ser demasiado.

Por cierto, Norn se negó cortésmente a causa del trabajo escolar.

Tal vez ella está preocupada por su promesa de no aflojar en su entrenamiento de esgrima y los estudios después de unirse al consejo estudiantil.

Bueno, si realmente la trajera conmigo, entonces tendría que traer a Aisha también. Esto funciona igual de bien.

"Pelagius-sama puede estar viviendo una vida tranquila, pero después de la campaña de Laplace paso algún tiempo como invitado del Reino de Asura, como un igual del rey de Asura. Él podría llevar un séquito de decenas o cientos al palacio real. Alguien como el no será perturbado por apenas 9 invitados ".

"Ah, ya veo."

La carismática voz de Ariel es agradable al oído.

Cualquier persona estaría molesto en tener invitados que llegan sin avisar, pero al escuchar esto de Ariel, tal vez no es un problema tan grande.

"... Si él se cansó de la vida de la corte, tal vez también se cansó de los huéspedes."

"Tal vez. Pero si ese es realmente el caso, entonces Nanahoshi-sama probablemente no permitiría que la acompañáramos."

"No creo que Nanahoshi sea el tipo de persona que se preocupa por esas cosas."

Hablando de eso, recuerdo cómo Ariel terminó viniendo con nosotros.

En aquel entonces, al oír hablar de Pelagius por Nanahoshi, no pude contener mi emoción.

Pelagius, el Rey Dragón Blindado.

Incluso ya he oído hablar de ese nombre antes.

No mucho tiempo después de llegar a este mundo, leí sobre él en un libro.

Hace 400 años, fue un héroe de la Campaña de Laplace.

En el libro estaba escrito que él controla 12 familiares, reconstruyo el antiguo castillo del cielo, y desafió a Laplace con sus compañeros.

Después de sellar a Laplace, como homenaje a sus hazañas, la nueva era fue llamada "la era del Dragón Blindado" en su honor.

Pelagius, le Rey Dragón Blindado, no se convirtió en jefe de un país, más bien se sienta en el castillo flotante “Chaos Breaker” y viaja por el mundo.

Por supuesto que estoy emocionado de conocer a alguien de ese calibre.

No importa qué, ¡es un castillo en el cielo!

¡Laputa, ho!

Debería estar ocupado con la investigación y la educación de mis hijos.

Pero todavía quiero ir.

Incluso si es sólo una vez.

Lo siento, Lucy. La curiosidad de papá sacó lo mejor de él.

¡Pero papá sin duda traerá algo a cambio para ti!

Las preocupaciones de Sylphy eran todo lo contrario de mi egoísmo.

Ella le pidió a Nanahoshi.

"¿Ariel-sama puede acompañarnos?"

"¿Ariel?"

Nanahoshi parecía preocupada.

Ariel ha solicitado su presencia en muchas ocasiones.

Nanahoshi ejerce una enorme influencia dentro de los reinos de Asura y Ranoa, por lo que Ariel ha buscado por mucho tiempo traerla a su círculo.

Pero Nanahoshi quiere evitar enredarse en este mundo. Eso sería una molestia.

"Sí. Pelagius-sama vivio en reclusión por un largo tiempo, pero su nombre todavía mantiene un gran peso dentro de la corte de Asura. Ariel-sama, ella ... mirando hacia el futuro, estoy segura de que ella querrá conocer a alguien como el. "

Ariel tiene conexiones por todo el lugar.

Todo preparado para que algún día pueda hacerse cargo del trono Asura.

Sera una pelea difícil, posiblemente imposible.

No sé los planes de Ariel después de que se gradúe el año que viene.

¿Podrá continuar reuniendo fuerzas aquí, o regresará a Asura para luchar a muerte?

Siempre y cuando no ponga en peligro a mi familia, le daré una mano.

Pero su posición todavía es incierta.

Para ser honesto, no quiero meterme en ese lío, pero realmente quiero ofrecer mi apoyo a mi esposa.

Sin embargo, Ariel no parece planear llevar a Sylphy devuelta al Reino de Asura.

Sylphy tiene una hija ahora, así que dudo que ella planee dejar a Lucy detrás en algo tan arriesgado.

Aún así, dudo que ella este lista para despedirse en este momento, y hasta ahora ha dado todo de si misma por el bien de Ariel.

Este es probablemente uno de esos casos.

En la batalla por el trono, las conexiones son todo.

En particular, si puede obtener el respaldo de Pelagius, el Rey Dragón Blindado, héroe del Reino de Asura, la ruta hacia el trono seguramente sera más fácil.

"Bueno, he estado a su cuidado. Está bien, puedes traerla."

Estaba seguro de que ella se negaría, pero Nanahoshi lo aprobó.

Después me enteré de que mientras yo estaba fuera, Sylphy ayudo mucho a Nanahoshi.

Llevándole comidas, ayudándola con las compras, usando magia de desintoxicación cuando ella se enfermó...

Aunque se detuvo después del nacimiento de Lucy, ella solía venir a menudo a usar el baño.

"¿En serio? ¡Muchas gracias! Estoy segura de que Ariel-sama estará complacida..."

Sylphy apretó el puño y sonrió alegremente.

Como resultado, Ariel y Luke también se unieron a nuestro grupo.

Sylphy dijo que Ariel estaba inusualmente emocionada por esto.

No importa su posición social, todo el mundo reacciona de la misma manera al conocer a alguien tan famoso cara a cara.

Yo también estoy emocionado.

Él es el alguien realmente impresionante, un auténtico héroe.

Esperemos que tenga buen carácter.

...Hablando de eso, acabo de recordar.

Hace mucho tiempo, conocí a uno de los subordinados de Pelagius.

Justo antes de la Catástrofe de Teletransportación.

Me encontré con Arumanfi el brillante.

Si no recuerdo mal, en ese entonces él sospechaba que yo era la persona detrás del evento de Metástasis y me atacó.

Ghyslaine fue capaz de calmarlo. Él no parecía ser una mala persona, pero trató de matarme sin pensarlo dos veces.

Eso me pone un poco nervioso.

No, no hay razón para que el maestro sea peligroso sólo porque su subordinado lo es.

Además, si Pelagius-sama había detectado el evento Metástasis y quería detenerlo ...

Se merece elogios por actuar por iniciativa propia.

Pero si me hubiera matado en ese entonces ...

Olvídalo, lo hecho, hecho está.

Agua bajo el puente.

No debo buscar pelea en nuestro primer encuentro.

Perdonar y olvidar.

"Es aquí."

Mientras me preocupaba por esas cosas, Nanahoshi se detuvo en el centro de las ruinas.

En medio de la nada.

A pesar de que pienso eso, mirando con cuidado, en el piso descansa una piedra de gran tamaño.

Un monumento de piedra.

Monumento de las "Siete Grandes Potencias Mundiales."

La débil luz sale de ella aludiendo a los poderes terroríficos de los nombres grabados sobre ella.

Parece que ellos están en todas partes, incluso en este lugar.

"¿Ahora que?"

"Lo llamamos."

Una vez dicho esto, Nanahoshi dejo caer su equipaje y saco una flauta de oro.

No es demasiado larga, seria mas apropiado llamarlo silbato.

Nanahoshi lo puso en sus labios y sopló.

¡Fuu-!

No hizo ningún ruido.

Sólo el sonido del aire.

Quizás es un silbato para perros.

"¿No tiene sonido?"

Exclamó Cliff.

"Los seres humanos no pueden oírlo. Sólo espera, él estará aquí pronto."

Una vez dicho esto, Nanahoshi se sentó en una roca.

Un sonido que los seres humanos no puede oír.

Sin embargo, puede llegar a Pelagius.

Esto debería ser imposible en circunstancias normales.

En otras palabras, la flauta es un objeto mágico.

"Cliff."

De repente Elinalise llamo a Cliff con cara seria.

"¿Qué pasa?"

"Aunque todavía estamos aquí, tengo que decirte esto. Donde vamos no es un lugar que se pueda tomar a la ligera. Recuerda cuidar lo que dices."

"...Entiendo. Yo no soy un niño."

Cliff hizo un puchero como un niño cuando le dan un sermón.

Entonces Elinalise abrazo a Cliff y le empezó a susurrar en sus oídos.

Cliff parece haberse calmado, probablemente escuchando algunas cosas dulces como disculpa.

"¿Qué tipo de estatuas tendrá un castillo en el cielo? ¡No puedo esperar para saberlo!"

Zanoba es el mismo de siempre.

Una vez acordada la visita a Pelagius, inmediatamente empezó a decir “Muy bien, vamos a llevar algunos de nuestros resultados para mostrárselos a Pelagius-sama” y empacó la figura de Ruijerd que hice y otras mas en su equipaje.

Dudo que haya una oportunidad, pero probablemente quiere hacer algo de promoción como hicimos con Badigadi.

Verdaderamente esta entusiasmo con su trabajo.

Por cierto, Ginger no está aquí.

Zanoba le ordenó que protegiera a mi familia.

A pesar de que Ginger obviamente quería venir.

Bueno, para mí, cuanta mas protección tengan mejor, por lo que uno más no hace daño.

Pero no es que me este ausentando por mucho tiempo.

"No debes forzar tus aficiones en otros. Después de todo, ese tipo tiene más de 400 años."

"Jajaja, ¿no es Badigadi-sama aún más viejo? Cuanto más viejos, más pueden apreciar el trabajo artesanal de las figuras de shisho."

"Oh ¿Enserio?"

Lejos en el cielo, veo algo que brilla.

"Él está aquí."

Tal como dijo Nanahoshi.

El apareció.

Literalmente, en un abrir y cerrar de ojos, apareció de repente.

Pelo dorado, un abotonado traje blanco como si fuera un uniforme de estudiante.

Probablemente con un hermoso rostro escondido detrás de esa máscara amarilla.

Una máscara con forma de zorro.

Una gran daga cuelga de su cintura.

"Arumanfi el brillante, presente".

Verdaderamente abrupto. Se siente como si él simplemente se materializó en el centro de nosotros.

Supongo que él voló.

A la velocidad de la luz, voló todo el camino desde el castillo en el cielo.

De la misma forma en que se presentó cuando la Región de Fedoa desapareció.

"..."

Abruptamente, Arumanfi se volvió hacia mí.

¿Se acuerda de mí?

Tengo miedo de que me ataque de nuevo.

Secretamente abro mi ojo demoníaco y agarro mi báculo.

Pero Arumanfi no parece acordarse de mi.

En vez de a mí, él camina hacia Nanahoshi.

"... Hoy has traído un montón de gente."

Le dice a Nanahoshi mientras mira a su alrededor.

Nanahoshi dijo “Oh” y asintió con la cabeza.

"Está bien, ¿no? Mientras sean menos de 12 personas."

"El número no importa, sin embargo ..."

Arumanfi miro a Roxy.

"La Raza mágica no puede pasar."

"Eh, ¿P-por qué?"

Roxy parece un gato al que le echaron un balde de agua.

"Las Razas mágicas no pueden entrar al Castillo del Cielo."

"Ya–ya veo."

Los hombros de Roxy se hundieron.

Pelagius libro batallas contra las Razas Mágicas durante la Campaña de Laplace.

Es inevitable que aun tenga algunos prejuicios hacia la Raza Mágica.

"¿No importa que?"

"Pelagius-sama es amable, pero él odia la Raza Mágica".

Me había olvidado, ya que esta zona no comparte el prejuicio contra la Raza Mágica, pero el odio hacia ellos todavía esta firmemente arraigado.

Pelagius puede ser una persona legendaria, pero también es un testigo de la guerra.

Quizás como Ruijerd, tiene recuerdos que no se pueden borrar de esas batallas.

Pero como sólo Roxy se fue excluida, me siento mal por ella.

"No, está bien. En ese caso, me quedaré en casa. Ademas tenia un poco de miedo de conocer a Pelagius sama... Todavía tengo trabajo escolar que hacer, así que no hay problema."

Sus hombros cayeron ante la rotunda negativa.

Pero al mirar detenidamente, veo que luce algo incomoda.

Se volvió hacia mí con una sonrisa forzada.

"Ludy, voy a cuidar de la casa."

"Está bien. Me aseguraré de traer algunos regalos a la vuelta..."

"No te preocupes por eso, sólo un beso está muy bien."

Me asegure de hacer eso inmediatamente.

Tras unos diez segundos completos, el corazón de Roxy se acelera, y mi bazooka atómica se enciende, la cabeza nuclear cargada, ¡fuego!

"Gracias."

"No, el placer es mío."

Todavía un poco molesta, pero con la cara roja, Roxy se aleja con una leve sonrisa.

Voy a bañarla con afecto cuando regrese.

"Hecho, ¿algo mas?"

Arumanfi se nos acerca cuando me despido de Roxy.

Me entrega algo así como un bastón.

Al mirar alrededor, parece que todos los demás tienen uno similar.

"Sostén esto."

Lo tomo siguiendo sus instrucciones.

Es un bastón de oro de alrededor de 20 cm de longitud, tiene algunos patrones intrincados grabados en su superficie.

Hay cristales mágicos acumulados en la parte superior e inferior.

¿Otro objeto mágico?

"¿Ahora que?"

"Sólo quédate quieto. Pelagius-sama utilizará magia de teletransportacion para llevarlos al Castillo del Cielo."

Ah, magia de teletransportacion, así que esto es un objeto mágico para eso.

Así que existe algo como esto.

Que conveniente.

¿Eh? Pensé que los humanos no pueden ser convocados...?

No, esto es teleportación.

¿Cual es la diferencia?

Simplemente uso este bastón para teletransportarme a el Castillo Cielo, ¿es así cómo funciona?

"Ah, ¿y el viaje de vuelta?"

"El camino de vuelta es algo similar."

Arumanfi responde como si fuera algo obvio.

En ese caso no hay problema.

Si tengo que caminar hasta mi casa, entonces Lucy ya habrá crecido.

Me siento tranquilizado con ese hecho.

"¿Todo el mundo tiene uno? Agárrenlo con fuerza."

Nanahoshi asiente después de comprobar que todo el mundo lo tuviera y lo confirmo con Arumanfi.

"Un momento."

Arumanfi asintió y desaparece en un destello.

Fue a informar a Pelagius que los preparativos están listos, supongo.

"... Esto es muy emocionante."

"Ciertamente."

Ariel y Sylphy bromean.

Es muy emocionante.

Luke tiene una sonrisa irónica.

Digamos, teniendo en cuenta la teleportación...

Si falla, ¿dónde terminaríamos?

Eso da un poco de miedo.

Incluso alguien tan poderoso como Pelagius podría cometer un error. Después de todo, él es humano.

"... Oh?"

Mientras pensaba en ello, de repente siento un calor procedente del bastón.

Se siente como si mi palma estuviera siendo aspirada por ella.

¿Qué sucedería si lo suelto ahora mismo?

¿Sería un error?

Pero con esto sucediendo tan repentinamente, algunas personas podrían dejarlo caer por instinto... ¿Cierto?

"¿Eh?"

Miro a mi alrededor.

Todo el mundo se ha ido.

No, llegue a ver el momento en que desapareció Sylphy.

Sólo quedamos Roxy y yo.

¿Eh?

¿Se fueron sin mí?

En ese momento, mi conciencia fue absorbida por el bastón.

=== 2ª Parte ===

Cuando volví en mí, me encontré volando en un mundo completamente blanco.

No había nada en absoluto, solo un espacio completamente blanco.

Siento como si volara hacia algo en la distancia.

Como un pez enganchado en una caña de pescar.

A cierta distancia vi a Sylphy tambaleándose hacia el mismo lugar.

Así que esto es lo que se siente al ser convocado.

Hablando de eso, este espacio...

Se siente si hubiera estado aquí antes.

Ah, ¿cuándo fue eso?

Oh sí, Hitogami.

Se siente un poco vago, pero esto se parece a cuando Hitogami aparece en mis sueños.

La única excepción, es que mi cuerpo no es el de mi vida anterior.

Como corriendo en un maratón, sigo volando de esa manera.

Entonces, una luz aparece ante mí.

La luz describe un círculo mágico sofisticado, deteniendo mi marcha.

=== 3ª Parte ===

Volviendo a mis sentidos, afirme mi postura sobre mis temblorosos pies.

"¡Ja!"

Como despertar de un sueño.

¿Perdí la conciencia?

No, para nada.

Realmente estuve volando a través de un espacio de la nada.

"Así que esto es... la magia de teletransportación de Pelagius."

Qué extraña sensación.

Pero he experimentado algo similar hace algunos años.

En el Evento de Metástasis.

En aquel entonces, también me sentí como si estuviera volando en el aire.

Bueno, hay una diferencia de aquel entonces.

Una sensación de seguridad.

Si el evento de metástasis es como saltar delante de un auto en marcha, entonces esto es como andar en taxi.

Da la sensación de un viaje seguro.

"... Esto se siente familiar."

Murmuro Sylphy suavemente.

Ah, se sintió tan bien.

"Sí."

Miro a mi alrededor tras contestarle.

Ariel, Luke, Zanoba, Cliff, Elinalise y Nanahoshi.

Todos menos Nanahoshi y Elinalise tienen miradas de desconcierto.

En cualquier caso, todos llegamos con seguridad.

"¡Qué círculo mágico tan grande..."

Dice Cliff, hablando consigo mismo.

Finalmente me di cuenta de lo que nos rodeaba.

Estamos encima de un círculo mágico gigante.

Tal vez de 10 metros de radio.

Tallado directamente en un suelo de mármol, con agua brotando de todas partes.

Una débil luz brilla sobre el agua. Debe ser algún tipo de magia.

Dejando el agua de lado, he visto estas luces antes, es exactamente la misma que cuando fui teletransportado al Continente Begaritto.

En otras palabras, es otro tipo de Círculo Mágico de Teletransportacion.

Este bastón y ese círculo mágico en el agua. Parece que la magia de teletransportacion requiere de todo tipo de preparaciones.

"Wow..."

Robando mi atención, muy por detrás del círculo mágico...

Se encuentra un castillo gigantesco.

Más alto que un rascacielos de 50 pisos.

Amplio pero no desgarbado, sino grande y robusto.

Parece la imagen de fondo de una película.

Incluso con la memoria de mi vida pasada, no puedo recordar un edificio de este tamaño.

La altura del castillo es similar a la Cúpula de Tokio.

¿Este es el castillo del cielo?

Aunque lo había visto desde el suelo... no había imaginado que fuera tan grande.

No, eso es lógico, teniendo en cuenta la distancia.

"¡Increíble, es aún más grande que el palacio de Asura!"

Al oír la voz de Sylphy, miré hacia abajo.

Frente al castillo hay un jardín igualmente enorme.

Hay árboles de todo tipo y flores de todos los colores plantados por todas partes como si fuera un laberinto.

Antes de llegar al jardín hay un pequeño río brillando bajo el sol.

Incluso desde lejos, es fácil ver lo bien cuidado que esta el jardín.

"L-Ludy... Mira hacia atrás."

"¿Oh?"

Doy la vuelta como pidió Sylphy.

Fuera del círculo mágico, detrás de una valla de oro...

Un mar de nubes se extiende en todas direcciones.

"Las nubes ..."

En mi vida pasada, en una ocasión viajé en avión durante la escuela primaria.

Lo que tenemos ante nosotros se parece a eso.

Pero verlo con mis propios ojos, sin una ventana de por medio, es una novedad para mí también.

¿Por qué mirar las nubes desde arriba es una experiencia tan conmovedora?

Esta debe ser la razón por la que los alpinistas escalan montañas.

"..."

Cliff y Luke se quedaron atónitos, sus bocas abiertas de oreja a oreja.

Ariel también, con los ojos completamente abiertos, miraba hacia el extenso cielo.

Es un paisaje que quita el aliento.

No se puede evitar.

No hay aviones en este mundo, tampoco existe el concepto de escalar montañas.

No hay posibilidad de volver a experimentar una escena como esta.

De repente, Sylphy me agarra el borde de la ropa.

"Uf ... no me llevo bien con los lugares altos."

Al mirar hacia abajo, veo que las piernas de Sylphy están temblando.

Si ya sabes eso, ¿por qué viniste en el primer lugar?

Bueno, si ella no puede caminar, entonces yo puedo llevarla en mis brazos.

"Este es el Castillo del Cielo “Chaos Breaker”, ¿todo el mundo está disfrutando de la vista?"

De repente, una voz desconocida sonó detrás de nosotros.

Miro hacia atrás a toda prisa, una figura femenina está ante nosotros.

Tan quieta como una estatua, justo fuera del círculo mágico.

Su pelo dorado casi blanco cae como cortinas sobre sus hombros, y sobre su rostro llevaba una máscara blanca con forma de pájaro.

No se puede estar seguro de si ella es humana o no, pero su figura se ve femenina.

Ella lleva un vestido blanco y sostiene un báculo mágico.

El báculo tiene una piedra mágica opaca y oscura.

Sin lugar a dudas, es un báculo particularmente caro.

En mi opinión, no todo se trata de dinero, pero eso es definitivamente algo caro.

Aún más caro que mi propio báculo.

Lo que es excepcional en ella no es su vestido o el báculo.

Sino lo que hay detrás de ella.

Sorprendentemente, de su espalda crecen un par de alas completamente negras.

"¿Raza Celestial...?"

Ese par de alas tienen una presencia abrumadora.

A pesar de ello, su aura es extrañamente tranquila, ocultando su presencia.

Una mujer que da una sensación extraña.

Ella inclina rápidamente la cabeza en cuanto intercambiamos una mirada.

"Todo el mundo, es un honor tenerlos de visita."

Qué buenos modales.

Incluso con lo ignorante que soy en cuanto a etiqueta, puedo notar que sus movimientos está muy bien practicados.

"Yo soy el primer Familiar de Pelagius-sama, Sylvaril del Vacío. Por favor, permitanme guiarlos hacia el Castillo del Cielo “Chaos Breaker”."

"Soy el Caballero Guardián de la Segunda Princesa del Reino de Asura, Luke Notos Greyrat, a su servicio. Es un honor estar en su presencia. Voy a estar bajo su cuidado."

Luke devolvió el saludo.

Él está delante de Ariel, con una sonrisa suave hacia la mujer llamada Sylvaril.

Sylvaril no es particularmente alta o baja, pero ella todavía debe estar dentro de su rango de seducción.

No no.

Eso no es lo que quiere decir, esto es sólo por cortesía.

"Esta es la Segunda Princesa del Reino de Asura, Ariel Anemoi Asura."

Con la introducción de Luke, tomando el borde de su falda, Ariel hizo una reverencia.

Ese también es un movimiento practicado.

No es algo que yo pueda aprender.

Después, cada uno de nosotros hizo su propia introducción.

Cliff y Zanoba también hicieron sus saludos con gracia.

Tal vez entre la gente de aquí, apenas tengo un mínimo conocimiento de etiqueta.

"Oh, todo el mundo, es un honor."

Aunque sus pensamientos son opacos, sus acciones han sido amables con nosotros.

Por último, Nanahoshi le respondió casualmente.

"Ha pasado un tiempo, Sylvaril-san."

"Em, usted también, Nanahoshi-sama ... ¿se siente bien?"

"Sólo una ligera molestia."

Es sólo una breve conversación entre ellas.

Pero parecen relajadas, por lo que probablemente esta bien.

"Entonces, por aquí por favor."

Sylvaril se da vuelta y comienza a caminar hacia adelante, sin hacer ruido.

Su cabeza casi no oscila. Con sus piernas cubiertas por el vestido, ella se mueve como un fantasma.

Nanahoshi la sigue sin ninguna preocupación.

Intercambiamos una mirada y la seguimos.

=== 4ª Parte ===

Sylvaril avanza directamente a través del jardín pasando por un enorme conjunto de puertas.

En lugar de puertas, son más como los Arcos Triunfales.

De pie frente a ellos, Zanoba dice con un asombro silencioso.

"Wow, qué vista tan increíble."

Aunque el es desinteresado en todo lo que no sean muñecas, Zanoba aún reconoce el arte cuando lo ve. Tal vez tienen algunas cosas en común.

No se si estos grabados son buenos o malos. Pero si Zanoba lo dice, entonces debe ser bastante excepcional.

Después de todo, algo que no es una figura logró quitarle el aliento.

Prestando más atención ahora que él lo mencionó, ciertamente son muy hermosas.

Mirando el Arco Triunfal, veo que incluso el interior está cubierto con un intrincado relieve.

No importa qué, con todos estos patrones delicados, no se puede dejar de mirar hacia arriba.

Mientras camino admirando lo que me rodea, escucho a Sylvaril explicando desde el frente.

"Este arco fue hecho a mano por Maxwell, el Rey Dragón Oscuro. Maxwell-sama se especializa en este tipo de artesanía y construcción mágica. Su trabajo existente también está disponible en el palacio del Reino Sagrado de Milis-"

"¡Ohhhhhh!"

[[File:Mushoku14 04.jpg|500px]]

Zanoba grita repentinamente.

Sylvaril se da la vuelta con confusión.

"¿Hay algún problema?"

"¡B-bien! ¿Dónde está Maxwell-sama actualmente?"

Zanoba mira con entusiasmo a una esquina particular. Está temblando.

¿Que hay allí?

Pero realmente no tengo ni idea de qué está mirando.

"Maxwell-sama, el Rey Dragón Oscuro, vaga por el mundo. Si todavía está vivo, probablemente todavía este vagando en alguna parte."

"Ya-ya veo, es una persona increíble... sin embargo, todavía..."

Zanoba no puede contener su emoción.

Bueno, Zanoba nunca ha podido contener su emoción.

"¿Podemos continuar?"

"Oh, oh sí. Lo siento mucho. Era demasiado hermoso como para dejarlo pasar."

"¿Es así? Una vez que usted entre en el castillo, podrá ver un montón de obras magnificas. Estaremos encantados de satisfacer sus exigencias."

Finalizando en un tono suave, Sylvaril continua avanzando.

Ella probablemente esta sonriendo bajo esa máscara.

Al mismo tiempo, Zanoba se precipita sobre mí.

Acercando su boca a mi oído pregunta en voz baja.

"Shisho, ¿lo viste?"

"¿Eh?"

"¡Es un enorme descubrimiento! Que suerte que vinimos. Realmente necesito agradecer adecuadamente a Nanahoshi por esto."

¿Un gran descubrimiento?

Parece que Zanoba y yo prestamos atención a cosas diferentes.

"Lo siento. No entiendo que has descubierto. ¿Puedes explicármelo adecuadamente cuando tengamos tiempo?"

Zanoba se ve visiblemente decepcionado al oír eso de mí.

"¿Qué? ¿Shisho no se dio cuenta?"

Zanoba retrocedió unos pocos pasos.

¡Lo siento! Yo no soy tan bueno como tú cuando se trata de valorar estas cosas.

"¿Mm?"

Al pasar la puerta, me di cuenta de algunas partículas blancas procedentes de Sylphy delante de mí.

"¿Eh?"

Sylvaril se detiene, dándose la vuelta nos mira a Sylphy y a mi.

Aunque esta escondida detrás de su máscara, puedo sentir el abrupto cambio de estado de ánimo.

Más bien, a lo mejor es por nuestra causa.

"¿Hay algún problema?"

Le pregunto vacilantemente a Sylvaril.

La última vez, Arumanfi me ataco repentinamente.

No quiero que eso suceda de nuevo.

De ser posible, espero que podamos hablar claramente y evitemos un malentendido.

Incluso si no es así y realmente sucede algo malo, al menos deberíamos retirarnos tan pronto como sea posible.

Aunque tengo algunas preguntas para Pelagius, prefiero ir a casa antes de meterme en una pelea.

"No. No es nada en particular. Hay un buen número de personas como ustedes en la tierra."

"¿Es así?"

¿Qué quiere decir por gente como nosotros?

Me pone nervioso.

No me digas que estaremos atrapados en cuanto entremos en el castillo.

Debo mantener abierto mi ojo demoníaco.

"Sin embargo, ¿podría preguntar algo a ustedes dos?"

"Adelante."

"Hitogami, ¿han oído ese nombre antes?"

Traté de no reaccionar.

Hitogami.

Al escucharla, me acorde de Orsted.

La última vez, Orsted hizo la misma pregunta. Cuando respondí, casi me mata.

No quiero que eso suceda de nuevo.

Dudé.

Si respondo con sinceridad, posiblemente ella reaccione con hostilidad.

De hecho, Hitogami ha estado jugando conmigo en la palma de sus manos, y también me ha ayudado.

Nunca planeé ser su subordinado, pero me doy cuenta de que me estoy convirtiendo en algo parecido.

"No, para nada."

Sylphy niega con la cabeza mientras yo dudo.

"Entonces, al oír ese nombre, ¿siente una rabia indescriptible o intención asesina?"

Sylphy niega con la cabeza en silencio.

Yo también.

Pero entiendo el motivo de esa pregunta.

Orsted da ese tipo de sentimiento.

Si sabe estas cosas, ¿quizás Orsted y Pelagius son rivales?

No estoy seguro.

"En ese caso, todo está bien."

Con eso dicho, Sylvaril empieza a caminar de nuevo.

=== 5ª Parte ===

El Castillo del Cielo “Chaos Breaker”.

A pesar de su nombre, la única palabra que puede describirlo adecuadamente es impresionante.

No puedo imaginar cómo se construyó esta enorme estructura.

Sin embargo, a pesar de su tamaño, cada rincón ha sido decorado con estatuas exquisitas, y cada estatua fue hecha meticulosamente por maestros artesanos.

No sólo el exterior.

El interior está cubierto por alfombras bordadas de oro, pinturas cubren las paredes, y cada rincón está decorado con obras de arte y esculturas caras.

Zanoba habla sin parar, mirando esto y lo otro, “Esta escultura es, obviamente, de la escuela de Ganon. ¿Habrá sido creada por el propio maestro?” “¿La estatua original de Jinete? ¡Qué honor ser capaz de verla en persona!” Se ve realmente feliz.

Originalmente Sylvaril y Ariel responderían, pero pronto se cansaron y simplemente sonreían con cansancio.

Por lo general hay una segunda persona causando molestia.

Sin embargo, cuando miro a Cliff, se ve dolorosamente tenso.

Sus ojos están abiertos, pero él mantiene la boca cerrada, a menos que se le pregunte algo directamente.

Elinalise camina a su lado, sosteniendo su mano como una madre manteniendolo junto a nosotros.

Bueno, esto está muy bien. Si esos dos empiezan a charlar seria bastante ruidoso.

"La sala de audiencias está delante de nosotros."

Al final del pasillo, Sylvaril se detiene ante una puerta.

Es una pesada puerta, salpicada de plata, con un dragón pintado en cada lado.

Con todo, tardamos casi una hora en llegar desde el círculo mágico.

Un lugar tan grande también es una especie de molestia.

Un atajo estaría bien.

"Aunque Pelagius es generoso, por favor compórtense adecuadamente."

Una vez dicho esto, Sylvaril coloco una mano en la puerta.

¿No va a tocar?

"¡Disculpe, pero todavía llevamos nuestra ropa de viaje! ¿No sería inapropiado?"

Pide Ariel a toda prisa.

Ahora que lo menciona, ¿en estas situaciones no se suele llevar a los invitados a la sala de recepción primero?

Así uno se viste con una ropa formal adecuada, y se prepara antes de los saludos iniciales.

Recuerdo que hice eso cuando conocí al rey de Shirone.

Pero yo no tengo ninguna ropa forma ni nada semejante, así que terminé usando mis viejas ropas raídas, como de costumbre.

Oh, no, nunca pensé acerca de esto.

Debería haber comprado ropa formal.

"Pelagius-sama no se preocupa por el código de vestimenta. Más bien, él realmente no le gustan las formalidades en cuanto a la moda del Reino de Asura. En mi opinión, en lugar de cambiar de ropa, usa lo que tienes puesta, y lograras dejar una mejor impresión en el maestro ".

Al oír eso, Ariel cerró la boca.

Tal vez algo sucedió en ese entonces.

Quizás la razón por la que Pelagius se retiro al Castillo del Cielo es porque fue intimidado por el rey de Asura o algo así.

"Bueno, ¿podemos al menos dejar a un lado nuestros abrigos y equipaje?"

"Entiendo, por favor venga por aquí."

Al escuchar lo que equivalía a una suplica de Ariel, Sylvaril asintió.

Caminando unos pasos lejos de la gran puerta, abrió una habitación a un lado.

Tiene aproximadamente el tamaño de mi dormitorio.

En comparación con el resto del castillo es relativamente pequeña y sencilla, pero incluso la mesa, armario, y bastidores de ropa son artículos de alta calidad.

"Muchas gracias."

"Pelagius-sama está esperando. Por favor, date prisa."

Con eso dicho, Sylvaril cerró la puerta.

Tras confirmarlo, Ariel se quito el abrigo.

Luke de inmediato se acercó a ella, y Sylphy saco un cepillo y comenzó a peinar el cabello de Ariel.

Al mismo tiempo, Zanoba se quitó su abrigo y se puso uno nuevo.

Elinalise se encargo ella misma de revisar el pelo y la ropa de Cliff.

Sacudo mi equipo y enderezo mi camisa.

Nada formal... Lo que importa no es el desgaste, es la sinceridad.

Usar ropa casual no significa que sólo podemos usar lo que sea.

Por cierto, Nanahoshi no está haciendo nada.

A lo sumo se enderezó su flequillo.

Por cierto, hoy también está usando el uniforme.

¿Ella realmente odio tanto la ropa de este mundo?

"Todo listo."

Finalmente Sylphy se quito sus gafas de sol. Todo el mundo está listo para ir.

Aun así, no han pasado más de 10 minutos.

A pesar de eso, Ariel se ve casi como una persona diferente.

Ella tiene cojinetes, para empezar, pero ahora ella sólo exuda elegancia.

Tal vez como realeza, ha pasado mucho tiempo perfeccionando las técnicas para volverse hermosa.

"Perdón por la espera."

"Oh. Por aquí."

Sylvaril recibe la señal desde el exterior.

Como si nada hubiera pasado, ella se dirige de nuevo a la puerta anterior.

Puertas gigantes pintadas con dragones.

Detrás de ella espera Pelagius.

Al darme cuenta de eso, me empiezo a sentir nervioso.

"Uf ..."

Antes de que las puertas se abrieran, oí a Ariel tomar una respiración profunda.

== Capítulo 145 - Audiencia con Pelagius ==

=== 1ª Parte ===

Sentado en el trono, hay un hombre con una presencia abrumadoramente opresiva.

Reluciente pelo blanco.

Ojos Sanpaku con pupilas doradas.

Nobleza irradia de todo su cuerpo.

Un rey.

Él es Pelagius, el Rey Dragón Blindado.

Con una sola mirada mis piernas empiezan a temblar.

Sé cual es la razón.

Es porque este hombre se parece a Orsted.

Nunca podre olvidarlo.

Al hombre de pelo blanco que me mató.

Ya sea el pelo, los rasgos faciales, o la manera de vestir, Pelagius y el son diferentes.

Pero el da la misma sensación.

La misma que Orsted.

"Acérquense."

Instada por Sylvaril, Nanahoshi avanza algunos pasos.

Imitandola, Ariel la sigue de cerca.

Avanzo como si tratara de ocultarme detrás de ellos.

Estamos en una enorme sala.

Techos altos, sostenidos por pilares con forma de árbol.

Mirando hacia arriba, la luz irradia hacia abajo desde el cielo.

Lujoso, brillante.

Además, de las paredes cuelgan cortinas con patrones complejos.

Productos provenientes desde Asura hasta Milis, desde el común a lo nunca antes visto, un poco de todo.

A cada lado de la alfombra roja bajo nuestros pies, 11 hombres y mujeres están de pie mirándonos atentamente.

"..."

Todos están vestidos de blanco.

Cada uno tiene diseño diferente, pero todos del mismo color.

Todo blanco.

Luego están las máscaras.

Todo el mundo está usando máscaras.

Ninguna de sus máscaras son iguales.

Algunas tienen forma de animales.

Uno parece que le falta un ojo, así que la máscara cubre sólo el ojo.

Otro parece el casco de Robocop, como si estuviera hecha de un mismo molde.

Deben ser los famosos 12 Familiares de Pelagius.

A pesar de ser Familiares, todos se ven humanoides.

Hace mucho tiempo, Arumanfi y Ghyslaine lucharon hasta llegar a un punto muerto.

En otras palabras, ellos doce, incluyendo a Sylvaril, tienen un poder igual al de un Rey del Filo.

Sinceramente, no quiero enemistarme con estas personas.

Realmente tengo que tener cuidado con lo que digo a partir de ahora.

"Deténgase aquí."

Al escuchar a Sylvaril, Nanahoshi se detiene.

"..."

A sólo diez pasos del trono, dos niveles por encima de nosotros.

Pelagius nos observa sin decir una palabra.

Más bien, observándome.

Puedo sentir su línea de visión.

Aterrador.

Sylvaril camina lentamente junto a Pelagius, hasta pararse a su derecha.

Sylvaril a la derecha, Arumanfi a su izquierda.

Entonces, como si nos rodearan, 5 en cada lado.

Poco a poco, Pelagius habla.

"Soy el Rey Dragón Blindado, Perugius Dola."

¡Capitán Dola!

No no.

Nada que ver con el castillo en el cielo.

"Cuánto tiempo sin vernos, Pelagius-sama. Según lo prometido, he vuelto."

Nanahoshi se inclino.

Que inusual oírla hablar con honoríficos.

[[File:Mushoku14 02.jpg|500px]]

De repente me doy cuenta de que Ariel también está inclinada.

Luke y Sylphy se inclinaron con una rodilla en el piso.

Dudando brevemente, me inclino como suelo hacer.

Usando el ojigi japonés.

"Nanahoshi."

La voz de Pelagius envía un escalofrío por mi espalda.

Esa voz está llena de majestad y opresión.

Me siento como un animal de presa, congelado de terror, mi corazón se acelera y mi respiración se vuelve difícil.

Sudor frío comienza a correr por mi cuerpo.

Aterrador.

En verdad es la sensación de un rey.

"Has regresado. En otras palabras, has encontrado una pista sobre cómo llevar a cabo una invocación de otro mundo."

"Sí. Sin embargo, no sé si los resultados se ajustan a tus expectativas."

"Resultados... La búsqueda del conocimiento es el destino de la Raza Dragón."

Raza Dragón, así que se trata de la Raza Dragón.

No lo he notado hasta ahora, pero eso tiene sentido.

Dios Dragón y Rey Dragón Blindado.

Ninguno de los dos son humanos, sino de la Raza Dragón.

Ellos se parecen porque son de la misma raza.

Nanahoshi responde a Pelagius sin dudarlo.

Pelagius no parece contener ninguna animosidad contra Nanahoshi.

Una amistad cortés.

Él vive aislado en un castillo, pero supongo que no es paranoico.

"Espero que como se había prometido, me enseñes tus conocimientos de magia de invocación de este mundo."

"Em, eso está bien."

Parece que Nanahoshi y Pelagius tienen un trato.

Nanahoshi investigará invocación de otro mundo, y compartirá los resultados con Pelagius.

Y a cambio, Pelagius le enseñara la esencia detrás de la magia de invocación de este mundo.

O algo así.

"Hablando de eso, has traído un grupo bastante grande. ¿Por qué?"

"Sí. Ellos me ayudaron en mi investigación. Como recompensa, deseaban conocer a Pelagius-sama."

"Oh."

Pelagius suelta un suspiro de aburrimiento.

Llamarlo una recompensa se sintió un poco inapropiado, pero no es una mentira.

"Encantado de conocerlo."

Ariel se adelanta.

"Soy Ariel Anemoi Asura, Segunda Princesa del Reino de Asura. Es un honor conocerlo por fin en persona, su majestad."

"Ariel Anemoi Asura, ¿eh?"

"Encantada de conocerlo".

Pelagius suspira ruidosamente.

"Estoy al tanto. Negándote a admitir la derrota tras perder esa desagradable batalla por el trono de Asura, llegando al extremo de tratar de conseguir que todos a tu alrededor se involucren en ese desastre, eres esa princesa estúpida."

Luke levanta la cabeza.

Pero, Ariel parece inquebrantable.

"Eso es un poco duro."

Como era de esperar de Ariel.

Con una sonrisa suave, mantiene contacto visual con Pelagius.

"¿Al venir aquí, quieres saber si te voy a dar una mano?"

"No, yo sólo quiero conocer al famoso héroe en persona."

"Su esquema es obvio, Ariel Anemoi Asura."

Como siempre, la voz de Ariel está llena de carisma.

Pero al mirar de cerca, ella no se ve tan bien. Sudor frío corre por su rostro. Al exponer su plan, y dejar una mala impresión, su ritmo ha sido alterado.

Al ver a Ariel en ese estado, Pelagius sonríe un poco.

Una sonrisa para un niño malcriado.

"Sin embargo, que estés aquí puede que sea una señal del destino. Aprovecha la oportunidad. Permitiré que te quedes en mi castillo."

"Mu-muchas gracias."

Ariel se inclina y da un paso atrás.

Su ansiedad disminuyó, pero no desapareció por completo.

=== 2ª Parte ===

"Siguente, ¿y tú?"

Pelagius vuelve su atención a mí después de que Ariel diera un paso atrás.

Como si mi estado fuera superado sólo por Ariel.

Pensando en eso, eche un vistazo detrás de mí.

Zanoba, Cliff, y Elinalise.

Todos estan de rodillas en el suelo.

Sólo Nanahoshi, Ariel, y yo estamos de pie.

No es de extrañar que me este mirando a mí.

Puse una mano sobre mi pecho, y una vez más, me incline.

"Mucho gusto, soy Ludeus Greyrat."

"Ludeus Greyrat."

Pelagius recita mi nombre, masticando las palabras.

"Transportarte aquí tomó un poco de esfuerzo."

"...?"

"Para empezar, la magia de teletransporte no se supone que funcione en cualquier persona con más magia que el ejecutor."

Pelagius explica con tristeza.

"Tu magia coincide con la de Laplace. Si realmente te resistes, no puedo teletransportarte."

"Siendo así, discúlpeme por causar problemas."

Laplace.

Es el nombre del Dios Demonio que fue sellado por Pelagius hace 400 años.

Todo el mundo menciona ese nombre al evaluar mi poder mágico.

Supongo que es cierto.

"No importa. Sin embargo, con tanto poder en tus manos, ni siquiera pienses en usarlo dentro de este castillo."

"Seguro."

Eso se siente como un disparo de advertencia.

No, él debe darme una advertencia, por si me vuelvo un berserker.

¿Pero, por qué?

¿Por qué tan atento hacia mí?

Nunca he sido del tipo de volverse violento sin razón. Yo jamas me volvería berserker.

... Ah, ¿todavía lo recuerda?

Que durante el evento de metástasis, Arumanfi trato de matarme.

¿Está preocupado de que todavía le guarde rencor por eso?

Así que por eso. En otras palabras, él quiere que lo olvide.

"Si se trata del Evento de Metástasis, no estoy molesto. So-"

"¿Evento de Metástasis? ¿Qué quieres decir?"

Pelagius inclino su mano con confusión. Arumanfi se teletransporto de repente a su lado.

Entonces, le susurró algo al oído.

"Ah, ahora que lo dices, escuche que durante el evento de metástasis, cierto Rey del Filo protegió a un joven que estaba lanzando magia hacia el cielo. ¿Ese eras tu?"

Así que ya lo olvidó.

¿Estoy cavando mi propia tumba?

Como dije, realmente no estoy preocupado por eso.

Pero, yo no hice nada para ofenderlo.

¿Esta bien?

"También escuche que alguien dañó la mano de Orsted, alguien con el nombre de Ludeus Greyrat."

Incluso sabe de eso.

No es como si realmente llegue a lastimarlo, fue apenas un rasguño.

Si él lo sabe, ¿significa que Orsted y Pelagius se conocen? ¿O escucho de el por Nanahoshi?

No, espera, Nanahoshi probablemente conoció al dueño de este castillo a través de Orsted.

"Las personas con tu talento tienden a crecer demasiado confiados. No te vuelvas arrogante sólo porque te las arreglaste para lastimar al Dios Dragón. Porque, si quieres un duelo conmigo, ¡entonces prepárate a morir!"

Tan pronto como termino, un aura asesina empezó a brotar de Pelagius.

Oh, vamos.

Estoy un poco preocupado por el ambiente amenazante que se ha formado.

Vine aquí para buscar información sobre la enfermedad de mi madre. Y con un poco de suerte, tal vez aprender un poco de magia de invocación.

A pesar de eso, ¿por qué está tan vigilante conmigo?

... ¿Cree que de alguna manera luche contra Orsted hasta llegar a un punto muerto?

Me estás tomando el pelo.

Fue una masacre unilateral. Apenas logre asestar un golpe.

Ademas, con los 12 familiares presentes...

Aunque sólo se lo que esta escrito en los libros, aún me acuerdo de cada una de sus capacidades.

Pero leer sobre alguien es diferente de luchar contra el.

Además, la superioridad numérica es importante en una pelea.

Incluso contra zombies que mueren de un solo golpe, no hay manera de lidiar con ellos si hay demasiados.

Y estos son personas que están a la par de Ghyslaine.

¿Y quién sabe lo fuerte que es Pelagius? probablemente no es para nada débil.

Si luchamos, soy hombre muerto.

En resumen, no tengo ninguna razón para luchar.

"Por supuesto, yo no haría algo tan estúpido como desafiar a Pelagius-sama."

"Buena actitud. Me gustan las personas inteligentes. Las aves del mismo plumaje vuelan juntas. Ponga unos cuantos niños inteligentes juntos, y pueden empujarse uno al otro hacia adelante."

En esta circunstancia, las personas inteligentes son las que no desafían a Pelagius, supongo.

No creo que yo sea particularmente inteligente, pero al menos sé eso.

"Pelagius-sama, este de aquí... con su enorme poder mágico contribuyó en gran medida a mi investigación. Él no es un enemigo. Así que, ¿podrías comportarte un poco mejor?"

Nanahoshi intervino.

Como era de esperar de Nanahoshi.

Ella esta en lo correcto.

No seas tan hostil, se más agradable.

"Um".

Pelagius asiente ante el consejo de Nanahoshi.

"Entonces voy a ser un poco más agradable. Camarada de Nanahoshi, ¿cuál es tu deseo? ¿Poder? ¿Dinero?"

Pregunta Pelagius, luciendo un poco aburrido.

Así que finalmente vas a tratarme como invitado.

¿Por qué eres tan duro con los huéspedes que ves por primera vez?

Aunque he sido un poco descuidado...

Bueno, olvídalo.

Debo recordar la razón por la que estoy aquí.

"Entonces, tengo una pregunta que hacerle."

"¿Qué es?"

"Acerca de la enfermedad de mi madre."

Empecé a explicar la situación de Zenith.

=== 3ª Parte ===

"Ya veo."

Después de explicar la situación de Zenith, Pelagius asintió pesadamente.

"De hecho he escuchado de estos fenómenos, laberintos antiguos utilizando a una persona capturada como su núcleo. Como resultado de ello, la persona comienza a cambiar. Sin excepción pierden su memoria, pero ganan un poder misterioso."

"¿Poder misterioso?"

"Algunos los llaman niños malditos, otros los llaman miko, ese tipo de poder."

Una maldición.

Zenith ha sido maldecida.

Una maldición que le impide llorar o reír.

"¿Por qué sucede eso?"

"¿Quién sabe? Supuestamente, los laberintos son criaturas mágicas creadas por los antiguos en su búsqueda del paraíso. Es posible distribuir uniformemente la magia de su núcleo a sus habitantes. Los que viven dentro de él están libres de hambre y pueden prosperar. Un antiguo laberinto capturando un ser humano con el fin de aumentar esa magia no es inconcebible ".

Un antiguo paraíso... libre del hambre.

Hablando de eso, hay monstruos por todas partes en el Laberinto de teletransportacion.

Especialmente aquellos particularmente glotones.

Me había estado preguntando que comen para sobrevivir, así que es por eso.

No, Roxy dijo que se murió de hambre en el interior del laberinto.

Así que en realidad no distribuye poder mágico a todos en el interior.

O tal vez, los monstruos tienen algún método para absorber la magia de la nada.

... Bueno, no importa que son los laberintos.

Lo importante es Zenith.

"¿Usted sabe de algún método para curar a mi madre?"

"No sé los detalles, pero..."

Pelagius mira detrás de mí mientras habla.

"Aquí hay una persona que sobrevivió a una circunstancia similar, pero se encuentra viva y saludable, ¿alguien como ella no debería saber más detalles?"

Pelagius mira hacia la chica de pelo dorado de la tribu de las orejas largas.

Elinalise levanta lentamente la cabeza.

"Elinalise Dragonroad. Recuerdo que hace 200 años yo personalmente te rescaté del Laberinto de Bau".

"Eso es cierto."

"La chica de orejas largas con perdida de memoria. Nos reunimos solo una vez. Ha pasado mucho tiempo, ¿lo has olvidado?"

"No, todavía recuerdo."

Elinalise me mira con arrepentimiento.

¿Qué está pasando?

¿Elinalise ha pasado por una experiencia similar?

¿Hace 200 años fue rescatada de un laberinto?

Espera, ¿qué está pasando?

"¿Por qué te callas? Acercate, ustedes dos se conocen, ¿verdad?"

"Eso es ..."

"Usted vivió una experiencia similar. Nadie conoce la situación mejor que tú."

Al escuchar a Pelagius, Elinalise se pone de pie nerviosamente.

Pero, finalmente, ella da una respuesta decidida.

"Nunca recupere mi memoria, pero tal vez Zenith pueda. Es por eso que no dije nada."

Su respuesta puede ser resuelta, pero su expresión es de sufrimiento.

Cliff tomó suavemente a Elinalise por los hombros.

"..."

En medio la confusión no puedo encontrar ninguna palabra que decir.

Me di cuenta de que había algo extraño con Elinalise.

Pero nunca me imaginé que tuviera un pasado así.

"Lo siento. Yo pensé en decírtelo. Pero recientemente Ludeus se veía tan feliz, y eso me hizo dudar sobre que hacer. La maldición de Zenith no parece amenazar su vida. Pensé que tal vez ella es una Miko, o quizás nada ..."

"... Por favor, dame los detalles mas tarde."

Eso es todo lo que puedo decir ante todas las excusas que Elinalise esta tratado de hacer.

"Entiendo."

No quiero culpar a Elinalise.

Aunque ella no me contó todo, ella ofreció algunas sugerencias para lidiar con la enfermedad de Zenith en el Continente Begaritto. En aquel entonces yo pensaba que sólo estaba bien informada y hablaba por experiencia.

Ella probablemente se preocupó mucho por esto.

Tal vez ella tiene razón, quizás Zenith es diferente y su memoria es recuperable.

Además, con el cuerpo de Paul recién enterrado, no hay ninguna razón para seguir acumulando miserias.

Ella no dijo nada porque estaba preocupada por mí.

Por lo menos, Zenith puede que este maldita. Espero que ella me diga todo lo que pueda más tarde.

=== 4ª Parte ===

"¿Algo más?"

"Eso es todo."

Niego con la cabeza ante la pregunta de Pelagius.

Sólo han pasado unos pocos minutos, pero ya estoy agotado.

Más bien, se siente como que hemos estado conversando durante horas.

Hay más cosas que quiero preguntarle.

Acerca de la magia de invocación, sobre la campaña de Laplace, sobre el evento de metástasis.

Pero ahora, con tanto en mi mente, siento como si mi cabeza fuera a explotar en cualquier momento.

Eso es todo por ahora.

"¿Alguien más? ¿Alguien quiere pedirme algo?"

"En ese caso, tengo una pregunta. ¿Puedo?"

Un hombre se levanto ante la pregunta de Pelagius.

Es Zanoba.

"¿Quien eres?"

"Mis disculpas. Soy el tercer príncipe del Reino de Shirone, Zanoba Shirone."

"¿Un príncipe? No me digas que también quieres mi apoyo para tomar el trono."

"No. Eso no me interesa en absoluto."

Con eso dicho, Zanoba saco una pequeña libreta.

En ella hay una cresta dibujada.

Una cresta que yo conozco.

Es la cresta descubrimos junto a la muñeca en mi sótano ...

¡Ah!

"Esta cresta se ve muy similar a la de Maxwell-sama, el Rey Dragón Oscuro, y a la del Rey Dragón Blindado Pelagius-sama. Más aún, parece la misma que la cresta de aquella pared. ¿Está familiarizado con ella?"

Sigo a la mirada de Zanoba a la cresta que cuelga de la pared.

Reconozco algunas de las crestas que cuelgan allí.

Una de esas crestas esta tallada en la piedra de poder. La cresta del Dios Dragón.

También vi una en las herramientas mágicas dentro de las ruinas del telepuerto oculto. Basado en el encantamiento que recité, esa debe ser la de Shilard, el Santo Dragón Emperador ¿no?

Y al lado de ella, se encontraba la misma cresta que sostenía Zanoba.

"La conozco. La que tienes ahí pertenece a Chaos, el Rey Dragón Loco".

"¡Ohh!"

¡Ohh!

Es por eso. ¿Eso es lo que Zanoba vio tallado en el arco?

No, esa era de Maxwell.

Probablemente noto la cresta y vio la similitud, e hizo la conexión entre todas ellas.

¡Como era de esperar de Zanoba!

Vaya, lo siento, me olvidé de decirle a Zanoba sobre la cresta de las ruinas de teletransportacion.

"E-entonces, ¿dónde está Chaos-sama, el Rey Dragón Loco actualmente?"

Dando un paso adelante, Zanoba no parecía capaz de contener su emoción.

Sin embargo, Pelagius solo negó con cabeza.

"Muerto. Murió hace varias decenas de años. No tengo idea si tiene un sucesor."

La libreta se deslizo de las manos de Zanoba.

Sus brazos cuelgan impotentes en sus lados.

"Así que él se ha ido..."

Al instante, Zanoba lucia 5 años mayor.

Bueno, él siempre se veía bastante viejo.

"Dime, ¿cómo encontraste esta cresta?"

Al ver a Zanoba así, Perlaius pregunto consideradamente.

Zanoba respondió, aun abatido.

"En la casa de mi Shisho. Estaba dibujada en una muñeca autónoma en una casa abandonada en la Ciudad Mágica de Sharia".

"Ya veo. Una muñeca autónoma."

Tras el asentimiento de Zanoba; Pelagius continuo.

"Esa muñeca, ¿es algo tan maravilloso?"

"¡Por supuesto que lo es! Tal intrincada artesanía, absolutamente fascinante, transmite plenamente el amor del fabricante hacia las muñecas. ¡Como entusiasta admirador de las muñecas, realmente admiro su filosofía!"

Al oír esas palabras, Pelagius entrecierra los ojos, riendo alegremente.

"Te ves como alguien que aprecia el arte. Bueno. En la sala del tesoro de este castillo tengo un montón de trabajo finos de Chaos. Voy a mostrártelas más tarde."

Palabras increíblemente suaves están saliendo de la misma persona que hablo antes conmigo.

¿Por qué? ¿Por qué tanta diferencia de trato?.

Bueno, no se puede evitar.

"Será un gran honor."

Al escuchar la respuesta de Pelagius, Zanoba sonríe brillantemente.

La otra persona también se ve feliz.

Supongo que a Pelagius realmente le agrada Zanoba.

Qué bien.

A mi también me gustaría ser apreciado.

=== 5ª Parte ===

"¿Alguien mas?"

"Em, yo... Hay una cosa que me gustaría preguntar."

Sylphy levanto la mano ante la pregunta de Pelagius.

Ella se inclino un poco tiesamente ante Pelagius.

"¿Y tu quien eres?"

"Soy la escolta de la Segunda Princesa del Reino de Asura Ariel-sama, esposa de Ludeus Greyrat, Sylphiette Greyrat."

En ese momento, Sylvaril susurro algo al oído Perugius '.

Pelagius gruño enfurruñado.

"Marido y mujer ..."

Tranquilos susurros.

Marido y mujer, ¿por qué esta molesto por eso?

Sylphy es buena con la magia, pero definitivamente no es comparable a la de Laplace.

Ah, no me digas, ¿se dio cuenta que ella desciende de la Raza Mágica?

"Antes de preguntar, respóndeme esto. ¿Ustedes dos tienen un hijo?"

Pelagius pregunta abruptamente.

Sylphy se ve preocupada.

"¿Eh? No, solamente una hija..."

"¿Es así?. Si ustedes tienen un hijo tráiganmelo, voy a concederle un nombre."

"O-oh... bien."

Pelagius sonríe levemente.

Súper aterrador.

¿Qué piensa hacer con Sylphy y mi hijo?

Llegando al extremo de darle un nombre.

Viniendo de una persona que vive en un lugar llamado Chaos Breaker...

"Ahora, ¿qué es lo que deseas saber?"

"Bueno, sobre el evento de Metástasis. ¿Quién es realmente el que estuvo detrás de todo eso?"

Sylphy hizo una pregunta en la que no he pasado desde hace mucho tiempo.

El Evento de Metástasis fue causado por invocar a Nanahoshi desde Japón.

Esos son los efectos secundarios de convocar a alguien de otro mundo.

Yo también fui transportado accidentalmente. Pero la suya fue una teletransportación directa, así que eso es probablemente lo que lo causó.

Podría ser un accidente también.

Alguien hizo algo, y como resultado convocó a Nanahoshi a este mundo.

Un accidente.

"Solo se esto con certeza. Originalmente yo sospechaba de Laplace o alguien asociado con él, sin embargo ..."

Perugius mira a Nanahoshi antes de continuar.

"Invocarla es imposible, incluso para mí. En ese caso, no debería ser posible para cualquier otra persona de este mundo."

"¿En otras palabras?"

"Sospecho que no fue algo hecho por el hombre. Simplemente es algo que sucedió por casualidad."

Exacto, un accidente.

No, tal vez existe alguien incluso mas poderoso que Pelagius en magia de invocación.

Alguien como Orsted.

Pero yo no sé si existe tal persona. Si lo menciono podría enojarse.

Voy a mantener mi boca cerrada.

No quiero volver a hacerlo enojar.

"Ah, ya veo. Muchas gracias."

Mientras sigo dudando, la conversación con Sylphy termino.

Pelagius asiente con la cabeza.

"¿Algo más?"

Nadie responde.

Elinalise baja la cabeza; Cliff esta demasiado rígido para moverse.

Ariel está a su lado, y Luke todavía esta arrodillado en el suelo.

"Ahora, tómense su tiempo y disfruten de mi orgullo y alegría, el Castillo del Cielo."

Con esas palabras, la audiencia con Pelagius terminó.

=== 6ª Parte ===

Después de eso, Sylvaril nos llevó a las habitaciones.

En la zona de invitados hay casi 20 habitaciones con la misma disposición.

Muebles de madera oscura y colchones de plumas.

Un gran y claro espejo de cuerpo entero.

Un estante con algún tipo de cerveza.

La única diferencia entre las habitaciones eran las piezas de arte que contenían.

Casi como un hotel.

Pero aún más lujoso que cualquier hotel del mundo.

En mi vida pasada, esto probablemente sería algo parecido a suites imperiales.

No, olvida la suite, nunca he estado en un Hotel Imperial.

"Un lugar tan grande con sólo 12 cuidadores..."

Las palabras de Ariel dejaron una gran impresión en mí.

Todo el lugar estaba impecable, pero también estéril.

No tanto espeluznante como solitario.

Es el tipo de soledad que se siente cuando se compra un segundo control de consola sin un amigo con quien jugar.

Pero teniendo en cuenta la forma de hablar de Pelagius, debe tener invitados de vez en cuando.

Tenemos tiempo libre después de instalarnos en nuestras habitaciones.

Zanoba y Ariel decidieron hacer turismo y partieron a toda prisa.

Por supuesto, Sylphy y Luke los acompañaron.

Por mi parte, decido quedarme en el cuarto.

“Phew..."

Estoy exhausto.

Sólo fue una hora, pero se sentía como si hubiéramos estado hablando todo el día.

No estaba de humor como para hacer turismo, así que un descanso sonaba tentador.

Con esto en mente, me quedé en la cama.

"Oh, que suave."

Tan suave que me sentía capaz de hundirme hasta el fondo de la cama de plumas.

¿Podría llevar uno a casa conmigo ...

Dejando la cama de lado.

Realmente debería pensar en lo que pasó hoy.

En primer lugar, esta lo de Elinalise ...

Todavía debe estar pensando en eso.

Tal vez debería ir y preguntarle.

... No, ella debe tener sus razones. Mejor no entrometerme en eso.

Ella también necesita un poco de tiempo para prepararse.

Un día, definitivamente voy a ir a preguntarle todos los detalles sobre estas maldiciones. Eso es todo.

La cuestión de la cresta fue sin duda una sorpresa.

Rey Dragón Oscuro, Rey Dragón Loco: son un montón de nombres nuevos.

Recuerdo que se llaman los "5 Guerreros Dragón."

La leyenda dice que ellos 5 una vez lucharon contra el Dios Dragón hasta llegar a un punto muerto.

Ellos realmente no pueden ser las mismas 5 personas de aquel entonces, ¿no?

Ya tienen que haber pasado un buen número de generaciones.

Pelagius, el Rey Dragón Blindado, Maxwell, el Rey Dragón Oscuro, Chaos, el Rey Dragón Loco.

Incluyendo al que aparece en el telepuerto, Shilard, el Santo Dragón Emperador.

Eso suma 4.

Recuerdo que había un Emperador Dragón y 4 Reyes Dragón.

Así que hay un Rey Dragón mas.

Hablando de eso, sólo vi 4 crestas como las del Dios Dragón en aquella pared.

¿Acaso Pelagius no tiene una buena relación con el último Rey Dragón?

Aún así, esa muñeca resultó ser aún más sorprendente.

Me preguntaba donde había visto esa cresta antes, resulta que es algo relacionado con esa gente dragón.

Todavía no sé en qué idioma está escrito...

Ah, bien, si Pelagius nos ayuda a traducirlo, sería un gran progreso en nuestra investigación.

Debería preguntarle si puede darle un vistazo.

Pero no parece que yo le agrede mucho, o más bien, esta bastante atento a lo que hago, tal vez sea mejor que Zanoba se lo pida.

Zanoba y Pelagius parecen congeniar muy bien gracias a ese mutuo interés por arte.

Entonces, si la cresta del Rey Dragón Loco fue encontrada en mi sótano, entonces el Rey Dragón Loco solía vivir allí hace años.

Eso significa que, en esa casa, el Rey Dragón Loco se encerraba en el sótano y jugaba con muñecas.

A pesar de que él es el Rey Dragón Loco.

¿Dónde reside su locura?

Después de todo, jugar con muñecas es un poco tonto.

Pero, si es alguien como Zanoba, en cierto modo los dos son un poco locos.

Así que Chaos, el Rey Dragón Loco también le gustan cosas como las muñecas.

De todas formas, a pesar de que he venido aquí para aprender magia de Invocación, con esta distracción en medio podría ser imposible aprender algo.

Pelagius parece muy antagónico hacia mí.

En ese caso, si le pregunto probablemente diga algo como “¿Tienes planes de usar esa magia para convocar a Laplace?”

... ¿Seria posible?

Pelagius dijo que la magia de invocación no funciona en personas con un gran poder mágico.

Mi poder aparentemente coincide con Laplace, por lo que podría ser posible.

Resucitar al Dios Demonio en un altar subterráneo suena espeluznante.

No, no voy a hacer algo así.

Pero si eso es posible, entonces él tiene razón en permanecer vigilante.

"En cualquier caso, esto es lo suficientemente bueno."

A pesar de que me odia, no me echo ni me grito.

Por ahora, eso me tranquiliza un poco.

Aunque no es perfecto, es lo suficientemente bueno.

Hablar es todo lo que puedo hacer.

Pensando en varias cosas, finalizo el primer día en el castillo del cielo.

== Capítulo 146 - El pasado, la Maldición, la Invocación y la Envidia ==

=== 1ª Parte ===

Había una vez una chica que fue rescatada de de un laberinto hace unos 200 años.

Sin embargo, esa chica perdió todos sus recuerdos y emociones.

No era posible saber su identidad, pero gracias a su aspecto se pudo determinar su raza.

Por lo tanto, esa chica se fue a vivir a un pueblo con su gente.

Los pobladores le dieron una alegre bienvenida a la joven.

Esa chica nunca recuperó sus recuerdos.

Pero unos años más tarde, las emociones volvieron a ella.

Al poco tiempo, esa chica brillante y alegre se enamoró de un muchacho del pueblo, y se convirtieron en amantes.

Enseguida se casaron, pero entonces apareció un extraño problema.

Su apetito sexual creció y creció.

Cada noche ella lo ansiaba.

La raza a la que pertenecía la chica carece de un fuerte apetito sexual.

Es inferior que el de los goblins y humanos.

Debido a eso, el joven a menudo se sentía preocupado, pero aún así vivían una vida tranquila.

Poco después, el cuerpo de la chica comenzó a cambiar.

A partir de su primera vez con su pareja, una vez al mes, daba a luz algo.

Un cristal mágico.

Un pequeño y redondo cristal mágico.

Ese cristal contenía gran poder mágico y se podía vender por un precio alto.

Lo discutió con su marido.

A pesar de que se sintió un poco incómodo, él lo aceptó.

Poco después, el muchacho vendió los cristales mágicos en la ciudad.

La enorme cantidad de dinero lo cegó... Pero no fue su culpa, por lo que no hay que culpar al joven.

Ellos no eran particularmente ricos, y la chica no trabajaba.

Por lo menos, el muchacho no trataba a esa chica como una gallina de huevos de oro.

Ellos vivieron felices juntos.

Hasta que algo sucedió 5 años más tarde.

El joven murió.

Fue asesinado.

Al cargar con objetos de valor de manera regular, fue marcado por bandidos humanos, y fue atacado, perdiendo su vida y su dinero.

El joven murió, y esa chica quedó viuda.

Diez días después de su muerte.

La chica perdió el control de sí misma y atacó a otro joven en la aldea.

Sabía que no debía, sin embargo lo hizo.

Pero la victima realmente no estaba molesta, por lo que no se le dio mucha importancia al asunto.

Diez días pasaron.

Esa chica atacó a otro chico.

Pasaron otros diez días, y luego ataco a otro.

Esa chica se volvió salvaje, sus acciones quedaron expuestas, y finalmente fue capturada por las otras chicas de la aldea.

Así que fue expulsada de la aldea.

A partir de entonces, vivió como una prostituta, una esclava, y, finalmente, como una aventurera, y hasta el día de hoy ella sigue vagando por el mundo.

=== 2ª Parte ===

Escuchar la historia de Elinalise fue lo primero que hice esta mañana.

"... Esa es más o menos la historia de mi vida."

"Realmente no necesito tantos detalles..."

Honestamente, me siento bastante molesto a causa de esa historia.

Lo que realmente necesito es información acerca de las maldiciones.

Sin embargo, Elinalise siguió adelante y me lo contó todo.

"Lamento haber escondido esto de ti todo este tiempo."

"¿Entonces... Cliff sabe de esto?"

"Por supuesto, le conté todo antes de la boda."

"Entiendo...¿ y Sylphy?"

"Sylphy no lo sabe. ¿No es mejor que no sepa que su abuela fue una una prostituta?"

"Creo que a Sylphy no le importaría algo como eso..."

"Ludeus, por favor, espero que no mires a Sylphy de manera diferente después de escuchar estas cosas. Esa chica puede ser de mi sangre, pero ella es sólo una chica normal."

"Por supuesto que no lo haré."

Elinalise es Elinalise, Sylphy es Sylphy.

Aún así, con un pasado como el suyo, puedo entender por qué ella evito su papel de abuela.

La mayoría de la gente probablemente la miraría de forma diferente.

Lo pasado es pasado.

No hay que huir del pasado, pero con lo que se es suficiente.

"Bueno, en resumen, ¿cual es la maldición de la que hablas?"

"Los cristales mágicos dentro de mi cuerpo deben de ser fecundado por los hombres. Sin espermatozoides, la magia se expandirá hasta matarme. Se trata de algo así."

"¿Pero no pasó nada en los primeros años?"

"No estoy muy segura acerca de eso... Pero en aquel entonces aun no había comenzado a menstruar, así que puede que esa sea la causa."

"Menstruación..."

Así que esta relacionado con la menstruación. ¿Sus óvulos se convierten en cristales mágicos?

En ese caso, la maldición de Zenith es algo diferente.

Zenith ya tenía dos hijos.

Debería preguntarle a Lilia, pero Zenith debe tener unos 35 años mas o menos.

Aún así, al menos por ahora no ha pasado nada.

"¿Lograste recuperar tu memoria?"

"No, todavía no recuerdo nada."

"..."

Su memoria nunca regresó.

Entonces, posiblemente nunca sepamos quién es Elinalise en realidad.

Todavía es posible que de repente recupere sus recuerdos de golpe.

Pero después de 200 años, lo dudo.

"Bueno, Zenith es diferente de '''esa chica''' de aquel entonces. Por lo menos en este momento ella parece reconocer su carne y sangre. Tal vez sus recuerdos se pueden recuperar."

"Sería genial si ese es el caso."

No debo ser demasiado optimista.

Más bien, yo debería asumir lo peor y hacer planes para hacerle frente.

"¿Qué pasa con la maldición?"

"Por ahora, no hay síntomas como el mío."

"Correcto."

"Probablemente... tiene una maldición diferente."

"Correcto."

"Es altamente probable. ¿Tienes alguna idea?"

¿Ideas?

¿Pistas?

Bueno.

Tal vez, tal vez no.

No tengo ni idea de en que consiste la maldición.

"Nada."

"Ya veo. Sin embargo, debes ser cuidadoso."

Probablemente no sea algo que amenace su vida.

Pero como dijo Elinalise, podría haber algún disparador en alguna parte.

"En otras palabras, ¿todo lo que podemos hacer ahora es esperar y ver?"

"Sí."

No es demasiado optimista.

Con suerte, no pasará nada.

"Eso es todo lo que sé. Lo siento. Hay mucho de lo que no quería hablar, así que tarde bastante en contar estas cosas."

Elinalise se ve abatida al decir eso.

Sí, es un poco tarde.

Si se tratase de otra persona, le gritaría por no decir nada hasta ahora.

Pero puedo entender el deseo de ocultar un pasado oscuro.

Más bien, yo debería ser el que se disculpara por esconder mi vida pasada.

"No, obviamente es algo difícil de contar, sin embargo me lo dijiste de todos modos. Muchas gracias."

Le extiendo una mano a Elinalise.

Ella la sostuvo con fuerza.

"Entonces, voy a regresar con Cliff."

"Voy a descansar un rato, luego voy a reunirme con Nanahoshi."

"Ah, entonces nos vemos más tarde."

Elinalise salió de la habitación con esas palabras.

Al final, no hice mucho progreso con respecto a Zenith.

Aunque la posibilidad de que sea trate de una maldición es muy alta, al menos hasta ahora no ha pasado nada.

Por el momento solo puedo estar preparado, ya me preocupare de ello cuando los problemas se presenten.

=== 3ª Parte ===

Después del desayuno.

Me senté en una larga mesa en una habitación en el Castillo del Cielo.

Al lado mio están Nanahoshi y Cliff, y junto a él Zanoba.

Al otro lado se sienta Sylvaril del Vacío.

Con alas de color negro azabache, un subordinado de Pelagius.

"Bueno, vamos a empezar."

Nanahoshi había pedido a Pelagius que le enseñara magia de invocación.

Y gracias a Nanahoshi, nosotros también pudimos unirnos.

Dado que las clases comienzan a partir de los fundamentos, el profesor no es Pelagius.

Parece que tenemos que esperar hasta que llegue la hora de aprender la parte más avanzada antes de que haga acto de presencia.

En este momento, Pelagius probablemente este tomando el té con Ariel.

Aunque no sé por qué exactamente Ariel desea ganar el trono, creo que es bueno tener alguna meta.

Voy a apoyarla discretamente.

Después de todo, Sylphy es su amiga.

Aunque tienen diferentes estatus, si Sylphy y Ariel se ven como amigas, entonces lo son.

Oh, en este momento realmente debería prestar atención a las lecciones.

"Entonces, en primer lugar, ¿que creen que es la magia de invocación?"

Sylvaril del Vacío comienza la lección con una pregunta.

"La persona de ahí..."

"Cliff. Cliff Grimoire".

"Entonces, responde Cliff. ¿Qué es la invocación?"

Existen dos tipos de magia de invocación.

En primer lugar el encantamiento; que principalmente tiene que ver con la creación de herramientas mágicas.

En otras palabras, el arte de dibujar círculos mágicos.

Ese es el fuerte de Cliff y es una materia que se enseña en la Ciudad mágica de Sharia.

El segundo tipo es invocación.

Una manera de convocar algo de este mundo.

De las criaturas más simples a las más inteligentes, como gatos y perros.

Bestias mágicas domésticas y dóciles.

Criaturas mágicas de poca inteligencia como goblins y ents.

O llamar a los diversos espíritus que habitan en este mundo.

Ninguno de los maestros en la Ciudad Mágica de Sharia sabe esta magia, y sólo unos pocos de los miembros del Gremio Magico es versado en ella.

Tal vez un país desconocido ha monopolizado las técnicas. Básicamente, nadie lo enseña en la Ciudad Mágica.

Eso es todo lo que sé de ella.

Cliff probablemente esta en la misma situación y dio una respuesta similar.

"... Eso es incorrecto."

Sylvaril niega con la cabeza.

"De hecho, los círculos mágicos son indispensables para la magia de invocación. Pero el arte de los
círculos mágicos no pueden ser llamados correctamente magia de invocación."

"En otras palabras, ¿magia de invocación es el último de los dos tipos?"

Pregunto.

Esto me recuerda a cuando Roxy me enseñó magia.

"Sí. Es cierto que hay dos tipos de magia de invocación."

"Básicamente, encantamiento no es uno de ellos."

"Eso es correcto."

Sylvaril continúa la conferencia.

Pero no hay cuadernos ni pizarrón.

Estamos usando plumas para tomar notas.

Esto realmente se siente como una conferencia.

"La magia de invocación viene en dos formas, "Invocación de Bestias Mágicas" e "Invocación de Espíritus".

En algún lugar de este mundo existen espíritus, pero son bastante raros.

Yo sólo he visto el Espíritu de Luz de mi pergamino mágico.

"¿Cuál es la diferencia entre ellos?"

"La invocación de bestias mágicas es como usted piensa, puede invocar criaturas de diferentes lugares. Pero por un pacto antiguo no es posible convocar una persona. Además de eso, se puede convocar a cualquier ser vivo de este mundo."

Todos los seres vivos.

¿Incluso los dragones?

"¿Pacto Antiguo?"

"Un pacto transmitido desde la fundación de la magia de invocación en este mundo. No hay magia que pueda desafiar este pacto."

"Ya veo."

El hombre no puede romper el pacto.

... Pero, ¿es realmente posible?

Teleportar personas e invocar personas, ¿cuál es la diferencia?

Em, bueno. Por ahora vamos a centrarnos en los fundamentos

Una vez que lleguemos a eso pediré mas detalles.

"Lo siento, por favor continúe."

"Está bien. Con la Invocación de Bestias Mágicas, es imposible convocar cualquier existencia con mayor poder mágico. Incluso si se hace, no se puede controlar."

Ah, una vez leí una historia como esta.

El libro era “Técnicas Convocatorias de Shigu”.

Una bruja llamada Shigu convocó a una existencia que no podía controlar, y fue devorada.

Tengo suficiente magia para convocar cualquier cosa, pero eso no significa que tenga que hacerlo.

De hecho, no tengo planes para convocar algo aterrador.

Básicamente, ya tengo 3 mascotas en casa.

No tiene sentido llamar otro.

"Oye, ¿sólo se pueden convocar seres vivos?"

"Sí. No podemos invocar a los muertos."

"No, no es eso. Cosas como objetos... Por ejemplo, ¿puedo invocar ropa de mi casa?"

"Eso es imposible."

En otras palabras, las bragas de Roxy están fuera de cuestión.

No, espera.

Nanahoshi convocó con éxito una botella de PET.

Así que no es imposible.

Es más como que ese es el límite de la tecnología de este mundo.

Entonces Pelagius se reunió con Nanahoshi y confirmó sus resultados.

Así que es por eso que Pelagius y Nanahoshi terminaron trabajando juntos.

"¿Puedo continuar?"

"Ah, sí. Perdone la interrupción."

"No, las preguntas muestran que estás prestando atención."

Sylvaril asiente lentamente y continúa la conferencia.

"La Invocación de Espíritus... es una magia para construir espíritus."

"¿Construir? ¿Así que son creados?"

"Sí. El uso de la magia del invocación permite construir espíritus de varios atributos. Eso es Espíritu Invocado."

Oh.

En otras palabras, esos pergaminos que he estado utilizando.

Cuando yo los convoco, realmente estoy creando Espíritus de Luz por mí mismo.

"Los espíritus tienen poca inteligencia. Siguen todos los comandos del invocador hasta que su
magia se haya agotado."

"¿Pueden rechazar ordenes?"

"... Si el círculo mágico ha sido especialmente diseñado de esa manera, puede que sea posible."

Ohh.

Si lo hace uno mismo, puede ser lo que quieras que sea.

Así que es casi como una programación.

¿Eh?

Básicamente programación, ¿dónde he oído eso antes?

"Eso no tiene sentido."

Cliff suena insatisfecho.

"Eres Familiares de Pelagius-sama, y él te convoco hace más de 400 años, ¿no? Sin embargo, usted es inteligente y permanente. ¿No es eso raro?"

Oh, como se esperaba de Cliff, llego al corazón del asunto.

Sylvaril asiente con satisfacción.

"Sobre eso, permítanme explicarlo. El predecesor de Pelagius-sama, el Dragón Blindado-sama original, dejo atrás el método de convocar 11 espíritus antiguos de gran inteligencia y poder. Pero el tiempo de invocación de esos poderosos espíritus era de solo un día. Fue Pelagius- sama quien desarrolló una manera de hacer posible que existan mientras él este con vida ".

Suena como un motivo de orgullo para ella.

Familiares de un solo día de vida se convierten en perpetuos.

Movimiento perpetuo, no importa en qué este mundo es un logro increíble.

¿Eh?

¿11 espíritus antiguos?

"¿No querrás decir 12?"

"Cierto. Yo no soy uno de los espíritus de Pelagius-sama."

"¿No lo eres?"

"Correcto. Pelagius-sama me rescató durante la Campaña de Laplace. Desde entonces siempre lo he servido. Soy simplemente un miembro de la raza Celestial."

Raza Celestial.

Bueno, eso tiene sentido, ella tiene alas después de todo.

En comparación con el resto de sus subordinados, es la mas cercana a un confidente.

En realidad su amante... No, eso es imposible.

No todas las relaciones es sobre el amor.

"Entonces, ¿que vamos a estudiar?"

"Vamos a utilizar Invocación de Bestias Mágicas como base, pero Pelagius-sama cree que invocación de otro mundo está más relacionados con Invocación de Espíritus, así que vamos a tocar eso también."

¿Enseñar a los dos tipos?

Estoy deseando que llegue el momento.

Invocar bestias mágicas de todo el mundo y abrir un zoológico podría ser divertido.

"Entonces, si es posible, por favor enséñenos los detalles de la Invocación de Espíritus también."

"También estoy muy interesado en la Invocación de Espíritus."

Zanoba y Cliff parecen particularmente interesados en Invocación de Espíritus.

Ah, correcto. Lo entiendo.

Programación.

El corazón de la muñeca autónoma.

Cuando lo vi en ese entonces, pensé que se parecía a algo de programación.

En otras palabras, con Invocación de Espíritus, podría ser posible completar la muñeca.

Pero me imagino que, si Chaos, el rey Dragón Loco no pudo terminarla no puede ser tan fácil ...

Pero por lo menos debemos ser capaces de avanzar un poco mas.

Pero no sé por dónde empezar a aplicar ese conocimiento.

"Bueno, vamos a empezar con lo básico de la Invocación de Bestias Mágicas. Primero echen un vistazo a este circulo mágico."

Mientras pensaba, Sylvaril comenzó la conferencia sobre invocación básica.

Realmente debería haber estudiado los fundamentos por mi cuenta en lugar de pedir ayuda.

Bueno, es un poco tarde para eso.

Mejor ahora que nunca.

Al final, yo solo llevo 18 años en este mundo.

En comparación con Zanoba quién tenia 25 o 26 años cuando se matriculó, y aún así se pasa día y noche creando muñecas...

Tengo que seguir su ejemplo.

De todas formas, ahora mismo estoy definitivamente detrás de todos los demás.

Después de clase tengo que hacer un poco de auto-estudio.

"Por cierto, ya es la hora del almuerzo. Por favor no duden en preguntar si quieren algo en particular."

Con eso dicho, Sylvaril termina la conferencia.

=== 4ª Parte ===

Almuerzo.

Anoche sirvieron varias comidas tradicionales del Reino de Asura.

Bolas de carne y papas hervida en sopa de vainilla.

Pan de trigo hecho con diversos granos.

Básicamente lo mismo que en la Ciudad Mágica.

Se ve un poco simple al lado de este castillo, pero es sencillo y delicioso.

Puede parecer una cocina tradicional para nosotros, pero para Pelagius, es lo que él considera una comida típica del Reino de Asura.

Cocina de hace 400 años.

Se dice que los avances tecnológicos ocurren en la guerra, y los avances en la gastronomía durante la paz.

La cultura de la comida del Reino de Asura probablemente avanzó un poco después de 400 años.

Aunque la comida fue servida individualmente, comí con Sylphy de todos modos.

No importa lo lujosa que sea la habitación, comer solo se siente solitario.

Nunca hubiera pensado eso en mi vida pasada.

Comí el desayuno solo, pero no fue algo que pudiera evitar.

"Algo de Milis."

"Ah, quiero comida de Shirone."

Cliff y Zanoba sugirieron comida de su pais.

Probablemente se sienten un poco de nostalgia.

"Puedo hacer eso. Está bien."

Desde detrás de la máscara, la voz de Sylvaril suena suave y acepta sus peticiones.

"Lo que sea esta bien."

Responde Nanahoshi.

¿Ella se da cuenta de que tipo de oportunidad es esta?

Yo no soy un hombre que deja escapar una oportunidad como esta.

Como dijo ese lolicon de Red Comet: '''Hay que explotar al máximo las oportunidades a nuestro alcance'''.

"Arroz blanco avinagrado con pescado crudo en rodajas sobre el, ¿estás familiarizado con ese plato?"

"¿Eh? ¿En serio?"

Al oírme, el rostro de Nanahoshi se ilumina.

Pero Sylvaril niega con la cabeza.

"No, no lo conozco, pero suelo preparar arroz a menudo."

Nanahoshi parece decepcionada.

Pero ahora estoy emocionado.

Mientras tengamos arroz, entonces cualquier plato puede funcionar.

"¿Que tal agregar huevos y harina en agua fría, mezclarlo bien, añadir camarones, calamares y verduras;? Luego hervir todo en aceite caliente"

"Nunca he oído hablar de eso, pero sí tenemos harina y huevos ..."

¡Tenemos huevos!

¡En otras palabras, por fin puedo comer eso!

Bueno, sushi y tempura puede que no.

Entonces sukiyaki tampoco probablemente.

Necesitamos vino de cocina, terrón de azúcar, y salsa de soja para eso.

No va a ser igual, pero con ingredientes podemos llegar a algo parecido...

Así que todo se reduce a la salsa de soja.

El anhelado sabor de Japón se reduce a la salsa de soja.

"Entonces, una salsa de soja fermentada. ¿Eso existe? ¿Algo como salsa de soja?"

"No en el castillo."

Suspiro.

Efectivamente, en este mundo no hay salsa de soja.

"Pero he oído que existe una especie de condimento en el Reino Biheiriru. Quizás Arumanfi pueda comprobarlo."

"¡Sí por favor!"

Incluso molestar a Arumanfi está bien.

Si existe, entonces hay que encontrarlo.

=== 5ª Parte ===

Una hora más tarde.

Al final, no hay salsa de soja.

Tal vez una hora no fue suficiente tiempo para una búsqueda exhaustiva.

Es de esperar, no es suficiente como para buscar los ingredientes justo antes de comenzar la cocción.

No hay salsa de soja, pero al menos Arumanfi trajo algo más.

Soja fermentada, un comestible de color té.

Lo llaman "tofu" en este mundo.

Pero yo lo llamo "miso".

Porque eso es lo que es.

El Reino Biheiriru... según recuerdo es un país en la esquina noreste del Continente Central.

Tal vez allí por fin pueda encontrar la salsa de soja.

Debería visitarlo algún día.

Dentro de diez o veinte años, si surge una oportunidad definitivamente tengo que visitarlo.

Voy a dejar eso a un lado por ahora.

Tenemos arroz.

Tenemos miso.

Incluso tenemos pescado fresco.

No hay rábano o jengibre, pero hay limón.

Me gustaría tener encurtidos, pero eso ya es demasiado. Así que tendré que conformarme.

Con los ingredientes que tenemos, trato de instruir a Sylvaril lo mejor que puedo.

"¿Es así como lo quieres?"

Después de un rato, por fin termina.

Arroz recién cocinado.

Sopa de miso caliente.

Y pescado a la parrilla con limón.

Ordene para dos.

El otro es para Nanahoshi.

Y tengo un huevo crudo a un costado.

"Es bueno comer algo como esto de vez en cuando."

"... Bueno, supongo."

Los platos se ven fantásticos, pero Nanahoshi no parece especialmente satisfecha.

Como era de esperar, sólo con verse como comida japonesa no la impresiona.

Ah, bueno.

Aunque no sepa como la comida de Japón fue divertido intentarlo.

"Es hora de probarlo. Itadakimasu."

"... Itadakimasu."

Nanahoshi frunce el entrecejo y comienza a comer con una cuchara y tenedor.

No se ve como si lo estuviera disfrutando.

Ella separa un poco de pescado con un tenedor, exprime un poco de jugo de limón sobre el, y lo pone en su boca.

Luego sigue con un poco de arroz y empieza a masticar.

Toma un sorbo de la sopa de miso directamente de su tazón de porcelana.

Y finalmente dijo.

"Esta sopa ni siquiera tiene dashi..."

Las lágrimas fluyen de sus ojos.

Ella no deja de llorar mientras come.

[[File:Mushoku14 05.jpg|500px]]

Para ser sincero, la comida no tiene un sabor particularmente bueno.

El arroz esta seco, y la sopa un poco salada.

El pescado es delicioso, pero sabe un poco sospechoso y el sabor del limón no coincide.

No hay ningún equilibrio.

No sabe bien.

La cocina japonesa que recuerdo es mucho mejor que esto.

Pero las manos de Nanahoshi se siguen moviendo, y sus lágrimas siguen fluyendo.

Rápidamente termino la silenciosa comida.

"... Gracias por la comida."

Con eso, estoy contento.

=== 6ª Parte ===

Después de la clase de la tarde, regreso a mi habitación.

Las clases de magia de Invocación son bastante interesantes.

Más bien, Sylvaril es un buen maestro.

Hoy no enseñó nada especial, pero podría quedarme atrás muy pronto.

Tengo que estudiar mientras pueda.

Me pregunto cuánto tiempo tomarán estas lecciones.

A este ritmo, tal vez alrededor de una semana.

Aunque en la escuela sólo se requiere que asista a una clase y el resto es tiempo libre, no quiero estar lejos de casa por mucho tiempo.

Estoy preocupado por Lucy y Zenith.

Bueno, debería centrarme en lo que está frente a mí.

Todo lo que podemos hacer por Zenith ahora es observarla, y Aisha puede cuidar de Lucy.

Lo que debo hacer ahora es revisar y prepararme para para las lecciones de invocación.

Knock Knock.

Justo cuando me senté en un sofá y saque mi libreta, alguien llama a la puerta.

"Ludy, ¿estas adentro?"

Sylphy entra sin esperar mi respuesta.

Al verme, pasa y se sienta a mi lado.

Entonces, ella suspira.

Saco una jarra y lleno un vaso de agua para ella.

"¿Cansada?"

"Gracias."

Tomando el vaso, Sylphy lo vacía de un solo trago.

"Uf."

Ella se ve agotada.

"¿Cómo te fue? ¿Como le va a Ariel-sama?"

"Ugh. Bueno, ha sido duro."

"¿De verdad?"

"Pelagius-sama no le importa nada de lo que Ariel-sama tiene que decir."

En un intento de conseguir poner a Pelagius de su lado, Ariel ha estado sugiriendo diversos incentivos para obtener su apoyo.

Como ofrecerle un título una vez que ella se convierta en reina.

O territorio en el Reino de Asura.

O ofrecerle varias concesiones en los negocios.

Por supuesto, para Pelagius eso carece de interés.

"Por supuesto."

"¿De verdad?"

"¿Acaso Pelagius-sama esta aquí precisamente para alejarse de esas cosas? No sólo esta desinteresado, es probable que realmente lo odie."

"¿Eh? Pensé que dijo que vive aquí para estar listo para Laplace."

Sylphy me mira perpleja.

¿Pelagius dijo eso?

Bueno, tal vez esa es una de las razones.

"Además, si realmente quiere poder podría conseguirlo por su cuenta. Después de todo, sigue siendo el héroe de la Campaña de Laplace. ¿Acaso Sylvaril no dijo que odia la actitud anticuada de Asura? Ofrecerle esas cosas solo serviría para molestarlo ".

Si él quiere, probablemente podría salir en cualquier momento.

Sin embargo, él vive en reclusión.

Aunque no sé los detalles, probablemente hay razones para ello.

"¿En serio? Supongo que sí. Ariel-sama esta realmente preocupada por esto... Eh, Ludy, ¿qué crees que debería hacer?"

"Qué hacer..."

No soy bueno con este tipo de cosas.

Pero creo que Ariel empezó con el pie izquierdo.

Normalmente, ¿no debería intentar conocerlo primero?

Las solicitudes pueden venir después de eso.

Si la otra parte se siente preocupado, entonces uno puede ofrecer varias concesiones.

Un paso a la vez.

Ariel tiene carisma.

Tal vez por eso ella siempre ha sido capaz de convencer a los demás para apoyar su causa sin necesitar ese primer paso.

Así que cuando conoce a alguien impertérrito por su carisma, ella se quedo perdida.

Nanahoshi, Pelagius, ambos son así.

Y yo también, supongo.

Me gustaría ayudar por el bien de Sylphy, pero Ariel realmente no me importa.

"En primer lugar, ¿qué tal hacerse amigos con Pelagius-sama?"

"¿Hacerse amigos?"

"Claro, hablar de sus aficiones, escuchar sus historias de guerra, ese tipo de cosas."

"Aficiones e historias de guerra".

"Llevar a Zanoba podría ser una buena idea. De entre nosotros, él parece ser el que mas le agrada."

Zanoba y Pelagius conducen la conversación, y Ariel puede unirse lentamente.

Tal vez eso puede obtener algunos resultados.

"Oh. Tiene sentido. Le diré a Ariel-sama que lo intente."

"No te lo tomes demasiado en serio. Yo podría estar totalmente equivocado".

"Haha, gracias por el consejo."

Sylphy termina con un beso en mi mejilla.

Al sentir sus labios suaves, mi decisión de estudiar voló por la ventana, y pensamientos pervertidos llenaron mi cabeza.

Tomar a Sylphy aquí mismo, y hacer un segundo bebé justo en esa cama ...

Esos pensamientos cruzan mi mente.

No no.

No puedo ser tan impulsivo ahora.

¡Necesito estudiar!

Bien, ¿qué hay de acariciar un poco su culo? No, mejor no.

"Dime, ¿cómo van tus cosas?"

"Oh. Bastante bien."

Dejando las cosas H de lado, le cuento de los acontecimientos de hoy.

Zenith y su maldición.

Magia de Invocación.

Además, la comida con Nanahoshi.

"...Ludy es tan agradable con Nanahoshi."

Sylphy se ve un poco molesta cuando menciono a Nanahoshi.

¿Así que comer a solas con otra mujer no es bueno?

Bueno, Zanoba también estaba allí.

Tal vez no debería haber preparado algo especial para Nanahoshi.

No esta bien, tengo que hacer algo para que Sylphy sea feliz.

Sylphy necesita un recordatorio de que la persona que amo no es Nanahoshi, sino ella.

"Em, ¿Sylphiette-san?"

"¿Sí?"

"¿Puedo tener un abrazo?"

Al escucharme, Sylphy infla sus mejillas y vuelve la cabeza.

"Oh, ¿jugando al tipo agradable repentinamente? ¿Qué pasa? ¿Sentimientos de culpa?"

¿Eh, eh?

¿Por qué Sylphy esta tan fría?

¿Que pasó?

¿Enloqueció?

¿Dije algo malo?

¿Nuestro amor se consumió?

Hemos estado casados por casi 3 años.

¿La crisis de los 3 años?

No, cuántos años no importa.

¿Qué hago ahora?

Peligro, peligro.

"Eh, lo siento. Siempre pareces tan emocionado cuando Nanahoshi aparece, así que mimame un poco."

Sylphy saca la lengua y me abraza con fuerza.

Le devuelvo el abrazo.

Se siente tan cálida y suave.

Se siente como Sylphy.

Honestamente, yo podría haber hecho algo que disguste a Sylphy.

Pero, yo no quiero que me aborrezca.

Tengo que ser más cuidadoso en el futuro.

"Si Ludy realmente quiere hacer a Nanahoshi-san su tercera esposa, por favor no lo dejes caer de la nada como con Roxy. ¿Podemos hablar de ello en primer lugar?"

"No, eso no va a suceder. Mi relación con ella no es como la de Roxy y Sylphy. Sé un poco acerca de dónde es, así que quiero darle una mano. No hay nada entre nosotros..."

"¿Oh enserio?"

Sylphy me da una palmada en la cabeza con una sonrisa.

Entonces ella me palmea la espalda antes de salir de mi abrazo.

"Bueno, entonces tengo que volver con Ariel-sama. Haz tu mejor esfuerzo, Ludy."

"Ah, bien. Tú también, Sylphy."

No está bien.

Estaba siendo serio, pero sin darme cuenta hice infeliz a Sylphy.

Esto es malo.

Esto es muy malo.

Tengo que mantener mi distancia con Nanahoshi.

No puedo hacer muchas cosas para complacerla.

Muy bien.

"¿Eh?"

Al abrir la puerta para salir, Sylphy se detiene abruptamente.

Nanahoshi está justo fuera.

"Lo siento, no quería molestarlos, pero... Cof cof..."

Nanahoshi tosía ásperamente.

Apretando su pecho y su cuello, parece tener un dolor agudo.

"Lo siento. Accidentalmente escuché su conversación. Cof... no tengo ese tipo de relación con Ludeus, por lo que puedes estar segura... Cof..."

"Ah, oh. Está bien. Más importante, ¿te sientes bien?"

"Estoy bi... cof cof."

Nunca vi a Nanahoshi en tan mal estado.

Ella sigue tosiendo como si tuviera algo atrapado en su garganta. Se ve muy preocupante

"Hace un momento, empecé a toser mucho... cof... cof... Así que estaba buscando a alguien para que me eche un hechizo de desintoxicación. Busque a Cliff, pero esta... ocupado. Así que vine a buscar a Ludeus... Pero si va a causar algún malentendido, entonces voy a esperar hasta mañana por Cliff. "

"No, está bien. No te preocupes por eso..."

Sylphy agarra a toda prisa a Nanahoshi por los hombros.

"Entonces déjame encargarme de esto. Si no funciona, entonces podemos pedirle a Cliff que use un hechizo avanzado."

"Muchas gracias, por favor adelante ..."

"Muy bien, primero que nada."

Sylphy coloca suavemente una mano en el cuello de Nanahoshi.

Ella puede usar magia de desintoxicación sin voz.

Algo que incluso yo no puedo hacer.

No, yo también debería ser capaz de hacerlo.

"¿Eh?"

Mientras pensaba eso, Sylphy la mira perpleja y confundida.

Un instante después, la tos de Nanahoshi se intensifica.

"Cof cof..."

"¿Eh? Se siente... muy raro. Como algo mágico... ¿Eh?"

Sylphy inclina la cabeza y coloca la otra mano sobre el hombro de Nanahoshi.

Al instante, la tos de Nanahoshi se pone aún peor. La situación es crítica.

"¿Hey, qué pasa?"

Pregunto ansiosamente.

Nanahoshi se tapa la boca.

"Ugh... ¡Cof!"

Splat.

"¿Eh?"

La sangre salpicó el suelo.

"¡Hey, hey!"

"..."

Nanahoshi mira su mano aturdida.

Luego, poco a poco abrió la palma de su mano y nos la mostró.

Su palma estaba pintada de rojo sangre.

Inmediatamente, Nanahoshi perdió el conocimiento y se desplomó en el suelo.

"¿Eh? ¿Qué?"

No soy el único en estado de shock.

Sylphy esta de pie aturdida, incapaz de comprender lo que ha sucedido.

"Hace un momento, sentí... en Nanahoshi... ¿Por qué? ¿Eh?"

Con su rostro y sus manos salpicadas de sangre, mira a Nanahoshi tirada en el suelo.

Su rostro esta pálido.

Corro a su lado.

"SYLPHY"

Le grito con voz áspera.

Todo el cuerpo de Sylphy tiembla. Sus ojos están llenos de miedo. Ella retrocede varios pasos.

"¡N-no! ¡No fui yo! ¡Yo no lo hice!."

Sylphy se ha retirado a un rincón.

Yo la sigo en silencio.

Con la espalda contra la pared, dándose cuenta de que no tiene donde correr, ella sólo puede cerrar los ojos con fuerza.

"Aunque dije eso sólo estaba bromeando... Algo como esto... ¡yo nunca haría algo como esto!"

Tomo un pañuelo y lo mojo en un poco de agua (caliente por la magia) y empiezo a limpiar la sangre de la cara de Sylphy.

[[File:Mushoku14 06.jpg|500px]]

"¿Eh?"

Luego limpio la sangre en su mano.

La sangre de un paciente es una bomba de patógenos.

Aunque no creo que simplemente limpiar ayude, dejar la sangre probablemente no sea algo bueno.

Sylphy no ofrece resistencia.

"No te preocupes, Sylphy. Yo estaba viendo. No es culpa de Sylphy."

"Oh, oh."

Estoy muy tranquilo en este momento.

Ver a Sylphy en estado pánico de alguna manera ayudo a calmarme.

Tal vez aun no he procesado todo.

Por ahora, debo mantener la calma.

"Está bien. No es culpa de Sylphy. Nanahoshi ha estado débil últimamente. ¿Verdad?"

"Em ..."

"Esta vez la presenciaste en un mal momento. La viste en su peor estado. No es culpa de Sylphy."

"... Em, em, pero, ahora mismo sentí, cuando usé magia en Nanahoshi, algo extraño, la desintoxicación no funciona en absoluto... No sólo eso... esa acumulación ..."

Nanahoshi estaba en el suelo, con sangre brotando de su nariz y rostro.

Inconsciente.

En una situación crítica.

Sylphy sigue siendo un lío.

Mejor la calmo primero.

No, mejor la mantengo ocupada en algo.

Lo mejor para detener a alguien en estado de pánico es darle una tarea.

"Escucha con atención, Sylphy. Ya sea Cliff o Pelagius-sama, busca a alguien y dile que venga."

"¿Que venga?"

"Voy a examinar la condición de Nanahoshi y hacer lo que pueda. Mientras tanto, Sylphy, ve a buscar ayuda. ¿Puedes hacerlo?"

"Seguro."

Los ojos de Sylphy recuperaron su enfoque.

Luego, va hacia a la puerta y sale corriendo.

A pesar de que ella ha pasado por mucho en su vida, ver tanta sangre la debe haber asustado.

Especialmente de alguien que conoce.

Incluso si ella esta celosa, Sylphy nunca haría algo así.

Pero Sylphy a veces podría actuar de forma impulsiva...

No no.

Eso es imposible. Definitivamente imposible.

"Bueno."

Dejo de pensar demasiado y me dirijo hacia Nanahoshi.

Aunque no hay mucho que pueda hacer aquí, haré lo que pueda.

== Capítulo 147 - Lamentación ==

=== 1ª Parte ===

Han pasado 3 días desde que Nanahoshi colapsó.

Aún no recupera la conciencia.

Se desconoce el motivo por el cual vomitó sangre.

Después de que Sylphy fuera a buscar ayuda, Arumanfi rápidamente llego a la habitación y se llevó a Nanahoshi a la enfermería.

Mientras tanto, di un par de vueltas por el castillo para reunir el grupo e informarles de la situación.

Nanahoshi no está bien de salud. Mientras utilizaba magia restituyente en ella, vomitó sangre y luego colapsó.

En este momento ella se encuentra en la enfermería recibiendo tratamiento.

La verdad es que todo sucedió tan de repente que no sé los detalles.

Aunque preocupados, todo el mundo acepta la situación.

Ahora mismo, Nanahoshi está siendo tratada por Yuruzu de la expiación.

Yuruzu de la expiación tiene la habilidad de sanar.

Es capaz de transferir la salud y vitalidad de una persona a otra.

Ya que funciona sobre un principio diferente al de la magia restituyente, parece funcionar para enfermedades que son intratables para esta... <ref>Con 'esta' me refiero a magia restituyente, en otras palabras la frase hace referencia para enfermedades que son intratables para la magia restituyente</ref>

Aún así, la habilidad no funciona por sí sola y necesita la cooperación de otra persona.

Sin ninguna vacilación Sylphy se ofrece a ayudar.

Sylphy se acuesta al lado de Nanahoshi y el tratamiento comienza.

Sin embargo Nanahoshi aún tiene que recuperar la conciencia, su expresión es triste, con una tos constante.

"Karowante, ¿cuál es el estado de Nanahoshi?"

Al ver a Nanahoshi en esta condición, Pelagius ordena a otro subordinado que realice un diagnóstico.

Karowante de la Revelación.

Él tiene el poder de descubrir el poder y secretos de un objetivo.

Para los enfermos, también su condición.

Como la visión de rayos x.

Él sacude la cabeza después de observar a Nanahoshi.

"Esto va más allá de la habilidad de Yuruzu."

"Vamos a investigar en la biblioteca."

"A sus ordenes."

Con eso dicho, Pelagius y sus subordinados comienza a investigar el nombre y cura de la enfermedad de Nanahoshi.

Tratando de hacer coincidir los síntomas de Nanahoshi con los registros de la biblioteca.

Me ofrecí para echar una mano, pero fui rechazado. Los forasteros no pueden entrar en la biblioteca.

Por supuesto, Yuruzu sigue administrando el tratamiento, así que Sylphy nunca abandonó la enfermería.

Al final, no tengo nada que hacer.

Obviamente, no me quede sentado sin hacer nada durante estos 3 días.

Regresé a casa una vez a informar a Roxy de la situación.

Nanahoshi cayó enferma y Sylphy está ayudando con el tratamiento.

Así que puede tomar algún tiempo antes de que regresemos.

Roxy comienza a moverse a la vez con esa información.

Ella nos ayuda a contactar con la escuela y solicitar un permiso de ausencia, así como explica la situación en nuestra familia.

Entonces me dijo que dejara la casa a su cargo.

Es mucho más cabeza fría de lo que soy yo.

Ya está acostumbrada a este tipo de situaciones.

Al final, no pude hacer nada. Todo ha quedado bajo control.

Informé a Aisha y Norn que iba a regresar tarde, tomé un par de ropas de cambio y regresé al castillo de Pelagius.

Incluso en casa, no hay nada de lo cual pueda encargarme.

Todo lo que puedo hacer es orar para que Nanahoshi permanezca a salvo.

"... Nanahoshi, ¿se recuperará?"

Los demás, al igual que yo, no pueden hacer nada.

Particularmente Cliff, quien pasa su tiempo rezando en la capilla dentro del castillo.

"Todo está en la mano de Milis-sama."

Dijo Cliff, con las manos plegadas y ojos cerrados.

Orando a dios en momentos de crisis.

Nunca creí en esas cosas religiosas.

En este mundo, creo en las personas que realmente ofrecen una mano de ayuda.

Pero incluso yo puedo entender eso, en estos momentos, rezar a Roxy y Sylphy puede que no traiga ningún alivio.

"..."

De repente, recuerdo una película que vi una vez.

Una obra maestra de la invasión alienígena.

Aliens, con su tecnología abrumadora, casi aniquilan a la humanidad.

Pero al final todas sus maquinarias de repente dejaron de funcionar.

Los Aliens no tenían inmunidad contra los patógenos de la tierra y así todos perecieron. <ref>Referencia a War of the Worlds, pelicula del 2005 y libro del año 1898.</ref>

Nanahoshi vino de otro mundo.

Difiere de mí, quien reencarnó.

Ella no envejece, no posee poder mágico, y por tanto no puede utilizar ninguna herramienta mágica. <ref>Aún así puede usar piedras mágicas y cosas que contengan poder mágico :v</ref>

Tal vez, no sólo poder mágico, quizás tampoco posee inmunidad apta para este mundo.

Pero, si ese fuera el caso, entonces se debería haber enfermado hace mucho tiempo.

El evento de metástasis ocurrió hace 8 años.

Nanahoshi también vino a este mundo hace 8 años.

No hay ninguna razón para que eso ocurra ahora.

"..."

Esa chica.

¿Realmente morirá...?

¿Por qué sucedió esto?

=== 2ª Parte ===

4 días después de que Nanahoshi colapsara.

Estamos convocados a una mesa redonda.

Aparte de Yuruzu, todos los otros familiares están presentes.

Pelagius se sienta delante de ellos.

Se sentó en una silla lujosa grande con los familiares detrás.

"Por favor, siéntense."

Nos sentamos tras la sugerencia de Sylvaril.

Sylphy está ausente, se quedó ayudando a Yuruzu con el tratamiento, 7 presentes en total.

"Nanahoshi-sama ha sido diagnosticada."

Una vez que estamos sentados, Sylvaril da un par de pasos hacia adelante e informa.

Por fin sabemos.

"Nanahoshi-sama sufre del síndrome de drenaje."

Síndrome de drenaje.

Nunca he oído hablar de él.

Mirando a mi alrededor, nadie parece conocerlo tampoco.

Incluso alguien tan informado como Cliff se quedo en blanco.

"Era de esperar que nadie lo haya escuchado antes. Es una enfermedad que se remonta a tiempos inmemorables, cuando los hombres tenían un poder mágico inferior al de ahora. Si un niño nace sin ninguna capacidad mágica, sin excepción alguna, ese niño experimenta síntomas similares y a la edad de 10 años, muere."

Así que es la misma situación que Nanahoshi.

Aunque no tiene 10 años, ella ha estado en este mundo durante más de 8 años.

Y ella no tiene ni una pizca de magia...

Por lo menos, Sylphy no tiene la culpa.

Gracias a Dios.

"Según los registros, aquellos que no poseen poder mágico absorben cantidades minuciosas de magia del entorno, después de 10 años de acumularla en sus cuerpos, esta pasa a ser una enfermedad..." <ref>Recordad que en este mundo todo tiene magia</ref>

Sin poder mágico, su capacidad para absorber la magia del entorno es diminuta.

No sé los detalles, pero supongo que la magia vendría a ser como las bacterias en cierta forma.

Para aquellos con poder mágico, las bacterias buenas matan a las malas, pero para aquellos que no poseen poder mágico alguno, sólo las bacterias malas se acumulan.

No sabemos con certeza que tan confiable son los registros.

Sin embargo tienen bastante sentido.

"¿Se señala alguna cura en los registros?"

"No. Según los registros, esta enfermedad fue erradicada hace unos 7000 años después de que la humanidad aumentara su capacidad de poder mágico."

Hace 7000 años, por lo tanto fue por la época de la Gran Guerra Humano-Demonio.

Recuerdo escuchar que esta se desencadenó por casi 1 mil años.

La guerra causó todo tipo de avances.

A través de diversos medios, la humanidad auto progreso.

Un efecto secundario es la erradicación de esta enfermedad.

También es posible.

¡Vaya!, hace 7000 años.

No pueden haber muchos textos que lograran sobrevivir a esos tiempos de estragos.

Encontrar el nombre de la enfermedad ya es un milagro de por sí.

"Entonces, ¿qué hacemos?"

"Detenemos el tiempo."

El que responde a mi pregunta no es Sylvaril.

Sino más bien es el tranquilamente sentado Pelagius.

"Voy a pedir prestado el poder de Sukeakoto del tiempo y así vamos a detener el tiempo para Nanahoshi."

Declara Pelagius y un hombre camina hacia adelante.

Lleva una máscara de la cual su boca sobresale.

Una máscara de Hyottoko, más bien, como una máscara de gas.

Es Sukeakoto de tiempo.

De lo que recuerdo, él tiene la habilidad de detener el tiempo de cualquier persona que toca.

Por supuesto, el tiempo se congela para él también. Pero con esta capacidad, puede prevenir que se agrave la enfermedad de Nanahoshi o que muera.

Pero quién sabe cuánto tiempo pueda mantenerlo, tampoco soluciona la raíz del problema.

"Mmm, comprendo. Y entonces, ¿qué hacemos luego?"

"Contactar personas en la superficie y encontrar una cura."

Oh.

Podría funcionar.

Nadie se negará a alguien como Pelagius.

"Aún así la pregunta es '¿quién ayudara a Nanahoshi?'."

"¿Existe alguna manera con la influencia del Dragón-Blindado-sama?

"La verdad es que mi relación con Nanahoshi es solo de cooperación. No voy a deber favores a otros por el bien de ella."

¿Venga que acaso eso no es un poco frío?

Aún así, no sé los detalles exactos de su relación, por lo que no tengo derecho a objetar.

"No se confundan. Como invitados de mi castillo, les ofreceré algo de ayuda, aunque es mínima. Así que no esperen que les de todo. Mi mayor y ultimo propósito es encontrar y destruir a Laplace."

En otras palabras, debido a los trabajos relacionados con la observación de Laplace, no hará más de lo necesario para ayudar.

Tampoco deberá favores a otros.

Los favores se deben pagar.

Particularmente ya que se trata de la cura de una enfermedad erradicada hace bastante tiempo.

La contra parte definitivamente querrá algo grande a cambio.

Pelagius no tiene por qué ir tan lejos por Nanahoshi.

No, realmente tiene mucha razón para no hacerlo.

Mantener a Nanahoshi con vida es lo más lejos que llegará.

Se niega a hacer más. Si alguien quiere ayudar, pues es libre de hacerlo.

Ese es el significado detrás de las palabras de Pelagius.

Eso debería ser aceptable.

"... ¡¿Así que tan solo veras morir a Nanahoshi?!"

El que gritó es Cliff.

Se puso de pie gritando hacia Pelagius.

"¿Cuándo dije eso?"

"¡Mientes!. ¡Alguien como usted, dentro de un castillo tan impresionante, con tantos familiares poderosos! ¡Definitivamente, usted puede encontrar una cura!" <ref>Lo deje formal ya que le habla a Pelagius</ref>

Al escuchar a Cliff, Pelagius levanta una ceja.

"No tengo ninguna razón para ayudar."

"¡Déjate de bromas! ¡Ayudar a los débiles es el deber de los fuertes!"

"Pssh, no nos intentes meter en la cabeza esas detestables enseñanzas de Milis."

"¡¿Qué dijiste?!"

Cliff explotó en ira y comenzó a gritar estupideces sin pensar.

Él es un seguidor de Milis.

La iglesia de Milis comparte muchas similitudes con el catolisismo.

Es posible que también tengan enseñanzas de dar una mano a las ovejillas perdidas y cosas por el estilo.

Pero decirle eso a Pelagius es indebido.

Pelagius tiene sus propias preocupaciones.

Durante 400 años, se ha movido con sólo un objetivo en mente.

De hecho, Pelagius desea obtener conocimiento de la invocación desde otros mundos a través de Nanahoshi.

Pero esto está en segundo plano, después de Laplace.

Es sólo una manera de pasar en tranquilidad el tiempo antes de la tormenta.

"En otras palabras, ¡Simplemente te quedaras a ver como Nanahoshi muere! ¡Si vas a ayudar, ayuda hasta el final!." <ref>Deje lo formal desde el segundo grito porque ya anda como una puta cabra... y venga que nadie es formal cuando se emputece de verdad</ref>

"¡Cliff, detente!"

Cliff se levanta violentamente golpeando la silla hacia atrás, Elinalise le grita y luego agarra fuertemente con su mano el hombro de Cliff, impidiéndole ir más allá.

"Cliff, entiendo cómo te sientes, pero contrólate."

"..."

"No quiero perderte por esto."

Mirando a su alrededor, todos los familiares están en posición de batalla.

Viendo como retienen a Cliff, Pelagius sonríe burlonamente.

"Si tienes un problema, entonces ¿por qué no lo solucionas tu mismo? Tu dios dice eso también. Cuando ayudes a otros, no cuentes en alguien más, ¿no es así?"

"Grr..."

Pareciendo insatisfecho, Cliff se deja caer de nuevo en su silla.

No quiere pelear con Pelagius.

Él simplemente pensaba, para una persona como Pelagius, quien es capaz de casi todo, él debe ser capaz de ayudarla.

"Mmhm..."

¿Qué hacemos?

Quiero ayudar a Nanahoshi.

¿Pero ni siquiera sé por dónde comenzar?

Mirando a Ariel y a los demás, parecen estar pensando lo mismo.

Aisha y Nanahoshi se conocen y se llevan bien, si Nanahoshi muere quedara bastante perturbada.

También si muere, Sylphy se sentiría responsable.

¿Hay algo que pueda hacer?

¿Soy así de impotente?

"Disculpen."

Justo ahora, la puerta por donde entramos a la habitación de la mesa redonda se abre.

Es Yuruzu de la expiación.

Nos habla dirigiéndonos la mirada.

"Nanahoshi-sama ha recuperado la conciencia."

Casi salto a la puerta al escuchar esto.

"¿Có-cómo se encuentra?"

"Superficialmente ha mejorado un poco."

"¿Superficialmente?"

"De hecho. El síndrome de drenaje es el resultado de acumular magia en el cuerpo, lo cual provoca la enfermedad. Esta no tiene cura."

Por la forma en que lo dice, lo hace sentir como si fuera VIH.

Por lo que la tos es un síntoma de su enfermedad.

En otras palabras, aunque los síntomas superficiales se han curado, el motivo real de la enfermedad permanece.

"Entonces, ¿Puedes extirpar la magia que está dentro de ella?"

"No puedo."

"Entonces, ¿quién podría?"

Yuruzu sacude su cabeza al escuchar mi pregunta.

"¿De verdad?..."

¿No hay ninguna forma de extirpar la magia en su interior?

¿Como una herramienta mágica de algún tipo?

7000 años pasaron, la tecnología debe haber avanzado bastante en esta área.

Pero, ¿qué debe hacerse?

¿La piedra mágica de la Hidra funcionará?<ref>No recuerdo el nombre, se refiere a las escamas que absorben magia</ref>

No, esa cosa no hace nada con la magia dentro del cuerpo.

Tengo el presentimiento de que no puede hacerse.

¿Tal vez una herramienta mágica se puede hacer con esa propiedad?

Pero, ¿cuánto tiempo tardará?

No tenemos ninguna pista en primer lugar.

Mierda.

"En cualquier caso, deberíamos ir a chequear el estado de Nanahoshi."

Con eso dicho me puse de pie, todos los demás siguen mi gesto también.

=== 3ª Parte ===

La enfermería se siente algo triste.

Los muebles no difieren demasiado de las habitaciones de huéspedes.

Pero están expuestas las estructuras de piedra y los muros carecen de ventanas.

En el centro de la habitación hay una especie de mesa de operaciones, con cuchillos y vendas en los cajones.

"..."

Nanahoshi está en una esquina.

Las manchas de sangre en ella se han ido, ha cambiado su vestimenta a algo semejante a una bata de paciente.

Estéril, sin vida.

"Nanahoshi, ¿te encuentras bien?"

Le pregunto. Nanahoshi me mira y dice.

"¿Parezco estarlo?"

"..."

Por supuesto que no.

Su cara está pálida, con ojeras bajo sus ojos.

Cualquiera puede ver que no está bien de salud.

La habilidad de recuperación de Yuruzu es agotadora incluso para el paciente.

La otra cama está vacía.

Como si se tratara de una rotación con nosotros, Sylhpy dejó la enfermería y se dirigió a la habitación de huéspedes.

La vi en el camino. Se ve algo demacrada.

Durante 4 días, ayudó en el tratamiento.

A pesar de que dudo que no haya comido o bebido agua, aún así debió ser agotador para su cuerpo.

"Dijeron que no tengo cura."

"Ah, oh."

Me siento en una silla al lado de ella.

Al parecer Miss Yuruzu no le oculto nada acerca de su enfermedad. <ref>Miss= Señorita. Lo deje en ingles porque me da asco como suena en español :v</ref>

"No, mejorarás pronto."

"No, no lo haré... No voy a mejorar."

Dicho esto, Nanahoshi vuelve la cara.

Se queda mirando la pared en silencio.

Probablemente lo que acabo de decir fue irresponsable...

La verdad es que no sé que debería decir en momentos como este.

"..."

Después de quedarme en silencio. Ariel y los otros intentan mantener la conversación.

Algunos intentan reconfortar a Nanahoshi, otros tratan de elevar su espíritu, y otros dicen que sin duda mejorará.

Cada uno de ellos intentan animarla de varias maneras.

Pero en este momento, puede ser que todos tengan el efecto contrario.

La que realmente sufre no quiere escuchar lindezas como estás.

"..."

Poco después, todos se quedan sin cosas que decir.

Con una Nanahoshi que no da respuesta alguna, nadie sabe de que hablar.

El silencio es sofocante, haciendo sentir a todos inquietos.

"Pues bien, Nanahoshi. Me voy yendo. Volveré para chequear tu estado."

Partiendo por Ariel, todos dejan la habitación uno a uno.

Si bien Cliff quiere quedarse, con Elinalise regañándolo se fue también.

Al salir, oí a Elinalise diciendo [... Nada de lo que digamos importa en estos momentos.]

Y así es como son las cosas...

Sólo quedo yo.

¿Por qué me quede?, ni idea, no estoy seguro tampoco.

Aún así, sentí que me tenía que quedar un poco más.

Es peligroso dejarla sola.

"..."

Pero no tengo nada que decir.

Con una persona enferma.

Con una persona que sufre de una enfermedad incurable.

No importa lo que diga, son sólo lindezas.

Nanahoshi está bastante desconcertada.

Su investigación respecto a la invocación ha ido tan bien.

La fase 1 tuvo un par de problemillas, pero la fase 2 y 3 procedieron sin contra tiempos.

Por no decir que con la fase 4, con un poco de ayuda de Pelagius, debería tener resultados pronto.

No estoy seguro en lo que respecta a la fase 5, pero es sólo una cuestión de tiempo.

Tal vez en 1 o 2 años más ella pueda regresar a casa.

Tener que escuchar que tiene una enfermedad incurable, en un momento como este, por su puesto que ha de estar desconcertada.

Quizás no sea cáncer, pero aún así dijeron que es terminal.

No me sorprendería si ella se pone violenta.

No, si es realmente incurable.

Si su futuro es tan sombrío, un poco de violencia está bien.

Me gustaría cooperar.

No importa qué, con tal que eso ayude a su estado de ánimo un poco.

"No estaba particularmente saludable en primer lugar."

Mientras me quedo callado, Nanahoshi habla con un suspiro.

Suena mas serena de lo que esperaba.

Pero obviamente está fingiendo.

"Enfermarme... Aunque nunca así de mal, todos los años cojo un resfriado."

Poco a poco las palabras fluyen hacia fuera.

Y escucho en silencio.

"Mis calificaciones no son malas, pero no soy nada buena con los deportes. Si me preguntas, supongo que soy del tipo que prefiere encerrarse en casa.

La medicina de este mundo no está muy avanzada, ¿cierto?.

¿Sabes? Quizás sea por la magia, ¿pero la gente de este mundo ni siquiera cura sus heridas? Y por eso mueren o pierden una extremidad. Es jodidamente retrasado. Todo puede prevenirse con un poco de agua limpia sobre la herida.

Ya que no puedo usar magia, debo hacer todo tipo de cosas para mantenerme a salvo. Evitar enfermedades contagiosas, mantenerme alejada de las multitudes, no comer comidas raras...

Es cierto, desde tu perspectiva podría estar viviendo una vida poco saludable, ¡Pero también me ejercito en casa! ¡Me encargo de mí misma!.

Porque si me enfermo, puede que no haya una cura.

Mejor dicho, si estoy enferma, probablemente no me curare.

¡Porque, si me enfermo, probablemente no sepa el por qué!...

... Básicamente, este mundo, ¿no es demasiado raro?

Gigantescos monstruos demasiado grandes para sostenerse a sí mismos. ¡¡¡Ni puta idea que tipo de magia negra es esa, ¿pero acaso no están claramente rompiendo las reglas de la naturaleza?!!!

Por supuesto, incluso yo, cuando llegué, estaba un poco curiosa.

Incluso yo jugué juegos parecidos a este mundo anteriormente. No odio lo relacionado con espadas y magia. Te estaría mintiendo si te dijera que no estaba emocionada al llegar aquí.

Solo un poco, pero aún así estoy celosa de que hayas nacido en este mundo, y de que puedas vivir en el..."

Dijo Nanahoshi, y de repente dejo de hablar.

Sus hombros temblaban.

Lentamente, se voltea hacia mí.

Con el rostro triste lleno de arrugas, las lágrimas se reúnen en sus ojos hinchados.

"No quiero morir..."

Como una represa que revienta, lágrimas comienzan a verter de sus ojos.

"¡¡¡No quiero morir aquí!!!
¡¡¡No quiero morir en este jodido mundo!!!
¡¡¡¿Por qué?!!! ¡¡¡¿Por qué?!!!
¡¡¡Es demasiado extraño!!!
¡¡¡Ey!!!, ¡¡¡¿sabes?!!!...
¡¡¡No he cambiado absolutamente nada en estos 8 años!!! ¡¡¡No me he vuelto más alta, y mi cabello no crece!!! ¡¡¡Me da hambre, como, cago, pero mis uñas nunca crecen!!!.
¡¡¡Ni siquiera tengo mis períodos!!!"

Nanahoshi lanza un jarro de agua cercano.

La jarra golpea la pared, salpica en pedazos estrepitosamente. El agua empapa la cama.

"¡¡¡En este mundo no soy un humano!!! ¡¡¡En este mundo ni siquiera cuento como ser vivo!!! ¡¡¡Básicamente soy un cadáver!!! ¡Aún así!, ¡¡¡¿por qué?!!! ¡¡¡¿por qué me enfermo?!!! ¡¡¡¿acaso eso no es demasiado extraño?!!! ¡¡¡¿Por qué tengo tanta mala suerte?!!! ¡¡¡No quiero morir!!! ¡¡¡No quiero morir en este jodido y extraño mundo!!!"

Nanahoshi grita desgarradoramente, lágrimas caen y salpican.

"¡¡¡Ni siquiera he dado mi primer beso!!! ¡¡A pesar de que tengo alguien que me gusta, nunca le dije que lo amo!! ¡¡¡Realmente me das celos!!! ¡¡¡Todos los días tan feliz, tan realizado!!
¡¿Qué?! ¡¿Papá murió?! ¡¿Mamá se enfermo?! ¡¡¿Y qué?!!
¡¡¡¿Qué tiene de malo?!!! ¡¡¡A este ritmo, ni siquiera podré ver a mi papá de nuevo!!! ¡¡¡Si muero, mamá ni siquiera lo sabrá!!!
¡Solo una vez más! ¡¡Mamá!! ¡¡Papá!! ¡¡¡Todavía lo recuerdo!!!
Todavía recuerdo esa mañana. Papá dijo que llegaría temprano. Mamá dijo que comeríamos pescado frito en la noche. Le dije a mi papá que saldría con unos amigos, que salir un rato estaba bien, y me queje con mi mamá porque ya estaba cansada del pescado frito. ¿Por qué? ¿Por qué tuvo que pasar esto? Papá y mamá probablemente están enfermamente preocupados por mí. Quiero ir a casa. Quiero verlos de nuevo. No quiero morir. No quiero morir en este lugar... atraído de... pueblerinos "

"..."

Siento un dolor agudo en mi pecho.

Comprendo el dolor de Nanahoshi.

Si fuera mi yo de cuando llegué por primera vez a este mundo, no podría simpatizar.

El no poder volver, no poder reunirse de nuevo.

No ser capaz de ver a la familia una vez más.

Incluso si me lo hubiera dicho, no lo hubiera entendido.

En ese entonces, probablemente quería olvidar esas cosas y simplemente disfrutar la vida en este nuevo mundo.

Pero ahora es diferente.

Entiendo a que se refiere con querer volver, con querer reunirse de nuevo.

El día a día es el mayor de los tesoros de la vida.

Una vez que se van, se han ido para siempre.

...Exacto porque si se van, se han ido para siempre. <ref>Sip, repite la frase</ref>

Paul está muerto.

Los recuerdos de Zenith quizás nunca vuelvan.

La aldea Bonna y ese cálido hogar, ambos han desaparecido.

De ahora en adelante, todo lo que puedo hacer es proteger a mi familia, mi propia vida.

Sylphy, Roxy, Lucy.

Lilia, Aisha, Norn, Zenith.

Si fuera separado de ellas, sería un dolor desgarradoramente agonizante.

Si alguna desaparece, entonces iré al cielo e infierno a buscarla.

Si vuelvo a mi antiguo mundo.

Si la magia como esta existe en ese mundo, la buscaría.

Haría todo lo posible para volver aquí.

"Woo... Wooo..."

Agarrándose sus rodillas, Nanahoshi llora.

Cliff, Zanoba, Sylphy, ella nunca fue cercana a cualquiera de ellos.

Sólo conmigo prestó algún tipo de atención.

Escuchando a mis peticiones, aceptando mis invitaciones.

Si lo pienso, ella nunca hizo algo que me fuera a dañar.

Nanahoshi se veía tan emocionada cuando charlamos en japonés.

Para ella, quizás el poder tener alguien con quien hablar de Japón es su única ancla desde ese mundo.

"Alguien... Que alguien me salve..."

Escuchando su desgarrador y triste susurro.

Me paro de la silla.

=== 4ª Parte ===

Vuelvo a la mesa redonda en donde Pelagius aún se encontraba.

Todos sus familiares ya se han ido.

Queda sólo Pelagius, se siente como si ha estado esperando por mí.

"¿A qué se deberá tu visita?"

"... Voy a entrar en acción. Tengo la esperanza de que en tanto que no interfiera con su propio trabajo, pues que Pelagius-sama nos ofrezca algo de ayuda."

Pelagius asiente en gran medida con la cabeza al momento en que termine de hablar.

"Oh, así que finalmente vas a entrar en acción. Bueno. Si Nanahoshi muere, incluso yo me sentiría triste."

"Muchísimas gracias."

Pero, ¿qué debo hacer?

Estamos buscando la cura para una enfermedad erradicada hace unos 7000 años.

¿Por dónde empezar?

Ya sabemos que la magia restituyente y la magia curativa son ineficaces.

Si esas hubieran servido, entonces Pelagius ya habría hecho algo.

Herramientas mágicas.

No tengo la menor idea de si una pueda funcionar.

Una que surta efecto dentro del cuerpo debería estar relacionada con las herramientas mágicas de Cliff.

Pero la de Cliff fue hecha a medida de Elinalise solamente.

Observar la condición de Elinalise y ajustar paso a paso.

Aunque ha tenido resultados con Elinalise, todavía está incompleta.

¿Tal vez sólo necesita unos pequeños ajustes para controlar los síntomas de Nanahoshi?

Pero ahora, Nanahoshi no tiene el tiempo para que podamos observar y ajustar.

Venga que ha tosido sangre.

Aún si curamos los síntomas superficiales, no sirve de mucho, simplemente volverá a ocurrir lo mismo.

La próxima vez, podría ser fatal.

Por otra parte, si congelamos el tiempo, entonces no hay manera alguna de experimentar.

Dicho esto, las herramientas mágicas no son el camino a seguir.

Quizás una podría eventualmente funcionar, pero en estos momentos necesitamos una solución más inmediata.

Una cura.

¿Nadie la conoce?

¿Ni siquiera Hitogami u Orsted?

¿Será que sabrán algo respecto a esto?

No puedo contactar con Hitogami.

Tal vez él se muestre con algún consejo esta noche.

Pero no tengo ninguna manera de iniciar contacto con él.

"Pelagius-sama. ¿Tiene alguna manera de contactar al Dios Dragón Orsted?"

"Es imposible. Sus movimientos son imposibles de entender."

No hay manera de contactar a Orsted.

"Lo más probable es que Orsted tampoco lo sepa. Él ha estado en este mundo por quizás unos 100 años, aunque sea sabio, dudo que vaya a conocer algo sobre una enfermedad de hace 7000 años atrás:"

Así que Orsted tiene unos cien años mas o menos.

Si bien es viejo, comparado con Pelagius todavía es un pequeñuelo.

No, si lo comparo conmigo él es bastante viejo.

"Mmm ya veo. Pero alguien que conozca el mundo de hace 7000 años..."

Espera, espera un momento.

7000 años.

Hay una.

Hay una persona que ha vivido por tanto tiempo.

Aunque ella podría no estar familiarizada con esta enfermedad...

Pero si hablo con ella, tal vez pueda encontrar una pista.

"Conozco a alguien..."

"¿Oh?"

Pero, no sé si pueda encontrarla.

La última vez fue un encuentro casual.

Y así como pasó, nos separamos.

Ninguna conexión en particular.

Pero tengo que hacer algo.

Si no lo hago, entonces nada va a cambiar.

"Pelagius-sama, ¿puede llevarme al Continente Demoníaco?"

"¿Al Continente Demoníaco? ¿Qué piensas hacer allí?"

Sólo me encontré con esa persona una vez.

Aunque Roxy también la conoció antes, pero donde está ahora, pues ni idea.

Sin embargo su nombre lo conocía desde hace mucho tiempo.

De vuelta a la capital de Fedora, allí un nombre que aprendí de las clases de historia.

Después de que nos conociéramos, no hay manera alguna de que la pueda olvidar.

"Planeo encontrarme con la Gran Emperatriz Demonio Kishirika."

Hace 7000 años.

Una figura de la primera gran guerra de humanos-demonios.

== Capítulo 148 - De Nuevo en el Continente Demoniaco ==

=== 1ª Parte ===

El plan es simple.

En primer lugar, con la ayuda de Pelagius, nos dirigimos al Continente Mágico.

Encontrar a Kishirika Kishirisu.

Preguntarle si conoce una cura, o si conoce a alguien que lo sepa.

En realidad es bastante simple.

Si sólo la Gran emperatriz demoníaca Kishirika Kishirisu se quedase sentada en un trono supervisando una ciudad de alguna parte.

Pero yo sé que Kishirika deambula por todo el Continente Mágico.

Conocerla es de pura casualidad.

Quién sabe cuántos meses tomará.

Pelagius dijo que tiene círculos mágicos de teletransporte cerca de las principales ciudades del Continente Mágico.

Pensando en ello, los círculos mágicos de teletransporte mágicos son verdaderamente aterradores.

Especialmente cuando él puede teletransportarse a cualquier parte del mundo desde ese castillo, una amenaza increíble.

Así que es comprensible por qué este arte siempre ha sido prohibido.

A pesar de eso, Orsted y Pelagius los han estado usando en secreto.

Este mundo probablemente tenga un buen número de personas secretamente rompiendo las reglas.

Esto podría ser hacer trampa, pero esa es la naturaleza de este mundo.

Esos círculos mágicos de teletransporte probablemente no sean utilizados solo por Orsted.

De cualquier modo, tener que encontrar a Kishirika será fastidioso.

Al igual que Roxy había hecho antes, buscando de ciudad en ciudad.

Quién sabe cuánto tiempo tomará.

Pero no debería tardar más de un año.

Ya que teletransportarse sólo toma un día.

El problema es ¿qué pasa si Kishirika y nosotros nos cruzamos en alguna parte pero no nos damos cuenta?

Acerca de eso, creo que pediré ayuda al Gremio de Aventureros.

Recompensa por la captura de la gran emperatriz del reino demoníaco.

Capturar a Kishirika.

Debe estar viva.

SOLO VIVA.

Reúno a todos para poder explicarles el plan.

Ariel, Luke, Cliff, Zanoba, Elinalise.

Y también Sylphy.

Sylphy recuperó la conciencia, mientras que yo estaba hablando con Pelagius.

Pero su agotamiento es obvio.

Ella era delgada para empezar, pero ahora ella luce más frágil que nunca.

Ella debería descansar durante al menos 5 días más.

"Todo el mundo, espero que podáis ofrecedle vuestra ayuda a Nanahoshi."

Cuando dije eso, Ariel asiente en señal de aprobación.

"Entonces, puedo proporcionar algunas herramientas mágicas".

Ariel se quita el anillo mágico que lleva puesto y me lo entrega.

Un par de anillos a juego, los cuales cuando se les inyecta con magia las dos piedras preciosas brillan juntos.

Útil para una emergencia, parece ser una herramienta mágica secreta del Reino de Asura.

Aunque todavía no se me ocurra para que nos servirá, estoy seguro de que será de utilidad.

Me recuerda a un ''busca''<ref>Pager/Busca/Buscapersonas: dispositivo bastante pequeño de los 90 que permitía enviarle mensajes de texto a personas cuando todavía el móvil no se había popularizado tanto.</ref>.

"Zanoba y Elinalise, me gustaría que vinierais conmigo."

Les pido a Zanoba y a Elinalise para que sean mis escoltas.

Será muchas cosas, pero Zanoba sigue siendo un Miko.

Incluso si llegáramos a pelear contra una hidra, probablemente se las arreglaría bien.

Debido a que carezco de Touki, mi resistencia física es reducida, pero con [Distorsión Mágica] y la piedra mágica de absorción absorbiendo piedras mágicas mi resistencia mágica es importante.

Con Zanoba como vanguardia, nuestro grupo podría incluso encargarse de una hidra.

Pero, no podría soportar el ver a Zanoba morir por mis deseos egoístas, así que con Elinalise como apoyo me siento más tranquilo.

"Yo..."

"Cliff-senpai, me gustaría que usted haga una herramienta mágica."

Honestamente, no sé si podemos encontrar una cura.

Kishirika podría no saber de igual modo.

Así que este viaje podría ser una pérdida de tiempo.

Para evitar esto, debemos utilizar distintos enfoques.

La enfermedad de Nanahoshi parece similar a la de una maldición.

Con algunos ajustes en su investigación, tal vez Cliff pueda desarrollar una herramienta mágica para extender el tiempo de vida de Nanahoshi.

"¡Yo quiero ir también!"

A pesar de que pensé así, Cliff se negó.

"Por favor, llévame, yo también quiero ayudar a Nanahoshi."

Pero continuar su investigación también ayudará a Nanahoshi.

Pero Cliff probablemente quiere hacer más que eso.

Pensará algo así como que si como hasta ahora no puediera participar, no sentiría que de verdad está apoyando a Nanahoshi.

"Por favor, Ludeus, incluso yo puedo entender lo que es el querer regresar a casa"

Cliff pidiendo de esa forma.

Ahora que lo pienso, él ha estado fuera de casa durante mucho tiempo también.

En cuanto a la altura el puede parecer de 15, pero él ya tiene 19.

He oído que dejó el Santo Reino de Millis a la edad de entre 6 a 7.

Aunque el hogar al que Nanahoshi planea volver no tiene nada que ver con el de Cliff.

Sin embargo, su intención es la misma.

"Bien."

"¿De Verdad?"

Bueno, con Elinalise yendo con nosotros y Nanahoshi congelada en el tiempo, no tendrá muchas oportunidades de investigar.

Sí, no hay razón para forzarlo.

Si confirmamos que no hay cura, o si no podemos encontrar a Kishirika, entonces, nos podremos centrar en la investigación en su lugar.

"Sí. Voy a estar en su cuidado, Cliff-senpai."

Vamos a acortar el período de búsqueda un poco, de modo que podamos volver a la investigación a tiempo.

Medio año es suficiente.

"... Entonces, ¿hay algo que ... ... puedo hacer?"

Por último, Sylphy me preguntó esto, todavía con mala cara.

Todavía necesita descansar.

Ella no puede viajar con nosotros.

Además...

"Sylphy, por favor descansa aquí por ahora."

"¿Em, y luego?"

"Después de un descanso..."

Estoy indeciso sobre lo que estoy a punto de decir.

"Deseo que Sylphy regrese a casa para que cuide de Lucy".

"¿Eh?"

Sylphy luce visiblemente melancólica, pero de todos modos insistiré en esto.

"Podría ser un largo tiempo antes de que pueda volver a casa esta vez. No creo que sea correcto que ambos padres la abandonen de esa forma."

Para los niños, la presencia de los padres es absolutamente necesaria ... no tengo que decir esto.

Pero es por Paul y Zenith, que soy lo que soy.

Para los niños, es mejor que los mismos padres los críen personalmente.

Por supuesto, ausentarse por una o dos semanas no debería ser un gran problema.

Pero no por un par de meses.

"Ah, eso. Tienes razón. Si Ludy no está aquí, entonces tengo que cuidar de Lucy."

"Lo siento."

"Um."

A pesar de que Sylphy ha sido informada de que el colapso de Nanahoshi no fue culpa de suya, ella todavía quiere ayudar de alguna manera.

"Sylphy, has hecho suficiente. Déjeme el resto a mí."

"Em..."

Sylphy asiente con pena.

Por supuesto, ella ama a Lucy.

Pero a los 10, se vio obligada a valerse por sí misma después del evento de Metástasis.

Sin un último adiós, sus padres fallecieron.

Le fue bien a pesar de eso.

A pesar de algunas idas y vueltas, encontró un trabajo, se casó, y se las arregló para vivir.

Así que para ella, tal vez los padres puede que no sea una gran presencia.

O tal vez, en este mundo el sentido común dicta que los niños, incluso sin los padres, son capaces de crecer por su cuenta.

Sylphy solo tiene 18.

La gente no cambia mucho, sólo a causa de dar a luz.

Fue sólo a través del cuidado de mí mismo que empeze a cambiar mi forma de pensar.

Cuando tenía 18 años en mi mundo anterior el hecho de tener hijos ni siquiera se me cruzaba por la mente.

En comparación, Sylphy es excepcional.

Yo ayudaré a Nanahoshi. Sylphy se quedará en casa.

Espero que no se sienta celosa.

"¿Pero Roxy no reclamará? Roxy es la que mejor conoce el Continente Mágico."

"Es cierto... Bueno, si tuviéramos problemas, lo hablaré con Roxy."

Roxy no está presente.

No importa la razón, Pelagius no permitirá que alguien de la raza demoníaca entre en el castillo.
Ella trató de venir, pero fue rechazada.

Además, Roxy tiene su carrera de maestra.

Ella finalmente se está acostumbrando al ritmo del trabajo.

Ella no puede marcharse con solo 1 año de trabajo.

Yo ayudaré a Nanahoshi.

Pero, también necesito mantener mi estilo de vida actual.

El estilo de vida es importante.

Ambos son importantes.

Por eso, necesito proteger a Sylphy y a Roxy.

Por supuesto, eso es también porque soy egoísta.

No creo que siempre tenga la razón.

Pero en este momento no quiero que Roxy y Sylphy enfrenten el peligro.

No quiero que mueran frente a mí como Paul.

En comparación con el Continente Mágico, la Ciudad Mágica de Sharia debería ser mucho menos peligroso.

"Por favor, no hagas nada como perder tu mano de nuevo."

Sylphy se ve intranquila.

"Seré cuidadoso."

Mantenerse a salvo, es por eso que estoy trayendo a Zanoba y a Elinalise conmigo.

Pero si están en una situación de vida o muerte, incluso si tengo que sacrificar mi mano derecha lo haré.

Por supuesto, yo también no quiero morir.

No voy a cometer un error de nuevo.

=== 2ª Parte ===

Fui a casa de nuevo y les explique la situación a Roxy y al resto de la familia.

Aisha lloró cuando le dije que no podría estar en casa durante mucho tiempo.

Pero esta vez ir y venir será más fácil.

Tengo la intención de volver de vez en cuando.

Como ir en un viaje de negocios.

Lo he dicho de esa forma porque podría darse el caso de que se convirtiera en un viaje más largo de lo esperado.

Los círculos mágicos de teletransporte podrían de repente dejar de funcionar, y yo podría no volver.

"Bueno, por favor tengan cuidado."

"Lo entiendo, Ludi ten cuidado también."

Aunque estaba preocupado de que Roxy quisiese venir también, después de escuchar mis explicaciones, acepta sin rodeos quedarse en casa.

Eso me desilusiona un poco.

Bueno, parece que voy a viajar varias veces en la Fortaleza Flotante desde ahora, así que las preparaciones son importantes.

Pueden ocurrir accidentes.

Pelagius, dijo que si incluso los círculos mágicos de teletransporte dejan de funcionar, el vendrá a buscarme si uso la herramienta mágica cerca de los monumentos de las siete grandes potencias.

No es que yo no le crea, pero nunca se sabe.

Por ejemplo, si nos vamos y de repente revive Laplace, entonces podría estar demasiado ocupado para ayudar.

Además, me traje algunos pergaminos de Espíritus de la Luz y otros artículos convenientes.

Todo listo.

=== 3ª Parte ===

El círculo mágico de teletransporte se encuentra por debajo del suelo de la Fortaleza Flotante.

La Fortaleza Flotante no es sólo se extiende por encima del suelo, sino también por debajo.

No sólo eso, sino que por debajo es aún más sofisticado.

A pocos niveles más abajo se vuelve casi como un laberinto.

Quizás los terrenos sobre el suelo hayan sido construidos específicamente para los invitados, y que el verdadero castillo se encuentre en la base de la Fortaleza Flotante.

"Estamos aquí."

Sylvaril nos llevó a una habitación en particular que se encontraba a 3 niveles por debajo del suelo.

Un lugar fácil de encontrar una vez que conoces las direcciones.

Sin iluminación en la habitación, pero con el círculo mágico que brilla con un color blanco pálido iluminando la habitación.

"Pelagius-sama acaba de completar este círculo mágico para reconectarlo con uno de los círculos mágicos abandonados en el Continente Mágico."

"¿Abandonado?"

"A menudo sucede con la magia de teletransporte en la cual cuando se destruye el círculo mágico por un lado entonces el del otro lado dejará de funcionar tan bien."

Los círculos de teletransporte vienen en pares.

Pero se pueden volver a reparar y volverlo a utilizar de nuevo.

Parece que en este mundo hay círculos mágicos de todas las clase.

"¿Este tipo de círculos mágicos están bajo el control de Pelagius-sama?"

"Pelagius-sama es de hecho un gran hombre."

Sylvaril suena orgullosa.

Hablando de eso, dibujar círculos mágicos de teletransporte.

En estas situaciones, hacerlos con la intención de conectar todos los lugares suena muy conveniente...

Pero, debido a que está prohibido, es probable que no quiera enseñarme.

Bueno, si presiono a mi suerte, podría terminar haciendo todo tipo de enemigos, así que no debería ser codicioso.

Tampoco debería olvidarme de que otros también puedan usarlos.

Por ejemplo, si una bestia mágica salvaje accidentalmente tropieza con uno de estos. Es posible.

Si mis círculos mágicos de teletransporte terminan destruyendo un pueblo o algo así, tendría pesadillas.

"Pelagius-sama dijo que este círculo mágico debería conseguir acercarte a la Gran Emperatriz Demoníaca.

"¿Pelagius-sama tiene alguna pista sobre el paradero de Kishirika?"

"Por supuesto."

¿De Verdad?

Él tiene una pista.

Y yo que pensé que estaría por mi cuenta una vez que llegue allí.

"Pero podría estar equivocado también."

"... Cierto."

La Emperatriz Demoniaca que conozco es impredecible.

Podríamos pensar que está en algún lugar pero al momento de llegar ahí, ella ya podría haber desaparecido hacia otro lugar.

Su prometido Badigadi es igual ...

Ah, cierto, Badigadi también.

No lo he visto en mucho tiempo. Tal vez ya volvió a sus dominios.

Teniendo en cuenta todos los años de vida que tiene a sus espaldas, podría sernos de ayuda contactar con él.

"Entiendo. Vamos a ir a investigar."

"No se ha confirmado la situación en el otro lado todavía. La salida podría estar sellada también. Tengan cuidado."

"¿Sellada?"

"La entrada podría estar destruida para mantenerlo oculto."

Si no hay entrada, entonces no puede ser encontrado.

Ya veo. Eso tiene sentido.

Seguro que la gente buscará trampas, pero pocos tendrán un pico y comenzaran a excarvar en las paredes.

Los antiguos egipcios inventaron esta técnica.

Los arqueólogos tienen que prestar especial atención a las tumbas aparentemente vacías.

Tal vez así es como se descubrieron las ruinas de teletransporte también.

"Em, si no funciona, entonces volveremos pronto".

"Que la fortuna de la guerra este con ustedes."

Con la bendición de Sylvaril entramos en el círculo de teletransporte mágico.

=== 4ª Parte ===

¿Cuántas veces he sido transportado hasta ahora?

El evento de Metástasis, hacia y desde el Continente Begarito y también herramienta mágica de Pelagius.

Y con todas esas veces esta sería la quinta vez.

Como despertar de un sueño, me estoy acostumbrando a esta sensación.

"Phew."

Después de el teletransporte, llegamos a una habitación oscura.

El aire es denso y mohoso.

Esto ha sido abandonado hace mucho tiempo.

Sin luces.

Ni siquiera un candelabro.

Básicamente una ruina.

Ah, se me olvidó preguntarle a dónde íbamos.

"Achoo!"

Cliff estornuda detrás de mí.

Me doy la vuelta para mirar. Los otros tres ya han bajado del círculo mágico.

Elinalise está acostumbrada a esto. Zanoba pomposamente camina por los alrededores

Zanoba curiosamente está estudiando el círculo mágico.

"Demasiado polvo aquí, Salgamos de aquí tan pronto como sea posible."

Como Zanoba dijo eso, comencé a buscar una salida.

"¿Eh?"

Veo una pared.

No hay nada parecido a una puerta.

No hay escaleras, ni siquiera un agujero en el techo.

Inspecciono cuidadosamente el suelo. Sip, no hay salida.

Es una habitación secreta.

Si Sylvaril tiene razón entonces la habitación ha sido sellada.

"Em, bueno, ¿dónde está la salida?"

"Um."

Con un solo golpe, Zanoba hizo un agujero en la pared.

Un enorme agujero en la pared de unos 50 cm de espesor.

Tan fácil como derribar un castillo de arena, amplió el agujero hasta que tuviese el espacio para que alguien pueda pasar

Con Zanoba soportando el peso, Elinalise pasa por el hueco.

"Me adelanto a explorar."

Completa oscuridad en el otro lado.

Ni siquiera puedes ver tu mano.

Sabemos que esto es una estructura de piedra, pero eso es prácticamente todo.

Ni siquiera sabemos si estamos bajo tierra o no.

"Ludeus, las luces por favor."

Siguiendo las instrucciones, saco un pergamino de Espíritu de luz y lo utilizó para iluminar el área.

Vimos una sala de 10 metros por delante.

"Ugh."

Cliff grita al ver la habitación.

Huesos dispersos por todas partes en el suelo.

Como era de esperar del Continente Mágico, huesos de diversas formas, casi como si estuvieran fabricados.

"Parece que esto era una prisión."

Elinalise dijo esto después de inspeccionar los huesos. En lo que queda de los brazos y las piernas pueden ser vistos cadenas oxidadas.

Cliff se ve afligido, tomando una pose de oración con sus manos.

"Oh ... Milis-sama por favor salva a estas almas perdidas."

Imito a Cliff en la oración.

Namusanbou, namusanbou.<ref>Es un rezo budista.</ref>

Descansen en paz.

Perdón por molestarlos. Nos iremos rápidamente.

"Vamonos."

Hablando de eso, hay huesos en todas partes.

¿Cuántos fueron encarcelados aquí?

Probablemente no se esperaban que hubiese un círculo de teletransporte mágico sólo a una pared de distancia.

Espera, no, yo recuerdo que Pelagius sólo recientemente ha vuelto reconectar este círculo mágico de teletransporte abandonado.

En otras palabras, ellos fueron trasladados aquí antes de que se reparara el círculo mágico.

Si eso es cierto, deja un mal sabor de boca.

"Aquí hay una escalera, subamos por ella."

Hay una escalera en la esquina de la habitación.

¿A pesar de que aquí tenían prisioneros no estaban realmente encerrados aquí?

Pensando en eso, noto algunas bisagras oxidadas caídos en el suelo.

Tal vez una puerta de madera alguna vez, pero desgastado por la descomposición después de un par de miles de años.

Em, oh bueno.

En frente de la escalera hay una puerta cerrada de metal.

Es una puerta que se abre hacia arriba. Básicamente, es una trampilla.

Elinalise revisa por trampas antes de intentar empujar para abrirla. No se debería abrir.

Algo pesado está presionando contra esta.

"Okay. ¡Ve! ¡Zanoba-robo<ref>Seguramente sea una referencia a Getter Robo. Está tratando a Zanoba como un robot a sus órdenes.</ref>. Ábrelo!"

"¿R-Robot? .... Voy."

Zanoba pone sus manos contra la puerta y empuja con fuerza.

Un intenso crujido, pero la puerta comienza a abrirse, el polvo y la tierra vienen volando.

"Ugh."

"Yo me encargare de la tierra, sigue adelante."

"L-lo tengo, Shisho."

Con toda su fuerza, Zanoba empuja la increíblemente pesada puerta.

Mientras que yo uso magia para deshacerse de todo la tierra que cae.

La puerta se abre.

La luz del sol brilla desde arriba.

Parece que la puerta conducía hacia afuera.

Cuando la puerta se abre lo suficiente para pasar a través de ella, Elinalise se cuela por debajo y sale.

"Todo despejado"

Después de esperar por su señal, nos dirigimos hacia fuera también.

=== 5ª Parte ===

Por fuera es una cuesta empinada.

Por debajo del horizonte una tierra rojiza.

Rocas gigantes esparcidas por todas partes creando un terreno extremo con muchos altibajos.

Y en el otro extremo, la especialidad del Continente Mágico: un bosque tan desnutrido que parecen un pescado dejado en las raspas.

Y por aquí y por allá se encuentran avanzando las famosas Grandes Tortugas de Tierra.

Que nostálgico.

"ASÍ que este es el Continente Mágico ...!"

Cliff jadea mientras habla, observando precavido la pendiente.

Ninguna ciudad a la vista.

¿Kishirika está realmente por aquí?

Tenemos que encontrar la ciudad más cercana he ir allí.

Pero, ¿dónde diablos estamos?

Tal vez deberíamos volver y comprobar nuestra ubicacion con Sylvaril primero.

No, antes de eso, vamos a investigar nuestro entorno.

"Cliff-senpai, el Continente Mágico tiene un gran número de criaturas peligrosas y manadas de monstruos. Por favor, ve con cuidado."

"Ah, lo tengo."

Cliff asiente seriamente.

Esta es una tierra peligrosa.

Si él lo trata como al Continente Central o Milis, incluso guerreros capaces pueden morir.

"No hay monstruos alrededor de nosotros. Es seguro."

Por supuesto Elinalise nunca será tan descuidada.

Tampoco lo fui yo... al menos creo que no lo fui.

A pesar de que tenía a Ruijerd en ese entonces, así que tal vez todavía mantengo algunas nociones ingenuas sobre el Continente Mágico.

Pero mi experiencia en el Continente Begarito debería ser útil.

"Además, me temo que no encontrará muchos seguidores de Milis por aquí. Su filosofía puede ser diferente, así que por favor evite entrar en una pelea con los demás sin motivo."

"Oh. Eso, tienes razón. Lo sé."

Tal vez estoy siendo un poco arrogante.

Pero Cliff nunca ha estado antes alrededor de las Razas Demoníacas.

Tenemos que evitar entrar en confrontaciones por cada pequeña cosa como lo hacía Eris.

"Está bien. Cliff ni siquiera habla el idioma del Dios demonio."

Elinalise añade eso.

Aunque ella tampoco.

Durante los dos años que pasó viajando por el Continente Demoníaco, ella casi exclusivamente se basó en Roxy.

Bueno, ella aprendió todo el vocabulario necesario para cosas-H.

Cliff probablemente se desmayaría si se entera.

Pero eso es culpa de la maldición también.

"¡Shisho!"

Mientras me preguntaba sobre esas cosas, Zanoba ha subido a una colina, gritando.

¿Él alguna vez ha sido cuidadoso con su vocabulario?

Por supuesto que no. Incluso caer de un precipicio no perturbaría a ese tipo.

Ah, oh bueno.

"¿¡Y eso!?"

Cliff exclamó sorprendido.

"Oh."

Cliff se encontraba al final de la cuesta arriba.

Y detrás de él una escena que no podía dejar de mirar.

"Wow increible..."

Cliff pronuncia estas palabras absorto.

Nos colocamos encima de un gran cráter.

Una ciudad se extiende por debajo de nosotros.

En el centro del cráter se encuentra un castillo con tonos negros y dorados decorando el paisaje mitad en ruinas.

Rodeado por la gran ciudad.

"Así que aquí es donde él nos envió..."

Reconozco esta ciudad.

Una de los tres más grandes del Continente demoniaco.

Una muralla natural en forma de cráter impide la entrada a los monstruos.

Al caer la noche, las piedras mágicas en el interior del cráter iluminan la ciudad.

Conozco el castillo también.

Esto alguna vez fue la residencia de la Gran Emperatriz Demoníaca Kishirika Kishirisu, destruido en la guerra de Laplace con los Reyes Demonio.

Una vez conocido como el Viejo Castillo Kishirisu.

Además, para mí, un lugar de malos recuerdos.

Nos encontramos en Rikaris, mi primera gran parada cuando llegué al continente demoniaco.

== Capítulo 149 - En Busca de Kishirika ==

=== 1ª Parte ===

Pueblo Rikaris.

Tengo muchos recuerdos en este lugar.

Incluso ahora me acuerdo como si fuera ayer.

Mi vida como aventurero en el Continente Mágico comenzó aquí, este pueblo esta lleno de memorias de Ruijerd y Eris.

Pero al final fuimos expulsados, dejando sólo malos recuerdos atrás...

Pero las experiencias que obtuve aquí son buenas.

Es aquí donde aprendí a no pensar demasiado o tratar de hacer todo por mí mismo.

Caminamos por la pendiente y nos dirigimos hacia el borde del cráter hasta llegar a la entrada.

Igual que antes, hay un par de guardias haciendo vigilancia.

En aquel entonces, con el fin de infiltrarnos con Ruijerd, llegamos disfrazados ...

"Hey, está vigilado. ¿Eso es un problema?"

"No. Las ciudades del Continente Mágico básicamente le dan la bienvenida a todos."

"¿Pero no tienen una seguridad muy estrecha en este momento?"

Como dijo Cliff, los guardias se ven muy tensos.

Armadura completamente negra, casco que cubre toda la cabeza.

La armadura se ve fuerte y ominosa.

La ultima vez que vine a Rikorisu, los guardias no estaban tan bien equipados.

Supongo que el equipo ha cambiado con los años.

"Deténganse."

Cuando estábamos a punto de entrar, los guardias nos detienen.

"¿Qué pasa?"

"No, esa mujer de allí..."

Los guardias miran a Elinalise.

Cliff da unos pasos delante de Elinalise como para protegerla.

Elinalise no parece inmutarse.

"¿Qué pasa?"

"...¿Qué?"

El otro guardia saca un pedazo de papel y mira entre el papel y Elinalise.

Yo le echo un vistazo. En el papel hay un dibujo de algo similar a un hermoso súcubo.

Alta, grandes pechos, cabello largo y ondulado.

No es del mismo color, pero Elinalise comparte algunas similitudes.

Pero el pecho es plano.

"No es ella."

"Ah, pues no."

Dicho esto, el guardia guarda el papel.

"Perdonen, pueden continuar."

"¿Pasó algo?"

"No es asunto tuyo."

Me fui en silencio después de ser rechazado.

"Parece que están buscando a alguien."

"Sí."

¿Hay un fugitivo en algún lugar de la ciudad?

Bueno, no tiene nada que ver con nosotros.

Pero debemos tener cuidado.

Seria malo si pasamos por algún callejón y nos encontramos con un asesino.

"Bueno, ¿y ahora qué?"

"Vamos a ir al Gremio de Aventureros y cambiar algo de dinero."

"De acuerdo."

Después de un simple intercambio, seguimos el camino hacia delante.

"Wow increíble..."

Exclama Cliff al ver el mercado.

Como de costumbre, está lleno de vida.

Hay comerciantes y aventureros de diversas razas.

Hay gente montada en bestias mágicas parecidas a lagartos por todas partes.

Pero es bastante similar a los mercados de la ciudad mágica de Sharia:

Comerciantes y aventureros que discuten, residentes paseando de un lado a otro, un mendigo pidiendo caridad de un comerciante y es expulsado a un lado.

El lo mismo por donde quiera que vayas.

Incluso Cliff debe estar familiarizado con esta vista, pero ver varias razas mezcladas podría ser refrescante.

Debe ser diferente.

Sin embargo, soldados vestidos de negro están en todas partes.

Cada vez que ven a Elinalise, la comparan con un dibujo en un papel.

Ya que es obviamente una persona diferente, nunca se acercan para interrogarnos.

"Cliff senpai, tu esposa es bastante popular."

"Eh, Ehh... ¿Hay algún problema?"

"Siempre que Elinalise-san no haya hecho nada aquí antes, debe estar bien."

Con eso dicho, me quedo mirando a Elinalise.

Ella se encoge de hombros.

"Nada por lo que deba sentirme culpable."

Elinalise parece desenfocada.

Definitivamente ella hizo algo por lo cual sentirse culpable.

=== 2ª Parte ===

El Gremio de Aventureros es el mismo de siempre.

Como mucho, se ha deteriorado ligeramente debido a los estragos del tiempo.

No, recuerdo que siempre fue así.

Todos los ojos estaban puestos en nosotros cuando entramos.

Que nostálgico.

La última vez causamos revuelo en todo el lugar.

Afortunadamente, Ruijerd siguió el juego y evitamos un desastre.

Todos perdieron rápidamente el interés.

Un grupo conformado por humanos y gente de la raza de orejas largas podría ser exótico, pero algunos especímenes raros no merecen tanta atención.

Nos dirigimos a la recepción e intercambiamos algunas monedas de Asura por otras del Continente Mágico.

Conseguimos alrededor de 100 Monedas Verdes, pero yo las recogí sin contarlas.

En aquel entonces yo habría verificado el contenido de mi monedero todos los días, incluso si sólo hay una o dos monedas adentro. Realmente he cambiado.

No, soy sólo un poco más rico que antes.

Además, emitimos una solicitud para el Gremio de Aventureros por el paradero de Kishirika.

"Una chica pequeña, pelo púrpura, vestida con un traje estilo bondage, autoproclamada Gran Emperatriz del reino demonio. En particular, ella tiene una risa demente."

Ya que es una búsqueda, los requisitos son bajos pero la recompensa es alta.

Deje la solicitud en el tablero de anuncios. De repente, me di cuenta que en el borde del tablero hay una vieja petición del Grupo de Búsqueda de la Región de Fedoa.

El grupo de búsqueda en Milis ya se ha sido disuelto, pero esta petición aun sigue aquí.

La persona de contacto sigue siendo Paul en el Santo Reino de Milis.

¿A este ritmo, no sería posible que alguien terminara viajando todo el camino hasta Milis para nada?

Vuelvo a la recepción y cambio el contacto a Alphonse en el campo de refugiados.

Probablemente allí todavía acepten refugiados.

Aunque mi residencia también podría servir, honestamente no quiero cuidar de personas que no conozco.

"Bueno, hemos terminado por aquí."

"¿Ahora que?"

Ante la pregunta de Cliff, me pregunte cual seria nuestro próximo movimiento.

Por supuesto, no hay que sentarse y esperar. Es mejor si nosotros mismos hacemos algo de investigación.

Vamos a pasar una semana aquí recopilando información.

Vamos a buscar ayuda y hacer el trabajo a pie por nuestra cuenta, buscando con cuidado.

En última instancia, la solicitud de empleo del Gremio de Aventureros es sólo una red de seguridad en caso de que de alguna manera Kishirika se nos escape.

"En primer lugar, recopilar información."

Compruebo mi entorno.

Un hombre camina hacia nosotros.

Un hombre con cabeza de caballo.

Recuerdo muy bien a este tipo.

Es el hombre que nos atrapo.

Es culpa suya que nos echaran de la ciudad... bueno, no todo es culpa suya.

Soy consciente de que en aquel entonces nosotros rompimos las reglas.

"¡Yo!"

El hombre con cara de caballo, Nokopara, al igual que antes viene a charlar lleno de energía.

Para un tipo como él, hacer conversación con las caras nuevas es parte del trabajo.

A pesar de lo que pienso, la persona que está saludando no soy yo, sino Elinalise.

"¡Cuánto tiempo sin verte! ¿Te separaste de Roxy?"

Elinalise miro a Nokopara sorprendida.

Poco después, parece que finalmente lo recordó y le estrecho la mano.

"Ah, eres el viejo compañero de Roxy."

"... ¿Eh?"

¿Viejo compañero de Roxy?

¿Qué?

"Ludeus, por favor traduceme. Este es mi... no, es un viejo amigo de Roxy."

Empujado por Elinalise, me enfrento a Nokopara.

Hace 8 años.

Este tipo se nos pego a nosotros.

Es un viejo amigo de Roxy.

Antiguo miembro de su grupo.

En otras palabras, él también se pego a Roxy.

¿Por qué no he oído nada acerca de esto?

"Oh, soy Nokopara. ¿Puedes entenderme?"

Parece que el no se acuerda de mi.

No se puede evitar, después de 8 años he crecido un poco.

Nokopara también ha envejecido... bueno, no estoy completamente seguro.

No estoy seguro de como de como se ve una cara de caballo vieja.

A su vez, Nokopara probablemente tampoco puede diferenciar esos rasgos en los humanos.

"Sí, Nokopara-san. Te entiendo."

"Ludeus, el debería estar bastante familiarizado con la situación en esta ciudad. ¿Por qué no pedirle ayuda para recoger información por nosotros?"

"..."

Si mal no recuerdo, este tipo es bueno recolectando información.

Él es muy observador de los demás.

En ese caso, debería ser útil para nosotros.

Una vez fuimos arrinconados por él.

Pero nosotros también lo avergonzamos en publico.

Él todavía podría guardar rencor por ello.

En lugar de decir quien soy, es mejor ocultar mi identidad y aprovecharme de él.

"Soy Quagmire. Encantado de conocerte."

"Ah, Quagmire eh... ¿Ah, sí? ¿Nos conocemos?"

"No, eso es imposible."

Si Eris estuviera aquí, probablemente me daría una patada en el culo.

Pero voy a olvidar el pasado.

Nunca se dio cuenta de que Ruijerd era un Supard.

Y fue nuestro paso en falso lo que causó esa situación.

Además, ahora no es el momento de desenterrar el pasado.

"Estamos buscando a alguien. ¿Puedes ayudarnos?"

"...¿Cuánto tienes?"

Me cabrea.

Bueno, a mi tampoco me gusta trabajar gratis.

"2 monedas verdes. 4 si la encuentras."

"¿¡4!? ¡Trato hecho!"

Ah, es demasiado.

Ha pasado algo de tiempo, así que me olvidé por completo de la situación de este lugar.

Ah, bueno.

"Es una emergencia."

"Oh. Si es para Elinalise, puedo hacerlo a mitad de precio."

Nokopara levanta la nariz y sonríe para sus adentros.

=== 3ª Parte ===

Tras darle a Nokopara la información sobre Kishirika, nos dijo '''Nos pondremos en contacto al mediodía''' y desapareció entre la multitud.

"Me sorprende que te contuvieras."

Dijo Elinalise mientras observaba salir a Nokopara.

"¿Eh?"

"Ahora me acuerdo. Ese tipo trató de incriminarte."

"Wow, incluso sabes acerca de eso."

"Cuando vine por este pueblo escuche ese rumor. Al parecer, Nokopara trató de extorsionar a '''Dead End''' y casi lo mataron. Pero no creo que Roxy lo haya escuchado..."

Elinalise lo sabe.

Bueno, no hay razón por la que no deba saberlo.

Un Supard apareciendo en la ciudad sería una gran noticia.

"Fue sólo un evento desafortunado."

Las cosas iban tan bien que me dejé llevar y caí de cara al suelo.

La forma en la que Nokopara se aprovecha de los demás me da asco, pero yo tampoco soy ningún santo.

Siempre que Nokopara no se de cuenta de quién soy, todo está bien.

"De todas formas, no tengo planes de vengarme de Nokopara. Pero si nos volvemos a cruzar, eso es una historia diferente."

Lo pasado es pasado, pero no soy tan generoso.

Si me lo cruzo de nuevo, me aseguraré de que sea la última vez.

"Dime, Nokopara y Roxy estuvieron en el mismo grupo, ¿desde cuando sabes eso?"

"Ah, sobre eso..."

Me siento un poco preocupado después de escuchar la historia de Roxy y Nokopara.

Ah, el era un buen tipo en ese entonces, sin embargo termino volviéndose algo como esto.

=== 4ª Parte ===

Hay un montón de cosas que hacer antes del medio día.

En primer lugar, conseguir alojamiento.

Esta ciudad tiene un montón de pensiones para los aventureros.

Posadas sencillas para novatos y de lujo para los de alto rango.

Esta vez seleccione una para los aventureros de alto rango.

Elegí una posada de clase alta sobre todo por su seguridad.

Es un poco caro, pero ya que los precios son generalmente bajos en el Continente Mágico, no fue muy doloroso.

En el camino, pasamos por la posada Garra de Lobo.

Estuve mucho tiempo en ese lugar.

Por casualidad, pasamos a tres novatos jóvenes charlando mientras salían de la posada.

Es un poco tarde para salir a hacer un trabajo, por lo que probablemente van a hacer compras.

Los otros aventureros que vivían aquí en ese entonces... Kuruto y compañía, ¿donde estarán ahora?

A causa de mi error, uno de ellos murió. ¿Cómo estarán los otros dos?

No. Ya han pasado 8 años.

Puede que estén muertos.

Pero si los vuelvo a encontrar, me gustaría hablar de los viejos tiempos con ellos.

Oh si.

Debería reunirme con los P-Hunters.

Jaril y Veskel, ¿no?

Los delincuentes de poca monta que se especializaban en mascotas perdidas.

Aunque en esta ocasión no estoy buscando una mascota, Kishirika es básicamente un animal. Tal
vez puedan encontrarla.

"Antes de eso, déjame pasar por un lugar que conozco."

"Como era de esperar de Shishou, realmente estas muy bien conectado."

"Sólo conozco unas pocas personas."

Pensando en eso, me dirijo hacia la tienda de mascotas de los P-Hunters.

Debe estar por aquí. Siguiendo vagos recuerdos de la zona seguí adelante.

Mis recuerdos son borrosos, y la ciudad ha cambiado.

A pesar de eso, tras pasar un tiempo en la zona y siguiendo algunas marcas todavía puedo reconocer este lugar.

La ubicación es la misma, pero la tienda ha cambiado.

Es una carnicería.

Un tipo con cabeza erizo se ocupa de la tienda. Me acerco a verlo.

"Bienvenido."

"Recuerdo que esto una vez fue una tienda de animales. ¿Sabes lo que pasó?"

"Ah, ¿Jaril? Murió. Falleció hace 2 años domando a un monstruo."

Eh, ¿murió?

¿En serio?

"¿Y Veskel?"

"¿Veskel? Se fue hace un año. Con Jaril muerto, ella no podía continuar en el negocio."

Veskel también se ha ido.

¿Realmente Jaril esta muerto?

Sé que el Continente Mágico es un lugar cruel, pero escuchar que un viejo amigo ha muerto sigue siendo bastante deprimente.

Al final, él traicionó a Ruijerd.

Aun así, trabajamos juntos en una ocasión.

Me gustaría permanecer como amigos.

"Me hice cargo de la tienda de Veskel. ¿La conoces?"

"Sí, nos conocimos."

"Pues bien, te voy a dar un descuento."

También pregunté por Kishirika y como pago, compré un poco de carne de Tortuga de Tierra y me fui.

La carne de la Tortuga de Tierra sabe tan repugnante como siempre.

=== 5ª Parte ===

Durante medio día nos ocupamos en buscar información.

Recopilar información personalmente no es particularmente eficiente.

Especialmente porque soy el único que habla la lengua del Dios Demonio.

Así que básicamente sólo estuve preguntando por ahí.

Si tan sólo Roxy estuviera aquí.

Aún así, buscando en una ciudad una o dos personas no hacen mucha diferencia.

Cuando se trata recolectar información, tenemos que contar con el experto de Nokopara.

Con esos pensamientos, seguí preguntando por ahí ...

"Pequeña, pelo púrpura, ropa estilo bondage, autoproclamada Gran Emperatriz del reino demonio, ríe frecuentemente como una loca. ¿Ha visto a esa chica?"

"Ah, esa chica. La he visto. Pero eso fue casi... hace más de un año."

Resulta que conseguí un montón de respuestas.

Que inesperado.

Verdaderamente inesperado.

Con esto, tal vez no pase mucho tiempo antes de que la encontremos.

"¡Lo logramos!"

Cliff alza la voz con alegría.

Como si ya la hubiéramos encontramos.

Pero Elinalise sacude la mano.

"¿Pero nadie la vio recientemente?"

Es verdad.

Todos son de 'Hace aproximadamente un año'.

Bueno, algunos también dijeron 'Hace aproximadamente medio año'.

Tal vez ella ya se fue.

En ese caso, deberíamos empezar con '¿Adónde se fue?'

El Pueblo Rikaris se encuentra en la esquina noreste del Continente Mágico.

Por el momento, ella probablemente se dirigiría al suroeste.

Hay una cadena de montañas al suroeste, en ese caso tal vez... No, es Kishirika después de todo.

No que yo conozca a Kishirika muy bien.

Pero tengo la sensación de que es capaz de cualquier cosa.

Si ella no sigue los caminos, entonces, ¿quién sabe dónde podría estar?

"Vamos a encontrarnos con Nokopara."

"Sólo ha pasado medio día. Dudo que haya encontrado mucho ..."

En cualquier caso, nos dirigimos de nuevo al Gremio de Aventureros.

Elegimos una mesa, y justo cuando estábamos a punto de comer algo, Nokopara apareció.

"Yo'h. ¿Los hice esperar mucho tiempo?"

De la misma forma en que se fue, volvió sonriente y lleno de energía.

No, no puedo decir con certeza si es felicidad lo que refleja la cara de caballo.

Pero a mi me parece muy feliz.

"Lo siento, no pude encontrar a la persona, pero tengo algo de información para usted."

"¿Qué escuchaste?"

Sólo se necesita medio día para que el águila llegue a tierra.

Básicamente, ya sabemos toda la información que Nokopara encontró.

Pero como era de esperar de Nokopara, fue capaz de resumir todos los avistamientos más comunes, así como donde fue vista por última vez.

No está mal para medio día de trabajo ...

Más bien, es como si fuera parte de su rutina diaria conocer todas las personas adecuadas para preguntar.

Luego, en base a la información que se necesite, busca los mejores candidatos para preguntar, o algo así.

Eso también es un talento.

"El Rey Demonio-sama también parece estar buscando a la Gran Emperatriz Demonio."

"¿Rey Demonio?"

"Sí. Hace aproximadamente un año, el Rey Demonio del territorio adyacente viajó hasta aquí."

Al parecer, ahora hay un Rey Demonio residiendo en el centro del Pueblo Rikarisu, en el Viejo Castillo Kishirisu.

Todos los soldados vestidos de negro son su ejército personal. Los hombres a caballo también son básicamente sus guardias privados.

"No me digas que Rey Demonio es Badigadi."

"No, no es Badigadi-sama. Es Atofe-sama, la hermana mayor de Badigadi-sama, es un Rey Demonio muy aterrador."

¿Badigadi tiene una hermana?

¿Una amazona negra?

"¿Es realmente aterradora?"

"Ah, ella es un Rey Demonio que luchó en la Campaña de Laplace después de todo. Si la ofendes accidentalmente, ella podría ejecutarte en el acto."

No puedo ni imaginarlo comparado con lo fácil de tratar que es Badigadi.

Pero siendo así, entonces probablemente debería evitarla.

No, si ella esta relacionada con Badigadi, entonces también debería ser inmortal.

Si ella ha vivido desde hace mucho tiempo, tal vez ella sepa de la cura para el síndrome de Drenaje.

Debería tratar de conseguir una audiencia con ella y preguntarle ...

Que ella este dispuesta a verme es otra cuestión.

"Dime, ¿Badigadi ha regresado?"

"Aun no... Hey, cuida tu lenguaje cuando hablas del Rey Demonio-sama."

"Disculpa".

Badigadi no ha regresado.

Quién sabe dónde está vagando en este momento.

Se fue hace 8 años.

Tal vez vagar por el mundo es una manía suya.

Resumí los detalles a los demás.

Zanoba dijo con una mano a la barbilla.

"El retrato no se parece en nada a ella."

Ahora que él lo menciona, ese retrato se ve completamente diferente de la Kishirika que yo recuerdo.

Sé que Kishirika era una niña.

No me di cuenta cuando mire el retrato, pero esa zorra no se ve en absoluto como Kishirika.

Tal vez Kishirika creció y ahora se ve así.

¿Quizás Kishirika ha crecido en los últimos años?

No no.

Tenemos informes de testigos que vieron a esa chica.

En otras palabras, ¿el Rey Demonio no sabe que Kishirika es una niña?

Oh...

Quizás Nokopara lo sepa.

"Ese retrato de los guardias privados tiene un aspecto diferente de la Kishirika real. ¿Por que crees que sea?"

"El Rey Demonio-sama no tiene en cuenta esos pequeños detalles. Así que tal vez pensó que la edad no haría diferencia."

"Ah, ya veo."

Badigadi también es caprichoso.

Tal vez Atofe sea igual.

"Entonces, ¿vamos a ir a ver a Atofe-sama?"

Digo y me levanto.

Pero Nokopara comienza a entrar en pánico.

"Hey, espera, olvídalo. Atofe-sama es realmente peligrosa. Es mejor que no vayas."

"No, debo ir. Voy a tener cuidado de no ofenderla."

¿No habrá problemas?

Espero que no.

Si algo sucede, entonces Zanoba tendrá que defenderme mientras yo ataco.

Al igual que con Badigadi, voy a golpear y correr ...

Luego, una vez que encuentre a Badigadi, el podrá mediar por nosotros.

Bueno, eso es lo que haré.

"Si debemos reunirnos con ella, entonces permitanme ayudar."

Zanoba se pone de pie sonriendo.

El es de la realeza, así que acordar una reunión debería ser posible ¿no?

De ser así, entonces tal vez deberíamos haber traído a Ariel en su lugar ...

Espera, tal vez igual que con Pelagius, Zanoba es alguien mas fácil de tratar.

Como Ariel siempre está pensando en buscar aliados podría resultar molesta.

"¿Atofe-sama esta interesada en el arte?"

"¿Eh? ¿Arte? Em, quién sabe. Bueno, los Rey Demonio-Sama parecen tener todo tipo de
intereses".

¿Como los intereses de Badigadi?

No creo que este interesado en algo así.

No, él está interesado en la cerveza.

¿Quizás alguna cerveza muy cara?

Aunque Atofe es un Rey Demonio aterrador, si ella se parece a Badigadi, entonces podríamos llevarnos bien.

"De todas formas, vamos a darle una oportunidad."

Al terminar la conversación, Elinalise y Cliff se levantaron.

=== 6ª Parte ===

Una hora después.

Estamos parados mirando al castillo.

¿Conclusión?

Fracaso.

Zanoba lleva la cresta de Shirone. Yo hago de traductor para solicitar una audiencia con el Rey Demonio.

"Nunca he oído hablar de ese país. ¡Atofe-sama está ocupada! ¡Nadie puede pasar!"

Denegado.

Portazo en la cara.

Quizás si fuera el Reino de Asura, o el Reino del Rey Dragón, o el Santo Reino de Milis la respuesta sería diferente.

Pero Shirone es un pequeño reino, por lo que es imposible.

Es como esperar que un japonés sepa el nombre de algún país de África.

Sobre todo cuando no teníamos ninguna cita.

Es natural.

"Lo siento. Mi país de origen carece de prestigio."

En lugar de enojarse por el flagrante rechazo, Zanoba se disculpaba ante mí.

"No, yo fui desconsiderado."

"Pensé que esto podría lograrlo..."

Dijo Zanoba mientras fruncía el ceño.

Zanoba no es demasiado patriota, pero dudo que lo deje pasar ese desprecio hacia su pais.

"... Suspiro, vamos a tomar un descanso."

Cliff se apoya en una pared cercana y suspira.

Todavía tengo un poco de gas en el tanque, pero...

"Es verdad, yo también estoy un poco cansado."

Mirando alrededor, Zanoba también esta algo sudoroso.

Parece que me olvide de que el es un tipo de interiores. Un día de ejercicio es duro para él.

También me siento como si mi cabeza está funcionando algo lento.

Vamos a descansar.

"Muy bien. Entonces vamos a buscar algo para comer."

No tuvimos tiempo para el almuerzo.

Bueno, la comida aquí es difícil de comer, así que no tengo mucho apetito.

"Shisho, allí hay una tienda al aire libre. Vamos a comer. ¿Está bien con ustedes dos?"

Ahora que lo menciona, desde hace un rato nos llega el olor de barbacoa.

Siguiendo nuestra nariz, llegamos a un establecimiento vendiendo especialidades del Continente Mágico fuertemente condimentadas.

Con una multitud de... 3 clientes esperando en la fila.

"No me importa comer de pie... pero ¿no esta en contra de las reglas?"

"¿De qué diablos estás hablando?"

Mientras discuten, Elinalise se puso en la fila.

"Voy a esperar el turno. Ludeus, busca un lugar para sentarse en alguna parte."

"¿Podrás entenderte en ese idioma?"

"Para los números podemos usar nuestras manos."

Eso es verdad.

Hay maneras de manejarse bien sin saber el idioma.

Siguiendo sus instrucciones, cree algunas sillas con magia en una esquina.

Aunque comer de pie está bien, estaría mejor sentarse para descansar.

Aunque para ser honesto, tampoco me molestaría sentarme en el suelo.

"Yo también voy a la fila."

Cliff y Elinalise se alinean juntos.

Termino con los preparativos y me siento con Zanoba.

"Uf."

Después de sentarme, el cansancio de un día entero se precipitó sobre mí.

Pero aquí sentado empiezo a sentir que todo el día ha sido una pérdida de tiempo.

Todavía no sabemos si podemos encontrar a Kishirika.

Incluso si la encontramos, no tenemos ni idea si ella sabe algo útil.

Más bien, tengo la sensación de que las posibilidades de que no sepa nada son altas.

Igual que Badigadi, que aunque tiene una vida larga rara vez se enferma.

"... Shisho, no seas tan duro contigo mismo."

"¿Eh?"

"La enfermedad de Nanahoshi, Shisho no tiene que sentirse tan responsable de ello."

Yo no soy responsable.

Correcto. Es verdad.

Pero esto no es una cuestión de responsabilidad.

Esto es algo que quiero hacer.

"Es verdad. Pero la sensación de nostalgia y ganas de volver, puedo entenderla un poco. Por eso quiero ayudar."

"¿En serio? Pensé que estabas feliz con la vida que tienes ahora."

"Por supuesto. Pero a veces siento nostalgia de mi casa. Eso también es cierto."

Zanoba a veces siente nostalgia.

Pensé que sólo tenía muñecas en su mente, pero supongo que Zanoba también es de carne y hueso.

"... Nanahoshi lo intenta muy duro. Su hogar es definitivamente algo importante para ella."

"El chico que le gusta, y su familia... todos están ahí."

Ambos son anhelos ordinarios, pero ambos son importantes.

Muy, muy importantes.

"Ambos están más allá de mí."

"Para usted, son las muñecas."

Yo miro distraídamente a los otros dos durante la conversación con Zanoba.

Cliff y Elinalise.

Los dos han cambiado tanto desde que nos conocimos.

Cliff no puede leer el estado de ánimo, pero ahora es más considerado con los demás.

Elinalise también, recuerdo la época en que ella estaba ocupada acosando a los jóvenes de la universidad.

Si alguna vez se separan, probablemente volverían a sus verdaderas formas rápidamente.

"..."

El cliente frente a Cliff ordenó unas brochets.

Probablemente para pedir el cambio, un mendigo cubierto con una capa y trapos se acercó, pero el cliente lo alejo de una patada.

Cliff parece enojado al ver esto.

Pero Elinalise lo detiene, así que no surgió ninguna pelea.

Cliff tiene buen corazón. Definitivamente va a conseguir algo para el mendigo.

Como esperaba, compró una brochet extra y se la entregó.

El mendigo devora la brochet y le da las gracias.

Nom, nom.

Poco después de terminarla, descaradamente le ruega otra a Cliff, por lo que Cliff compra otra para él.

Temblando de emoción, el mendigo sostiene la mano de Cliff.

¿Eh?

Deja Vu.

¿El mendigo le esta agradeciendo a Cliff en lenguaje humano?

En ese momento, el mendigo se ríe de repente con una voz tan fuerte que se puede escuchar desde aquí.

"¡Faahahahaha!"

Lanzando los trapos, ella grito en voz alta.

"¡Esta se llama Kishirika Kishirisu! ¡Alias LA GRAN EMPERATRIZ DEL REINO DEMONIO! ¡Usted ha salvado la vida de esta persona! ¡Está bien si pides cualquier deseo!"

[[File:Mushoku14 07.jpg|500px]]

Me siento mareado.

=== 7ª Parte ===

Gran Emperatriz Demonio Kishirika.

Ella se ve igual que cómo la recordaba.

Esas botas hasta la rodilla, pantalones cortos ceñidos y blusa.

Su piel pálida, clavícula, cintura, ombligo, y muslos.

Su característico espeso cabello ondulado de color púrpura, y cuernos de cabra.

Bueno, ella esta más sucia que antes.

Pero sin lugar a dudas,

Ella es Kishirika Kishirisu.

"¡Jajajaja! ¡Jajaja! ¡Hahahahaha!"

Cliff la mira estupefacto.

Los ojos de Elinalise se convierten en pequeños puntos.

Yo también, ¿que acaba de pasar?

El único calmado es Zanoba.

Sólo él, con la mano en la barbilla, dice, 'Oh, así que ella es la amante de Badigadi.'

"..."

Paga por adelantado.

Ese frase flota en mi mente.

Creo que Cliff es la prueba de esas palabras.

Ayudar a un mendigo suena fácil, pero no todo el mundo lo haría.

En última instancia, la otra persona es un mendigo.

Ropa desgastada, fuerte hedor cada vez que se acerca, piel cubierta de suciedad, y dientes
ennegrecidos.

Se siente lástima por ellos, por lo que deberíamos comprarles alimentos. Pero, ¿realmente quieres hacerlo?

Yo no lo haría.

No iría tan lejos como para patearlos, pero no tengo esa clase de amor universal.

Pero Cliff, él lo tiene.

La primera vez que nos conocimos, yo pensé que era un pequeño bastardo.

Pero en el futuro, probablemente se convertirá en un gran sacerdote.

¡Viva Cliff!

Bueno, suficientes elogios para Cliff.

De todas formas, ¿qué está haciendo Kishirika aquí?

"¡Vamos! ¡No te reprimas! ¡Cualquier cosa que desees! ¡Pero antes de eso, dime tu nombre!"

"¿Eh? ¿Eh...? C-Cliff Grimoire".

Mirando al mendigo que se convirtió en Kishirika ante él, Cliff me mira como buscando ayuda.

Mientras tanto, Kishirika hace una pose pomposa y continúa.

"¡Cliff! Obsequiarme una comida es una gran hazaña. ¡Esta no ha comido durante medio año!"

Yo camino hacia ellos para unirme a la conversación.

"En ese caso, ¿qué tal un poco más?"

"¡Oh! ¡De verdad! ¡Tú eres verdaderamente generoso! ¡Verdaderamente un hombre generoso!"

Luego de un tiempo, Kishirika sigue devorando brochets de Tortuga Gigante de Tierra.

Viendo como devora todo, me pregunto cómo se las arregla para poner todo en ese diminuto cuerpo.

Nom, nom.

"¡Uf, estoy llena! ¡Con eso, ésta puede durar todo un año!"

Kishirika golpea su barriga con satisfacción. Ella acaba de vaciar el puesto.

Con tan buena venta, el dueño del puesto también debe estar feliz.

Lo siguiente es...

"Cuánto tiempo sin verla, Kishirika-sama."

"¡¿Y usted es?!"

Me inclino con respeto. Kishirika me mira fijamente.

"¿Eh? ¿Oh?"

Entonces gira sus pupilas y aplaude.

"¡Oh, tu! ¡El chico humano con una repugnante cantidad de poder mágico! ¡Esta se acuerda! ¡Ésta le dio al muchacho una ojo demoníaco! El nombre es, oh sí, eh... Lu, ba, Lumba... Lumbaus. ¡Mucho tiempo sin verte!"

"Es Ludeus Greyrat."

No soy una aspiradora.

"Cuánto tiempo sin verlo, Ludeus... Realmente creciste. ¿Cómo le fue después de eso? ¿Como seguiste?"

Kishirika me da una palmada en el muslo una vez que ella se acercó lo suficiente.

Al igual que un gerente de alguna parte.

"¡Ah, sí, el ojo demoníaco que Kishirika-sama me dio me ha salvado la vida muchas veces!"

"¡Faahahahah! ¿¡Es así, es así!?"

Kishirika asiente alegremente.

Qué sencilla.

Tan fácil.

"¡Sin embargo, esta sólo se puede premiar a una persona! ¡Sólo una!"

Kishirika apunta a Cliff.

"Usted, Cliff Grimoire. Dime cual es tu deseo."

"..."

Al ser señalado por Kishirika, Cliff traga nervioso.

De repente me acuerdo.

La recompensa de la Gran Emperatriz Demonio Kishirika Kishirisu; un ojo demoníaco.

Esto es algo bien conocido en este mundo.

Cliff tiene sus propias metas en el futuro.

Un ojo demoníaco sin duda le ayudará con su investigación de la herramienta mágica.

Si soy yo, yo pensaría lo mismo.

Claro.

A menos que...

"E-entonces, por favor dígame la cura para el síndrome de Drenaje".

"¿Eh?"

"Una amiga mío se enfermó. Ella esta estable en este momento, pero probablemente no va a mejorar. Si usted sabe algo, por favor dígame."

Uf.

Mi mente vagaba. Lo siento mucho.

Cuando volvamos, definitivamente voy a invitar a Cliff a una comida en grande.

"Em, Síndrome de Drenaje ¿eh? Ese nombre es nostálgico. ¿La gente todavía se enferma de eso?
¡que inesperado!"

Echo un vistazo a Zanoba y asiente.

Parece que Kishirika ha oído hablar de eso.

"Entonces, ¿qué pasa con la cura?"

"Por supuesto. Debes tomar algunas hojas de hierba Sokasu y hacer té con ellas. Luego sale del cuerpo con la caca."

Puedo sentir una sonrisa cada vez mayor en mi cara.

Bueno.

Aunque Kishirika podría estar equivocada, por fin tenemos algo.

Hacer té con hojas de Sokasu.

Básicamente hacer un brebaje.

"¿Hierba Sokasu? Nunca he oído hablar de eso. ¿Dónde podemos encontrarla?"

"Em... En la Capital Fantasma de Maio."

"¿La Capital Fantasma de Maio?"

Mierda.

Cualquier ciudad con la palabra Fantasma es básicamente imposible de encontrar.

Como un lugar que sólo se puede visitar en un sueño, o sólo se puede encontrar en un espejismo en el desierto...

"Al norte de la Cordillera del Dragón Rojo, en una cueva del valle llamado Cola del Dragón Rojo. La hierba Sokasu crece en las partes más profundas de la cueva."

"Cueva en la Cola del Dragón".

Con eso, tenemos más trabajo que hacer.

No, eso es bueno.

No está nada mal.

Mejor que no encontrar a Kishirika y vagar por el mundo durante años.

¿Eh?

¿Pero hay un lugar llamado Cola del Dragón Rojo en la Cordillera del Dragón Rojo?

"¿Dónde está ese lugar?"

"Oh, durante la segunda Gran Guerra demonio-humano, el Dios Dragón y el Dios de la Pelea hicieron un agujero en el suelo y desapareció."

"... ¿Eh?"

En otras palabras,

Se fue.

Aunque es algo diferente de la historia que yo conocía.

El agujero en la tierra, ¿no fue debido a la batalla entre Kishirika y el Caballero Dorado?

No, Kishirika no parece particularmente fuerte ...

Bueno, olvídalo.

Cuando se trata de cuentos y leyendas, la verdad a menudo se tuerce cuando es conveniente.

Lo importante es la Hierba Sokasu.

"Oye, ¿la Hierba Sokasu esta extinta?"

"No, la Cueva de la cola del dragón es sólo donde fue descubierta."

Kishirika niega con la cabeza lentamente.

El lugar donde fue descubierta, por lo que todavía puede estar creciendo en alguna parte.

"La Hierba Sokasu crece en la profundidades de las cuevas donde el sol nunca brilla."

Las profundidades de las cuevas donde el sol no brilla.

¿Como Laberintos?

¿Otro Laberinto?

En ese caso, entonces tengo que conseguir suficientes compañeros en este momento.

20... No, yo podría colocar una recompensa suficiente para juntar unos 100 aventureros más o menos.

"Por lo tanto, bajo la instrucción de ésta, los Reyes Demonios de todo el mundo han estado cultivándolas bajo sus propios castillos."

"..."

"Después de todo, la Hierba Sokasu es deliciosa. Por otra parte, el consumo de ellas prolonga la esperanza de vida. Incluso los Demonios Inmortales la Beben. ¡Fahahahahaha!"

"..."

En otras palabras.

¿Eso es?

¿Están creciendo bajo el castillo?

No sólo eso, sino que son un ingrediente para hacer té de alta calidad, entonces podemos encontrarla en todas partes.

"¡Faahahaha! ¡Usted pensó usted no la encontraría? ¡Eso supongo! ¿no? ¡Qué lástima! ¡Incluso hay en el Castillo Kishirisu! ¡Fahahahahaha!"

Este chica, realmente quiero darle una patada.

Como me lo imaginaba, Cliff da un paso adelante con los puños apretados.

"¡Usted!"

"¡Espera Cliff-senpai! ¡Espere hasta que ella nos cuente todo!"

"Oh vale."

Mierda, la verdad salió a flote.

Además, si hay en el castillo, entonces está bien.

O más bien, es perfecto.

No estoy feliz de que hayan jugado conmigo.

Esta es un área en la que tengo que mejorar.

Debo mantener la calma.

Mantenga la cabeza inclinada.

"Entonces, Kishirika-sama. ¿Podrías darnos un poco de ese té Sokasu?"

"¡Claro! Pero hay un pequeño problema."

"¿Problema?"

"Um. Ahora mismo en el Castillo Kishirisu hay una persona molesta. Es una idiota, pero una idiota molesta. Ésta se ha estado escondiendo de ella por medio de un año... ¡Ah!"

Kishirika mira detrás de mí.

"¿Em?"

Miro detrás de mí.

Hay unos soldados vestidos de negro.

5, 6, 7 ... más de 20 en total.

Aún más viniendo de la calle y callejones ...

Casi 30 en total, y estamos rodeados.

=== 8ª Parte ===

Los soldados nos miran intimidantemente.

Elinalise da un paso adelante con una mano sobre la espada en su cintura.

Hay sudor frío sobre su frente.

No importa qué, hay demasiados enemigos ante nosotros.

Mierda, no tenemos ningún lugar para correr.

¿Agarro a Zanoba y Cliff y escapo?

¿Dejo a Kishirika y Elinalise atrás?

¿Qué debo hacer?

El soldado mas cercano da un paso adelante.

Con una voz ronca pero contundente, dice,

"Somos de la Región Gaslow, de la Guardia Privada del Rey Demonio Inmortal Atoferatofe."

Habla el lenguaje humano con fluidez.

Así que vamos a trabajar con ellos, probablemente.

"Atofe-sama ordeno: Denos a Kishirika-sama a nosotros, y diríjanse de inmediato al castillo."

Al oírlo, los jinetes vestidos de negro detrás de él comparan el retrato con Kishirika. ¿Eh? Parecen fastidiados.

Como Nokopara supuso, el retrato estaba equivocado. El que lo creó fue descuidado.

Pero, incluso si el retrato estaba mal, al gritar su nombre de esa manera, probablemente se delato sola.

"¿Qué pasa si no lo hacemos?"

En el momento que Elinalise preguntó en voz baja, todos los soldados desenvainaron sus espadas.

El sonido de las espadas desenvainando repiqueteo en todo el lugar.

El coro de sonidos se convierte en un ruido ensordecedor.

"Mantelos a todos."

No puedo estar seguro de la fuerza de un oponente con sólo mirar.

Pero aún tengo un poco de experiencia en mi haber.

Incluso puedo decir cuando un oponente es obviamente fuerte.

Los guardias privados son, sin duda, gente increíble.

Mucho más fuerte que un típico grupo de caballeros.

"No, no. Si atrapan a ésta, entonces, ¿quién sabe como me van a tratar? ¡Atofe es la más estúpida entre los los Reyes Demonio!"

Al escuchar a Kishirika frunzo el ceño.

Si Atofe no tiene un plan para hacer frente a Kishirika después de la capturarla, entonces ¿por que capturarla en primer lugar?

Además, no tengo ninguna razón para reunirme con Atofe.

Debería correr ...

Pero la medicina esta debajo de ese castillo ¿no?

Entonces tal vez deberíamos ir... Pero no la conocemos. No tengo ni idea de como luce.

Mientras estoy dudando, el soldado se quita el casco.

"Por favor."

Un anciano de pelo blanco y aspecto de guerrero.

Con una sonrisa suave, inclina la cabeza.

"Si todo el mundo no viene, entonces vamos a ser castigados por Afote-sama. Definitivamente no te hará daño, así que por favor ..."

Soy un hombre japonés que puede decir... no.

No como antes.

Pero ante una solicitud tan humilde, no puedo dejar de sentir como se me ablanda el corazón.

"No, no lo escuchen. Él es el perro de Atofe."

Sudor frío gotea de la cara de Kishirika.

Parece como si estuviera ocultando algo.

"Yo escuché su conversación. La Hierba Sokasu se cultiva en la Región Gaslow, y también sé las técnicas de cultivo. Si es necesario, incluso podemos preparar algunas plantas para ti. Así que por favor vengan con nosotros..."

El viejo soldado inclina la cabeza.

Puedo sentir su sinceridad.

A pesar de que él nos puede llevar a la fuerza, en cambio lo pidió humildemente.

No soy demasiado cercano a Kishirika, pero sí conozco a Reyes Demonios como Badigadi.

Estos subordinados deben tenerlo difícil.

"Oye, ¿por qué Atofe-sama odia tanto a Kishrika-sama? Tiene que haber una razón por la que ha estado cazando Kishirika-sama durante medio año. ¿Puedes contarmelo?"

"Hace un año, Atofe-sama se suponía que debía recibir un cargamento de vino de la región Gekura en este lugar, pero Kishirika se lo bebió todo."

"Oh."

El viejo soldado continúa.

"Atofe-sama estaba muy ansiosa por el vino y quedo realmente enojada. Ella ordenó a los guardias privados de nuestro lugar de origen que vinieran a investigar y la capturaran. No sabemos como luce Kishirika, así que nos dio este retrato, y hemos estado buscándola desde entonces... "

"Así que eso es lo que pasó, lo entiendo."

Yo mismo, con magia, noqueé a Kishirika.

== Capítulo 150 - Audiencia con la Inmortal Reina Demonio ==

=== 1ª Parte ===

Antiguo castillo Kishirisu.

Su apariencia, en pocas palabras, es un castillo demoniaco.

Construido a partir de albañilería especial, un castillo de oro negro.

Su único defecto evidente es un agujero gigantesco en la torre del castillo.

Aunque no es tan sofisticado como el Castillo del Cielo de Pelagius, sigue siendo una estructura muy hermosa.

Es probablemente más deseable para los interesados en la práctica.

Normalmente sirve como atracción turística, abierto al público, un castillo que cobra una cuota de admisión.

Al parecer dividido en zona turística y sección residente.

Nos trajeron a una sala de audiencias.

No es la gran sala del trono que está abierta al público.

Una sala de audiencias estrecha y práctica.

En este estrecho pasillo, soldados vestidos de negro se alinean hombro a hombro.

Un poco apretado y caliente también.

Y luego, en el trono de jade en esta sala mal ventilada, no hay nadie.

He estado esperando por más de dos horas aquí.

Afuera, el sol se ha puesto hace mucho tiempo.

Aunque estar de pie no es mucha tortura, pero ¿sería malo si se preparase un asiento para mí?

Por cierto, ahora mismo, solamente Zanoba y yo estamos presentes.

Elinalise y Cliff fueron con algunos soldados bajo tierra para recoger la medicina.

"Oye, ¿dónde está Atofe-sama?"

"Ya se lo dije, ya la hemos llamado."

"Esto está tomando demasiado tiempo, no me digas que ella salió de la ciudad ya ..."

"Ella es mala con el tiempo, incluso en el interior del castillo podría pasar un día de retraso."

"Pero no es bueno si se mantiene a los invitados esperando ..."

"Estas aquí, estate tranquilo."

Los soldados susurran entre sí.

Un grupo bastante desinhibido.

De alguna manera observarlos así es bastante tranquilizador.

Cuando comprobé, el viejo soldado ha estado curioso.

"Atofe-sama llegará pronto, por favor aguanta un poco más. Por cierto, no pidas una recompensa."

"¿Ha?"

"No vamos a ser capaces de ayudar si se le ofrece una recompensa."

"Eh ... Bueno, lo entiendo."

Asiento con franqueza.

Aunque no sé lo que podría ser la recompensa.

Bueno, yo no estaba planeando tener una recompensa en primer lugar.

Una recompensa por vender a Kishirika, no quiero algo tan malvado.

Kishirika está atada, retorciéndose en el suelo como una oruga.

Parece que los castigos están preparados para ella. ¿Azotes? ¿Fregar el baño? Esperemos que nada demasiado serio ...

Independientemente debo vigilar mis palabras.

El oponente es un Rey Demonio.

Los únicos que he conocido hasta ahora son Badigadi y Kishirika.

Si esas dos se enojan ... ¿bien?

Probablemente no es una buena cosa.

"Fuera del camino!"

De repente, un sonido desde atrás.

Me giro para mirar y ver a una mujer de pie allí.

Fuera de todo lo que he visto hasta ahora, esa mujer es la más parecida a un demonio.

Piel azul, pelo blanco.

Los ojos carmesí, alas de murciélago.

Y luego, de la frente, un par de grandes cuernos.

Su cuerpo está revestido con una armadura negra como los soldados.

No, su armadura se ve bien pasada, mucho más que los soldados.

Cubierta de cicatrices, todas las decoraciones borrosas.

Vista de sus muchas batallas.

Colgando de su cintura, una gran espada demasiado grande para imaginar en sus muñecas delgadas.

Incluso su funda parece más elegante que los soldados.

No es especialmente alta.

Normal para una mujer madura.

Un poco más alta que Ariel, un poco más baja que yo, por ahí.

Pero lo realmente destacable.

Es la ira indescriptible y la intención de matar que irradia de ella.

Un sentido de violencia difícil de explicar.

Básicamente, como Eris.

Como un caballero femenino.

No, más apropiadamente una comandante femenina.

Probablemente mejor evito su lado malo.

"¿No me oyes? Fuera del camino!"

"Ah, sí."

Siguiendo sus instrucciones, me aparto.

"Bien."

La comandante femenina chasquea su pelo, sin contemplaciones camina hacia el trono, y se da la vuelta.

Desenvainando de su cintura la gran espada, golpea el suelo con ella arrogantemente.

Entonces, después de una respiración profunda, dijo.

"Esta soy yo, Rey Demonio Inmortal Atoferatofe Raibaku."

"... ¿Eh?"

Mientras yo estaba desconcertado, los soldados vestidos de negro a toda prisa levantan sus espadas en señal de saludo.

Todos, excepto uno al lado del trono.

El viejo soldado de antes.

"Atofe-sama! ¿Por qué has venido de allá? ¿Cuántas veces tengo que recordarte? Cuando llegue al trono, venga de la parte de atrás."

"He decidido que el frente es mejor."

"No seas tan imprudente!"

"¿Sabes? Después de un arduo camino para desafiar al Rey Demonio, el momento en que el héroe se encuentra cara a cara con el Rey Demonio en el trono, ese sentimiento es estimulante."

"Entonces, piense en cuan decepcionado su padre, uno de los cincos grandes reyes demonios, estaría! No sólo eso, piense en su marido Raibaku-sama!"

"¡Callate!"

Atofe levanta su espada, más rápido que el ojo puede ver, la balancea en el viejo soldado.

El viejo soldado instantáneamente intenta pararlo, pero ya era demasiado tarde. Su casco salió volando, y se desplomó.

Los soldados vestidos de negro a su alrededor se apresuran a ayudar.

"No se enoje delante de los invitados! Su padre muerto rodará en su tumba!"

El casco rodó delante de mí.

En un punto en el que se ha dividido en dos.

Que aterrador poder.

Despreocupadamente tomo una mirada en ella, el interior está cubierto de sangre.

"¡Uf!"

¿Eh?

¿Ah?

¿Ella le cortó la cabeza ...?

No me digas, ese hombre, él está ...

¿Muerto?

"Lo entiendo. Ser más considerada la próxima vez."

Mientras pensaba, el viejo soldado se levanta como si nada.

El humo procede de la cabeza mientras se inclina ante Atofe.

No me digas, ¿también es del clan inmortal?

¿O más bien, son todos?

"Eso está bien. Muy bien, vamos a empezar desde el principio."

"¡Bueno!"

Atofe enfunda su espada y toma una gran pose.

El viejo soldado toma un casco ofrecido por otro soldado, y se posiciona a la cabeza de las tropas.

Entonces, una vez más, los soldados se enderezan y levantan sus espadas en señal de saludo.

"Esta soy yo, Rey Demonio Inmortal Atoferatofe Raibaku."

[[File:Mushoku14 03.jpg|500px]]

Zanoba se arrodilla en el suelo, con la cabeza en un arco, sigo su ejemplo.

Voy a estar bien, siempre y cuando copie a Zanoba, probablemente.

"En primer lugar, permítame darle las gracias. Gracias a su ayuda, fuimos finalmente capaces de atrapar a esa idiota de Kishirika."

Atofe dijo mientras miraba a Kishirika.

Rodando como una salchicha, ella mira al suelo, resignada a su destino.

Me siento un poco mal por ella.

Lanzarla bajo el autobús<ref> Quiere decir traicionarla </ref> después de ayudarnos, pero no puede ser remediado.

Tenemos nuestros propios problemas.

"Yo no tengo un retrato de esta cuando es joven, por lo que la búsqueda era una pérdida de tiempo, pero finalmente la encontré!"

Ah, por lo que realmente ese era el caso.

Que descuidado.

"Entonces ..."

Aún en esa pose, Atofe mira fijamente a alguna parte.

Entonces, no pasa nada.

5 minutos pasaban.

Aún en esa pose, inmóvil.

Como si su interruptor se hubiese apagado.

"Moore, ¿ahora qué?"

"Recompensa."

Parece que se olvidó de sus líneas.

Además, ese viejo soldado aparentemente es Moore.

Como si fuese hacer un "muhaha muhaha" en cualquier momento.

"Ah, cierto. Ellos merecen una recompensa."

Atofe dijo de pronto.

"No, la recompensa no es necesario."

Le dije la negativa que he preparado.

Todo lo dicho hasta ahora es meramente ceremonial.

Es por eso que Moore me dijo de no ir a por una recompensa antes.

A pesar de lo que yo pensaba, Atofe en su lugar estampa sus pies.

"¿Dices que una recompensa de mí no es lo suficientemente bueno?"

Atofe me mira con intención de matar.

Mis piernas empiezan a temblar.

Esa intención de asesinar es el verdadero negocio.

No como Rinia o Pursena.

Más como Orsted.

"No, no, sería un honor."

Yo mejor no subo al lado equivocado.

Si ella quiere darnos algo, lo mejor es sólo callarse y aceptarlo.

Al igual, yo empiezo a buscar excusas.

"¿Cuál será nuestra recompensa?"

Al oír esto, una satisfecha Atofe entrecierra los ojos.

"Fuerza".

Fuerza.

¿Fuerza?

Sería una mentira si digo que no lo quiero.

Pero Moore-san me dijo que rechazara.

Tal vez debería cambiar el tema y decirle que tenemos que irnos una vez que mis amigos traigan la planta.

"Yo te concedo el honor de unirte y formarte con mis guardias privados!"

"¡Eh!"

¿Qué?

Así que ella no va a poner una mano en la frente y desbloquear mi potencial oculto.

¿O darme un ojo demoniaco como Kishirika?

"Eres un poco blando, pero después de 10 años de entrenamiento, sin duda vas a llegar a ese nivel."

"Ah, em."

"Voy a entrenarte día y noche en los próximos 10 años. ¡Qué honor, ¿no?"

10 años, formación día y noche ...

No, tengo esposas y un niño en el hogar, ese tipo de entrenamiento tengo que pasar.

Es cierto, si me entreno por los próximos 10 años, definitivamente puedo ser más fuerte.

Pero no estoy a punto de tirar todo lo demás sólo por la fuerza.

Abandonando la casa que tengo que proteger, ¿para qué?

Miro a Moore-san, él sacude la cabeza resignado.

¿Qué debo hacer?

No, tengo que rechazarla.

No quiero unirme a algunos guardias privados.

"Lo siento mucho, pero este honor está más allá de mí."

"No hay necesidad de ser cortés! Vayan, obtener una armadura y un contrato para él!"

Varios de los guardias privados salieron como Atofe instruyó.

"La armadura más fuerte del continente demoniaco, la mejor formación del continente demoniaco, y el guardia privado más famoso del continente demoniaco. No hay mayor honor que eso. Aunque una vez contratado nunca me puedes desafiar, pero no es como si pudieras incluso si no lo hicieras. No ¿Eso te hace feliz? "

No puede ser desafiado ...

No estoy contento en absoluto.

Pero de todos los Reyes Demonio que he conocido hasta el momento, este es el que más. <ref> El más demoniaco, lleva doble sentido </ref>

Supongo que en cierto modo, tener la oportunidad de conocer a un rey demonio como este, es algo para ser feliz.

Espera, ¿todos los guardias privados fueron forzados a un contrato como este?

"No, tengo que rechazar. Tengo familia en casa, así que no puedo quedarme aquí 10 años."

"... No me importa la familia. No he visto a mi hijo durante más de cien años. Sin noticias es una buena noticia."

¿Así que tengo que ser separados por 100 años también?

No bromees.

"P-para los seres humanos, 10 años es mucho tiempo. Le dije a mi familia que volveria pronto. Y ..."

"¿Y?"

Atofe muestra espasmos en la frente.

Ella no se ve muy feliz.

"Y tengo un amigo enfermo en espera. Necesito que darse prisa para encontrar una cura para ella y volver. También hay muchas otras cosas que se deben hacer. No puedo pensar en mi propia fuerza en este momento."

"Callate!"

Atofe grita con rabia.

Aterrador, tan aterradora.

En verdad aterradora.

¿Qué? ¿Por Qué?

¿Por qué tiene que gritar?

"¿Te estás uniendo a la guardia privada, o no? ¿Qué será? Da una respuesta clara!"

"Yo debo rechazar."

Después de mi respuesta, Atofe se vuelve rígida.

Sus mejillas se ponen rojas.

"¿Por qué? ¿Por qué te niegas?"

¿Eh?

¿No acabo de dar un montón de razones?

"Em ..."

En este momento, Zanoba de repente da pasos.

Echo un vistazo hacia atrás, tiene una cara de calma.

Ah, todo el tiempo hemos estado hablando la lengua demoniaca, por lo que no sabe la conversación.

¿Qué debemos hacer?

¿Cómo puedo convencer a Atofe?

Miro a mí alrededor.

Sin darme cuenta, el estado de ánimo en la sala ha cambiado.

La simpatía que viene de los soldados se ha congelado en algo extraño.

Además, sintiéndose un poco alienado.

"¡Lo ves!"

Kishirika grita de repente.

"Esa es una idiota. No se involucre con ella. No se puede hablar sensatamente con ella."

"¡Cállate! ¡No soy un idiota!"

Atofe de repente ruge y desenvaina su espada.

"Cierto. ¡Me tratan como a una idiota! Has dicho que quieres una recompensa, entonces dices que no! ¡Jugaste con mi cabeza como una idiota!"

Luego comienza a dirigirse amenazadoramente hacia nosotros.

¿Eh?

¿Qué?

Oye, cálmate.

"Atofe-sama! Estamos dentro, por favor, cálmate!"

"¡Yo no soy una idiota! ¡Yo no lo soy!"

Blandiendo su espada salvajemente, ella con enojo se acerca, pero los soldados vestidos de negro intentan detenerla.

"Quedarse a un lado."

Atofe manda a volar a los soldados como un tren Russell Snow Plow. <ref> https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/cf/36/19/cf361946233fed15bcc462ec960ca99a.jpg </ref>

Ah, mierda.

¿Debo atacar con magia?

No, si ataco ahora sólo agravare la situación.

"Yo me encargo de esto."

Durante mi momento de vacilación, Zanoba se levanta y da un paso hacia adelante.

"¡Ah!"

Zanoba agarra a Atofe fuertemente por la muñeca.

Atofe, pensando que puede enviar a Zanoba volando como el resto de ellos, sigue adelante.

Pero, como se esperaba de la fuerza de un Miko, Zanoba se las arregla para detener el avance de Atofe.

"¡Oh! Tú eres inesperadamente fuerte!"

Atofe sonríe en gran admiración a Zanoba.

Como si la amonestara, Zanoba habla.

"Vamos a calmarnos. No era nuestra intención de molestar. Es todo un malentendido."

"¡Dejar de decir palabras que no entiendo!"

Atofe ignora las palabras de Zanoba.

Más bien, es más como que ella no puede entender el lenguaje humano.

Atofe golpea el pie de Zanoba con su espada, y cuando esto no funciona, ella exclama.

"Oh, eres fuerte. Usando un particularmente fuerte Touki ¡Interesante!"

Mientras grita esas palabras, Atofe corta su propio brazo, que era sujetado por Zanoba.

Sin dudarlo.

Su propio brazo.

El hecho de que era una molestia, se lo cortó.

"Mmph!"

En el momento en que se separa de Atofe, el brazo se disuelve en trozos suaves de carne.

Zanoba lo deja ir, y los trozos de carne salpican en el suelo.

La carne se retuerce cerca de Atofe, fiel a su brazo.

Luego, en un instante, regresa en su antigua forma.

Al igual que Badigadi.

El daño físico es inútil.

"Yo soy el Señor Demonio Inmortal Atoferatofe Raibaku! Esposa del original Dios del Norte Kalman Raibaku! ¡Te mostraré el verdadero estilo del dios del norte!"

Atofe levanta su gran espada preparada.

Zanoba cierra el puño, ¿es que realmente va a luchar contra ella?

"..."

En este momento, siento un escalofrío por mi espalda.

No es bueno.

Tengo un mal presentimiento. Zanoba morirá.

Zanoba es un Miko.

Ataques típicos no le van a perturbar.

Pero él no es invencible.

Incluso el Dios Dragón Orsted puede ser herido.

Este mundo no tiene absolutos.

Zanoba también es débil contra el fuego.

Él puede ser fuerte contra fuerza bruta, pero no es completamente inmune.

"Grr."

Inmediatamente empiezo a preparar magia.

Tan rápido como sea posible, tan duro como sea posible.

Piedra cañón ... no será suficiente.

Pero mi magia también ha mejorado desde entonces.

"Wuhahaha! Muere! Estilo Secreto de Dios del Norte..."

"Electric"

Un rayo purpura vuela desde mi palma a Atofe.

Golpea en un instante.

Atofe cae hacia atrás.

"¡Uf!"

Cayendo hacia atrás, la gran espada se desliza de su mano.

Mientras tanto, un adormecimiento se siente en mi mano izquierda, pero debería estar bien.

Yo no puse suficiente magia en ella para matar.

"Ha!"

Zanoba no está dando ningún espacio de sobra.

"Kaboom!"

El puño de acero de Zanoba golpea a Atofe en la cara.

Al instante la cabeza de Atofe se desmorona, volando en una hermosa parábola.

Arrojada más allá del trono.

Con sonidos desmoronados que rompen la pared del fondo.

Ella voló fuera del castillo.

"A-Atofe-samaaaa!"

Los soldados vestidos de negro van hacia el agujero en la pared.

"Eh, perdón ... Yo estaba tratando de proteger a shisho y me moví sin pensar. ¿Está muerta?"

"No, no creo que pueda."

Bueno, ella es un rey demonio inmortal.

El problema es, ¿qué hacemos ahora?

"Wow, realmente lo hicieron."

"¿De verdad ...?"

"¿Que acaba de pasar?"

Estamos rodeados de unos 20 soldados vestidos de negro.

Discutiendo entre ellos, nos han rodeado.

Ahora que noqueamos a su maestra, por supuesto que tienen que hacer algo.

"Ha."

Levanto mi báculo.

Esta es mi responsabilidad.

Esto sucedió debido a lo que he dicho.

... No, ¿estaba equivocado?

No creo que hiciera nada malo ... ¿Eh?

"..."

Pero los soldados vestidos de negro no sacaron sus espadas. Sólo están mirando.

"Usted ..."

Zanoba está en una pose de lucha.

Tal vez él debería tomar un arma también.

Pero en este momento no tenemos el lujo de buscar una.

¿Hay un poste de madera que no estén usando?

Moore se acerca a nosotros.

En representación de los guardias privados, me habla en el lenguaje del Dios Demonio.

"Déjame preguntarte otra vez, ¿quieres ser nuestros compañeros?"

"No, no queremos."

Le respondí con claridad en este momento. Moore responde.

"Maestra le gusta la gente fuerte. Después de ser detenido por un poder tan extraño, luego siendo enviada a volar fuera del castillo con un golpe… definitivamente va a querer mantenerlo."

¿Son todos los Reyes Demonios de este mundo como este?

¿No pueden ser más serios?

Aún así, los soldados vestidos de negro no parecen que planeen capturarnos.

Todo lo que dijeron después de ver Atofe volar fuera fue [Wow!] [Atofe-sama realmente lo hizo esta vez!] [Haha!] Ese tipo de bromas.

"Los guardias privados no nos moveremos sin instrucciones. Pero una vez ordenado ... no podemos rechazar."

Después de Moore dijese eso , muchos de los guardias privados nos miran fijamente.

Nada más gracioso que un grupo que no hace nada a menos que se les diga.

Pero debemos estar agradecidos de que este sea el caso.

"Afote-sama probablemente no lo va dejar pasar dada la situación."

"¿Qué sucede después de que ella nos pilla?"

"Probablemente te obligue a un duelo con ella."

"..."

"Y cuando se pierde, te obligan a un contrato mientras estas inconsciente. Una vez contratado, nunca se puede desafiar nuevamente a Afote-sama."

"E-ese contrato, ¿cuánto tiempo dura?"

"Hasta que te mueras".

Gulp, puedo oír el sonido de mí tragar.

"Pero cada 10 años, se obtiene un descanso de 2 años."

2 años de descanso cada 10 años.

Así como un día libre cada 5.

Pero de alguna manera no se siente muy bien.

"La mayoría de la gente de aquí se ofrecieron como voluntarios para unirse a los guardias privados de Atofe-sama, pero muchos no. Especialmente la raza humana. Es duro. Podemos simpatizar."

Entre los guardias privados, algunos agachan su cabeza.

Así como nosotros, ellos también se sentían como si fuesen forzados por el contrato.

El contrato es un eufemismo de la esclavitud forzada.

Así que eso es lo que pasó, cuando Moore me advirtió de no tomar una recompensa, esa era la razón ...

Él debería haberlo explicado mejor.

No, no puedo culparlo.

Es mi culpa por no preguntar.

Quería tener cuidado, pero yo estaba descuidado desde el principio.

"... ¿Cuáles son nuestras posibilidades en el duelo?"

"Oh, ¿lo más probable? ¿Crees que puedes vencer a nuestra maestra, que ha perdido sólo contra el Dios del Norte Raibaku y el Dios Demonio Laplace en los últimos 5000 años?"

Oh, básicamente cero.

Inmortal está en su nombre. Su durabilidad probablemente coincida con la de Badigadi.

No, ella es probablemente mejor que Badigadi cuando se trata de luchar.

Badigadi nunca utilizó el Estilo Dios del Norte ni nada.

Al menos, él nunca hizo eso cuando practicamos.

"Si hubiera un empate, ¿qué pasa?"

"Revancha si es un enemigo, el respeto mutuo si es un amigo."

En mi situación.

Probablemente una revancha.

Se siente como que ya hice un enemigo.

Entonces, después de un par de peleas, definitivamente voy a perder el tiempo.

"E-entonces, ¿qué debemos hacer ..?"

"Huir."

Moore dice sin rodeos.

"Sus amigos deberían haber reunido suficiente Hierba Sokasu por ahora. Bajo el castillo hay un túnel hacia fuera de la ciudad. Por favor, escapar por allí."

Los soldados vestidos de negro que nos rodean imploran.

"No sigan nuestros pasos."

"Si alguna van al Reino Sagrado de Milis, por favor vayan a la villa Wako..."

"Idiota, para. Puedes regresar en 7 años."

"Pero ..."

Ese tipo de aflicción que viene de detrás de nosotros.

Eh, voy a fingir que no escuché nada.

No sé siquiera dónde está la villa Wako.

Empiezo a correr como Agradezco a los soldados.

Por cierto, vi una mirada de Kishirika.

Ella ruega con sus ojos.

Ahora, ella y yo somos lo mismo, ambos prófugos.

"¿Puedo llevar a Kishirika-sama conmigo?"

"... Bueno, nuestro comando sólo era capturarla."

Los guardias privados deciden pasar por alto esto.

Parece que Atofe nunca les mandó evitar que Kishirika escape.

¿Qué pasó con castigarla?

Qué sencillo.

Rápidamente quemo las cuerdas que atan a Kishirika.

"Ohh Gracias. Muchas gracias! Éste definitivamente le pagar!"

Nos escapamos de la sala del trono.

=== 2ª Parte ===

Nos pusimos en contacto con Elinalise y Cliff en el interior del castillo.

Llevando un saco lleno de hojas de té en su espalda, y cada uno con un árbol joven en sus manos.

Hojas de color ocre, me recuerda al aloe.

"Debido a que son débiles contra la luz del sol, deben ser cultivadas bajo tierra. También me dio un cuaderno de instrucciones, pero no puedo leerlo."

"Puedo pedir a Roxy que le eche un vistazo después, vámonos deprisa."

"¿Qué pasó?"

Les explico la situación.

Elinalise tiene una [Yo sabía que esto pasaría] mirada en su rostro.

"Escuché algo de esto antes. Que Kishirika da ojos demoniacos, Badigadi da sabiduría, y Atoferatofe fuerza."

"Si lo sabías, deberías haberlo dicho!"

"No entiendo el lenguaje del Dios Demonio, tal vez deberías haber traducido mejor."

Ah, cierto, yo era el culpable también.

Pero yo no soy un traductor.

No sé lo que debo hacer.

"No hay tiempo para luchar. Apurarse y correr. ¿Entonces, ese túnel subterráneo? ¿Hay que ir?"

Vuelvo a mis sentidos después de escuchar a Zanoba.

Cierto, en este momento Atofe puede haber sanado ya la cara que Zanoba estrelló, y está de camino para matarnos.

"No, mejor no ir bajo tierra."

Una voz desde detrás de mis piernas.

Cuando miro hacia atrás, Kishirika ha estado mirándome.

Cuando nos reunimos por última vez, estábamos más o menos en la misma altura, pero ahora no puedo dejar de mirar hacia abajo.

"Esta no dijo nada antes, porque ésta estaba loca de tu traición, pero Badi destruyó ese túnel durante la Campaña de Laplace. No se ha reparado todavía."

"¿En serio?"

"En serio. Ese tipo es un mentiroso. Moore miente para ayudar a Atofe. Es básicamente su mano derecha. Él pudo haber dicho eso, pero él probablemente planea algo una vez que empieces a luchar con Atofe."

Incluso si Kishirika está mintiendo, eso suena plausible.

Moore nos quiere engañar y capturarnos en el subterráneo.

Ese bastardo ...

... Pero él tuvo la amabilidad de no atacar inmediatamente.

Y él amablemente preparó notas de cultivo de las hierbas para nosotros también.

Traicionar esa amabilidad, mandando fuera a Atofe, es todo mi culpa.

Yo debí entregar a Kishirika y limpiamente rechazar la recompensa.

Tal vez ellos me hubiesen dejado ir.

Aunque Moore podría quejarse de Atofe, él no está definitivamente de nuestro lado.

"Pero si ese es el caso, entonces ¿por qué no nos capturaron en ese momento?."

"Es Atofe de la que estás hablando. Ella definitivamente nos quiere atrapar por sí misma."

Ya veo.

Solo es un juego.

Como hombre de confianza del rey demonio, esto es parte del trabajo.

¿Lo saben los otros soldados?

Tal vez algunos lo hicieron, y otros no.

"Entiendo. Entonces, ¿nos escapamos por arriba?"

"Sí. No debería haber ninguna inspección en este momento."

Inspecciones en los puntos de entrada.

De hecho, con todos los guardias privados en el interior del castillo, no debería haber ninguna inspección.

"Tal vez las cosas cambiaron cuando Kishirika-sama estaba en la clandestinidad. ¿Tal vez ya han fijado los túneles?"

"Si eso es lo que piensas, entonces de cualquier manera está bien ¿no?"

Cierto.

¿Está el enemigo por encima o por debajo de la tierra?

Um.

"Elinalise-san, ¿cuál elegirías?"

"Definitivamente no voy a escoger el camino que podría ser bloqueado."

"¿Zanoba?"

"Estrechas áreas son más fáciles de combatir."

"¿Cliff?"

"Yo, cojo por encima del suelo. Odio lugares oscuros."

Se decidió.

Reglas democráticas.

"Entonces vamos a escapar por encima del suelo. Elinalise tomará la delantera. Por favor, llévanos directamente al círculo de teletransporte mágico. Cliff y Zanoba en el medio, yo voy a estar en la retaguardia. Zanoba y yo vamos a manejar nuestro equipaje."

Tomo lo que Elinalise cargaba.

Mejor dejar que nosotros lo sostengamos que ellos.

Puedo usar magia, por lo que no necesita mucha movilidad. Zanoba no le importará un poco de peso.

Cliff no es muy fuerte, así que mejor si no lleva nada.

"¿Qué tal esta?"

"Su majestad, podrá sentarse con el equipaje de Zanoba."

"Entendido."

Siguiendo las instrucciones, Kishirika subió a Zanoba como un pequeño animal.

Estaba bromeando ...

Ah, bueno. Eso es probablemente lo más seguro.

"Muy bien, vamos!"

Corremos fuera del castillo castillo.

Desde dentro, el sonido de [Moooreeee! Persiguelos!] Se puede escuchar en voz alta.

Aterrador.

=== 3ª Parte ===

Desesperadamente corríamos por las calles de noche.

A pesar de que debe ser oscuro, es en realidad muy brillante.

Luces brillantes iluminan los acantilados del cráter.

Pero la elección sobre ir por arriba estaba en lo cierto, por ahora.

Ni un solo soldado vestido de negro a la vista.

Nadie persiguiendonos detrás de nosotros tampoco.

Así como predijo Kishirika.

Probablemente están buscando por los túneles ahora.

No, tal vez Atofe renunció ya.

Imposible. Piensa en ello, incluso tenemos a Kishirika con nosotros.

Atofe no tiene ninguna razón para renunciar a la persecución.

Corrimos a través de la carretera principal, pasando por el Gremio de Aventureros.

Nokopara está probablemente todavía en el interior.

Nunca esperé que regresaría ya.

Nuestras habitaciones han sido pagadas.

Nuestro cambio está todavía dentro.

Es lamentable, pero no es una gran pérdida.

Pasamos por el mercado vacío.

En pocas palabras, diviso el callejón donde teñimos el pelo de Ruijerd.

En aquel entonces corrimos fuera de la ciudad, como en esta ocasión.

Después de todo, no hay ni un solo recuerdo feliz de este lugar.

Llegamos a la entrada de la ciudad, una grieta en el cráter.

No hay soldados vestidos de negro, pero hay guardias.

Una cabeza de lagarto y una cabeza de cerdo.

Ellos nos miran, pero no muestran ninguna sospecha. Fácilmente pasamos.

Casi estamos allí.

Seguimos a lo largo del borde del cráter.

"¿Ehh? ¿Dónde vamos?"

"Un circulo de teletransportación mágico que usamos."

"Oh. Círculo de teletransportación. ¿Esa cosa sigue ahí? Pero, em .. OWW, Ésta, su lengua ..."

Marcamos la ubicación en el camino de salida.

Estaremos bien.

Es un poco oscuro, pero Elinalise no cometería un error.

Gire a la izquierda en la marca, luego recto cuesta arriba. Detuvimos nuestros pasos.

"Bueno, bueno, ya es hora."

Pendiente arriba.

La puerta de entrada al círculo de teletransporte mágico.

Atofe está orgullosamente allí.

Alrededor de 10 soldados vestidos de negro.

Otro agujero se puede ver cerca de la entrada del círculo de teletransporte mágico.

No me digas, ¿la salida de los túneles subterráneos es ... aquí?

"Como era de esperar de Moore. Es como él dijo. Tendré que recompensarle con creces."

¿Estábamos siendo rastreados?

No, ellos incluso llegaron aquí antes que nosotros.

¿Incluso sabían hacia dónde íbamos?

"Que, que impresionante ... ¿Cómo se pone al día tan rápidamente?"

"Ja, fácil cuando se puede volar. Puedo verte correr."

Atofe flexiona sus alas mientras habla.

"Moore ha llegado."

Vuelvo a mirar. Soldados vestidos de negro aparecen cerca de la esquina del cráter.

Atofe vigila desde arriba.

Diez soldados vestidos de negro siguen desde abajo.

Y más siguen por encima del suelo.

Ataque desde tres lados.

... Si lo piensas bien, sólo tiene sentido. No son Inspector Zenigata, por supuesto que se van a dividir para buscar.

No sólo eso, sabían dónde nos dirigíamos, por lo que ninguno de los caminos funcionarían.

Los soldados vestidos de negro detrás de nosotros nos han rodeado.

Con la ruta de escape cortada, no hay escapatoria.

"Moore. Bien hecho. Es simplemente como has dicho."

"Si usted piensa así, entonces escuche mi petición."

"Denegado."

Después de la breve conversación, Atofe aplaude su mano.

Por lo tanto, los soldados vestidos de negro, todos juntos, desenvainan sus espadas.

"Entonces ..."

Atofe da un paso adelante, la espada desenvainada.

Luego, desde el terreno elevado con la espada apuntando, ella habla.

"Wahahaha! Yo soy el Señor Demonio Inmortal Atoferatofe Raibaku. Derrótame y la gente te llamará héroe! Pierde ante mí, os convertiréis en mi marioneta, siguiendo todas mis órdenes hasta que mueras!"

Una sonrisa sombría.

Una intención de matar abrumador.

Atofe quién es más baja que yo parece como un gigante de 5 metros de altura.

"..."

Lo siento, Sylphy.

Puede que no regrese.

== Capítulo 151 - Duelo con la Inmortal Reina Demonio==

=== 1ª Parte ===

La famosísima Reina Demonio Inmortal Atoferatore, también conocida como Atofe, es la hija del Quinto Gran Rey Demonio Inmortal Nekurosu Rakurosu. Su primera aparición en la historia se remonta a la segunda gran guerra Demonio-Humano. Considerada la principal fuerza de ataque de la raza demoníaca. Es algo estúpida pero lo compensa con una tremenda habilidad y tenacidad para las batallas, en palabras simples, una cruel y temida Reina Demonio.

Sin embargo, y probablemente por culpa de aquella estupidez que la caracterizaba, el bando enemigo cortó su ruta de abastecimiento. Así los humanos la capturaron y sellaron.

Su despertar ocurrió antes de la Campaña de Laplace, de hecho, el mismísimo Dios Demonio Laplace fue quien se encargo de liberarla y romper el sello, convirtiéndose en una de los más temidos subordinados del Dios Demonio.

Después de la campaña de Laplace, al ser derrotada por el Dios del Norte Karuman, la gran Reina Demonio se rindió.

Cuenta la leyenda que el Dios del Norte Karuman y la Reina Demonio Atofe tuvieron un hijo, el cual en un futuro se le conocería como el Dios del Norte Karuman II.

También se dice que el Dios del Norte Karuman le enseñó a Atofe todo lo que sabia de la espada.

Dicho todo esto, se puede concluir que Atofe es una veterana, la cual carga en su espalda con una cantidad incontable de batallas, por no decir que fue protegida por el Dios del Norte original y además es inmortal.

En palabras simples... Estamos jodidos.

=== 2ª Parte ===

Atofe se encuentra ante nosotros blandiendo su espada impacientemente, al mismo tiempo que los soldados Oscuros nos rodean, bloqueandonos la ruta de escape.

"Pues bien, vengan, los cuatro al mismo tiempo."

Dice Atofe, mientras se posiciona a la espera de nuestro ataque, cuidadosamente blande su espada y nos mira con atención.

Sus ojos son su verdadera arma.

Con la fuerza que le caracteriza, queda fuera de cuestión el que nos aplastará como hormigas.

"... No seré tan ingenua esta vez. Recuerdo bastante bien lo de hace un momento."

Exclama Atofe, alternando su miraba entre Zanoba y yo.

Con la guardia en alto, nos vigila.

La super fuerza de Zanoba y mi relámpago.

Venga que incluso una Reina Demonio no pudo evitar nuestro ataque.

Pero eso ya es cosa del pasado, se ha recuperado de todas sus heridas luciendo completamente ilesa.

Incluso luego de haber recibido un golpe directo en la cara por parte de Zanoba, quedando esta completamente aplastada e irreconocible. Simplemente no hay huella alguna de nuestro ataque.

"Bueno, hagan eso mismo nuevamente. Esta vez lo esquivare."

Dijo Atofe llena de confianza.

De hecho, realmente se siente como que lo esquivara.

Las Arte de la espada de este mundo incluso pueden reflejar magia.

No estoy seguro respecto a que el estilo del Dios del Norte pueda hacerlo, pero ya que estamos hablando de una Reina Demonio, no dudo sobre el hecho de que ella es capaz de evitar magia de mi nivel.

Mmm... Activare mi ojo místico por ahora, pero... ¿Realmente hará una diferencia poder ver ese segundo al futuro?

Pues bien, ¿ahora qué debería hacer?

... Para comenzar debo encontrar una abertura.

Ok, asumiendo que la encontramos, entonces, ¿qué hacemos?.

¿Mi magia será capaz de hacerle algún rasguño?

Mi bala rocosa más fuerte no pudo matar a un indefenso Badigadi.

Pues ni hablar de una Atofe en guardia, lista para luchar, no le hará ni cosquillas.

De hecho, siempre y cuando ella este en guardia, da igual el tipo de magia que utilice...

"Ludeus. Intentemos crear una abertura para que Cliff corra hacía al circulo de teleportación y escape."

Dijo Elinalise, a lo cual miro a Cliff el cual tiene sus ojos enfocados en Atofe, sin embargo, sus piernas están temblando, no hay que olvidar que es un completo inútil para las batallas.

"Que se lleve consigo el té, la planta y el libro de notas. Así Nanahoshi se salvará."

"Bien."

Exacto.

Lo estaba olvidando pero es por esto que vinimos en primer lugar.

Salvar a Nanahoshi, esa era la meta.

Si tenemos una meta, entonces cumplirla es lo más importante.

Si perdemos aquí, no moriremos. Aunque no podremos ver a nuestras familias y conocidos por 10 años... Lo cual es una mierda.

"Ah, y que también busque refuerzos. Pelagius y Atofe tienen su propia historia. Él definitivamente puede conseguir ayuda."

Pelagius y sus 12 familiares.

Exacto, si se trata de él, puede que venga a nuestro rescate.

No importa qué, él es el héroe que selló a Laplace.

Si él puede hacer eso, entonces debe ser capaz de encargarse de Atofe.

"Bien. Entonces, vamos a hacer eso... ¿Puedes convencer a Cliff?"

"Espera y veras."

Elinalise retrocede hasta donde se encuentra Cliff.

El plan es el siguiente. Zanoba, Elinalise y yo crearemos una abertura.

Cliff se fugará, corriendo en dirección al circulo de teleportación.

Entonces convencerá a Pelagius mientras nosotros tratamos de resistir hasta su llegada.

Pero... ¿Funcionará?

¿Podemos manejarlo?

También esta Cliff, ¿puede convencer a Pelagius?

Mientras Cliff intenta convencer a Pelagius, ¿perderemos y seremos obligados a aceptar el contrato?

No importa qué, si Cliff se escapa, entonces Nanahoshi se salvará.

Salvar a Nanahoshi.

Ese era el objetivo, nuestra meta.

Pero quiero volver también.

Eh, puta mierda, estoy corriendo en círculos...

Debo respirar profundo y calmarme...

En primer lugar, tenemos que contener a Atofe.

En ese momento, uso magia para dispersar a los caballeros oscuros y permitir que Cliff escape.

Entonces, si la situación lo permite, también tomamos la oportunidad y corremos a máxima velocidad hacia el círculo mágico.

Pues bien.

Vamos a hacer eso.

No podemos derrotar a Atofe, pero a los soldados oscuros que nos rodean si.

Hay que tomárselo enserio esta vez.

Hay que destruirlos a todos.

Pues bien.

Puedo hacerlo.

Hazlo, hazlo.

Mátalos.

Mátalos a todos, tú puedes Ludeus, y si lo logras podrás volver a casa. No hay problema.

Sí, puedo hacerlo.

Esta vez no es solo palabrería.

"No te preocupes, Shisho. Yo detendré a la Reina Demonio Atofe aunque me cueste la vida."

Dijo Zanoba sin una pisca de vacilación.

Calmado.

Confiable.

¿Por qué es tan varonil en una situación como esta?

Como si fuera una línea de película.

Si fuera un personaje femenino no sería nada de raro que me enamorara de él.

[Pero ¿puedo realmente escapar? No corro muy rápido y el equipaje también...]

[Si te comienzan a perseguir, Ludeus y yo los detendremos. No mires hacia atrás, no pienses, simplemente sigue corriendo. Y tampoco te tropieces.]

[Debería pelear también...]

[No vamos a ganar incluso si somos los cuatro. El que vayas a huir para poder buscar refuerzos también cuenta como una batalla importante.]

[En ese caso... Oh, ya entiendo...]

La voz de Cliff pasa por mis oídos.

Desde aquí hasta la entrada del circulo mágico son alrededor de unos treinta pasos más o menos.

Ni tan lejos ni tan cerca.

Pero él tiene que correr toda la distancia.

"Persuasión exitosa."

Pronto Elinalise vuelve al frente.

Miro a Cliff cuyo rostro refleja una mirada seria, la de un hombre con un propósito.

No es que huya de la batalla como un marica, sino que huye para buscar ayuda, huir es su batalla.

Exacto, huir para buscar ayuda es una batalla...

Elinalise es bastante buena utilizando las palabras. Que envidia.

"Zanoba y yo crearemos una abertura enfrentándonos a Atofe. Ludeus, tú te encargaras de los soldados oscuros a tu alrededor."

"Okay, yo me encargo."

Sesión de estrategia terminada.

Nos volteamos en dirección a Atofe.

Preparada con su espada, burlándose de nosotros.

"¿Vuestro objetivo es ganarme?"

Detrás de ella no hay ningún soldado.

Son 30 pasos cuesta arriba, ademas hay buenos puntos de apoyo.

¿No se caerá Cliff en el camino?

No, lo logrará de todos modos.

"Zanoba, Elinalise-san, voy a realizar el primer ataque."

"Entendido."

Mirando a Atofe, levanto mi báculo.

Utilizaré mi habitual cañón pétreo.

Aunque solamente por potencia de fuego, mi ataque [Relámpago] que es de nivel Real podría ser una mejor opción, pero a esta distancia seremos alcanzado por mi ataque también.

Morir en manos de mi propio ataque, paso.

"Ufff..."

Al tiempo en que respiro profundamente, me concentro en enfocar mi magia en el báculo.

Atofe sigue sin realizar movimiento alguno.

Aun sí ella sabe que puedo conjurar en silencio, procederemos según lo planeado.

Conveniente, pero...

<Atofe desvía el Cañón Pétreo con su espada.>

Mi ojo místico claramente ve que Atofe realiza un movimiento para esquivar mi ataque.

Mierda. Aún cuando me dijeron que mi Cañón Pétreo es de alto nivel, simplemente parece ser inútil contra Atofe.

Entonces, ¿si utilizo [Relámpago] funcionará?.

¿Utilizar el ataque del cuál ella está más pendiente...?

"Shisho. Definitivamente cumpliré mi cometido, cuenta conmigo."

"... Zanoba."

Puedo confiar en sus palabras.

... También me preparo para la batalla.

"Ok, ¡vamos!"

Disparé el más fuerte posible Cañón Pétreo.

Con un Kaboom vuela hacia Atofe.

"¡Sólo rindanse!"

Atofe se mueve como un espejismo, realizando un movimiento diminuto con su muñeca, apenas cambia la posición de su espada.

Al instante siguiente, la espada y el cañón chocan, aterradoras chispas vuelan en todas direcciones.

El Cañón Pétreo cambia de curso y golpea en una roca que se encontraba a una distancia algo lejana, provocando una gran nube de polvo.

Aún no es suficiente.

"¡¡Arrrrgh!!"

Sin siquiera pasar un momento del choque, Zanoba lanzó una masa extraña a Atofe.

"¿Ehh?"

La extraña masa gritaba mientras volaba hacia Atofe, la cual sonreía mientras se preparaba para desviar el ataque.

"Sólo rindan-... ¿Ah?"

Justo cuando Atofe estaba a punto de cortar la masa en dos, detiene su movimiento.

Entonces, la masa que lanzó Zanoba golpea a Atofe en la cara.

"¿Guaah?"

"¿Ah?"

Como si fuera pegamento la masa se pega en la cara de Atofe...

Es Kishirika que estaba sentada sobre el hombro de Zanoba.

"¡Ewww! ¡Qué pasa con este olor de mierda! ¡Vete a tomar un ducha tú maldita idiota!"

"Parece que alguien quiere un poco más... ¿Nooo?"

Atofe agarra la mano de Kishirika y tira de ella con fuerza, mandando a volar lejos a Kishirika, la cual torpemente aterriza fuera del círculo de soldados que nos rodea.

"Venga vamos, como pueden tirarme algo como eso... ¿Están de broma?"

Atofe grita en estado de shock.

Zanoba con los puños apretados rompe a correr hacia Atofe.

Elinalise le sigue detrás como una sombra.

Mierda, debería dejar de mirar y unirme a ellos.

"¡Eso es vengan a mí!, ¡Espíritu de lucha!"

"¡Ahhh!"

Zanoba lanza un puñetazo.

Con horrible fuerza vuela hacia Atofe.

Con su guante ella fácilmente...

"¿Ugh?"

Atofe no lo esquivo.

Al instante siguiente un sonido espantoso se escucha, ¡BAAMMM!, el golpe de Zanoba se hundió en Atofe.

El guante quedó aplastado dando forma a un aspecto horrible.

Zanoba continua el ataque, da un paso para estabilizarse y luego da otro gran paso hacia adelante, siguiendo el flujo del movimiento un nuevo golpe es lanzado hacia Atofe.

"¡Bieeeeeeeeeen!"

Atofe levanta su gran espada desde una posición incómoda.

Otro espantoso estruendo se escucha, el sonido del crujir. La pierna de Atofe se tuerce.

Pero su ímpetu se mantiene al igual que el movimiento de su espada que va hacia Zanoba.

"Grrr."

Zanoba cae de rodillas por el dolor.

Es la primera vez que veo así a Zanoba.

Que recuerde, Zanoba ni siquiera se encogió cuando lo golpeé con mi cañon pétreo.

Y pensar que esta así con un solo golpe...

Atofe examina a Zanoba arrogantemente aunque con la respiración un poco entre cortada.

"Ese cuerpo que posees no es malo, pero... Recuerda. No hay ninguna defensa perfecta. Y es por eso mismo que mi esposo Karum..."

"¡Hah!"

"¿Mmm?"

Mientras Atofe hablaba.

Utilizando la espalda de Zanoba como si fuera su trampolín, Elinalise salta encima.

Haciendo uso del impulso obtenido dirige su ataque a la garganta de Atofe, teniendo como objetivo la carne expuesta.

Pero el ataque y el sonido del corte, ambos son desviados.

No es el sonido de la piel lo que se escucha más bien es el sonido emitido al golpear el touki.

"¡Aún hay más!"

La espada de una mano de Elinalise se mantiene firme.

Con su escudo levantado, da un paso hacia al lado y lanza una estocada con violencia.

La onda expansiva invisible vuela de la espada y golpea directamente a Atofe.

Pero esta luce imperturbable, arrugando sus cejas infelizmente, como si tuviera arena en los ojos.

"¡Tus ataques son débiles!. Okay, bien, aquí, ¡toma esto!"

Atofe levanta su gran espada y lanza una cuchillada.

Elinalise retrocede para evitar el ataque.

"¡Psh!"

Sin demorar ni un segundo, Elinalise levanta su escudo.

¡GONG!, se escucha el sonido metálico al golpear la espada contra el escudo. Elinalise da un par de vueltas, rodando por el suelo rocoso, entonces se abalanza como un gato.

Mi ojo puede ver... Terror.

"Sin embargo tienes un buen juego de piernas. Con un buen entrenamiento en mi lugar..."

"¡Aaah!"

Zanoba repentinamente se pone de pie mientras Atofe hablaba.

Mejor dicho da un salto, con las manos estiradas, cae en picada sobre Atofe.

"¡Ahh!"

Así de fácil, Zanoba agarra a Atofe dándole un abrazo de oso, impidiendole realizar movimiento alguno con sus manos, Zanoba la levanta del suelo.

"Argh. ¡Cómo osas abrazarme tan descaradamente... Guardias!"

Como si se tratara de una prensa Zanoba aprieta con todas sus fuerzas. Atofe escupe sangre negra.

¿El Combo ha servido?

No, ni de coña, el oponente es una Reina Demonio Inmortal, el daño temporal no funcionará.

"¡Shisho! ¡Ahora!"

"¡...!"

Las palabras de Zanoba confirman la situación.

Atofe esta inmovilizada.

Una oportunidad.

"¡Cliff, ahora, huye!"

Con todo mi poder puesto en mi báculo.

Un hechizo con daño en área.

Eso ha de ser suficiente para matar a todos los soldados oscuros a la vez.

"¡Okay, me largo!"

Cliff comienza a correr, los soldados oscuros que nos rodean alzan sus espadas en estado de shock.

Pues no pequeños, demasiado tarde.

"¡Frost Nova!"<ref>No me acuerdo como le dicen :v, si ven un ataque en ingles es porque no hay nombre definido o no lo recuerdo</ref>

Oleadas de aire frío salen desde mi báculo.

El suelo cruje al tiempo que se congela, masas de aire frío llegan a los soldados oscuros que nos rodeaban,

"¡Naah!"

"¿Mmm?"

Los soldados oscuros entran en pánico al tiempo en que el suelo bajo sus pies comienza a congelarse.

¡Lo hice...!

Podría ser un ataque furtivo.

Pero de esta manera, no puede ser esquivado.

Mientras pensaba.

Una voz sonó.

"...Explosiones de llamas cubren mi cuerpo, ¡[Burning Place]!"

Viento caliente se propagaba del cuerpo de un hombre al igual que si su cuerpo fuera el fuego.

Como si estuviera desafiando a mi Frost Nova.

Ese hombre y los dos soldados junto a él, lograron descongelarse.

Pues aquel hombre no es nada más ni nada menos que Moore.

El viejo soldado comenzó a recitar tan pronto como levanté mi báculo, aprovechando el espacio de tiempo.

Aún así, no importa que tan poderoso ni que tan rápido sea.

Incluso si me afecta, no voy a mostrar misericordia alguna...

Sin embargo el hechizo de Moore sólo pudo descongelarlo a él más los dos que estaban al lado suyo.

Todo los demás están completamente envuelto en hielo, como si fueran esculturas.

Por puro poder, he ganado.

Además, finalmente he asesinado...

"Incluso ha congelado nuestras armaduras negras... ¡Qué increíble poder!. ¡Todo el mundo, conjuren Burning Place!"

"¡A sus ordenes!. Espíritu del fuego, En todas partes entre el cielo y la tierra..."

Moore le gritó a sus camaradas, así los soldados oscuros comenzaron a recitar el conjuro dentro del hielo.

No han muerto.

Nadie murió.

Esa armadura negra.

¿Que clase de armadura negra puede resistir magia de agua?

Mierda.

¿He utilizado el hechizo incorrecto?

"Mmm."

Cliff paso al lado de la exprimida Atofe.

"Moore, ¡no lo dejes escapar!"

"¡Si!"

Al de recibir la orden de Atofe, Moore comienza a moverse.

Un momento después, los soldados descongelados por Moore comienzan a correr también.

Elinalise se lanza hacia ellos, deslizándose frente a ellos.

Y con su espada alzada, los detiene.

"¡Ludeus! ¡Ve!"

Moore persigue sin mirar atrás a Cliff el cual carga con un enorme equipaje y un joven árbol.

Aunque Moore lleva armadura, es rápido. Esta a tan sólo 7 pasos de Cliff.

Apunto mi báculo hacia Moore.

"¡Cañón Pétreo!"

<Moore conjuar [Muro de tierra] para contrarrestar mi Cañón Pétreo.>

Está bien. Puedo hacerlo.

La magia se vierte en mi báculo y disparo.

"La tierra... ¡GRR!"

Moore corre con una mano levantada mientras conjura.

Pero como un láser, el cañón pétreo golpea su brazo, enviando su armadura a volar.

Con una mano destrozada Moore tropieza... pero no se detuvo.

"Espíritu del agua, conviértete en mi fuerza - [Campo helado]."

La magia de Moore le rodea en la niebla.

¿Utilizar niebla para evadir mi ataque?

Aún así, su conjuro es corto.

Casi lo mismo que demora Roxy, ¿Será un conjuro acortado?

"¡Ráfaga de viento!"

Forme viento con mi báculo y despeje la niebla.

Y bueno tal vez lo mande a volar lejos también... Pero venga, que a este tipo ni le importa el dolor que siente, cada vez esta más cerca de Cliff.

Esa armadura negra, ¿lo hace resistente a la magia de viento también?

No, no sólo de viento y agua, sino que resistente a las demás también.

¿Qué hago?

Esta a tan sólo 6 pasos.

Fallé el tiro de la muerte, si lo lanzo de nuevo y lo llega a esquivar, lo más probable es que este golpee a Cliff--

Justo ahora, mi ojo místico observa que Moore comienza a conjugar al tiempo que corre.

"¡Espíritu de la tierra de todo este mundo! ¡Hago un llamado a usted, responde--!"

"¡Distorsión mágica!"

Instantáneamente conjuré el hechizo que he practicado en casa.

El hechizo que entrené con Sylphy.

Momentos antes de que el hechizo de Moore estuviera completo, este desaparece.

"¿En serio? ¿Incluso distorsión mágica?"

Moore examina su mano en estado de shock.

Pero sus piernas no han parado.

Sólo 5 pasos lo separan de Cliff.

Continuo mi ataque, como si utilizara mi mano para bloquear su camino, y entonces disparo.

Por supuesto, debo utilizar algo a lo que estoy acostumbrado.

Mi más famosa y trillada táctica debería funcionar no importa que tan experimentado sea el oponente.

Al igual que en las prácticas.

"¡Quagmire!"

Entre Moore y Cliff, se forma un pantano gigante.

Moore pone un pie dentro del pegajoso lodazal...

"Mm... ¡El Dios desconocido! ¡Responde a mi oración!, ¡Trae el cielo a la tierra! [Lanza de Tierra]!"

Al instante, Moore lanza magia bajo sus pies, desde los cuales aparece un gran lanza de tierra.

Corriendo sobre esta lanza, Moore rápidamente pasa sobre mi Quagmire.

Sus piernas no se han detenido.

Sólo 4 pasos de distancia.

Me ha contrarrestado.

Todos mis ataques han sido detenidos.

Que inesperado...

"¡Ludeus!, ¡Cliff! ¡Apresúrense!"

"¡Lo sé!"

Grita Elinalise con todas sus fuerzas.

Mirando por encima, puedo ver que está actualmente ocupada con los dos soldados.

Dos contra uno.

Los soldados oscuros no presionan sus ataques, meramente la mantienen ocupada.

"¡Eyy!, ¡Ya te lo dije, tu maldito desvergonzado! ¡Déjame ir! ¡Al menos pelea con tus manos!"

"No te dejare ir incluso si me cuesta la muerte!"

Zanoba da cabezazos a Atofe. Intentando su mejor esfuerzo incluso con sangre cayendo de su cabeza.

Necesito apurar también.

Los otros soldados oscuros también se están descongelando.

El vapor se levanta por todos lados, coloreando el aire de un color blanco.

"Grrr."

¿Qué hago?

¿Qué hago para detener a Moore?

Ese bastardo es fuerte. En una lucha mágica es mucho más experimentado que yo, al punto en que rechaza los hechizos básicos como si nada.

¿Funcionarán hechizos más fuertes?

No. Si es demasiado fuerte, incluso Cliff podría verse envuelto en él. Además están los contraataques de Moore y su armadura que resiste todo tipo de magia.

"¡...!"

Justo entonces, noté que mis pies están mojados.

El resultado de Frost Nova.

Debido a la descongelación del por parte de Burning place, el área entera está conmocionada en agua.

El primero en descongelarse, Moore, también esta empapado en agua.

Por supuesto, Elinalise y yo, nuestros pies también están cubiertos en un charco de agua.

Este hechizo, Atofe sólo lo vio una vez anteriormente.

En otras palabras, Moore nunca lo ha enfrentado.

Pero si lo uso ahora.

Yo, Elinalise, incluso Zanoba recibirán el golpe.

Sólo Cliff se libraría ya que está fuera de rango.

No será golpeado.

En ese instante, llegue a un conclusión.

"¡Golpe Eléctrico!"

[[File:Mushoku14 08.jpg|500px]]

Sin ser suficiente para matar, la electricidad sale volando hacia fuera.

Un rayo púrpura vuela hacia Moore.

BANG, un fuerte sonido estalla, una terrorífica demostración de fuerza.

El rayo púrpura indiscriminadamente azota el suelo circundante.

Con el suelo mojado, fácilmente se extiende a toda la gente empapado en agua y los electrifica.

"¡Kyaaa!"

"¡Gaaa!"

"¡Ohhh!"

Todos los soldados oscuros colapsan en un montón de humo.

Elinalise; Zanoba y Atofe también.

Todos y cada uno de los soldados descongelados incluyendo a Moore son golpeados por el rayo. Y por supuesto, yo también soy golpeado.

"¡Ugh!"

Mi cuerpo recibió un choque horrible.

Un dolor baja por mi espina dorsal, todas mis articulaciones se sienten como si estuvieran dobladas en direcciones equivocadas.

No fue suficiente para matar a alguien.

Así que sé que no voy a morir.

Pero la vision de mis ojos se vuelve oscura, y mi conciencia con se oscurece junto a ellos.

■■■■

Para momento en que recobre la conciencia ya me encontraba en el piso.

Estuve Inconsciente durante no más de dos segundos.

Mi cuerpo está paralizado.

Pero puedo ver.

¿Cómo va todo?

Cliff.

Levantando mi cabeza, veo a Moore arrodillado con un pie en el suelo.

Vapor surge entre su armadura, a pesar de todo él aún apunta sus dedos restantes hacia Cliff.

Balbuceando no le entiendo nada... ¿estará realizando un conjuro?

Distorsión mágica.

No, no lo haré a tiempo.

Vierto magia en mi mano izquierda.

Aún si mi cuerpo está paralizado, todavía puedo mover mi mano protésica.

Con mi palma apuntando hacia Moore.

"¡[Lazo de viento]!"

"¡[Mano de absorción mágica]!"

Moore lanza un látigo de viento, pero al instante desaparece.

"¿Qué?"

Moore se da media vuelta mirándome.

Su rostro está oculto en el casco, pero debe estar aturdido por lo sucedido.

Te lo mereces.

Sin tener en cuenta la situación Cliff corre hacia adelante.

Está a sólo 3 pasos de la entrada del círculo de teleportación mágica.

Nadie puede atraparlo ahora.

Nadie.

Incluso Atofe se encuentra aún paralizada, sin embargo, con sus ojos bien abiertos me contempla como un tigre.

"Lo has hecho. Es una magia increíble."

"..."

"Interesante. Tomarte como mi subordinado es en realidad... Jajaja, un mago de tu calibre, debería apreciarte, Jajaja."

Incapaz de mirar a otro lado, sólo podía aceptar esa horrible sonrisa que me daba Atofe.

Bueno, se acabo.

Los inmortales se recuperan rápidamente, mucho más rápido que yo.

Es demasiado tarde para huir.

Incluso resistirse será imposible.

Zanoba se ha desmayado.

Todavía aferrado a Atofe, cae al suelo.

Parece ser vulnerable en contra de la electricidad.

Probablemente perdió la conciencia debido al golpe eléctrico.

Elinalise, mientras siente todavía tembleque, intenta ponerse en pie.

Se encuentra en tan mal estado como lo estoy yo, pero aún así quiere intentarlo.

Elinalise se niega a rendirse.

[Nunca te rindas.]

Dijo una vez un entrenador de pelo blanco.

Yo también lo haré.

Puedo hacerlo.

Haz tu mejor esfuerzo.

Vamos a ir a casa.

Quiero ir a casa.

Volver a casa, volver a casa y... Si es posible, su momento sexy con Sylphy.

Y Roxy también.

Y abrazar a Lucy.

No habrán solamente entrenamientos de espadas con Norn, sino que también de magia.

El arroz que ha cultivado Aisha, estaba esperándolo.

Si las memorias de Zenith vuelven, entonces, iremos todos a visitar la tumba de papá.

Entonces, al igual que antes, viviremos una vida feliz.

Un día a día lleno de diversión en este otro mundo.

Exacto, así de sencillo.

Así de simple.

... Pues bien, puedo hacerlo.

Puedo levantarme.

Si puede mover mi mano, puedo usar magia.

Mi báculo, ¿dónde mierda está mi báculo?

No puedo hacerlo sin él.

Ah, pero venga que imbécil soy.

Lo estaba aplastando con mi cuerpo.

Lo siento, Aqua Heartia, ¿fui pesado?.

Está bien, puedo hacerlo. Debo mantenerlos en donde están hasta que llegue el rescate.

Sólo hasta entonces.

No necesito ganar.

Cliff-senpai, consigue ayuda.

Pelagius es molesto, pero estoy contando contigo.

Por favor convencelo.

Incluso si él se niega inmediatamente, por lo menos que haga una excepción este año, ¡por favor!

"¿Eh?"

Elinalise hace un ruido levantando su cabeza.

Sus ojos apuntan hacia adelante.

Cliff.

Justo en la entrada de la prisión comienzan aparecer soldados oscuros, quedando cara a cara frente a Cliff...

Y así... comienzan a salir soldados oscuros desde dentro...

"¿En serio?"

... Y aún hay más dentro de la entrada.

"Ahh..."

Por qué no nos dimos cuenta de eso.

Hay un agujero en el suelo, incluso a Atofe le gustaría comprobar que hay dentro.

"Joder..."

Una oscuridad crece en mi corazón.

Queriendo gritar, me siento impotente, una sensación del todo muy familiar.

Desesperación.

Nunca más me volveré a reunir con Sylphy ni Roxy.

En lugar de eso entrenaré bajo el mando de una estúpida Reina Demonio por el resto de mi vida.

Mi fuerza me dejó.

El dolor en mi corazón se robó mi fuerza.

En ese momento.

Se puede oír una voz conmocionada.

"¿Cómo...?"

Esa voz no es mía.

No es Elinalise.

No es Zanoba.

Y por supuesto no es Moore.

La que exclamo es Atofe, quien esta mirando a Cliff.

"¡Ah! Atofe-sama..."

El soldado oscuro empujo a Cliff a un lado, tambaleándose por la pendiente.

De alguna manera, parece apagado.

"Por ahí, delante del círculo mágico, Pe..."

Al momento siguiente.

El soldado oscuro fue partido en dos.

Justo en la mitad, en mitades exactas.

Entonces, detrás de ese cuerpo cortado.

Los contornos de una persona.

Pelo blanco brillante.

Ojos de Sanpaku dorados.

Tela blanca salpicada con sangre.

"Reina Demonio Inmortal Atoferatofe."

Hablando en fluido idioma del dios demonio, camina fuera de la entrada.

"Podrías pensar que no es importante... pero Rikarisu podría desaparecer en un círculo de teleportación mágica, esa posibilidad existe, así que por favor piense sus acciones por un momento."

Detrás de él, aparece uno por uno los otros.

Arumanfi del destello, Sylvaril del vacío.

Y otros que no reconozco.

Seis en total.

"La sangre de sus soldados ensuciaron mi castillo".

Ya veo.

Atofe llegó aquí antes que nosotros.

Por lo cual ya había encontrado la entrada al círculo mágico de teleportación.

Ordenó a sus soldados investigar el lugar.

Cuando encontraron el círculo mágico, obviamente ellos entraron.

Así, dada las condiciones, él aparece.

El castillo del cielo fue invadido por la raza demoníaca.

"Pelagius---!"

Gritó Atofe.

Pelagius Dola.

El Rey Dragón Blindado está aquí.

=== 3ª Parte ===

La atmósfera y estado de ánimo de Atofe cambió instantáneamente al ver a Pelagius.

Hasta hace un momento, había sido una batalla por mero placer.

Pero ahora mismo la sed de sangre e intención de asesinar es increíble.

Como si hubiera visto al asesino de su padre, Atofe hace muecas y mira a Pelagius.

"¡Pelagius, tú---!"

Atofe retuerce su cuerpo el cual aún está entumecido, deshaciéndose de Zanoba.

Zanoba, sin fuerza alguna, cae a un lado.

Atofe rompe a correr hacia Pelagius, sus plumas posteriores se estremecen.

Con un fuerte empujón intenta saltar, pero en vez de eso, sus rodillas ceden haciéndola caer al piso.

"¡Jajaja!"

Perugius ríe alegremente frente a colosal espectáculo.

"Oh, qué entretenido, Atoferatofe. ¿Siendo descuidada otra vez? ¿Acaso el ser descuidados corre por la sangre de la familia del clan inmortal?"

"¡Así que tú eres el bastardo que los envió! ¡Jugaste sucio solo para matarme!... ¿Qué sucedió con la promesa que realizaste a Karuman?"

Pelagius se burla de Atofe con un sonrisilla.

Lo único que puede hacer Atofe en su ira es gritar.

Moore tambaleándose trata de acercarse a ella, pero le resulta imposible.

Ahora mismo, sólo Cliff, Pelagius, y su séquito pueden moverse.

Pelagius mira a Atofe, como un tigre que encuentra a la presa perfecta.

"No te confundas. Sólo he venido a salvar unos pocos amigos."

"¡Mentiroso! ¡Ugh!"

"Cumpliré mi promesa con Karuman. Fue un querido amigo."

"¡Te odio incluso si eres amigo de Karuman!"

"... Pues yo odio a idiotas irracionales como tú."

Al tiempo que Pelagius hablaba, levanta su mano, sosteniendo algo en cada una de ellas.

La cara de Atofe se vuelve pálida.

"Tú, tú, no hay forma que..."

Haciendo caso omiso a lo que dice Atofe, Pelagius abre su boca.

"Ese dragón vive sólo mientras sigue el camino de la cortesía. Los clavos en sus manos son largos y afilados, para así nunca levantar un puño."

Lo primero que ha dicho me suena familiar.

"El segundo dragón aprieta su puño con ira. Sus uñas rotas, sus dientes cayeron, pero la sensación ha sido transmitida. Sostiene la cortesía en su mano, sin embargo, ¿ha abandonado a esta?"

Una a una salen las palabras.

Y con cada palabra, la magia circundante se reúne alrededor de Pelagius.

"El tercer dragón que murió. El que poseyó los más efímeros ojos del Dragón General de escamas verde brillante. Por el nombre de Pelagius el Rey Dragón blindado, convoco --"

Mirando con atención, dos puertas aparecen al lado de Atofe, cada una tomando una parte de ella.

Dragones bellamente tallados marcan esas puertas.

Una ornamentada puerta de plata.

Una ornamentada puerta de oro.

Lentas pero seguras, como si brotaran desde el suelo, las puertas aparecen.

"Abre [Puerta trasera del Dragón]."

"Evoca [Puerta delantera del Dragón]."

Bajo las tranquilas ordenes de Pelagius, las puertas se abren.

Viento comienza a soplar desde la puerta derecha a la izquierda, sin embargo, no es viento, sino que es el flujo de algo haciendo algo.

Ah, ya sé.

Esta magia de invocación es absorción mágica.

Puedo sentir como la magia es extraída de mi cuerpo.

Pero es distinto a la sensación que obtuve con Orsted.

Es incluso más rápido que la de aquella vez, como si mi magia y mi fuerzas fueran succionadas a la vez.

"Ah, Atofe-sama, escape..."

De pronto, Moore lentamente se arrastra.

Las piernas de Atofe tiemblan, simplemente puede contemplar en ira a Pelagius.

"¡Pelagius--!"

Su cuerpo parece haber sido reducido un poco.

Tal vez las puertas han succionado su touki.

"¡Sabes que esto romperá la promesa!"

"¿Y qué? Esta es una de esas oportunidades que se dan solo una vez en la vida, una oportunidad única. No la desperdiciare."

Pelagius levanta su mano derecha, la cual esta cubierta de blanco, de pronto, esta comienza a brillar, una deslumbrante luz sesga la zona.

"Espada de mano del Dragón Blindado [Break]."

Pelagius realiza un movimiento con su mano en dirección descendente.

La luz deja su mano, y sale volando directamente hacia Atofe.

"¡¡¡Recordaré lo que haz hecho, Pelagius--!!!"

Atofe parece un cadáver borracho.

Entonces, un momento después, salio volando lejos. Con su cuerpo partido en dos, pronto desaparece de mi vista.

"Pfff, no es como si ella fuera a morir."

Pelagius se queja y tranquilamente da media vuelta, como si hubiera perdido el interés.

"Sylvaril. Carga a estos cuatro y curales."

¿Qué hay de los demás?"

"Déjalos huir."

"La Gran Emperatriz Demonio Kishirika Kishirisu detectada."

Justo como dijo Sylvaril, vislumbro a Kishirika en la distancia.

También recibió el golpe.

Lo siento.

"Déjala ir."

"¿Hah?"

Al parecer Pelagius dejará escapar a Kishirika también.

Gracias a Dios.

"Ufff."

Con Sylvaril acercándose hacia mi, por fin puedo tomar un descanso.

... Nos han salvado.

=== 4ª Parte ===

Luego de aquel episodio.

Los subordinados de Pelagius nos llevaron de vuelta.

A excepción de Cliff, todos los demás necesitamos que nos carguen o un hombro para sostenernos.

Cliff y Kishirika discutían algo mientras tanto.

Para el momento en que mire nuevamente en su dirección, Kishirika ya había desaparecido por algún lugar, típico de ella.

Vamos a reunirnos otra vez en algún lugar más tranquilo... ¿okay?

Después de cargar a todos de vuelta, Sylvaril detuvo el círculo mágico de teleportación.

El camino que llevaba al continente demoníaco está cerrado.

Así que será para otra ocasión el pasar a saludar a los padres de Roxy.

Nos enviaron a la enfermería debido al daño recibido por la descarga eléctrica.

Cliff estaba cuidándonos.

Fue el quien se ofreció.

Mientras decía [Pues sí, este tipo de quemadura no es muy severa...] hábilmente quito nuestras heridas con magia curativa.

No nos matarán, pero las quemaduras eran bastante extensas y relativamente severas.

Dejarlas curar por si solas podría incluso traer complicaciones.

Pero venga que si no iba así de lejos, no podría haber paralizado a Atofe.

Cliff fue particularmente cuidadoso con las heridas de la Elinalise.

Dejar una cicatriz sería terrible.

Así te quiero ver amar Cliff, una vez finalizo las curaciones. Elinalise y él desaparecieron.

Zanoba todavía está inconsciente.

Esta vez él nos salvó.

Ninguna cantidad de gracias será suficiente para agradecer lo que ha hecho.

La amistad puede ser invaluable, aún así no debo ser mezquino. Necesito darle las gracias apropiadamente para cuando recobre la conciencia.

Después de que terminaran los tratamientos y pudiera moverme, me dirigí hacia donde estaba Sylphy.

Al entrar en la habitación me encuentro a Sylphy leyendo en su cama. Parecía preocupada al momento en que me vio entrar.

"¿Algo salio mal?"

No respondí a su pregunta, simplemente me subí en silencio a la cama y la abrace.

Sylphy gimoteo un poco.

Como si se quejara en rechazo, llena de dolor. Abrace fuertemente a Sylphy.

Pensé que lo único importante es que ella está aquí.

La risa de Atofe todavía me persigue.

Aunque el entumecimiento me ha dejado, aún perdura esa desesperación en mi corazón.

Si hubiera muerto en batalla, todo sería en vano.

Atofe mostró misericordia, y los guardias oscuros no atacaron.

Moore utilizo magia, pero nada mortal.

Sin embargo, todo fue realmente aterrador.

Si Pelagius no hubiera llegado.

Todo seria distinto, Atofe nos habría capturado y forzado a realizar el contrato.

Entonces... el poder abrazar a Sylphy como ahora, podría haber sido imposible.

Incluso aún si Lucy se hubiera vuelto mayor, podría no volver a verla jamas.

Roxy, Norn, Aisha, todo el mundo, para ese entonces ya habrían...

Esto, sólo esto me asusta.

Me hace temblar de miedo.

De repente, Sylphy frota mi cabeza con su mano, peinando mi pelo con un movimiento descendente como si fuera un peine.

Sus dedos, delicados, cálidos y suaves.

Con una sonrisa, Sylphy me da un abrazo de vuelta.

No hay nada que decir.

Ella, solamente me abraza.

Sólo eso es suficiente.

Acurrucado en el abrazo de Sylphy, caí dormido a gusto.

== Capítulo 152 - Un día en la Fortaleza Flotante ==

=== 1ª Parte ===

Dos días han pasado.

Zanoba despertó y ha estado alegremente inspeccionando las piezas de arte de todo el castillo.

No parece que la descarga eléctrica le haya dejado ningún tipo de secuela.

Gracias a Dios. Si se quedaba inconsciente con su vida pendiendo de un hilo, no sé cómo iba a encarar a Ginger.

Ha habido algunos cambios en Cliff.

Después del evento, Cliff y Kishirika hablaron de algo.

No sé de qué hablaron, pero él fue recompensado.

La recompensa de Kishirika.

En otras palabras, un ojo demoníaco.

El ojo demoníaco que Cliff recibió es el Ojo de Identificación.

Mientras sea algo que la propia Kishirika conozca, el ojo le permitirá saber qué es cualquier cosa que tenga delante.

A partir de ahora, incluso si una situación similar fuese a suceder, él puede manejarlo por su cuenta.

Pero actualmente, Cliff está haciendo lo posible para dominarlo, puesto que ahora mismo, está esforzándose por aprender a controlar su ojo místico.

Un ojo que todo lo que ve va acompañado de nombre y descripción.

Un mundo cubierto de palabras.

Incluso ahora no puede caminar sin Elinalise guiándolo.

Pero él va a aprender a controlarlo con el tiempo, después de todo, Cliff es un genio.

Hasta entonces, él debería usar un parche para ojo.

=== 2ª Parte ===

Por otro lado, la enfermedad de Nanahoshi.

Trajimos el té.

Un poco después de beber el brebaje, Nanahoshi comienza a sentir los efectos.

Entonces Nanahoshi con la ayuda de Yuruzu se dirigió a la enfermería... Para proteger su honor, voy a omitir el resto. En resumen, mejoró.

"¿Cómo te encuentras ahora?”

Nanahoshi sigue postrada en la cama.

Su piel ha mejorado, pero todavía luce cansada. Se ve claramente frágil.

Ella probablemente todavía necesita al menos un mes de descanso.

"Mucho mejor ahora."

Parece que ella está de buen humor.

No luce estresada por su trabajo como lo hace usualmente, pero luciendo más bien somnolienta, como si acabase de despertarse

Además, tiene unos enormes remolinos en el pelo de haber estado durmiendo.

''Puede que lleve un ritmo de vida poco saludable... pero veo que se sigue peinando a diario...''

"Por lo que hiciste, gracias."

Con el té de Sokasu caliente en la mano, se inclina hacia mí.

Que raro es verla tan formal.

"Pasar por tal peligro para mi medicina. Tú... me salvaste."

El oírla tan amable me hace sentir bastante incómodo.

No, ella probablemente se sienta frágil después de que su cuerpo se debilitó tanto.

"No te preocupes por eso."

"Siempre has estado cuidando de mí ... Incluso después de que te dije cosas terribles ... Usted me ayudó sin una queja. No sé cómo pueda pagártelo."

Nanahoshi se ve tan apenada.

Es la primera vez que veo a Nanahoshi actuando como una chica integra y modosita.

¿El poder de Yuzuru de la Expiación logró cambiar su personalidad hasta este punto?

"Ahora que lo pienso. Ludeus-san es mayor que yo, sin embargo, he sido tan descortés...”

"Mi edad en el otro mundo no importa, en este mundo solo tengo 18 años."

"¿Qué edad tenías originalmente?"

"Treinta... No, olvídelo. La diferencia de edad no es importante. Por favor, deje a un lado los honoríficos, como hasta ahora."

"Okay."

Nanahoshi toma un sorbo de té de Sokasu, bebiéndolo lentamente.

Parece que beberlo también funciona.

"Por lo que he oído, tu enfermedad ..."

"No se puede curar, probablemente."

El síndrome de Drenado de Nanahoshi no tiene cura.

El té de Sokasu puede eliminar temporalmente la magia de dentro, pero si se deja como está, la magia se volverá a acumular.

Debido a que ella no es de este mundo, no hay una solución permanente.

Pero siempre y cuando beba regularmente el té de Sokasu, ella debería estar bien, probablemente.

Incluso un poco de magia puede crear complicaciones.

Quién sabe cuánto tiempo pase antes de que ella contraiga otra extraña enfermedad.

Y la próxima vez, si se trata de alguna enfermedad de tiempos inmemoriales, entonces, incluso Kishirika puede que no sepa de ella.

Para vivir en este mundo, tienes que ponerte en contacto con la magia.

En el aire, en los alimentos, la magia está en todas partes.

"Nanahoshi. Debes volver. No puedes morir en este mundo."

".... Sí".

"Voy a hacer todo lo posible para ayudar, hasta que encuentres un camino".

"Pero yo..."

"No te preocupes por la recompensa. Si alguna vez tienes problemas, por favor ven a hablar conmigo, no importa qué."

"..."

Oyendo eso, Nanahoshi se puso a sollozar hasta que finalmente se echó a llorar.

Bajo su llanto silencioso, un '''Gracias''' se puede escuchar.

Pacientemente, espero a que Nanahoshi termine.

Después de un rato, con la nariz tapada y los ojos hinchados, Nanahoshi dijo.

"Pero, si vuelvo..."

"Lo harás tan pronto como sea posible ..."

"No, no voy a ser capaz de devolverte el favor una vez que regrese ..."

Ah, así que ella quiere devolverme el favor antes de esa fecha.

Ella está sorprendentemente seria.

[[File:Mushoku14 09.jpg|500px]]

"No te compliques por los detalles. Además, no es como si nunca hubiese obtenido nada de ti."

"Lo que quiero decir es, una recompensa por ayudar en mi investigación."

"Entonces, qué tal esto, ¿le importaría si le consulto problemas menores de vez en cuando?"

“¿Qué clase de pequeños problemas?"

"Como por ejemplo ¿Qué tipo de cosas las chicas de su edad quieren? Llevo una vida de casado con Sylphy y hasta tuvimos un niño, pero no sé muy bien lo que una chica de su edad piensa. Si eres tu, ya que tienes mas o menos la misma edad, ¿tal vez me echarías una mano? "

"... ¿Cómo piensa Sylphy?"

Nanahoshi pone una mano en la barbilla, concentrándose sobre un punto de su manta.

Pensándolo seriamente.

Diligentemente.

"No te preocupes por ello ahora. Sólo que si algún día, cuando tengamos una pelea, por favor, acepta tu responsabilidad y ayúdeme con ello."

"... Entiendo." ("... Got it." No se si poner algo como “Lo capto” o algo por el estilo )

Nanahoshi asiente seriamente.

Similares en edad, pero en última instancia es una persona de otro mundo, y probablemente no sepa nada acerca de la vida conyugal.

Por supuesto, yo tampoco sé cómo piensa la gente de mi edad.

"Pues bien, eso lo resuelve. Sigues estando frágil, así que cuídate."

"Okay. Gracias."

Salgo de la habitación.

Si nos quedamos demasiado tiempo juntos, Sylphy se pondrá celosa de nuevo.

Aunque Sylphy celosa también es adorable.

Deseo que Sylphy pueda aceptar mi amor sin preocupaciones.

Pero sólo con pensarlo no es suficiente para conseguirlo.

=== 3ª Parte ===

Recorrí el pasillo observando que un precioso atardecer se podía ver por las ventanas del mismo.

Observo lo que hay debajo de la ventana y encuentro un patio precioso.

''Parece que en todos los mundos, los atardeceres son cautivadores... Pero es que... aunque no me gusten demasiado las alturas, ver semejante escena con el sol perdiéndose entre las nubes mientras tiñe el patio con su jardín de tonos anaranjados y rojizos... Dan ganas de quedarte de pie simplemente observándolo.''

Y con eso en mente, me dirigí hacia el patio.

En él me encontré flores nunca vistas decorando este perfecto y detallado jardín, dibujando una escena de ensueño con el sol poniéndose a lo lejos y ocultándose tímidamente entre las nubes.

''... Si le enseñara a Sylphy esta estampa y aprovechara para susurrarle palabras bonitas... ¿cómo reaccionará?''

''¿Agachará la cabeza ruborizada hasta la punta de sus orejas y apretará mi mano con fuerza? Tendré que esforzarme en controlarme como haga algo tan adorable... Pero decidido... cuando se mejore la traeré.''

''Me gustaría traer también a Roxy... aunque conociéndola, es posible que ni le cambie la impresión y me diga '''No hace falta que me digas esas cosas''' o algo por el estilo.''

''¿Que a qué se refiere con no hace falta? A que mientras esté libre, con pedirle que me acompañe a la cama, lo aceptará. Y es que realmente, solo en la intimidad se deja llevar...''

''No me parece mal, pero me gustaría hacer más cosas propias de pareja con Roxy, a parte de '''Sexy Time'''<ref>Sexy Time: eufemismo inglés para referirse a situaciones eróticas de pareja.</ref>; como por ejemplo, ver juntos el atardecer, que diga '''¡Es precioso!''' y yo le responda '''¡Tú sí que eres preciosa!''' y ver como se ruboriza...''

'''Fuuh...'''

''No pudo venir... es imposible que lo vea.''

"¿Oh?"

Paseando mientras pensaba en todo esto, pude ver algo en el extremo del jardín.

Se trataba de una mesa blanca, con 5 personas a su alrededor, 3 de ellas sentadas.

"Y entonces, Shishou usó su magia... rayos púrpuras salieron disparados de su mano derecha y al impactar en Atofe la quemaron por completo y la dejaron totalmente paralizada."

"Oh, así que lo débil del estado de Atofe fue debido a su magia."

"El nivel de la magia de Ludeus-sama es verdaderamente sorprendente."

Las personas que se encontraban sentadas en la mesa eran Zanoba, Ariel y hasta Pelagius; mientras charlaban amistosamente con el atardecer de fondo. Por su parte, había otras 2 personas de pie que no estaban participando en la conversación; Luke, que se encontraba a espaldas de Ariel, y Sylvaril que hacía lo mismo con Pelagius.

Todos se encontraban escuchando la historia que Zanoba les estaba contando.

"Hasta Elinalise y yo nos quedamos aturdidos. A parte de Shishou, dudo mucho que nadie en el mundo sea capaz de utilizar ese tipo de magia."

"Por tu descripción diría que es el hechizo '''Relámpago'''... porque para detener a Atofe, es necesario como mínimo un hechizo de esa potencia."

"¿Y qué ocurrió después? ¿Cómo continuó el combate?"

"Bueno, lo cierto es que perdí el conocimiento en esa situación... ¡Oh! Estás de suerte, puedes preguntárselo a él mismo."

Zanoba me vio a mitad de frase y dirigió la conversación hacia mí; por lo que no me quedó más remedio que saludar, ahora que todos se habían percatado de mi presencia.

Hice una pequeña reverencia y me acerqué.

"Perdonad, os vi tomando el té y no quise molestar."

"¡No te preocupes, Shishou! Pelagius-sama quería escuchar lo ocurrido con Atofe y me dediqué a contarles lo sucedido."

"Ya veo."

Observé de reojo a Pelagius y le vi muchísimo más alegre que en todas nuestras audiencias hasta ahora.

"Por lo que he escuchado, Ludeus, fue tu magia la que consiguió debilitar a Atofe hasta semejante punto."

"No es para tanto, de no ser porque Zanoba la mantuvo inmóvil habría esquivado mi ataque y evitado la mayor parte del daño."

"Ya veo... Fufu... Me encanta rememorar su expresión en aquel entonces."

Pelagius mostró una sonrisa retorcida llena de maldad.

''Guau, no esperaba que odiara tanto a Atofe... Pero bueno, lo que importa es que está de buen humor.''

"Veo que estás contento por lo sucedido."

"Era de esperar, esa mujer ha conseguido aguar varios de mis planes en más de una ocasión. Jamás me imaginé que de lo sucedido obtendría una oportunidad para vengarme."

"¿Vengarte?"

"Ciertamente, aunque es una rivalidad de antaño..."

Se refiere a un evento originado hace 400 años, cuando Pelagius, siendo un joven aventurero del lado de los humanos durante la guerra, tuvo que enfrentarse contra el ejercito de Atofe cuando ambos compartían las primeras líneas en sus distintas fuerzas.

No obstante, el poder de Pelagius todavía no había crecido lo suficiente, y por lo tanto, jamás tuvo oportunidad de vencer a Atofe, sino que incluso en alguna ocasión, su vida estuvo en grave peligro.

En todas esas ocasiones, fue solo gracias a que el Dios Dragón Úlpen y el Dios Nórdico Karlmann I fueron en su ayuda, que consiguió sobrevivir, algo que para Pelagius se convirtió en un recuerdo amargo, y por el que juró vengarse de Atofe.

Pero Karlmann I, Dios del estilo Nórdico Celestial, y Atofe, la Reina Demonio Inmortal, acabaron casándose; y en su lecho de muerte, Karlmann I les prohibió a ambos pelear hasta la muerte entre ellos.

Y tras eso, Pelagius nunca tuvo motivo u oportunidad que le llevaran al continente demoniaco, por lo que acabó tomándolo como un caso perdido. Hasta que de casualidad, una oportunidad inesperada para darle su merecido se le presentó en bandeja de plata; lo que le ha convertido en un hombre MUY feliz.

"Te doy las gracias por tus actos. Buen trabajo."

"¿Pero acaso lo ocurrido no le hizo romper su promesa al Dios Nórdico Karlmann?"

"Karlmann nos prohibió matarnos entre nosotros; lo que pasó el otro día fue una simple reprimenda física. No cuenta, seguramente."

''Le ha dado una paliza a un oponente indefenso... menudo abusón... aunque bueno, tiene sus motivos.''

"Mi opinión de ti fue errónea. En otras palabras, creo que mereces una recompensa."

"Una recompensa... no es necesaria."

''No es que necesite algo en este momento... Así que no hace falta.''

''No tengo deseos de volverme más fuerte.''

"Ya veo, aunque dime, cuando Nanahoshi se recupere, ¿qué te parecería que te diera clase personalmente sobre magia de Invocación?"

"... ¿No podré volver a mi casa hasta dentro de 10 años?"

"Mis métodos son distintos a los de Atofe."

''Si puedo volver... entonces no tengo motivos para negarme; principalmente porque siento curiosidad por la magia de Invocación y la de Teletransporte.''

''Aunque algo como lo de Atofe podría volver a ocurrir, por lo que, quizás me vendría bien pedirle que también me entrene para el combate. Porque aunque no me guste pelear, teniendo en cuenta en el mundo que vivo, es mejor aprender algunos truquillos para aumentar mis posibilidades de supervivencia.''

''Seguramente mi habilidad actual sea suficiente para proteger a mi familia, pero tras lo ocurrido con Atofe... me es imposible no pensar que estoy un tanto verde.''

''Porque claro... jamás me imaginé que tener que luchar en una situación así... y no me gustaría dejarlo estar hasta que sea demasiado tarde y se repita una situación tan peliaguda.''

"En ese caso, Pelagius-sama. ¿Podría pedirle que me entrenara en técnicas de combate junto con las clases de magia de Invocación?"

"¿Jah? ¿Acaso la pelea con Atofe te ha inspirado para ello? ¿O acaso has desarrollado codicia al verla?"

''Oh, parece que le ha molestado mi petición... Metí la pata.''

"No es eso, sino que me gustaría aprender formas de evitar o salir de situaciones peliagudas como la que hemos vivido."

"... En ese caso, te concederé una herramienta mágica que te permita ponerte en contacto conmigo. ¡Sylvaril!"

Pelagius se giró y le guiñó un ojo a Sylvaril, y esta le hizo entrega en el acto de una flauta con el símbolo de una torre con un dragón enrollado en ella.

"Úsalo en una situación en la que me necesites, y cuando ClearNight del Trueno te escuche, Arumanfi irá en tu búsqueda."

Acepté la flauta y la guardé con mis cosas.

''Por como ha ido la conversación, entiendo que si alguna vez estuviera en apuros... si tocara esta flauta, él vendrá en mi ayuda. Eso me vale, la verdad.''

"El sol se ocultó."

Antes de que nos diéramos cuenta, el sol había terminado de ponerse y se había de noche.

Lo extraño es que no había oscurecido como tal, puesto tanto la mesa como las flores a nuestro alrededor emitían un suave brillo pálido que iluminaba el patio lo suficiente.

"Esta mesa está fabricada con piedra Lumen. No os preocupéis y acompañadme en esta velada."

Escuchándole decir esto, yo también me senté con ellos.

=== 4ª Parte ===

"La artesanía de los mineros del carbón alcanzó el máximo nivel poco antes de la 2ª guerra entre Humanos y Demonios."

"Sí, es una lástima que su territorio fuera destruido entonces, de no ser por ello, es posible que hubieran creado obras maravillosas."

La conversación de Pelagius es agradable e interesante, siendo no solo una fuente de conocimiento, sino un amante del arte, sumándole a demás su pasión por la creatividad en sí misma.

"Pero los artesanos mineros del carbón no han desaparecido por completo; sigue siendo una raza poseedora de manos expertas. Estoy seguro de que tarde o temprano volverá a oírse hablar de genios artesanos entre sus filas que fabrique obras de arte."

"Dime una cosa, ¿no es cierto que hasta tú estás recibiendo orientación para convertirte a ti mismo en un artesano?"

"Así es, mi gran Shishou posee un conocimiento extenso en la fabricación de esculturas. Estoy seguro de que si transmitiera ese conocimiento a aprendices, la fabricación de estas obras de arte alcanzará nuevos hitos en este ámbito."

"He de decir, habiendo visto las figuras que Ludeus fabricó, que ciertamente son interesantes. Su capacidad para representar la esencia de los humanos en esa rama del arte es ciertamente asombroso."

Tanto Zanoba como Pelagius están discutiendo animadamente sobre el tema; y debido a que mi conocimiento no llega al nivel de ninguno de ellos, no tengo oportunidad de participar ni seguirles.

No obstante, escucharles hablar sigue siendo agradable y entretenido.

"Mi habilidad no es tan especial."

"No seas modesto."

"Así es, Sylphy me ha hablado de tus innumerables talentos, Ludeus-sama."

En esta fiesta del té, hay una participante adicional a parte de Zanoba, Pelagius y yo.

La pobre ha intentado unirse a la conversación intentando sacar sus puntos de vista, pero no tuvo oportunidad de participar activamente.

Al igual que yo, es incapaz de seguir esta conversación tan detallada y profunda sobre el arte, y no puede unirse fácilmente a la misma.

"Con cosas que no solo eres habilidoso con la magia, sino que además, Ludeus-sama es todo un caballero."

"Agradezco enormemente sus palabras, Ariel-sama."

La persona que no es capaz de unirse a la conversación por más que lo intente es Ariel Anemoi Asura.

Escuchando sus cumplidos, no puedo más que sonreír de forma forzada al ver como una vez más intenta unirse a la conversación, pero sin conseguirlo realmente.

El motivo de este bloqueo es que sobre esculturas y figuras, lo único que puede aportar son halagos y palabras ajenas que hubiera escuchado sobre el tema. Nada más.

''Se nota que quiere por todos los medios obtener el apoyo de Pelagius, aunque no sabe bien cómo ganárselo... pero está claro que no va por buen camino... Aunque todavía tiene tiempo por delante.''

"Hablando del tema, Pelagius-sama... estábamos sopesando la posibilidad de poner esta figura en el mercado y quería escuchar su experta opinión al respecto."

Zanoba sacó de improviso el tema de las figuras y al mismo tiempo colocó una caja que había visto con anterioridad de debajo de la mesa para ponerla frente a Pelagius.

"Oh..."

Pelagius está claramente animado al ver la caja expectante; pero en cuanto Zanoba la abre, la sonrisa en su rostro desaparece y se convierte en una mueca de desagrado.

"¿Una estatuilla de un Supard?"

"Se nota que posee buen ojo Pelagius-sama, para discernir de inmediato de qué se trata."

"..."

Zanoba había sacado de la caja una de las figuras de Ruijerd que había hecho Julie. Esta en concreto tenía una pose muy dinámica y detallada.

No obstante, Pelagius se mostraba claramente disgustado.

"Sabiendo que odio a las razas demoniacas, ¿de verdad quieres escuchar mi opinión?"

"¡Ah! No, lo que quiero decir es-"

Pelagius resopló al ver la figura con desgana y casi escupió sus palabras

"Vender una figura así.... lo prohíbo."

''Así que no hubo suerte... Aunque claro, el odio que siente Pelagius por las razas demoniacas es alto.''

''Puede que sea capaz de perdonar hasta cierto punto a algunos de ellos, pero en general, sus prejuicios vienen de muchos años atrás. Es algo que Zanoba debía haber sabido... ¿qué esperaba si no?''

"Pero Pelagius-sama, hasta tú le debes, a la persona usada como modelo para esta figura, un enorme favor."

"¿Un favor?"

Pelagius parece molesto por las palabras de Zanoba, pero casi de inmediato, sus ojos se abrieron por completo.

"Un segundo... esta figura... ¿Es de Ruijerd Supardia?"

"Así es. ¿No dijiste, Pelagius-sama, que durante la última batalla contra Laplace, la persona que te ayudó en gran medida fue el mismo Ruijerd?"

Zanoba ha llevado la conversación de una forma claramente planeada.

''No lo sabía, pero Zanoba sabía que esto pasaría y aun así fue el que comenzó está conversación... pero porque lo tenía todo pensado. ¡Bien hecho, Zanoba!''

"Claramente comprendo el odio que siente por las razas demoniacas, Pelagius-sama. Pero si un ejemplo como este de la técnica de Shishou se extiende por el vasto mundo, causará que el arte se expanda en un torbellino cuyo resultado bien podría ser un mundo lleno de arte y escultura. ¿No sería algo increíble de ver?"

"Oh."

Pelagius no parece saber cómo responder.

''Parece que necesita un empujón... ¿debería añadir algo?''

"Por mucho que se odie y tema a la raza Supard, pero lo cierto es que sin la ayuda de Ruijerd, es posible que yo no estuviera hoy aquí."

"Pelagius-sama. El propio Ruijerd se lamenta de los crímenes que cometió."

"¿Se lamenta?"

Esas palabras parecieron llamar la atención de Pelagius.

''Debo añadir algo... ¿pero qué...?''

"Así es... Se lamenta de haberse dejado engañar por Laplace."

"¿Laplace...?"

El rostro de Pelagius reaccionó a ese nombre.

''Espero no estar equivocándome...''

"En efecto. Hace años, Laplace le entregó una maldita lanza con la que le acabó controlando y con la que pisó y ensució el honor de los Supard; esa misma lanza le llevó incluso a matar con sus manos a su propia familia... Todavía se lamenta por ese evento y por ello, odia a Laplace por lo que le hizo."

"..."

"Hasta este día, ha estado recorriendo el mundo solo para limpiar el honor de los Supard, y la venta de estas figuras fue concebida con la única intención de ayudarle en su empresa, debido a lo mucho que le debo... Por eso, si Pelagius-sama en efecto piensa que le debe algo a Ruijerd, como forma de devolver esa deuda, ¿podría permitir esto?"

Tras escucharme, Pelagius se cruzó de brazos, cerró sus ojos y frunció el ceño pensativo.

Pasados unos largos segundos, su única respuesta fue una frase.

"El honor de los Supard y eso que dices, no me termina de convencer... pero un favor debe ser recompensado..."

"Oh, entonces.."

"... Haced lo que queráis."

Está claro que Pelagius sigue estando en contra, pero al menos con esto, hemos conseguido que Arumanfi no venga a destrozarlo todo cuando pongamos las figuras a la venta.

''Vamos... por poder, hasta podemos decir que tenemos el apoyo de Pelagius si alguien se quejara... sobre todo teniendo en cuenta que es alguien archiconocido por todo el mundo y que su nombre posee una fuerza adicional.''

''De verás, Zanoba, muy bien hecho.''

Zanoba había llevado la conversación a su terreno de una forma magistral.

''Zanoba lleva un tiempo que solo consigue hacer hazañas maravillosas... demasiado grandes como para que yo intente siquiera imitarle.''

"¡Muchas gracias por su consideración!"

Zanoba inclina la cabeza diciendo estas palabras.

''Con esto, hemos dado un gran paso en nuestro plan de mercado para la figura...... Pero... ¿a dónde se habrá ido Ruijerd?''

"Shishou, puedo pedirte un favor, ¿por qué no le muestras a Pelagius-sama tu técnica?"

"¿Te refieres a que haga una figura?"

"Sí, enséñale tu especialidad, las figuras que creas de la nada."

Pelagius me observa atentamente, y cuando nuestras miradas se cruzan, asiente.

"¿Ves? Está interesado en verte hacerlas con magia."

''De acuerdo... así que hora de demostrar cómo hago figuras...''

Lo pongo de esa forma, pero básicamente hago lo mismo que de costumbre, simplemente crear la forma básica con magia de Tierra y poco a poco ir limando las asperezas y dándole forma a los detalles.

''Aunque bueno, como quiero asegurarme de que sale bien sin estar demasiado tenso, haré una figura sencilla tipo '''Nendoroid'''<ref>Nendoroid: figuras tipo japonesas, hechas como especialidad por una empresa concreta, que realiza imitaciones en formato chibi-cabezones de los personajes de series populares de un tamaño aproximado de 10 cm de alto. [https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nendoroid Para Más Información]</ref>.''

Hago una figura de una calidad media, a modo de prueba y le añado al rostro una máscara con el dibujo de un pájaro para conseguir realiza una pequeña figura de Sylvaril.

"Es... ¿Sylvaril? ¡Qué habilidad!"

Pelagius me observa atentamente mientras continúo produciendo la figura. Tan atentamente que no pierde detalle de mis manos.

''¿Será que puede ver el maná? Aunque puede, que aun sin ver el maná sea capaz de comprender el proceso... Después de todo, sigue siendo toda una leyenda.''

"Así que la magia de Tierra podía usarse de es modo, menuda sorpresa."

"¡Si tuviera alguna petición, podemos hacerla para usted, Pelagius-sama!"

"¿De veras? En ese caso, aceptaré tu ofrecimiento, si consiguieras realizar una obra destacable, me gustaría unirla a mi colección."

''¡Un cliente!''

''Ahora que BadiGadi ha desaparecido, debemos de asegurarnos una entrada de dinero.''

"En ese caso-"

Ariel finalmente consiguió tener un tema para unirse a la conversación.

"En el reino de Asura hay grandes artesanos que podrían ofrecerle una escultura."

Comenzó a hablar y explicar el talento y habilidad que poseen los escultores de Asura; llegando incluso a decir que si consiguiera llegar al trono, las ofrendas que le harían a Pelagius.

Pelagius se mostró molesto por la conversación y soltó las palabras con desdén.

"¿Las esculturas en Asura solo se fabrican para saciar la vanidad de sus nobles? Menuda pérdida de tiempo."

"... ¿Eh?"

Ariel se quedó sin palabras, no obstante Pelagius no tenía intención de detenerse ahí.

"Una vez te conviertas en reina en Asura, ¿no tendrás cosas más importantes que hacer que mandar hacer esculturas para mí?"

"E-Esto..."

Y no la dejó recomponerse.

"¿O acaso planeas vivir una vida de lujo gracias al sudor de tus ciudadanos?"

"... No, por supuesto que no, lo lamento muchísimo. Por favor, olvide el ofrecimiento."

Ariel dolida por el rechazo, decide retirarse.

Se levanta y se despide con una reverencia, sin el carisma al que tan acostumbrado estoy.

''Pero sea como fuera, Pelagius ha sido demasiado duro con ella en esta ocasión... ¿acaso la odia? ¿Era necesario ser tan duro con ella?''

"Aguarda, Ariel Anemoi Asura."

Pelagius detiene a Ariel mientras se disponía a marcharse, al tiempo que la observa de forma imperiosa.

"Para ti, ¿qué representa un rey? ¿Que significa para ti el trono?"

"Un rey es... Conocimiento, aunque escuchando el apoyo de sus ministros... el Rey debe ser una fuente de conocimiento-"

"Te equivocas."

Pelagius interrumpe a Ariel negando con su cabeza.

"El hombre que conocí era el verdadero Rey de Asura, pero no era ese hombre del que hablas."

"¿Un rey de Asura que conocías, Pelagius-sama?"

"En efecto. Aquel que coronaron rey después de la campaña de Laplace; mi camarada, Gaunis<ref>Posible referencia al juego '''Dungeon Fighter Online''' y a un enemigo a derrotar llamado Gaunis.</ref> Free-An<ref>Buscando en internet, hemos encontrado esta marca de hoteles... Aunque tenemos la duda de si se trata de una referencia al Dios del Viento Chino Fei Lian, debido a que Anemoi simboliza de por sí la recolección de los vientos, y los distintos Greyrat están basados en los dioses del viento griegos.</ref> Asura."

He leído personalmente un poco sobre Gaunis.

Después de la campaña de Laplace, se convirtió en el único superviviente de la familia real de Asura, y se convirtió en un gran rey que supo organizar el destartalado reino de Asura tras la guerra. Lo que llevó a que hace 400 años, Asura se coronara como el único reino del continente central.

Fue la única razón por la que apenas hubo problemas internos entre los supervivientes tras la guerra.

"Gaunis-sama fue un gran rey. No puedo ni soñar con imitarle."

Las palabras de Ariel hicieron que Pelagius negara con su cabeza.

"No era para nada grande. Ese tipo era un cobarde que odiaba luchar, y siempre huía de los conflictos. Era un mal estudiante y tampoco poseía el menor talento para el combate, y a menudo se escapaba para vagar por la ciudad y emborracharse y comerse con los ojos a las hijas de los distintos posaderos...

"Era ese tipo de persona, y lo cierto es que jamás poseyó ambición alguna para subir al trono; y aun así, poseía el aspecto más importante y necesaria para ser rey. Solo por eso, le respeto y considero un verdadero Rey."

"¿El aspecto más importante y necesario...?"

"Si eres capaz de decirme cuál es ese aspecto, te ayudaré."

''Ah... comprendo... la ha puesto a prueba.''

''Pelagius quiere comprobar si Ariel merece su apoyo.''

"El aspecto más importante... para ser Rey..."

Ariel se sujeta la barbilla con su mano pensativa de pie en el extremo de la mesa, seguramente rememorando lo que conoce del Rey Gaunis.

''Pero según Pelagius... Kaunis era claramente digno de que le llamen Baka-Dono...¿? ¿como a Oda Nobunaga<ref>Oda Nobunaga: Señor feudal japonés, famoso por su creatividad en las estrategias y su alteración de los privilegios de los Shogun durante la época Sengoku. De joven, se referían a él como Baka-dono debido a su actitud excéntrica y su falta de juicio en determinadas situaciones; aunque se rumorea que fuera para que sus hermanos en las luchas por suceder a su padre no le vieran como un rival. [https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oda_Nobunaga Para Más Información]</ref>?''

"Ludeus, dime, ¿cuál crees tú que es la respuesta?"

Mientras andaba perdido en mis pensamientos, Pelagius dirigió la conversación hacia mí.

"Esto... no soy miembro de la realeza, por lo que no sabría decirlo."

"No te preocupes, tan solo di lo que creas correcto."

''Por mucho que me preguntes a mí...''

''Pero un Rey... ¿qué es un Rey exactamente? En las novelas de fantasía, ¿qué representan los reyes? Grandes hombres, cabeza de un país; algo así como el primer ministro de Japón...''

''La verdad es que de joven no me interesó demasiado la política... como mucho las reacciones que leía en Internet sobre los distintos políticos. Así que básicamente... no tengo ni idea.''

"... Alguien... ¿que usa su propia fuerza por el bien de su país y su gente?"

"Jah..."

Pelagius suspiró, seguramente por mi respuesta tan genérica.

"Ariel, hasta él fue capaz de dar una mejor respuesta que tú."

"... Pero preocuparte del pueblo no es suficiente para ser Rey."

"Cierto es. El necio de Gaunis no se preocupaba únicamente de su propio pueblo, pero el pueblo igualmente le concedió el poder a ese hombre, y solo gracias a eso Asura fue apaciguada."

"¿Entonces la gente es el aspecto? ¿Acaso para ser Rey no hace falta que este posea ninguna cualidad?"

"¿Eso crees? ¿Crees que un país que pone como Rey a un imbécil es un buen país?"

"..."

Ariel se quedó sin palabras mostrándose apenada y lamentándose quizás de su respuesta.

''Pero exactamente, ¿qué es lo que Pelagius quiere que Ariel diga?''

''La verdad es que no lo sé... aunque claro, tampoco pasa nada por no saberlo, ya que yo no tengo la intención de convertirme en rey...''<ref>Je... ¿provocando al destino?</ref>

''Aunque lo mismo Pelagius solo quiere conocer la personalidad y determinación de Ariel y por eso le está haciendo preguntas sin respuesta...''

''Pero vaya... ¿qué se necesita para ser Rey? ¿Con qué propósito pregunta esto? ¿Qué quiere descubrir?''

"Piénsalo con calma, Ariel Anemoi Asura... Bueno, se hizo tarde, es hora de regresar."

Y con estas palabras, Pelagius le dio fin a la fiesta del té.

Pude ver como la hundida Ariel se iba con Luke acompañándola a su espalda sin saber qué decirle... era una escena bastante impactante.

== Capítulo 153 - 4º Punto de Inflexión ==

=== 1ª Parte ===

Al cabo de unos días, mi fuerza se recupera y vuelvo a la Ciudad Mágica de Sharia con Sylphy.

En el momento en que llegué a casa, el sol ya se había puesto.

A pesar de que sólo ha pasado un par de días, al ver mi casa, fui golpeado con un sentimiento de nostalgia.

"Volví"

"Pase, bienvenido de vuelta ... ¿eh? ¿Onii-chan?"

Al abrir la puerta, veo a Aisha viniendo de la sala de estar.

Tal vez no se esperaba que regresara tan pronto, Aisha me recibió con una expresión de perplejidad.

"¿De vuelta ya? ¿Han encontrado una manera de salvar a Nanahoshi-san? O acaso..."

Acaricio la cabeza de Aisha de manera serena.

Un [Wah] se desliza de su boca, pero ella no parece molesta.

"Onii-chan, ¿qué te pasa?"

"Nada, Nanahoshi va a estar bien. Explicaré los detalles. ¿Están Roxy y Norn en casa?"

"Norn-ane se encuentra todavía en la escuela. Roxy está en su habitación. Mamá ... Lilia-kaasan está haciendo la lavandería. Zenith-kaasan está durmiendo."

"Ya veo, Norn se encuentra todavía en la escuela ... Perdona que te moleste, pero podrías traer a Roxy?"
"Sí."

Después de un rato, Roxy bajó las escaleras.

¿Estaba durmiendo? Su cabello está un poco desordenado y su cara está roja.

"Bienvenido de vuelta, Ludi. ¿Cómo te fue?"

"Voy a explicarlo ahora, pero antes de eso."

"¿Qu .."

Tiro de Roxy para darle un fuerte abrazo.

Yo había prometido regresar a salvo.

Aunque estaba un poco sorprendida, Roxy rodeó sus brazos alrededor de mi espalda y me abrazó.

"Estoy en casa."

"Bienvenido de vuelta."

Por fin estoy en casa.

=== 2ª Parte ===

Les dije a todos los acontecimientos de los últimos días.

Había mucho que cubrir, por lo solo expliqué las partes importantes, enfocándome especialmente en los detalles con respecto a la maldición de Zenith.

En particular, los signos a tener en cuenta en el futuro.

"Por el momento, me quedaré en la Fortaleza Flotante, pero voy a volver a casa al menos una vez cada diez días."

Vamos a hacer esto por ahora.

Mientras que Ariel está continuando con sus planes, Sylphy también se estará quedándose en la Fortaleza Flotante.

Ella también está planeando hacer lo misma que sería volver al menos una vez cada 10 días.

No ir a clase, eh ... supongo que está bien si yo sólo aparezco para los estudios extracurriculares.

Eso debería contar como participación en clase.

"Lo entiendo, Ludeus-sama. Puede dejar el trabajo doméstico y el cuidado de Zenith a mí."

Lilia declaró que ella se ocuparía del trabajo extra. De todos modos, mi informe acabó y la reunión de la familia ha terminado.

"Uf, me siento cansada. Voy a ir a descansar. ¿Qué hay de ti, Ludy?"

"Creo que tomaré un baño e iré a dormir."

"Oh? ¿Debería esperar por ti?"

"No, hoy no."

"Okay"

Camino hacia el baño.

Pensando en ello, no he tenido un baño durante un par de días.

Al entrar en la habitación, calenté el agua de la bañera.

Debería limpiar mi cuerpo primero ... olvídalo.

Quitandome la ropa, entro en la bañera haciendo un pequeño splash.

"¡Uf!"

Mientras que mi cuerpo se remoja en la bañera, puedo sentir como la fatiga se esfuma.

De repente me di cuenta de lo extenuante que estos últimos días han sido.

Sin embargo, diez días, ¿eh?

Mi audiencia con Pelagius fue hace sólo diez días.

Han pasado tantas cosas en tan poco tiempo.

Nanahoshi colapsando, viajando al continente mágico, buscando a Kishirika, irritando a Atofe.

Atofe fue muy fuerte.

No siento como que pueda vencerla.

Es imposible para mí el vencer a un oponente de tan alto nivel.

Pero la hechizo de Descarga Eléctrica funcionó.

Si lo uso para cogerla con la guardia baja, podría tener una oportunidad.

Tengo que investigar y practicarla un poco más.

Al menos hasta el punto en que pueda utilizarla mientras está húmeda. <ref>No iba en ese sentido, pero me hizo gracia, así que se queda.</ref>

¿Que debería hacer? No lo sé.

¿Debo cubrirme con caucho como el Hombre Elástico?<ref>Referencia a un programa de NHK en la que un personaje va vestido con un traje de goma de color amarillo por todo su cuerpo.</ref>

El sirviente de Atofe, Moore era también fuerte.

Parecía como si él pudiese contrarrestar cualquier cosa intentaba hacer.

Hasta ahora, con la excepción de Roxy, nunca he visto a un mago tan bueno.

Gracias a [Distorsión Mágica] y a la prótesis de mano me las arregla de alguna forma, pero ¿cómo se supone que trate con este tipo de oponente?

Una estrategia general para luchar contra oponentes poderosos..... no existe, ¿verdad? ....

En cualquier caso, estoy sin ideas. Si tan sólo pudiera llegar a ser un poco más fuerte.

Después de todo, esta es la primera vez que algo así ha sucedido en los últimos años.

Alcanzar el nivel de Pelagius es probablemente imposible, pero podría acercarme al nivel de Sylvaril.

Sin embargo, la magia de invocación de Pelagius, si puedo aprender a dibujar círculos mágicos teletransporte, no importa lo que pase, voy a ser capaz de reaccionar rápidamente.

El hecho de que sea una magia prohibiba da miedo, pero eso es una razón más que suficiente para aprenderla.

El conocimiento es poder.

Y, la comunicación también.

El anillo de Ariel.

Si se mejora un poco, entonces se puede utilizar para enviar mensajes.

Tal vez sea imposible usarlo en todas partes, pero podría funcionar como un busca.

¿Qué más?

Se siente como que estoy olvidando algo ...

"Uf, esto siempre ocurre."

Ahora que pienso en ello, siempre soy muy olvidadizo.

Yo puedo tener ataques de inspiración, pero luego inmediatamente me olvido de ellos.

Además que me he olvidado de una buena idea tras otra.

Pensé que tenía una buena memoria, pero realmente tengo demasiados puntos débiles.

No es bueno.

Estoy repitiendo mis errores.

Tuve suerte esta vez, pero ¿que pasa si los olvido la próxima vez?

Si me olvido de mis errores, no voy a mejorar.

Pero, ¿qué hago?

Recuerdo haber oído que llevar un diario ayuda a la memoria.

"... Bien, tal vez debería empezar un diario?"

No es una mala idea.

Experiencias, fracasos, debilidades, las cosas importantes.

Después de anotarlos, puedo reflexionar sobre ellas.

Determinando prioridades, indicando objetivos, decidiendo mi próximo movimiento.

Se siente como que esta será una buena idea.

Debería empezar escribiendo ahora.

Pensando en esto, me precipito fuera de la bañera.

"Pero ... ¿en dónde se venden los diarios?"

Después de salir del baño, me voy a mi cuarto de investigación.

Le echo una mano a la pila de papeles en la parte más baja de la estantería.

Si no hay diarios, puedo escribir simplemente en papel normal.

Lo más importante es anotar las cosas.

Sin embargo, solamente escribir es tan triste, creo que voy a añadir algo a ella.

A pesar de que su apariencia no es importante, no pasa si la hago lucir un poco mejor.

Coloco la pila de papeles cuidadosamente en mi escritorio.

Primero, uso magia para hacer pequeños agujeros en el papel.

Inserto las hojas a través de unos anillos que hago con magia de tierra.

A continuación preparo 2 tablas del tamaño de los folios y una tercera más pequeña unidas con bisagras, para darle la forma de "コ".

Coloco el anillo en ella.

Mi improvisado diario ha sido terminado.

Las tablas y las bisagras fueron gratis. El único gasto fue el papel.

¿Qué hay de una perforadora? ¿Me pregunto si podría comercializarla después?

Voy a anotar eso, también.

Ideas que no estén anotadas probablemente se olviden.

Perforadora... no, lo que debería escribir es sobre el diario en primer lugar.

"¿Sobre qué debería escribir?"

Hablando de diarios, cuando era un NEET, solía tener un blog. Pero, no tardé en abandonarlo.

Si puedo convertir esto en un hábito, funcionará, ¿verdad?

No, no debería pensar en esto como un problema de otra persona.

Mientras haga de esto un hábito, funcionará.

Okay.

Voy a escribir sobre los acontecimientos de los últimos 10 días.

"...Zzz"

Me quede dormido antes de que me diera cuenta.

=== 3ª Parte ===

Estoy en una vacía y blanca habitación.

He visto este lugar antes.

Hace apenas un par de días, cuando fui transportado por Pelagius, vi este lugar.

Exactamente, ¿ que es este lugar?

Nunca me he preguntado esto antes.

¿Este lugar existe en algún lugar de este mundo?

Dicho esto, ¿hay algo que pueda hacer sobre este cuerpo?

Grasoso, NEET, el cuerpo del yo que no tenía nada.

No tengo pensado cerrar los ojos.

Pero siento que mi irritación empieza a crecer.

No sentí esta molestia cuando fui invocado por Pelagius.

"Yo"

Ya veo, es ese tipo.

Una cara lisa y pálida

Una leve sonrisa como un mosaico flotante.

En el instante en que vi su cara, mis pensamientos se desvanecieron.

''Hitogami.''

"Largo tiempo sin verte"

''Que nostálgico... la última vez fue… ¿hace dos años...?''

"Ya te has puesto de esa manera"

''La última vez que me dio un consejo fue justo antes de irme al Continente Begarito.''

''Eso debería ser hace dos años.''

"No es como si fuera algo nuevo"

''Hubo un tiempo en el que no se presentó durante 3 años.''

''Que nostálgico.''

''En ese momento, estuve ahogándome en desesperación.''

"Sí, en comparación en ese entonces, usted parece estar haciéndolo mucho mejor"

''No está mal, supongo.''

''Casándome, viviendo una vida familiar tranquila.''

''De hecho, es vida que nunca habría soñado tener en mis días de NEET.''

"Familiarizarse con Pelagius."

''Pelagius es una persona realmente sorprendente.''

''En mi vida anterior, yo nunca habría imaginado que iba a conocer y ser respetado por alguien como él.''

''Las figuras que he hecho están vendiéndose bien, también.''

''Nunca habría imaginado este nivel de éxito en mi vida anterior.''

"Y ser del agrado de Atofe."

''Eso no es algo por lo que feliz, pero eso es todo gracias a los resultados de mi entrenamiento.''

''Esa versión de Relámpago es muy útil.''

"Por supuesto, esa magia es muy poderosa. Estoy seguro de que sería útil contra Orsted, también"

''¿Orsted, también?''

"Una magia que puede ignorar Touki y paralizar el cuerpo. No hay manera de contrarrestarlo, ¿verdad?"

''¿No hay manera de contrarrestarlo?''

''Pero, si se trata de Orsted, él puede usar [Distorsión Mágica] para cancelarla.''

"Él es más fuerte en general, pero la victoria es posible"

''No, no.''

''La mayor parte de mi magia sólo se puede usar en situaciones genéricas, por lo que no puede hacer mucho contra Orsted a menos que improvise o la adapte.''

''Tal vez no tengo ninguna motivación ya que no odio a Orsted.''

"¿Es eso así?"

''Digo, logré regresar de un modo u otro del Continente Begarito. ''

''Mentiría si dijera que no me arrepiento.''

''Sin embargo, no fue una mala decisión.''

''No pude seguir su consejo sobre eso.''

"Bueno, esa es tu decisión."

''¿Qué habría ocurrido si no hubiese ido?''

"Si hubieses ido, tu padre no hubiese muerto. Además, te habrías casado con las dos princesas del clan feral y vivido una vida feliz."

''...¿Qué demonios?''

''¿Paul murió porque fui?''

"Sí, porque tu estabas allí. Porque él quería lucirse delante de ti, eso le llevó a bajar la guardia."

''No, pero...''

''Esto...''

"Si no hubieses ido, él habría salvado a tu madre de todas formas. Por supuesto, a Roxy también."

''¿Cómo es posible?''

''Las cosas que hice... ¿fueron en vano? ...''

''No, pero cuando me encontré con Roxy, ella ya estaba acorralada.''

''¿Estás diciendo que ella habría estado bien si no la hubiese salvado?''

"Sí, incluso si usted no iba, Roxy se habría salvado de todos modos. Su supervivencia es parte del destino."

''¿Cómo es posible?''

''¿Qué es ese destino del que hablas?''

"El comerciante al que usted ayudó. Si no fuese por ti, él habría llegado tarde.
El día en que el comerciante llegara, habría un aventurero en particular allí.
El aventurero compró algo del comerciante: una piedra mágica.
Pero, si el comerciante hubiese llegado tarde, él habría comprado algo más."

Algo más.''

"Un mapa del laberinto de la teletransportación"

''¿Cómo es posible que algo como eso simplemente sea vendido allí?''

"Solicitando algo al Gremio de Aventureros, el Gisu que no logró convencer al espadachín. Lleno de entusiasmo pensó en un plan infalible para reclutar aventureros, parte del cual era vender el mapa a un precio muy barato."

''... Así que es así como fue.''

''Gisu estaba vendiendo el mapa.''

''Es cierto que muy pocos aventureros quisieron dar un paso en ese laberinto, pero es posible que haya habido alguien que pensara que ellos podrían conquistarlo.''

''Y así, el aventurero que compró el mapa habría entrado con ellos en el laberinto y salvado a Roxy.''

"Sí, él se habría encontrado con tu padre en la entrada de ese laberinto y habrían entrado en el laberinto juntos, salvando a Roxy."

''Y después, con el aumento del tamaño en el grupo, a medida que continuaran explorando el laberinto, ¿ellos finalmente habrían salvado a madre?''

"Exactamente como lo has adivinado. En comparación con usted, esto hubiese tomado más tiempo... aproximadamente 2 años. Ellos estarían salvando a tu madre justo ahora."

''No puedo creerlo.''

"Sin embargo, es exactamente lo que el destino es."

''¿Es eso así?''

''Así que eso hubiese pasado. Sin saber lo que depara el futuro...''

''Yo... Hubiera sido mejor si no hubiese ido...''

''Mierda, debería haberte hecho caso.''

''No, pero, eso significa que no me hubiese casado con Roxy.''

"Sí, ella se enamoró con el hombre que la salvó, pero parece que él no sintió lo mismo por ella."

''Si fuese así, nada malo hubiese sucedido.''

''Amo a Roxy.... Sin embargo, Paul murió.''

''Me casé con Roxy, sin embargo, Paul perdió la vida. No puedo sentirme bien sobre eso.''

''No me arrepiento de casarse con Roxy.''

''Ella se esfuerza por ser una buena esposa y ella está feliz de estar casada conmigo.''

''Pero, si Rinia y Pursena acabaran en esa situación, creo que sería igualmente feliz.''

''No es como si nadie se fuera a enojar nadie, pero bajo esa circunstancia, me habría sido imposible casarme con Roxy''

''Ugh, mierda....''

"Ya está en el pasado ahora"

''Sí.''

''No hay nada que pueda hacer, incluso si lo lamento''

''Es imposible volver atrás..''

''Justo ahora, tengo una vida feliz.''

''Tal vez hice la elección equivocada.''

''A pesar de que tengo algunos lamentos, no es del todo malo.''

''Voy a pensar de esa manera.''

"Seguro que eres optimista."

''Volviendo al tema principal, ¿por qué me has llamado aquí hoy?''

''O es que, ¿has venido a avisarme de algo?''

"No, no es nada grave. En lugar de consejos, hoy en día, tengo una petición."

''¿Petición? ¿Tú?''

''Extraño. Esto nunca ha sucedido antes.''

"Bueno, a veces incluso yo necesito un poco de ayuda."

''Hm.''

''Olvídalo. Sólo dime lo que me quieres decir. De vez en cuando, creo que estaría bien escuchar tus consejos. ''

''Hasta ahora, he estado sospechado en exceso de ti.''

"Qué reconfortante."

''Bueno, ya que me has ayudado tanto...''

''Más bien, no debería haber sido tan sospechoso de ti. Pensé que estaba siendo manipulado por un bromista malicioso.''

"Eso es simplemente demasiado. Soy el Hitogami. Soy el Dios de los seres humanos, ¿sabes? ¿Cómo podría tener el tiempo libre para simplemente hacer las cosas por diversión? Yo no le haría daño a la gente por diversión."

''Ah, alguien así probablemente no exista.''

"Exactamente"

''¿Entonces, qué debería hacer?''

"No es nada serio. Quiero que vayas al sótano y que te asegures de que no hay nada anormal. Si no encuentras nada, entonces está bien. Eso es todo lo que quiero."

''¿Asegurarme de que no hay nada anormal?''

''¿Por qué...? No, entiendo. Aunque esta vez, voy a confiar en ti. Simplemente haré lo que pides y veré qué pasa.''

"Ya veo... te lo agradezco."

A medida que mi conciencia se desvanecía, me pareció ver el tenue rastro de una sonrisa en la comisura de la boca Hitogami.

=== 4ª Parte ===

Abro los ojos.

Frente a mí, puedo ver la parpadeante luz de la llama de una vela.

Puedo ver la luz de la luna que brilla a través de la ventana.

No escucho nada.

Esta calmado.

Tal vez me quedé dormido mientras escribía en mi diario.

Había una mancha de baba en la página en la que llevaba escribiendo mis notas a medio terminar.

Lo reescribiré.

Arranco la hoja y la pongo en la esquina de la mesa.

Después, lo copio en una página limpia y continúo desde donde lo dejé.

¿Cuándo me quedo dormido?

Se siente como si hubiese estado dormido por días.

Mientras me pongo de pie, algo se deslizó de mi hombro.

Era una manta.

Fue Sylphy o Roxy la que trajo una manta para mí?

Bueno, quienquiera que fuese, estoy agradecido.

"Bien..."

Recuerdo el contenido de mi sueño.

Tengo que ir y revisar el sótano

No entiendo la razón, pero no hay nada malo en escucharlo sólo por esta vez.

Hasta ahora, este tipo nunca me ha dicho que haga algo que me pondría en una mala situación.

Además que en ocasiones ha sido para beneficio mutuo...,

Incluso si él es El Hitogami, probablemente se sienta molesto por el antagonismo que he mostrado cada vez que me da consejos.

Podríamos tener una relación de toma y daca, pero yo debería tratar de llevarme bien con él cuando se pone en contacto conmigo.

"Achoo... hace frío..."

Mientras camino hacia el sótano, me pongo la bata que había colgado en la pared.

A pesar de que ya es primavera, no toda la nieve se ha derretido aún. El frío de principios de la primavera está en el aire.

No es bueno dormir aquí.

Debería volver a mi habitación tan pronto como sea posible y dormir en mi cama caliente.

Pero, con este este frío, la cama también estaría fría.

¿Alrededor de que hora es en estos momentos?

A juzgar por lo silencioso que es, deben ser altas horas de la noche.

Si voy a la habitación de Sylphy o a la de Roxy en estos momentos, probablemente despierte a una de ellas ...

Sólo quiero calentarme, y no cosas irónicas.

Las extraño.

Esto es culpa Hitogami.

Si tan sólo no me hubiese enterado de lo que podría haber pasado.

No, yo era el que quería saber. ¿Fue culpa mía?

Mi culpa, supongo que dormiré solo.

Mientras pensaba en esto, abro la puerta.

"...?"

De repente, sintiendo una presencia detrás de mí, me doy la vuelta.

La única cosa en frente de mí es la silla en la que estaba sentado previamente.

Por supuesto que no hay nadie allí.

"Probablemente sólo mi imaginación."

Además de la mesa y de la estantería, no hay nada en esta sala.

No hay lugar para esconderse.

La ventana es demasiado pequeña para que una persona pueda pasar.

Hay una sola entrada: esta puerta.

Esta habitación es pequeña, sólo una vela es suficiente para demostrar que no hay nadie allí.

El único en esta habitación soy yo.

¿Por qué sentí una presencia?

Es evidente que no hay nadie aquí.

No sé por qué, pero todavía siento una presencia.

Extraño.

Tal vez hay un bicho debajo de la mesa.

"Olvídalo, todavía tengo que comprobar el sótano."

Abro la puerta. Y justo cuando iba a salir de la habitación...

"¡Ahí!"

Me doy la vuelta, otra vez.

Sin razón.

Solo sentí como que debía hacerlo.

Simplemente confirmando que no hay nadie allí.

Pero...

Ahí...

Una persona...

"...eh?"

Un hombre que llevaba un traje hecho jirones está sentado en la silla.

Un hombre viejo.

Las arrugas profundas marcan su rostro. Su pelo es completamente blanco.

Su rostro sin afeitar le daba un aspecto desaliñado.

[[File:Mushoku14 10.jpg|500px]]

Esta impresión rápidamente desapareció.

Tenía la presión de un hombre que ha resistido innumerables batallas.

Afilados, ojos ligeramente desiguales.

Su boca tembló de sorpresa.

"Yo … ¿Lo logré?..."

El anciano contempló con un toque de nostalgia todo a su alrededor con los ojos ligeramente cerrados con profunda emoción y pensativo.

Pero, al mirar a sus manos, tocó el área alrededor de su abdomen, su expresión cambió a una sonrisa burlona.

"No... no pude. Era imposible que pudiera tener éxito ..."

Él me resulta familiar de alguna manera.

Sin embargo, no puedo recordar.

Extraño.

¿Quién es él?

¿Paul? No, no es él.

¿Sauros? Pero él no tiene la misma presencia que Sauros.

Este anciano es mucho más cobarde.

"¿Quién... quién eres tú? A menos que... ¿Hitogami?"

Al oír ese nombre, el hombre clavó su mirada en mí.

Recuerdo esa reacción.

Orsted.

Orsted reaccionó de la misma manera.

Esa parte es la misma.

Sin embargo, este hombre no se parece en nada a Orsted.

"No."

El hombre negó con la cabeza y mantuvo su mirada.

Una potente mirada.

No puedo darle la espalda.

Es como si estuviera siendo arrastrado hacia ella.

Como mirarse en un espejo, pero sus ojos parecían buscar algo...

Mirando a la puerta detrás de mí, hizo una expresión como si quisiera preguntar algo.

Señaló con su huesudo dedo detrás de mí.

En el poco tiempo que se tardó en mover el dedo, la puerta detrás de mí se movió.

"!"

De repente, oí un "bam".

¿Qué acaba de hacer este tipo?

Mientras que su mirada volvió hacia un confundido yo, dijo.

"No vayas al sótano. Tú has sido engañado por Hitogami."

"¿Eh?"

¿Engañado?

¿Qué está pasando?

"Espera, antes de eso, ¿quién eres tú? ¿De dónde vienes?"

"Yo soy..."

El anciano abre la boca para responder, pero rápidamente cierra su boca.

Él reflexiona por un momento y luego empieza a hablar de nuevo.

"Mi nombre es '────'"

Al oír ese nombre, recibo el choque más grande que alguna vez he sentido.

El nombre que el hombre usó.

En este mundo, el único que sabe ese nombre soy yo.

El nombre que me llevaré conmigo a la tumba algún día.

Un nombre que no quiero recordar.

Un nombre que no existe en este mundo.

Mi nombre de mi vida anterior.

"Y vengo del futuro."

== Capítulo 154 - Principio y Fin ==

=== 1ª Parte ===

[Vengo del futuro].

Es lo que dijo el anciano.

Honestamente, no entiendo a que se refiere.

Ciertamente, no es como si el viejo este no se pareciera a mí.

"Tú... ¿dices ser mi yo del futuro?"

"Sí. Soy tu yo del futuro, alrededor de unos 50 años del tú de ahora."

Dijo claramente el anciano.

Aún si de pronto él me dice algo como eso, no sé si debería creerle.

Pero este tipo conoce mi nombre.

Además de eso, llegue a este mundo luego de reencarnar junto a mis recuerdos.

Así que tengo el presentimiento de que no sería extraño que en este lugar puedan ocurrir Movimientos en el tiempo. <ref>Moviemientos en el tiempo: En ingles es Timeslips, no existe traducción oficial al español, por lo cual se toma este termino. Timeslip en palabras simples vendría siendo que pueden haber dos Ludeus en el mismo tiempo como lo que ocurre en este cap. En cambio si hubiera ocurrido un Timeleap(lo que el viejo queria al parecer xD) la memoria de Ludeus sería reemplazada por la del vejestorio y solo existiría un Ludeus fisicamente.</ref>

"Lo siento, pero no tengo el tiempo suficiente para jugar aquí, así que no puedo explicarte los principios de la magia de teleportación al pasado."

"Con lo de 'no tener tiempo suficiente para jugar ni explicar'..."

"Lo siento por la frase hollywoodense, pero realmente no tengo tiempo. Escúchame con atención."

Las palabras 'frase hollywoodense' fluyeron suavemente.

En otras palabras, este anciano definitivamente tiene una conexión con mi antiguo mundo.

... ¿realmente es mi yo del futuro?.

Esos deslumbrantes ojos.

Hay algo sombrío en las profundidades de esas pupilas.

Hablando francamente, son los ojos de alguien que mata personas como si fuera algo mundano.

Los ojos fríos de alguien que no piensa en absoluto sobre la vida de una persona.

¿Así que me volveré como él en el futuro?

Eso es absurdo.

Es completamente increíble, pero la expresión del vejestorio es seria.

Por el momento, y solo por tentación, escucharé la historia del anciano como si él fuera mi yo de 50 años al futuro.

"No hay nada en el sótano."

Dijo el anciano deliberadamente.

"Fui al sótano y pensé que no había nada. Entonces al día siguiente, nuevamente oí las palabras [si no había nada, entonces no hay de que preocuparse] de Hitogami y me sentí reconfortado."

El anciano hizo una mueca desagradable.

"Pero ese fue un grave error. Te lo puedo explicar ahora."

El anciano llevo su dedo a su frente como si recordara algo.

El dedo indice de su mano izquierda...

¿Hmm?

¿Tiene una mano izquierda?

"Presta atención, lo más probable es que haya un ratón en el sótano. Un ratón enfermo que tiene una característica peculiar, sus dientes deberían de ser violetas, como una piedra mágica violeta. No tengo la menor idea respecto a la procedencia de ese ratón o cuando entro allí. Lo más probable es que alguno del Continente Demoníaco o de la Fortaleza flotante se haya colado en algún equipaje. Bueno la verdad es que eso no es lo importante."

El anciano abrió su palma y luego la cerró en un puño.

"Ese ratoncillo se asustó por tu presencia y huyo. Específicamente se dirigió a la cocina, en donde busco un poco de alimento entre las sobras de la comida anterior, al día siguiente el ratón falleció y sus restos fueron encontrados y desechados por Aisha."

"..."

"Al día siguiente le dieron esas sobras a un gato callejero, el cual luego desapareció."

Su mano izquierda no es artificial.

¿Es realmente yo?

O tal vez en los próximos 50 años, consigue curarla usando alguna impresionante magia curativa.

"Pero antes de que eso suceda, una hambrienta Roxy baja las escaleras y toma un poco de esas sobras. Como resultado de todo esto es infectada por la enfermedad del ratón."

"¿Roxy se enferma?"

Cuando escuché la palabra Roxy, mi concentración se centra en la historia del anciano.

"La enfermedad de la piedra mágica."

Mmm...la enfermedad de la piedra mágica.

Me da la sensación de que he escuchado sobre ella de algún lugar.

Oh, si recuerdo bien, es una enfermedad que puede curarse solamente con magia restituyente de nivel deidad.

Por lo cual prácticamente es una enfermedad incurable que poco a poco convierte el cuerpo del afectado en piedra mágica.

"Al comienzo no me di cuenta. Al fin y al cabo, esa enfermedad es extremadamente rara. Ese virus reside dentro del cuerpo del portador, y sólo se manifiesta al infectar la vida del otro ser vivo que reside dentro del portador."

"¿El otro ser vivo?"

"Exacto, un feto. Sólo las mujeres embarazadas pueden contraer esa enfermedad. Hice investigaciones más tarde y quede en estado de shock."

"¿Aah?, espera... me estas diciendo que... No, Roxy aún no..."

"Ella debería estar embarazada en estos momentos. Pero suficiente de eso, al fin y al cabo hicieron el acto de amar, ¿acaso no es natural que cosas como estas sucedan?"

¡Roxy está embarazada!.

De alguna manera estoy muy contento, pero con esta explicación no estoy satisfecho en absoluto.

"Los ratones son los principales portadores de la enfermedad de la piedra mágica ya que una porción de ellos son resistente a ella. Puedes identificarlos a simple vista ya que sus dientes no son normales sino que son como un cristal violeta. La enfermedad se transmite a lo que el ratón muerda pero solo te puedes infectar vía oral, por cierto la enfermedad no perdura por mucho tiempo. Tiende a desaparecer después de unos días en la mayoría de las ocasiones, por no decir que el rango de contagio es bajo, cabe destacar que los infectados solo son los fetos dentro de una embarazada."

"..."

"El virus al identificar el feto comienza a residir y crecer dentro de él, pasado un tiempo cambia la estructura del feto y entonces ocurre lo que se conoce la enfermedad de la piedra mágica, la cual afecta a la madre."

... Entonces, ¿me esta diciendo que Roxy se infectará de una enfermedad como esa?

"Si fueras a ir insensatamente al sótano en estos momentos y dejas escapar al ratón, entonces mañana escucharas a Aisha quejarse vanamente [Encontré un ratón raro muerto está mañana], pasada dos semanas te contarán que [Se ha descubierto un gato infectado por la enfermedad de la piedra mágica], y exactamente después de eso Roxy caerá enferma con fiebre. Al final, pasaran 30 años para que por fin puedas conectar todos los hilos sueltos y darte cuenta de lo que ocurrió."

"...¿Qué le pasa a Roxy?"

"Muere."

Perdí las palabras ante tal despiadado comentario.

"Roxy cae postrada en la cama junto a una fiebre... Entenderás que es la enfermedad de la piedra mágica cuando veas como su pie comienza a convertirse en una piedra mágica, pero..."

"¿No la pudimos sanar? Intenté curarla, ¿no es así?"

El anciano puso un rostro triste y miró hacía el piso.

"Intente salvarla, pero... A pesar de haber ido a la santa tierra de Milis y haber tenido éxito en obtener el hechizo de magia restituyente de nivel deidad, todo fue en vano... Sin mencionar que... Muchas cosas sucedieron en el camino, ademas de que llevo su tiempo. Para el momento en que había vuelto a casa ya era demasiado tarde, la mitad del cuerpo de Roxy estaba cristalizado y ella... Murió."

Pero rápidamente alzó su rostro y me miro con unos ojos feroces cuya resplandeciente luz me llegaba.

"No te dejes engañar por las palabras de Hitogami. Sí eres tú, quien tiene conocimiento del mundo anterior, debes entender a que me refiero. Ese bastardo es la fuente de todo clase de mal. El jefe final."

"Pero, ¿por qué le hizo eso a Roxy?"

"Ni idea. Incluso ahora no lo sé. Pero ciertamente el debe de estar actuando con algún objetivo en mente. Al final, el mismo dijo [Gracias por ser un completo imbécil, todo ha marchado como esperaba.]... Hijo de puta."

¿El mismísimo Hitogami dijo eso?

Pero, ¿ummm...?

"Orsted o Laplace podrían conocer algo respecto al objetivo de Hitogami... Pero no me encontré a ninguno de ellos por los últimos 50 años. Lo más probable es que tú tampoco los vas a encontrar, aún si vas en busca de ellos."

"¿Nanahoshi no sabía donde estaba Orsted?"

Cuando dije el nombre de Nanahoshi, el anciano puso un rostro triste.

¿No lo sabía?

O podría ser que Nanahoshi también...

"No le pregunté, pero ciertamente en esta época, podría valer la pena preguntarle. Aún si ella no sabe donde se encuentra, ella también piensa bastante ese tipo de cosas. Podría ser que se le ocurra alguna clase de buena idea."

"... ¿Qué sucedió con Nanahoshi?"

"......"

El anciano no respondió.

Simplemente su rostro tenia una expresión triste.

Pero pasado un rato, hablo mientras suspiraba.

"Al final, ella fracasó... Se deprimió y fallé en apoyarla... Y entonces..."

Nanahoshi no volvió al otro mundo...

Y en la desesperación, quizás, ella misma, con sus propias manos...

"Entiendo. Suficiente de eso."

"Sí, tampoco quiero habla respecto a eso."

El viejo levantó su mirada y como si juntara fuerzas, continuó hablando.

"Escucha. Vas a aprender sobre esto en más o menos unos 10 años a partir de ahora, la verdad es que... Hitogami no es conocido por ese nombre en este mundo"

"... ¿Qué quieres decir?"

"El Dios de los seres humanos, escrito como Dios Humano. No hay nadie que no conozca el nombre del Dios Humano, pero sólo aquellos que se han encontrado directamente con el conocen el termino Hitogami. No tengo idea del por qué hizo algo como eso... Quizás sólo para joder y jugar con la gente que conoce ese termino."

... Ya veo.

No es de extrañar que es una reacción exagerada a la palabra Hitogami.

Así que es un nombre que sólo conocen aquellos que se lo han encontrado y han sido engañados por él.

"A simple vista, ese bastardo parecía hablar sobre cosas que eran por mi bien."

El viejo apretó su puño otra vez.

La luz de odio solitariamente ilumina esas pupilas.

Una Increíble intención de matanza se desbordó, pero por alguna razón no sentí que fuera aterradora.

"Incluso ahora, hasta en este momento, él no ha dicho ninguna mentira. Ninguna mentira de la cual me pueda dar cuenta."

Su puño se estremeció, puedo ver algo en las cercanías de ese puño. Un sonido eléctrico, el cual se enrosca, un rayo purpura.

"Todas y cada una de las cosas que te ha dicho han sido para este momento, ¡así las sospechas que siempre tienes desaparecerían y tú obedecerías sin dudarlo!"

Sentí un inexpresivo asombro hacia esas chispas que volaban por todos lados, sin embargo me puse en guardia.

"¡No te dejes engañar! Lo haz leído en los mangas, ¿no es así?. ¡Él bastardo que habla de creer y no creer definitivamente está mintiendo!"

"Bueno, sé sobre eso, pero..."

El anciano habló con una voz tensa.

"Tú no entiendes. Después de Roxy viene Sylphy. Con el corazón roto por la perdida de Roxy, por un corto periodo de tiempo dejarás de pensar en Sylphy, por lo cuál ella se sentirá herida y su animo decaerá. Ese bastardo manipulará a Luke para tomar ventaja de eso."

"¿Luke?"

"Sí, más adelante vas a escuchar de una mujer que paso una noche con Luke. [Cuando despertó a la mañana siguiente, Luke actuó nervioso y comenzó a hablar sobre como había escuchado un mensaje de Dios o algo por el estilo.]"

"Y entonces... ¿Qué pasa?"

"Luke aconseja a Ariel, y Sylphy me abandona y se va a Asura. ¡Junto con Ariel la cuál falló en conseguir el respaldo de Pelagius!. Desde una posición inferior, Ariel comienza un golpe de estado y pierde. Sylphy es asesina en la revuelta."

Asesinada en la revuelta...

Así que ella muere.

"Pierdes a las dos."

El anciano meneó la cabeza mientras rechinaba sus dientes.

"Sí, incluso ahora la voz de ese bastardo al momento de revelarme sus trucos permanece en mis oídos. [Lo has hecho bien.], el sentimiento de que me den palmaditas en el hombro, y esa chillona risa... ¡¡¡Aaaaahhh mierda, es un puto infierno!!!"

El anciano golpeó el escritorio con un ruido sordo.

En ese instante, el relámpago púrpura se esparce por los alrededores, iluminando la habitación como si fuera mediodía.

La luz se desvaneció rápidamente, pero seguía quedando una marca de quemadura en el escritorio.

"Fiuuu..." El anciano exhaló.

"Lo diré otra vez. No creas en él. Terminaras lamentándolo."

Después de decir esto, el anciano agarró repentinamente su estómago.

Mirándolo, su tez parecía un poco peor que antes.

"Así que estoy fuera de tiempo... Bueno, incluso si te digo todo esto, probablemente no tienes la menor idea sobre que deberías hacer."

El viejo rostro del hombre estaba mortalmente pálido.

Habían aparecido ojeras púrpuras bajo sus ojos.

El viejo respiró profundamente y luego exhaló dolorosamente.

Es el tipo de sensación que da alguien que está al borde de la muerte.

Tal vez sufre de algún tipo de enfermedad.

"Lo primero que debes hacer es... Hhmm, Eris."

Cuando escuche 'Eris', sentí como mi frente se arrugaba.

"Quiero que le escribas y envíes una carta inmediatamente. Pon [Bueno, he sido un poco infiel... Pero te amo.]"

"No la quiero ni amo. Es por ella que me volví impotente."

"Perdónala. Eres un hombre, ¿no?"

"..."

El anciano sonrió burlándose de si mismo.

"... Aunque te diga eso, la verdad es que yo no la perdoné, y tuve un par de problemas con ella durante años, siendo yo el antagonista."

"¿Antagonista?"

"Una y otra vez, casi fui asesinado por Eris. Ella iba en mi persecución sin importar a donde fuera, y cada vez que ella me encontraba se tornaba en una batalla sin tapujos. Bueno, ella me lo dejaba fácil. Si ella hubiera querido, tenía un montón de maneras para matarme. Se aseguró de nunca tomo una pelea en donde me fuera a matar.

Por el contrario, si alguna vez me encontraba en problemas, ella iría a salvarme desde las sombras. Casi como si fuera Vegeta." <ref>Yep referencia a Dragon Ball</ref>

'Vegeta'...

"Bueno, ella es diferente del príncipe del país de los vegetales. Simplemente quería estar a mi lado, ella siempre me amo. Me amo y dio lo mejor de ella por mi...

Sin embargo era malísima expresándose, y nunca supo que debía hacer, así que lo único que le quedaba era golpearme."

Aún si él me dice eso.

Soy alguien con dos esposas y un niño.

Es cierto que hubo un tiempo en el cual amaba a Eris.

Pero, eso... Está en el pasado.

"Pero Sylphy y Roxy..."

"No hay problema. Sylphy es tolerante en lo que respecta al tema, y Roxy no piensa que este a mi nivel, así que también lo permitiría. Incluso Eris, si de las una explicación del tema por adelantado lo aceptará. Oh, pero prepárate para ser golpeado... Porque bueno, ya sabes, ella es así."

"Incluso si me dices eso..."

"Proteger a todas las mujeres que dicen amarte. ¿No es eso genial? ¿Qué hay de malo con eso? Un hombre debe ser confiable."

"No lo digas como si fuera el problema de otro."

"Te lo digo porque me quede sin ninguna de ellas."

Hubo una extraña sensación de peso a las palabras del anciano.

Pero sabes...

"Tengo una responsabilidad hacia Sylphy y Roxy..."

"Si estamos hablando de responsabilidad, tienes una hacia Eris también. Ella ha estado entrenando perseverantemente por tu bien todo este tiempo. Es mala en lo que respecta a hablar, así que no te ha llegado noticia alguna sobre ella, pero todo este tiempo ella ha entrenado. Si no tomas responsabilidad por ella, ¿qué hay de todo su esfuerzo?

... Serás condenado por Ghyslaine. En frente del cuerpo de Eris."

El cuerpo de... ¿Eris?

"¿Eris... también muere...?"

"Sí, para cubrirme. Si recuerdo bien... Fue cuando tenia una revancha con Atofe. Una Reina Demonio bastante sería, fue más fuerte que lo que pensé y deje mi guardia baja."

Dijo con nostalgia el anciano al tiempo que la comisura de su boca se torcía.

Para ser capaz de estar con la guardia baja en contra de Atofe... ¿Qué tan poderoso es el vejestorio?... mejor dicho mi futuro yo.

Parece ambiguo, ¿realmente es yo?

"Escucha, debes mandar la carta. Si no quieres lamentarlo... si lo hace ahora, debería llegarle justo a tiempo."

"Ah, aah, bueno, si tú lo dices, la mandaré. Pero, ¿A dónde la envío?"

"A la Tierra Santa De Las Espadas. Debes tener alguna idea de donde queda, ¿cierto?"

La Tierra Santa de las Espadas.

No queda tan lejos de Sharia.

Bueno supuse que seria algo por el estilo. Así que ha estado entrenando allí.

La Tierra Santa de las Espadas...

"Okay, yo me encargo."

"No la escribas como si la estuvieras apartando. Si Eris se desespera te asesinará."

"Ya lo sé."

Creo saber que tipo de persona es Eris.

... O por lo menos, pensé saberlo.

Si son verdaderas las palabras de este hombre.

Ella no tenía ninguna intención de abandonarme, y por supuesto, yo no entendí eso.

Ahora que lo pienso, no hay ninguna manera que una torpe oradora como ella pudiera escribir una carta también.

Y así, nos fuimos por caminos separados, lo cual dio lugar a la infelicidad.

"Fiuu..."

El anciano exhaló torpemente.

Y entonces levantó su rostro con una expresión sorprendida.

"También, me olvidé de decir algo importante. No te opongas a Hitogami."

"¿Que no me oponga?, él te traicionó, ¿acaso no lo hizo?"

"Sí. Sin embargo no puedes ganar en contra de Hitogami. Yo no pude ganar contra él. Alguien como yo no pudo llegar al lugar en donde reside Hitogami."

Dijo el anciano como si fuese humillado.

No pudo llegar a donde está Hitogami.

En otras palabras, como pensaba, ¿Ese sitio está en algún lugar en este mundo?

"Cuando me di cuenta, me estremecí. No podía cobrar venganza por Roxy y Sylphy. Trabajé muy duro para derrotarlo, pero no puedo llegar a donde se encuentra. De hecho, incluso soy capaz de controlar la gravedad, pero el simplemente no está ni fue a donde mis manos pudieran alcanzarlo."

Después de decir esto, el anciano señaló al tintero sobre la mesa.

El tintero flotó suavemente hacia arriba, entonces inmediatamente se dejó caer otra vez con un tintineo.

Las gotas de la tinta volaron sobre el escritorio.

"Puedo flotar en el aire y comunicarse con otros a través de largas distancias. Regeneré mi brazo. Por no mencionar incluso que puedo saltar en el tiempo y volar al pasado... Bueno, la verdad es que esta magia es un fracaso."

Un fracaso.

¿Qué fue un fracaso?

Este vejestorio realmente está aquí, ahora mismo.

"Probablemente ya lo habrás sentido vagamente, pero lo que conocemos como magia en este mundo en verdad es omnipotente. Una vez que te das cuenta de eso, esencialmente puedes hacer cualquier cosa."

Al decir esto, el anciano levantó la mano izquierda.

En contraste con su comportamiento orgulloso, el viejo rostro del hombre había ido más allá del mortal pálido y ahora era blanco puro.

Ojeras negras aparecieron debajo de sus ojos y sus labios se tiñeron de un color azul.

"Pero este poder ya no significa nada. Fue muy tarde. Cuando me hice fuerte, no había ni siquiera una persona a la cual hubiera querido proteger."

Los ojos del anciano deslumbraban como siempre, pero aquella fuerza ya se había ido de sus pupilas.

Su respiración era áspera y débil.

"Presta atención. Lo diré nuevamente. Odio al bastardo de Hitogami.

Pero la realidad es que no puedo vencerlo, no hay forma de hacerlo. No tengo ninguna técnica que pueda llegar a donde se encuentra. En la época en donde vivo, la herramienta que se necesita para llegar a donde se encuentra Hitogami ya no existe. Así que no pelees con él. No tengo idea sobre su objetivo, pero está bien si actúas dócilmente con él, pero lo repito, no te opongas a él. Simplemente se aprovechara de ti, con todo yendo como él quiera.

En lo que respecta ahora, antes de que alguien muera..."

La mano del anciano de pronto perdió su fuerza y cayó.

Levantó la barbilla y miró al techo.

"Hay tres cosas que debes hacer.

Hablar con Nanahoshi respecto a lo de ahora.

Enviar una carta a Eris.

Dudar de Hitogami, pero no oponerte a él. Eso es todo."

"..."

No pude responder.

Cuando te dicen todas estas cosas de repente, simplemente las palabras no salen.

Pero de alguna manera sentí que este viejo estaba desesperadamente tratando de transmitir algo hacia mí.

"¿N-no tienes ningún consejo más concreto o algo por el estilo?"

"Ah, que nostálgico. Ahora que lo pienso, mi yo de esta época era un vago, Bueno, por supuesto, me gustaría enseñarte más detalles acerca de varias cosas, pero... Estoy fuera de juego, ya se acabó mi tiempo."

"Todo este rato has estado diciendo que no tienes tiempo, que estas fuera de juego, etc... ¿Acaso es el comienzo de un anime nocturno o alguna cursilería?"

"No... es el final. Por cierto, no dependas mucho de otras personas. Cuando llegaste a este mundo, en tus primeros días, nunca dependiste de otros, ¿o me equivoco?..."

El viejo me miró como si fuera su nieto.

Ahora que lo dice, tengo la sensación de que no he hecho nada más que depender de otras personas últimamente.

"Además... ya que he llegado ha esta era, la historia debió haber cambiado. Bueno da igual, no importa lo que diga, no es como que vaya hacerse realidad. Y puesto que la teleportación al pasado toma este tipo de forma, la historia en la cual caminé no va a cambiar..."

Al instante siguiente.

Los ojos del anciano vagaron por todos lados y perdieron su enfoque.

Sus brazos sin fuerza alguna cuelgan de sus hombros, levantó su barbilla, y abrió la boca con dificultad.

"Tú... llevarás una vida diferente a la cual viví. Tendrás éxitos, tendrás fracasos, tendrás tiempos en los cuales reflexionaras, y tendrás momentos en los cuales te lamentarás. Simplemente como siempre los has tenido y tendrás."

El anciano se movió lentamente, entonces se cayó de la silla.

"Oye, ¿estás bien?"

Corrí rápidamente y lo ayudé a levantarse... Sentí un escalofrío.

El cuerpo del anciano era ligero hasta un punto impensable en el cual dudas de si realmente estaba sólidamente constituido.

Podría pesar incluso menos de 40 kilogramos.

¿Qué es esto?, ¿Qué pasa aquí?.

"La verdad es que... no creo que porque venga del futuro seré capaz de redimirme por mis errores. Este hechizo es un fracaso... no hay posibilidad de hacerlo dos veces en la vida humana..."

El anciano dejó la mirada en blanco pasear mientras llevaba su mano temblorosa dentro de su túnica.

"Salté con el diario como un punto de origen... así que lo traje... Lo que he experimentado está escrito en él... Haz tu mejor esfuerzo... para que no tengas remordimientos... No seas como yo, y mantén esa juvenil risa que posees... por favor..."

Los ojos deslumbrantes ojos del anciano se humedecieron al tiempo que sacó un voluminoso librillo del bolsillo de su túnica mullida.

Está desgastado, pero lo conozco.

Es el diario que acabo de hacer.

Antes de que pudiera tomarlo, el diario se deslizó de sus manos y cayó al suelo con un golpe.

Pero lo que robó mi atención no fue eso.

Al momento en que retiró el diario, brevemente vislumbré algo hundido al otro lado de su túnica.

Casi como si no hubiera nada debajo de su ropa...

"¿Qué es... lo que paso con tú cuerpo?..."

"Hah, con que eso... bueno está incompleto... Mi teleportación al pasado... no fue capaz de... llevar mi... cuerpo completo..."

"Eh, pero, antes habías dicho que pudiste hacer crecer nuevamente tu brazo..."

"No tengo más poder mágico... Lo siento... Si sólo Cliff hubiera estado vivo, la teleportación al pasado habría podido ser mejor... mierda... sólo un poco más, ven, toma ten esto... es información para ti... "

"... Lo siento, está bien, comprendo, así que no te sobre esfuerces en hablar."

"... Tú... te has lamentado... como Hitogami quería... ¿por qué en un lugar como este?... ¿qué debería decir?... Vine al pasado, así que al menos una miradita..."

Los ojos del anciano ya no ven nada.

Sus palabras no tienen sentido alguno, eran simplemente vagas frases saliendo de su boca.

Antes de que lo supiera, sus ojeras se tiñeron negras, y la sombra de la muerte había aparecido en su rostro.

Es el rostro de alguien a punto de morir, no... el de un cadáver.

"Ah"

De pronto, sus ojos se enfocaron en un solo punto.

Vio algo sobre mi hombro, detrás de mí.

Extendió su temblorosa mano hacía la puerta.

"Ahh, Sylphy, Roxy... Joder, tan hermosas como siempre..."

Una solitaria lagrima desciende desde sus ojos recorriendo su mejilla... la luz de aquellos ojos se desvaneció.

Lentamente la fuerza de su cuerpo disminuía, y su cuello se dejo caer por el peso.

... Falleció.

Di media vuelta.

La puerta no estaba abierta.

Tuvimos un alboroto bastante ruidoso, así que pensé que alguien pudo haberse despertado, pero...

Al borde de la muerte, me pregunto qué fantasma vio el anciano.

Justo cuando pensaba en eso, escuche los pasos de alguien proveniente desde arriba.

"¡-!"

Salí de la habitación a toda prisa.

Justo entonces, Roxy y Sylphy, que llevaban su báculo y una vela bajaban desde el segundo piso.

"Ludy, escuche un par de sonidos y voces. ¿Hay alguien allí dentro?"

"¿Un ladrón?"

Las dos hablaron aliviadas después de verme, pero no dejaron su sentido de alerta, estaban con la guardia en alto.

¿Debería hablarles del anciano?

......No.

"No, lo siento. Estaba medio despierto. La verdad es que tuve un sueño extraño, y termine utilizando magia. Parece que las desperté. Lo siento."

"Un sueño.. así que utilizaste magia mientras estabas medio dormido... He escuchado algo al respecto también, ¿entonces todo está bien? Um, si fue así de malo, ¿deberíamos dormir juntos?... Osea me refiero a lo que obaa-chan dijo [El calor humano es lo mejor cuando quieres olvidar algo doloroso]..."

"No, está bien. Probablemente terminaría haciendo algo lascivo. Después de todo, la vitalidad de Sylphy no ha vuelto a su normalidad, ¿cierto?"

Cuando rechacé la atractiva propuesta de Sylphy, Roxy miró disgustada.

"Bueno si dices que fue un sueño tan pero tan malo, realmente no me importaría, Pe-pero recientemente he pensado que sea posible 'eso', así que si puedes me gustaría que te limitaras a solamente tocar."

"No, en serio que digo que no hay necesidad por hoy."

A las palabras de Roxy, de repente recordé las palabras del viejo.

El anciano dijo que Roxy estaba embarazada.

Cuando Roxy dijo [He pensado que sea posible 'eso'] tal vez se refería al embarazo.

"... Estoy realmente bien, así que las dos pueden volver a la cama. Me iré a dormir también, aunque sera después de que ordene la habitación."

"Bueno... Si Ludy dice eso, entonces lo haré, pero... Si no te sientes bien, dímelo, ¿ok?"

"Estamos casados, así que por favor no te guardes tus problemas. Pues bien, buenas noches"

Dijeron preocupadas Sylphy y Roxy, entonces subieron al segundo piso.

Después de confirmar que se hubieran acostado, baje las escaleras y volví al laboratorio.

En cualquier caso, lo primero que debo hacer es confirmar las palabras del viejo.

Realmente no sé ni entiendo quién fue el viejo.

¿Realmente fue mi yo del futuro o simplemente fue alguien más?

Hizo algo lo suficientemente peligroso como para matar a alguien cuando vino hasta aquí.

La verdad es que hay credibilidad en esa acción, pero es tan repentino que no puedo creer del todo lo que dijo.

"..."

Pero pensándolo bien...

No quiero perder a mis dos amadas.

Y no quiero morir en medio del pesar como el anciano.

=== 2ª Parte ===

Tras el evento.

Llevé a ambas de vuelta a sus habitaciones y les ordené que bajo ningún concepto salieran de sus habitaciones esa noche.

'''Pasara lo que pasara.'''

Recorrí los pasillos del 2º piso en cuyos cuartos dormían plácidamente el resto de habitantes de la casa, y los cerré con llave desde el exterior. Solo para confirmarlo, revisé el resto de habitaciones de la primera planta y me aseguré de que no había nadie en ella.

Mi siguiente acción fue regresar al estudio y quitarle todas sus pertenencias al anciano.

"...¡!"

A su cuerpo le faltaba '''toda la zona del estómago'''.

Debajo de sus costillas, en lugar de carne lo que había era un gran agujero desde el que solo se podía ver piel y huesos, pero casi ningún órgano interno.

Igualmente, dejado de lado el problema de su vientre, poseía un físico espléndido.

Tenía semejante musculatura que te haría dudar si de verdad tenía sesentaitantos años, además de varias cicatrices y marcas que dejaban constancia de la historia de batallas que había sido su vida<ref>Me lo imagino de esta forma: [http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/non-aliencreatures/images/b/be/Vash's_body.png/revision/latest?cb=20150206133557 Imagen Ejemplo]</ref>.

Tenía la misma cicatriz en el pecho que yo, y un lunar también en la misma zona... bueno no, estaba como ligeramente desplazado una pulgada; pero lo mire como lo mire, físicamente es idéntico a mí...

El único detalle que cabría destacar de diferente entre nosotros, es que él sí tenía su mano izquierda de carne y hueso.

''Dijo que la regeneró... pero me resistía a creer que la magia Curativa fuera capaz de algo así.''

Pero dejando eso de lado, el viejo, a parte del diario, no tenía nada de especial interés encima; ni ornamentos de ningún tipo, ni un báculo. Lo único que llevaba debajo de su manto era una camisa, sus pantalones y ropa interior.

Busqué en los bolsillos de su ropa, pero tampoco encontré nada.

''En mi caso, si Sylphy o Roxy hubieran muerto... quiero pensar que al menos llevaría un recuerdo de ellas siempre conmigo... aunque claro... 50 años... quizás ya no quede nada.''

Reuní todas sus cosas y las amontoné en una esquina de la habitación, y al cuerpo sin vida del viejo lo envolví en una manta que tenía en mi estudio. Lo enrollé y me lo eché al hombre, yendo en dirección a la puerta trasera de la vivienda que había situada en la cocina.

"..."

En la cocina me encontré algunos restos de la cena de anoche que habían colocado en un plato sobre la encimera de la cocina.

''Por lo que contó, ese ratón se comerá eso cuando salga... creo que lo mejor será tirarlo también.''

Salí por el patio trasero de la casa y me dirigí hasta un descampado algo alejado.

Allí, cavé un hoyo y metí la manta con el cuerpo del hombre, y les prendí fuego con magia. No tardé ni un instante en convertirlo en cenizas; desprendiendo un molesto olor a carne humana chamuscada...

''El olor de mi propio cadáver-''

"Uugh..."

En cuanto lo pensé de esa forma, no pude soportar las arcadas y vomité en una punta del terreno.

Cuando terminó la cremación, fabriqué con magia una urna en la que reuní las cenizas del hombre, con la intención de enterrarlas junto a Paul.

''Si de verdad ese hombre era yo... seguramente eso sea lo que más quisiera.''

Recogí las cenizas, tapé el boquete del suelo y regresé a la casa, entrando por la puerta de atrás y me dirigí de inmediato a mi estudio.

Dejé la urna junto a sus cosas en el suelo de la habitación y cogí mi báculo y activé mi ojo místico.

Para dirigirme al sótano.

''Ese viejo me dijo que no me acercara... me dijo que se escaparía un ratón... me dijo que se comería las sobras... y que infectaría a Roxy y al niño en su interior con la misma enfermedad que tiene...''

''NECESITO confirmar por mí mismo si ese ratón existe o no...''

''Si no lo hiciera, no podré confiar en todo lo que ese hombre me ha dicho, y si de verdad estuviera allí... tampoco puedo dejarlo estar como si nada.''

"..."

La iluminación en las escaleras que llevaban al sótano era inexistente creando un ambiente lúgubre.

Saqué un pergamino de luz espiritual de mi bolsillo e iluminé la zona antes de bajar las escaleras. Cuando al final de las escaleras llegué a la puerta que daba literalmente a la habitación del sótano, respiré hondo.

"...¿Hm?"

Al hacerlo, me percaté que en el borde de las escaleras, sobre la fina capa de polvo, había algo más que llamó por completo mi atención.

Huellas... '''de ratón'''.

Esas mismas huellas bajaban de la casa hasta el sótano, a saber desde cuándo... pero no vi por ninguna parte huellas en dirección al exterior.

Fui a abrir la puerta al sótano... pero me detuve.

Lo que hice fue abrir un agujero en la puerta del tamaño de un puño, por el que colé mi báculo.

canalicé mi poder mágico a través del báculo, imaginando en mi cabeza la idea de '''Hielo''' y le di forma al hechizo con suficiente fuerza para cubrir la habitación al completo.

"... Nova de Escarcha..."

susurré esas palabras, como convenciéndome a mí mismo y al instante, la habitación entera se congeló.

Pero, por si acaso... lo hice de nuevo.

"Nova... de Escarcha."

Quería asegurarme de que el frío se expandiera por completo por toda la habitación, incluyendo cualquier pliegue o esquina que pudiera haber; tras lo que comandé la luz espiritual para que atravesara el agujero e iluminara el interior.

Observé a través del agujero que segundos antes había creado y vi con mis propios ojos que la habitación había terminado completamente helada.

Tras lo que abrí la puerta.

Tuve que hacer fuerza debido a que se había congelado, pero en cuanto estuvo abierta, entré y cerré instantáneamente.

"..."

No tarde ni un minuto en encontrar al ratón.

Se encontraba cerca de la puerta al cuarto secreto, hecho una estatua blanca completamente congelada y muerta.

Y aún a través de la capa de hielo que había acabado con su vida, pude ver sus mandíbulas ligeramente abiertas, y allí... colmillos violetas transparentes que parecían piedras mágicas...

Examiné en profundidad cada esquina de la habitación en busca de un posible segundo ratón, y al no encontrarlo, creé una caja con magia en la que metí el cuerpo empalado del ratón que no tenía la menor intención de tocar con mis manos; tras lo que me sellé cuanto pude la caja para asegurarme de que nunca sería abierta.

''¿Debería incinerar el cuerpo? ¿O debería hacérselo llegar al gremio de magia para que lo estudiaran?''

''Creo.. que mejor lo segundo... así puedo corroborar la información del viejo para ver si de verdad sufría un caso de Maldición de Piedra Mágica. Aunque claro... quizás no haya forma en este mundo de extraer una muestra de la enfermedad a través de un cadáver congelado....''

Salí del sótano y lo cerré con llave, y después, para asegurarme, taponé la cerradura con magia.

''No parece que la Maldición de la Piedra Mágica se contagie por el aire, ni tampoco que sea especialmente contagioso... pero prefiero asegurarme.''

''Durante un tiempo, me aseguraré de que nadie entra en el sótano.''

Tras eso, regresé al despacho.

No solo me había desvelado, sino que tampoco me apetecía dormir lo más mínimo.

''¿Qué debería hacer ahora?... ¿Qué PUEDO hacer ahora?''

''¿Debería leerme ese diario tan demacrado?''

''Es posible que si lo leo descubra lo que acabará pasando.... aunque según ese hombre, la historia YA ha cambiado.''

''Si lo pongo como en todas esas series y juegos sobre viajes en el tiempo... estoy en '''otra''' línea temporal; y por mucho que lea el diario y me prepare para lo que pone que ocurrirá, es bastante probable que no acaben ocurriendo los eventos que relata.''

Mis ojos inquieto acabaron llegando a las manchas de tintas que había sobre la mesa, junto a la grieta que ese hombre había provocado al dar un puñetazo cargado con poder mágico.

Y así recordé los 3 puntos principales que ese viejo me había pedido que hiciera.

Y aun en la situación actual, había uno de ellos que podía hacer justamente en este lugar, con los materiales que había en esta habitación y con mi falta de sueño.

Por eso, me senté en la silla.

"..."

Y lo primero que hice, fue escribirle una carta a Eris.

<big>Fin del Volumen 14</big>

== Notas del traductor y Referencias ==
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Mushoku Tensei Spanish:Volume 14

2021-08-04T18:09:29Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* 1ª Parte */

<big>'''Volumen 14 - Juventud - Época de la Invocación'''</big>

[[Image:Mushoku_14_(01).jpg|500px]]

Esta traducción ha sido realizada a partir de la versión inglesa encontrada en Baka-Tsuki.

<big>''Traducido por [[User:Alia|Alia]], Christian Cutipa, [[User:Sheci|Sheco]], [[User:Max15Craft|Max15Craft]], [[user:Sergiocamjur|Sergio Campos]].''</big>
Editado por [[User:Juanez1013|Esteban Arévalo]].

== Capítulo 144 - Fortaleza Flotante ==

=== 1ª Parte ===

A medio día a pie de la Ciudad Mágica de Sharia, y ni siquiera una hora a caballo, yacen las ruinas de una ciudad.

O más bien, lo que queda de un castillo.

Grandes columnas se encuentran tiradas en el suelo, baldosas de piedra están dispersas alrededor.

Esto debe ser un panteón después de años de deterioro.

En algún tiempo debió ser un espectáculo para la vista.

Da la impresión de ser un tesoro histórico.

"Lo que queda del castillo Scotts, una reliquia de cuando la humanidad luchó contra Laplace. Se dijo que miles vinieron a defenderse de la invasión del demonio. Al final, todo fue en vano, y fue capturado."

Me explica la hermosa chica de dorado pelo trenzado que camina a mi lado.

Con una elegante apariencia, vestida con cara ropa de viaje, y una figura evidentemente carismática incluso vista desde lejos.

Correcto, la única e inigualable Ariel Anemoi Asura.

"..."

¿Esa explicación era para mí?

Con esto en mente, miré a mi alrededor.

Luke y Sylphy no están demasiado lejos.

Un poco más atrás, están Roxy, Zanoba, Cliff y Elinalise.

Nanahoshi va delante de nosotros.

Ariel mira hacia mí, no hay nadie entre nosotros.

"Ariel-sama sabe muchas cosas."

Sería grosero no hacerle caso.

Le conteste con eso en mente. Ariel sonrió suavemente en respuesta.

"Los cuentos populares de esta zona a menudo mencionan este tema."

"¿Está interesada en los cuentos populares?"

"Es necesario para desarrollar relaciones con la aristocracia de la zona."

Explica Ariel como si fuera algo obvio.

Memorizo la historia local con el fin de trabar amistad con la aristocracia local.

Ella lo tiene difícil.

"Pero tras llegar a un lugar como este, ¿podemos realmente llegar a Pelagius-sama desde aquí?"

"Para ser honesto, no sé realmente que debemos hacer ahora, pero ..."

Miro hacia Nanahoshi que camina frente a nosotros.

Llevando una mochila pesada y moviéndose sin impedimentos por los escombros alrededor de nosotros, ella nos conduce mirando hacia delante.

Ella nos dijo que sólo debemos seguir avanzando, pero ¿podemos realmente llegar desde aquí?

Por lo que puedo recordar, sus notas no cuentan con un círculo mágico de teleportacion en esta ubicación.

"Me preocupa más que al llevar tanta gente con nosotros seamos una molestia."

Al escuchar eso, Ariel soltó una carcajada.

"Ludeus-sama realmente se preocupa por cosas de lo más extrañas. Incluso si él no es el rey de un país, es llamado ”Rey”, ¡un verdadero héroe! Unos invitados como nosotros no deben ser una molestia".

"Si usted lo dice..."

Echo un vistazo a nuestras espaldas.

Nanahoshi, Ariel, Sylphy, Luke, Roxy, Zanoba, Cliff, Elinalise y yo.

9 en total.

Pensé que es un poco demasiado, pero desde la perspectiva de la realeza, no debería ser nada.

Para la realeza, los huéspedes vienen en decenas, 9 no deben ser demasiado.

Por cierto, Norn se negó cortésmente a causa del trabajo escolar.

Tal vez ella está preocupada por su promesa de no aflojar en su entrenamiento de esgrima y los estudios después de unirse al consejo estudiantil.

Bueno, si realmente la trajera conmigo, entonces tendría que traer a Aisha también. Esto funciona igual de bien.

"Pelagius-sama puede estar viviendo una vida tranquila, pero después de la campaña de Laplace paso algún tiempo como invitado del Reino de Asura, como un igual del rey de Asura. Él podría llevar un séquito de decenas o cientos al palacio real. Alguien como el no será perturbado por apenas 9 invitados ".

"Ah, ya veo."

La carismática voz de Ariel es agradable al oído.

Cualquier persona estaría molesto en tener invitados que llegan sin avisar, pero al escuchar esto de Ariel, tal vez no es un problema tan grande.

"... Si él se cansó de la vida de la corte, tal vez también se cansó de los huéspedes."

"Tal vez. Pero si ese es realmente el caso, entonces Nanahoshi-sama probablemente no permitiría que la acompañáramos."

"No creo que Nanahoshi sea el tipo de persona que se preocupa por esas cosas."

Hablando de eso, recuerdo cómo Ariel terminó viniendo con nosotros.

En aquel entonces, al oír hablar de Pelagius por Nanahoshi, no pude contener mi emoción.

Pelagius, el Rey Dragón Blindado.

Incluso ya he oído hablar de ese nombre antes.

No mucho tiempo después de llegar a este mundo, leí sobre él en un libro.

Hace 400 años, fue un héroe de la Campaña de Laplace.

En el libro estaba escrito que él controla 12 familiares, reconstruyo el antiguo castillo del cielo, y desafió a Laplace con sus compañeros.

Después de sellar a Laplace, como homenaje a sus hazañas, la nueva era fue llamada "la era del Dragón Blindado" en su honor.

Pelagius, le Rey Dragón Blindado, no se convirtió en jefe de un país, más bien se sienta en el castillo flotante “Chaos Breaker” y viaja por el mundo.

Por supuesto que estoy emocionado de conocer a alguien de ese calibre.

No importa qué, ¡es un castillo en el cielo!

¡Laputa, ho!

Debería estar ocupado con la investigación y la educación de mis hijos.

Pero todavía quiero ir.

Incluso si es sólo una vez.

Lo siento, Lucy. La curiosidad de papá sacó lo mejor de él.

¡Pero papá sin duda traerá algo a cambio para ti!

Las preocupaciones de Sylphy eran todo lo contrario de mi egoísmo.

Ella le pidió a Nanahoshi.

"¿Ariel-sama puede acompañarnos?"

"¿Ariel?"

Nanahoshi parecía preocupada.

Ariel ha solicitado su presencia en muchas ocasiones.

Nanahoshi ejerce una enorme influencia dentro de los reinos de Asura y Ranoa, por lo que Ariel ha buscado por mucho tiempo traerla a su círculo.

Pero Nanahoshi quiere evitar enredarse en este mundo. Eso sería una molestia.

"Sí. Pelagius-sama vivio en reclusión por un largo tiempo, pero su nombre todavía mantiene un gran peso dentro de la corte de Asura. Ariel-sama, ella ... mirando hacia el futuro, estoy segura de que ella querrá conocer a alguien como el. "

Ariel tiene conexiones por todo el lugar.

Todo preparado para que algún día pueda hacerse cargo del trono Asura.

Sera una pelea difícil, posiblemente imposible.

No sé los planes de Ariel después de que se gradúe el año que viene.

¿Podrá continuar reuniendo fuerzas aquí, o regresará a Asura para luchar a muerte?

Siempre y cuando no ponga en peligro a mi familia, le daré una mano.

Pero su posición todavía es incierta.

Para ser honesto, no quiero meterme en ese lío, pero realmente quiero ofrecer mi apoyo a mi esposa.

Sin embargo, Ariel no parece planear llevar a Sylphy devuelta al Reino de Asura.

Sylphy tiene una hija ahora, así que dudo que ella planee dejar a Lucy detrás en algo tan arriesgado.

Aún así, dudo que ella este lista para despedirse en este momento, y hasta ahora ha dado todo de si misma por el bien de Ariel.

Este es probablemente uno de esos casos.

En la batalla por el trono, las conexiones son todo.

En particular, si puede obtener el respaldo de Pelagius, el Rey Dragón Blindado, héroe del Reino de Asura, la ruta hacia el trono seguramente sera más fácil.

"Bueno, he estado a su cuidado. Está bien, puedes traerla."

Estaba seguro de que ella se negaría, pero Nanahoshi lo aprobó.

Después me enteré de que mientras yo estaba fuera, Sylphy ayudo mucho a Nanahoshi.

Llevándole comidas, ayudándola con las compras, usando magia de desintoxicación cuando ella se enfermó...

Aunque se detuvo después del nacimiento de Lucy, ella solía venir a menudo a usar el baño.

"¿En serio? ¡Muchas gracias! Estoy segura de que Ariel-sama estará complacida..."

Sylphy apretó el puño y sonrió alegremente.

Como resultado, Ariel y Luke también se unieron a nuestro grupo.

Sylphy dijo que Ariel estaba inusualmente emocionada por esto.

No importa su posición social, todo el mundo reacciona de la misma manera al conocer a alguien tan famoso cara a cara.

Yo también estoy emocionado.

Él es el alguien realmente impresionante, un auténtico héroe.

Esperemos que tenga buen carácter.

...Hablando de eso, acabo de recordar.

Hace mucho tiempo, conocí a uno de los subordinados de Pelagius.

Justo antes de la Catástrofe de Teletransportación.

Me encontré con Arumanfi el brillante.

Si no recuerdo mal, en ese entonces él sospechaba que yo era la persona detrás del evento de Metástasis y me atacó.

Ghyslaine fue capaz de calmarlo. Él no parecía ser una mala persona, pero trató de matarme sin pensarlo dos veces.

Eso me pone un poco nervioso.

No, no hay razón para que el maestro sea peligroso sólo porque su subordinado lo es.

Además, si Pelagius-sama había detectado el evento Metástasis y quería detenerlo ...

Se merece elogios por actuar por iniciativa propia.

Pero si me hubiera matado en ese entonces ...

Olvídalo, lo hecho, hecho está.

Agua bajo el puente.

No debo buscar pelea en nuestro primer encuentro.

Perdonar y olvidar.

"Es aquí."

Mientras me preocupaba por esas cosas, Nanahoshi se detuvo en el centro de las ruinas.

En medio de la nada.

A pesar de que pienso eso, mirando con cuidado, en el piso descansa una piedra de gran tamaño.

Un monumento de piedra.

Monumento de las "Siete Grandes Potencias Mundiales."

La débil luz sale de ella aludiendo a los poderes terroríficos de los nombres grabados sobre ella.

Parece que ellos están en todas partes, incluso en este lugar.

"¿Ahora que?"

"Lo llamamos."

Una vez dicho esto, Nanahoshi dejo caer su equipaje y saco una flauta de oro.

No es demasiado larga, seria mas apropiado llamarlo silbato.

Nanahoshi lo puso en sus labios y sopló.

¡Fuu-!

No hizo ningún ruido.

Sólo el sonido del aire.

Quizás es un silbato para perros.

"¿No tiene sonido?"

Exclamó Cliff.

"Los seres humanos no pueden oírlo. Sólo espera, él estará aquí pronto."

Una vez dicho esto, Nanahoshi se sentó en una roca.

Un sonido que los seres humanos no puede oír.

Sin embargo, puede llegar a Pelagius.

Esto debería ser imposible en circunstancias normales.

En otras palabras, la flauta es un objeto mágico.

"Cliff."

De repente Elinalise llamo a Cliff con cara seria.

"¿Qué pasa?"

"Aunque todavía estamos aquí, tengo que decirte esto. Donde vamos no es un lugar que se pueda tomar a la ligera. Recuerda cuidar lo que dices."

"...Entiendo. Yo no soy un niño."

Cliff hizo un puchero como un niño cuando le dan un sermón.

Entonces Elinalise abrazo a Cliff y le empezó a susurrar en sus oídos.

Cliff parece haberse calmado, probablemente escuchando algunas cosas dulces como disculpa.

"¿Qué tipo de estatuas tendrá un castillo en el cielo? ¡No puedo esperar para saberlo!"

Zanoba es el mismo de siempre.

Una vez acordada la visita a Pelagius, inmediatamente empezó a decir “Muy bien, vamos a llevar algunos de nuestros resultados para mostrárselos a Pelagius-sama” y empacó la figura de Ruijerd que hice y otras mas en su equipaje.

Dudo que haya una oportunidad, pero probablemente quiere hacer algo de promoción como hicimos con Badigadi.

Verdaderamente esta entusiasmo con su trabajo.

Por cierto, Ginger no está aquí.

Zanoba le ordenó que protegiera a mi familia.

A pesar de que Ginger obviamente quería venir.

Bueno, para mí, cuanta mas protección tengan mejor, por lo que uno más no hace daño.

Pero no es que me este ausentando por mucho tiempo.

"No debes forzar tus aficiones en otros. Después de todo, ese tipo tiene más de 400 años."

"Jajaja, ¿no es Badigadi-sama aún más viejo? Cuanto más viejos, más pueden apreciar el trabajo artesanal de las figuras de shisho."

"Oh ¿Enserio?"

Lejos en el cielo, veo algo que brilla.

"Él está aquí."

Tal como dijo Nanahoshi.

El apareció.

Literalmente, en un abrir y cerrar de ojos, apareció de repente.

Pelo dorado, un abotonado traje blanco como si fuera un uniforme de estudiante.

Probablemente con un hermoso rostro escondido detrás de esa máscara amarilla.

Una máscara con forma de zorro.

Una gran daga cuelga de su cintura.

"Arumanfi el brillante, presente".

Verdaderamente abrupto. Se siente como si él simplemente se materializó en el centro de nosotros.

Supongo que él voló.

A la velocidad de la luz, voló todo el camino desde el castillo en el cielo.

De la misma forma en que se presentó cuando la Región de Fedoa desapareció.

"..."

Abruptamente, Arumanfi se volvió hacia mí.

¿Se acuerda de mí?

Tengo miedo de que me ataque de nuevo.

Secretamente abro mi ojo demoníaco y agarro mi báculo.

Pero Arumanfi no parece acordarse de mi.

En vez de a mí, él camina hacia Nanahoshi.

"... Hoy has traído un montón de gente."

Le dice a Nanahoshi mientras mira a su alrededor.

Nanahoshi dijo “Oh” y asintió con la cabeza.

"Está bien, ¿no? Mientras sean menos de 12 personas."

"El número no importa, sin embargo ..."

Arumanfi miro a Roxy.

"La Raza mágica no puede pasar."

"Eh, ¿P-por qué?"

Roxy parece un gato al que le echaron un balde de agua.

"Las Razas mágicas no pueden entrar al Castillo del Cielo."

"Ya–ya veo."

Los hombros de Roxy se hundieron.

Pelagius libro batallas contra las Razas Mágicas durante la Campaña de Laplace.

Es inevitable que aun tenga algunos prejuicios hacia la Raza Mágica.

"¿No importa que?"

"Pelagius-sama es amable, pero él odia la Raza Mágica".

Me había olvidado, ya que esta zona no comparte el prejuicio contra la Raza Mágica, pero el odio hacia ellos todavía esta firmemente arraigado.

Pelagius puede ser una persona legendaria, pero también es un testigo de la guerra.

Quizás como Ruijerd, tiene recuerdos que no se pueden borrar de esas batallas.

Pero como sólo Roxy se fue excluida, me siento mal por ella.

"No, está bien. En ese caso, me quedaré en casa. Ademas tenia un poco de miedo de conocer a Pelagius sama... Todavía tengo trabajo escolar que hacer, así que no hay problema."

Sus hombros cayeron ante la rotunda negativa.

Pero al mirar detenidamente, veo que luce algo incomoda.

Se volvió hacia mí con una sonrisa forzada.

"Ludy, voy a cuidar de la casa."

"Está bien. Me aseguraré de traer algunos regalos a la vuelta..."

"No te preocupes por eso, sólo un beso está muy bien."

Me asegure de hacer eso inmediatamente.

Tras unos diez segundos completos, el corazón de Roxy se acelera, y mi bazooka atómica se enciende, la cabeza nuclear cargada, ¡fuego!

"Gracias."

"No, el placer es mío."

Todavía un poco molesta, pero con la cara roja, Roxy se aleja con una leve sonrisa.

Voy a bañarla con afecto cuando regrese.

"Hecho, ¿algo mas?"

Arumanfi se nos acerca cuando me despido de Roxy.

Me entrega algo así como un bastón.

Al mirar alrededor, parece que todos los demás tienen uno similar.

"Sostén esto."

Lo tomo siguiendo sus instrucciones.

Es un bastón de oro de alrededor de 20 cm de longitud, tiene algunos patrones intrincados grabados en su superficie.

Hay cristales mágicos acumulados en la parte superior e inferior.

¿Otro objeto mágico?

"¿Ahora que?"

"Sólo quédate quieto. Pelagius-sama utilizará magia de teletransportacion para llevarlos al Castillo del Cielo."

Ah, magia de teletransportacion, así que esto es un objeto mágico para eso.

Así que existe algo como esto.

Que conveniente.

¿Eh? Pensé que los humanos no pueden ser convocados...?

No, esto es teleportación.

¿Cual es la diferencia?

Simplemente uso este bastón para teletransportarme a el Castillo Cielo, ¿es así cómo funciona?

"Ah, ¿y el viaje de vuelta?"

"El camino de vuelta es algo similar."

Arumanfi responde como si fuera algo obvio.

En ese caso no hay problema.

Si tengo que caminar hasta mi casa, entonces Lucy ya habrá crecido.

Me siento tranquilizado con ese hecho.

"¿Todo el mundo tiene uno? Agárrenlo con fuerza."

Nanahoshi asiente después de comprobar que todo el mundo lo tuviera y lo confirmo con Arumanfi.

"Un momento."

Arumanfi asintió y desaparece en un destello.

Fue a informar a Pelagius que los preparativos están listos, supongo.

"... Esto es muy emocionante."

"Ciertamente."

Ariel y Sylphy bromean.

Es muy emocionante.

Luke tiene una sonrisa irónica.

Digamos, teniendo en cuenta la teleportación...

Si falla, ¿dónde terminaríamos?

Eso da un poco de miedo.

Incluso alguien tan poderoso como Pelagius podría cometer un error. Después de todo, él es humano.

"... Oh?"

Mientras pensaba en ello, de repente siento un calor procedente del bastón.

Se siente como si mi palma estuviera siendo aspirada por ella.

¿Qué sucedería si lo suelto ahora mismo?

¿Sería un error?

Pero con esto sucediendo tan repentinamente, algunas personas podrían dejarlo caer por instinto... ¿Cierto?

"¿Eh?"

Miro a mi alrededor.

Todo el mundo se ha ido.

No, llegue a ver el momento en que desapareció Sylphy.

Sólo quedamos Roxy y yo.

¿Eh?

¿Se fueron sin mí?

En ese momento, mi conciencia fue absorbida por el bastón.

=== 2ª Parte ===

Cuando volví en mí, me encontré volando en un mundo completamente blanco.

No había nada en absoluto, solo un espacio completamente blanco.

Siento como si volara hacia algo en la distancia.

Como un pez enganchado en una caña de pescar.

A cierta distancia vi a Sylphy tambaleándose hacia el mismo lugar.

Así que esto es lo que se siente al ser convocado.

Hablando de eso, este espacio...

Se siente si hubiera estado aquí antes.

Ah, ¿cuándo fue eso?

Oh sí, Hitogami.

Se siente un poco vago, pero esto se parece a cuando Hitogami aparece en mis sueños.

La única excepción, es que mi cuerpo no es el de mi vida anterior.

Como corriendo en un maratón, sigo volando de esa manera.

Entonces, una luz aparece ante mí.

La luz describe un círculo mágico sofisticado, deteniendo mi marcha.

=== 3ª Parte ===

Volviendo a mis sentidos, afirme mi postura sobre mis temblorosos pies.

"¡Ja!"

Como despertar de un sueño.

¿Perdí la conciencia?

No, para nada.

Realmente estuve volando a través de un espacio de la nada.

"Así que esto es... la magia de teletransportación de Pelagius."

Qué extraña sensación.

Pero he experimentado algo similar hace algunos años.

En el Evento de Metástasis.

En aquel entonces, también me sentí como si estuviera volando en el aire.

Bueno, hay una diferencia de aquel entonces.

Una sensación de seguridad.

Si el evento de metástasis es como saltar delante de un auto en marcha, entonces esto es como andar en taxi.

Da la sensación de un viaje seguro.

"... Esto se siente familiar."

Murmuro Sylphy suavemente.

Ah, se sintió tan bien.

"Sí."

Miro a mi alrededor tras contestarle.

Ariel, Luke, Zanoba, Cliff, Elinalise y Nanahoshi.

Todos menos Nanahoshi y Elinalise tienen miradas de desconcierto.

En cualquier caso, todos llegamos con seguridad.

"¡Qué círculo mágico tan grande..."

Dice Cliff, hablando consigo mismo.

Finalmente me di cuenta de lo que nos rodeaba.

Estamos encima de un círculo mágico gigante.

Tal vez de 10 metros de radio.

Tallado directamente en un suelo de mármol, con agua brotando de todas partes.

Una débil luz brilla sobre el agua. Debe ser algún tipo de magia.

Dejando el agua de lado, he visto estas luces antes, es exactamente la misma que cuando fui teletransportado al Continente Begaritto.

En otras palabras, es otro tipo de Círculo Mágico de Teletransportacion.

Este bastón y ese círculo mágico en el agua. Parece que la magia de teletransportacion requiere de todo tipo de preparaciones.

"Wow..."

Robando mi atención, muy por detrás del círculo mágico...

Se encuentra un castillo gigantesco.

Más alto que un rascacielos de 50 pisos.

Amplio pero no desgarbado, sino grande y robusto.

Parece la imagen de fondo de una película.

Incluso con la memoria de mi vida pasada, no puedo recordar un edificio de este tamaño.

La altura del castillo es similar a la Cúpula de Tokio.

¿Este es el castillo del cielo?

Aunque lo había visto desde el suelo... no había imaginado que fuera tan grande.

No, eso es lógico, teniendo en cuenta la distancia.

"¡Increíble, es aún más grande que el palacio de Asura!"

Al oír la voz de Sylphy, miré hacia abajo.

Frente al castillo hay un jardín igualmente enorme.

Hay árboles de todo tipo y flores de todos los colores plantados por todas partes como si fuera un laberinto.

Antes de llegar al jardín hay un pequeño río brillando bajo el sol.

Incluso desde lejos, es fácil ver lo bien cuidado que esta el jardín.

"L-Ludy... Mira hacia atrás."

"¿Oh?"

Doy la vuelta como pidió Sylphy.

Fuera del círculo mágico, detrás de una valla de oro...

Un mar de nubes se extiende en todas direcciones.

"Las nubes ..."

En mi vida pasada, en una ocasión viajé en avión durante la escuela primaria.

Lo que tenemos ante nosotros se parece a eso.

Pero verlo con mis propios ojos, sin una ventana de por medio, es una novedad para mí también.

¿Por qué mirar las nubes desde arriba es una experiencia tan conmovedora?

Esta debe ser la razón por la que los alpinistas escalan montañas.

"..."

Cliff y Luke se quedaron atónitos, sus bocas abiertas de oreja a oreja.

Ariel también, con los ojos completamente abiertos, miraba hacia el extenso cielo.

Es un paisaje que quita el aliento.

No se puede evitar.

No hay aviones en este mundo, tampoco existe el concepto de escalar montañas.

No hay posibilidad de volver a experimentar una escena como esta.

De repente, Sylphy me agarra el borde de la ropa.

"Uf ... no me llevo bien con los lugares altos."

Al mirar hacia abajo, veo que las piernas de Sylphy están temblando.

Si ya sabes eso, ¿por qué viniste en el primer lugar?

Bueno, si ella no puede caminar, entonces yo puedo llevarla en mis brazos.

"Este es el Castillo del Cielo “Chaos Breaker”, ¿todo el mundo está disfrutando de la vista?"

De repente, una voz desconocida sonó detrás de nosotros.

Miro hacia atrás a toda prisa, una figura femenina está ante nosotros.

Tan quieta como una estatua, justo fuera del círculo mágico.

Su pelo dorado casi blanco cae como cortinas sobre sus hombros, y sobre su rostro llevaba una máscara blanca con forma de pájaro.

No se puede estar seguro de si ella es humana o no, pero su figura se ve femenina.

Ella lleva un vestido blanco y sostiene un báculo mágico.

El báculo tiene una piedra mágica opaca y oscura.

Sin lugar a dudas, es un báculo particularmente caro.

En mi opinión, no todo se trata de dinero, pero eso es definitivamente algo caro.

Aún más caro que mi propio báculo.

Lo que es excepcional en ella no es su vestido o el báculo.

Sino lo que hay detrás de ella.

Sorprendentemente, de su espalda crecen un par de alas completamente negras.

"¿Raza Celestial...?"

Ese par de alas tienen una presencia abrumadora.

A pesar de ello, su aura es extrañamente tranquila, ocultando su presencia.

Una mujer que da una sensación extraña.

Ella inclina rápidamente la cabeza en cuanto intercambiamos una mirada.

"Todo el mundo, es un honor tenerlos de visita."

Qué buenos modales.

Incluso con lo ignorante que soy en cuanto a etiqueta, puedo notar que sus movimientos está muy bien practicados.

"Yo soy el primer Familiar de Pelagius-sama, Sylvaril del Vacío. Por favor, permitanme guiarlos hacia el Castillo del Cielo “Chaos Breaker”."

"Soy el Caballero Guardián de la Segunda Princesa del Reino de Asura, Luke Notos Greyrat, a su servicio. Es un honor estar en su presencia. Voy a estar bajo su cuidado."

Luke devolvió el saludo.

Él está delante de Ariel, con una sonrisa suave hacia la mujer llamada Sylvaril.

Sylvaril no es particularmente alta o baja, pero ella todavía debe estar dentro de su rango de seducción.

No no.

Eso no es lo que quiere decir, esto es sólo por cortesía.

"Esta es la Segunda Princesa del Reino de Asura, Ariel Anemoi Asura."

Con la introducción de Luke, tomando el borde de su falda, Ariel hizo una reverencia.

Ese también es un movimiento practicado.

No es algo que yo pueda aprender.

Después, cada uno de nosotros hizo su propia introducción.

Cliff y Zanoba también hicieron sus saludos con gracia.

Tal vez entre la gente de aquí, apenas tengo un mínimo conocimiento de etiqueta.

"Oh, todo el mundo, es un honor."

Aunque sus pensamientos son opacos, sus acciones han sido amables con nosotros.

Por último, Nanahoshi le respondió casualmente.

"Ha pasado un tiempo, Sylvaril-san."

"Em, usted también, Nanahoshi-sama ... ¿se siente bien?"

"Sólo una ligera molestia."

Es sólo una breve conversación entre ellas.

Pero parecen relajadas, por lo que probablemente esta bien.

"Entonces, por aquí por favor."

Sylvaril se da vuelta y comienza a caminar hacia adelante, sin hacer ruido.

Su cabeza casi no oscila. Con sus piernas cubiertas por el vestido, ella se mueve como un fantasma.

Nanahoshi la sigue sin ninguna preocupación.

Intercambiamos una mirada y la seguimos.

=== 4ª Parte ===

Sylvaril avanza directamente a través del jardín pasando por un enorme conjunto de puertas.

En lugar de puertas, son más como los Arcos Triunfales.

De pie frente a ellos, Zanoba dice con un asombro silencioso.

"Wow, qué vista tan increíble."

Aunque el es desinteresado en todo lo que no sean muñecas, Zanoba aún reconoce el arte cuando lo ve. Tal vez tienen algunas cosas en común.

No se si estos grabados son buenos o malos. Pero si Zanoba lo dice, entonces debe ser bastante excepcional.

Después de todo, algo que no es una figura logró quitarle el aliento.

Prestando más atención ahora que él lo mencionó, ciertamente son muy hermosas.

Mirando el Arco Triunfal, veo que incluso el interior está cubierto con un intrincado relieve.

No importa qué, con todos estos patrones delicados, no se puede dejar de mirar hacia arriba.

Mientras camino admirando lo que me rodea, escucho a Sylvaril explicando desde el frente.

"Este arco fue hecho a mano por Maxwell, el Rey Dragón Oscuro. Maxwell-sama se especializa en este tipo de artesanía y construcción mágica. Su trabajo existente también está disponible en el palacio del Reino Sagrado de Milis-"

"¡Ohhhhhh!"

[[File:Mushoku14 04.jpg|500px]]

Zanoba grita repentinamente.

Sylvaril se da la vuelta con confusión.

"¿Hay algún problema?"

"¡B-bien! ¿Dónde está Maxwell-sama actualmente?"

Zanoba mira con entusiasmo a una esquina particular. Está temblando.

¿Que hay allí?

Pero realmente no tengo ni idea de qué está mirando.

"Maxwell-sama, el Rey Dragón Oscuro, vaga por el mundo. Si todavía está vivo, probablemente todavía este vagando en alguna parte."

"Ya-ya veo, es una persona increíble... sin embargo, todavía..."

Zanoba no puede contener su emoción.

Bueno, Zanoba nunca ha podido contener su emoción.

"¿Podemos continuar?"

"Oh, oh sí. Lo siento mucho. Era demasiado hermoso como para dejarlo pasar."

"¿Es así? Una vez que usted entre en el castillo, podrá ver un montón de obras magnificas. Estaremos encantados de satisfacer sus exigencias."

Finalizando en un tono suave, Sylvaril continua avanzando.

Ella probablemente esta sonriendo bajo esa máscara.

Al mismo tiempo, Zanoba se precipita sobre mí.

Acercando su boca a mi oído pregunta en voz baja.

"Shisho, ¿lo viste?"

"¿Eh?"

"¡Es un enorme descubrimiento! Que suerte que vinimos. Realmente necesito agradecer adecuadamente a Nanahoshi por esto."

¿Un gran descubrimiento?

Parece que Zanoba y yo prestamos atención a cosas diferentes.

"Lo siento. No entiendo que has descubierto. ¿Puedes explicármelo adecuadamente cuando tengamos tiempo?"

Zanoba se ve visiblemente decepcionado al oír eso de mí.

"¿Qué? ¿Shisho no se dio cuenta?"

Zanoba retrocedió unos pocos pasos.

¡Lo siento! Yo no soy tan bueno como tú cuando se trata de valorar estas cosas.

"¿Mm?"

Al pasar la puerta, me di cuenta de algunas partículas blancas procedentes de Sylphy delante de mí.

"¿Eh?"

Sylvaril se detiene, dándose la vuelta nos mira a Sylphy y a mi.

Aunque esta escondida detrás de su máscara, puedo sentir el abrupto cambio de estado de ánimo.

Más bien, a lo mejor es por nuestra causa.

"¿Hay algún problema?"

Le pregunto vacilantemente a Sylvaril.

La última vez, Arumanfi me ataco repentinamente.

No quiero que eso suceda de nuevo.

De ser posible, espero que podamos hablar claramente y evitemos un malentendido.

Incluso si no es así y realmente sucede algo malo, al menos deberíamos retirarnos tan pronto como sea posible.

Aunque tengo algunas preguntas para Pelagius, prefiero ir a casa antes de meterme en una pelea.

"No. No es nada en particular. Hay un buen número de personas como ustedes en la tierra."

"¿Es así?"

¿Qué quiere decir por gente como nosotros?

Me pone nervioso.

No me digas que estaremos atrapados en cuanto entremos en el castillo.

Debo mantener abierto mi ojo demoníaco.

"Sin embargo, ¿podría preguntar algo a ustedes dos?"

"Adelante."

"Hitogami, ¿han oído ese nombre antes?"

Traté de no reaccionar.

Hitogami.

Al escucharla, me acorde de Orsted.

La última vez, Orsted hizo la misma pregunta. Cuando respondí, casi me mata.

No quiero que eso suceda de nuevo.

Dudé.

Si respondo con sinceridad, posiblemente ella reaccione con hostilidad.

De hecho, Hitogami ha estado jugando conmigo en la palma de sus manos, y también me ha ayudado.

Nunca planeé ser su subordinado, pero me doy cuenta de que me estoy convirtiendo en algo parecido.

"No, para nada."

Sylphy niega con la cabeza mientras yo dudo.

"Entonces, al oír ese nombre, ¿siente una rabia indescriptible o intención asesina?"

Sylphy niega con la cabeza en silencio.

Yo también.

Pero entiendo el motivo de esa pregunta.

Orsted da ese tipo de sentimiento.

Si sabe estas cosas, ¿quizás Orsted y Pelagius son rivales?

No estoy seguro.

"En ese caso, todo está bien."

Con eso dicho, Sylvaril empieza a caminar de nuevo.

=== 5ª Parte ===

El Castillo del Cielo “Chaos Breaker”.

A pesar de su nombre, la única palabra que puede describirlo adecuadamente es impresionante.

No puedo imaginar cómo se construyó esta enorme estructura.

Sin embargo, a pesar de su tamaño, cada rincón ha sido decorado con estatuas exquisitas, y cada estatua fue hecha meticulosamente por maestros artesanos.

No sólo el exterior.

El interior está cubierto por alfombras bordadas de oro, pinturas cubren las paredes, y cada rincón está decorado con obras de arte y esculturas caras.

Zanoba habla sin parar, mirando esto y lo otro, “Esta escultura es, obviamente, de la escuela de Ganon. ¿Habrá sido creada por el propio maestro?” “¿La estatua original de Jinete? ¡Qué honor ser capaz de verla en persona!” Se ve realmente feliz.

Originalmente Sylvaril y Ariel responderían, pero pronto se cansaron y simplemente sonreían con cansancio.

Por lo general hay una segunda persona causando molestia.

Sin embargo, cuando miro a Cliff, se ve dolorosamente tenso.

Sus ojos están abiertos, pero él mantiene la boca cerrada, a menos que se le pregunte algo directamente.

Elinalise camina a su lado, sosteniendo su mano como una madre manteniendolo junto a nosotros.

Bueno, esto está muy bien. Si esos dos empiezan a charlar seria bastante ruidoso.

"La sala de audiencias está delante de nosotros."

Al final del pasillo, Sylvaril se detiene ante una puerta.

Es una pesada puerta, salpicada de plata, con un dragón pintado en cada lado.

Con todo, tardamos casi una hora en llegar desde el círculo mágico.

Un lugar tan grande también es una especie de molestia.

Un atajo estaría bien.

"Aunque Pelagius es generoso, por favor compórtense adecuadamente."

Una vez dicho esto, Sylvaril coloco una mano en la puerta.

¿No va a tocar?

"¡Disculpe, pero todavía llevamos nuestra ropa de viaje! ¿No sería inapropiado?"

Pide Ariel a toda prisa.

Ahora que lo menciona, ¿en estas situaciones no se suele llevar a los invitados a la sala de recepción primero?

Así uno se viste con una ropa formal adecuada, y se prepara antes de los saludos iniciales.

Recuerdo que hice eso cuando conocí al rey de Shirone.

Pero yo no tengo ninguna ropa forma ni nada semejante, así que terminé usando mis viejas ropas raídas, como de costumbre.

Oh, no, nunca pensé acerca de esto.

Debería haber comprado ropa formal.

"Pelagius-sama no se preocupa por el código de vestimenta. Más bien, él realmente no le gustan las formalidades en cuanto a la moda del Reino de Asura. En mi opinión, en lugar de cambiar de ropa, usa lo que tienes puesta, y lograras dejar una mejor impresión en el maestro ".

Al oír eso, Ariel cerró la boca.

Tal vez algo sucedió en ese entonces.

Quizás la razón por la que Pelagius se retiro al Castillo del Cielo es porque fue intimidado por el rey de Asura o algo así.

"Bueno, ¿podemos al menos dejar a un lado nuestros abrigos y equipaje?"

"Entiendo, por favor venga por aquí."

Al escuchar lo que equivalía a una suplica de Ariel, Sylvaril asintió.

Caminando unos pasos lejos de la gran puerta, abrió una habitación a un lado.

Tiene aproximadamente el tamaño de mi dormitorio.

En comparación con el resto del castillo es relativamente pequeña y sencilla, pero incluso la mesa, armario, y bastidores de ropa son artículos de alta calidad.

"Muchas gracias."

"Pelagius-sama está esperando. Por favor, date prisa."

Con eso dicho, Sylvaril cerró la puerta.

Tras confirmarlo, Ariel se quito el abrigo.

Luke de inmediato se acercó a ella, y Sylphy saco un cepillo y comenzó a peinar el cabello de Ariel.

Al mismo tiempo, Zanoba se quitó su abrigo y se puso uno nuevo.

Elinalise se encargo ella misma de revisar el pelo y la ropa de Cliff.

Sacudo mi equipo y enderezo mi camisa.

Nada formal... Lo que importa no es el desgaste, es la sinceridad.

Usar ropa casual no significa que sólo podemos usar lo que sea.

Por cierto, Nanahoshi no está haciendo nada.

A lo sumo se enderezó su flequillo.

Por cierto, hoy también está usando el uniforme.

¿Ella realmente odio tanto la ropa de este mundo?

"Todo listo."

Finalmente Sylphy se quito sus gafas de sol. Todo el mundo está listo para ir.

Aun así, no han pasado más de 10 minutos.

A pesar de eso, Ariel se ve casi como una persona diferente.

Ella tiene cojinetes, para empezar, pero ahora ella sólo exuda elegancia.

Tal vez como realeza, ha pasado mucho tiempo perfeccionando las técnicas para volverse hermosa.

"Perdón por la espera."

"Oh. Por aquí."

Sylvaril recibe la señal desde el exterior.

Como si nada hubiera pasado, ella se dirige de nuevo a la puerta anterior.

Puertas gigantes pintadas con dragones.

Detrás de ella espera Pelagius.

Al darme cuenta de eso, me empiezo a sentir nervioso.

"Uf ..."

Antes de que las puertas se abrieran, oí a Ariel tomar una respiración profunda.

== Capítulo 145 - Audiencia con Pelagius ==

=== 1ª Parte ===

Sentado en el trono, hay un hombre con una presencia abrumadoramente opresiva.

Reluciente pelo blanco.

Ojos Sanpaku con pupilas doradas.

Nobleza irradia de todo su cuerpo.

Un rey.

Él es Pelagius, el Rey Dragón Blindado.

Con una sola mirada mis piernas empiezan a temblar.

Sé cual es la razón.

Es porque este hombre se parece a Orsted.

Nunca podre olvidarlo.

Al hombre de pelo blanco que me mató.

Ya sea el pelo, los rasgos faciales, o la manera de vestir, Pelagius y el son diferentes.

Pero el da la misma sensación.

La misma que Orsted.

"Acérquense."

Instada por Sylvaril, Nanahoshi avanza algunos pasos.

Imitandola, Ariel la sigue de cerca.

Avanzo como si tratara de ocultarme detrás de ellos.

Estamos en una enorme sala.

Techos altos, sostenidos por pilares con forma de árbol.

Mirando hacia arriba, la luz irradia hacia abajo desde el cielo.

Lujoso, brillante.

Además, de las paredes cuelgan cortinas con patrones complejos.

Productos provenientes desde Asura hasta Milis, desde el común a lo nunca antes visto, un poco de todo.

A cada lado de la alfombra roja bajo nuestros pies, 11 hombres y mujeres están de pie mirándonos atentamente.

"..."

Todos están vestidos de blanco.

Cada uno tiene diseño diferente, pero todos del mismo color.

Todo blanco.

Luego están las máscaras.

Todo el mundo está usando máscaras.

Ninguna de sus máscaras son iguales.

Algunas tienen forma de animales.

Uno parece que le falta un ojo, así que la máscara cubre sólo el ojo.

Otro parece el casco de Robocop, como si estuviera hecha de un mismo molde.

Deben ser los famosos 12 Familiares de Pelagius.

A pesar de ser Familiares, todos se ven humanoides.

Hace mucho tiempo, Arumanfi y Ghyslaine lucharon hasta llegar a un punto muerto.

En otras palabras, ellos doce, incluyendo a Sylvaril, tienen un poder igual al de un Rey del Filo.

Sinceramente, no quiero enemistarme con estas personas.

Realmente tengo que tener cuidado con lo que digo a partir de ahora.

"Deténgase aquí."

Al escuchar a Sylvaril, Nanahoshi se detiene.

"..."

A sólo diez pasos del trono, dos niveles por encima de nosotros.

Pelagius nos observa sin decir una palabra.

Más bien, observándome.

Puedo sentir su línea de visión.

Aterrador.

Sylvaril camina lentamente junto a Pelagius, hasta pararse a su derecha.

Sylvaril a la derecha, Arumanfi a su izquierda.

Entonces, como si nos rodearan, 5 en cada lado.

Poco a poco, Pelagius habla.

"Soy el Rey Dragón Blindado, Perugius Dola."

¡Capitán Dola!

No no.

Nada que ver con el castillo en el cielo.

"Cuánto tiempo sin vernos, Pelagius-sama. Según lo prometido, he vuelto."

Nanahoshi se inclino.

Que inusual oírla hablar con honoríficos.

[[File:Mushoku14 02.jpg|500px]]

De repente me doy cuenta de que Ariel también está inclinada.

Luke y Sylphy se inclinaron con una rodilla en el piso.

Dudando brevemente, me inclino como suelo hacer.

Usando el ojigi japonés.

"Nanahoshi."

La voz de Pelagius envía un escalofrío por mi espalda.

Esa voz está llena de majestad y opresión.

Me siento como un animal de presa, congelado de terror, mi corazón se acelera y mi respiración se vuelve difícil.

Sudor frío comienza a correr por mi cuerpo.

Aterrador.

En verdad es la sensación de un rey.

"Has regresado. En otras palabras, has encontrado una pista sobre cómo llevar a cabo una invocación de otro mundo."

"Sí. Sin embargo, no sé si los resultados se ajustan a tus expectativas."

"Resultados... La búsqueda del conocimiento es el destino de la Raza Dragón."

Raza Dragón, así que se trata de la Raza Dragón.

No lo he notado hasta ahora, pero eso tiene sentido.

Dios Dragón y Rey Dragón Blindado.

Ninguno de los dos son humanos, sino de la Raza Dragón.

Ellos se parecen porque son de la misma raza.

Nanahoshi responde a Pelagius sin dudarlo.

Pelagius no parece contener ninguna animosidad contra Nanahoshi.

Una amistad cortés.

Él vive aislado en un castillo, pero supongo que no es paranoico.

"Espero que como se había prometido, me enseñes tus conocimientos de magia de invocación de este mundo."

"Em, eso está bien."

Parece que Nanahoshi y Pelagius tienen un trato.

Nanahoshi investigará invocación de otro mundo, y compartirá los resultados con Pelagius.

Y a cambio, Pelagius le enseñara la esencia detrás de la magia de invocación de este mundo.

O algo así.

"Hablando de eso, has traído un grupo bastante grande. ¿Por qué?"

"Sí. Ellos me ayudaron en mi investigación. Como recompensa, deseaban conocer a Pelagius-sama."

"Oh."

Pelagius suelta un suspiro de aburrimiento.

Llamarlo una recompensa se sintió un poco inapropiado, pero no es una mentira.

"Encantado de conocerlo."

Ariel se adelanta.

"Soy Ariel Anemoi Asura, Segunda Princesa del Reino de Asura. Es un honor conocerlo por fin en persona, su majestad."

"Ariel Anemoi Asura, ¿eh?"

"Encantada de conocerlo".

Pelagius suspira ruidosamente.

"Estoy al tanto. Negándote a admitir la derrota tras perder esa desagradable batalla por el trono de Asura, llegando al extremo de tratar de conseguir que todos a tu alrededor se involucren en ese desastre, eres esa princesa estúpida."

Luke levanta la cabeza.

Pero, Ariel parece inquebrantable.

"Eso es un poco duro."

Como era de esperar de Ariel.

Con una sonrisa suave, mantiene contacto visual con Pelagius.

"¿Al venir aquí, quieres saber si te voy a dar una mano?"

"No, yo sólo quiero conocer al famoso héroe en persona."

"Su esquema es obvio, Ariel Anemoi Asura."

Como siempre, la voz de Ariel está llena de carisma.

Pero al mirar de cerca, ella no se ve tan bien. Sudor frío corre por su rostro. Al exponer su plan, y dejar una mala impresión, su ritmo ha sido alterado.

Al ver a Ariel en ese estado, Pelagius sonríe un poco.

Una sonrisa para un niño malcriado.

"Sin embargo, que estés aquí puede que sea una señal del destino. Aprovecha la oportunidad. Permitiré que te quedes en mi castillo."

"Mu-muchas gracias."

Ariel se inclina y da un paso atrás.

Su ansiedad disminuyó, pero no desapareció por completo.

=== 2ª Parte ===

"Siguente, ¿y tú?"

Pelagius vuelve su atención a mí después de que Ariel diera un paso atrás.

Como si mi estado fuera superado sólo por Ariel.

Pensando en eso, eche un vistazo detrás de mí.

Zanoba, Cliff, y Elinalise.

Todos estan de rodillas en el suelo.

Sólo Nanahoshi, Ariel, y yo estamos de pie.

No es de extrañar que me este mirando a mí.

Puse una mano sobre mi pecho, y una vez más, me incline.

"Mucho gusto, soy Ludeus Greyrat."

"Ludeus Greyrat."

Pelagius recita mi nombre, masticando las palabras.

"Transportarte aquí tomó un poco de esfuerzo."

"...?"

"Para empezar, la magia de teletransporte no se supone que funcione en cualquier persona con más magia que el ejecutor."

Pelagius explica con tristeza.

"Tu magia coincide con la de Laplace. Si realmente te resistes, no puedo teletransportarte."

"Siendo así, discúlpeme por causar problemas."

Laplace.

Es el nombre del Dios Demonio que fue sellado por Pelagius hace 400 años.

Todo el mundo menciona ese nombre al evaluar mi poder mágico.

Supongo que es cierto.

"No importa. Sin embargo, con tanto poder en tus manos, ni siquiera pienses en usarlo dentro de este castillo."

"Seguro."

Eso se siente como un disparo de advertencia.

No, él debe darme una advertencia, por si me vuelvo un berserker.

¿Pero, por qué?

¿Por qué tan atento hacia mí?

Nunca he sido del tipo de volverse violento sin razón. Yo jamas me volvería berserker.

... Ah, ¿todavía lo recuerda?

Que durante el evento de metástasis, Arumanfi trato de matarme.

¿Está preocupado de que todavía le guarde rencor por eso?

Así que por eso. En otras palabras, él quiere que lo olvide.

"Si se trata del Evento de Metástasis, no estoy molesto. So-"

"¿Evento de Metástasis? ¿Qué quieres decir?"

Pelagius inclino su mano con confusión. Arumanfi se teletransporto de repente a su lado.

Entonces, le susurró algo al oído.

"Ah, ahora que lo dices, escuche que durante el evento de metástasis, cierto Rey del Filo protegió a un joven que estaba lanzando magia hacia el cielo. ¿Ese eras tu?"

Así que ya lo olvidó.

¿Estoy cavando mi propia tumba?

Como dije, realmente no estoy preocupado por eso.

Pero, yo no hice nada para ofenderlo.

¿Esta bien?

"También escuche que alguien dañó la mano de Orsted, alguien con el nombre de Ludeus Greyrat."

Incluso sabe de eso.

No es como si realmente llegue a lastimarlo, fue apenas un rasguño.

Si él lo sabe, ¿significa que Orsted y Pelagius se conocen? ¿O escucho de el por Nanahoshi?

No, espera, Nanahoshi probablemente conoció al dueño de este castillo a través de Orsted.

"Las personas con tu talento tienden a crecer demasiado confiados. No te vuelvas arrogante sólo porque te las arreglaste para lastimar al Dios Dragón. Porque, si quieres un duelo conmigo, ¡entonces prepárate a morir!"

Tan pronto como termino, un aura asesina empezó a brotar de Pelagius.

Oh, vamos.

Estoy un poco preocupado por el ambiente amenazante que se ha formado.

Vine aquí para buscar información sobre la enfermedad de mi madre. Y con un poco de suerte, tal vez aprender un poco de magia de invocación.

A pesar de eso, ¿por qué está tan vigilante conmigo?

... ¿Cree que de alguna manera luche contra Orsted hasta llegar a un punto muerto?

Me estás tomando el pelo.

Fue una masacre unilateral. Apenas logre asestar un golpe.

Ademas, con los 12 familiares presentes...

Aunque sólo se lo que esta escrito en los libros, aún me acuerdo de cada una de sus capacidades.

Pero leer sobre alguien es diferente de luchar contra el.

Además, la superioridad numérica es importante en una pelea.

Incluso contra zombies que mueren de un solo golpe, no hay manera de lidiar con ellos si hay demasiados.

Y estos son personas que están a la par de Ghyslaine.

¿Y quién sabe lo fuerte que es Pelagius? probablemente no es para nada débil.

Si luchamos, soy hombre muerto.

En resumen, no tengo ninguna razón para luchar.

"Por supuesto, yo no haría algo tan estúpido como desafiar a Pelagius-sama."

"Buena actitud. Me gustan las personas inteligentes. Las aves del mismo plumaje vuelan juntas. Ponga unos cuantos niños inteligentes juntos, y pueden empujarse uno al otro hacia adelante."

En esta circunstancia, las personas inteligentes son las que no desafían a Pelagius, supongo.

No creo que yo sea particularmente inteligente, pero al menos sé eso.

"Pelagius-sama, este de aquí... con su enorme poder mágico contribuyó en gran medida a mi investigación. Él no es un enemigo. Así que, ¿podrías comportarte un poco mejor?"

Nanahoshi intervino.

Como era de esperar de Nanahoshi.

Ella esta en lo correcto.

No seas tan hostil, se más agradable.

"Um".

Pelagius asiente ante el consejo de Nanahoshi.

"Entonces voy a ser un poco más agradable. Camarada de Nanahoshi, ¿cuál es tu deseo? ¿Poder? ¿Dinero?"

Pregunta Pelagius, luciendo un poco aburrido.

Así que finalmente vas a tratarme como invitado.

¿Por qué eres tan duro con los huéspedes que ves por primera vez?

Aunque he sido un poco descuidado...

Bueno, olvídalo.

Debo recordar la razón por la que estoy aquí.

"Entonces, tengo una pregunta que hacerle."

"¿Qué es?"

"Acerca de la enfermedad de mi madre."

Empecé a explicar la situación de Zenith.

=== 3ª Parte ===

"Ya veo."

Después de explicar la situación de Zenith, Pelagius asintió pesadamente.

"De hecho he escuchado de estos fenómenos, laberintos antiguos utilizando a una persona capturada como su núcleo. Como resultado de ello, la persona comienza a cambiar. Sin excepción pierden su memoria, pero ganan un poder misterioso."

"¿Poder misterioso?"

"Algunos los llaman niños malditos, otros los llaman miko, ese tipo de poder."

Una maldición.

Zenith ha sido maldecida.

Una maldición que le impide llorar o reír.

"¿Por qué sucede eso?"

"¿Quién sabe? Supuestamente, los laberintos son criaturas mágicas creadas por los antiguos en su búsqueda del paraíso. Es posible distribuir uniformemente la magia de su núcleo a sus habitantes. Los que viven dentro de él están libres de hambre y pueden prosperar. Un antiguo laberinto capturando un ser humano con el fin de aumentar esa magia no es inconcebible ".

Un antiguo paraíso... libre del hambre.

Hablando de eso, hay monstruos por todas partes en el Laberinto de teletransportacion.

Especialmente aquellos particularmente glotones.

Me había estado preguntando que comen para sobrevivir, así que es por eso.

No, Roxy dijo que se murió de hambre en el interior del laberinto.

Así que en realidad no distribuye poder mágico a todos en el interior.

O tal vez, los monstruos tienen algún método para absorber la magia de la nada.

... Bueno, no importa que son los laberintos.

Lo importante es Zenith.

"¿Usted sabe de algún método para curar a mi madre?"

"No sé los detalles, pero..."

Pelagius mira detrás de mí mientras habla.

"Aquí hay una persona que sobrevivió a una circunstancia similar, pero se encuentra viva y saludable, ¿alguien como ella no debería saber más detalles?"

Pelagius mira hacia la chica de pelo dorado de la tribu de las orejas largas.

Elinalise levanta lentamente la cabeza.

"Elinalise Dragonroad. Recuerdo que hace 200 años yo personalmente te rescaté del Laberinto de Bau".

"Eso es cierto."

"La chica de orejas largas con perdida de memoria. Nos reunimos solo una vez. Ha pasado mucho tiempo, ¿lo has olvidado?"

"No, todavía recuerdo."

Elinalise me mira con arrepentimiento.

¿Qué está pasando?

¿Elinalise ha pasado por una experiencia similar?

¿Hace 200 años fue rescatada de un laberinto?

Espera, ¿qué está pasando?

"¿Por qué te callas? Acercate, ustedes dos se conocen, ¿verdad?"

"Eso es ..."

"Usted vivió una experiencia similar. Nadie conoce la situación mejor que tú."

Al escuchar a Pelagius, Elinalise se pone de pie nerviosamente.

Pero, finalmente, ella da una respuesta decidida.

"Nunca recupere mi memoria, pero tal vez Zenith pueda. Es por eso que no dije nada."

Su respuesta puede ser resuelta, pero su expresión es de sufrimiento.

Cliff tomó suavemente a Elinalise por los hombros.

"..."

En medio la confusión no puedo encontrar ninguna palabra que decir.

Me di cuenta de que había algo extraño con Elinalise.

Pero nunca me imaginé que tuviera un pasado así.

"Lo siento. Yo pensé en decírtelo. Pero recientemente Ludeus se veía tan feliz, y eso me hizo dudar sobre que hacer. La maldición de Zenith no parece amenazar su vida. Pensé que tal vez ella es una Miko, o quizás nada ..."

"... Por favor, dame los detalles mas tarde."

Eso es todo lo que puedo decir ante todas las excusas que Elinalise esta tratado de hacer.

"Entiendo."

No quiero culpar a Elinalise.

Aunque ella no me contó todo, ella ofreció algunas sugerencias para lidiar con la enfermedad de Zenith en el Continente Begaritto. En aquel entonces yo pensaba que sólo estaba bien informada y hablaba por experiencia.

Ella probablemente se preocupó mucho por esto.

Tal vez ella tiene razón, quizás Zenith es diferente y su memoria es recuperable.

Además, con el cuerpo de Paul recién enterrado, no hay ninguna razón para seguir acumulando miserias.

Ella no dijo nada porque estaba preocupada por mí.

Por lo menos, Zenith puede que este maldita. Espero que ella me diga todo lo que pueda más tarde.

=== 4ª Parte ===

"¿Algo más?"

"Eso es todo."

Niego con la cabeza ante la pregunta de Pelagius.

Sólo han pasado unos pocos minutos, pero ya estoy agotado.

Más bien, se siente como que hemos estado conversando durante horas.

Hay más cosas que quiero preguntarle.

Acerca de la magia de invocación, sobre la campaña de Laplace, sobre el evento de metástasis.

Pero ahora, con tanto en mi mente, siento como si mi cabeza fuera a explotar en cualquier momento.

Eso es todo por ahora.

"¿Alguien más? ¿Alguien quiere pedirme algo?"

"En ese caso, tengo una pregunta. ¿Puedo?"

Un hombre se levanto ante la pregunta de Pelagius.

Es Zanoba.

"¿Quien eres?"

"Mis disculpas. Soy el tercer príncipe del Reino de Shirone, Zanoba Shirone."

"¿Un príncipe? No me digas que también quieres mi apoyo para tomar el trono."

"No. Eso no me interesa en absoluto."

Con eso dicho, Zanoba saco una pequeña libreta.

En ella hay una cresta dibujada.

Una cresta que yo conozco.

Es la cresta descubrimos junto a la muñeca en mi sótano ...

¡Ah!

"Esta cresta se ve muy similar a la de Maxwell-sama, el Rey Dragón Oscuro, y a la del Rey Dragón Blindado Pelagius-sama. Más aún, parece la misma que la cresta de aquella pared. ¿Está familiarizado con ella?"

Sigo a la mirada de Zanoba a la cresta que cuelga de la pared.

Reconozco algunas de las crestas que cuelgan allí.

Una de esas crestas esta tallada en la piedra de poder. La cresta del Dios Dragón.

También vi una en las herramientas mágicas dentro de las ruinas del telepuerto oculto. Basado en el encantamiento que recité, esa debe ser la de Shilard, el Santo Dragón Emperador ¿no?

Y al lado de ella, se encontraba la misma cresta que sostenía Zanoba.

"La conozco. La que tienes ahí pertenece a Chaos, el Rey Dragón Loco".

"¡Ohh!"

¡Ohh!

Es por eso. ¿Eso es lo que Zanoba vio tallado en el arco?

No, esa era de Maxwell.

Probablemente noto la cresta y vio la similitud, e hizo la conexión entre todas ellas.

¡Como era de esperar de Zanoba!

Vaya, lo siento, me olvidé de decirle a Zanoba sobre la cresta de las ruinas de teletransportacion.

"E-entonces, ¿dónde está Chaos-sama, el Rey Dragón Loco actualmente?"

Dando un paso adelante, Zanoba no parecía capaz de contener su emoción.

Sin embargo, Pelagius solo negó con cabeza.

"Muerto. Murió hace varias decenas de años. No tengo idea si tiene un sucesor."

La libreta se deslizo de las manos de Zanoba.

Sus brazos cuelgan impotentes en sus lados.

"Así que él se ha ido..."

Al instante, Zanoba lucia 5 años mayor.

Bueno, él siempre se veía bastante viejo.

"Dime, ¿cómo encontraste esta cresta?"

Al ver a Zanoba así, Perlaius pregunto consideradamente.

Zanoba respondió, aun abatido.

"En la casa de mi Shisho. Estaba dibujada en una muñeca autónoma en una casa abandonada en la Ciudad Mágica de Sharia".

"Ya veo. Una muñeca autónoma."

Tras el asentimiento de Zanoba; Pelagius continuo.

"Esa muñeca, ¿es algo tan maravilloso?"

"¡Por supuesto que lo es! Tal intrincada artesanía, absolutamente fascinante, transmite plenamente el amor del fabricante hacia las muñecas. ¡Como entusiasta admirador de las muñecas, realmente admiro su filosofía!"

Al oír esas palabras, Pelagius entrecierra los ojos, riendo alegremente.

"Te ves como alguien que aprecia el arte. Bueno. En la sala del tesoro de este castillo tengo un montón de trabajo finos de Chaos. Voy a mostrártelas más tarde."

Palabras increíblemente suaves están saliendo de la misma persona que hablo antes conmigo.

¿Por qué? ¿Por qué tanta diferencia de trato?.

Bueno, no se puede evitar.

"Será un gran honor."

Al escuchar la respuesta de Pelagius, Zanoba sonríe brillantemente.

La otra persona también se ve feliz.

Supongo que a Pelagius realmente le agrada Zanoba.

Qué bien.

A mi también me gustaría ser apreciado.

=== 5ª Parte ===

"¿Alguien mas?"

"Em, yo... Hay una cosa que me gustaría preguntar."

Sylphy levanto la mano ante la pregunta de Pelagius.

Ella se inclino un poco tiesamente ante Pelagius.

"¿Y tu quien eres?"

"Soy la escolta de la Segunda Princesa del Reino de Asura Ariel-sama, esposa de Ludeus Greyrat, Sylphiette Greyrat."

En ese momento, Sylvaril susurro algo al oído Perugius '.

Pelagius gruño enfurruñado.

"Marido y mujer ..."

Tranquilos susurros.

Marido y mujer, ¿por qué esta molesto por eso?

Sylphy es buena con la magia, pero definitivamente no es comparable a la de Laplace.

Ah, no me digas, ¿se dio cuenta que ella desciende de la Raza Mágica?

"Antes de preguntar, respóndeme esto. ¿Ustedes dos tienen un hijo?"

Pelagius pregunta abruptamente.

Sylphy se ve preocupada.

"¿Eh? No, solamente una hija..."

"¿Es así?. Si ustedes tienen un hijo tráiganmelo, voy a concederle un nombre."

"O-oh... bien."

Pelagius sonríe levemente.

Súper aterrador.

¿Qué piensa hacer con Sylphy y mi hijo?

Llegando al extremo de darle un nombre.

Viniendo de una persona que vive en un lugar llamado Chaos Breaker...

"Ahora, ¿qué es lo que deseas saber?"

"Bueno, sobre el evento de Metástasis. ¿Quién es realmente el que estuvo detrás de todo eso?"

Sylphy hizo una pregunta en la que no he pasado desde hace mucho tiempo.

El Evento de Metástasis fue causado por invocar a Nanahoshi desde Japón.

Esos son los efectos secundarios de convocar a alguien de otro mundo.

Yo también fui transportado accidentalmente. Pero la suya fue una teletransportación directa, así que eso es probablemente lo que lo causó.

Podría ser un accidente también.

Alguien hizo algo, y como resultado convocó a Nanahoshi a este mundo.

Un accidente.

"Solo se esto con certeza. Originalmente yo sospechaba de Laplace o alguien asociado con él, sin embargo ..."

Perugius mira a Nanahoshi antes de continuar.

"Invocarla es imposible, incluso para mí. En ese caso, no debería ser posible para cualquier otra persona de este mundo."

"¿En otras palabras?"

"Sospecho que no fue algo hecho por el hombre. Simplemente es algo que sucedió por casualidad."

Exacto, un accidente.

No, tal vez existe alguien incluso mas poderoso que Pelagius en magia de invocación.

Alguien como Orsted.

Pero yo no sé si existe tal persona. Si lo menciono podría enojarse.

Voy a mantener mi boca cerrada.

No quiero volver a hacerlo enojar.

"Ah, ya veo. Muchas gracias."

Mientras sigo dudando, la conversación con Sylphy termino.

Pelagius asiente con la cabeza.

"¿Algo más?"

Nadie responde.

Elinalise baja la cabeza; Cliff esta demasiado rígido para moverse.

Ariel está a su lado, y Luke todavía esta arrodillado en el suelo.

"Ahora, tómense su tiempo y disfruten de mi orgullo y alegría, el Castillo del Cielo."

Con esas palabras, la audiencia con Pelagius terminó.

=== 6ª Parte ===

Después de eso, Sylvaril nos llevó a las habitaciones.

En la zona de invitados hay casi 20 habitaciones con la misma disposición.

Muebles de madera oscura y colchones de plumas.

Un gran y claro espejo de cuerpo entero.

Un estante con algún tipo de cerveza.

La única diferencia entre las habitaciones eran las piezas de arte que contenían.

Casi como un hotel.

Pero aún más lujoso que cualquier hotel del mundo.

En mi vida pasada, esto probablemente sería algo parecido a suites imperiales.

No, olvida la suite, nunca he estado en un Hotel Imperial.

"Un lugar tan grande con sólo 12 cuidadores..."

Las palabras de Ariel dejaron una gran impresión en mí.

Todo el lugar estaba impecable, pero también estéril.

No tanto espeluznante como solitario.

Es el tipo de soledad que se siente cuando se compra un segundo control de consola sin un amigo con quien jugar.

Pero teniendo en cuenta la forma de hablar de Pelagius, debe tener invitados de vez en cuando.

Tenemos tiempo libre después de instalarnos en nuestras habitaciones.

Zanoba y Ariel decidieron hacer turismo y partieron a toda prisa.

Por supuesto, Sylphy y Luke los acompañaron.

Por mi parte, decido quedarme en el cuarto.

“Phew..."

Estoy exhausto.

Sólo fue una hora, pero se sentía como si hubiéramos estado hablando todo el día.

No estaba de humor como para hacer turismo, así que un descanso sonaba tentador.

Con esto en mente, me quedé en la cama.

"Oh, que suave."

Tan suave que me sentía capaz de hundirme hasta el fondo de la cama de plumas.

¿Podría llevar uno a casa conmigo ...

Dejando la cama de lado.

Realmente debería pensar en lo que pasó hoy.

En primer lugar, esta lo de Elinalise ...

Todavía debe estar pensando en eso.

Tal vez debería ir y preguntarle.

... No, ella debe tener sus razones. Mejor no entrometerme en eso.

Ella también necesita un poco de tiempo para prepararse.

Un día, definitivamente voy a ir a preguntarle todos los detalles sobre estas maldiciones. Eso es todo.

La cuestión de la cresta fue sin duda una sorpresa.

Rey Dragón Oscuro, Rey Dragón Loco: son un montón de nombres nuevos.

Recuerdo que se llaman los "5 Guerreros Dragón."

La leyenda dice que ellos 5 una vez lucharon contra el Dios Dragón hasta llegar a un punto muerto.

Ellos realmente no pueden ser las mismas 5 personas de aquel entonces, ¿no?

Ya tienen que haber pasado un buen número de generaciones.

Pelagius, el Rey Dragón Blindado, Maxwell, el Rey Dragón Oscuro, Chaos, el Rey Dragón Loco.

Incluyendo al que aparece en el telepuerto, Shilard, el Santo Dragón Emperador.

Eso suma 4.

Recuerdo que había un Emperador Dragón y 4 Reyes Dragón.

Así que hay un Rey Dragón mas.

Hablando de eso, sólo vi 4 crestas como las del Dios Dragón en aquella pared.

¿Acaso Pelagius no tiene una buena relación con el último Rey Dragón?

Aún así, esa muñeca resultó ser aún más sorprendente.

Me preguntaba donde había visto esa cresta antes, resulta que es algo relacionado con esa gente dragón.

Todavía no sé en qué idioma está escrito...

Ah, bien, si Pelagius nos ayuda a traducirlo, sería un gran progreso en nuestra investigación.

Debería preguntarle si puede darle un vistazo.

Pero no parece que yo le agrede mucho, o más bien, esta bastante atento a lo que hago, tal vez sea mejor que Zanoba se lo pida.

Zanoba y Pelagius parecen congeniar muy bien gracias a ese mutuo interés por arte.

Entonces, si la cresta del Rey Dragón Loco fue encontrada en mi sótano, entonces el Rey Dragón Loco solía vivir allí hace años.

Eso significa que, en esa casa, el Rey Dragón Loco se encerraba en el sótano y jugaba con muñecas.

A pesar de que él es el Rey Dragón Loco.

¿Dónde reside su locura?

Después de todo, jugar con muñecas es un poco tonto.

Pero, si es alguien como Zanoba, en cierto modo los dos son un poco locos.

Así que Chaos, el Rey Dragón Loco también le gustan cosas como las muñecas.

De todas formas, a pesar de que he venido aquí para aprender magia de Invocación, con esta distracción en medio podría ser imposible aprender algo.

Pelagius parece muy antagónico hacia mí.

En ese caso, si le pregunto probablemente diga algo como “¿Tienes planes de usar esa magia para convocar a Laplace?”

... ¿Seria posible?

Pelagius dijo que la magia de invocación no funciona en personas con un gran poder mágico.

Mi poder aparentemente coincide con Laplace, por lo que podría ser posible.

Resucitar al Dios Demonio en un altar subterráneo suena espeluznante.

No, no voy a hacer algo así.

Pero si eso es posible, entonces él tiene razón en permanecer vigilante.

"En cualquier caso, esto es lo suficientemente bueno."

A pesar de que me odia, no me echo ni me grito.

Por ahora, eso me tranquiliza un poco.

Aunque no es perfecto, es lo suficientemente bueno.

Hablar es todo lo que puedo hacer.

Pensando en varias cosas, finalizo el primer día en el castillo del cielo.

== Capítulo 146 - El pasado, la Maldición, la Invocación y la Envidia ==

=== 1ª Parte ===

Había una vez una chica que fue rescatada de de un laberinto hace unos 200 años.

Sin embargo, esa chica perdió todos sus recuerdos y emociones.

No era posible saber su identidad, pero gracias a su aspecto se pudo determinar su raza.

Por lo tanto, esa chica se fue a vivir a un pueblo con su gente.

Los pobladores le dieron una alegre bienvenida a la joven.

Esa chica nunca recuperó sus recuerdos.

Pero unos años más tarde, las emociones volvieron a ella.

Al poco tiempo, esa chica brillante y alegre se enamoró de un muchacho del pueblo, y se convirtieron en amantes.

Enseguida se casaron, pero entonces apareció un extraño problema.

Su apetito sexual creció y creció.

Cada noche ella lo ansiaba.

La raza a la que pertenecía la chica carece de un fuerte apetito sexual.

Es inferior que el de los goblins y humanos.

Debido a eso, el joven a menudo se sentía preocupado, pero aún así vivían una vida tranquila.

Poco después, el cuerpo de la chica comenzó a cambiar.

A partir de su primera vez con su pareja, una vez al mes, daba a luz algo.

Un cristal mágico.

Un pequeño y redondo cristal mágico.

Ese cristal contenía gran poder mágico y se podía vender por un precio alto.

Lo discutió con su marido.

A pesar de que se sintió un poco incómodo, él lo aceptó.

Poco después, el muchacho vendió los cristales mágicos en la ciudad.

La enorme cantidad de dinero lo cegó... Pero no fue su culpa, por lo que no hay que culpar al joven.

Ellos no eran particularmente ricos, y la chica no trabajaba.

Por lo menos, el muchacho no trataba a esa chica como una gallina de huevos de oro.

Ellos vivieron felices juntos.

Hasta que algo sucedió 5 años más tarde.

El joven murió.

Fue asesinado.

Al cargar con objetos de valor de manera regular, fue marcado por bandidos humanos, y fue atacado, perdiendo su vida y su dinero.

El joven murió, y esa chica quedó viuda.

Diez días después de su muerte.

La chica perdió el control de sí misma y atacó a otro joven en la aldea.

Sabía que no debía, sin embargo lo hizo.

Pero la victima realmente no estaba molesta, por lo que no se le dio mucha importancia al asunto.

Diez días pasaron.

Esa chica atacó a otro chico.

Pasaron otros diez días, y luego ataco a otro.

Esa chica se volvió salvaje, sus acciones quedaron expuestas, y finalmente fue capturada por las otras chicas de la aldea.

Así que fue expulsada de la aldea.

A partir de entonces, vivió como una prostituta, una esclava, y, finalmente, como una aventurera, y hasta el día de hoy ella sigue vagando por el mundo.

=== 2ª Parte ===

Escuchar la historia de Elinalise fue lo primero que hice esta mañana.

"... Esa es más o menos la historia de mi vida."

"Realmente no necesito tantos detalles..."

Honestamente, me siento bastante molesto a causa de esa historia.

Lo que realmente necesito es información acerca de las maldiciones.

Sin embargo, Elinalise siguió adelante y me lo contó todo.

"Lamento haber escondido esto de ti todo este tiempo."

"¿Entonces... Cliff sabe de esto?"

"Por supuesto, le conté todo antes de la boda."

"Entiendo...¿ y Sylphy?"

"Sylphy no lo sabe. ¿No es mejor que no sepa que su abuela fue una una prostituta?"

"Creo que a Sylphy no le importaría algo como eso..."

"Ludeus, por favor, espero que no mires a Sylphy de manera diferente después de escuchar estas cosas. Esa chica puede ser de mi sangre, pero ella es sólo una chica normal."

"Por supuesto que no lo haré."

Elinalise es Elinalise, Sylphy es Sylphy.

Aún así, con un pasado como el suyo, puedo entender por qué ella evito su papel de abuela.

La mayoría de la gente probablemente la miraría de forma diferente.

Lo pasado es pasado.

No hay que huir del pasado, pero con lo que se es suficiente.

"Bueno, en resumen, ¿cual es la maldición de la que hablas?"

"Los cristales mágicos dentro de mi cuerpo deben de ser fecundado por los hombres. Sin espermatozoides, la magia se expandirá hasta matarme. Se trata de algo así."

"¿Pero no pasó nada en los primeros años?"

"No estoy muy segura acerca de eso... Pero en aquel entonces aun no había comenzado a menstruar, así que puede que esa sea la causa."

"Menstruación..."

Así que esta relacionado con la menstruación. ¿Sus óvulos se convierten en cristales mágicos?

En ese caso, la maldición de Zenith es algo diferente.

Zenith ya tenía dos hijos.

Debería preguntarle a Lilia, pero Zenith debe tener unos 35 años mas o menos.

Aún así, al menos por ahora no ha pasado nada.

"¿Lograste recuperar tu memoria?"

"No, todavía no recuerdo nada."

"..."

Su memoria nunca regresó.

Entonces, posiblemente nunca sepamos quién es Elinalise en realidad.

Todavía es posible que de repente recupere sus recuerdos de golpe.

Pero después de 200 años, lo dudo.

"Bueno, Zenith es diferente de '''esa chica''' de aquel entonces. Por lo menos en este momento ella parece reconocer su carne y sangre. Tal vez sus recuerdos se pueden recuperar."

"Sería genial si ese es el caso."

No debo ser demasiado optimista.

Más bien, yo debería asumir lo peor y hacer planes para hacerle frente.

"¿Qué pasa con la maldición?"

"Por ahora, no hay síntomas como el mío."

"Correcto."

"Probablemente... tiene una maldición diferente."

"Correcto."

"Es altamente probable. ¿Tienes alguna idea?"

¿Ideas?

¿Pistas?

Bueno.

Tal vez, tal vez no.

No tengo ni idea de en que consiste la maldición.

"Nada."

"Ya veo. Sin embargo, debes ser cuidadoso."

Probablemente no sea algo que amenace su vida.

Pero como dijo Elinalise, podría haber algún disparador en alguna parte.

"En otras palabras, ¿todo lo que podemos hacer ahora es esperar y ver?"

"Sí."

No es demasiado optimista.

Con suerte, no pasará nada.

"Eso es todo lo que sé. Lo siento. Hay mucho de lo que no quería hablar, así que tarde bastante en contar estas cosas."

Elinalise se ve abatida al decir eso.

Sí, es un poco tarde.

Si se tratase de otra persona, le gritaría por no decir nada hasta ahora.

Pero puedo entender el deseo de ocultar un pasado oscuro.

Más bien, yo debería ser el que se disculpara por esconder mi vida pasada.

"No, obviamente es algo difícil de contar, sin embargo me lo dijiste de todos modos. Muchas gracias."

Le extiendo una mano a Elinalise.

Ella la sostuvo con fuerza.

"Entonces, voy a regresar con Cliff."

"Voy a descansar un rato, luego voy a reunirme con Nanahoshi."

"Ah, entonces nos vemos más tarde."

Elinalise salió de la habitación con esas palabras.

Al final, no hice mucho progreso con respecto a Zenith.

Aunque la posibilidad de que sea trate de una maldición es muy alta, al menos hasta ahora no ha pasado nada.

Por el momento solo puedo estar preparado, ya me preocupare de ello cuando los problemas se presenten.

=== 3ª Parte ===

Después del desayuno.

Me senté en una larga mesa en una habitación en el Castillo del Cielo.

Al lado mio están Nanahoshi y Cliff, y junto a él Zanoba.

Al otro lado se sienta Sylvaril del Vacío.

Con alas de color negro azabache, un subordinado de Pelagius.

"Bueno, vamos a empezar."

Nanahoshi había pedido a Pelagius que le enseñara magia de invocación.

Y gracias a Nanahoshi, nosotros también pudimos unirnos.

Dado que las clases comienzan a partir de los fundamentos, el profesor no es Pelagius.

Parece que tenemos que esperar hasta que llegue la hora de aprender la parte más avanzada antes de que haga acto de presencia.

En este momento, Pelagius probablemente este tomando el té con Ariel.

Aunque no sé por qué exactamente Ariel desea ganar el trono, creo que es bueno tener alguna meta.

Voy a apoyarla discretamente.

Después de todo, Sylphy es su amiga.

Aunque tienen diferentes estatus, si Sylphy y Ariel se ven como amigas, entonces lo son.

Oh, en este momento realmente debería prestar atención a las lecciones.

"Entonces, en primer lugar, ¿que creen que es la magia de invocación?"

Sylvaril del Vacío comienza la lección con una pregunta.

"La persona de ahí..."

"Cliff. Cliff Grimoire".

"Entonces, responde Cliff. ¿Qué es la invocación?"

Existen dos tipos de magia de invocación.

En primer lugar el encantamiento; que principalmente tiene que ver con la creación de herramientas mágicas.

En otras palabras, el arte de dibujar círculos mágicos.

Ese es el fuerte de Cliff y es una materia que se enseña en la Ciudad mágica de Sharia.

El segundo tipo es invocación.

Una manera de convocar algo de este mundo.

De las criaturas más simples a las más inteligentes, como gatos y perros.

Bestias mágicas domésticas y dóciles.

Criaturas mágicas de poca inteligencia como goblins y ents.

O llamar a los diversos espíritus que habitan en este mundo.

Ninguno de los maestros en la Ciudad Mágica de Sharia sabe esta magia, y sólo unos pocos de los miembros del Gremio Magico es versado en ella.

Tal vez un país desconocido ha monopolizado las técnicas. Básicamente, nadie lo enseña en la Ciudad Mágica.

Eso es todo lo que sé de ella.

Cliff probablemente esta en la misma situación y dio una respuesta similar.

"... Eso es incorrecto."

Sylvaril niega con la cabeza.

"De hecho, los círculos mágicos son indispensables para la magia de invocación. Pero el arte de los
círculos mágicos no pueden ser llamados correctamente magia de invocación."

"En otras palabras, ¿magia de invocación es el último de los dos tipos?"

Pregunto.

Esto me recuerda a cuando Roxy me enseñó magia.

"Sí. Es cierto que hay dos tipos de magia de invocación."

"Básicamente, encantamiento no es uno de ellos."

"Eso es correcto."

Sylvaril continúa la conferencia.

Pero no hay cuadernos ni pizarrón.

Estamos usando plumas para tomar notas.

Esto realmente se siente como una conferencia.

"La magia de invocación viene en dos formas, "Invocación de Bestias Mágicas" e "Invocación de Espíritus".

En algún lugar de este mundo existen espíritus, pero son bastante raros.

Yo sólo he visto el Espíritu de Luz de mi pergamino mágico.

"¿Cuál es la diferencia entre ellos?"

"La invocación de bestias mágicas es como usted piensa, puede invocar criaturas de diferentes lugares. Pero por un pacto antiguo no es posible convocar una persona. Además de eso, se puede convocar a cualquier ser vivo de este mundo."

Todos los seres vivos.

¿Incluso los dragones?

"¿Pacto Antiguo?"

"Un pacto transmitido desde la fundación de la magia de invocación en este mundo. No hay magia que pueda desafiar este pacto."

"Ya veo."

El hombre no puede romper el pacto.

... Pero, ¿es realmente posible?

Teleportar personas e invocar personas, ¿cuál es la diferencia?

Em, bueno. Por ahora vamos a centrarnos en los fundamentos

Una vez que lleguemos a eso pediré mas detalles.

"Lo siento, por favor continúe."

"Está bien. Con la Invocación de Bestias Mágicas, es imposible convocar cualquier existencia con mayor poder mágico. Incluso si se hace, no se puede controlar."

Ah, una vez leí una historia como esta.

El libro era “Técnicas Convocatorias de Shigu”.

Una bruja llamada Shigu convocó a una existencia que no podía controlar, y fue devorada.

Tengo suficiente magia para convocar cualquier cosa, pero eso no significa que tenga que hacerlo.

De hecho, no tengo planes para convocar algo aterrador.

Básicamente, ya tengo 3 mascotas en casa.

No tiene sentido llamar otro.

"Oye, ¿sólo se pueden convocar seres vivos?"

"Sí. No podemos invocar a los muertos."

"No, no es eso. Cosas como objetos... Por ejemplo, ¿puedo invocar ropa de mi casa?"

"Eso es imposible."

En otras palabras, las bragas de Roxy están fuera de cuestión.

No, espera.

Nanahoshi convocó con éxito una botella de PET.

Así que no es imposible.

Es más como que ese es el límite de la tecnología de este mundo.

Entonces Pelagius se reunió con Nanahoshi y confirmó sus resultados.

Así que es por eso que Pelagius y Nanahoshi terminaron trabajando juntos.

"¿Puedo continuar?"

"Ah, sí. Perdone la interrupción."

"No, las preguntas muestran que estás prestando atención."

Sylvaril asiente lentamente y continúa la conferencia.

"La Invocación de Espíritus... es una magia para construir espíritus."

"¿Construir? ¿Así que son creados?"

"Sí. El uso de la magia del invocación permite construir espíritus de varios atributos. Eso es Espíritu Invocado."

Oh.

En otras palabras, esos pergaminos que he estado utilizando.

Cuando yo los convoco, realmente estoy creando Espíritus de Luz por mí mismo.

"Los espíritus tienen poca inteligencia. Siguen todos los comandos del invocador hasta que su
magia se haya agotado."

"¿Pueden rechazar ordenes?"

"... Si el círculo mágico ha sido especialmente diseñado de esa manera, puede que sea posible."

Ohh.

Si lo hace uno mismo, puede ser lo que quieras que sea.

Así que es casi como una programación.

¿Eh?

Básicamente programación, ¿dónde he oído eso antes?

"Eso no tiene sentido."

Cliff suena insatisfecho.

"Eres Familiares de Pelagius-sama, y él te convoco hace más de 400 años, ¿no? Sin embargo, usted es inteligente y permanente. ¿No es eso raro?"

Oh, como se esperaba de Cliff, llego al corazón del asunto.

Sylvaril asiente con satisfacción.

"Sobre eso, permítanme explicarlo. El predecesor de Pelagius-sama, el Dragón Blindado-sama original, dejo atrás el método de convocar 11 espíritus antiguos de gran inteligencia y poder. Pero el tiempo de invocación de esos poderosos espíritus era de solo un día. Fue Pelagius- sama quien desarrolló una manera de hacer posible que existan mientras él este con vida ".

Suena como un motivo de orgullo para ella.

Familiares de un solo día de vida se convierten en perpetuos.

Movimiento perpetuo, no importa en qué este mundo es un logro increíble.

¿Eh?

¿11 espíritus antiguos?

"¿No querrás decir 12?"

"Cierto. Yo no soy uno de los espíritus de Pelagius-sama."

"¿No lo eres?"

"Correcto. Pelagius-sama me rescató durante la Campaña de Laplace. Desde entonces siempre lo he servido. Soy simplemente un miembro de la raza Celestial."

Raza Celestial.

Bueno, eso tiene sentido, ella tiene alas después de todo.

En comparación con el resto de sus subordinados, es la mas cercana a un confidente.

En realidad su amante... No, eso es imposible.

No todas las relaciones es sobre el amor.

"Entonces, ¿que vamos a estudiar?"

"Vamos a utilizar Invocación de Bestias Mágicas como base, pero Pelagius-sama cree que invocación de otro mundo está más relacionados con Invocación de Espíritus, así que vamos a tocar eso también."

¿Enseñar a los dos tipos?

Estoy deseando que llegue el momento.

Invocar bestias mágicas de todo el mundo y abrir un zoológico podría ser divertido.

"Entonces, si es posible, por favor enséñenos los detalles de la Invocación de Espíritus también."

"También estoy muy interesado en la Invocación de Espíritus."

Zanoba y Cliff parecen particularmente interesados en Invocación de Espíritus.

Ah, correcto. Lo entiendo.

Programación.

El corazón de la muñeca autónoma.

Cuando lo vi en ese entonces, pensé que se parecía a algo de programación.

En otras palabras, con Invocación de Espíritus, podría ser posible completar la muñeca.

Pero me imagino que, si Chaos, el rey Dragón Loco no pudo terminarla no puede ser tan fácil ...

Pero por lo menos debemos ser capaces de avanzar un poco mas.

Pero no sé por dónde empezar a aplicar ese conocimiento.

"Bueno, vamos a empezar con lo básico de la Invocación de Bestias Mágicas. Primero echen un vistazo a este circulo mágico."

Mientras pensaba, Sylvaril comenzó la conferencia sobre invocación básica.

Realmente debería haber estudiado los fundamentos por mi cuenta en lugar de pedir ayuda.

Bueno, es un poco tarde para eso.

Mejor ahora que nunca.

Al final, yo solo llevo 18 años en este mundo.

En comparación con Zanoba quién tenia 25 o 26 años cuando se matriculó, y aún así se pasa día y noche creando muñecas...

Tengo que seguir su ejemplo.

De todas formas, ahora mismo estoy definitivamente detrás de todos los demás.

Después de clase tengo que hacer un poco de auto-estudio.

"Por cierto, ya es la hora del almuerzo. Por favor no duden en preguntar si quieren algo en particular."

Con eso dicho, Sylvaril termina la conferencia.

=== 4ª Parte ===

Almuerzo.

Anoche sirvieron varias comidas tradicionales del Reino de Asura.

Bolas de carne y papas hervida en sopa de vainilla.

Pan de trigo hecho con diversos granos.

Básicamente lo mismo que en la Ciudad Mágica.

Se ve un poco simple al lado de este castillo, pero es sencillo y delicioso.

Puede parecer una cocina tradicional para nosotros, pero para Pelagius, es lo que él considera una comida típica del Reino de Asura.

Cocina de hace 400 años.

Se dice que los avances tecnológicos ocurren en la guerra, y los avances en la gastronomía durante la paz.

La cultura de la comida del Reino de Asura probablemente avanzó un poco después de 400 años.

Aunque la comida fue servida individualmente, comí con Sylphy de todos modos.

No importa lo lujosa que sea la habitación, comer solo se siente solitario.

Nunca hubiera pensado eso en mi vida pasada.

Comí el desayuno solo, pero no fue algo que pudiera evitar.

"Algo de Milis."

"Ah, quiero comida de Shirone."

Cliff y Zanoba sugirieron comida de su pais.

Probablemente se sienten un poco de nostalgia.

"Puedo hacer eso. Está bien."

Desde detrás de la máscara, la voz de Sylvaril suena suave y acepta sus peticiones.

"Lo que sea esta bien."

Responde Nanahoshi.

¿Ella se da cuenta de que tipo de oportunidad es esta?

Yo no soy un hombre que deja escapar una oportunidad como esta.

Como dijo ese lolicon de Red Comet: '''Hay que explotar al máximo las oportunidades a nuestro alcance'''.

"Arroz blanco avinagrado con pescado crudo en rodajas sobre el, ¿estás familiarizado con ese plato?"

"¿Eh? ¿En serio?"

Al oírme, el rostro de Nanahoshi se ilumina.

Pero Sylvaril niega con la cabeza.

"No, no lo conozco, pero suelo preparar arroz a menudo."

Nanahoshi parece decepcionada.

Pero ahora estoy emocionado.

Mientras tengamos arroz, entonces cualquier plato puede funcionar.

"¿Que tal agregar huevos y harina en agua fría, mezclarlo bien, añadir camarones, calamares y verduras;? Luego hervir todo en aceite caliente"

"Nunca he oído hablar de eso, pero sí tenemos harina y huevos ..."

¡Tenemos huevos!

¡En otras palabras, por fin puedo comer eso!

Bueno, sushi y tempura puede que no.

Entonces sukiyaki tampoco probablemente.

Necesitamos vino de cocina, terrón de azúcar, y salsa de soja para eso.

No va a ser igual, pero con ingredientes podemos llegar a algo parecido...

Así que todo se reduce a la salsa de soja.

El anhelado sabor de Japón se reduce a la salsa de soja.

"Entonces, una salsa de soja fermentada. ¿Eso existe? ¿Algo como salsa de soja?"

"No en el castillo."

Suspiro.

Efectivamente, en este mundo no hay salsa de soja.

"Pero he oído que existe una especie de condimento en el Reino Biheiriru. Quizás Arumanfi pueda comprobarlo."

"¡Sí por favor!"

Incluso molestar a Arumanfi está bien.

Si existe, entonces hay que encontrarlo.

=== 5ª Parte ===

Una hora más tarde.

Al final, no hay salsa de soja.

Tal vez una hora no fue suficiente tiempo para una búsqueda exhaustiva.

Es de esperar, no es suficiente como para buscar los ingredientes justo antes de comenzar la cocción.

No hay salsa de soja, pero al menos Arumanfi trajo algo más.

Soja fermentada, un comestible de color té.

Lo llaman "tofu" en este mundo.

Pero yo lo llamo "miso".

Porque eso es lo que es.

El Reino Biheiriru... según recuerdo es un país en la esquina noreste del Continente Central.

Tal vez allí por fin pueda encontrar la salsa de soja.

Debería visitarlo algún día.

Dentro de diez o veinte años, si surge una oportunidad definitivamente tengo que visitarlo.

Voy a dejar eso a un lado por ahora.

Tenemos arroz.

Tenemos miso.

Incluso tenemos pescado fresco.

No hay rábano o jengibre, pero hay limón.

Me gustaría tener encurtidos, pero eso ya es demasiado. Así que tendré que conformarme.

Con los ingredientes que tenemos, trato de instruir a Sylvaril lo mejor que puedo.

"¿Es así como lo quieres?"

Después de un rato, por fin termina.

Arroz recién cocinado.

Sopa de miso caliente.

Y pescado a la parrilla con limón.

Ordene para dos.

El otro es para Nanahoshi.

Y tengo un huevo crudo a un costado.

"Es bueno comer algo como esto de vez en cuando."

"... Bueno, supongo."

Los platos se ven fantásticos, pero Nanahoshi no parece especialmente satisfecha.

Como era de esperar, sólo con verse como comida japonesa no la impresiona.

Ah, bueno.

Aunque no sepa como la comida de Japón fue divertido intentarlo.

"Es hora de probarlo. Itadakimasu."

"... Itadakimasu."

Nanahoshi frunce el entrecejo y comienza a comer con una cuchara y tenedor.

No se ve como si lo estuviera disfrutando.

Ella separa un poco de pescado con un tenedor, exprime un poco de jugo de limón sobre el, y lo pone en su boca.

Luego sigue con un poco de arroz y empieza a masticar.

Toma un sorbo de la sopa de miso directamente de su tazón de porcelana.

Y finalmente dijo.

"Esta sopa ni siquiera tiene dashi..."

Las lágrimas fluyen de sus ojos.

Ella no deja de llorar mientras come.

[[File:Mushoku14 05.jpg|500px]]

Para ser sincero, la comida no tiene un sabor particularmente bueno.

El arroz esta seco, y la sopa un poco salada.

El pescado es delicioso, pero sabe un poco sospechoso y el sabor del limón no coincide.

No hay ningún equilibrio.

No sabe bien.

La cocina japonesa que recuerdo es mucho mejor que esto.

Pero las manos de Nanahoshi se siguen moviendo, y sus lágrimas siguen fluyendo.

Rápidamente termino la silenciosa comida.

"... Gracias por la comida."

Con eso, estoy contento.

=== 6ª Parte ===

Después de la clase de la tarde, regreso a mi habitación.

Las clases de magia de Invocación son bastante interesantes.

Más bien, Sylvaril es un buen maestro.

Hoy no enseñó nada especial, pero podría quedarme atrás muy pronto.

Tengo que estudiar mientras pueda.

Me pregunto cuánto tiempo tomarán estas lecciones.

A este ritmo, tal vez alrededor de una semana.

Aunque en la escuela sólo se requiere que asista a una clase y el resto es tiempo libre, no quiero estar lejos de casa por mucho tiempo.

Estoy preocupado por Lucy y Zenith.

Bueno, debería centrarme en lo que está frente a mí.

Todo lo que podemos hacer por Zenith ahora es observarla, y Aisha puede cuidar de Lucy.

Lo que debo hacer ahora es revisar y prepararme para para las lecciones de invocación.

Knock Knock.

Justo cuando me senté en un sofá y saque mi libreta, alguien llama a la puerta.

"Ludy, ¿estas adentro?"

Sylphy entra sin esperar mi respuesta.

Al verme, pasa y se sienta a mi lado.

Entonces, ella suspira.

Saco una jarra y lleno un vaso de agua para ella.

"¿Cansada?"

"Gracias."

Tomando el vaso, Sylphy lo vacía de un solo trago.

"Uf."

Ella se ve agotada.

"¿Cómo te fue? ¿Como le va a Ariel-sama?"

"Ugh. Bueno, ha sido duro."

"¿De verdad?"

"Pelagius-sama no le importa nada de lo que Ariel-sama tiene que decir."

En un intento de conseguir poner a Pelagius de su lado, Ariel ha estado sugiriendo diversos incentivos para obtener su apoyo.

Como ofrecerle un título una vez que ella se convierta en reina.

O territorio en el Reino de Asura.

O ofrecerle varias concesiones en los negocios.

Por supuesto, para Pelagius eso carece de interés.

"Por supuesto."

"¿De verdad?"

"¿Acaso Pelagius-sama esta aquí precisamente para alejarse de esas cosas? No sólo esta desinteresado, es probable que realmente lo odie."

"¿Eh? Pensé que dijo que vive aquí para estar listo para Laplace."

Sylphy me mira perpleja.

¿Pelagius dijo eso?

Bueno, tal vez esa es una de las razones.

"Además, si realmente quiere poder podría conseguirlo por su cuenta. Después de todo, sigue siendo el héroe de la Campaña de Laplace. ¿Acaso Sylvaril no dijo que odia la actitud anticuada de Asura? Ofrecerle esas cosas solo serviría para molestarlo ".

Si él quiere, probablemente podría salir en cualquier momento.

Sin embargo, él vive en reclusión.

Aunque no sé los detalles, probablemente hay razones para ello.

"¿En serio? Supongo que sí. Ariel-sama esta realmente preocupada por esto... Eh, Ludy, ¿qué crees que debería hacer?"

"Qué hacer..."

No soy bueno con este tipo de cosas.

Pero creo que Ariel empezó con el pie izquierdo.

Normalmente, ¿no debería intentar conocerlo primero?

Las solicitudes pueden venir después de eso.

Si la otra parte se siente preocupado, entonces uno puede ofrecer varias concesiones.

Un paso a la vez.

Ariel tiene carisma.

Tal vez por eso ella siempre ha sido capaz de convencer a los demás para apoyar su causa sin necesitar ese primer paso.

Así que cuando conoce a alguien impertérrito por su carisma, ella se quedo perdida.

Nanahoshi, Pelagius, ambos son así.

Y yo también, supongo.

Me gustaría ayudar por el bien de Sylphy, pero Ariel realmente no me importa.

"En primer lugar, ¿qué tal hacerse amigos con Pelagius-sama?"

"¿Hacerse amigos?"

"Claro, hablar de sus aficiones, escuchar sus historias de guerra, ese tipo de cosas."

"Aficiones e historias de guerra".

"Llevar a Zanoba podría ser una buena idea. De entre nosotros, él parece ser el que mas le agrada."

Zanoba y Pelagius conducen la conversación, y Ariel puede unirse lentamente.

Tal vez eso puede obtener algunos resultados.

"Oh. Tiene sentido. Le diré a Ariel-sama que lo intente."

"No te lo tomes demasiado en serio. Yo podría estar totalmente equivocado".

"Haha, gracias por el consejo."

Sylphy termina con un beso en mi mejilla.

Al sentir sus labios suaves, mi decisión de estudiar voló por la ventana, y pensamientos pervertidos llenaron mi cabeza.

Tomar a Sylphy aquí mismo, y hacer un segundo bebé justo en esa cama ...

Esos pensamientos cruzan mi mente.

No no.

No puedo ser tan impulsivo ahora.

¡Necesito estudiar!

Bien, ¿qué hay de acariciar un poco su culo? No, mejor no.

"Dime, ¿cómo van tus cosas?"

"Oh. Bastante bien."

Dejando las cosas H de lado, le cuento de los acontecimientos de hoy.

Zenith y su maldición.

Magia de Invocación.

Además, la comida con Nanahoshi.

"...Ludy es tan agradable con Nanahoshi."

Sylphy se ve un poco molesta cuando menciono a Nanahoshi.

¿Así que comer a solas con otra mujer no es bueno?

Bueno, Zanoba también estaba allí.

Tal vez no debería haber preparado algo especial para Nanahoshi.

No esta bien, tengo que hacer algo para que Sylphy sea feliz.

Sylphy necesita un recordatorio de que la persona que amo no es Nanahoshi, sino ella.

"Em, ¿Sylphiette-san?"

"¿Sí?"

"¿Puedo tener un abrazo?"

Al escucharme, Sylphy infla sus mejillas y vuelve la cabeza.

"Oh, ¿jugando al tipo agradable repentinamente? ¿Qué pasa? ¿Sentimientos de culpa?"

¿Eh, eh?

¿Por qué Sylphy esta tan fría?

¿Que pasó?

¿Enloqueció?

¿Dije algo malo?

¿Nuestro amor se consumió?

Hemos estado casados por casi 3 años.

¿La crisis de los 3 años?

No, cuántos años no importa.

¿Qué hago ahora?

Peligro, peligro.

"Eh, lo siento. Siempre pareces tan emocionado cuando Nanahoshi aparece, así que mimame un poco."

Sylphy saca la lengua y me abraza con fuerza.

Le devuelvo el abrazo.

Se siente tan cálida y suave.

Se siente como Sylphy.

Honestamente, yo podría haber hecho algo que disguste a Sylphy.

Pero, yo no quiero que me aborrezca.

Tengo que ser más cuidadoso en el futuro.

"Si Ludy realmente quiere hacer a Nanahoshi-san su tercera esposa, por favor no lo dejes caer de la nada como con Roxy. ¿Podemos hablar de ello en primer lugar?"

"No, eso no va a suceder. Mi relación con ella no es como la de Roxy y Sylphy. Sé un poco acerca de dónde es, así que quiero darle una mano. No hay nada entre nosotros..."

"¿Oh enserio?"

Sylphy me da una palmada en la cabeza con una sonrisa.

Entonces ella me palmea la espalda antes de salir de mi abrazo.

"Bueno, entonces tengo que volver con Ariel-sama. Haz tu mejor esfuerzo, Ludy."

"Ah, bien. Tú también, Sylphy."

No está bien.

Estaba siendo serio, pero sin darme cuenta hice infeliz a Sylphy.

Esto es malo.

Esto es muy malo.

Tengo que mantener mi distancia con Nanahoshi.

No puedo hacer muchas cosas para complacerla.

Muy bien.

"¿Eh?"

Al abrir la puerta para salir, Sylphy se detiene abruptamente.

Nanahoshi está justo fuera.

"Lo siento, no quería molestarlos, pero... Cof cof..."

Nanahoshi tosía ásperamente.

Apretando su pecho y su cuello, parece tener un dolor agudo.

"Lo siento. Accidentalmente escuché su conversación. Cof... no tengo ese tipo de relación con Ludeus, por lo que puedes estar segura... Cof..."

"Ah, oh. Está bien. Más importante, ¿te sientes bien?"

"Estoy bi... cof cof."

Nunca vi a Nanahoshi en tan mal estado.

Ella sigue tosiendo como si tuviera algo atrapado en su garganta. Se ve muy preocupante

"Hace un momento, empecé a toser mucho... cof... cof... Así que estaba buscando a alguien para que me eche un hechizo de desintoxicación. Busque a Cliff, pero esta... ocupado. Así que vine a buscar a Ludeus... Pero si va a causar algún malentendido, entonces voy a esperar hasta mañana por Cliff. "

"No, está bien. No te preocupes por eso..."

Sylphy agarra a toda prisa a Nanahoshi por los hombros.

"Entonces déjame encargarme de esto. Si no funciona, entonces podemos pedirle a Cliff que use un hechizo avanzado."

"Muchas gracias, por favor adelante ..."

"Muy bien, primero que nada."

Sylphy coloca suavemente una mano en el cuello de Nanahoshi.

Ella puede usar magia de desintoxicación sin voz.

Algo que incluso yo no puedo hacer.

No, yo también debería ser capaz de hacerlo.

"¿Eh?"

Mientras pensaba eso, Sylphy la mira perpleja y confundida.

Un instante después, la tos de Nanahoshi se intensifica.

"Cof cof..."

"¿Eh? Se siente... muy raro. Como algo mágico... ¿Eh?"

Sylphy inclina la cabeza y coloca la otra mano sobre el hombro de Nanahoshi.

Al instante, la tos de Nanahoshi se pone aún peor. La situación es crítica.

"¿Hey, qué pasa?"

Pregunto ansiosamente.

Nanahoshi se tapa la boca.

"Ugh... ¡Cof!"

Splat.

"¿Eh?"

La sangre salpicó el suelo.

"¡Hey, hey!"

"..."

Nanahoshi mira su mano aturdida.

Luego, poco a poco abrió la palma de su mano y nos la mostró.

Su palma estaba pintada de rojo sangre.

Inmediatamente, Nanahoshi perdió el conocimiento y se desplomó en el suelo.

"¿Eh? ¿Qué?"

No soy el único en estado de shock.

Sylphy esta de pie aturdida, incapaz de comprender lo que ha sucedido.

"Hace un momento, sentí... en Nanahoshi... ¿Por qué? ¿Eh?"

Con su rostro y sus manos salpicadas de sangre, mira a Nanahoshi tirada en el suelo.

Su rostro esta pálido.

Corro a su lado.

"SYLPHY"

Le grito con voz áspera.

Todo el cuerpo de Sylphy tiembla. Sus ojos están llenos de miedo. Ella retrocede varios pasos.

"¡N-no! ¡No fui yo! ¡Yo no lo hice!."

Sylphy se ha retirado a un rincón.

Yo la sigo en silencio.

Con la espalda contra la pared, dándose cuenta de que no tiene donde correr, ella sólo puede cerrar los ojos con fuerza.

"Aunque dije eso sólo estaba bromeando... Algo como esto... ¡yo nunca haría algo como esto!"

Tomo un pañuelo y lo mojo en un poco de agua (caliente por la magia) y empiezo a limpiar la sangre de la cara de Sylphy.

[[File:Mushoku14 06.jpg|500px]]

"¿Eh?"

Luego limpio la sangre en su mano.

La sangre de un paciente es una bomba de patógenos.

Aunque no creo que simplemente limpiar ayude, dejar la sangre probablemente no sea algo bueno.

Sylphy no ofrece resistencia.

"No te preocupes, Sylphy. Yo estaba viendo. No es culpa de Sylphy."

"Oh, oh."

Estoy muy tranquilo en este momento.

Ver a Sylphy en estado pánico de alguna manera ayudo a calmarme.

Tal vez aun no he procesado todo.

Por ahora, debo mantener la calma.

"Está bien. No es culpa de Sylphy. Nanahoshi ha estado débil últimamente. ¿Verdad?"

"Em ..."

"Esta vez la presenciaste en un mal momento. La viste en su peor estado. No es culpa de Sylphy."

"... Em, em, pero, ahora mismo sentí, cuando usé magia en Nanahoshi, algo extraño, la desintoxicación no funciona en absoluto... No sólo eso... esa acumulación ..."

Nanahoshi estaba en el suelo, con sangre brotando de su nariz y rostro.

Inconsciente.

En una situación crítica.

Sylphy sigue siendo un lío.

Mejor la calmo primero.

No, mejor la mantengo ocupada en algo.

Lo mejor para detener a alguien en estado de pánico es darle una tarea.

"Escucha con atención, Sylphy. Ya sea Cliff o Pelagius-sama, busca a alguien y dile que venga."

"¿Que venga?"

"Voy a examinar la condición de Nanahoshi y hacer lo que pueda. Mientras tanto, Sylphy, ve a buscar ayuda. ¿Puedes hacerlo?"

"Seguro."

Los ojos de Sylphy recuperaron su enfoque.

Luego, va hacia a la puerta y sale corriendo.

A pesar de que ella ha pasado por mucho en su vida, ver tanta sangre la debe haber asustado.

Especialmente de alguien que conoce.

Incluso si ella esta celosa, Sylphy nunca haría algo así.

Pero Sylphy a veces podría actuar de forma impulsiva...

No no.

Eso es imposible. Definitivamente imposible.

"Bueno."

Dejo de pensar demasiado y me dirijo hacia Nanahoshi.

Aunque no hay mucho que pueda hacer aquí, haré lo que pueda.

== Capítulo 147 - Lamentación ==

=== 1ª Parte ===

Han pasado 3 días desde que Nanahoshi colapsó.

Aún no recupera la conciencia.

Se desconoce el motivo por el cual vomitó sangre.

Después de que Sylphy fuera a buscar ayuda, Arumanfi rápidamente llego a la habitación y se llevó a Nanahoshi a la enfermería.

Mientras tanto, di un par de vueltas por el castillo para reunir el grupo e informarles de la situación.

Nanahoshi no está bien de salud. Mientras utilizaba magia restituyente en ella, vomitó sangre y luego colapsó.

En este momento ella se encuentra en la enfermería recibiendo tratamiento.

La verdad es que todo sucedió tan de repente que no sé los detalles.

Aunque preocupados, todo el mundo acepta la situación.

Ahora mismo, Nanahoshi está siendo tratada por Yuruzu de la expiación.

Yuruzu de la expiación tiene la habilidad de sanar.

Es capaz de transferir la salud y vitalidad de una persona a otra.

Ya que funciona sobre un principio diferente al de la magia restituyente, parece funcionar para enfermedades que son intratables para esta... <ref>Con 'esta' me refiero a magia restituyente, en otras palabras la frase hace referencia para enfermedades que son intratables para la magia restituyente</ref>

Aún así, la habilidad no funciona por sí sola y necesita la cooperación de otra persona.

Sin ninguna vacilación Sylphy se ofrece a ayudar.

Sylphy se acuesta al lado de Nanahoshi y el tratamiento comienza.

Sin embargo Nanahoshi aún tiene que recuperar la conciencia, su expresión es triste, con una tos constante.

"Karowante, ¿cuál es el estado de Nanahoshi?"

Al ver a Nanahoshi en esta condición, Pelagius ordena a otro subordinado que realice un diagnóstico.

Karowante de la Revelación.

Él tiene el poder de descubrir el poder y secretos de un objetivo.

Para los enfermos, también su condición.

Como la visión de rayos x.

Él sacude la cabeza después de observar a Nanahoshi.

"Esto va más allá de la habilidad de Yuruzu."

"Vamos a investigar en la biblioteca."

"A sus ordenes."

Con eso dicho, Pelagius y sus subordinados comienza a investigar el nombre y cura de la enfermedad de Nanahoshi.

Tratando de hacer coincidir los síntomas de Nanahoshi con los registros de la biblioteca.

Me ofrecí para echar una mano, pero fui rechazado. Los forasteros no pueden entrar en la biblioteca.

Por supuesto, Yuruzu sigue administrando el tratamiento, así que Sylphy nunca abandonó la enfermería.

Al final, no tengo nada que hacer.

Obviamente, no me quede sentado sin hacer nada durante estos 3 días.

Regresé a casa una vez a informar a Roxy de la situación.

Nanahoshi cayó enferma y Sylphy está ayudando con el tratamiento.

Así que puede tomar algún tiempo antes de que regresemos.

Roxy comienza a moverse a la vez con esa información.

Ella nos ayuda a contactar con la escuela y solicitar un permiso de ausencia, así como explica la situación en nuestra familia.

Entonces me dijo que dejara la casa a su cargo.

Es mucho más cabeza fría de lo que soy yo.

Ya está acostumbrada a este tipo de situaciones.

Al final, no pude hacer nada. Todo ha quedado bajo control.

Informé a Aisha y Norn que iba a regresar tarde, tomé un par de ropas de cambio y regresé al castillo de Pelagius.

Incluso en casa, no hay nada de lo cual pueda encargarme.

Todo lo que puedo hacer es orar para que Nanahoshi permanezca a salvo.

"... Nanahoshi, ¿se recuperará?"

Los demás, al igual que yo, no pueden hacer nada.

Particularmente Cliff, quien pasa su tiempo rezando en la capilla dentro del castillo.

"Todo está en la mano de Milis-sama."

Dijo Cliff, con las manos plegadas y ojos cerrados.

Orando a dios en momentos de crisis.

Nunca creí en esas cosas religiosas.

En este mundo, creo en las personas que realmente ofrecen una mano de ayuda.

Pero incluso yo puedo entender eso, en estos momentos, rezar a Roxy y Sylphy puede que no traiga ningún alivio.

"..."

De repente, recuerdo una película que vi una vez.

Una obra maestra de la invasión alienígena.

Aliens, con su tecnología abrumadora, casi aniquilan a la humanidad.

Pero al final todas sus maquinarias de repente dejaron de funcionar.

Los Aliens no tenían inmunidad contra los patógenos de la tierra y así todos perecieron. <ref>Referencia a War of the Worlds, pelicula del 2005 y libro del año 1898.</ref>

Nanahoshi vino de otro mundo.

Difiere de mí, quien reencarnó.

Ella no envejece, no posee poder mágico, y por tanto no puede utilizar ninguna herramienta mágica. <ref>Aún así puede usar piedras mágicas y cosas que contengan poder mágico :v</ref>

Tal vez, no sólo poder mágico, quizás tampoco posee inmunidad apta para este mundo.

Pero, si ese fuera el caso, entonces se debería haber enfermado hace mucho tiempo.

El evento de metástasis ocurrió hace 8 años.

Nanahoshi también vino a este mundo hace 8 años.

No hay ninguna razón para que eso ocurra ahora.

"..."

Esa chica.

¿Realmente morirá...?

¿Por qué sucedió esto?

=== 2ª Parte ===

4 días después de que Nanahoshi colapsara.

Estamos convocados a una mesa redonda.

Aparte de Yuruzu, todos los otros familiares están presentes.

Pelagius se sienta delante de ellos.

Se sentó en una silla lujosa grande con los familiares detrás.

"Por favor, siéntense."

Nos sentamos tras la sugerencia de Sylvaril.

Sylphy está ausente, se quedó ayudando a Yuruzu con el tratamiento, 7 presentes en total.

"Nanahoshi-sama ha sido diagnosticada."

Una vez que estamos sentados, Sylvaril da un par de pasos hacia adelante e informa.

Por fin sabemos.

"Nanahoshi-sama sufre del síndrome de drenaje."

Síndrome de drenaje.

Nunca he oído hablar de él.

Mirando a mi alrededor, nadie parece conocerlo tampoco.

Incluso alguien tan informado como Cliff se quedo en blanco.

"Era de esperar que nadie lo haya escuchado antes. Es una enfermedad que se remonta a tiempos inmemorables, cuando los hombres tenían un poder mágico inferior al de ahora. Si un niño nace sin ninguna capacidad mágica, sin excepción alguna, ese niño experimenta síntomas similares y a la edad de 10 años, muere."

Así que es la misma situación que Nanahoshi.

Aunque no tiene 10 años, ella ha estado en este mundo durante más de 8 años.

Y ella no tiene ni una pizca de magia...

Por lo menos, Sylphy no tiene la culpa.

Gracias a Dios.

"Según los registros, aquellos que no poseen poder mágico absorben cantidades minuciosas de magia del entorno, después de 10 años de acumularla en sus cuerpos, esta pasa a ser una enfermedad..." <ref>Recordad que en este mundo todo tiene magia</ref>

Sin poder mágico, su capacidad para absorber la magia del entorno es diminuta.

No sé los detalles, pero supongo que la magia vendría a ser como las bacterias en cierta forma.

Para aquellos con poder mágico, las bacterias buenas matan a las malas, pero para aquellos que no poseen poder mágico alguno, sólo las bacterias malas se acumulan.

No sabemos con certeza que tan confiable son los registros.

Sin embargo tienen bastante sentido.

"¿Se señala alguna cura en los registros?"

"No. Según los registros, esta enfermedad fue erradicada hace unos 7000 años después de que la humanidad aumentara su capacidad de poder mágico."

Hace 7000 años, por lo tanto fue por la época de la Gran Guerra Humano-Demonio.

Recuerdo escuchar que esta se desencadenó por casi 1 mil años.

La guerra causó todo tipo de avances.

A través de diversos medios, la humanidad auto progreso.

Un efecto secundario es la erradicación de esta enfermedad.

También es posible.

¡Vaya!, hace 7000 años.

No pueden haber muchos textos que lograran sobrevivir a esos tiempos de estragos.

Encontrar el nombre de la enfermedad ya es un milagro de por sí.

"Entonces, ¿qué hacemos?"

"Detenemos el tiempo."

El que responde a mi pregunta no es Sylvaril.

Sino más bien es el tranquilamente sentado Pelagius.

"Voy a pedir prestado el poder de Sukeakoto del tiempo y así vamos a detener el tiempo para Nanahoshi."

Declara Pelagius y un hombre camina hacia adelante.

Lleva una máscara de la cual su boca sobresale.

Una máscara de Hyottoko, más bien, como una máscara de gas.

Es Sukeakoto de tiempo.

De lo que recuerdo, él tiene la habilidad de detener el tiempo de cualquier persona que toca.

Por supuesto, el tiempo se congela para él también. Pero con esta capacidad, puede prevenir que se agrave la enfermedad de Nanahoshi o que muera.

Pero quién sabe cuánto tiempo pueda mantenerlo, tampoco soluciona la raíz del problema.

"Mmm, comprendo. Y entonces, ¿qué hacemos luego?"

"Contactar personas en la superficie y encontrar una cura."

Oh.

Podría funcionar.

Nadie se negará a alguien como Pelagius.

"Aún así la pregunta es '¿quién ayudara a Nanahoshi?'."

"¿Existe alguna manera con la influencia del Dragón-Blindado-sama?

"La verdad es que mi relación con Nanahoshi es solo de cooperación. No voy a deber favores a otros por el bien de ella."

¿Venga que acaso eso no es un poco frío?

Aún así, no sé los detalles exactos de su relación, por lo que no tengo derecho a objetar.

"No se confundan. Como invitados de mi castillo, les ofreceré algo de ayuda, aunque es mínima. Así que no esperen que les de todo. Mi mayor y ultimo propósito es encontrar y destruir a Laplace."

En otras palabras, debido a los trabajos relacionados con la observación de Laplace, no hará más de lo necesario para ayudar.

Tampoco deberá favores a otros.

Los favores se deben pagar.

Particularmente ya que se trata de la cura de una enfermedad erradicada hace bastante tiempo.

La contra parte definitivamente querrá algo grande a cambio.

Pelagius no tiene por qué ir tan lejos por Nanahoshi.

No, realmente tiene mucha razón para no hacerlo.

Mantener a Nanahoshi con vida es lo más lejos que llegará.

Se niega a hacer más. Si alguien quiere ayudar, pues es libre de hacerlo.

Ese es el significado detrás de las palabras de Pelagius.

Eso debería ser aceptable.

"... ¡¿Así que tan solo veras morir a Nanahoshi?!"

El que gritó es Cliff.

Se puso de pie gritando hacia Pelagius.

"¿Cuándo dije eso?"

"¡Mientes!. ¡Alguien como usted, dentro de un castillo tan impresionante, con tantos familiares poderosos! ¡Definitivamente, usted puede encontrar una cura!" <ref>Lo deje formal ya que le habla a Pelagius</ref>

Al escuchar a Cliff, Pelagius levanta una ceja.

"No tengo ninguna razón para ayudar."

"¡Déjate de bromas! ¡Ayudar a los débiles es el deber de los fuertes!"

"Pssh, no nos intentes meter en la cabeza esas detestables enseñanzas de Milis."

"¡¿Qué dijiste?!"

Cliff explotó en ira y comenzó a gritar estupideces sin pensar.

Él es un seguidor de Milis.

La iglesia de Milis comparte muchas similitudes con el catolisismo.

Es posible que también tengan enseñanzas de dar una mano a las ovejillas perdidas y cosas por el estilo.

Pero decirle eso a Pelagius es indebido.

Pelagius tiene sus propias preocupaciones.

Durante 400 años, se ha movido con sólo un objetivo en mente.

De hecho, Pelagius desea obtener conocimiento de la invocación desde otros mundos a través de Nanahoshi.

Pero esto está en segundo plano, después de Laplace.

Es sólo una manera de pasar en tranquilidad el tiempo antes de la tormenta.

"En otras palabras, ¡Simplemente te quedaras a ver como Nanahoshi muere! ¡Si vas a ayudar, ayuda hasta el final!." <ref>Deje lo formal desde el segundo grito porque ya anda como una puta cabra... y venga que nadie es formal cuando se emputece de verdad</ref>

"¡Cliff, detente!"

Cliff se levanta violentamente golpeando la silla hacia atrás, Elinalise le grita y luego agarra fuertemente con su mano el hombro de Cliff, impidiéndole ir más allá.

"Cliff, entiendo cómo te sientes, pero contrólate."

"..."

"No quiero perderte por esto."

Mirando a su alrededor, todos los familiares están en posición de batalla.

Viendo como retienen a Cliff, Pelagius sonríe burlonamente.

"Si tienes un problema, entonces ¿por qué no lo solucionas tu mismo? Tu dios dice eso también. Cuando ayudes a otros, no cuentes en alguien más, ¿no es así?"

"Grr..."

Pareciendo insatisfecho, Cliff se deja caer de nuevo en su silla.

No quiere pelear con Pelagius.

Él simplemente pensaba, para una persona como Pelagius, quien es capaz de casi todo, él debe ser capaz de ayudarla.

"Mmhm..."

¿Qué hacemos?

Quiero ayudar a Nanahoshi.

¿Pero ni siquiera sé por dónde comenzar?

Mirando a Ariel y a los demás, parecen estar pensando lo mismo.

Aisha y Nanahoshi se conocen y se llevan bien, si Nanahoshi muere quedara bastante perturbada.

También si muere, Sylphy se sentiría responsable.

¿Hay algo que pueda hacer?

¿Soy así de impotente?

"Disculpen."

Justo ahora, la puerta por donde entramos a la habitación de la mesa redonda se abre.

Es Yuruzu de la expiación.

Nos habla dirigiéndonos la mirada.

"Nanahoshi-sama ha recuperado la conciencia."

Casi salto a la puerta al escuchar esto.

"¿Có-cómo se encuentra?"

"Superficialmente ha mejorado un poco."

"¿Superficialmente?"

"De hecho. El síndrome de drenaje es el resultado de acumular magia en el cuerpo, lo cual provoca la enfermedad. Esta no tiene cura."

Por la forma en que lo dice, lo hace sentir como si fuera VIH.

Por lo que la tos es un síntoma de su enfermedad.

En otras palabras, aunque los síntomas superficiales se han curado, el motivo real de la enfermedad permanece.

"Entonces, ¿Puedes extirpar la magia que está dentro de ella?"

"No puedo."

"Entonces, ¿quién podría?"

Yuruzu sacude su cabeza al escuchar mi pregunta.

"¿De verdad?..."

¿No hay ninguna forma de extirpar la magia en su interior?

¿Como una herramienta mágica de algún tipo?

7000 años pasaron, la tecnología debe haber avanzado bastante en esta área.

Pero, ¿qué debe hacerse?

¿La piedra mágica de la Hidra funcionará?<ref>No recuerdo el nombre, se refiere a las escamas que absorben magia</ref>

No, esa cosa no hace nada con la magia dentro del cuerpo.

Tengo el presentimiento de que no puede hacerse.

¿Tal vez una herramienta mágica se puede hacer con esa propiedad?

Pero, ¿cuánto tiempo tardará?

No tenemos ninguna pista en primer lugar.

Mierda.

"En cualquier caso, deberíamos ir a chequear el estado de Nanahoshi."

Con eso dicho me puse de pie, todos los demás siguen mi gesto también.

=== 3ª Parte ===

La enfermería se siente algo triste.

Los muebles no difieren demasiado de las habitaciones de huéspedes.

Pero están expuestas las estructuras de piedra y los muros carecen de ventanas.

En el centro de la habitación hay una especie de mesa de operaciones, con cuchillos y vendas en los cajones.

"..."

Nanahoshi está en una esquina.

Las manchas de sangre en ella se han ido, ha cambiado su vestimenta a algo semejante a una bata de paciente.

Estéril, sin vida.

"Nanahoshi, ¿te encuentras bien?"

Le pregunto. Nanahoshi me mira y dice.

"¿Parezco estarlo?"

"..."

Por supuesto que no.

Su cara está pálida, con ojeras bajo sus ojos.

Cualquiera puede ver que no está bien de salud.

La habilidad de recuperación de Yuruzu es agotadora incluso para el paciente.

La otra cama está vacía.

Como si se tratara de una rotación con nosotros, Sylhpy dejó la enfermería y se dirigió a la habitación de huéspedes.

La vi en el camino. Se ve algo demacrada.

Durante 4 días, ayudó en el tratamiento.

A pesar de que dudo que no haya comido o bebido agua, aún así debió ser agotador para su cuerpo.

"Dijeron que no tengo cura."

"Ah, oh."

Me siento en una silla al lado de ella.

Al parecer Miss Yuruzu no le oculto nada acerca de su enfermedad. <ref>Miss= Señorita. Lo deje en ingles porque me da asco como suena en español :v</ref>

"No, mejorarás pronto."

"No, no lo haré... No voy a mejorar."

Dicho esto, Nanahoshi vuelve la cara.

Se queda mirando la pared en silencio.

Probablemente lo que acabo de decir fue irresponsable...

La verdad es que no sé que debería decir en momentos como este.

"..."

Después de quedarme en silencio. Ariel y los otros intentan mantener la conversación.

Algunos intentan reconfortar a Nanahoshi, otros tratan de elevar su espíritu, y otros dicen que sin duda mejorará.

Cada uno de ellos intentan animarla de varias maneras.

Pero en este momento, puede ser que todos tengan el efecto contrario.

La que realmente sufre no quiere escuchar lindezas como estás.

"..."

Poco después, todos se quedan sin cosas que decir.

Con una Nanahoshi que no da respuesta alguna, nadie sabe de que hablar.

El silencio es sofocante, haciendo sentir a todos inquietos.

"Pues bien, Nanahoshi. Me voy yendo. Volveré para chequear tu estado."

Partiendo por Ariel, todos dejan la habitación uno a uno.

Si bien Cliff quiere quedarse, con Elinalise regañándolo se fue también.

Al salir, oí a Elinalise diciendo [... Nada de lo que digamos importa en estos momentos.]

Y así es como son las cosas...

Sólo quedo yo.

¿Por qué me quede?, ni idea, no estoy seguro tampoco.

Aún así, sentí que me tenía que quedar un poco más.

Es peligroso dejarla sola.

"..."

Pero no tengo nada que decir.

Con una persona enferma.

Con una persona que sufre de una enfermedad incurable.

No importa lo que diga, son sólo lindezas.

Nanahoshi está bastante desconcertada.

Su investigación respecto a la invocación ha ido tan bien.

La fase 1 tuvo un par de problemillas, pero la fase 2 y 3 procedieron sin contra tiempos.

Por no decir que con la fase 4, con un poco de ayuda de Pelagius, debería tener resultados pronto.

No estoy seguro en lo que respecta a la fase 5, pero es sólo una cuestión de tiempo.

Tal vez en 1 o 2 años más ella pueda regresar a casa.

Tener que escuchar que tiene una enfermedad incurable, en un momento como este, por su puesto que ha de estar desconcertada.

Quizás no sea cáncer, pero aún así dijeron que es terminal.

No me sorprendería si ella se pone violenta.

No, si es realmente incurable.

Si su futuro es tan sombrío, un poco de violencia está bien.

Me gustaría cooperar.

No importa qué, con tal que eso ayude a su estado de ánimo un poco.

"No estaba particularmente saludable en primer lugar."

Mientras me quedo callado, Nanahoshi habla con un suspiro.

Suena mas serena de lo que esperaba.

Pero obviamente está fingiendo.

"Enfermarme... Aunque nunca así de mal, todos los años cojo un resfriado."

Poco a poco las palabras fluyen hacia fuera.

Y escucho en silencio.

"Mis calificaciones no son malas, pero no soy nada buena con los deportes. Si me preguntas, supongo que soy del tipo que prefiere encerrarse en casa.

La medicina de este mundo no está muy avanzada, ¿cierto?.

¿Sabes? Quizás sea por la magia, ¿pero la gente de este mundo ni siquiera cura sus heridas? Y por eso mueren o pierden una extremidad. Es jodidamente retrasado. Todo puede prevenirse con un poco de agua limpia sobre la herida.

Ya que no puedo usar magia, debo hacer todo tipo de cosas para mantenerme a salvo. Evitar enfermedades contagiosas, mantenerme alejada de las multitudes, no comer comidas raras...

Es cierto, desde tu perspectiva podría estar viviendo una vida poco saludable, ¡Pero también me ejercito en casa! ¡Me encargo de mí misma!.

Porque si me enfermo, puede que no haya una cura.

Mejor dicho, si estoy enferma, probablemente no me curare.

¡Porque, si me enfermo, probablemente no sepa el por qué!...

... Básicamente, este mundo, ¿no es demasiado raro?

Gigantescos monstruos demasiado grandes para sostenerse a sí mismos. ¡¡¡Ni puta idea que tipo de magia negra es esa, ¿pero acaso no están claramente rompiendo las reglas de la naturaleza?!!!

Por supuesto, incluso yo, cuando llegué, estaba un poco curiosa.

Incluso yo jugué juegos parecidos a este mundo anteriormente. No odio lo relacionado con espadas y magia. Te estaría mintiendo si te dijera que no estaba emocionada al llegar aquí.

Solo un poco, pero aún así estoy celosa de que hayas nacido en este mundo, y de que puedas vivir en el..."

Dijo Nanahoshi, y de repente dejo de hablar.

Sus hombros temblaban.

Lentamente, se voltea hacia mí.

Con el rostro triste lleno de arrugas, las lágrimas se reúnen en sus ojos hinchados.

"No quiero morir..."

Como una represa que revienta, lágrimas comienzan a verter de sus ojos.

"¡¡¡No quiero morir aquí!!!
¡¡¡No quiero morir en este jodido mundo!!!
¡¡¡¿Por qué?!!! ¡¡¡¿Por qué?!!!
¡¡¡Es demasiado extraño!!!
¡¡¡Ey!!!, ¡¡¡¿sabes?!!!...
¡¡¡No he cambiado absolutamente nada en estos 8 años!!! ¡¡¡No me he vuelto más alta, y mi cabello no crece!!! ¡¡¡Me da hambre, como, cago, pero mis uñas nunca crecen!!!.
¡¡¡Ni siquiera tengo mis períodos!!!"

Nanahoshi lanza un jarro de agua cercano.

La jarra golpea la pared, salpica en pedazos estrepitosamente. El agua empapa la cama.

"¡¡¡En este mundo no soy un humano!!! ¡¡¡En este mundo ni siquiera cuento como ser vivo!!! ¡¡¡Básicamente soy un cadáver!!! ¡Aún así!, ¡¡¡¿por qué?!!! ¡¡¡¿por qué me enfermo?!!! ¡¡¡¿acaso eso no es demasiado extraño?!!! ¡¡¡¿Por qué tengo tanta mala suerte?!!! ¡¡¡No quiero morir!!! ¡¡¡No quiero morir en este jodido y extraño mundo!!!"

Nanahoshi grita desgarradoramente, lágrimas caen y salpican.

"¡¡¡Ni siquiera he dado mi primer beso!!! ¡¡A pesar de que tengo alguien que me gusta, nunca le dije que lo amo!! ¡¡¡Realmente me das celos!!! ¡¡¡Todos los días tan feliz, tan realizado!!
¡¿Qué?! ¡¿Papá murió?! ¡¿Mamá se enfermo?! ¡¡¿Y qué?!!
¡¡¡¿Qué tiene de malo?!!! ¡¡¡A este ritmo, ni siquiera podré ver a mi papá de nuevo!!! ¡¡¡Si muero, mamá ni siquiera lo sabrá!!!
¡Solo una vez más! ¡¡Mamá!! ¡¡Papá!! ¡¡¡Todavía lo recuerdo!!!
Todavía recuerdo esa mañana. Papá dijo que llegaría temprano. Mamá dijo que comeríamos pescado frito en la noche. Le dije a mi papá que saldría con unos amigos, que salir un rato estaba bien, y me queje con mi mamá porque ya estaba cansada del pescado frito. ¿Por qué? ¿Por qué tuvo que pasar esto? Papá y mamá probablemente están enfermamente preocupados por mí. Quiero ir a casa. Quiero verlos de nuevo. No quiero morir. No quiero morir en este lugar... atraído de... pueblerinos "

"..."

Siento un dolor agudo en mi pecho.

Comprendo el dolor de Nanahoshi.

Si fuera mi yo de cuando llegué por primera vez a este mundo, no podría simpatizar.

El no poder volver, no poder reunirse de nuevo.

No ser capaz de ver a la familia una vez más.

Incluso si me lo hubiera dicho, no lo hubiera entendido.

En ese entonces, probablemente quería olvidar esas cosas y simplemente disfrutar la vida en este nuevo mundo.

Pero ahora es diferente.

Entiendo a que se refiere con querer volver, con querer reunirse de nuevo.

El día a día es el mayor de los tesoros de la vida.

Una vez que se van, se han ido para siempre.

...Exacto porque si se van, se han ido para siempre. <ref>Sip, repite la frase</ref>

Paul está muerto.

Los recuerdos de Zenith quizás nunca vuelvan.

La aldea Bonna y ese cálido hogar, ambos han desaparecido.

De ahora en adelante, todo lo que puedo hacer es proteger a mi familia, mi propia vida.

Sylphy, Roxy, Lucy.

Lilia, Aisha, Norn, Zenith.

Si fuera separado de ellas, sería un dolor desgarradoramente agonizante.

Si alguna desaparece, entonces iré al cielo e infierno a buscarla.

Si vuelvo a mi antiguo mundo.

Si la magia como esta existe en ese mundo, la buscaría.

Haría todo lo posible para volver aquí.

"Woo... Wooo..."

Agarrándose sus rodillas, Nanahoshi llora.

Cliff, Zanoba, Sylphy, ella nunca fue cercana a cualquiera de ellos.

Sólo conmigo prestó algún tipo de atención.

Escuchando a mis peticiones, aceptando mis invitaciones.

Si lo pienso, ella nunca hizo algo que me fuera a dañar.

Nanahoshi se veía tan emocionada cuando charlamos en japonés.

Para ella, quizás el poder tener alguien con quien hablar de Japón es su única ancla desde ese mundo.

"Alguien... Que alguien me salve..."

Escuchando su desgarrador y triste susurro.

Me paro de la silla.

=== 4ª Parte ===

Vuelvo a la mesa redonda en donde Pelagius aún se encontraba.

Todos sus familiares ya se han ido.

Queda sólo Pelagius, se siente como si ha estado esperando por mí.

"¿A qué se deberá tu visita?"

"... Voy a entrar en acción. Tengo la esperanza de que en tanto que no interfiera con su propio trabajo, pues que Pelagius-sama nos ofrezca algo de ayuda."

Pelagius asiente en gran medida con la cabeza al momento en que termine de hablar.

"Oh, así que finalmente vas a entrar en acción. Bueno. Si Nanahoshi muere, incluso yo me sentiría triste."

"Muchísimas gracias."

Pero, ¿qué debo hacer?

Estamos buscando la cura para una enfermedad erradicada hace unos 7000 años.

¿Por dónde empezar?

Ya sabemos que la magia restituyente y la magia curativa son ineficaces.

Si esas hubieran servido, entonces Pelagius ya habría hecho algo.

Herramientas mágicas.

No tengo la menor idea de si una pueda funcionar.

Una que surta efecto dentro del cuerpo debería estar relacionada con las herramientas mágicas de Cliff.

Pero la de Cliff fue hecha a medida de Elinalise solamente.

Observar la condición de Elinalise y ajustar paso a paso.

Aunque ha tenido resultados con Elinalise, todavía está incompleta.

¿Tal vez sólo necesita unos pequeños ajustes para controlar los síntomas de Nanahoshi?

Pero ahora, Nanahoshi no tiene el tiempo para que podamos observar y ajustar.

Venga que ha tosido sangre.

Aún si curamos los síntomas superficiales, no sirve de mucho, simplemente volverá a ocurrir lo mismo.

La próxima vez, podría ser fatal.

Por otra parte, si congelamos el tiempo, entonces no hay manera alguna de experimentar.

Dicho esto, las herramientas mágicas no son el camino a seguir.

Quizás una podría eventualmente funcionar, pero en estos momentos necesitamos una solución más inmediata.

Una cura.

¿Nadie la conoce?

¿Ni siquiera Hitogami u Orsted?

¿Será que sabrán algo respecto a esto?

No puedo contactar con Hitogami.

Tal vez él se muestre con algún consejo esta noche.

Pero no tengo ninguna manera de iniciar contacto con él.

"Pelagius-sama. ¿Tiene alguna manera de contactar al Dios Dragón Orsted?"

"Es imposible. Sus movimientos son imposibles de entender."

No hay manera de contactar a Orsted.

"Lo más probable es que Orsted tampoco lo sepa. Él ha estado en este mundo por quizás unos 100 años, aunque sea sabio, dudo que vaya a conocer algo sobre una enfermedad de hace 7000 años atrás:"

Así que Orsted tiene unos cien años mas o menos.

Si bien es viejo, comparado con Pelagius todavía es un pequeñuelo.

No, si lo comparo conmigo él es bastante viejo.

"Mmm ya veo. Pero alguien que conozca el mundo de hace 7000 años..."

Espera, espera un momento.

7000 años.

Hay una.

Hay una persona que ha vivido por tanto tiempo.

Aunque ella podría no estar familiarizada con esta enfermedad...

Pero si hablo con ella, tal vez pueda encontrar una pista.

"Conozco a alguien..."

"¿Oh?"

Pero, no sé si pueda encontrarla.

La última vez fue un encuentro casual.

Y así como pasó, nos separamos.

Ninguna conexión en particular.

Pero tengo que hacer algo.

Si no lo hago, entonces nada va a cambiar.

"Pelagius-sama, ¿puede llevarme al Continente Demoníaco?"

"¿Al Continente Demoníaco? ¿Qué piensas hacer allí?"

Sólo me encontré con esa persona una vez.

Aunque Roxy también la conoció antes, pero donde está ahora, pues ni idea.

Sin embargo su nombre lo conocía desde hace mucho tiempo.

De vuelta a la capital de Fedora, allí un nombre que aprendí de las clases de historia.

Después de que nos conociéramos, no hay manera alguna de que la pueda olvidar.

"Planeo encontrarme con la Gran Emperatriz Demonio Kishirika."

Hace 7000 años.

Una figura de la primera gran guerra de humanos-demonios.

== Capítulo 148 - De Nuevo en el Continente Demoniaco ==

=== 1ª Parte ===

El plan es simple.

En primer lugar, con la ayuda de Pelagius, nos dirigimos al Continente Mágico.

Encontrar a Kishirika Kishirisu.

Preguntarle si conoce una cura, o si conoce a alguien que lo sepa.

En realidad es bastante simple.

Si sólo la Gran emperatriz demoníaca Kishirika Kishirisu se quedase sentada en un trono supervisando una ciudad de alguna parte.

Pero yo sé que Kishirika deambula por todo el Continente Mágico.

Conocerla es de pura casualidad.

Quién sabe cuántos meses tomará.

Pelagius dijo que tiene círculos mágicos de teletransporte cerca de las principales ciudades del Continente Mágico.

Pensando en ello, los círculos mágicos de teletransporte mágicos son verdaderamente aterradores.

Especialmente cuando él puede teletransportarse a cualquier parte del mundo desde ese castillo, una amenaza increíble.

Así que es comprensible por qué este arte siempre ha sido prohibido.

A pesar de eso, Orsted y Pelagius los han estado usando en secreto.

Este mundo probablemente tenga un buen número de personas secretamente rompiendo las reglas.

Esto podría ser hacer trampa, pero esa es la naturaleza de este mundo.

Esos círculos mágicos de teletransporte probablemente no sean utilizados solo por Orsted.

De cualquier modo, tener que encontrar a Kishirika será fastidioso.

Al igual que Roxy había hecho antes, buscando de ciudad en ciudad.

Quién sabe cuánto tiempo tomará.

Pero no debería tardar más de un año.

Ya que teletransportarse sólo toma un día.

El problema es ¿qué pasa si Kishirika y nosotros nos cruzamos en alguna parte pero no nos damos cuenta?

Acerca de eso, creo que pediré ayuda al Gremio de Aventureros.

Recompensa por la captura de la gran emperatriz del reino demoníaco.

Capturar a Kishirika.

Debe estar viva.

SOLO VIVA.

Reúno a todos para poder explicarles el plan.

Ariel, Luke, Cliff, Zanoba, Elinalise.

Y también Sylphy.

Sylphy recuperó la conciencia, mientras que yo estaba hablando con Pelagius.

Pero su agotamiento es obvio.

Ella era delgada para empezar, pero ahora ella luce más frágil que nunca.

Ella debería descansar durante al menos 5 días más.

"Todo el mundo, espero que podáis ofrecedle vuestra ayuda a Nanahoshi."

Cuando dije eso, Ariel asiente en señal de aprobación.

"Entonces, puedo proporcionar algunas herramientas mágicas".

Ariel se quita el anillo mágico que lleva puesto y me lo entrega.

Un par de anillos a juego, los cuales cuando se les inyecta con magia las dos piedras preciosas brillan juntos.

Útil para una emergencia, parece ser una herramienta mágica secreta del Reino de Asura.

Aunque todavía no se me ocurra para que nos servirá, estoy seguro de que será de utilidad.

Me recuerda a un ''busca''<ref>Pager/Busca/Buscapersonas: dispositivo bastante pequeño de los 90 que permitía enviarle mensajes de texto a personas cuando todavía el móvil no se había popularizado tanto.</ref>.

"Zanoba y Elinalise, me gustaría que vinierais conmigo."

Les pido a Zanoba y a Elinalise para que sean mis escoltas.

Será muchas cosas, pero Zanoba sigue siendo un Miko.

Incluso si llegáramos a pelear contra una hidra, probablemente se las arreglaría bien.

Debido a que carezco de Touki, mi resistencia física es reducida, pero con [Distorsión Mágica] y la piedra mágica de absorción absorbiendo piedras mágicas mi resistencia mágica es importante.

Con Zanoba como vanguardia, nuestro grupo podría incluso encargarse de una hidra.

Pero, no podría soportar el ver a Zanoba morir por mis deseos egoístas, así que con Elinalise como apoyo me siento más tranquilo.

"Yo..."

"Cliff-senpai, me gustaría que usted haga una herramienta mágica."

Honestamente, no sé si podemos encontrar una cura.

Kishirika podría no saber de igual modo.

Así que este viaje podría ser una pérdida de tiempo.

Para evitar esto, debemos utilizar distintos enfoques.

La enfermedad de Nanahoshi parece similar a la de una maldición.

Con algunos ajustes en su investigación, tal vez Cliff pueda desarrollar una herramienta mágica para extender el tiempo de vida de Nanahoshi.

"¡Yo quiero ir también!"

A pesar de que pensé así, Cliff se negó.

"Por favor, llévame, yo también quiero ayudar a Nanahoshi."

Pero continuar su investigación también ayudará a Nanahoshi.

Pero Cliff probablemente quiere hacer más que eso.

Pensará algo así como que si como hasta ahora no puediera participar, no sentiría que de verdad está apoyando a Nanahoshi.

"Por favor, Ludeus, incluso yo puedo entender lo que es el querer regresar a casa"

Cliff pidiendo de esa forma.

Ahora que lo pienso, él ha estado fuera de casa durante mucho tiempo también.

En cuanto a la altura el puede parecer de 15, pero él ya tiene 19.

He oído que dejó el Santo Reino de Millis a la edad de entre 6 a 7.

Aunque el hogar al que Nanahoshi planea volver no tiene nada que ver con el de Cliff.

Sin embargo, su intención es la misma.

"Bien."

"¿De Verdad?"

Bueno, con Elinalise yendo con nosotros y Nanahoshi congelada en el tiempo, no tendrá muchas oportunidades de investigar.

Sí, no hay razón para forzarlo.

Si confirmamos que no hay cura, o si no podemos encontrar a Kishirika, entonces, nos podremos centrar en la investigación en su lugar.

"Sí. Voy a estar en su cuidado, Cliff-senpai."

Vamos a acortar el período de búsqueda un poco, de modo que podamos volver a la investigación a tiempo.

Medio año es suficiente.

"... Entonces, ¿hay algo que ... ... puedo hacer?"

Por último, Sylphy me preguntó esto, todavía con mala cara.

Todavía necesita descansar.

Ella no puede viajar con nosotros.

Además...

"Sylphy, por favor descansa aquí por ahora."

"¿Em, y luego?"

"Después de un descanso..."

Estoy indeciso sobre lo que estoy a punto de decir.

"Deseo que Sylphy regrese a casa para que cuide de Lucy".

"¿Eh?"

Sylphy luce visiblemente melancólica, pero de todos modos insistiré en esto.

"Podría ser un largo tiempo antes de que pueda volver a casa esta vez. No creo que sea correcto que ambos padres la abandonen de esa forma."

Para los niños, la presencia de los padres es absolutamente necesaria ... no tengo que decir esto.

Pero es por Paul y Zenith, que soy lo que soy.

Para los niños, es mejor que los mismos padres los críen personalmente.

Por supuesto, ausentarse por una o dos semanas no debería ser un gran problema.

Pero no por un par de meses.

"Ah, eso. Tienes razón. Si Ludy no está aquí, entonces tengo que cuidar de Lucy."

"Lo siento."

"Um."

A pesar de que Sylphy ha sido informada de que el colapso de Nanahoshi no fue culpa de suya, ella todavía quiere ayudar de alguna manera.

"Sylphy, has hecho suficiente. Déjeme el resto a mí."

"Em..."

Sylphy asiente con pena.

Por supuesto, ella ama a Lucy.

Pero a los 10, se vio obligada a valerse por sí misma después del evento de Metástasis.

Sin un último adiós, sus padres fallecieron.

Le fue bien a pesar de eso.

A pesar de algunas idas y vueltas, encontró un trabajo, se casó, y se las arregló para vivir.

Así que para ella, tal vez los padres puede que no sea una gran presencia.

O tal vez, en este mundo el sentido común dicta que los niños, incluso sin los padres, son capaces de crecer por su cuenta.

Sylphy solo tiene 18.

La gente no cambia mucho, sólo a causa de dar a luz.

Fue sólo a través del cuidado de mí mismo que empeze a cambiar mi forma de pensar.

Cuando tenía 18 años en mi mundo anterior el hecho de tener hijos ni siquiera se me cruzaba por la mente.

En comparación, Sylphy es excepcional.

Yo ayudaré a Nanahoshi. Sylphy se quedará en casa.

Espero que no se sienta celosa.

"¿Pero Roxy no reclamará? Roxy es la que mejor conoce el Continente Mágico."

"Es cierto... Bueno, si tuviéramos problemas, lo hablaré con Roxy."

Roxy no está presente.

No importa la razón, Pelagius no permitirá que alguien de la raza demoníaca entre en el castillo.
Ella trató de venir, pero fue rechazada.

Además, Roxy tiene su carrera de maestra.

Ella finalmente se está acostumbrando al ritmo del trabajo.

Ella no puede marcharse con solo 1 año de trabajo.

Yo ayudaré a Nanahoshi.

Pero, también necesito mantener mi estilo de vida actual.

El estilo de vida es importante.

Ambos son importantes.

Por eso, necesito proteger a Sylphy y a Roxy.

Por supuesto, eso es también porque soy egoísta.

No creo que siempre tenga la razón.

Pero en este momento no quiero que Roxy y Sylphy enfrenten el peligro.

No quiero que mueran frente a mí como Paul.

En comparación con el Continente Mágico, la Ciudad Mágica de Sharia debería ser mucho menos peligroso.

"Por favor, no hagas nada como perder tu mano de nuevo."

Sylphy se ve intranquila.

"Seré cuidadoso."

Mantenerse a salvo, es por eso que estoy trayendo a Zanoba y a Elinalise conmigo.

Pero si están en una situación de vida o muerte, incluso si tengo que sacrificar mi mano derecha lo haré.

Por supuesto, yo también no quiero morir.

No voy a cometer un error de nuevo.

=== 2ª Parte ===

Fui a casa de nuevo y les explique la situación a Roxy y al resto de la familia.

Aisha lloró cuando le dije que no podría estar en casa durante mucho tiempo.

Pero esta vez ir y venir será más fácil.

Tengo la intención de volver de vez en cuando.

Como ir en un viaje de negocios.

Lo he dicho de esa forma porque podría darse el caso de que se convirtiera en un viaje más largo de lo esperado.

Los círculos mágicos de teletransporte podrían de repente dejar de funcionar, y yo podría no volver.

"Bueno, por favor tengan cuidado."

"Lo entiendo, Ludi ten cuidado también."

Aunque estaba preocupado de que Roxy quisiese venir también, después de escuchar mis explicaciones, acepta sin rodeos quedarse en casa.

Eso me desilusiona un poco.

Bueno, parece que voy a viajar varias veces en la Fortaleza Flotante desde ahora, así que las preparaciones son importantes.

Pueden ocurrir accidentes.

Pelagius, dijo que si incluso los círculos mágicos de teletransporte dejan de funcionar, el vendrá a buscarme si uso la herramienta mágica cerca de los monumentos de las siete grandes potencias.

No es que yo no le crea, pero nunca se sabe.

Por ejemplo, si nos vamos y de repente revive Laplace, entonces podría estar demasiado ocupado para ayudar.

Además, me traje algunos pergaminos de Espíritus de la Luz y otros artículos convenientes.

Todo listo.

=== 3ª Parte ===

El círculo mágico de teletransporte se encuentra por debajo del suelo de la Fortaleza Flotante.

La Fortaleza Flotante no es sólo se extiende por encima del suelo, sino también por debajo.

No sólo eso, sino que por debajo es aún más sofisticado.

A pocos niveles más abajo se vuelve casi como un laberinto.

Quizás los terrenos sobre el suelo hayan sido construidos específicamente para los invitados, y que el verdadero castillo se encuentre en la base de la Fortaleza Flotante.

"Estamos aquí."

Sylvaril nos llevó a una habitación en particular que se encontraba a 3 niveles por debajo del suelo.

Un lugar fácil de encontrar una vez que conoces las direcciones.

Sin iluminación en la habitación, pero con el círculo mágico que brilla con un color blanco pálido iluminando la habitación.

"Pelagius-sama acaba de completar este círculo mágico para reconectarlo con uno de los círculos mágicos abandonados en el Continente Mágico."

"¿Abandonado?"

"A menudo sucede con la magia de teletransporte en la cual cuando se destruye el círculo mágico por un lado entonces el del otro lado dejará de funcionar tan bien."

Los círculos de teletransporte vienen en pares.

Pero se pueden volver a reparar y volverlo a utilizar de nuevo.

Parece que en este mundo hay círculos mágicos de todas las clase.

"¿Este tipo de círculos mágicos están bajo el control de Pelagius-sama?"

"Pelagius-sama es de hecho un gran hombre."

Sylvaril suena orgullosa.

Hablando de eso, dibujar círculos mágicos de teletransporte.

En estas situaciones, hacerlos con la intención de conectar todos los lugares suena muy conveniente...

Pero, debido a que está prohibido, es probable que no quiera enseñarme.

Bueno, si presiono a mi suerte, podría terminar haciendo todo tipo de enemigos, así que no debería ser codicioso.

Tampoco debería olvidarme de que otros también puedan usarlos.

Por ejemplo, si una bestia mágica salvaje accidentalmente tropieza con uno de estos. Es posible.

Si mis círculos mágicos de teletransporte terminan destruyendo un pueblo o algo así, tendría pesadillas.

"Pelagius-sama dijo que este círculo mágico debería conseguir acercarte a la Gran Emperatriz Demoníaca.

"¿Pelagius-sama tiene alguna pista sobre el paradero de Kishirika?"

"Por supuesto."

¿De Verdad?

Él tiene una pista.

Y yo que pensé que estaría por mi cuenta una vez que llegue allí.

"Pero podría estar equivocado también."

"... Cierto."

La Emperatriz Demoniaca que conozco es impredecible.

Podríamos pensar que está en algún lugar pero al momento de llegar ahí, ella ya podría haber desaparecido hacia otro lugar.

Su prometido Badigadi es igual ...

Ah, cierto, Badigadi también.

No lo he visto en mucho tiempo. Tal vez ya volvió a sus dominios.

Teniendo en cuenta todos los años de vida que tiene a sus espaldas, podría sernos de ayuda contactar con él.

"Entiendo. Vamos a ir a investigar."

"No se ha confirmado la situación en el otro lado todavía. La salida podría estar sellada también. Tengan cuidado."

"¿Sellada?"

"La entrada podría estar destruida para mantenerlo oculto."

Si no hay entrada, entonces no puede ser encontrado.

Ya veo. Eso tiene sentido.

Seguro que la gente buscará trampas, pero pocos tendrán un pico y comenzaran a excarvar en las paredes.

Los antiguos egipcios inventaron esta técnica.

Los arqueólogos tienen que prestar especial atención a las tumbas aparentemente vacías.

Tal vez así es como se descubrieron las ruinas de teletransporte también.

"Em, si no funciona, entonces volveremos pronto".

"Que la fortuna de la guerra este con ustedes."

Con la bendición de Sylvaril entramos en el círculo de teletransporte mágico.

=== 4ª Parte ===

¿Cuántas veces he sido transportado hasta ahora?

El evento de Metástasis, hacia y desde el Continente Begarito y también herramienta mágica de Pelagius.

Y con todas esas veces esta sería la quinta vez.

Como despertar de un sueño, me estoy acostumbrando a esta sensación.

"Phew."

Después de el teletransporte, llegamos a una habitación oscura.

El aire es denso y mohoso.

Esto ha sido abandonado hace mucho tiempo.

Sin luces.

Ni siquiera un candelabro.

Básicamente una ruina.

Ah, se me olvidó preguntarle a dónde íbamos.

"Achoo!"

Cliff estornuda detrás de mí.

Me doy la vuelta para mirar. Los otros tres ya han bajado del círculo mágico.

Elinalise está acostumbrada a esto. Zanoba pomposamente camina por los alrededores

Zanoba curiosamente está estudiando el círculo mágico.

"Demasiado polvo aquí, Salgamos de aquí tan pronto como sea posible."

Como Zanoba dijo eso, comencé a buscar una salida.

"¿Eh?"

Veo una pared.

No hay nada parecido a una puerta.

No hay escaleras, ni siquiera un agujero en el techo.

Inspecciono cuidadosamente el suelo. Sip, no hay salida.

Es una habitación secreta.

Si Sylvaril tiene razón entonces la habitación ha sido sellada.

"Em, bueno, ¿dónde está la salida?"

"Um."

Con un solo golpe, Zanoba hizo un agujero en la pared.

Un enorme agujero en la pared de unos 50 cm de espesor.

Tan fácil como derribar un castillo de arena, amplió el agujero hasta que tuviese el espacio para que alguien pueda pasar

Con Zanoba soportando el peso, Elinalise pasa por el hueco.

"Me adelanto a explorar."

Completa oscuridad en el otro lado.

Ni siquiera puedes ver tu mano.

Sabemos que esto es una estructura de piedra, pero eso es prácticamente todo.

Ni siquiera sabemos si estamos bajo tierra o no.

"Ludeus, las luces por favor."

Siguiendo las instrucciones, saco un pergamino de Espíritu de luz y lo utilizó para iluminar el área.

Vimos una sala de 10 metros por delante.

"Ugh."

Cliff grita al ver la habitación.

Huesos dispersos por todas partes en el suelo.

Como era de esperar del Continente Mágico, huesos de diversas formas, casi como si estuvieran fabricados.

"Parece que esto era una prisión."

Elinalise dijo esto después de inspeccionar los huesos. En lo que queda de los brazos y las piernas pueden ser vistos cadenas oxidadas.

Cliff se ve afligido, tomando una pose de oración con sus manos.

"Oh ... Milis-sama por favor salva a estas almas perdidas."

Imito a Cliff en la oración.

Namusanbou, namusanbou.<ref>Es un rezo budista.</ref>

Descansen en paz.

Perdón por molestarlos. Nos iremos rápidamente.

"Vamonos."

Hablando de eso, hay huesos en todas partes.

¿Cuántos fueron encarcelados aquí?

Probablemente no se esperaban que hubiese un círculo de teletransporte mágico sólo a una pared de distancia.

Espera, no, yo recuerdo que Pelagius sólo recientemente ha vuelto reconectar este círculo mágico de teletransporte abandonado.

En otras palabras, ellos fueron trasladados aquí antes de que se reparara el círculo mágico.

Si eso es cierto, deja un mal sabor de boca.

"Aquí hay una escalera, subamos por ella."

Hay una escalera en la esquina de la habitación.

¿A pesar de que aquí tenían prisioneros no estaban realmente encerrados aquí?

Pensando en eso, noto algunas bisagras oxidadas caídos en el suelo.

Tal vez una puerta de madera alguna vez, pero desgastado por la descomposición después de un par de miles de años.

Em, oh bueno.

En frente de la escalera hay una puerta cerrada de metal.

Es una puerta que se abre hacia arriba. Básicamente, es una trampilla.

Elinalise revisa por trampas antes de intentar empujar para abrirla. No se debería abrir.

Algo pesado está presionando contra esta.

"Okay. ¡Ve! ¡Zanoba-robo<ref>Seguramente sea una referencia a Getter Robo. Está tratando a Zanoba como un robot a sus órdenes.</ref>. Ábrelo!"

"¿R-Robot? .... Voy."

Zanoba pone sus manos contra la puerta y empuja con fuerza.

Un intenso crujido, pero la puerta comienza a abrirse, el polvo y la tierra vienen volando.

"Ugh."

"Yo me encargare de la tierra, sigue adelante."

"L-lo tengo, Shisho."

Con toda su fuerza, Zanoba empuja la increíblemente pesada puerta.

Mientras que yo uso magia para deshacerse de todo la tierra que cae.

La puerta se abre.

La luz del sol brilla desde arriba.

Parece que la puerta conducía hacia afuera.

Cuando la puerta se abre lo suficiente para pasar a través de ella, Elinalise se cuela por debajo y sale.

"Todo despejado"

Después de esperar por su señal, nos dirigimos hacia fuera también.

=== 5ª Parte ===

Por fuera es una cuesta empinada.

Por debajo del horizonte una tierra rojiza.

Rocas gigantes esparcidas por todas partes creando un terreno extremo con muchos altibajos.

Y en el otro extremo, la especialidad del Continente Mágico: un bosque tan desnutrido que parecen un pescado dejado en las raspas.

Y por aquí y por allá se encuentran avanzando las famosas Grandes Tortugas de Tierra.

Que nostálgico.

"ASÍ que este es el Continente Mágico ...!"

Cliff jadea mientras habla, observando precavido la pendiente.

Ninguna ciudad a la vista.

¿Kishirika está realmente por aquí?

Tenemos que encontrar la ciudad más cercana he ir allí.

Pero, ¿dónde diablos estamos?

Tal vez deberíamos volver y comprobar nuestra ubicacion con Sylvaril primero.

No, antes de eso, vamos a investigar nuestro entorno.

"Cliff-senpai, el Continente Mágico tiene un gran número de criaturas peligrosas y manadas de monstruos. Por favor, ve con cuidado."

"Ah, lo tengo."

Cliff asiente seriamente.

Esta es una tierra peligrosa.

Si él lo trata como al Continente Central o Milis, incluso guerreros capaces pueden morir.

"No hay monstruos alrededor de nosotros. Es seguro."

Por supuesto Elinalise nunca será tan descuidada.

Tampoco lo fui yo... al menos creo que no lo fui.

A pesar de que tenía a Ruijerd en ese entonces, así que tal vez todavía mantengo algunas nociones ingenuas sobre el Continente Mágico.

Pero mi experiencia en el Continente Begarito debería ser útil.

"Además, me temo que no encontrará muchos seguidores de Milis por aquí. Su filosofía puede ser diferente, así que por favor evite entrar en una pelea con los demás sin motivo."

"Oh. Eso, tienes razón. Lo sé."

Tal vez estoy siendo un poco arrogante.

Pero Cliff nunca ha estado antes alrededor de las Razas Demoníacas.

Tenemos que evitar entrar en confrontaciones por cada pequeña cosa como lo hacía Eris.

"Está bien. Cliff ni siquiera habla el idioma del Dios demonio."

Elinalise añade eso.

Aunque ella tampoco.

Durante los dos años que pasó viajando por el Continente Demoníaco, ella casi exclusivamente se basó en Roxy.

Bueno, ella aprendió todo el vocabulario necesario para cosas-H.

Cliff probablemente se desmayaría si se entera.

Pero eso es culpa de la maldición también.

"¡Shisho!"

Mientras me preguntaba sobre esas cosas, Zanoba ha subido a una colina, gritando.

¿Él alguna vez ha sido cuidadoso con su vocabulario?

Por supuesto que no. Incluso caer de un precipicio no perturbaría a ese tipo.

Ah, oh bueno.

"¿¡Y eso!?"

Cliff exclamó sorprendido.

"Oh."

Cliff se encontraba al final de la cuesta arriba.

Y detrás de él una escena que no podía dejar de mirar.

"Wow increible..."

Cliff pronuncia estas palabras absorto.

Nos colocamos encima de un gran cráter.

Una ciudad se extiende por debajo de nosotros.

En el centro del cráter se encuentra un castillo con tonos negros y dorados decorando el paisaje mitad en ruinas.

Rodeado por la gran ciudad.

"Así que aquí es donde él nos envió..."

Reconozco esta ciudad.

Una de los tres más grandes del Continente demoniaco.

Una muralla natural en forma de cráter impide la entrada a los monstruos.

Al caer la noche, las piedras mágicas en el interior del cráter iluminan la ciudad.

Conozco el castillo también.

Esto alguna vez fue la residencia de la Gran Emperatriz Demoníaca Kishirika Kishirisu, destruido en la guerra de Laplace con los Reyes Demonio.

Una vez conocido como el Viejo Castillo Kishirisu.

Además, para mí, un lugar de malos recuerdos.

Nos encontramos en Rikaris, mi primera gran parada cuando llegué al continente demoniaco.

== Capítulo 149 - En Busca de Kishirika ==

=== 1ª Parte ===

Pueblo Rikaris.

Tengo muchos recuerdos en este lugar.

Incluso ahora me acuerdo como si fuera ayer.

Mi vida como aventurero en el Continente Mágico comenzó aquí, este pueblo esta lleno de memorias de Ruijerd y Eris.

Pero al final fuimos expulsados, dejando sólo malos recuerdos atrás...

Pero las experiencias que obtuve aquí son buenas.

Es aquí donde aprendí a no pensar demasiado o tratar de hacer todo por mí mismo.

Caminamos por la pendiente y nos dirigimos hacia el borde del cráter hasta llegar a la entrada.

Igual que antes, hay un par de guardias haciendo vigilancia.

En aquel entonces, con el fin de infiltrarnos con Ruijerd, llegamos disfrazados ...

"Hey, está vigilado. ¿Eso es un problema?"

"No. Las ciudades del Continente Mágico básicamente le dan la bienvenida a todos."

"¿Pero no tienen una seguridad muy estrecha en este momento?"

Como dijo Cliff, los guardias se ven muy tensos.

Armadura completamente negra, casco que cubre toda la cabeza.

La armadura se ve fuerte y ominosa.

La ultima vez que vine a Rikorisu, los guardias no estaban tan bien equipados.

Supongo que el equipo ha cambiado con los años.

"Deténganse."

Cuando estábamos a punto de entrar, los guardias nos detienen.

"¿Qué pasa?"

"No, esa mujer de allí..."

Los guardias miran a Elinalise.

Cliff da unos pasos delante de Elinalise como para protegerla.

Elinalise no parece inmutarse.

"¿Qué pasa?"

"...¿Qué?"

El otro guardia saca un pedazo de papel y mira entre el papel y Elinalise.

Yo le echo un vistazo. En el papel hay un dibujo de algo similar a un hermoso súcubo.

Alta, grandes pechos, cabello largo y ondulado.

No es del mismo color, pero Elinalise comparte algunas similitudes.

Pero el pecho es plano.

"No es ella."

"Ah, pues no."

Dicho esto, el guardia guarda el papel.

"Perdonen, pueden continuar."

"¿Pasó algo?"

"No es asunto tuyo."

Me fui en silencio después de ser rechazado.

"Parece que están buscando a alguien."

"Sí."

¿Hay un fugitivo en algún lugar de la ciudad?

Bueno, no tiene nada que ver con nosotros.

Pero debemos tener cuidado.

Seria malo si pasamos por algún callejón y nos encontramos con un asesino.

"Bueno, ¿y ahora qué?"

"Vamos a ir al Gremio de Aventureros y cambiar algo de dinero."

"De acuerdo."

Después de un simple intercambio, seguimos el camino hacia delante.

"Wow increíble..."

Exclama Cliff al ver el mercado.

Como de costumbre, está lleno de vida.

Hay comerciantes y aventureros de diversas razas.

Hay gente montada en bestias mágicas parecidas a lagartos por todas partes.

Pero es bastante similar a los mercados de la ciudad mágica de Sharia:

Comerciantes y aventureros que discuten, residentes paseando de un lado a otro, un mendigo pidiendo caridad de un comerciante y es expulsado a un lado.

El lo mismo por donde quiera que vayas.

Incluso Cliff debe estar familiarizado con esta vista, pero ver varias razas mezcladas podría ser refrescante.

Debe ser diferente.

Sin embargo, soldados vestidos de negro están en todas partes.

Cada vez que ven a Elinalise, la comparan con un dibujo en un papel.

Ya que es obviamente una persona diferente, nunca se acercan para interrogarnos.

"Cliff senpai, tu esposa es bastante popular."

"Eh, Ehh... ¿Hay algún problema?"

"Siempre que Elinalise-san no haya hecho nada aquí antes, debe estar bien."

Con eso dicho, me quedo mirando a Elinalise.

Ella se encoge de hombros.

"Nada por lo que deba sentirme culpable."

Elinalise parece desenfocada.

Definitivamente ella hizo algo por lo cual sentirse culpable.

=== 2ª Parte ===

El Gremio de Aventureros es el mismo de siempre.

Como mucho, se ha deteriorado ligeramente debido a los estragos del tiempo.

No, recuerdo que siempre fue así.

Todos los ojos estaban puestos en nosotros cuando entramos.

Que nostálgico.

La última vez causamos revuelo en todo el lugar.

Afortunadamente, Ruijerd siguió el juego y evitamos un desastre.

Todos perdieron rápidamente el interés.

Un grupo conformado por humanos y gente de la raza de orejas largas podría ser exótico, pero algunos especímenes raros no merecen tanta atención.

Nos dirigimos a la recepción e intercambiamos algunas monedas de Asura por otras del Continente Mágico.

Conseguimos alrededor de 100 Monedas Verdes, pero yo las recogí sin contarlas.

En aquel entonces yo habría verificado el contenido de mi monedero todos los días, incluso si sólo hay una o dos monedas adentro. Realmente he cambiado.

No, soy sólo un poco más rico que antes.

Además, emitimos una solicitud para el Gremio de Aventureros por el paradero de Kishirika.

"Una chica pequeña, pelo púrpura, vestida con un traje estilo bondage, autoproclamada Gran Emperatriz del reino demonio. En particular, ella tiene una risa demente."

Ya que es una búsqueda, los requisitos son bajos pero la recompensa es alta.

Deje la solicitud en el tablero de anuncios. De repente, me di cuenta que en el borde del tablero hay una vieja petición del Grupo de Búsqueda de la Región de Fedoa.

El grupo de búsqueda en Milis ya se ha sido disuelto, pero esta petición aun sigue aquí.

La persona de contacto sigue siendo Paul en el Santo Reino de Milis.

¿A este ritmo, no sería posible que alguien terminara viajando todo el camino hasta Milis para nada?

Vuelvo a la recepción y cambio el contacto a Alphonse en el campo de refugiados.

Probablemente allí todavía acepten refugiados.

Aunque mi residencia también podría servir, honestamente no quiero cuidar de personas que no conozco.

"Bueno, hemos terminado por aquí."

"¿Ahora que?"

Ante la pregunta de Cliff, me pregunte cual seria nuestro próximo movimiento.

Por supuesto, no hay que sentarse y esperar. Es mejor si nosotros mismos hacemos algo de investigación.

Vamos a pasar una semana aquí recopilando información.

Vamos a buscar ayuda y hacer el trabajo a pie por nuestra cuenta, buscando con cuidado.

En última instancia, la solicitud de empleo del Gremio de Aventureros es sólo una red de seguridad en caso de que de alguna manera Kishirika se nos escape.

"En primer lugar, recopilar información."

Compruebo mi entorno.

Un hombre camina hacia nosotros.

Un hombre con cabeza de caballo.

Recuerdo muy bien a este tipo.

Es el hombre que nos atrapo.

Es culpa suya que nos echaran de la ciudad... bueno, no todo es culpa suya.

Soy consciente de que en aquel entonces nosotros rompimos las reglas.

"¡Yo!"

El hombre con cara de caballo, Nokopara, al igual que antes viene a charlar lleno de energía.

Para un tipo como él, hacer conversación con las caras nuevas es parte del trabajo.

A pesar de lo que pienso, la persona que está saludando no soy yo, sino Elinalise.

"¡Cuánto tiempo sin verte! ¿Te separaste de Roxy?"

Elinalise miro a Nokopara sorprendida.

Poco después, parece que finalmente lo recordó y le estrecho la mano.

"Ah, eres el viejo compañero de Roxy."

"... ¿Eh?"

¿Viejo compañero de Roxy?

¿Qué?

"Ludeus, por favor traduceme. Este es mi... no, es un viejo amigo de Roxy."

Empujado por Elinalise, me enfrento a Nokopara.

Hace 8 años.

Este tipo se nos pego a nosotros.

Es un viejo amigo de Roxy.

Antiguo miembro de su grupo.

En otras palabras, él también se pego a Roxy.

¿Por qué no he oído nada acerca de esto?

"Oh, soy Nokopara. ¿Puedes entenderme?"

Parece que el no se acuerda de mi.

No se puede evitar, después de 8 años he crecido un poco.

Nokopara también ha envejecido... bueno, no estoy completamente seguro.

No estoy seguro de como de como se ve una cara de caballo vieja.

A su vez, Nokopara probablemente tampoco puede diferenciar esos rasgos en los humanos.

"Sí, Nokopara-san. Te entiendo."

"Ludeus, el debería estar bastante familiarizado con la situación en esta ciudad. ¿Por qué no pedirle ayuda para recoger información por nosotros?"

"..."

Si mal no recuerdo, este tipo es bueno recolectando información.

Él es muy observador de los demás.

En ese caso, debería ser útil para nosotros.

Una vez fuimos arrinconados por él.

Pero nosotros también lo avergonzamos en publico.

Él todavía podría guardar rencor por ello.

En lugar de decir quien soy, es mejor ocultar mi identidad y aprovecharme de él.

"Soy Quagmire. Encantado de conocerte."

"Ah, Quagmire eh... ¿Ah, sí? ¿Nos conocemos?"

"No, eso es imposible."

Si Eris estuviera aquí, probablemente me daría una patada en el culo.

Pero voy a olvidar el pasado.

Nunca se dio cuenta de que Ruijerd era un Supard.

Y fue nuestro paso en falso lo que causó esa situación.

Además, ahora no es el momento de desenterrar el pasado.

"Estamos buscando a alguien. ¿Puedes ayudarnos?"

"...¿Cuánto tienes?"

Me cabrea.

Bueno, a mi tampoco me gusta trabajar gratis.

"2 monedas verdes. 4 si la encuentras."

"¿¡4!? ¡Trato hecho!"

Ah, es demasiado.

Ha pasado algo de tiempo, así que me olvidé por completo de la situación de este lugar.

Ah, bueno.

"Es una emergencia."

"Oh. Si es para Elinalise, puedo hacerlo a mitad de precio."

Nokopara levanta la nariz y sonríe para sus adentros.

=== 3ª Parte ===

Tras darle a Nokopara la información sobre Kishirika, nos dijo '''Nos pondremos en contacto al mediodía''' y desapareció entre la multitud.

"Me sorprende que te contuvieras."

Dijo Elinalise mientras observaba salir a Nokopara.

"¿Eh?"

"Ahora me acuerdo. Ese tipo trató de incriminarte."

"Wow, incluso sabes acerca de eso."

"Cuando vine por este pueblo escuche ese rumor. Al parecer, Nokopara trató de extorsionar a '''Dead End''' y casi lo mataron. Pero no creo que Roxy lo haya escuchado..."

Elinalise lo sabe.

Bueno, no hay razón por la que no deba saberlo.

Un Supard apareciendo en la ciudad sería una gran noticia.

"Fue sólo un evento desafortunado."

Las cosas iban tan bien que me dejé llevar y caí de cara al suelo.

La forma en la que Nokopara se aprovecha de los demás me da asco, pero yo tampoco soy ningún santo.

Siempre que Nokopara no se de cuenta de quién soy, todo está bien.

"De todas formas, no tengo planes de vengarme de Nokopara. Pero si nos volvemos a cruzar, eso es una historia diferente."

Lo pasado es pasado, pero no soy tan generoso.

Si me lo cruzo de nuevo, me aseguraré de que sea la última vez.

"Dime, Nokopara y Roxy estuvieron en el mismo grupo, ¿desde cuando sabes eso?"

"Ah, sobre eso..."

Me siento un poco preocupado después de escuchar la historia de Roxy y Nokopara.

Ah, el era un buen tipo en ese entonces, sin embargo termino volviéndose algo como esto.

=== 4ª Parte ===

Hay un montón de cosas que hacer antes del medio día.

En primer lugar, conseguir alojamiento.

Esta ciudad tiene un montón de pensiones para los aventureros.

Posadas sencillas para novatos y de lujo para los de alto rango.

Esta vez seleccione una para los aventureros de alto rango.

Elegí una posada de clase alta sobre todo por su seguridad.

Es un poco caro, pero ya que los precios son generalmente bajos en el Continente Mágico, no fue muy doloroso.

En el camino, pasamos por la posada Garra de Lobo.

Estuve mucho tiempo en ese lugar.

Por casualidad, pasamos a tres novatos jóvenes charlando mientras salían de la posada.

Es un poco tarde para salir a hacer un trabajo, por lo que probablemente van a hacer compras.

Los otros aventureros que vivían aquí en ese entonces... Kuruto y compañía, ¿donde estarán ahora?

A causa de mi error, uno de ellos murió. ¿Cómo estarán los otros dos?

No. Ya han pasado 8 años.

Puede que estén muertos.

Pero si los vuelvo a encontrar, me gustaría hablar de los viejos tiempos con ellos.

Oh si.

Debería reunirme con los P-Hunters.

Jaril y Veskel, ¿no?

Los delincuentes de poca monta que se especializaban en mascotas perdidas.

Aunque en esta ocasión no estoy buscando una mascota, Kishirika es básicamente un animal. Tal
vez puedan encontrarla.

"Antes de eso, déjame pasar por un lugar que conozco."

"Como era de esperar de Shishou, realmente estas muy bien conectado."

"Sólo conozco unas pocas personas."

Pensando en eso, me dirijo hacia la tienda de mascotas de los P-Hunters.

Debe estar por aquí. Siguiendo vagos recuerdos de la zona seguí adelante.

Mis recuerdos son borrosos, y la ciudad ha cambiado.

A pesar de eso, tras pasar un tiempo en la zona y siguiendo algunas marcas todavía puedo reconocer este lugar.

La ubicación es la misma, pero la tienda ha cambiado.

Es una carnicería.

Un tipo con cabeza erizo se ocupa de la tienda. Me acerco a verlo.

"Bienvenido."

"Recuerdo que esto una vez fue una tienda de animales. ¿Sabes lo que pasó?"

"Ah, ¿Jaril? Murió. Falleció hace 2 años domando a un monstruo."

Eh, ¿murió?

¿En serio?

"¿Y Veskel?"

"¿Veskel? Se fue hace un año. Con Jaril muerto, ella no podía continuar en el negocio."

Veskel también se ha ido.

¿Realmente Jaril esta muerto?

Sé que el Continente Mágico es un lugar cruel, pero escuchar que un viejo amigo ha muerto sigue siendo bastante deprimente.

Al final, él traicionó a Ruijerd.

Aun así, trabajamos juntos en una ocasión.

Me gustaría permanecer como amigos.

"Me hice cargo de la tienda de Veskel. ¿La conoces?"

"Sí, nos conocimos."

"Pues bien, te voy a dar un descuento."

También pregunté por Kishirika y como pago, compré un poco de carne de Tortuga de Tierra y me fui.

La carne de la Tortuga de Tierra sabe tan repugnante como siempre.

=== 5ª Parte ===

Durante medio día nos ocupamos en buscar información.

Recopilar información personalmente no es particularmente eficiente.

Especialmente porque soy el único que habla la lengua del Dios Demonio.

Así que básicamente sólo estuve preguntando por ahí.

Si tan sólo Roxy estuviera aquí.

Aún así, buscando en una ciudad una o dos personas no hacen mucha diferencia.

Cuando se trata recolectar información, tenemos que contar con el experto de Nokopara.

Con esos pensamientos, seguí preguntando por ahí ...

"Pequeña, pelo púrpura, ropa estilo bondage, autoproclamada Gran Emperatriz del reino demonio, ríe frecuentemente como una loca. ¿Ha visto a esa chica?"

"Ah, esa chica. La he visto. Pero eso fue casi... hace más de un año."

Resulta que conseguí un montón de respuestas.

Que inesperado.

Verdaderamente inesperado.

Con esto, tal vez no pase mucho tiempo antes de que la encontremos.

"¡Lo logramos!"

Cliff alza la voz con alegría.

Como si ya la hubiéramos encontramos.

Pero Elinalise sacude la mano.

"¿Pero nadie la vio recientemente?"

Es verdad.

Todos son de 'Hace aproximadamente un año'.

Bueno, algunos también dijeron 'Hace aproximadamente medio año'.

Tal vez ella ya se fue.

En ese caso, deberíamos empezar con '¿Adónde se fue?'

El Pueblo Rikaris se encuentra en la esquina noreste del Continente Mágico.

Por el momento, ella probablemente se dirigiría al suroeste.

Hay una cadena de montañas al suroeste, en ese caso tal vez... No, es Kishirika después de todo.

No que yo conozca a Kishirika muy bien.

Pero tengo la sensación de que es capaz de cualquier cosa.

Si ella no sigue los caminos, entonces, ¿quién sabe dónde podría estar?

"Vamos a encontrarnos con Nokopara."

"Sólo ha pasado medio día. Dudo que haya encontrado mucho ..."

En cualquier caso, nos dirigimos de nuevo al Gremio de Aventureros.

Elegimos una mesa, y justo cuando estábamos a punto de comer algo, Nokopara apareció.

"Yo'h. ¿Los hice esperar mucho tiempo?"

De la misma forma en que se fue, volvió sonriente y lleno de energía.

No, no puedo decir con certeza si es felicidad lo que refleja la cara de caballo.

Pero a mi me parece muy feliz.

"Lo siento, no pude encontrar a la persona, pero tengo algo de información para usted."

"¿Qué escuchaste?"

Sólo se necesita medio día para que el águila llegue a tierra.

Básicamente, ya sabemos toda la información que Nokopara encontró.

Pero como era de esperar de Nokopara, fue capaz de resumir todos los avistamientos más comunes, así como donde fue vista por última vez.

No está mal para medio día de trabajo ...

Más bien, es como si fuera parte de su rutina diaria conocer todas las personas adecuadas para preguntar.

Luego, en base a la información que se necesite, busca los mejores candidatos para preguntar, o algo así.

Eso también es un talento.

"El Rey Demonio-sama también parece estar buscando a la Gran Emperatriz Demonio."

"¿Rey Demonio?"

"Sí. Hace aproximadamente un año, el Rey Demonio del territorio adyacente viajó hasta aquí."

Al parecer, ahora hay un Rey Demonio residiendo en el centro del Pueblo Rikarisu, en el Viejo Castillo Kishirisu.

Todos los soldados vestidos de negro son su ejército personal. Los hombres a caballo también son básicamente sus guardias privados.

"No me digas que Rey Demonio es Badigadi."

"No, no es Badigadi-sama. Es Atofe-sama, la hermana mayor de Badigadi-sama, es un Rey Demonio muy aterrador."

¿Badigadi tiene una hermana?

¿Una amazona negra?

"¿Es realmente aterradora?"

"Ah, ella es un Rey Demonio que luchó en la Campaña de Laplace después de todo. Si la ofendes accidentalmente, ella podría ejecutarte en el acto."

No puedo ni imaginarlo comparado con lo fácil de tratar que es Badigadi.

Pero siendo así, entonces probablemente debería evitarla.

No, si ella esta relacionada con Badigadi, entonces también debería ser inmortal.

Si ella ha vivido desde hace mucho tiempo, tal vez ella sepa de la cura para el síndrome de Drenaje.

Debería tratar de conseguir una audiencia con ella y preguntarle ...

Que ella este dispuesta a verme es otra cuestión.

"Dime, ¿Badigadi ha regresado?"

"Aun no... Hey, cuida tu lenguaje cuando hablas del Rey Demonio-sama."

"Disculpa".

Badigadi no ha regresado.

Quién sabe dónde está vagando en este momento.

Se fue hace 8 años.

Tal vez vagar por el mundo es una manía suya.

Resumí los detalles a los demás.

Zanoba dijo con una mano a la barbilla.

"El retrato no se parece en nada a ella."

Ahora que él lo menciona, ese retrato se ve completamente diferente de la Kishirika que yo recuerdo.

Sé que Kishirika era una niña.

No me di cuenta cuando mire el retrato, pero esa zorra no se ve en absoluto como Kishirika.

Tal vez Kishirika creció y ahora se ve así.

¿Quizás Kishirika ha crecido en los últimos años?

No no.

Tenemos informes de testigos que vieron a esa chica.

En otras palabras, ¿el Rey Demonio no sabe que Kishirika es una niña?

Oh...

Quizás Nokopara lo sepa.

"Ese retrato de los guardias privados tiene un aspecto diferente de la Kishirika real. ¿Por que crees que sea?"

"El Rey Demonio-sama no tiene en cuenta esos pequeños detalles. Así que tal vez pensó que la edad no haría diferencia."

"Ah, ya veo."

Badigadi también es caprichoso.

Tal vez Atofe sea igual.

"Entonces, ¿vamos a ir a ver a Atofe-sama?"

Digo y me levanto.

Pero Nokopara comienza a entrar en pánico.

"Hey, espera, olvídalo. Atofe-sama es realmente peligrosa. Es mejor que no vayas."

"No, debo ir. Voy a tener cuidado de no ofenderla."

¿No habrá problemas?

Espero que no.

Si algo sucede, entonces Zanoba tendrá que defenderme mientras yo ataco.

Al igual que con Badigadi, voy a golpear y correr ...

Luego, una vez que encuentre a Badigadi, el podrá mediar por nosotros.

Bueno, eso es lo que haré.

"Si debemos reunirnos con ella, entonces permitanme ayudar."

Zanoba se pone de pie sonriendo.

El es de la realeza, así que acordar una reunión debería ser posible ¿no?

De ser así, entonces tal vez deberíamos haber traído a Ariel en su lugar ...

Espera, tal vez igual que con Pelagius, Zanoba es alguien mas fácil de tratar.

Como Ariel siempre está pensando en buscar aliados podría resultar molesta.

"¿Atofe-sama esta interesada en el arte?"

"¿Eh? ¿Arte? Em, quién sabe. Bueno, los Rey Demonio-Sama parecen tener todo tipo de
intereses".

¿Como los intereses de Badigadi?

No creo que este interesado en algo así.

No, él está interesado en la cerveza.

¿Quizás alguna cerveza muy cara?

Aunque Atofe es un Rey Demonio aterrador, si ella se parece a Badigadi, entonces podríamos llevarnos bien.

"De todas formas, vamos a darle una oportunidad."

Al terminar la conversación, Elinalise y Cliff se levantaron.

=== 6ª Parte ===

Una hora después.

Estamos parados mirando al castillo.

¿Conclusión?

Fracaso.

Zanoba lleva la cresta de Shirone. Yo hago de traductor para solicitar una audiencia con el Rey Demonio.

"Nunca he oído hablar de ese país. ¡Atofe-sama está ocupada! ¡Nadie puede pasar!"

Denegado.

Portazo en la cara.

Quizás si fuera el Reino de Asura, o el Reino del Rey Dragón, o el Santo Reino de Milis la respuesta sería diferente.

Pero Shirone es un pequeño reino, por lo que es imposible.

Es como esperar que un japonés sepa el nombre de algún país de África.

Sobre todo cuando no teníamos ninguna cita.

Es natural.

"Lo siento. Mi país de origen carece de prestigio."

En lugar de enojarse por el flagrante rechazo, Zanoba se disculpaba ante mí.

"No, yo fui desconsiderado."

"Pensé que esto podría lograrlo..."

Dijo Zanoba mientras fruncía el ceño.

Zanoba no es demasiado patriota, pero dudo que lo deje pasar ese desprecio hacia su pais.

"... Suspiro, vamos a tomar un descanso."

Cliff se apoya en una pared cercana y suspira.

Todavía tengo un poco de gas en el tanque, pero...

"Es verdad, yo también estoy un poco cansado."

Mirando alrededor, Zanoba también esta algo sudoroso.

Parece que me olvide de que el es un tipo de interiores. Un día de ejercicio es duro para él.

También me siento como si mi cabeza está funcionando algo lento.

Vamos a descansar.

"Muy bien. Entonces vamos a buscar algo para comer."

No tuvimos tiempo para el almuerzo.

Bueno, la comida aquí es difícil de comer, así que no tengo mucho apetito.

"Shisho, allí hay una tienda al aire libre. Vamos a comer. ¿Está bien con ustedes dos?"

Ahora que lo menciona, desde hace un rato nos llega el olor de barbacoa.

Siguiendo nuestra nariz, llegamos a un establecimiento vendiendo especialidades del Continente Mágico fuertemente condimentadas.

Con una multitud de... 3 clientes esperando en la fila.

"No me importa comer de pie... pero ¿no esta en contra de las reglas?"

"¿De qué diablos estás hablando?"

Mientras discuten, Elinalise se puso en la fila.

"Voy a esperar el turno. Ludeus, busca un lugar para sentarse en alguna parte."

"¿Podrás entenderte en ese idioma?"

"Para los números podemos usar nuestras manos."

Eso es verdad.

Hay maneras de manejarse bien sin saber el idioma.

Siguiendo sus instrucciones, cree algunas sillas con magia en una esquina.

Aunque comer de pie está bien, estaría mejor sentarse para descansar.

Aunque para ser honesto, tampoco me molestaría sentarme en el suelo.

"Yo también voy a la fila."

Cliff y Elinalise se alinean juntos.

Termino con los preparativos y me siento con Zanoba.

"Uf."

Después de sentarme, el cansancio de un día entero se precipitó sobre mí.

Pero aquí sentado empiezo a sentir que todo el día ha sido una pérdida de tiempo.

Todavía no sabemos si podemos encontrar a Kishirika.

Incluso si la encontramos, no tenemos ni idea si ella sabe algo útil.

Más bien, tengo la sensación de que las posibilidades de que no sepa nada son altas.

Igual que Badigadi, que aunque tiene una vida larga rara vez se enferma.

"... Shisho, no seas tan duro contigo mismo."

"¿Eh?"

"La enfermedad de Nanahoshi, Shisho no tiene que sentirse tan responsable de ello."

Yo no soy responsable.

Correcto. Es verdad.

Pero esto no es una cuestión de responsabilidad.

Esto es algo que quiero hacer.

"Es verdad. Pero la sensación de nostalgia y ganas de volver, puedo entenderla un poco. Por eso quiero ayudar."

"¿En serio? Pensé que estabas feliz con la vida que tienes ahora."

"Por supuesto. Pero a veces siento nostalgia de mi casa. Eso también es cierto."

Zanoba a veces siente nostalgia.

Pensé que sólo tenía muñecas en su mente, pero supongo que Zanoba también es de carne y hueso.

"... Nanahoshi lo intenta muy duro. Su hogar es definitivamente algo importante para ella."

"El chico que le gusta, y su familia... todos están ahí."

Ambos son anhelos ordinarios, pero ambos son importantes.

Muy, muy importantes.

"Ambos están más allá de mí."

"Para usted, son las muñecas."

Yo miro distraídamente a los otros dos durante la conversación con Zanoba.

Cliff y Elinalise.

Los dos han cambiado tanto desde que nos conocimos.

Cliff no puede leer el estado de ánimo, pero ahora es más considerado con los demás.

Elinalise también, recuerdo la época en que ella estaba ocupada acosando a los jóvenes de la universidad.

Si alguna vez se separan, probablemente volverían a sus verdaderas formas rápidamente.

"..."

El cliente frente a Cliff ordenó unas brochets.

Probablemente para pedir el cambio, un mendigo cubierto con una capa y trapos se acercó, pero el cliente lo alejo de una patada.

Cliff parece enojado al ver esto.

Pero Elinalise lo detiene, así que no surgió ninguna pelea.

Cliff tiene buen corazón. Definitivamente va a conseguir algo para el mendigo.

Como esperaba, compró una brochet extra y se la entregó.

El mendigo devora la brochet y le da las gracias.

Nom, nom.

Poco después de terminarla, descaradamente le ruega otra a Cliff, por lo que Cliff compra otra para él.

Temblando de emoción, el mendigo sostiene la mano de Cliff.

¿Eh?

Deja Vu.

¿El mendigo le esta agradeciendo a Cliff en lenguaje humano?

En ese momento, el mendigo se ríe de repente con una voz tan fuerte que se puede escuchar desde aquí.

"¡Faahahahaha!"

Lanzando los trapos, ella grito en voz alta.

"¡Esta se llama Kishirika Kishirisu! ¡Alias LA GRAN EMPERATRIZ DEL REINO DEMONIO! ¡Usted ha salvado la vida de esta persona! ¡Está bien si pides cualquier deseo!"

[[File:Mushoku14 07.jpg|500px]]

Me siento mareado.

=== 7ª Parte ===

Gran Emperatriz Demonio Kishirika.

Ella se ve igual que cómo la recordaba.

Esas botas hasta la rodilla, pantalones cortos ceñidos y blusa.

Su piel pálida, clavícula, cintura, ombligo, y muslos.

Su característico espeso cabello ondulado de color púrpura, y cuernos de cabra.

Bueno, ella esta más sucia que antes.

Pero sin lugar a dudas,

Ella es Kishirika Kishirisu.

"¡Jajajaja! ¡Jajaja! ¡Hahahahaha!"

Cliff la mira estupefacto.

Los ojos de Elinalise se convierten en pequeños puntos.

Yo también, ¿que acaba de pasar?

El único calmado es Zanoba.

Sólo él, con la mano en la barbilla, dice, 'Oh, así que ella es la amante de Badigadi.'

"..."

Paga por adelantado.

Ese frase flota en mi mente.

Creo que Cliff es la prueba de esas palabras.

Ayudar a un mendigo suena fácil, pero no todo el mundo lo haría.

En última instancia, la otra persona es un mendigo.

Ropa desgastada, fuerte hedor cada vez que se acerca, piel cubierta de suciedad, y dientes
ennegrecidos.

Se siente lástima por ellos, por lo que deberíamos comprarles alimentos. Pero, ¿realmente quieres hacerlo?

Yo no lo haría.

No iría tan lejos como para patearlos, pero no tengo esa clase de amor universal.

Pero Cliff, él lo tiene.

La primera vez que nos conocimos, yo pensé que era un pequeño bastardo.

Pero en el futuro, probablemente se convertirá en un gran sacerdote.

¡Viva Cliff!

Bueno, suficientes elogios para Cliff.

De todas formas, ¿qué está haciendo Kishirika aquí?

"¡Vamos! ¡No te reprimas! ¡Cualquier cosa que desees! ¡Pero antes de eso, dime tu nombre!"

"¿Eh? ¿Eh...? C-Cliff Grimoire".

Mirando al mendigo que se convirtió en Kishirika ante él, Cliff me mira como buscando ayuda.

Mientras tanto, Kishirika hace una pose pomposa y continúa.

"¡Cliff! Obsequiarme una comida es una gran hazaña. ¡Esta no ha comido durante medio año!"

Yo camino hacia ellos para unirme a la conversación.

"En ese caso, ¿qué tal un poco más?"

"¡Oh! ¡De verdad! ¡Tú eres verdaderamente generoso! ¡Verdaderamente un hombre generoso!"

Luego de un tiempo, Kishirika sigue devorando brochets de Tortuga Gigante de Tierra.

Viendo como devora todo, me pregunto cómo se las arregla para poner todo en ese diminuto cuerpo.

Nom, nom.

"¡Uf, estoy llena! ¡Con eso, ésta puede durar todo un año!"

Kishirika golpea su barriga con satisfacción. Ella acaba de vaciar el puesto.

Con tan buena venta, el dueño del puesto también debe estar feliz.

Lo siguiente es...

"Cuánto tiempo sin verla, Kishirika-sama."

"¡¿Y usted es?!"

Me inclino con respeto. Kishirika me mira fijamente.

"¿Eh? ¿Oh?"

Entonces gira sus pupilas y aplaude.

"¡Oh, tu! ¡El chico humano con una repugnante cantidad de poder mágico! ¡Esta se acuerda! ¡Ésta le dio al muchacho una ojo demoníaco! El nombre es, oh sí, eh... Lu, ba, Lumba... Lumbaus. ¡Mucho tiempo sin verte!"

"Es Ludeus Greyrat."

No soy una aspiradora.

"Cuánto tiempo sin verlo, Ludeus... Realmente creciste. ¿Cómo le fue después de eso? ¿Como seguiste?"

Kishirika me da una palmada en el muslo una vez que ella se acercó lo suficiente.

Al igual que un gerente de alguna parte.

"¡Ah, sí, el ojo demoníaco que Kishirika-sama me dio me ha salvado la vida muchas veces!"

"¡Faahahahah! ¿¡Es así, es así!?"

Kishirika asiente alegremente.

Qué sencilla.

Tan fácil.

"¡Sin embargo, esta sólo se puede premiar a una persona! ¡Sólo una!"

Kishirika apunta a Cliff.

"Usted, Cliff Grimoire. Dime cual es tu deseo."

"..."

Al ser señalado por Kishirika, Cliff traga nervioso.

De repente me acuerdo.

La recompensa de la Gran Emperatriz Demonio Kishirika Kishirisu; un ojo demoníaco.

Esto es algo bien conocido en este mundo.

Cliff tiene sus propias metas en el futuro.

Un ojo demoníaco sin duda le ayudará con su investigación de la herramienta mágica.

Si soy yo, yo pensaría lo mismo.

Claro.

A menos que...

"E-entonces, por favor dígame la cura para el síndrome de Drenaje".

"¿Eh?"

"Una amiga mío se enfermó. Ella esta estable en este momento, pero probablemente no va a mejorar. Si usted sabe algo, por favor dígame."

Uf.

Mi mente vagaba. Lo siento mucho.

Cuando volvamos, definitivamente voy a invitar a Cliff a una comida en grande.

"Em, Síndrome de Drenaje ¿eh? Ese nombre es nostálgico. ¿La gente todavía se enferma de eso?
¡que inesperado!"

Echo un vistazo a Zanoba y asiente.

Parece que Kishirika ha oído hablar de eso.

"Entonces, ¿qué pasa con la cura?"

"Por supuesto. Debes tomar algunas hojas de hierba Sokasu y hacer té con ellas. Luego sale del cuerpo con la caca."

Puedo sentir una sonrisa cada vez mayor en mi cara.

Bueno.

Aunque Kishirika podría estar equivocada, por fin tenemos algo.

Hacer té con hojas de Sokasu.

Básicamente hacer un brebaje.

"¿Hierba Sokasu? Nunca he oído hablar de eso. ¿Dónde podemos encontrarla?"

"Em... En la Capital Fantasma de Maio."

"¿La Capital Fantasma de Maio?"

Mierda.

Cualquier ciudad con la palabra Fantasma es básicamente imposible de encontrar.

Como un lugar que sólo se puede visitar en un sueño, o sólo se puede encontrar en un espejismo en el desierto...

"Al norte de la Cordillera del Dragón Rojo, en una cueva del valle llamado Cola del Dragón Rojo. La hierba Sokasu crece en las partes más profundas de la cueva."

"Cueva en la Cola del Dragón".

Con eso, tenemos más trabajo que hacer.

No, eso es bueno.

No está nada mal.

Mejor que no encontrar a Kishirika y vagar por el mundo durante años.

¿Eh?

¿Pero hay un lugar llamado Cola del Dragón Rojo en la Cordillera del Dragón Rojo?

"¿Dónde está ese lugar?"

"Oh, durante la segunda Gran Guerra demonio-humano, el Dios Dragón y el Dios de la Pelea hicieron un agujero en el suelo y desapareció."

"... ¿Eh?"

En otras palabras,

Se fue.

Aunque es algo diferente de la historia que yo conocía.

El agujero en la tierra, ¿no fue debido a la batalla entre Kishirika y el Caballero Dorado?

No, Kishirika no parece particularmente fuerte ...

Bueno, olvídalo.

Cuando se trata de cuentos y leyendas, la verdad a menudo se tuerce cuando es conveniente.

Lo importante es la Hierba Sokasu.

"Oye, ¿la Hierba Sokasu esta extinta?"

"No, la Cueva de la cola del dragón es sólo donde fue descubierta."

Kishirika niega con la cabeza lentamente.

El lugar donde fue descubierta, por lo que todavía puede estar creciendo en alguna parte.

"La Hierba Sokasu crece en la profundidades de las cuevas donde el sol nunca brilla."

Las profundidades de las cuevas donde el sol no brilla.

¿Como Laberintos?

¿Otro Laberinto?

En ese caso, entonces tengo que conseguir suficientes compañeros en este momento.

20... No, yo podría colocar una recompensa suficiente para juntar unos 100 aventureros más o menos.

"Por lo tanto, bajo la instrucción de ésta, los Reyes Demonios de todo el mundo han estado cultivándolas bajo sus propios castillos."

"..."

"Después de todo, la Hierba Sokasu es deliciosa. Por otra parte, el consumo de ellas prolonga la esperanza de vida. Incluso los Demonios Inmortales la Beben. ¡Fahahahahaha!"

"..."

En otras palabras.

¿Eso es?

¿Están creciendo bajo el castillo?

No sólo eso, sino que son un ingrediente para hacer té de alta calidad, entonces podemos encontrarla en todas partes.

"¡Faahahaha! ¡Usted pensó usted no la encontraría? ¡Eso supongo! ¿no? ¡Qué lástima! ¡Incluso hay en el Castillo Kishirisu! ¡Fahahahahaha!"

Este chica, realmente quiero darle una patada.

Como me lo imaginaba, Cliff da un paso adelante con los puños apretados.

"¡Usted!"

"¡Espera Cliff-senpai! ¡Espere hasta que ella nos cuente todo!"

"Oh vale."

Mierda, la verdad salió a flote.

Además, si hay en el castillo, entonces está bien.

O más bien, es perfecto.

No estoy feliz de que hayan jugado conmigo.

Esta es un área en la que tengo que mejorar.

Debo mantener la calma.

Mantenga la cabeza inclinada.

"Entonces, Kishirika-sama. ¿Podrías darnos un poco de ese té Sokasu?"

"¡Claro! Pero hay un pequeño problema."

"¿Problema?"

"Um. Ahora mismo en el Castillo Kishirisu hay una persona molesta. Es una idiota, pero una idiota molesta. Ésta se ha estado escondiendo de ella por medio de un año... ¡Ah!"

Kishirika mira detrás de mí.

"¿Em?"

Miro detrás de mí.

Hay unos soldados vestidos de negro.

5, 6, 7 ... más de 20 en total.

Aún más viniendo de la calle y callejones ...

Casi 30 en total, y estamos rodeados.

=== 8ª Parte ===

Los soldados nos miran intimidantemente.

Elinalise da un paso adelante con una mano sobre la espada en su cintura.

Hay sudor frío sobre su frente.

No importa qué, hay demasiados enemigos ante nosotros.

Mierda, no tenemos ningún lugar para correr.

¿Agarro a Zanoba y Cliff y escapo?

¿Dejo a Kishirika y Elinalise atrás?

¿Qué debo hacer?

El soldado mas cercano da un paso adelante.

Con una voz ronca pero contundente, dice,

"Somos de la Región Gaslow, de la Guardia Privada del Rey Demonio Inmortal Atoferatofe."

Habla el lenguaje humano con fluidez.

Así que vamos a trabajar con ellos, probablemente.

"Atofe-sama ordeno: Denos a Kishirika-sama a nosotros, y diríjanse de inmediato al castillo."

Al oírlo, los jinetes vestidos de negro detrás de él comparan el retrato con Kishirika. ¿Eh? Parecen fastidiados.

Como Nokopara supuso, el retrato estaba equivocado. El que lo creó fue descuidado.

Pero, incluso si el retrato estaba mal, al gritar su nombre de esa manera, probablemente se delato sola.

"¿Qué pasa si no lo hacemos?"

En el momento que Elinalise preguntó en voz baja, todos los soldados desenvainaron sus espadas.

El sonido de las espadas desenvainando repiqueteo en todo el lugar.

El coro de sonidos se convierte en un ruido ensordecedor.

"Mantelos a todos."

No puedo estar seguro de la fuerza de un oponente con sólo mirar.

Pero aún tengo un poco de experiencia en mi haber.

Incluso puedo decir cuando un oponente es obviamente fuerte.

Los guardias privados son, sin duda, gente increíble.

Mucho más fuerte que un típico grupo de caballeros.

"No, no. Si atrapan a ésta, entonces, ¿quién sabe como me van a tratar? ¡Atofe es la más estúpida entre los los Reyes Demonio!"

Al escuchar a Kishirika frunzo el ceño.

Si Atofe no tiene un plan para hacer frente a Kishirika después de la capturarla, entonces ¿por que capturarla en primer lugar?

Además, no tengo ninguna razón para reunirme con Atofe.

Debería correr ...

Pero la medicina esta debajo de ese castillo ¿no?

Entonces tal vez deberíamos ir... Pero no la conocemos. No tengo ni idea de como luce.

Mientras estoy dudando, el soldado se quita el casco.

"Por favor."

Un anciano de pelo blanco y aspecto de guerrero.

Con una sonrisa suave, inclina la cabeza.

"Si todo el mundo no viene, entonces vamos a ser castigados por Afote-sama. Definitivamente no te hará daño, así que por favor ..."

Soy un hombre japonés que puede decir... no.

No como antes.

Pero ante una solicitud tan humilde, no puedo dejar de sentir como se me ablanda el corazón.

"No, no lo escuchen. Él es el perro de Atofe."

Sudor frío gotea de la cara de Kishirika.

Parece como si estuviera ocultando algo.

"Yo escuché su conversación. La Hierba Sokasu se cultiva en la Región Gaslow, y también sé las técnicas de cultivo. Si es necesario, incluso podemos preparar algunas plantas para ti. Así que por favor vengan con nosotros..."

El viejo soldado inclina la cabeza.

Puedo sentir su sinceridad.

A pesar de que él nos puede llevar a la fuerza, en cambio lo pidió humildemente.

No soy demasiado cercano a Kishirika, pero sí conozco a Reyes Demonios como Badigadi.

Estos subordinados deben tenerlo difícil.

"Oye, ¿por qué Atofe-sama odia tanto a Kishrika-sama? Tiene que haber una razón por la que ha estado cazando Kishirika-sama durante medio año. ¿Puedes contarmelo?"

"Hace un año, Atofe-sama se suponía que debía recibir un cargamento de vino de la región Gekura en este lugar, pero Kishirika se lo bebió todo."

"Oh."

El viejo soldado continúa.

"Atofe-sama estaba muy ansiosa por el vino y quedo realmente enojada. Ella ordenó a los guardias privados de nuestro lugar de origen que vinieran a investigar y la capturaran. No sabemos como luce Kishirika, así que nos dio este retrato, y hemos estado buscándola desde entonces... "

"Así que eso es lo que pasó, lo entiendo."

Yo mismo, con magia, noqueé a Kishirika.

== Capítulo 150 - Audiencia con la Inmortal Reina Demonio ==

=== 1ª Parte ===

Antiguo castillo Kishirisu.

Su apariencia, en pocas palabras, es un castillo demoniaco.

Construido a partir de albañilería especial, un castillo de oro negro.

Su único defecto evidente es un agujero gigantesco en la torre del castillo.

Aunque no es tan sofisticado como el Castillo del Cielo de Pelagius, sigue siendo una estructura muy hermosa.

Es probablemente más deseable para los interesados en la práctica.

Normalmente sirve como atracción turística, abierto al público, un castillo que cobra una cuota de admisión.

Al parecer dividido en zona turística y sección residente.

Nos trajeron a una sala de audiencias.

No es la gran sala del trono que está abierta al público.

Una sala de audiencias estrecha y práctica.

En este estrecho pasillo, soldados vestidos de negro se alinean hombro a hombro.

Un poco apretado y caliente también.

Y luego, en el trono de jade en esta sala mal ventilada, no hay nadie.

He estado esperando por más de dos horas aquí.

Afuera, el sol se ha puesto hace mucho tiempo.

Aunque estar de pie no es mucha tortura, pero ¿sería malo si se preparase un asiento para mí?

Por cierto, ahora mismo, solamente Zanoba y yo estamos presentes.

Elinalise y Cliff fueron con algunos soldados bajo tierra para recoger la medicina.

"Oye, ¿dónde está Atofe-sama?"

"Ya se lo dije, ya la hemos llamado."

"Esto está tomando demasiado tiempo, no me digas que ella salió de la ciudad ya ..."

"Ella es mala con el tiempo, incluso en el interior del castillo podría pasar un día de retraso."

"Pero no es bueno si se mantiene a los invitados esperando ..."

"Estas aquí, estate tranquilo."

Los soldados susurran entre sí.

Un grupo bastante desinhibido.

De alguna manera observarlos así es bastante tranquilizador.

Cuando comprobé, el viejo soldado ha estado curioso.

"Atofe-sama llegará pronto, por favor aguanta un poco más. Por cierto, no pidas una recompensa."

"¿Ha?"

"No vamos a ser capaces de ayudar si se le ofrece una recompensa."

"Eh ... Bueno, lo entiendo."

Asiento con franqueza.

Aunque no sé lo que podría ser la recompensa.

Bueno, yo no estaba planeando tener una recompensa en primer lugar.

Una recompensa por vender a Kishirika, no quiero algo tan malvado.

Kishirika está atada, retorciéndose en el suelo como una oruga.

Parece que los castigos están preparados para ella. ¿Azotes? ¿Fregar el baño? Esperemos que nada demasiado serio ...

Independientemente debo vigilar mis palabras.

El oponente es un Rey Demonio.

Los únicos que he conocido hasta ahora son Badigadi y Kishirika.

Si esas dos se enojan ... ¿bien?

Probablemente no es una buena cosa.

"Fuera del camino!"

De repente, un sonido desde atrás.

Me giro para mirar y ver a una mujer de pie allí.

Fuera de todo lo que he visto hasta ahora, esa mujer es la más parecida a un demonio.

Piel azul, pelo blanco.

Los ojos carmesí, alas de murciélago.

Y luego, de la frente, un par de grandes cuernos.

Su cuerpo está revestido con una armadura negra como los soldados.

No, su armadura se ve bien pasada, mucho más que los soldados.

Cubierta de cicatrices, todas las decoraciones borrosas.

Vista de sus muchas batallas.

Colgando de su cintura, una gran espada demasiado grande para imaginar en sus muñecas delgadas.

Incluso su funda parece más elegante que los soldados.

No es especialmente alta.

Normal para una mujer madura.

Un poco más alta que Ariel, un poco más baja que yo, por ahí.

Pero lo realmente destacable.

Es la ira indescriptible y la intención de matar que irradia de ella.

Un sentido de violencia difícil de explicar.

Básicamente, como Eris.

Como un caballero femenino.

No, más apropiadamente una comandante femenina.

Probablemente mejor evito su lado malo.

"¿No me oyes? Fuera del camino!"

"Ah, sí."

Siguiendo sus instrucciones, me aparto.

"Bien."

La comandante femenina chasquea su pelo, sin contemplaciones camina hacia el trono, y se da la vuelta.

Desenvainando de su cintura la gran espada, golpea el suelo con ella arrogantemente.

Entonces, después de una respiración profunda, dijo.

"Esta soy yo, Rey Demonio Inmortal Atoferatofe Raibaku."

"... ¿Eh?"

Mientras yo estaba desconcertado, los soldados vestidos de negro a toda prisa levantan sus espadas en señal de saludo.

Todos, excepto uno al lado del trono.

El viejo soldado de antes.

"Atofe-sama! ¿Por qué has venido de allá? ¿Cuántas veces tengo que recordarte? Cuando llegue al trono, venga de la parte de atrás."

"He decidido que el frente es mejor."

"No seas tan imprudente!"

"¿Sabes? Después de un arduo camino para desafiar al Rey Demonio, el momento en que el héroe se encuentra cara a cara con el Rey Demonio en el trono, ese sentimiento es estimulante."

"Entonces, piense en cuan decepcionado su padre, uno de los cincos grandes reyes demonios, estaría! No sólo eso, piense en su marido Raibaku-sama!"

"¡Callate!"

Atofe levanta su espada, más rápido que el ojo puede ver, la balancea en el viejo soldado.

El viejo soldado instantáneamente intenta pararlo, pero ya era demasiado tarde. Su casco salió volando, y se desplomó.

Los soldados vestidos de negro a su alrededor se apresuran a ayudar.

"No se enoje delante de los invitados! Su padre muerto rodará en su tumba!"

El casco rodó delante de mí.

En un punto en el que se ha dividido en dos.

Que aterrador poder.

Despreocupadamente tomo una mirada en ella, el interior está cubierto de sangre.

"¡Uf!"

¿Eh?

¿Ah?

¿Ella le cortó la cabeza ...?

No me digas, ese hombre, él está ...

¿Muerto?

"Lo entiendo. Ser más considerada la próxima vez."

Mientras pensaba, el viejo soldado se levanta como si nada.

El humo procede de la cabeza mientras se inclina ante Atofe.

No me digas, ¿también es del clan inmortal?

¿O más bien, son todos?

"Eso está bien. Muy bien, vamos a empezar desde el principio."

"¡Bueno!"

Atofe enfunda su espada y toma una gran pose.

El viejo soldado toma un casco ofrecido por otro soldado, y se posiciona a la cabeza de las tropas.

Entonces, una vez más, los soldados se enderezan y levantan sus espadas en señal de saludo.

"Esta soy yo, Rey Demonio Inmortal Atoferatofe Raibaku."

[[File:Mushoku14 03.jpg|500px]]

Zanoba se arrodilla en el suelo, con la cabeza en un arco, sigo su ejemplo.

Voy a estar bien, siempre y cuando copie a Zanoba, probablemente.

"En primer lugar, permítame darle las gracias. Gracias a su ayuda, fuimos finalmente capaces de atrapar a esa idiota de Kishirika."

Atofe dijo mientras miraba a Kishirika.

Rodando como una salchicha, ella mira al suelo, resignada a su destino.

Me siento un poco mal por ella.

Lanzarla bajo el autobús<ref> Quiere decir traicionarla </ref> después de ayudarnos, pero no puede ser remediado.

Tenemos nuestros propios problemas.

"Yo no tengo un retrato de esta cuando es joven, por lo que la búsqueda era una pérdida de tiempo, pero finalmente la encontré!"

Ah, por lo que realmente ese era el caso.

Que descuidado.

"Entonces ..."

Aún en esa pose, Atofe mira fijamente a alguna parte.

Entonces, no pasa nada.

5 minutos pasaban.

Aún en esa pose, inmóvil.

Como si su interruptor se hubiese apagado.

"Moore, ¿ahora qué?"

"Recompensa."

Parece que se olvidó de sus líneas.

Además, ese viejo soldado aparentemente es Moore.

Como si fuese hacer un "muhaha muhaha" en cualquier momento.

"Ah, cierto. Ellos merecen una recompensa."

Atofe dijo de pronto.

"No, la recompensa no es necesario."

Le dije la negativa que he preparado.

Todo lo dicho hasta ahora es meramente ceremonial.

Es por eso que Moore me dijo de no ir a por una recompensa antes.

A pesar de lo que yo pensaba, Atofe en su lugar estampa sus pies.

"¿Dices que una recompensa de mí no es lo suficientemente bueno?"

Atofe me mira con intención de matar.

Mis piernas empiezan a temblar.

Esa intención de asesinar es el verdadero negocio.

No como Rinia o Pursena.

Más como Orsted.

"No, no, sería un honor."

Yo mejor no subo al lado equivocado.

Si ella quiere darnos algo, lo mejor es sólo callarse y aceptarlo.

Al igual, yo empiezo a buscar excusas.

"¿Cuál será nuestra recompensa?"

Al oír esto, una satisfecha Atofe entrecierra los ojos.

"Fuerza".

Fuerza.

¿Fuerza?

Sería una mentira si digo que no lo quiero.

Pero Moore-san me dijo que rechazara.

Tal vez debería cambiar el tema y decirle que tenemos que irnos una vez que mis amigos traigan la planta.

"Yo te concedo el honor de unirte y formarte con mis guardias privados!"

"¡Eh!"

¿Qué?

Así que ella no va a poner una mano en la frente y desbloquear mi potencial oculto.

¿O darme un ojo demoniaco como Kishirika?

"Eres un poco blando, pero después de 10 años de entrenamiento, sin duda vas a llegar a ese nivel."

"Ah, em."

"Voy a entrenarte día y noche en los próximos 10 años. ¡Qué honor, ¿no?"

10 años, formación día y noche ...

No, tengo esposas y un niño en el hogar, ese tipo de entrenamiento tengo que pasar.

Es cierto, si me entreno por los próximos 10 años, definitivamente puedo ser más fuerte.

Pero no estoy a punto de tirar todo lo demás sólo por la fuerza.

Abandonando la casa que tengo que proteger, ¿para qué?

Miro a Moore-san, él sacude la cabeza resignado.

¿Qué debo hacer?

No, tengo que rechazarla.

No quiero unirme a algunos guardias privados.

"Lo siento mucho, pero este honor está más allá de mí."

"No hay necesidad de ser cortés! Vayan, obtener una armadura y un contrato para él!"

Varios de los guardias privados salieron como Atofe instruyó.

"La armadura más fuerte del continente demoniaco, la mejor formación del continente demoniaco, y el guardia privado más famoso del continente demoniaco. No hay mayor honor que eso. Aunque una vez contratado nunca me puedes desafiar, pero no es como si pudieras incluso si no lo hicieras. No ¿Eso te hace feliz? "

No puede ser desafiado ...

No estoy contento en absoluto.

Pero de todos los Reyes Demonio que he conocido hasta el momento, este es el que más. <ref> El más demoniaco, lleva doble sentido </ref>

Supongo que en cierto modo, tener la oportunidad de conocer a un rey demonio como este, es algo para ser feliz.

Espera, ¿todos los guardias privados fueron forzados a un contrato como este?

"No, tengo que rechazar. Tengo familia en casa, así que no puedo quedarme aquí 10 años."

"... No me importa la familia. No he visto a mi hijo durante más de cien años. Sin noticias es una buena noticia."

¿Así que tengo que ser separados por 100 años también?

No bromees.

"P-para los seres humanos, 10 años es mucho tiempo. Le dije a mi familia que volveria pronto. Y ..."

"¿Y?"

Atofe muestra espasmos en la frente.

Ella no se ve muy feliz.

"Y tengo un amigo enfermo en espera. Necesito que darse prisa para encontrar una cura para ella y volver. También hay muchas otras cosas que se deben hacer. No puedo pensar en mi propia fuerza en este momento."

"Callate!"

Atofe grita con rabia.

Aterrador, tan aterradora.

En verdad aterradora.

¿Qué? ¿Por Qué?

¿Por qué tiene que gritar?

"¿Te estás uniendo a la guardia privada, o no? ¿Qué será? Da una respuesta clara!"

"Yo debo rechazar."

Después de mi respuesta, Atofe se vuelve rígida.

Sus mejillas se ponen rojas.

"¿Por qué? ¿Por qué te niegas?"

¿Eh?

¿No acabo de dar un montón de razones?

"Em ..."

En este momento, Zanoba de repente da pasos.

Echo un vistazo hacia atrás, tiene una cara de calma.

Ah, todo el tiempo hemos estado hablando la lengua demoniaca, por lo que no sabe la conversación.

¿Qué debemos hacer?

¿Cómo puedo convencer a Atofe?

Miro a mí alrededor.

Sin darme cuenta, el estado de ánimo en la sala ha cambiado.

La simpatía que viene de los soldados se ha congelado en algo extraño.

Además, sintiéndose un poco alienado.

"¡Lo ves!"

Kishirika grita de repente.

"Esa es una idiota. No se involucre con ella. No se puede hablar sensatamente con ella."

"¡Cállate! ¡No soy un idiota!"

Atofe de repente ruge y desenvaina su espada.

"Cierto. ¡Me tratan como a una idiota! Has dicho que quieres una recompensa, entonces dices que no! ¡Jugaste con mi cabeza como una idiota!"

Luego comienza a dirigirse amenazadoramente hacia nosotros.

¿Eh?

¿Qué?

Oye, cálmate.

"Atofe-sama! Estamos dentro, por favor, cálmate!"

"¡Yo no soy una idiota! ¡Yo no lo soy!"

Blandiendo su espada salvajemente, ella con enojo se acerca, pero los soldados vestidos de negro intentan detenerla.

"Quedarse a un lado."

Atofe manda a volar a los soldados como un tren Russell Snow Plow. <ref> https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/cf/36/19/cf361946233fed15bcc462ec960ca99a.jpg </ref>

Ah, mierda.

¿Debo atacar con magia?

No, si ataco ahora sólo agravare la situación.

"Yo me encargo de esto."

Durante mi momento de vacilación, Zanoba se levanta y da un paso hacia adelante.

"¡Ah!"

Zanoba agarra a Atofe fuertemente por la muñeca.

Atofe, pensando que puede enviar a Zanoba volando como el resto de ellos, sigue adelante.

Pero, como se esperaba de la fuerza de un Miko, Zanoba se las arregla para detener el avance de Atofe.

"¡Oh! Tú eres inesperadamente fuerte!"

Atofe sonríe en gran admiración a Zanoba.

Como si la amonestara, Zanoba habla.

"Vamos a calmarnos. No era nuestra intención de molestar. Es todo un malentendido."

"¡Dejar de decir palabras que no entiendo!"

Atofe ignora las palabras de Zanoba.

Más bien, es más como que ella no puede entender el lenguaje humano.

Atofe golpea el pie de Zanoba con su espada, y cuando esto no funciona, ella exclama.

"Oh, eres fuerte. Usando un particularmente fuerte Touki ¡Interesante!"

Mientras grita esas palabras, Atofe corta su propio brazo, que era sujetado por Zanoba.

Sin dudarlo.

Su propio brazo.

El hecho de que era una molestia, se lo cortó.

"Mmph!"

En el momento en que se separa de Atofe, el brazo se disuelve en trozos suaves de carne.

Zanoba lo deja ir, y los trozos de carne salpican en el suelo.

La carne se retuerce cerca de Atofe, fiel a su brazo.

Luego, en un instante, regresa en su antigua forma.

Al igual que Badigadi.

El daño físico es inútil.

"Yo soy el Señor Demonio Inmortal Atoferatofe Raibaku! Esposa del original Dios del Norte Kalman Raibaku! ¡Te mostraré el verdadero estilo del dios del norte!"

Atofe levanta su gran espada preparada.

Zanoba cierra el puño, ¿es que realmente va a luchar contra ella?

"..."

En este momento, siento un escalofrío por mi espalda.

No es bueno.

Tengo un mal presentimiento. Zanoba morirá.

Zanoba es un Miko.

Ataques típicos no le van a perturbar.

Pero él no es invencible.

Incluso el Dios Dragón Orsted puede ser herido.

Este mundo no tiene absolutos.

Zanoba también es débil contra el fuego.

Él puede ser fuerte contra fuerza bruta, pero no es completamente inmune.

"Grr."

Inmediatamente empiezo a preparar magia.

Tan rápido como sea posible, tan duro como sea posible.

Piedra cañón ... no será suficiente.

Pero mi magia también ha mejorado desde entonces.

"Wuhahaha! Muere! Estilo Secreto de Dios del Norte..."

"Electric"

Un rayo purpura vuela desde mi palma a Atofe.

Golpea en un instante.

Atofe cae hacia atrás.

"¡Uf!"

Cayendo hacia atrás, la gran espada se desliza de su mano.

Mientras tanto, un adormecimiento se siente en mi mano izquierda, pero debería estar bien.

Yo no puse suficiente magia en ella para matar.

"Ha!"

Zanoba no está dando ningún espacio de sobra.

"Kaboom!"

El puño de acero de Zanoba golpea a Atofe en la cara.

Al instante la cabeza de Atofe se desmorona, volando en una hermosa parábola.

Arrojada más allá del trono.

Con sonidos desmoronados que rompen la pared del fondo.

Ella voló fuera del castillo.

"A-Atofe-samaaaa!"

Los soldados vestidos de negro van hacia el agujero en la pared.

"Eh, perdón ... Yo estaba tratando de proteger a shisho y me moví sin pensar. ¿Está muerta?"

"No, no creo que pueda."

Bueno, ella es un rey demonio inmortal.

El problema es, ¿qué hacemos ahora?

"Wow, realmente lo hicieron."

"¿De verdad ...?"

"¿Que acaba de pasar?"

Estamos rodeados de unos 20 soldados vestidos de negro.

Discutiendo entre ellos, nos han rodeado.

Ahora que noqueamos a su maestra, por supuesto que tienen que hacer algo.

"Ha."

Levanto mi báculo.

Esta es mi responsabilidad.

Esto sucedió debido a lo que he dicho.

... No, ¿estaba equivocado?

No creo que hiciera nada malo ... ¿Eh?

"..."

Pero los soldados vestidos de negro no sacaron sus espadas. Sólo están mirando.

"Usted ..."

Zanoba está en una pose de lucha.

Tal vez él debería tomar un arma también.

Pero en este momento no tenemos el lujo de buscar una.

¿Hay un poste de madera que no estén usando?

Moore se acerca a nosotros.

En representación de los guardias privados, me habla en el lenguaje del Dios Demonio.

"Déjame preguntarte otra vez, ¿quieres ser nuestros compañeros?"

"No, no queremos."

Le respondí con claridad en este momento. Moore responde.

"Maestra le gusta la gente fuerte. Después de ser detenido por un poder tan extraño, luego siendo enviada a volar fuera del castillo con un golpe… definitivamente va a querer mantenerlo."

¿Son todos los Reyes Demonios de este mundo como este?

¿No pueden ser más serios?

Aún así, los soldados vestidos de negro no parecen que planeen capturarnos.

Todo lo que dijeron después de ver Atofe volar fuera fue [Wow!] [Atofe-sama realmente lo hizo esta vez!] [Haha!] Ese tipo de bromas.

"Los guardias privados no nos moveremos sin instrucciones. Pero una vez ordenado ... no podemos rechazar."

Después de Moore dijese eso , muchos de los guardias privados nos miran fijamente.

Nada más gracioso que un grupo que no hace nada a menos que se les diga.

Pero debemos estar agradecidos de que este sea el caso.

"Afote-sama probablemente no lo va dejar pasar dada la situación."

"¿Qué sucede después de que ella nos pilla?"

"Probablemente te obligue a un duelo con ella."

"..."

"Y cuando se pierde, te obligan a un contrato mientras estas inconsciente. Una vez contratado, nunca se puede desafiar nuevamente a Afote-sama."

"E-ese contrato, ¿cuánto tiempo dura?"

"Hasta que te mueras".

Gulp, puedo oír el sonido de mí tragar.

"Pero cada 10 años, se obtiene un descanso de 2 años."

2 años de descanso cada 10 años.

Así como un día libre cada 5.

Pero de alguna manera no se siente muy bien.

"La mayoría de la gente de aquí se ofrecieron como voluntarios para unirse a los guardias privados de Atofe-sama, pero muchos no. Especialmente la raza humana. Es duro. Podemos simpatizar."

Entre los guardias privados, algunos agachan su cabeza.

Así como nosotros, ellos también se sentían como si fuesen forzados por el contrato.

El contrato es un eufemismo de la esclavitud forzada.

Así que eso es lo que pasó, cuando Moore me advirtió de no tomar una recompensa, esa era la razón ...

Él debería haberlo explicado mejor.

No, no puedo culparlo.

Es mi culpa por no preguntar.

Quería tener cuidado, pero yo estaba descuidado desde el principio.

"... ¿Cuáles son nuestras posibilidades en el duelo?"

"Oh, ¿lo más probable? ¿Crees que puedes vencer a nuestra maestra, que ha perdido sólo contra el Dios del Norte Raibaku y el Dios Demonio Laplace en los últimos 5000 años?"

Oh, básicamente cero.

Inmortal está en su nombre. Su durabilidad probablemente coincida con la de Badigadi.

No, ella es probablemente mejor que Badigadi cuando se trata de luchar.

Badigadi nunca utilizó el Estilo Dios del Norte ni nada.

Al menos, él nunca hizo eso cuando practicamos.

"Si hubiera un empate, ¿qué pasa?"

"Revancha si es un enemigo, el respeto mutuo si es un amigo."

En mi situación.

Probablemente una revancha.

Se siente como que ya hice un enemigo.

Entonces, después de un par de peleas, definitivamente voy a perder el tiempo.

"E-entonces, ¿qué debemos hacer ..?"

"Huir."

Moore dice sin rodeos.

"Sus amigos deberían haber reunido suficiente Hierba Sokasu por ahora. Bajo el castillo hay un túnel hacia fuera de la ciudad. Por favor, escapar por allí."

Los soldados vestidos de negro que nos rodean imploran.

"No sigan nuestros pasos."

"Si alguna van al Reino Sagrado de Milis, por favor vayan a la villa Wako..."

"Idiota, para. Puedes regresar en 7 años."

"Pero ..."

Ese tipo de aflicción que viene de detrás de nosotros.

Eh, voy a fingir que no escuché nada.

No sé siquiera dónde está la villa Wako.

Empiezo a correr como Agradezco a los soldados.

Por cierto, vi una mirada de Kishirika.

Ella ruega con sus ojos.

Ahora, ella y yo somos lo mismo, ambos prófugos.

"¿Puedo llevar a Kishirika-sama conmigo?"

"... Bueno, nuestro comando sólo era capturarla."

Los guardias privados deciden pasar por alto esto.

Parece que Atofe nunca les mandó evitar que Kishirika escape.

¿Qué pasó con castigarla?

Qué sencillo.

Rápidamente quemo las cuerdas que atan a Kishirika.

"Ohh Gracias. Muchas gracias! Éste definitivamente le pagar!"

Nos escapamos de la sala del trono.

=== 2ª Parte ===

Nos pusimos en contacto con Elinalise y Cliff en el interior del castillo.

Llevando un saco lleno de hojas de té en su espalda, y cada uno con un árbol joven en sus manos.

Hojas de color ocre, me recuerda al aloe.

"Debido a que son débiles contra la luz del sol, deben ser cultivadas bajo tierra. También me dio un cuaderno de instrucciones, pero no puedo leerlo."

"Puedo pedir a Roxy que le eche un vistazo después, vámonos deprisa."

"¿Qué pasó?"

Les explico la situación.

Elinalise tiene una [Yo sabía que esto pasaría] mirada en su rostro.

"Escuché algo de esto antes. Que Kishirika da ojos demoniacos, Badigadi da sabiduría, y Atoferatofe fuerza."

"Si lo sabías, deberías haberlo dicho!"

"No entiendo el lenguaje del Dios Demonio, tal vez deberías haber traducido mejor."

Ah, cierto, yo era el culpable también.

Pero yo no soy un traductor.

No sé lo que debo hacer.

"No hay tiempo para luchar. Apurarse y correr. ¿Entonces, ese túnel subterráneo? ¿Hay que ir?"

Vuelvo a mis sentidos después de escuchar a Zanoba.

Cierto, en este momento Atofe puede haber sanado ya la cara que Zanoba estrelló, y está de camino para matarnos.

"No, mejor no ir bajo tierra."

Una voz desde detrás de mis piernas.

Cuando miro hacia atrás, Kishirika ha estado mirándome.

Cuando nos reunimos por última vez, estábamos más o menos en la misma altura, pero ahora no puedo dejar de mirar hacia abajo.

"Esta no dijo nada antes, porque ésta estaba loca de tu traición, pero Badi destruyó ese túnel durante la Campaña de Laplace. No se ha reparado todavía."

"¿En serio?"

"En serio. Ese tipo es un mentiroso. Moore miente para ayudar a Atofe. Es básicamente su mano derecha. Él pudo haber dicho eso, pero él probablemente planea algo una vez que empieces a luchar con Atofe."

Incluso si Kishirika está mintiendo, eso suena plausible.

Moore nos quiere engañar y capturarnos en el subterráneo.

Ese bastardo ...

... Pero él tuvo la amabilidad de no atacar inmediatamente.

Y él amablemente preparó notas de cultivo de las hierbas para nosotros también.

Traicionar esa amabilidad, mandando fuera a Atofe, es todo mi culpa.

Yo debí entregar a Kishirika y limpiamente rechazar la recompensa.

Tal vez ellos me hubiesen dejado ir.

Aunque Moore podría quejarse de Atofe, él no está definitivamente de nuestro lado.

"Pero si ese es el caso, entonces ¿por qué no nos capturaron en ese momento?."

"Es Atofe de la que estás hablando. Ella definitivamente nos quiere atrapar por sí misma."

Ya veo.

Solo es un juego.

Como hombre de confianza del rey demonio, esto es parte del trabajo.

¿Lo saben los otros soldados?

Tal vez algunos lo hicieron, y otros no.

"Entiendo. Entonces, ¿nos escapamos por arriba?"

"Sí. No debería haber ninguna inspección en este momento."

Inspecciones en los puntos de entrada.

De hecho, con todos los guardias privados en el interior del castillo, no debería haber ninguna inspección.

"Tal vez las cosas cambiaron cuando Kishirika-sama estaba en la clandestinidad. ¿Tal vez ya han fijado los túneles?"

"Si eso es lo que piensas, entonces de cualquier manera está bien ¿no?"

Cierto.

¿Está el enemigo por encima o por debajo de la tierra?

Um.

"Elinalise-san, ¿cuál elegirías?"

"Definitivamente no voy a escoger el camino que podría ser bloqueado."

"¿Zanoba?"

"Estrechas áreas son más fáciles de combatir."

"¿Cliff?"

"Yo, cojo por encima del suelo. Odio lugares oscuros."

Se decidió.

Reglas democráticas.

"Entonces vamos a escapar por encima del suelo. Elinalise tomará la delantera. Por favor, llévanos directamente al círculo de teletransporte mágico. Cliff y Zanoba en el medio, yo voy a estar en la retaguardia. Zanoba y yo vamos a manejar nuestro equipaje."

Tomo lo que Elinalise cargaba.

Mejor dejar que nosotros lo sostengamos que ellos.

Puedo usar magia, por lo que no necesita mucha movilidad. Zanoba no le importará un poco de peso.

Cliff no es muy fuerte, así que mejor si no lleva nada.

"¿Qué tal esta?"

"Su majestad, podrá sentarse con el equipaje de Zanoba."

"Entendido."

Siguiendo las instrucciones, Kishirika subió a Zanoba como un pequeño animal.

Estaba bromeando ...

Ah, bueno. Eso es probablemente lo más seguro.

"Muy bien, vamos!"

Corremos fuera del castillo castillo.

Desde dentro, el sonido de [Moooreeee! Persiguelos!] Se puede escuchar en voz alta.

Aterrador.

=== 3ª Parte ===

Desesperadamente corríamos por las calles de noche.

A pesar de que debe ser oscuro, es en realidad muy brillante.

Luces brillantes iluminan los acantilados del cráter.

Pero la elección sobre ir por arriba estaba en lo cierto, por ahora.

Ni un solo soldado vestido de negro a la vista.

Nadie persiguiendonos detrás de nosotros tampoco.

Así como predijo Kishirika.

Probablemente están buscando por los túneles ahora.

No, tal vez Atofe renunció ya.

Imposible. Piensa en ello, incluso tenemos a Kishirika con nosotros.

Atofe no tiene ninguna razón para renunciar a la persecución.

Corrimos a través de la carretera principal, pasando por el Gremio de Aventureros.

Nokopara está probablemente todavía en el interior.

Nunca esperé que regresaría ya.

Nuestras habitaciones han sido pagadas.

Nuestro cambio está todavía dentro.

Es lamentable, pero no es una gran pérdida.

Pasamos por el mercado vacío.

En pocas palabras, diviso el callejón donde teñimos el pelo de Ruijerd.

En aquel entonces corrimos fuera de la ciudad, como en esta ocasión.

Después de todo, no hay ni un solo recuerdo feliz de este lugar.

Llegamos a la entrada de la ciudad, una grieta en el cráter.

No hay soldados vestidos de negro, pero hay guardias.

Una cabeza de lagarto y una cabeza de cerdo.

Ellos nos miran, pero no muestran ninguna sospecha. Fácilmente pasamos.

Casi estamos allí.

Seguimos a lo largo del borde del cráter.

"¿Ehh? ¿Dónde vamos?"

"Un circulo de teletransportación mágico que usamos."

"Oh. Círculo de teletransportación. ¿Esa cosa sigue ahí? Pero, em .. OWW, Ésta, su lengua ..."

Marcamos la ubicación en el camino de salida.

Estaremos bien.

Es un poco oscuro, pero Elinalise no cometería un error.

Gire a la izquierda en la marca, luego recto cuesta arriba. Detuvimos nuestros pasos.

"Bueno, bueno, ya es hora."

Pendiente arriba.

La puerta de entrada al círculo de teletransporte mágico.

Atofe está orgullosamente allí.

Alrededor de 10 soldados vestidos de negro.

Otro agujero se puede ver cerca de la entrada del círculo de teletransporte mágico.

No me digas, ¿la salida de los túneles subterráneos es ... aquí?

"Como era de esperar de Moore. Es como él dijo. Tendré que recompensarle con creces."

¿Estábamos siendo rastreados?

No, ellos incluso llegaron aquí antes que nosotros.

¿Incluso sabían hacia dónde íbamos?

"Que, que impresionante ... ¿Cómo se pone al día tan rápidamente?"

"Ja, fácil cuando se puede volar. Puedo verte correr."

Atofe flexiona sus alas mientras habla.

"Moore ha llegado."

Vuelvo a mirar. Soldados vestidos de negro aparecen cerca de la esquina del cráter.

Atofe vigila desde arriba.

Diez soldados vestidos de negro siguen desde abajo.

Y más siguen por encima del suelo.

Ataque desde tres lados.

... Si lo piensas bien, sólo tiene sentido. No son Inspector Zenigata, por supuesto que se van a dividir para buscar.

No sólo eso, sabían dónde nos dirigíamos, por lo que ninguno de los caminos funcionarían.

Los soldados vestidos de negro detrás de nosotros nos han rodeado.

Con la ruta de escape cortada, no hay escapatoria.

"Moore. Bien hecho. Es simplemente como has dicho."

"Si usted piensa así, entonces escuche mi petición."

"Denegado."

Después de la breve conversación, Atofe aplaude su mano.

Por lo tanto, los soldados vestidos de negro, todos juntos, desenvainan sus espadas.

"Entonces ..."

Atofe da un paso adelante, la espada desenvainada.

Luego, desde el terreno elevado con la espada apuntando, ella habla.

"Wahahaha! Yo soy el Señor Demonio Inmortal Atoferatofe Raibaku. Derrótame y la gente te llamará héroe! Pierde ante mí, os convertiréis en mi marioneta, siguiendo todas mis órdenes hasta que mueras!"

Una sonrisa sombría.

Una intención de matar abrumador.

Atofe quién es más baja que yo parece como un gigante de 5 metros de altura.

"..."

Lo siento, Sylphy.

Puede que no regrese.

== Capítulo 151 - Duelo con la Inmortal Reina Demonio==

=== 1ª Parte ===

La famosísima Reina Demonio Inmortal Atoferatore, también conocida como Atofe, es la hija del Quinto Gran Rey Demonio Inmortal Nekurosu Rakurosu. Su primera aparición en la historia se remonta a la segunda gran guerra Demonio-Humano. Considerada la principal fuerza de ataque de la raza demoníaca. Es algo estúpida pero lo compensa con una tremenda habilidad y tenacidad para las batallas, en palabras simples, una cruel y temida Reina Demonio.

Sin embargo, y probablemente por culpa de aquella estupidez que la caracterizaba, el bando enemigo cortó su ruta de abastecimiento. Así los humanos la capturaron y sellaron.

Su despertar ocurrió antes de la Campaña de Laplace, de hecho, el mismísimo Dios Demonio Laplace fue quien se encargo de liberarla y romper el sello, convirtiéndose en una de los más temidos subordinados del Dios Demonio.

Después de la campaña de Laplace, al ser derrotada por el Dios del Norte Karuman, la gran Reina Demonio se rindió.

Cuenta la leyenda que el Dios del Norte Karuman y la Reina Demonio Atofe tuvieron un hijo, el cual en un futuro se le conocería como el Dios del Norte Karuman II.

También se dice que el Dios del Norte Karuman le enseñó a Atofe todo lo que sabia de la espada.

Dicho todo esto, se puede concluir que Atofe es una veterana, la cual carga en su espalda con una cantidad incontable de batallas, por no decir que fue protegida por el Dios del Norte original y además es inmortal.

En palabras simples... Estamos jodidos.

=== 2ª Parte ===

Atofe se encuentra ante nosotros blandiendo su espada impacientemente, al mismo tiempo que los soldados Oscuros nos rodean, bloqueandonos la ruta de escape.

"Pues bien, vengan, los cuatro al mismo tiempo."

Dice Atofe, mientras se posiciona a la espera de nuestro ataque, cuidadosamente blande su espada y nos mira con atención.

Sus ojos son su verdadera arma.

Con la fuerza que le caracteriza, queda fuera de cuestión el que nos aplastará como hormigas.

"... No seré tan ingenua esta vez. Recuerdo bastante bien lo de hace un momento."

Exclama Atofe, alternando su miraba entre Zanoba y yo.

Con la guardia en alto, nos vigila.

La super fuerza de Zanoba y mi relámpago.

Venga que incluso una Reina Demonio no pudo evitar nuestro ataque.

Pero eso ya es cosa del pasado, se ha recuperado de todas sus heridas luciendo completamente ilesa.

Incluso luego de haber recibido un golpe directo en la cara por parte de Zanoba, quedando esta completamente aplastada e irreconocible. Simplemente no hay huella alguna de nuestro ataque.

"Bueno, hagan eso mismo nuevamente. Esta vez lo esquivare."

Dijo Atofe llena de confianza.

De hecho, realmente se siente como que lo esquivara.

Las Arte de la espada de este mundo incluso pueden reflejar magia.

No estoy seguro respecto a que el estilo del Dios del Norte pueda hacerlo, pero ya que estamos hablando de una Reina Demonio, no dudo sobre el hecho de que ella es capaz de evitar magia de mi nivel.

Mmm... Activare mi ojo místico por ahora, pero... ¿Realmente hará una diferencia poder ver ese segundo al futuro?

Pues bien, ¿ahora qué debería hacer?

... Para comenzar debo encontrar una abertura.

Ok, asumiendo que la encontramos, entonces, ¿qué hacemos?.

¿Mi magia será capaz de hacerle algún rasguño?

Mi bala rocosa más fuerte no pudo matar a un indefenso Badigadi.

Pues ni hablar de una Atofe en guardia, lista para luchar, no le hará ni cosquillas.

De hecho, siempre y cuando ella este en guardia, da igual el tipo de magia que utilice...

"Ludeus. Intentemos crear una abertura para que Cliff corra hacía al circulo de teleportación y escape."

Dijo Elinalise, a lo cual miro a Cliff el cual tiene sus ojos enfocados en Atofe, sin embargo, sus piernas están temblando, no hay que olvidar que es un completo inútil para las batallas.

"Que se lleve consigo el té, la planta y el libro de notas. Así Nanahoshi se salvará."

"Bien."

Exacto.

Lo estaba olvidando pero es por esto que vinimos en primer lugar.

Salvar a Nanahoshi, esa era la meta.

Si tenemos una meta, entonces cumplirla es lo más importante.

Si perdemos aquí, no moriremos. Aunque no podremos ver a nuestras familias y conocidos por 10 años... Lo cual es una mierda.

"Ah, y que también busque refuerzos. Pelagius y Atofe tienen su propia historia. Él definitivamente puede conseguir ayuda."

Pelagius y sus 12 familiares.

Exacto, si se trata de él, puede que venga a nuestro rescate.

No importa qué, él es el héroe que selló a Laplace.

Si él puede hacer eso, entonces debe ser capaz de encargarse de Atofe.

"Bien. Entonces, vamos a hacer eso... ¿Puedes convencer a Cliff?"

"Espera y veras."

Elinalise retrocede hasta donde se encuentra Cliff.

El plan es el siguiente. Zanoba, Elinalise y yo crearemos una abertura.

Cliff se fugará, corriendo en dirección al circulo de teleportación.

Entonces convencerá a Pelagius mientras nosotros tratamos de resistir hasta su llegada.

Pero... ¿Funcionará?

¿Podemos manejarlo?

También esta Cliff, ¿puede convencer a Pelagius?

Mientras Cliff intenta convencer a Pelagius, ¿perderemos y seremos obligados a aceptar el contrato?

No importa qué, si Cliff se escapa, entonces Nanahoshi se salvará.

Salvar a Nanahoshi.

Ese era el objetivo, nuestra meta.

Pero quiero volver también.

Eh, puta mierda, estoy corriendo en círculos...

Debo respirar profundo y calmarme...

En primer lugar, tenemos que contener a Atofe.

En ese momento, uso magia para dispersar a los caballeros oscuros y permitir que Cliff escape.

Entonces, si la situación lo permite, también tomamos la oportunidad y corremos a máxima velocidad hacia el círculo mágico.

Pues bien.

Vamos a hacer eso.

No podemos derrotar a Atofe, pero a los soldados oscuros que nos rodean si.

Hay que tomárselo enserio esta vez.

Hay que destruirlos a todos.

Pues bien.

Puedo hacerlo.

Hazlo, hazlo.

Mátalos.

Mátalos a todos, tú puedes Ludeus, y si lo logras podrás volver a casa. No hay problema.

Sí, puedo hacerlo.

Esta vez no es solo palabrería.

"No te preocupes, Shisho. Yo detendré a la Reina Demonio Atofe aunque me cueste la vida."

Dijo Zanoba sin una pisca de vacilación.

Calmado.

Confiable.

¿Por qué es tan varonil en una situación como esta?

Como si fuera una línea de película.

Si fuera un personaje femenino no sería nada de raro que me enamorara de él.

[Pero ¿puedo realmente escapar? No corro muy rápido y el equipaje también...]

[Si te comienzan a perseguir, Ludeus y yo los detendremos. No mires hacia atrás, no pienses, simplemente sigue corriendo. Y tampoco te tropieces.]

[Debería pelear también...]

[No vamos a ganar incluso si somos los cuatro. El que vayas a huir para poder buscar refuerzos también cuenta como una batalla importante.]

[En ese caso... Oh, ya entiendo...]

La voz de Cliff pasa por mis oídos.

Desde aquí hasta la entrada del circulo mágico son alrededor de unos treinta pasos más o menos.

Ni tan lejos ni tan cerca.

Pero él tiene que correr toda la distancia.

"Persuasión exitosa."

Pronto Elinalise vuelve al frente.

Miro a Cliff cuyo rostro refleja una mirada seria, la de un hombre con un propósito.

No es que huya de la batalla como un marica, sino que huye para buscar ayuda, huir es su batalla.

Exacto, huir para buscar ayuda es una batalla...

Elinalise es bastante buena utilizando las palabras. Que envidia.

"Zanoba y yo crearemos una abertura enfrentándonos a Atofe. Ludeus, tú te encargaras de los soldados oscuros a tu alrededor."

"Okay, yo me encargo."

Sesión de estrategia terminada.

Nos volteamos en dirección a Atofe.

Preparada con su espada, burlándose de nosotros.

"¿Vuestro objetivo es ganarme?"

Detrás de ella no hay ningún soldado.

Son 30 pasos cuesta arriba, ademas hay buenos puntos de apoyo.

¿No se caerá Cliff en el camino?

No, lo logrará de todos modos.

"Zanoba, Elinalise-san, voy a realizar el primer ataque."

"Entendido."

Mirando a Atofe, levanto mi báculo.

Utilizaré mi habitual cañón pétreo.

Aunque solamente por potencia de fuego, mi ataque [Relámpago] que es de nivel Real podría ser una mejor opción, pero a esta distancia seremos alcanzado por mi ataque también.

Morir en manos de mi propio ataque, paso.

"Ufff..."

Al tiempo en que respiro profundamente, me concentro en enfocar mi magia en el báculo.

Atofe sigue sin realizar movimiento alguno.

Aun sí ella sabe que puedo conjurar en silencio, procederemos según lo planeado.

Conveniente, pero...

<Atofe desvía el Cañón Pétreo con su espada.>

Mi ojo místico claramente ve que Atofe realiza un movimiento para esquivar mi ataque.

Mierda. Aún cuando me dijeron que mi Cañón Pétreo es de alto nivel, simplemente parece ser inútil contra Atofe.

Entonces, ¿si utilizo [Relámpago] funcionará?.

¿Utilizar el ataque del cuál ella está más pendiente...?

"Shisho. Definitivamente cumpliré mi cometido, cuenta conmigo."

"... Zanoba."

Puedo confiar en sus palabras.

... También me preparo para la batalla.

"Ok, ¡vamos!"

Disparé el más fuerte posible Cañón Pétreo.

Con un Kaboom vuela hacia Atofe.

"¡Sólo rindanse!"

Atofe se mueve como un espejismo, realizando un movimiento diminuto con su muñeca, apenas cambia la posición de su espada.

Al instante siguiente, la espada y el cañón chocan, aterradoras chispas vuelan en todas direcciones.

El Cañón Pétreo cambia de curso y golpea en una roca que se encontraba a una distancia algo lejana, provocando una gran nube de polvo.

Aún no es suficiente.

"¡¡Arrrrgh!!"

Sin siquiera pasar un momento del choque, Zanoba lanzó una masa extraña a Atofe.

"¿Ehh?"

La extraña masa gritaba mientras volaba hacia Atofe, la cual sonreía mientras se preparaba para desviar el ataque.

"Sólo rindan-... ¿Ah?"

Justo cuando Atofe estaba a punto de cortar la masa en dos, detiene su movimiento.

Entonces, la masa que lanzó Zanoba golpea a Atofe en la cara.

"¿Guaah?"

"¿Ah?"

Como si fuera pegamento la masa se pega en la cara de Atofe...

Es Kishirika que estaba sentada sobre el hombro de Zanoba.

"¡Ewww! ¡Qué pasa con este olor de mierda! ¡Vete a tomar un ducha tú maldita idiota!"

"Parece que alguien quiere un poco más... ¿Nooo?"

Atofe agarra la mano de Kishirika y tira de ella con fuerza, mandando a volar lejos a Kishirika, la cual torpemente aterriza fuera del círculo de soldados que nos rodea.

"Venga vamos, como pueden tirarme algo como eso... ¿Están de broma?"

Atofe grita en estado de shock.

Zanoba con los puños apretados rompe a correr hacia Atofe.

Elinalise le sigue detrás como una sombra.

Mierda, debería dejar de mirar y unirme a ellos.

"¡Eso es vengan a mí!, ¡Espíritu de lucha!"

"¡Ahhh!"

Zanoba lanza un puñetazo.

Con horrible fuerza vuela hacia Atofe.

Con su guante ella fácilmente...

"¿Ugh?"

Atofe no lo esquivo.

Al instante siguiente un sonido espantoso se escucha, ¡BAAMMM!, el golpe de Zanoba se hundió en Atofe.

El guante quedó aplastado dando forma a un aspecto horrible.

Zanoba continua el ataque, da un paso para estabilizarse y luego da otro gran paso hacia adelante, siguiendo el flujo del movimiento un nuevo golpe es lanzado hacia Atofe.

"¡Bieeeeeeeeeen!"

Atofe levanta su gran espada desde una posición incómoda.

Otro espantoso estruendo se escucha, el sonido del crujir. La pierna de Atofe se tuerce.

Pero su ímpetu se mantiene al igual que el movimiento de su espada que va hacia Zanoba.

"Grrr."

Zanoba cae de rodillas por el dolor.

Es la primera vez que veo así a Zanoba.

Que recuerde, Zanoba ni siquiera se encogió cuando lo golpeé con mi cañon pétreo.

Y pensar que esta así con un solo golpe...

Atofe examina a Zanoba arrogantemente aunque con la respiración un poco entre cortada.

"Ese cuerpo que posees no es malo, pero... Recuerda. No hay ninguna defensa perfecta. Y es por eso mismo que mi esposo Karum..."

"¡Hah!"

"¿Mmm?"

Mientras Atofe hablaba.

Utilizando la espalda de Zanoba como si fuera su trampolín, Elinalise salta encima.

Haciendo uso del impulso obtenido dirige su ataque a la garganta de Atofe, teniendo como objetivo la carne expuesta.

Pero el ataque y el sonido del corte, ambos son desviados.

No es el sonido de la piel lo que se escucha más bien es el sonido emitido al golpear el touki.

"¡Aún hay más!"

La espada de una mano de Elinalise se mantiene firme.

Con su escudo levantado, da un paso hacia al lado y lanza una estocada con violencia.

La onda expansiva invisible vuela de la espada y golpea directamente a Atofe.

Pero esta luce imperturbable, arrugando sus cejas infelizmente, como si tuviera arena en los ojos.

"¡Tus ataques son débiles!. Okay, bien, aquí, ¡toma esto!"

Atofe levanta su gran espada y lanza una cuchillada.

Elinalise retrocede para evitar el ataque.

"¡Psh!"

Sin demorar ni un segundo, Elinalise levanta su escudo.

¡GONG!, se escucha el sonido metálico al golpear la espada contra el escudo. Elinalise da un par de vueltas, rodando por el suelo rocoso, entonces se abalanza como un gato.

Mi ojo puede ver... Terror.

"Sin embargo tienes un buen juego de piernas. Con un buen entrenamiento en mi lugar..."

"¡Aaah!"

Zanoba repentinamente se pone de pie mientras Atofe hablaba.

Mejor dicho da un salto, con las manos estiradas, cae en picada sobre Atofe.

"¡Ahh!"

Así de fácil, Zanoba agarra a Atofe dándole un abrazo de oso, impidiendole realizar movimiento alguno con sus manos, Zanoba la levanta del suelo.

"Argh. ¡Cómo osas abrazarme tan descaradamente... Guardias!"

Como si se tratara de una prensa Zanoba aprieta con todas sus fuerzas. Atofe escupe sangre negra.

¿El Combo ha servido?

No, ni de coña, el oponente es una Reina Demonio Inmortal, el daño temporal no funcionará.

"¡Shisho! ¡Ahora!"

"¡...!"

Las palabras de Zanoba confirman la situación.

Atofe esta inmovilizada.

Una oportunidad.

"¡Cliff, ahora, huye!"

Con todo mi poder puesto en mi báculo.

Un hechizo con daño en área.

Eso ha de ser suficiente para matar a todos los soldados oscuros a la vez.

"¡Okay, me largo!"

Cliff comienza a correr, los soldados oscuros que nos rodean alzan sus espadas en estado de shock.

Pues no pequeños, demasiado tarde.

"¡Frost Nova!"<ref>No me acuerdo como le dicen :v, si ven un ataque en ingles es porque no hay nombre definido o no lo recuerdo</ref>

Oleadas de aire frío salen desde mi báculo.

El suelo cruje al tiempo que se congela, masas de aire frío llegan a los soldados oscuros que nos rodeaban,

"¡Naah!"

"¿Mmm?"

Los soldados oscuros entran en pánico al tiempo en que el suelo bajo sus pies comienza a congelarse.

¡Lo hice...!

Podría ser un ataque furtivo.

Pero de esta manera, no puede ser esquivado.

Mientras pensaba.

Una voz sonó.

"...Explosiones de llamas cubren mi cuerpo, ¡[Burning Place]!"

Viento caliente se propagaba del cuerpo de un hombre al igual que si su cuerpo fuera el fuego.

Como si estuviera desafiando a mi Frost Nova.

Ese hombre y los dos soldados junto a él, lograron descongelarse.

Pues aquel hombre no es nada más ni nada menos que Moore.

El viejo soldado comenzó a recitar tan pronto como levanté mi báculo, aprovechando el espacio de tiempo.

Aún así, no importa que tan poderoso ni que tan rápido sea.

Incluso si me afecta, no voy a mostrar misericordia alguna...

Sin embargo el hechizo de Moore sólo pudo descongelarlo a él más los dos que estaban al lado suyo.

Todo los demás están completamente envuelto en hielo, como si fueran esculturas.

Por puro poder, he ganado.

Además, finalmente he asesinado...

"Incluso ha congelado nuestras armaduras negras... ¡Qué increíble poder!. ¡Todo el mundo, conjuren Burning Place!"

"¡A sus ordenes!. Espíritu del fuego, En todas partes entre el cielo y la tierra..."

Moore le gritó a sus camaradas, así los soldados oscuros comenzaron a recitar el conjuro dentro del hielo.

No han muerto.

Nadie murió.

Esa armadura negra.

¿Que clase de armadura negra puede resistir magia de agua?

Mierda.

¿He utilizado el hechizo incorrecto?

"Mmm."

Cliff paso al lado de la exprimida Atofe.

"Moore, ¡no lo dejes escapar!"

"¡Si!"

Al de recibir la orden de Atofe, Moore comienza a moverse.

Un momento después, los soldados descongelados por Moore comienzan a correr también.

Elinalise se lanza hacia ellos, deslizándose frente a ellos.

Y con su espada alzada, los detiene.

"¡Ludeus! ¡Ve!"

Moore persigue sin mirar atrás a Cliff el cual carga con un enorme equipaje y un joven árbol.

Aunque Moore lleva armadura, es rápido. Esta a tan sólo 7 pasos de Cliff.

Apunto mi báculo hacia Moore.

"¡Cañón Pétreo!"

<Moore conjuar [Muro de tierra] para contrarrestar mi Cañón Pétreo.>

Está bien. Puedo hacerlo.

La magia se vierte en mi báculo y disparo.

"La tierra... ¡GRR!"

Moore corre con una mano levantada mientras conjura.

Pero como un láser, el cañón pétreo golpea su brazo, enviando su armadura a volar.

Con una mano destrozada Moore tropieza... pero no se detuvo.

"Espíritu del agua, conviértete en mi fuerza - [Campo helado]."

La magia de Moore le rodea en la niebla.

¿Utilizar niebla para evadir mi ataque?

Aún así, su conjuro es corto.

Casi lo mismo que demora Roxy, ¿Será un conjuro acortado?

"¡Ráfaga de viento!"

Forme viento con mi báculo y despeje la niebla.

Y bueno tal vez lo mande a volar lejos también... Pero venga, que a este tipo ni le importa el dolor que siente, cada vez esta más cerca de Cliff.

Esa armadura negra, ¿lo hace resistente a la magia de viento también?

No, no sólo de viento y agua, sino que resistente a las demás también.

¿Qué hago?

Esta a tan sólo 6 pasos.

Fallé el tiro de la muerte, si lo lanzo de nuevo y lo llega a esquivar, lo más probable es que este golpee a Cliff--

Justo ahora, mi ojo místico observa que Moore comienza a conjugar al tiempo que corre.

"¡Espíritu de la tierra de todo este mundo! ¡Hago un llamado a usted, responde--!"

"¡Distorsión mágica!"

Instantáneamente conjuré el hechizo que he practicado en casa.

El hechizo que entrené con Sylphy.

Momentos antes de que el hechizo de Moore estuviera completo, este desaparece.

"¿En serio? ¿Incluso distorsión mágica?"

Moore examina su mano en estado de shock.

Pero sus piernas no han parado.

Sólo 5 pasos lo separan de Cliff.

Continuo mi ataque, como si utilizara mi mano para bloquear su camino, y entonces disparo.

Por supuesto, debo utilizar algo a lo que estoy acostumbrado.

Mi más famosa y trillada táctica debería funcionar no importa que tan experimentado sea el oponente.

Al igual que en las prácticas.

"¡Quagmire!"

Entre Moore y Cliff, se forma un pantano gigante.

Moore pone un pie dentro del pegajoso lodazal...

"Mm... ¡El Dios desconocido! ¡Responde a mi oración!, ¡Trae el cielo a la tierra! [Lanza de Tierra]!"

Al instante, Moore lanza magia bajo sus pies, desde los cuales aparece un gran lanza de tierra.

Corriendo sobre esta lanza, Moore rápidamente pasa sobre mi Quagmire.

Sus piernas no se han detenido.

Sólo 4 pasos de distancia.

Me ha contrarrestado.

Todos mis ataques han sido detenidos.

Que inesperado...

"¡Ludeus!, ¡Cliff! ¡Apresúrense!"

"¡Lo sé!"

Grita Elinalise con todas sus fuerzas.

Mirando por encima, puedo ver que está actualmente ocupada con los dos soldados.

Dos contra uno.

Los soldados oscuros no presionan sus ataques, meramente la mantienen ocupada.

"¡Eyy!, ¡Ya te lo dije, tu maldito desvergonzado! ¡Déjame ir! ¡Al menos pelea con tus manos!"

"No te dejare ir incluso si me cuesta la muerte!"

Zanoba da cabezazos a Atofe. Intentando su mejor esfuerzo incluso con sangre cayendo de su cabeza.

Necesito apurar también.

Los otros soldados oscuros también se están descongelando.

El vapor se levanta por todos lados, coloreando el aire de un color blanco.

"Grrr."

¿Qué hago?

¿Qué hago para detener a Moore?

Ese bastardo es fuerte. En una lucha mágica es mucho más experimentado que yo, al punto en que rechaza los hechizos básicos como si nada.

¿Funcionarán hechizos más fuertes?

No. Si es demasiado fuerte, incluso Cliff podría verse envuelto en él. Además están los contraataques de Moore y su armadura que resiste todo tipo de magia.

"¡...!"

Justo entonces, noté que mis pies están mojados.

El resultado de Frost Nova.

Debido a la descongelación del por parte de Burning place, el área entera está conmocionada en agua.

El primero en descongelarse, Moore, también esta empapado en agua.

Por supuesto, Elinalise y yo, nuestros pies también están cubiertos en un charco de agua.

Este hechizo, Atofe sólo lo vio una vez anteriormente.

En otras palabras, Moore nunca lo ha enfrentado.

Pero si lo uso ahora.

Yo, Elinalise, incluso Zanoba recibirán el golpe.

Sólo Cliff se libraría ya que está fuera de rango.

No será golpeado.

En ese instante, llegue a un conclusión.

"¡Golpe Eléctrico!"

[[File:Mushoku14 08.jpg|500px]]

Sin ser suficiente para matar, la electricidad sale volando hacia fuera.

Un rayo púrpura vuela hacia Moore.

BANG, un fuerte sonido estalla, una terrorífica demostración de fuerza.

El rayo púrpura indiscriminadamente azota el suelo circundante.

Con el suelo mojado, fácilmente se extiende a toda la gente empapado en agua y los electrifica.

"¡Kyaaa!"

"¡Gaaa!"

"¡Ohhh!"

Todos los soldados oscuros colapsan en un montón de humo.

Elinalise; Zanoba y Atofe también.

Todos y cada uno de los soldados descongelados incluyendo a Moore son golpeados por el rayo. Y por supuesto, yo también soy golpeado.

"¡Ugh!"

Mi cuerpo recibió un choque horrible.

Un dolor baja por mi espina dorsal, todas mis articulaciones se sienten como si estuvieran dobladas en direcciones equivocadas.

No fue suficiente para matar a alguien.

Así que sé que no voy a morir.

Pero la vision de mis ojos se vuelve oscura, y mi conciencia con se oscurece junto a ellos.

■■■■

Para momento en que recobre la conciencia ya me encontraba en el piso.

Estuve Inconsciente durante no más de dos segundos.

Mi cuerpo está paralizado.

Pero puedo ver.

¿Cómo va todo?

Cliff.

Levantando mi cabeza, veo a Moore arrodillado con un pie en el suelo.

Vapor surge entre su armadura, a pesar de todo él aún apunta sus dedos restantes hacia Cliff.

Balbuceando no le entiendo nada... ¿estará realizando un conjuro?

Distorsión mágica.

No, no lo haré a tiempo.

Vierto magia en mi mano izquierda.

Aún si mi cuerpo está paralizado, todavía puedo mover mi mano protésica.

Con mi palma apuntando hacia Moore.

"¡[Lazo de viento]!"

"¡[Mano de absorción mágica]!"

Moore lanza un látigo de viento, pero al instante desaparece.

"¿Qué?"

Moore se da media vuelta mirándome.

Su rostro está oculto en el casco, pero debe estar aturdido por lo sucedido.

Te lo mereces.

Sin tener en cuenta la situación Cliff corre hacia adelante.

Está a sólo 3 pasos de la entrada del círculo de teleportación mágica.

Nadie puede atraparlo ahora.

Nadie.

Incluso Atofe se encuentra aún paralizada, sin embargo, con sus ojos bien abiertos me contempla como un tigre.

"Lo has hecho. Es una magia increíble."

"..."

"Interesante. Tomarte como mi subordinado es en realidad... Jajaja, un mago de tu calibre, debería apreciarte, Jajaja."

Incapaz de mirar a otro lado, sólo podía aceptar esa horrible sonrisa que me daba Atofe.

Bueno, se acabo.

Los inmortales se recuperan rápidamente, mucho más rápido que yo.

Es demasiado tarde para huir.

Incluso resistirse será imposible.

Zanoba se ha desmayado.

Todavía aferrado a Atofe, cae al suelo.

Parece ser vulnerable en contra de la electricidad.

Probablemente perdió la conciencia debido al golpe eléctrico.

Elinalise, mientras siente todavía tembleque, intenta ponerse en pie.

Se encuentra en tan mal estado como lo estoy yo, pero aún así quiere intentarlo.

Elinalise se niega a rendirse.

[Nunca te rindas.]

Dijo una vez un entrenador de pelo blanco.

Yo también lo haré.

Puedo hacerlo.

Haz tu mejor esfuerzo.

Vamos a ir a casa.

Quiero ir a casa.

Volver a casa, volver a casa y... Si es posible, su momento sexy con Sylphy.

Y Roxy también.

Y abrazar a Lucy.

No habrán solamente entrenamientos de espadas con Norn, sino que también de magia.

El arroz que ha cultivado Aisha, estaba esperándolo.

Si las memorias de Zenith vuelven, entonces, iremos todos a visitar la tumba de papá.

Entonces, al igual que antes, viviremos una vida feliz.

Un día a día lleno de diversión en este otro mundo.

Exacto, así de sencillo.

Así de simple.

... Pues bien, puedo hacerlo.

Puedo levantarme.

Si puede mover mi mano, puedo usar magia.

Mi báculo, ¿dónde mierda está mi báculo?

No puedo hacerlo sin él.

Ah, pero venga que imbécil soy.

Lo estaba aplastando con mi cuerpo.

Lo siento, Aqua Heartia, ¿fui pesado?.

Está bien, puedo hacerlo. Debo mantenerlos en donde están hasta que llegue el rescate.

Sólo hasta entonces.

No necesito ganar.

Cliff-senpai, consigue ayuda.

Pelagius es molesto, pero estoy contando contigo.

Por favor convencelo.

Incluso si él se niega inmediatamente, por lo menos que haga una excepción este año, ¡por favor!

"¿Eh?"

Elinalise hace un ruido levantando su cabeza.

Sus ojos apuntan hacia adelante.

Cliff.

Justo en la entrada de la prisión comienzan aparecer soldados oscuros, quedando cara a cara frente a Cliff...

Y así... comienzan a salir soldados oscuros desde dentro...

"¿En serio?"

... Y aún hay más dentro de la entrada.

"Ahh..."

Por qué no nos dimos cuenta de eso.

Hay un agujero en el suelo, incluso a Atofe le gustaría comprobar que hay dentro.

"Joder..."

Una oscuridad crece en mi corazón.

Queriendo gritar, me siento impotente, una sensación del todo muy familiar.

Desesperación.

Nunca más me volveré a reunir con Sylphy ni Roxy.

En lugar de eso entrenaré bajo el mando de una estúpida Reina Demonio por el resto de mi vida.

Mi fuerza me dejó.

El dolor en mi corazón se robó mi fuerza.

En ese momento.

Se puede oír una voz conmocionada.

"¿Cómo...?"

Esa voz no es mía.

No es Elinalise.

No es Zanoba.

Y por supuesto no es Moore.

La que exclamo es Atofe, quien esta mirando a Cliff.

"¡Ah! Atofe-sama..."

El soldado oscuro empujo a Cliff a un lado, tambaleándose por la pendiente.

De alguna manera, parece apagado.

"Por ahí, delante del círculo mágico, Pe..."

Al momento siguiente.

El soldado oscuro fue partido en dos.

Justo en la mitad, en mitades exactas.

Entonces, detrás de ese cuerpo cortado.

Los contornos de una persona.

Pelo blanco brillante.

Ojos de Sanpaku dorados.

Tela blanca salpicada con sangre.

"Reina Demonio Inmortal Atoferatofe."

Hablando en fluido idioma del dios demonio, camina fuera de la entrada.

"Podrías pensar que no es importante... pero Rikarisu podría desaparecer en un círculo de teleportación mágica, esa posibilidad existe, así que por favor piense sus acciones por un momento."

Detrás de él, aparece uno por uno los otros.

Arumanfi del destello, Sylvaril del vacío.

Y otros que no reconozco.

Seis en total.

"La sangre de sus soldados ensuciaron mi castillo".

Ya veo.

Atofe llegó aquí antes que nosotros.

Por lo cual ya había encontrado la entrada al círculo mágico de teleportación.

Ordenó a sus soldados investigar el lugar.

Cuando encontraron el círculo mágico, obviamente ellos entraron.

Así, dada las condiciones, él aparece.

El castillo del cielo fue invadido por la raza demoníaca.

"Pelagius---!"

Gritó Atofe.

Pelagius Dola.

El Rey Dragón Blindado está aquí.

=== 3ª Parte ===

La atmósfera y estado de ánimo de Atofe cambió instantáneamente al ver a Pelagius.

Hasta hace un momento, había sido una batalla por mero placer.

Pero ahora mismo la sed de sangre e intención de asesinar es increíble.

Como si hubiera visto al asesino de su padre, Atofe hace muecas y mira a Pelagius.

"¡Pelagius, tú---!"

Atofe retuerce su cuerpo el cual aún está entumecido, deshaciéndose de Zanoba.

Zanoba, sin fuerza alguna, cae a un lado.

Atofe rompe a correr hacia Pelagius, sus plumas posteriores se estremecen.

Con un fuerte empujón intenta saltar, pero en vez de eso, sus rodillas ceden haciéndola caer al piso.

"¡Jajaja!"

Perugius ríe alegremente frente a colosal espectáculo.

"Oh, qué entretenido, Atoferatofe. ¿Siendo descuidada otra vez? ¿Acaso el ser descuidados corre por la sangre de la familia del clan inmortal?"

"¡Así que tú eres el bastardo que los envió! ¡Jugaste sucio solo para matarme!... ¿Qué sucedió con la promesa que realizaste a Karuman?"

Pelagius se burla de Atofe con un sonrisilla.

Lo único que puede hacer Atofe en su ira es gritar.

Moore tambaleándose trata de acercarse a ella, pero le resulta imposible.

Ahora mismo, sólo Cliff, Pelagius, y su séquito pueden moverse.

Pelagius mira a Atofe, como un tigre que encuentra a la presa perfecta.

"No te confundas. Sólo he venido a salvar unos pocos amigos."

"¡Mentiroso! ¡Ugh!"

"Cumpliré mi promesa con Karuman. Fue un querido amigo."

"¡Te odio incluso si eres amigo de Karuman!"

"... Pues yo odio a idiotas irracionales como tú."

Al tiempo que Pelagius hablaba, levanta su mano, sosteniendo algo en cada una de ellas.

La cara de Atofe se vuelve pálida.

"Tú, tú, no hay forma que..."

Haciendo caso omiso a lo que dice Atofe, Pelagius abre su boca.

"Ese dragón vive sólo mientras sigue el camino de la cortesía. Los clavos en sus manos son largos y afilados, para así nunca levantar un puño."

Lo primero que ha dicho me suena familiar.

"El segundo dragón aprieta su puño con ira. Sus uñas rotas, sus dientes cayeron, pero la sensación ha sido transmitida. Sostiene la cortesía en su mano, sin embargo, ¿ha abandonado a esta?"

Una a una salen las palabras.

Y con cada palabra, la magia circundante se reúne alrededor de Pelagius.

"El tercer dragón que murió. El que poseyó los más efímeros ojos del Dragón General de escamas verde brillante. Por el nombre de Pelagius el Rey Dragón blindado, convoco --"

Mirando con atención, dos puertas aparecen al lado de Atofe, cada una tomando una parte de ella.

Dragones bellamente tallados marcan esas puertas.

Una ornamentada puerta de plata.

Una ornamentada puerta de oro.

Lentas pero seguras, como si brotaran desde el suelo, las puertas aparecen.

"Abre [Puerta trasera del Dragón]."

"Evoca [Puerta delantera del Dragón]."

Bajo las tranquilas ordenes de Pelagius, las puertas se abren.

Viento comienza a soplar desde la puerta derecha a la izquierda, sin embargo, no es viento, sino que es el flujo de algo haciendo algo.

Ah, ya sé.

Esta magia de invocación es absorción mágica.

Puedo sentir como la magia es extraída de mi cuerpo.

Pero es distinto a la sensación que obtuve con Orsted.

Es incluso más rápido que la de aquella vez, como si mi magia y mi fuerzas fueran succionadas a la vez.

"Ah, Atofe-sama, escape..."

De pronto, Moore lentamente se arrastra.

Las piernas de Atofe tiemblan, simplemente puede contemplar en ira a Pelagius.

"¡Pelagius--!"

Su cuerpo parece haber sido reducido un poco.

Tal vez las puertas han succionado su touki.

"¡Sabes que esto romperá la promesa!"

"¿Y qué? Esta es una de esas oportunidades que se dan solo una vez en la vida, una oportunidad única. No la desperdiciare."

Pelagius levanta su mano derecha, la cual esta cubierta de blanco, de pronto, esta comienza a brillar, una deslumbrante luz sesga la zona.

"Espada de mano del Dragón Blindado [Break]."

Pelagius realiza un movimiento con su mano en dirección descendente.

La luz deja su mano, y sale volando directamente hacia Atofe.

"¡¡¡Recordaré lo que haz hecho, Pelagius--!!!"

Atofe parece un cadáver borracho.

Entonces, un momento después, salio volando lejos. Con su cuerpo partido en dos, pronto desaparece de mi vista.

"Pfff, no es como si ella fuera a morir."

Pelagius se queja y tranquilamente da media vuelta, como si hubiera perdido el interés.

"Sylvaril. Carga a estos cuatro y curales."

¿Qué hay de los demás?"

"Déjalos huir."

"La Gran Emperatriz Demonio Kishirika Kishirisu detectada."

Justo como dijo Sylvaril, vislumbro a Kishirika en la distancia.

También recibió el golpe.

Lo siento.

"Déjala ir."

"¿Hah?"

Al parecer Pelagius dejará escapar a Kishirika también.

Gracias a Dios.

"Ufff."

Con Sylvaril acercándose hacia mi, por fin puedo tomar un descanso.

... Nos han salvado.

=== 4ª Parte ===

Luego de aquel episodio.

Los subordinados de Pelagius nos llevaron de vuelta.

A excepción de Cliff, todos los demás necesitamos que nos carguen o un hombro para sostenernos.

Cliff y Kishirika discutían algo mientras tanto.

Para el momento en que mire nuevamente en su dirección, Kishirika ya había desaparecido por algún lugar, típico de ella.

Vamos a reunirnos otra vez en algún lugar más tranquilo... ¿okay?

Después de cargar a todos de vuelta, Sylvaril detuvo el círculo mágico de teleportación.

El camino que llevaba al continente demoníaco está cerrado.

Así que será para otra ocasión el pasar a saludar a los padres de Roxy.

Nos enviaron a la enfermería debido al daño recibido por la descarga eléctrica.

Cliff estaba cuidándonos.

Fue el quien se ofreció.

Mientras decía [Pues sí, este tipo de quemadura no es muy severa...] hábilmente quito nuestras heridas con magia curativa.

No nos matarán, pero las quemaduras eran bastante extensas y relativamente severas.

Dejarlas curar por si solas podría incluso traer complicaciones.

Pero venga que si no iba así de lejos, no podría haber paralizado a Atofe.

Cliff fue particularmente cuidadoso con las heridas de la Elinalise.

Dejar una cicatriz sería terrible.

Así te quiero ver amar Cliff, una vez finalizo las curaciones. Elinalise y él desaparecieron.

Zanoba todavía está inconsciente.

Esta vez él nos salvó.

Ninguna cantidad de gracias será suficiente para agradecer lo que ha hecho.

La amistad puede ser invaluable, aún así no debo ser mezquino. Necesito darle las gracias apropiadamente para cuando recobre la conciencia.

Después de que terminaran los tratamientos y pudiera moverme, me dirigí hacia donde estaba Sylphy.

Al entrar en la habitación me encuentro a Sylphy leyendo en su cama. Parecía preocupada al momento en que me vio entrar.

"¿Algo salio mal?"

No respondí a su pregunta, simplemente me subí en silencio a la cama y la abrace.

Sylphy gimoteo un poco.

Como si se quejara en rechazo, llena de dolor. Abrace fuertemente a Sylphy.

Pensé que lo único importante es que ella está aquí.

La risa de Atofe todavía me persigue.

Aunque el entumecimiento me ha dejado, aún perdura esa desesperación en mi corazón.

Si hubiera muerto en batalla, todo sería en vano.

Atofe mostró misericordia, y los guardias oscuros no atacaron.

Moore utilizo magia, pero nada mortal.

Sin embargo, todo fue realmente aterrador.

Si Pelagius no hubiera llegado.

Todo seria distinto, Atofe nos habría capturado y forzado a realizar el contrato.

Entonces... el poder abrazar a Sylphy como ahora, podría haber sido imposible.

Incluso aún si Lucy se hubiera vuelto mayor, podría no volver a verla jamas.

Roxy, Norn, Aisha, todo el mundo, para ese entonces ya habrían...

Esto, sólo esto me asusta.

Me hace temblar de miedo.

De repente, Sylphy frota mi cabeza con su mano, peinando mi pelo con un movimiento descendente como si fuera un peine.

Sus dedos, delicados, cálidos y suaves.

Con una sonrisa, Sylphy me da un abrazo de vuelta.

No hay nada que decir.

Ella, solamente me abraza.

Sólo eso es suficiente.

Acurrucado en el abrazo de Sylphy, caí dormido a gusto.

== Capítulo 152 - Un día en la Fortaleza Flotante ==

=== 1ª Parte ===

Dos días han pasado.

Zanoba despertó y ha estado alegremente inspeccionando las piezas de arte de todo el castillo.

No parece que la descarga eléctrica le haya dejado ningún tipo de secuela.

Gracias a Dios. Si se quedaba inconsciente con su vida pendiendo de un hilo, no sé cómo iba a encarar a Ginger.

Ha habido algunos cambios en Cliff.

Después del evento, Cliff y Kishirika hablaron de algo.

No sé de qué hablaron, pero él fue recompensado.

La recompensa de Kishirika.

En otras palabras, un ojo demoníaco.

El ojo demoníaco que Cliff recibió es el Ojo de Identificación.

Mientras sea algo que la propia Kishirika conozca, el ojo le permitirá saber qué es cualquier cosa que tenga delante.

A partir de ahora, incluso si una situación similar fuese a suceder, él puede manejarlo por su cuenta.

Pero actualmente, Cliff está haciendo lo posible para dominarlo, puesto que ahora mismo, está esforzándose por aprender a controlar su ojo místico.

Un ojo que todo lo que ve va acompañado de nombre y descripción.

Un mundo cubierto de palabras.

Incluso ahora no puede caminar sin Elinalise guiándolo.

Pero él va a aprender a controlarlo con el tiempo, después de todo, Cliff es un genio.

Hasta entonces, él debería usar un parche para ojo.

=== 2ª Parte ===

Por otro lado, la enfermedad de Nanahoshi.

Trajimos el té.

Un poco después de beber el brebaje, Nanahoshi comienza a sentir los efectos.

Entonces Nanahoshi con la ayuda de Yuruzu se dirigió a la enfermería... Para proteger su honor, voy a omitir el resto. En resumen, mejoró.

"¿Cómo te encuentras ahora?”

Nanahoshi sigue postrada en la cama.

Su piel ha mejorado, pero todavía luce cansada. Se ve claramente frágil.

Ella probablemente todavía necesita al menos un mes de descanso.

"Mucho mejor ahora."

Parece que ella está de buen humor.

No luce estresada por su trabajo como lo hace usualmente, pero luciendo más bien somnolienta, como si acabase de despertarse

Además, tiene unos enormes remolinos en el pelo de haber estado durmiendo.

''Puede que lleve un ritmo de vida poco saludable... pero veo que se sigue peinando a diario...''

"Por lo que hiciste, gracias."

Con el té de Sokasu caliente en la mano, se inclina hacia mí.

Que raro es verla tan formal.

"Pasar por tal peligro para mi medicina. Tú... me salvaste."

El oírla tan amable me hace sentir bastante incómodo.

No, ella probablemente se sienta frágil después de que su cuerpo se debilitó tanto.

"No te preocupes por eso."

"Siempre has estado cuidando de mí ... Incluso después de que te dije cosas terribles ... Usted me ayudó sin una queja. No sé cómo pueda pagártelo."

Nanahoshi se ve tan apenada.

Es la primera vez que veo a Nanahoshi actuando como una chica integra y modosita.

¿El poder de Yuzuru de la Expiación logró cambiar su personalidad hasta este punto?

"Ahora que lo pienso. Ludeus-san es mayor que yo, sin embargo, he sido tan descortés...”

"Mi edad en el otro mundo no importa, en este mundo solo tengo 18 años."

"¿Qué edad tenías originalmente?"

"Treinta... No, olvídelo. La diferencia de edad no es importante. Por favor, deje a un lado los honoríficos, como hasta ahora."

"Okay."

Nanahoshi toma un sorbo de té de Sokasu, bebiéndolo lentamente.

Parece que beberlo también funciona.

"Por lo que he oído, tu enfermedad ..."

"No se puede curar, probablemente."

El síndrome de Drenado de Nanahoshi no tiene cura.

El té de Sokasu puede eliminar temporalmente la magia de dentro, pero si se deja como está, la magia se volverá a acumular.

Debido a que ella no es de este mundo, no hay una solución permanente.

Pero siempre y cuando beba regularmente el té de Sokasu, ella debería estar bien, probablemente.

Incluso un poco de magia puede crear complicaciones.

Quién sabe cuánto tiempo pase antes de que ella contraiga otra extraña enfermedad.

Y la próxima vez, si se trata de alguna enfermedad de tiempos inmemoriales, entonces, incluso Kishirika puede que no sepa de ella.

Para vivir en este mundo, tienes que ponerte en contacto con la magia.

En el aire, en los alimentos, la magia está en todas partes.

"Nanahoshi. Debes volver. No puedes morir en este mundo."

".... Sí".

"Voy a hacer todo lo posible para ayudar, hasta que encuentres un camino".

"Pero yo..."

"No te preocupes por la recompensa. Si alguna vez tienes problemas, por favor ven a hablar conmigo, no importa qué."

"..."

Oyendo eso, Nanahoshi se puso a sollozar hasta que finalmente se echó a llorar.

Bajo su llanto silencioso, un '''Gracias''' se puede escuchar.

Pacientemente, espero a que Nanahoshi termine.

Después de un rato, con la nariz tapada y los ojos hinchados, Nanahoshi dijo.

"Pero, si vuelvo..."

"Lo harás tan pronto como sea posible ..."

"No, no voy a ser capaz de devolverte el favor una vez que regrese ..."

Ah, así que ella quiere devolverme el favor antes de esa fecha.

Ella está sorprendentemente seria.

[[File:Mushoku14 09.jpg|500px]]

"No te compliques por los detalles. Además, no es como si nunca hubiese obtenido nada de ti."

"Lo que quiero decir es, una recompensa por ayudar en mi investigación."

"Entonces, qué tal esto, ¿le importaría si le consulto problemas menores de vez en cuando?"

“¿Qué clase de pequeños problemas?"

"Como por ejemplo ¿Qué tipo de cosas las chicas de su edad quieren? Llevo una vida de casado con Sylphy y hasta tuvimos un niño, pero no sé muy bien lo que una chica de su edad piensa. Si eres tu, ya que tienes mas o menos la misma edad, ¿tal vez me echarías una mano? "

"... ¿Cómo piensa Sylphy?"

Nanahoshi pone una mano en la barbilla, concentrándose sobre un punto de su manta.

Pensándolo seriamente.

Diligentemente.

"No te preocupes por ello ahora. Sólo que si algún día, cuando tengamos una pelea, por favor, acepta tu responsabilidad y ayúdeme con ello."

"... Entiendo." ("... Got it." No se si poner algo como “Lo capto” o algo por el estilo )

Nanahoshi asiente seriamente.

Similares en edad, pero en última instancia es una persona de otro mundo, y probablemente no sepa nada acerca de la vida conyugal.

Por supuesto, yo tampoco sé cómo piensa la gente de mi edad.

"Pues bien, eso lo resuelve. Sigues estando frágil, así que cuídate."

"Okay. Gracias."

Salgo de la habitación.

Si nos quedamos demasiado tiempo juntos, Sylphy se pondrá celosa de nuevo.

Aunque Sylphy celosa también es adorable.

Deseo que Sylphy pueda aceptar mi amor sin preocupaciones.

Pero sólo con pensarlo no es suficiente para conseguirlo.

=== 3ª Parte ===

Recorrí el pasillo observando que un precioso atardecer se podía ver por las ventanas del mismo.

Observo lo que hay debajo de la ventana y encuentro un patio precioso.

''Parece que en todos los mundos, los atardeceres son cautivadores... Pero es que... aunque no me gusten demasiado las alturas, ver semejante escena con el sol perdiéndose entre las nubes mientras tiñe el patio con su jardín de tonos anaranjados y rojizos... Dan ganas de quedarte de pie simplemente observándolo.''

Y con eso en mente, me dirigí hacia el patio.

En él me encontré flores nunca vistas decorando este perfecto y detallado jardín, dibujando una escena de ensueño con el sol poniéndose a lo lejos y ocultándose tímidamente entre las nubes.

''... Si le enseñara a Sylphy esta estampa y aprovechara para susurrarle palabras bonitas... ¿cómo reaccionará?''

''¿Agachará la cabeza ruborizada hasta la punta de sus orejas y apretará mi mano con fuerza? Tendré que esforzarme en controlarme como haga algo tan adorable... Pero decidido... cuando se mejore la traeré.''

''Me gustaría traer también a Roxy... aunque conociéndola, es posible que ni le cambie la impresión y me diga '''No hace falta que me digas esas cosas''' o algo por el estilo.''

''¿Que a qué se refiere con no hace falta? A que mientras esté libre, con pedirle que me acompañe a la cama, lo aceptará. Y es que realmente, solo en la intimidad se deja llevar...''

''No me parece mal, pero me gustaría hacer más cosas propias de pareja con Roxy, a parte de '''Sexy Time'''<ref>Sexy Time: eufemismo inglés para referirse a situaciones eróticas de pareja.</ref>; como por ejemplo, ver juntos el atardecer, que diga '''¡Es precioso!''' y yo le responda '''¡Tú sí que eres preciosa!''' y ver como se ruboriza...''

'''Fuuh...'''

''No pudo venir... es imposible que lo vea.''

"¿Oh?"

Paseando mientras pensaba en todo esto, pude ver algo en el extremo del jardín.

Se trataba de una mesa blanca, con 5 personas a su alrededor, 3 de ellas sentadas.

"Y entonces, Shishou usó su magia... rayos púrpuras salieron disparados de su mano derecha y al impactar en Atofe la quemaron por completo y la dejaron totalmente paralizada."

"Oh, así que lo débil del estado de Atofe fue debido a su magia."

"El nivel de la magia de Ludeus-sama es verdaderamente sorprendente."

Las personas que se encontraban sentadas en la mesa eran Zanoba, Ariel y hasta Pelagius; mientras charlaban amistosamente con el atardecer de fondo. Por su parte, había otras 2 personas de pie que no estaban participando en la conversación; Luke, que se encontraba a espaldas de Ariel, y Sylvaril que hacía lo mismo con Pelagius.

Todos se encontraban escuchando la historia que Zanoba les estaba contando.

"Hasta Elinalise y yo nos quedamos aturdidos. A parte de Shishou, dudo mucho que nadie en el mundo sea capaz de utilizar ese tipo de magia."

"Por tu descripción diría que es el hechizo '''Relámpago'''... porque para detener a Atofe, es necesario como mínimo un hechizo de esa potencia."

"¿Y qué ocurrió después? ¿Cómo continuó el combate?"

"Bueno, lo cierto es que perdí el conocimiento en esa situación... ¡Oh! Estás de suerte, puedes preguntárselo a él mismo."

Zanoba me vio a mitad de frase y dirigió la conversación hacia mí; por lo que no me quedó más remedio que saludar, ahora que todos se habían percatado de mi presencia.

Hice una pequeña reverencia y me acerqué.

"Perdonad, os vi tomando el té y no quise molestar."

"¡No te preocupes, Shishou! Pelagius-sama quería escuchar lo ocurrido con Atofe y me dediqué a contarles lo sucedido."

"Ya veo."

Observé de reojo a Pelagius y le vi muchísimo más alegre que en todas nuestras audiencias hasta ahora.

"Por lo que he escuchado, Ludeus, fue tu magia la que consiguió debilitar a Atofe hasta semejante punto."

"No es para tanto, de no ser porque Zanoba la mantuvo inmóvil habría esquivado mi ataque y evitado la mayor parte del daño."

"Ya veo... Fufu... Me encanta rememorar su expresión en aquel entonces."

Pelagius mostró una sonrisa retorcida llena de maldad.

''Guau, no esperaba que odiara tanto a Atofe... Pero bueno, lo que importa es que está de buen humor.''

"Veo que estás contento por lo sucedido."

"Era de esperar, esa mujer ha conseguido aguar varios de mis planes en más de una ocasión. Jamás me imaginé que de lo sucedido obtendría una oportunidad para vengarme."

"¿Vengarte?"

"Ciertamente, aunque es una rivalidad de antaño..."

Se refiere a un evento originado hace 400 años, cuando Pelagius, siendo un joven aventurero del lado de los humanos durante la guerra, tuvo que enfrentarse contra el ejercito de Atofe cuando ambos compartían las primeras líneas en sus distintas fuerzas.

No obstante, el poder de Pelagius todavía no había crecido lo suficiente, y por lo tanto, jamás tuvo oportunidad de vencer a Atofe, sino que incluso en alguna ocasión, su vida estuvo en grave peligro.

En todas esas ocasiones, fue solo gracias a que el Dios Dragón Úlpen y el Dios Nórdico Karlmann I fueron en su ayuda, que consiguió sobrevivir, algo que para Pelagius se convirtió en un recuerdo amargo, y por el que juró vengarse de Atofe.

Pero Karlmann I, Dios del estilo Nórdico Celestial, y Atofe, la Reina Demonio Inmortal, acabaron casándose; y en su lecho de muerte, Karlmann I les prohibió a ambos pelear hasta la muerte entre ellos.

Y tras eso, Pelagius nunca tuvo motivo u oportunidad que le llevaran al continente demoniaco, por lo que acabó tomándolo como un caso perdido. Hasta que de casualidad, una oportunidad inesperada para darle su merecido se le presentó en bandeja de plata; lo que le ha convertido en un hombre MUY feliz.

"Te doy las gracias por tus actos. Buen trabajo."

"¿Pero acaso lo ocurrido no le hizo romper su promesa al Dios Nórdico Karlmann?"

"Karlmann nos prohibió matarnos entre nosotros; lo que pasó el otro día fue una simple reprimenda física. No cuenta, seguramente."

''Le ha dado una paliza a un oponente indefenso... menudo abusón... aunque bueno, tiene sus motivos.''

"Mi opinión de ti fue errónea. En otras palabras, creo que mereces una recompensa."

"Una recompensa... no es necesaria."

''No es que necesite algo en este momento... Así que no hace falta.''

''No tengo deseos de volverme más fuerte.''

"Ya veo, aunque dime, cuando Nanahoshi se recupere, ¿qué te parecería que te diera clase personalmente sobre magia de Invocación?"

"... ¿No podré volver a mi casa hasta dentro de 10 años?"

"Mis métodos son distintos a los de Atofe."

''Si puedo volver... entonces no tengo motivos para negarme; principalmente porque siento curiosidad por la magia de Invocación y la de Teletransporte.''

''Aunque algo como lo de Atofe podría volver a ocurrir, por lo que, quizás me vendría bien pedirle que también me entrene para el combate. Porque aunque no me guste pelear, teniendo en cuenta en el mundo que vivo, es mejor aprender algunos truquillos para aumentar mis posibilidades de supervivencia.''

''Seguramente mi habilidad actual sea suficiente para proteger a mi familia, pero tras lo ocurrido con Atofe... me es imposible no pensar que estoy un tanto verde.''

''Porque claro... jamás me imaginé que tener que luchar en una situación así... y no me gustaría dejarlo estar hasta que sea demasiado tarde y se repita una situación tan peliaguda.''

"En ese caso, Pelagius-sama. ¿Podría pedirle que me entrenara en técnicas de combate junto con las clases de magia de Invocación?"

"¿Jah? ¿Acaso la pelea con Atofe te ha inspirado para ello? ¿O acaso has desarrollado codicia al verla?"

''Oh, parece que le ha molestado mi petición... Metí la pata.''

"No es eso, sino que me gustaría aprender formas de evitar o salir de situaciones peliagudas como la que hemos vivido."

"... En ese caso, te concederé una herramienta mágica que te permita ponerte en contacto conmigo. ¡Sylvaril!"

Pelagius se giró y le guiñó un ojo a Sylvaril, y esta le hizo entrega en el acto de una flauta con el símbolo de una torre con un dragón enrollado en ella.

"Úsalo en una situación en la que me necesites, y cuando ClearNight del Trueno te escuche, Arumanfi irá en tu búsqueda."

Acepté la flauta y la guardé con mis cosas.

''Por como ha ido la conversación, entiendo que si alguna vez estuviera en apuros... si tocara esta flauta, él vendrá en mi ayuda. Eso me vale, la verdad.''

"El sol se ocultó."

Antes de que nos diéramos cuenta, el sol había terminado de ponerse y se había de noche.

Lo extraño es que no había oscurecido como tal, puesto tanto la mesa como las flores a nuestro alrededor emitían un suave brillo pálido que iluminaba el patio lo suficiente.

"Esta mesa está fabricada con piedra Lumen. No os preocupéis y acompañadme en esta velada."

Escuchándole decir esto, yo también me senté con ellos.

=== 4ª Parte ===

"La artesanía de los mineros del carbón alcanzó el máximo nivel poco antes de la 2ª guerra entre Humanos y Demonios."

"Sí, es una lástima que su territorio fuera destruido entonces, de no ser por ello, es posible que hubieran creado obras maravillosas."

La conversación de Pelagius es agradable e interesante, siendo no solo una fuente de conocimiento, sino un amante del arte, sumándole a demás su pasión por la creatividad en sí misma.

"Pero los artesanos mineros del carbón no han desaparecido por completo; sigue siendo una raza poseedora de manos expertas. Estoy seguro de que tarde o temprano volverá a oírse hablar de genios artesanos entre sus filas que fabrique obras de arte."

"Dime una cosa, ¿no es cierto que hasta tú estás recibiendo orientación para convertirte a ti mismo en un artesano?"

"Así es, mi gran Shishou posee un conocimiento extenso en la fabricación de esculturas. Estoy seguro de que si transmitiera ese conocimiento a aprendices, la fabricación de estas obras de arte alcanzará nuevos hitos en este ámbito."

"He de decir, habiendo visto las figuras que Ludeus fabricó, que ciertamente son interesantes. Su capacidad para representar la esencia de los humanos en esa rama del arte es ciertamente asombroso."

Tanto Zanoba como Pelagius están discutiendo animadamente sobre el tema; y debido a que mi conocimiento no llega al nivel de ninguno de ellos, no tengo oportunidad de participar ni seguirles.

No obstante, escucharles hablar sigue siendo agradable y entretenido.

"Mi habilidad no es tan especial."

"No seas modesto."

"Así es, Sylphy me ha hablado de tus innumerables talentos, Ludeus-sama."

En esta fiesta del té, hay una participante adicional a parte de Zanoba, Pelagius y yo.

La pobre ha intentado unirse a la conversación intentando sacar sus puntos de vista, pero no tuvo oportunidad de participar activamente.

Al igual que yo, es incapaz de seguir esta conversación tan detallada y profunda sobre el arte, y no puede unirse fácilmente a la misma.

"Con cosas que no solo eres habilidoso con la magia, sino que además, Ludeus-sama es todo un caballero."

"Agradezco enormemente sus palabras, Ariel-sama."

La persona que no es capaz de unirse a la conversación por más que lo intente es Ariel Anemoi Asura.

Escuchando sus cumplidos, no puedo más que sonreír de forma forzada al ver como una vez más intenta unirse a la conversación, pero sin conseguirlo realmente.

El motivo de este bloqueo es que sobre esculturas y figuras, lo único que puede aportar son halagos y palabras ajenas que hubiera escuchado sobre el tema. Nada más.

''Se nota que quiere por todos los medios obtener el apoyo de Pelagius, aunque no sabe bien cómo ganárselo... pero está claro que no va por buen camino... Aunque todavía tiene tiempo por delante.''

"Hablando del tema, Pelagius-sama... estábamos sopesando la posibilidad de poner esta figura en el mercado y quería escuchar su experta opinión al respecto."

Zanoba sacó de improviso el tema de las figuras y al mismo tiempo colocó una caja que había visto con anterioridad de debajo de la mesa para ponerla frente a Pelagius.

"Oh..."

Pelagius está claramente animado al ver la caja expectante; pero en cuanto Zanoba la abre, la sonrisa en su rostro desaparece y se convierte en una mueca de desagrado.

"¿Una estatuilla de un Supard?"

"Se nota que posee buen ojo Pelagius-sama, para discernir de inmediato de qué se trata."

"..."

Zanoba había sacado de la caja una de las figuras de Ruijerd que había hecho Julie. Esta en concreto tenía una pose muy dinámica y detallada.

No obstante, Pelagius se mostraba claramente disgustado.

"Sabiendo que odio a las razas demoniacas, ¿de verdad quieres escuchar mi opinión?"

"¡Ah! No, lo que quiero decir es-"

Pelagius resopló al ver la figura con desgana y casi escupió sus palabras

"Vender una figura así.... lo prohíbo."

''Así que no hubo suerte... Aunque claro, el odio que siente Pelagius por las razas demoniacas es alto.''

''Puede que sea capaz de perdonar hasta cierto punto a algunos de ellos, pero en general, sus prejuicios vienen de muchos años atrás. Es algo que Zanoba debía haber sabido... ¿qué esperaba si no?''

"Pero Pelagius-sama, hasta tú le debes, a la persona usada como modelo para esta figura, un enorme favor."

"¿Un favor?"

Pelagius parece molesto por las palabras de Zanoba, pero casi de inmediato, sus ojos se abrieron por completo.

"Un segundo... esta figura... ¿Es de Ruijerd Supardia?"

"Así es. ¿No dijiste, Pelagius-sama, que durante la última batalla contra Laplace, la persona que te ayudó en gran medida fue el mismo Ruijerd?"

Zanoba ha llevado la conversación de una forma claramente planeada.

''No lo sabía, pero Zanoba sabía que esto pasaría y aun así fue el que comenzó está conversación... pero porque lo tenía todo pensado. ¡Bien hecho, Zanoba!''

"Claramente comprendo el odio que siente por las razas demoniacas, Pelagius-sama. Pero si un ejemplo como este de la técnica de Shishou se extiende por el vasto mundo, causará que el arte se expanda en un torbellino cuyo resultado bien podría ser un mundo lleno de arte y escultura. ¿No sería algo increíble de ver?"

"Oh."

Pelagius no parece saber cómo responder.

''Parece que necesita un empujón... ¿debería añadir algo?''

"Por mucho que se odie y tema a la raza Supard, pero lo cierto es que sin la ayuda de Ruijerd, es posible que yo no estuviera hoy aquí."

"Pelagius-sama. El propio Ruijerd se lamenta de los crímenes que cometió."

"¿Se lamenta?"

Esas palabras parecieron llamar la atención de Pelagius.

''Debo añadir algo... ¿pero qué...?''

"Así es... Se lamenta de haberse dejado engañar por Laplace."

"¿Laplace...?"

El rostro de Pelagius reaccionó a ese nombre.

''Espero no estar equivocándome...''

"En efecto. Hace años, Laplace le entregó una maldita lanza con la que le acabó controlando y con la que pisó y ensució el honor de los Supard; esa misma lanza le llevó incluso a matar con sus manos a su propia familia... Todavía se lamenta por ese evento y por ello, odia a Laplace por lo que le hizo."

"..."

"Hasta este día, ha estado recorriendo el mundo solo para limpiar el honor de los Supard, y la venta de estas figuras fue concebida con la única intención de ayudarle en su empresa, debido a lo mucho que le debo... Por eso, si Pelagius-sama en efecto piensa que le debe algo a Ruijerd, como forma de devolver esa deuda, ¿podría permitir esto?"

Tras escucharme, Pelagius se cruzó de brazos, cerró sus ojos y frunció el ceño pensativo.

Pasados unos largos segundos, su única respuesta fue una frase.

"El honor de los Supard y eso que dices, no me termina de convencer... pero un favor debe ser recompensado..."

"Oh, entonces.."

"... Haced lo que queráis."

Está claro que Pelagius sigue estando en contra, pero al menos con esto, hemos conseguido que Arumanfi no venga a destrozarlo todo cuando pongamos las figuras a la venta.

''Vamos... por poder, hasta podemos decir que tenemos el apoyo de Pelagius si alguien se quejara... sobre todo teniendo en cuenta que es alguien archiconocido por todo el mundo y que su nombre posee una fuerza adicional.''

''De verás, Zanoba, muy bien hecho.''

Zanoba había llevado la conversación a su terreno de una forma magistral.

''Zanoba lleva un tiempo que solo consigue hacer hazañas maravillosas... demasiado grandes como para que yo intente siquiera imitarle.''

"¡Muchas gracias por su consideración!"

Zanoba inclina la cabeza diciendo estas palabras.

''Con esto, hemos dado un gran paso en nuestro plan de mercado para la figura...... Pero... ¿a dónde se habrá ido Ruijerd?''

"Shishou, puedo pedirte un favor, ¿por qué no le muestras a Pelagius-sama tu técnica?"

"¿Te refieres a que haga una figura?"

"Sí, enséñale tu especialidad, las figuras que creas de la nada."

Pelagius me observa atentamente, y cuando nuestras miradas se cruzan, asiente.

"¿Ves? Está interesado en verte hacerlas con magia."

''De acuerdo... así que hora de demostrar cómo hago figuras...''

Lo pongo de esa forma, pero básicamente hago lo mismo que de costumbre, simplemente crear la forma básica con magia de Tierra y poco a poco ir limando las asperezas y dándole forma a los detalles.

''Aunque bueno, como quiero asegurarme de que sale bien sin estar demasiado tenso, haré una figura sencilla tipo '''Nendoroid'''<ref>Nendoroid: figuras tipo japonesas, hechas como especialidad por una empresa concreta, que realiza imitaciones en formato chibi-cabezones de los personajes de series populares de un tamaño aproximado de 10 cm de alto. [https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nendoroid Para Más Información]</ref>.''

Hago una figura de una calidad media, a modo de prueba y le añado al rostro una máscara con el dibujo de un pájaro para conseguir realiza una pequeña figura de Sylvaril.

"Es... ¿Sylvaril? ¡Qué habilidad!"

Pelagius me observa atentamente mientras continúo produciendo la figura. Tan atentamente que no pierde detalle de mis manos.

''¿Será que puede ver el maná? Aunque puede, que aun sin ver el maná sea capaz de comprender el proceso... Después de todo, sigue siendo toda una leyenda.''

"Así que la magia de Tierra podía usarse de es modo, menuda sorpresa."

"¡Si tuviera alguna petición, podemos hacerla para usted, Pelagius-sama!"

"¿De veras? En ese caso, aceptaré tu ofrecimiento, si consiguieras realizar una obra destacable, me gustaría unirla a mi colección."

''¡Un cliente!''

''Ahora que BadiGadi ha desaparecido, debemos de asegurarnos una entrada de dinero.''

"En ese caso-"

Ariel finalmente consiguió tener un tema para unirse a la conversación.

"En el reino de Asura hay grandes artesanos que podrían ofrecerle una escultura."

Comenzó a hablar y explicar el talento y habilidad que poseen los escultores de Asura; llegando incluso a decir que si consiguiera llegar al trono, las ofrendas que le harían a Pelagius.

Pelagius se mostró molesto por la conversación y soltó las palabras con desdén.

"¿Las esculturas en Asura solo se fabrican para saciar la vanidad de sus nobles? Menuda pérdida de tiempo."

"... ¿Eh?"

Ariel se quedó sin palabras, no obstante Pelagius no tenía intención de detenerse ahí.

"Una vez te conviertas en reina en Asura, ¿no tendrás cosas más importantes que hacer que mandar hacer esculturas para mí?"

"E-Esto..."

Y no la dejó recomponerse.

"¿O acaso planeas vivir una vida de lujo gracias al sudor de tus ciudadanos?"

"... No, por supuesto que no, lo lamento muchísimo. Por favor, olvide el ofrecimiento."

Ariel dolida por el rechazo, decide retirarse.

Se levanta y se despide con una reverencia, sin el carisma al que tan acostumbrado estoy.

''Pero sea como fuera, Pelagius ha sido demasiado duro con ella en esta ocasión... ¿acaso la odia? ¿Era necesario ser tan duro con ella?''

"Aguarda, Ariel Anemoi Asura."

Pelagius detiene a Ariel mientras se disponía a marcharse, al tiempo que la observa de forma imperiosa.

"Para ti, ¿qué representa un rey? ¿Que significa para ti el trono?"

"Un rey es... Conocimiento, aunque escuchando el apoyo de sus ministros... el Rey debe ser una fuente de conocimiento-"

"Te equivocas."

Pelagius interrumpe a Ariel negando con su cabeza.

"El hombre que conocí era el verdadero Rey de Asura, pero no era ese hombre del que hablas."

"¿Un rey de Asura que conocías, Pelagius-sama?"

"En efecto. Aquel que coronaron rey después de la campaña de Laplace; mi camarada, Gaunis<ref>Posible referencia al juego '''Dungeon Fighter Online''' y a un enemigo a derrotar llamado Gaunis.</ref> Free-An<ref>Buscando en internet, hemos encontrado esta marca de hoteles... Aunque tenemos la duda de si se trata de una referencia al Dios del Viento Chino Fei Lian, debido a que Anemoi simboliza de por sí la recolección de los vientos, y los distintos Greyrat están basados en los dioses del viento griegos.</ref> Asura."

He leído personalmente un poco sobre Gaunis.

Después de la campaña de Laplace, se convirtió en el único superviviente de la familia real de Asura, y se convirtió en un gran rey que supo organizar el destartalado reino de Asura tras la guerra. Lo que llevó a que hace 400 años, Asura se coronara como el único reino del continente central.

Fue la única razón por la que apenas hubo problemas internos entre los supervivientes tras la guerra.

"Gaunis-sama fue un gran rey. No puedo ni soñar con imitarle."

Las palabras de Ariel hicieron que Pelagius negara con su cabeza.

"No era para nada grande. Ese tipo era un cobarde que odiaba luchar, y siempre huía de los conflictos. Era un mal estudiante y tampoco poseía el menor talento para el combate, y a menudo se escapaba para vagar por la ciudad y emborracharse y comerse con los ojos a las hijas de los distintos posaderos...

"Era ese tipo de persona, y lo cierto es que jamás poseyó ambición alguna para subir al trono; y aun así, poseía el aspecto más importante y necesaria para ser rey. Solo por eso, le respeto y considero un verdadero Rey."

"¿El aspecto más importante y necesario...?"

"Si eres capaz de decirme cuál es ese aspecto, te ayudaré."

''Ah... comprendo... la ha puesto a prueba.''

''Pelagius quiere comprobar si Ariel merece su apoyo.''

"El aspecto más importante... para ser Rey..."

Ariel se sujeta la barbilla con su mano pensativa de pie en el extremo de la mesa, seguramente rememorando lo que conoce del Rey Gaunis.

''Pero según Pelagius... Kaunis era claramente digno de que le llamen Baka-Dono...¿? ¿como a Oda Nobunaga<ref>Oda Nobunaga: Señor feudal japonés, famoso por su creatividad en las estrategias y su alteración de los privilegios de los Shogun durante la época Sengoku. De joven, se referían a él como Baka-dono debido a su actitud excéntrica y su falta de juicio en determinadas situaciones; aunque se rumorea que fuera para que sus hermanos en las luchas por suceder a su padre no le vieran como un rival. [https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oda_Nobunaga Para Más Información]</ref>?''

"Ludeus, dime, ¿cuál crees tú que es la respuesta?"

Mientras andaba perdido en mis pensamientos, Pelagius dirigió la conversación hacia mí.

"Esto... no soy miembro de la realeza, por lo que no sabría decirlo."

"No te preocupes, tan solo di lo que creas correcto."

''Por mucho que me preguntes a mí...''

''Pero un Rey... ¿qué es un Rey exactamente? En las novelas de fantasía, ¿qué representan los reyes? Grandes hombres, cabeza de un país; algo así como el primer ministro de Japón...''

''La verdad es que de joven no me interesó demasiado la política... como mucho las reacciones que leía en Internet sobre los distintos políticos. Así que básicamente... no tengo ni idea.''

"... Alguien... ¿que usa su propia fuerza por el bien de su país y su gente?"

"Jah..."

Pelagius suspiró, seguramente por mi respuesta tan genérica.

"Ariel, hasta él fue capaz de dar una mejor respuesta que tú."

"... Pero preocuparte del pueblo no es suficiente para ser Rey."

"Cierto es. El necio de Gaunis no se preocupaba únicamente de su propio pueblo, pero el pueblo igualmente le concedió el poder a ese hombre, y solo gracias a eso Asura fue apaciguada."

"¿Entonces la gente es el aspecto? ¿Acaso para ser Rey no hace falta que este posea ninguna cualidad?"

"¿Eso crees? ¿Crees que un país que pone como Rey a un imbécil es un buen país?"

"..."

Ariel se quedó sin palabras mostrándose apenada y lamentándose quizás de su respuesta.

''Pero exactamente, ¿qué es lo que Pelagius quiere que Ariel diga?''

''La verdad es que no lo sé... aunque claro, tampoco pasa nada por no saberlo, ya que yo no tengo la intención de convertirme en rey...''<ref>Je... ¿provocando al destino?</ref>

''Aunque lo mismo Pelagius solo quiere conocer la personalidad y determinación de Ariel y por eso le está haciendo preguntas sin respuesta...''

''Pero vaya... ¿qué se necesita para ser Rey? ¿Con qué propósito pregunta esto? ¿Qué quiere descubrir?''

"Piénsalo con calma, Ariel Anemoi Asura... Bueno, se hizo tarde, es hora de regresar."

Y con estas palabras, Pelagius le dio fin a la fiesta del té.

Pude ver como la hundida Ariel se iba con Luke acompañándola a su espalda sin saber qué decirle... era una escena bastante impactante.

== Capítulo 153 - 4º Punto de Inflexión ==

=== 1ª Parte ===

Al cabo de unos días, mi fuerza se recupera y vuelvo a la Ciudad Mágica de Sharia con Sylphy.

En el momento en que llegué a casa, el sol ya se había puesto.

A pesar de que sólo ha pasado un par de días, al ver mi casa, fui golpeado con un sentimiento de nostalgia.

"Volví"

"Pase, bienvenido de vuelta ... ¿eh? ¿Onii-chan?"

Al abrir la puerta, veo a Aisha viniendo de la sala de estar.

Tal vez no se esperaba que regresara tan pronto, Aisha me recibió con una expresión de perplejidad.

"¿De vuelta ya? ¿Han encontrado una manera de salvar a Nanahoshi-san? O acaso..."

Acaricio la cabeza de Aisha de manera serena.

Un [Wah] se desliza de su boca, pero ella no parece molesta.

"Onii-chan, ¿qué te pasa?"

"Nada, Nanahoshi va a estar bien. Explicaré los detalles. ¿Están Roxy y Norn en casa?"

"Norn-ane se encuentra todavía en la escuela. Roxy está en su habitación. Mamá ... Lilia-kaasan está haciendo la lavandería. Zenith-kaasan está durmiendo."

"Ya veo, Norn se encuentra todavía en la escuela ... Perdona que te moleste, pero podrías traer a Roxy?"
"Sí."

Después de un rato, Roxy bajó las escaleras.

¿Estaba durmiendo? Su cabello está un poco desordenado y su cara está roja.

"Bienvenido de vuelta, Ludi. ¿Cómo te fue?"

"Voy a explicarlo ahora, pero antes de eso."

"¿Qu .."

Tiro de Roxy para darle un fuerte abrazo.

Yo había prometido regresar a salvo.

Aunque estaba un poco sorprendida, Roxy rodeó sus brazos alrededor de mi espalda y me abrazó.

"Estoy en casa."

"Bienvenido de vuelta."

Por fin estoy en casa.

=== 2ª Parte ===

Les dije a todos los acontecimientos de los últimos días.

Había mucho que cubrir, por lo solo expliqué las partes importantes, enfocándome especialmente en los detalles con respecto a la maldición de Zenith.

En particular, los signos a tener en cuenta en el futuro.

"Por el momento, me quedaré en la Fortaleza Flotante, pero voy a volver a casa al menos una vez cada diez días."

Vamos a hacer esto por ahora.

Mientras que Ariel está continuando con sus planes, Sylphy también se estará quedándose en la Fortaleza Flotante.

Ella también está planeando hacer lo misma que sería volver al menos una vez cada 10 días.

No ir a clase, eh ... supongo que está bien si yo sólo aparezco para los estudios extracurriculares.

Eso debería contar como participación en clase.

"Lo entiendo, Ludeus-sama. Puede dejar el trabajo doméstico y el cuidado de Zenith a mí."

Lilia declaró que ella se ocuparía del trabajo extra. De todos modos, mi informe acabó y la reunión de la familia ha terminado.

"Uf, me siento cansada. Voy a ir a descansar. ¿Qué hay de ti, Ludy?"

"Creo que tomaré un baño e iré a dormir."

"Oh? ¿Debería esperar por ti?"

"No, hoy no."

"Okay"

Camino hacia el baño.

Pensando en ello, no he tenido un baño durante un par de días.

Al entrar en la habitación, calenté el agua de la bañera.

Debería limpiar mi cuerpo primero ... olvídalo.

Quitandome la ropa, entro en la bañera haciendo un pequeño splash.

"¡Uf!"

Mientras que mi cuerpo se remoja en la bañera, puedo sentir como la fatiga se esfuma.

De repente me di cuenta de lo extenuante que estos últimos días han sido.

Sin embargo, diez días, ¿eh?

Mi audiencia con Pelagius fue hace sólo diez días.

Han pasado tantas cosas en tan poco tiempo.

Nanahoshi colapsando, viajando al continente mágico, buscando a Kishirika, irritando a Atofe.

Atofe fue muy fuerte.

No siento como que pueda vencerla.

Es imposible para mí el vencer a un oponente de tan alto nivel.

Pero la hechizo de Descarga Eléctrica funcionó.

Si lo uso para cogerla con la guardia baja, podría tener una oportunidad.

Tengo que investigar y practicarla un poco más.

Al menos hasta el punto en que pueda utilizarla mientras está húmeda. <ref>No iba en ese sentido, pero me hizo gracia, así que se queda.</ref>

¿Que debería hacer? No lo sé.

¿Debo cubrirme con caucho como el Hombre Elástico?<ref>Referencia a un programa de NHK en la que un personaje va vestido con un traje de goma de color amarillo por todo su cuerpo.</ref>

El sirviente de Atofe, Moore era también fuerte.

Parecía como si él pudiese contrarrestar cualquier cosa intentaba hacer.

Hasta ahora, con la excepción de Roxy, nunca he visto a un mago tan bueno.

Gracias a [Distorsión Mágica] y a la prótesis de mano me las arregla de alguna forma, pero ¿cómo se supone que trate con este tipo de oponente?

Una estrategia general para luchar contra oponentes poderosos..... no existe, ¿verdad? ....

En cualquier caso, estoy sin ideas. Si tan sólo pudiera llegar a ser un poco más fuerte.

Después de todo, esta es la primera vez que algo así ha sucedido en los últimos años.

Alcanzar el nivel de Pelagius es probablemente imposible, pero podría acercarme al nivel de Sylvaril.

Sin embargo, la magia de invocación de Pelagius, si puedo aprender a dibujar círculos mágicos teletransporte, no importa lo que pase, voy a ser capaz de reaccionar rápidamente.

El hecho de que sea una magia prohibiba da miedo, pero eso es una razón más que suficiente para aprenderla.

El conocimiento es poder.

Y, la comunicación también.

El anillo de Ariel.

Si se mejora un poco, entonces se puede utilizar para enviar mensajes.

Tal vez sea imposible usarlo en todas partes, pero podría funcionar como un busca.

¿Qué más?

Se siente como que estoy olvidando algo ...

"Uf, esto siempre ocurre."

Ahora que pienso en ello, siempre soy muy olvidadizo.

Yo puedo tener ataques de inspiración, pero luego inmediatamente me olvido de ellos.

Además que me he olvidado de una buena idea tras otra.

Pensé que tenía una buena memoria, pero realmente tengo demasiados puntos débiles.

No es bueno.

Estoy repitiendo mis errores.

Tuve suerte esta vez, pero ¿que pasa si los olvido la próxima vez?

Si me olvido de mis errores, no voy a mejorar.

Pero, ¿qué hago?

Recuerdo haber oído que llevar un diario ayuda a la memoria.

"... Bien, tal vez debería empezar un diario?"

No es una mala idea.

Experiencias, fracasos, debilidades, las cosas importantes.

Después de anotarlos, puedo reflexionar sobre ellas.

Determinando prioridades, indicando objetivos, decidiendo mi próximo movimiento.

Se siente como que esta será una buena idea.

Debería empezar escribiendo ahora.

Pensando en esto, me precipito fuera de la bañera.

"Pero ... ¿en dónde se venden los diarios?"

Después de salir del baño, me voy a mi cuarto de investigación.

Le echo una mano a la pila de papeles en la parte más baja de la estantería.

Si no hay diarios, puedo escribir simplemente en papel normal.

Lo más importante es anotar las cosas.

Sin embargo, solamente escribir es tan triste, creo que voy a añadir algo a ella.

A pesar de que su apariencia no es importante, no pasa si la hago lucir un poco mejor.

Coloco la pila de papeles cuidadosamente en mi escritorio.

Primero, uso magia para hacer pequeños agujeros en el papel.

Inserto las hojas a través de unos anillos que hago con magia de tierra.

A continuación preparo 2 tablas del tamaño de los folios y una tercera más pequeña unidas con bisagras, para darle la forma de "コ".

Coloco el anillo en ella.

Mi improvisado diario ha sido terminado.

Las tablas y las bisagras fueron gratis. El único gasto fue el papel.

¿Qué hay de una perforadora? ¿Me pregunto si podría comercializarla después?

Voy a anotar eso, también.

Ideas que no estén anotadas probablemente se olviden.

Perforadora... no, lo que debería escribir es sobre el diario en primer lugar.

"¿Sobre qué debería escribir?"

Hablando de diarios, cuando era un NEET, solía tener un blog. Pero, no tardé en abandonarlo.

Si puedo convertir esto en un hábito, funcionará, ¿verdad?

No, no debería pensar en esto como un problema de otra persona.

Mientras haga de esto un hábito, funcionará.

Okay.

Voy a escribir sobre los acontecimientos de los últimos 10 días.

"...Zzz"

Me quede dormido antes de que me diera cuenta.

=== 3ª Parte ===

Estoy en una vacía y blanca habitación.

He visto este lugar antes.

Hace apenas un par de días, cuando fui transportado por Pelagius, vi este lugar.

Exactamente, ¿ que es este lugar?

Nunca me he preguntado esto antes.

¿Este lugar existe en algún lugar de este mundo?

Dicho esto, ¿hay algo que pueda hacer sobre este cuerpo?

Grasoso, NEET, el cuerpo del yo que no tenía nada.

No tengo pensado cerrar los ojos.

Pero siento que mi irritación empieza a crecer.

No sentí esta molestia cuando fui invocado por Pelagius.

"Yo"

Ya veo, es ese tipo.

Una cara lisa y pálida

Una leve sonrisa como un mosaico flotante.

En el instante en que vi su cara, mis pensamientos se desvanecieron.

''Hitogami.''

"Largo tiempo sin verte"

''Que nostálgico... la última vez fue… ¿hace dos años...?''

"Ya te has puesto de esa manera"

''La última vez que me dio un consejo fue justo antes de irme al Continente Begarito.''

''Eso debería ser hace dos años.''

"No es como si fuera algo nuevo"

''Hubo un tiempo en el que no se presentó durante 3 años.''

''Que nostálgico.''

''En ese momento, estuve ahogándome en desesperación.''

"Sí, en comparación en ese entonces, usted parece estar haciéndolo mucho mejor"

''No está mal, supongo.''

''Casándome, viviendo una vida familiar tranquila.''

''De hecho, es vida que nunca habría soñado tener en mis días de NEET.''

"Familiarizarse con Pelagius."

''Pelagius es una persona realmente sorprendente.''

''En mi vida anterior, yo nunca habría imaginado que iba a conocer y ser respetado por alguien como él.''

''Las figuras que he hecho están vendiéndose bien, también.''

''Nunca habría imaginado este nivel de éxito en mi vida anterior.''

"Y ser del agrado de Atofe."

''Eso no es algo por lo que feliz, pero eso es todo gracias a los resultados de mi entrenamiento.''

''Esa versión de Relámpago es muy útil.''

"Por supuesto, esa magia es muy poderosa. Estoy seguro de que sería útil contra Orsted, también"

''¿Orsted, también?''

"Una magia que puede ignorar Touki y paralizar el cuerpo. No hay manera de contrarrestarlo, ¿verdad?"

''¿No hay manera de contrarrestarlo?''

''Pero, si se trata de Orsted, él puede usar [Distorsión Mágica] para cancelarla.''

"Él es más fuerte en general, pero la victoria es posible"

''No, no.''

''La mayor parte de mi magia sólo se puede usar en situaciones genéricas, por lo que no puede hacer mucho contra Orsted a menos que improvise o la adapte.''

''Tal vez no tengo ninguna motivación ya que no odio a Orsted.''

"¿Es eso así?"

''Digo, logré regresar de un modo u otro del Continente Begarito. ''

''Mentiría si dijera que no me arrepiento.''

''Sin embargo, no fue una mala decisión.''

''No pude seguir su consejo sobre eso.''

"Bueno, esa es tu decisión."

''¿Qué habría ocurrido si no hubiese ido?''

"Si hubieses ido, tu padre no hubiese muerto. Además, te habrías casado con las dos princesas del clan feral y vivido una vida feliz."

''...¿Qué demonios?''

''¿Paul murió porque fui?''

"Sí, porque tu estabas allí. Porque él quería lucirse delante de ti, eso le llevó a bajar la guardia."

''No, pero...''

''Esto...''

"Si no hubieses ido, él habría salvado a tu madre de todas formas. Por supuesto, a Roxy también."

''¿Cómo es posible?''

''Las cosas que hice... ¿fueron en vano? ...''

''No, pero cuando me encontré con Roxy, ella ya estaba acorralada.''

''¿Estás diciendo que ella habría estado bien si no la hubiese salvado?''

"Sí, incluso si usted no iba, Roxy se habría salvado de todos modos. Su supervivencia es parte del destino."

''¿Cómo es posible?''

''¿Qué es ese destino del que hablas?''

"El comerciante al que usted ayudó. Si no fuese por ti, él habría llegado tarde.
El día en que el comerciante llegara, habría un aventurero en particular allí.
El aventurero compró algo del comerciante: una piedra mágica.
Pero, si el comerciante hubiese llegado tarde, él habría comprado algo más."

Algo más.''

"Un mapa del laberinto de la teletransportación"

''¿Cómo es posible que algo como eso simplemente sea vendido allí?''

"Solicitando algo al Gremio de Aventureros, el Gisu que no logró convencer al espadachín. Lleno de entusiasmo pensó en un plan infalible para reclutar aventureros, parte del cual era vender el mapa a un precio muy barato."

''... Así que es así como fue.''

''Gisu estaba vendiendo el mapa.''

''Es cierto que muy pocos aventureros quisieron dar un paso en ese laberinto, pero es posible que haya habido alguien que pensara que ellos podrían conquistarlo.''

''Y así, el aventurero que compró el mapa habría entrado con ellos en el laberinto y salvado a Roxy.''

"Sí, él se habría encontrado con tu padre en la entrada de ese laberinto y habrían entrado en el laberinto juntos, salvando a Roxy."

''Y después, con el aumento del tamaño en el grupo, a medida que continuaran explorando el laberinto, ¿ellos finalmente habrían salvado a madre?''

"Exactamente como lo has adivinado. En comparación con usted, esto hubiese tomado más tiempo... aproximadamente 2 años. Ellos estarían salvando a tu madre justo ahora."

''No puedo creerlo.''

"Sin embargo, es exactamente lo que el destino es."

''¿Es eso así?''

''Así que eso hubiese pasado. Sin saber lo que depara el futuro...''

''Yo... Hubiera sido mejor si no hubiese ido...''

''Mierda, debería haberte hecho caso.''

''No, pero, eso significa que no me hubiese casado con Roxy.''

"Sí, ella se enamoró con el hombre que la salvó, pero parece que él no sintió lo mismo por ella."

''Si fuese así, nada malo hubiese sucedido.''

''Amo a Roxy.... Sin embargo, Paul murió.''

''Me casé con Roxy, sin embargo, Paul perdió la vida. No puedo sentirme bien sobre eso.''

''No me arrepiento de casarse con Roxy.''

''Ella se esfuerza por ser una buena esposa y ella está feliz de estar casada conmigo.''

''Pero, si Rinia y Pursena acabaran en esa situación, creo que sería igualmente feliz.''

''No es como si nadie se fuera a enojar nadie, pero bajo esa circunstancia, me habría sido imposible casarme con Roxy''

''Ugh, mierda....''

"Ya está en el pasado ahora"

''Sí.''

''No hay nada que pueda hacer, incluso si lo lamento''

''Es imposible volver atrás..''

''Justo ahora, tengo una vida feliz.''

''Tal vez hice la elección equivocada.''

''A pesar de que tengo algunos lamentos, no es del todo malo.''

''Voy a pensar de esa manera.''

"Seguro que eres optimista."

''Volviendo al tema principal, ¿por qué me has llamado aquí hoy?''

''O es que, ¿has venido a avisarme de algo?''

"No, no es nada grave. En lugar de consejos, hoy en día, tengo una petición."

''¿Petición? ¿Tú?''

''Extraño. Esto nunca ha sucedido antes.''

"Bueno, a veces incluso yo necesito un poco de ayuda."

''Hm.''

''Olvídalo. Sólo dime lo que me quieres decir. De vez en cuando, creo que estaría bien escuchar tus consejos. ''

''Hasta ahora, he estado sospechado en exceso de ti.''

"Qué reconfortante."

''Bueno, ya que me has ayudado tanto...''

''Más bien, no debería haber sido tan sospechoso de ti. Pensé que estaba siendo manipulado por un bromista malicioso.''

"Eso es simplemente demasiado. Soy el Hitogami. Soy el Dios de los seres humanos, ¿sabes? ¿Cómo podría tener el tiempo libre para simplemente hacer las cosas por diversión? Yo no le haría daño a la gente por diversión."

''Ah, alguien así probablemente no exista.''

"Exactamente"

''¿Entonces, qué debería hacer?''

"No es nada serio. Quiero que vayas al sótano y que te asegures de que no hay nada anormal. Si no encuentras nada, entonces está bien. Eso es todo lo que quiero."

''¿Asegurarme de que no hay nada anormal?''

''¿Por qué...? No, entiendo. Aunque esta vez, voy a confiar en ti. Simplemente haré lo que pides y veré qué pasa.''

"Ya veo... te lo agradezco."

A medida que mi conciencia se desvanecía, me pareció ver el tenue rastro de una sonrisa en la comisura de la boca Hitogami.

=== 4ª Parte ===

Abro los ojos.

Frente a mí, puedo ver la parpadeante luz de la llama de una vela.

Puedo ver la luz de la luna que brilla a través de la ventana.

No escucho nada.

Esta calmado.

Tal vez me quedé dormido mientras escribía en mi diario.

Había una mancha de baba en la página en la que llevaba escribiendo mis notas a medio terminar.

Lo reescribiré.

Arranco la hoja y la pongo en la esquina de la mesa.

Después, lo copio en una página limpia y continúo desde donde lo dejé.

¿Cuándo me quedo dormido?

Se siente como si hubiese estado dormido por días.

Mientras me pongo de pie, algo se deslizó de mi hombro.

Era una manta.

Fue Sylphy o Roxy la que trajo una manta para mí?

Bueno, quienquiera que fuese, estoy agradecido.

"Bien..."

Recuerdo el contenido de mi sueño.

Tengo que ir y revisar el sótano

No entiendo la razón, pero no hay nada malo en escucharlo sólo por esta vez.

Hasta ahora, este tipo nunca me ha dicho que haga algo que me pondría en una mala situación.

Además que en ocasiones ha sido para beneficio mutuo...,

Incluso si él es El Hitogami, probablemente se sienta molesto por el antagonismo que he mostrado cada vez que me da consejos.

Podríamos tener una relación de toma y daca, pero yo debería tratar de llevarme bien con él cuando se pone en contacto conmigo.

"Achoo... hace frío..."

Mientras camino hacia el sótano, me pongo la bata que había colgado en la pared.

A pesar de que ya es primavera, no toda la nieve se ha derretido aún. El frío de principios de la primavera está en el aire.

No es bueno dormir aquí.

Debería volver a mi habitación tan pronto como sea posible y dormir en mi cama caliente.

Pero, con este este frío, la cama también estaría fría.

¿Alrededor de que hora es en estos momentos?

A juzgar por lo silencioso que es, deben ser altas horas de la noche.

Si voy a la habitación de Sylphy o a la de Roxy en estos momentos, probablemente despierte a una de ellas ...

Sólo quiero calentarme, y no cosas irónicas.

Las extraño.

Esto es culpa Hitogami.

Si tan sólo no me hubiese enterado de lo que podría haber pasado.

No, yo era el que quería saber. ¿Fue culpa mía?

Mi culpa, supongo que dormiré solo.

Mientras pensaba en esto, abro la puerta.

"...?"

De repente, sintiendo una presencia detrás de mí, me doy la vuelta.

La única cosa en frente de mí es la silla en la que estaba sentado previamente.

Por supuesto que no hay nadie allí.

"Probablemente sólo mi imaginación."

Además de la mesa y de la estantería, no hay nada en esta sala.

No hay lugar para esconderse.

La ventana es demasiado pequeña para que una persona pueda pasar.

Hay una sola entrada: esta puerta.

Esta habitación es pequeña, sólo una vela es suficiente para demostrar que no hay nadie allí.

El único en esta habitación soy yo.

¿Por qué sentí una presencia?

Es evidente que no hay nadie aquí.

No sé por qué, pero todavía siento una presencia.

Extraño.

Tal vez hay un bicho debajo de la mesa.

"Olvídalo, todavía tengo que comprobar el sótano."

Abro la puerta. Y justo cuando iba a salir de la habitación...

"¡Ahí!"

Me doy la vuelta, otra vez.

Sin razón.

Solo sentí como que debía hacerlo.

Simplemente confirmando que no hay nadie allí.

Pero...

Ahí...

Una persona...

"...eh?"

Un hombre que llevaba un traje hecho jirones está sentado en la silla.

Un hombre viejo.

Las arrugas profundas marcan su rostro. Su pelo es completamente blanco.

Su rostro sin afeitar le daba un aspecto desaliñado.

[[File:Mushoku14 10.jpg|500px]]

Esta impresión rápidamente desapareció.

Tenía la presión de un hombre que ha resistido innumerables batallas.

Afilados, ojos ligeramente desiguales.

Su boca tembló de sorpresa.

"Yo … ¿Lo logré?..."

El anciano contempló con un toque de nostalgia todo a su alrededor con los ojos ligeramente cerrados con profunda emoción y pensativo.

Pero, al mirar a sus manos, tocó el área alrededor de su abdomen, su expresión cambió a una sonrisa burlona.

"No... no pude. Era imposible que pudiera tener éxito ..."

Él me resulta familiar de alguna manera.

Sin embargo, no puedo recordar.

Extraño.

¿Quién es él?

¿Paul? No, no es él.

¿Sauros? Pero él no tiene la misma presencia que Sauros.

Este anciano es mucho más cobarde.

"¿Quién... quién eres tú? A menos que... ¿Hitogami?"

Al oír ese nombre, el hombre clavó su mirada en mí.

Recuerdo esa reacción.

Orsted.

Orsted reaccionó de la misma manera.

Esa parte es la misma.

Sin embargo, este hombre no se parece en nada a Orsted.

"No."

El hombre negó con la cabeza y mantuvo su mirada.

Una potente mirada.

No puedo darle la espalda.

Es como si estuviera siendo arrastrado hacia ella.

Como mirarse en un espejo, pero sus ojos parecían buscar algo...

Mirando a la puerta detrás de mí, hizo una expresión como si quisiera preguntar algo.

Señaló con su huesudo dedo detrás de mí.

En el poco tiempo que se tardó en mover el dedo, la puerta detrás de mí se movió.

"!"

De repente, oí un "bam".

¿Qué acaba de hacer este tipo?

Mientras que su mirada volvió hacia un confundido yo, dijo.

"No vayas al sótano. Tú has sido engañado por Hitogami."

"¿Eh?"

¿Engañado?

¿Qué está pasando?

"Espera, antes de eso, ¿quién eres tú? ¿De dónde vienes?"

"Yo soy..."

El anciano abre la boca para responder, pero rápidamente cierra su boca.

Él reflexiona por un momento y luego empieza a hablar de nuevo.

"Mi nombre es '────'"

Al oír ese nombre, recibo el choque más grande que alguna vez he sentido.

El nombre que el hombre usó.

En este mundo, el único que sabe ese nombre soy yo.

El nombre que me llevaré conmigo a la tumba algún día.

Un nombre que no quiero recordar.

Un nombre que no existe en este mundo.

Mi nombre de mi vida anterior.

"Y vengo del futuro."

== Capítulo 154 - Principio y Fin ==

=== 1ª Parte ===

[Vengo del futuro].

Es lo que dijo el anciano.

Honestamente, no entiendo a que se refiere.

Ciertamente, no es como si el viejo este no se pareciera a mí.

"Tú... ¿dices ser mi yo del futuro?"

"Sí. Soy tu yo del futuro, alrededor de unos 50 años del tú de ahora."

Dijo claramente el anciano.

Aún si de pronto él me dice algo como eso, no sé si debería creerle.

Pero este tipo conoce mi nombre.

Además de eso, llegue a este mundo luego de reencarnar junto a mis recuerdos.

Así que tengo el presentimiento de que no sería extraño que en este lugar puedan ocurrir Movimientos en el tiempo. <ref>Moviemientos en el tiempo: En ingles es Timeslips, no existe traducción oficial al español, por lo cual se toma este termino. Timeslip en palabras simples vendría siendo que pueden haber dos Ludeus en el mismo tiempo como lo que ocurre en este cap. En cambio si hubiera ocurrido un Timeleap(lo que el viejo queria al parecer xD) la memoria de Ludeus sería reemplazada por la del vejestorio y solo existiría un Ludeus fisicamente.</ref>

"Lo siento, pero no tengo el tiempo suficiente para jugar aquí, así que no puedo explicarte los principios de la magia de teleportación al pasado."

"Con lo de 'no tener tiempo suficiente para jugar ni explicar'..."

"Lo siento por la frase hollywoodense, pero realmente no tengo tiempo. Escúchame con atención."

Las palabras 'frase hollywoodense' fluyeron suavemente.

En otras palabras, este anciano definitivamente tiene una conexión con mi antiguo mundo.

... ¿realmente es mi yo del futuro?.

Esos deslumbrantes ojos.

Hay algo sombrío en las profundidades de esas pupilas.

Hablando francamente, son los ojos de alguien que mata personas como si fuera algo mundano.

Los ojos fríos de alguien que no piensa en absoluto sobre la vida de una persona.

¿Así que me volveré como él en el futuro?

Eso es absurdo.

Es completamente increíble, pero la expresión del vejestorio es seria.

Por el momento, y solo por tentación, escucharé la historia del anciano como si él fuera mi yo de 50 años al futuro.

"No hay nada en el sótano."

Dijo el anciano deliberadamente.

"Fui al sótano y pensé que no había nada. Entonces al día siguiente, nuevamente oí las palabras [si no había nada, entonces no hay de que preocuparse] de Hitogami y me sentí reconfortado."

El anciano hizo una mueca desagradable.

"Pero ese fue un grave error. Te lo puedo explico ahora."

El anciano llevo su dedo a su frente como si recordara algo.

El dedo indice de su mano izquierda...

¿Hmm?

¿Tiene una mano izquierda?

"Presta atención, lo más probable es que haya un ratón en el sótano. Un ratón enfermo que tiene una característica peculiar, sus dientes deberían de ser violetas, como una piedra mágica violeta. No tengo la menor idea respecto a la procedencia de ese ratón o cuando entro allí. Lo más probable es que alguno del Continente Demoníaco o de la Fortaleza flotante se haya colado en algún equipaje. Bueno la verdad es que eso no es lo importante."

El anciano abrió su palma y luego la cerró en un puño.

"Ese ratoncillo se asustó por tu presencia y huyo. Específicamente se dirigió a la cocina, en donde busco un poco de alimento entre las sobras de la comida anterior, al día siguiente el ratón falleció y sus restos fueron encontrados y desechados por Aisha."

"..."

"Al día siguiente le dieron esas sobras a un gato callejero, el cual luego desapareció."

Su mano izquierda no es artificial.

¿Es realmente yo?

O tal vez en los próximos 50 años, consigue curarla usando alguna impresionante magia curativa.

"Pero antes de que eso suceda, una hambrienta Roxy baja las escaleras y toma un poco de esas sobras. Como resultado de todo esto es infectada por la enfermedad del ratón."

"¿Roxy se enferma?"

Cuando escuché la palabra Roxy, mi concentración se centra en la historia del anciano.

"La enfermedad de la piedra mágica."

Mmm...la enfermedad de la piedra mágica.

Me da la sensación de que he escuchado sobre ella de algún lugar.

Oh, si recuerdo bien, es una enfermedad que puede curarse solamente con magia restituyente de nivel deidad.

Por lo cual prácticamente es una enfermedad incurable que poco a poco convierte el cuerpo del afectado en piedra mágica.

"Al comienzo no me di cuenta. Al fin y al cabo, esa enfermedad es extremadamente rara. Ese virus reside dentro del cuerpo del portador, y sólo se manifiesta al infectar la vida del otro ser vivo que reside dentro del portador."

"¿El otro ser vivo?"

"Exacto, un feto. Sólo las mujeres embarazadas pueden contraer esa enfermedad. Hice investigaciones más tarde y quede en estado de shock."

"¿Aah?, espera... me estas diciendo que... No, Roxy aún no..."

"Ella debería estar embarazada en estos momentos. Pero suficiente de eso, al fin y al cabo hicieron el acto de amar, ¿acaso no es natural que cosas como estas sucedan?"

¡Roxy está embarazada!.

De alguna manera estoy muy contento, pero con esta explicación no estoy satisfecho en absoluto.

"Los ratones son los principales portadores de la enfermedad de la piedra mágica ya que una porción de ellos son resistente a ella. Puedes identificarlos a simple vista ya que sus dientes no son normales sino que son como un cristal violeta. La enfermedad se transmite a lo que el ratón muerda pero solo te puedes infectar vía oral, por cierto la enfermedad no perdura por mucho tiempo. Tiende a desaparecer después de unos días en la mayoría de las ocasiones, por no decir que el rango de contagio es bajo, cabe destacar que los infectados solo son los fetos dentro de una embarazada."

"..."

"El virus al identificar el feto comienza a residir y crecer dentro de él, pasado un tiempo cambia la estructura del feto y entonces ocurre lo que se conoce la enfermedad de la piedra mágica, la cual afecta a la madre."

... Entonces, ¿me esta diciendo que Roxy se infectará de una enfermedad como esa?

"Si fueras a ir insensatamente al sótano en estos momentos y dejas escapar al ratón, entonces mañana escucharas a Aisha quejarse vanamente [Encontré un ratón raro muerto está mañana], pasada dos semanas te contarán que [Se ha descubierto un gato infectado por la enfermedad de la piedra mágica], y exactamente después de eso Roxy caerá enferma con fiebre. Al final, pasaran 30 años para que por fin puedas conectar todos los hilos sueltos y darte cuenta de lo que ocurrió."

"...¿Qué le pasa a Roxy?"

"Muere."

Perdí las palabras ante tal despiadado comentario.

"Roxy cae postrada en la cama junto a una fiebre... Entenderás que es la enfermedad de la piedra mágica cuando veas como su pie comienza a convertirse en una piedra mágica, pero..."

"¿No la pudimos sanar? Intenté curarla, ¿no es así?"

El anciano puso un rostro triste y miró hacía el piso.

"Intente salvarla, pero... A pesar de haber ido a la santa tierra de Milis y haber tenido éxito en obtener el hechizo de magia restituyente de nivel deidad, todo fue en vano... Sin mencionar que... Muchas cosas sucedieron en el camino, ademas de que llevo su tiempo. Para el momento en que había vuelto a casa ya era demasiado tarde, la mitad del cuerpo de Roxy estaba cristalizado y ella... Murió."

Pero rápidamente alzó su rostro y me miro con unos ojos feroces cuya resplandeciente luz me llegaba.

"No te dejes engañar por las palabras de Hitogami. Sí eres tú, quien tiene conocimiento del mundo anterior, debes entender a que me refiero. Ese bastardo es la fuente de todo clase de mal. El jefe final."

"Pero, ¿por qué le hizo eso a Roxy?"

"Ni idea. Incluso ahora no lo sé. Pero ciertamente el debe de estar actuando con algún objetivo en mente. Al final, el mismo dijo [Gracias por ser un completo imbécil, todo ha marchado como esperaba.]... Hijo de puta."

¿El mismísimo Hitogami dijo eso?

Pero, ¿ummm...?

"Orsted o Laplace podrían conocer algo respecto al objetivo de Hitogami... Pero no me encontré a ninguno de ellos por los últimos 50 años. Lo más probable es que tú tampoco los vas a encontrar, aún si vas en busca de ellos."

"¿Nanahoshi no sabía donde estaba Orsted?"

Cuando dije el nombre de Nanahoshi, el anciano puso un rostro triste.

¿No lo sabía?

O podría ser que Nanahoshi también...

"No le pregunté, pero ciertamente en esta época, podría valer la pena preguntarle. Aún si ella no sabe donde se encuentra, ella también piensa bastante ese tipo de cosas. Podría ser que se le ocurra alguna clase de buena idea."

"... ¿Qué sucedió con Nanahoshi?"

"......"

El anciano no respondió.

Simplemente su rostro tenia una expresión triste.

Pero pasado un rato, hablo mientras suspiraba.

"Al final, ella fracasó... Se deprimió y fallé en apoyarla... Y entonces..."

Nanahoshi no volvió al otro mundo...

Y en la desesperación, quizás, ella misma, con sus propias manos...

"Entiendo. Suficiente de eso."

"Sí, tampoco quiero habla respecto a eso."

El viejo levantó su mirada y como si juntara fuerzas, continuó hablando.

"Escucha. Vas a aprender sobre esto en más o menos unos 10 años a partir de ahora, la verdad es que... Hitogami no es conocido por ese nombre en este mundo"

"... ¿Qué quieres decir?"

"El Dios de los seres humanos, escrito como Dios Humano. No hay nadie que no conozca el nombre del Dios Humano, pero sólo aquellos que se han encontrado directamente con el conocen el termino Hitogami. No tengo idea del por qué hizo algo como eso... Quizás sólo para joder y jugar con la gente que conoce ese termino."

... Ya veo.

No es de extrañar que es una reacción exagerada a la palabra Hitogami.

Así que es un nombre que sólo conocen aquellos que se lo han encontrado y han sido engañados por él.

"A simple vista, ese bastardo parecía hablar sobre cosas que eran por mi bien."

El viejo apretó su puño otra vez.

La luz de odio solitariamente ilumina esas pupilas.

Una Increíble intención de matanza se desbordó, pero por alguna razón no sentí que fuera aterradora.

"Incluso ahora, hasta en este momento, él no ha dicho ninguna mentira. Ninguna mentira de la cual me pueda dar cuenta."

Su puño se estremeció, puedo ver algo en las cercanías de ese puño. Un sonido eléctrico, el cual se enrosca, un rayo purpura.

"Todas y cada una de las cosas que te ha dicho han sido para este momento, ¡así las sospechas que siempre tienes desaparecerían y tú obedecerías sin dudarlo!"

Sentí un inexpresivo asombro hacia esas chispas que volaban por todos lados, sin embargo me puse en guardia.

"¡No te dejes engañar! Lo haz leído en los mangas, ¿no es así?. ¡Él bastardo que habla de creer y no creer definitivamente está mintiendo!"

"Bueno, sé sobre eso, pero..."

El anciano habló con una voz tensa.

"Tú no entiendes. Después de Roxy viene Sylphy. Con el corazón roto por la perdida de Roxy, por un corto periodo de tiempo dejarás de pensar en Sylphy, por lo cuál ella se sentirá herida y su animo decaerá. Ese bastardo manipulará a Luke para tomar ventaja de eso."

"¿Luke?"

"Sí, más adelante vas a escuchar de una mujer que paso una noche con Luke. [Cuando despertó a la mañana siguiente, Luke actuó nervioso y comenzó a hablar sobre como había escuchado un mensaje de Dios o algo por el estilo.]"

"Y entonces... ¿Qué pasa?"

"Luke aconseja a Ariel, y Sylphy me abandona y se va a Asura. ¡Junto con Ariel la cuál falló en conseguir el respaldo de Pelagius!. Desde una posición inferior, Ariel comienza un golpe de estado y pierde. Sylphy es asesina en la revuelta."

Asesinada en la revuelta...

Así que ella muere.

"Pierdes a las dos."

El anciano meneó la cabeza mientras rechinaba sus dientes.

"Sí, incluso ahora la voz de ese bastardo al momento de revelarme sus trucos permanece en mis oídos. [Lo has hecho bien.], el sentimiento de que me den palmaditas en el hombro, y esa chillona risa... ¡¡¡Aaaaahhh mierda, es un puto infierno!!!"

El anciano golpeó el escritorio con un ruido sordo.

En ese instante, el relámpago púrpura se esparce por los alrededores, iluminando la habitación como si fuera mediodía.

La luz se desvaneció rápidamente, pero seguía quedando una marca de quemadura en el escritorio.

"Fiuuu..." El anciano exhaló.

"Lo diré otra vez. No creas en él. Terminaras lamentándolo."

Después de decir esto, el anciano agarró repentinamente su estómago.

Mirándolo, su tez parecía un poco peor que antes.

"Así que estoy fuera de tiempo... Bueno, incluso si te digo todo esto, probablemente no tienes la menor idea sobre que deberías hacer."

El viejo rostro del hombre estaba mortalmente pálido.

Habían aparecido ojeras púrpuras bajo sus ojos.

El viejo respiró profundamente y luego exhaló dolorosamente.

Es el tipo de sensación que da alguien que está al borde de la muerte.

Tal vez sufre de algún tipo de enfermedad.

"Lo primero que debes hacer es... Hhmm, Eris."

Cuando escuche 'Eris', sentí como mi frente se arrugaba.

"Quiero que le escribas y envíes una carta inmediatamente. Pon [Bueno, he sido un poco infiel... Pero te amo.]"

"No la quiero ni amo. Es por ella que me volví impotente."

"Perdónala. Eres un hombre, ¿no?"

"..."

El anciano sonrió burlándose de si mismo.

"... Aunque te diga eso, la verdad es que yo no la perdoné, y tuve un par de problemas con ella durante años, siendo yo el antagonista."

"¿Antagonista?"

"Una y otra vez, casi fui asesinado por Eris. Ella iba en mi persecución sin importar a donde fuera, y cada vez que ella me encontraba se tornaba en una batalla sin tapujos. Bueno, ella me lo dejaba fácil. Si ella hubiera querido, tenía un montón de maneras para matarme. Se aseguró de nunca tomo una pelea en donde me fuera a matar.

Por el contrario, si alguna vez me encontraba en problemas, ella iría a salvarme desde las sombras. Casi como si fuera Vegeta." <ref>Yep referencia a Dragon Ball</ref>

'Vegeta'...

"Bueno, ella es diferente del príncipe del país de los vegetales. Simplemente quería estar a mi lado, ella siempre me amo. Me amo y dio lo mejor de ella por mi...

Sin embargo era malísima expresándose, y nunca supo que debía hacer, así que lo único que le quedaba era golpearme."

Aún si él me dice eso.

Soy alguien con dos esposas y un niño.

Es cierto que hubo un tiempo en el cual amaba a Eris.

Pero, eso... Está en el pasado.

"Pero Sylphy y Roxy..."

"No hay problema. Sylphy es tolerante en lo que respecta al tema, y Roxy no piensa que este a mi nivel, así que también lo permitiría. Incluso Eris, si de las una explicación del tema por adelantado lo aceptará. Oh, pero prepárate para ser golpeado... Porque bueno, ya sabes, ella es así."

"Incluso si me dices eso..."

"Proteger a todas las mujeres que dicen amarte. ¿No es eso genial? ¿Qué hay de malo con eso? Un hombre debe ser confiable."

"No lo digas como si fuera el problema de otro."

"Te lo digo porque me quede sin ninguna de ellas."

Hubo una extraña sensación de peso a las palabras del anciano.

Pero sabes...

"Tengo una responsabilidad hacia Sylphy y Roxy..."

"Si estamos hablando de responsabilidad, tienes una hacia Eris también. Ella ha estado entrenando perseverantemente por tu bien todo este tiempo. Es mala en lo que respecta a hablar, así que no te ha llegado noticia alguna sobre ella, pero todo este tiempo ella ha entrenado. Si no tomas responsabilidad por ella, ¿qué hay de todo su esfuerzo?

... Serás condenado por Ghyslaine. En frente del cuerpo de Eris."

El cuerpo de... ¿Eris?

"¿Eris... también muere...?"

"Sí, para cubrirme. Si recuerdo bien... Fue cuando tenia una revancha con Atofe. Una Reina Demonio bastante sería, fue más fuerte que lo que pensé y deje mi guardia baja."

Dijo con nostalgia el anciano al tiempo que la comisura de su boca se torcía.

Para ser capaz de estar con la guardia baja en contra de Atofe... ¿Qué tan poderoso es el vejestorio?... mejor dicho mi futuro yo.

Parece ambiguo, ¿realmente es yo?

"Escucha, debes mandar la carta. Si no quieres lamentarlo... si lo hace ahora, debería llegarle justo a tiempo."

"Ah, aah, bueno, si tú lo dices, la mandaré. Pero, ¿A dónde la envío?"

"A la Tierra Santa De Las Espadas. Debes tener alguna idea de donde queda, ¿cierto?"

La Tierra Santa de las Espadas.

No queda tan lejos de Sharia.

Bueno supuse que seria algo por el estilo. Así que ha estado entrenando allí.

La Tierra Santa de las Espadas...

"Okay, yo me encargo."

"No la escribas como si la estuvieras apartando. Si Eris se desespera te asesinará."

"Ya lo sé."

Creo saber que tipo de persona es Eris.

... O por lo menos, pensé saberlo.

Si son verdaderas las palabras de este hombre.

Ella no tenía ninguna intención de abandonarme, y por supuesto, yo no entendí eso.

Ahora que lo pienso, no hay ninguna manera que una torpe oradora como ella pudiera escribir una carta también.

Y así, nos fuimos por caminos separados, lo cual dio lugar a la infelicidad.

"Fiuu..."

El anciano exhaló torpemente.

Y entonces levantó su rostro con una expresión sorprendida.

"También, me olvidé de decir algo importante. No te opongas a Hitogami."

"¿Que no me oponga?, él te traicionó, ¿acaso no lo hizo?"

"Sí. Sin embargo no puedes ganar en contra de Hitogami. Yo no pude ganar contra él. Alguien como yo no pudo llegar al lugar en donde reside Hitogami."

Dijo el anciano como si fuese humillado.

No pudo llegar a donde está Hitogami.

En otras palabras, como pensaba, ¿Ese sitio está en algún lugar en este mundo?

"Cuando me di cuenta, me estremecí. No podía cobrar venganza por Roxy y Sylphy. Trabajé muy duro para derrotarlo, pero no puedo llegar a donde se encuentra. De hecho, incluso soy capaz de controlar la gravedad, pero el simplemente no está ni fue a donde mis manos pudieran alcanzarlo."

Después de decir esto, el anciano señaló al tintero sobre la mesa.

El tintero flotó suavemente hacia arriba, entonces inmediatamente se dejó caer otra vez con un tintineo.

Las gotas de la tinta volaron sobre el escritorio.

"Puedo flotar en el aire y comunicarse con otros a través de largas distancias. Regeneré mi brazo. Por no mencionar incluso que puedo saltar en el tiempo y volar al pasado... Bueno, la verdad es que esta magia es un fracaso."

Un fracaso.

¿Qué fue un fracaso?

Este vejestorio realmente está aquí, ahora mismo.

"Probablemente ya lo habrás sentido vagamente, pero lo que conocemos como magia en este mundo en verdad es omnipotente. Una vez que te das cuenta de eso, esencialmente puedes hacer cualquier cosa."

Al decir esto, el anciano levantó la mano izquierda.

En contraste con su comportamiento orgulloso, el viejo rostro del hombre había ido más allá del mortal pálido y ahora era blanco puro.

Ojeras negras aparecieron debajo de sus ojos y sus labios se tiñeron de un color azul.

"Pero este poder ya no significa nada. Fue muy tarde. Cuando me hice fuerte, no había ni siquiera una persona a la cual hubiera querido proteger."

Los ojos del anciano deslumbraban como siempre, pero aquella fuerza ya se había ido de sus pupilas.

Su respiración era áspera y débil.

"Presta atención. Lo diré nuevamente. Odio al bastardo de Hitogami.

Pero la realidad es que no puedo vencerlo, no hay forma de hacerlo. No tengo ninguna técnica que pueda llegar a donde se encuentra. En la época en donde vivo, la herramienta que se necesita para llegar a donde se encuentra Hitogami ya no existe. Así que no pelees con él. No tengo idea sobre su objetivo, pero está bien si actúas dócilmente con él, pero lo repito, no te opongas a él. Simplemente se aprovechara de ti, con todo yendo como él quiera.

En lo que respecta ahora, antes de que alguien muera..."

La mano del anciano de pronto perdió su fuerza y cayó.

Levantó la barbilla y miró al techo.

"Hay tres cosas que debes hacer.

Hablar con Nanahoshi respecto a lo de ahora.

Enviar una carta a Eris.

Dudar de Hitogami, pero no oponerte a él. Eso es todo."

"..."

No pude responder.

Cuando te dicen todas estas cosas de repente, simplemente las palabras no salen.

Pero de alguna manera sentí que este viejo estaba desesperadamente tratando de transmitir algo hacia mí.

"¿N-no tienes ningún consejo más concreto o algo por el estilo?"

"Ah, que nostálgico. Ahora que lo pienso, mi yo de esta época era un vago, Bueno, por supuesto, me gustaría enseñarte más detalles acerca de varias cosas, pero... Estoy fuera de juego, ya se acabó mi tiempo."

"Todo este rato has estado diciendo que no tienes tiempo, que estas fuera de juego, etc... ¿Acaso es el comienzo de un anime nocturno o alguna cursilería?"

"No... es el final. Por cierto, no dependas mucho de otras personas. Cuando llegaste a este mundo, en tus primeros días, nunca dependiste de otros, ¿o me equivoco?..."

El viejo me miró como si fuera su nieto.

Ahora que lo dice, tengo la sensación de que no he hecho nada más que depender de otras personas últimamente.

"Además... ya que he llegado ha esta era, la historia debió haber cambiado. Bueno da igual, no importa lo que diga, no es como que vaya hacerse realidad. Y puesto que la teleportación al pasado toma este tipo de forma, la historia en la cual caminé no va a cambiar..."

Al instante siguiente.

Los ojos del anciano vagaron por todos lados y perdieron su enfoque.

Sus brazos sin fuerza alguna cuelgan de sus hombros, levantó su barbilla, y abrió la boca con dificultad.

"Tú... llevarás una vida diferente a la cual viví. Tendrás éxitos, tendrás fracasos, tendrás tiempos en los cuales reflexionaras, y tendrás momentos en los cuales te lamentarás. Simplemente como siempre los has tenido y tendrás."

El anciano se movió lentamente, entonces se cayó de la silla.

"Oye, ¿estás bien?"

Corrí rápidamente y lo ayudé a levantarse... Sentí un escalofrío.

El cuerpo del anciano era ligero hasta un punto impensable en el cual dudas de si realmente estaba sólidamente constituido.

Podría pesar incluso menos de 40 kilogramos.

¿Qué es esto?, ¿Qué pasa aquí?.

"La verdad es que... no creo que porque venga del futuro seré capaz de redimirme por mis errores. Este hechizo es un fracaso... no hay posibilidad de hacerlo dos veces en la vida humana..."

El anciano dejó la mirada en blanco pasear mientras llevaba su mano temblorosa dentro de su túnica.

"Salté con el diario como un punto de origen... así que lo traje... Lo que he experimentado está escrito en él... Haz tu mejor esfuerzo... para que no tengas remordimientos... No seas como yo, y mantén esa juvenil risa que posees... por favor..."

Los ojos deslumbrantes ojos del anciano se humedecieron al tiempo que sacó un voluminoso librillo del bolsillo de su túnica mullida.

Está desgastado, pero lo conozco.

Es el diario que acabo de hacer.

Antes de que pudiera tomarlo, el diario se deslizó de sus manos y cayó al suelo con un golpe.

Pero lo que robó mi atención no fue eso.

Al momento en que retiró el diario, brevemente vislumbré algo hundido al otro lado de su túnica.

Casi como si no hubiera nada debajo de su ropa...

"¿Qué es... lo que paso con tú cuerpo?..."

"Hah, con que eso... bueno está incompleto... Mi teleportación al pasado... no fue capaz de... llevar mi... cuerpo completo..."

"Eh, pero, antes habías dicho que pudiste hacer crecer nuevamente tu brazo..."

"No tengo más poder mágico... Lo siento... Si sólo Cliff hubiera estado vivo, la teleportación al pasado habría podido ser mejor... mierda... sólo un poco más, ven, toma ten esto... es información para ti... "

"... Lo siento, está bien, comprendo, así que no te sobre esfuerces en hablar."

"... Tú... te has lamentado... como Hitogami quería... ¿por qué en un lugar como este?... ¿qué debería decir?... Vine al pasado, así que al menos una miradita..."

Los ojos del anciano ya no ven nada.

Sus palabras no tienen sentido alguno, eran simplemente vagas frases saliendo de su boca.

Antes de que lo supiera, sus ojeras se tiñeron negras, y la sombra de la muerte había aparecido en su rostro.

Es el rostro de alguien a punto de morir, no... el de un cadáver.

"Ah"

De pronto, sus ojos se enfocaron en un solo punto.

Vio algo sobre mi hombro, detrás de mí.

Extendió su temblorosa mano hacía la puerta.

"Ahh, Sylphy, Roxy... Joder, tan hermosas como siempre..."

Una solitaria lagrima desciende desde sus ojos recorriendo su mejilla... la luz de aquellos ojos se desvaneció.

Lentamente la fuerza de su cuerpo disminuía, y su cuello se dejo caer por el peso.

... Falleció.

Di media vuelta.

La puerta no estaba abierta.

Tuvimos un alboroto bastante ruidoso, así que pensé que alguien pudo haberse despertado, pero...

Al borde de la muerte, me pregunto qué fantasma vio el anciano.

Justo cuando pensaba en eso, escuche los pasos de alguien proveniente desde arriba.

"¡-!"

Salí de la habitación a toda prisa.

Justo entonces, Roxy y Sylphy, que llevaban su báculo y una vela bajaban desde el segundo piso.

"Ludy, escuche un par de sonidos y voces. ¿Hay alguien allí dentro?"

"¿Un ladrón?"

Las dos hablaron aliviadas después de verme, pero no dejaron su sentido de alerta, estaban con la guardia en alto.

¿Debería hablarles del anciano?

......No.

"No, lo siento. Estaba medio despierto. La verdad es que tuve un sueño extraño, y termine utilizando magia. Parece que las desperté. Lo siento."

"Un sueño.. así que utilizaste magia mientras estabas medio dormido... He escuchado algo al respecto también, ¿entonces todo está bien? Um, si fue así de malo, ¿deberíamos dormir juntos?... Osea me refiero a lo que obaa-chan dijo [El calor humano es lo mejor cuando quieres olvidar algo doloroso]..."

"No, está bien. Probablemente terminaría haciendo algo lascivo. Después de todo, la vitalidad de Sylphy no ha vuelto a su normalidad, ¿cierto?"

Cuando rechacé la atractiva propuesta de Sylphy, Roxy miró disgustada.

"Bueno si dices que fue un sueño tan pero tan malo, realmente no me importaría, Pe-pero recientemente he pensado que sea posible 'eso', así que si puedes me gustaría que te limitaras a solamente tocar."

"No, en serio que digo que no hay necesidad por hoy."

A las palabras de Roxy, de repente recordé las palabras del viejo.

El anciano dijo que Roxy estaba embarazada.

Cuando Roxy dijo [He pensado que sea posible 'eso'] tal vez se refería al embarazo.

"... Estoy realmente bien, así que las dos pueden volver a la cama. Me iré a dormir también, aunque sera después de que ordene la habitación."

"Bueno... Si Ludy dice eso, entonces lo haré, pero... Si no te sientes bien, dímelo, ¿ok?"

"Estamos casados, así que por favor no te guardes tus problemas. Pues bien, buenas noches"

Dijeron preocupadas Sylphy y Roxy, entonces subieron al segundo piso.

Después de confirmar que se hubieran acostado, baje las escaleras y volví al laboratorio.

En cualquier caso, lo primero que debo hacer es confirmar las palabras del viejo.

Realmente no sé ni entiendo quién fue el viejo.

¿Realmente fue mi yo del futuro o simplemente fue alguien más?

Hizo algo lo suficientemente peligroso como para matar a alguien cuando vino hasta aquí.

La verdad es que hay credibilidad en esa acción, pero es tan repentino que no puedo creer del todo lo que dijo.

"..."

Pero pensándolo bien...

No quiero perder a mis dos amadas.

Y no quiero morir en medio del pesar como el anciano.

=== 2ª Parte ===

Tras el evento.

Llevé a ambas de vuelta a sus habitaciones y les ordené que bajo ningún concepto salieran de sus habitaciones esa noche.

'''Pasara lo que pasara.'''

Recorrí los pasillos del 2º piso en cuyos cuartos dormían plácidamente el resto de habitantes de la casa, y los cerré con llave desde el exterior. Solo para confirmarlo, revisé el resto de habitaciones de la primera planta y me aseguré de que no había nadie en ella.

Mi siguiente acción fue regresar al estudio y quitarle todas sus pertenencias al anciano.

"...¡!"

A su cuerpo le faltaba '''toda la zona del estómago'''.

Debajo de sus costillas, en lugar de carne lo que había era un gran agujero desde el que solo se podía ver piel y huesos, pero casi ningún órgano interno.

Igualmente, dejado de lado el problema de su vientre, poseía un físico espléndido.

Tenía semejante musculatura que te haría dudar si de verdad tenía sesentaitantos años, además de varias cicatrices y marcas que dejaban constancia de la historia de batallas que había sido su vida<ref>Me lo imagino de esta forma: [http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/non-aliencreatures/images/b/be/Vash's_body.png/revision/latest?cb=20150206133557 Imagen Ejemplo]</ref>.

Tenía la misma cicatriz en el pecho que yo, y un lunar también en la misma zona... bueno no, estaba como ligeramente desplazado una pulgada; pero lo mire como lo mire, físicamente es idéntico a mí...

El único detalle que cabría destacar de diferente entre nosotros, es que él sí tenía su mano izquierda de carne y hueso.

''Dijo que la regeneró... pero me resistía a creer que la magia Curativa fuera capaz de algo así.''

Pero dejando eso de lado, el viejo, a parte del diario, no tenía nada de especial interés encima; ni ornamentos de ningún tipo, ni un báculo. Lo único que llevaba debajo de su manto era una camisa, sus pantalones y ropa interior.

Busqué en los bolsillos de su ropa, pero tampoco encontré nada.

''En mi caso, si Sylphy o Roxy hubieran muerto... quiero pensar que al menos llevaría un recuerdo de ellas siempre conmigo... aunque claro... 50 años... quizás ya no quede nada.''

Reuní todas sus cosas y las amontoné en una esquina de la habitación, y al cuerpo sin vida del viejo lo envolví en una manta que tenía en mi estudio. Lo enrollé y me lo eché al hombre, yendo en dirección a la puerta trasera de la vivienda que había situada en la cocina.

"..."

En la cocina me encontré algunos restos de la cena de anoche que habían colocado en un plato sobre la encimera de la cocina.

''Por lo que contó, ese ratón se comerá eso cuando salga... creo que lo mejor será tirarlo también.''

Salí por el patio trasero de la casa y me dirigí hasta un descampado algo alejado.

Allí, cavé un hoyo y metí la manta con el cuerpo del hombre, y les prendí fuego con magia. No tardé ni un instante en convertirlo en cenizas; desprendiendo un molesto olor a carne humana chamuscada...

''El olor de mi propio cadáver-''

"Uugh..."

En cuanto lo pensé de esa forma, no pude soportar las arcadas y vomité en una punta del terreno.

Cuando terminó la cremación, fabriqué con magia una urna en la que reuní las cenizas del hombre, con la intención de enterrarlas junto a Paul.

''Si de verdad ese hombre era yo... seguramente eso sea lo que más quisiera.''

Recogí las cenizas, tapé el boquete del suelo y regresé a la casa, entrando por la puerta de atrás y me dirigí de inmediato a mi estudio.

Dejé la urna junto a sus cosas en el suelo de la habitación y cogí mi báculo y activé mi ojo místico.

Para dirigirme al sótano.

''Ese viejo me dijo que no me acercara... me dijo que se escaparía un ratón... me dijo que se comería las sobras... y que infectaría a Roxy y al niño en su interior con la misma enfermedad que tiene...''

''NECESITO confirmar por mí mismo si ese ratón existe o no...''

''Si no lo hiciera, no podré confiar en todo lo que ese hombre me ha dicho, y si de verdad estuviera allí... tampoco puedo dejarlo estar como si nada.''

"..."

La iluminación en las escaleras que llevaban al sótano era inexistente creando un ambiente lúgubre.

Saqué un pergamino de luz espiritual de mi bolsillo e iluminé la zona antes de bajar las escaleras. Cuando al final de las escaleras llegué a la puerta que daba literalmente a la habitación del sótano, respiré hondo.

"...¿Hm?"

Al hacerlo, me percaté que en el borde de las escaleras, sobre la fina capa de polvo, había algo más que llamó por completo mi atención.

Huellas... '''de ratón'''.

Esas mismas huellas bajaban de la casa hasta el sótano, a saber desde cuándo... pero no vi por ninguna parte huellas en dirección al exterior.

Fui a abrir la puerta al sótano... pero me detuve.

Lo que hice fue abrir un agujero en la puerta del tamaño de un puño, por el que colé mi báculo.

canalicé mi poder mágico a través del báculo, imaginando en mi cabeza la idea de '''Hielo''' y le di forma al hechizo con suficiente fuerza para cubrir la habitación al completo.

"... Nova de Escarcha..."

susurré esas palabras, como convenciéndome a mí mismo y al instante, la habitación entera se congeló.

Pero, por si acaso... lo hice de nuevo.

"Nova... de Escarcha."

Quería asegurarme de que el frío se expandiera por completo por toda la habitación, incluyendo cualquier pliegue o esquina que pudiera haber; tras lo que comandé la luz espiritual para que atravesara el agujero e iluminara el interior.

Observé a través del agujero que segundos antes había creado y vi con mis propios ojos que la habitación había terminado completamente helada.

Tras lo que abrí la puerta.

Tuve que hacer fuerza debido a que se había congelado, pero en cuanto estuvo abierta, entré y cerré instantáneamente.

"..."

No tarde ni un minuto en encontrar al ratón.

Se encontraba cerca de la puerta al cuarto secreto, hecho una estatua blanca completamente congelada y muerta.

Y aún a través de la capa de hielo que había acabado con su vida, pude ver sus mandíbulas ligeramente abiertas, y allí... colmillos violetas transparentes que parecían piedras mágicas...

Examiné en profundidad cada esquina de la habitación en busca de un posible segundo ratón, y al no encontrarlo, creé una caja con magia en la que metí el cuerpo empalado del ratón que no tenía la menor intención de tocar con mis manos; tras lo que me sellé cuanto pude la caja para asegurarme de que nunca sería abierta.

''¿Debería incinerar el cuerpo? ¿O debería hacérselo llegar al gremio de magia para que lo estudiaran?''

''Creo.. que mejor lo segundo... así puedo corroborar la información del viejo para ver si de verdad sufría un caso de Maldición de Piedra Mágica. Aunque claro... quizás no haya forma en este mundo de extraer una muestra de la enfermedad a través de un cadáver congelado....''

Salí del sótano y lo cerré con llave, y después, para asegurarme, taponé la cerradura con magia.

''No parece que la Maldición de la Piedra Mágica se contagie por el aire, ni tampoco que sea especialmente contagioso... pero prefiero asegurarme.''

''Durante un tiempo, me aseguraré de que nadie entra en el sótano.''

Tras eso, regresé al despacho.

No solo me había desvelado, sino que tampoco me apetecía dormir lo más mínimo.

''¿Qué debería hacer ahora?... ¿Qué PUEDO hacer ahora?''

''¿Debería leerme ese diario tan demacrado?''

''Es posible que si lo leo descubra lo que acabará pasando.... aunque según ese hombre, la historia YA ha cambiado.''

''Si lo pongo como en todas esas series y juegos sobre viajes en el tiempo... estoy en '''otra''' línea temporal; y por mucho que lea el diario y me prepare para lo que pone que ocurrirá, es bastante probable que no acaben ocurriendo los eventos que relata.''

Mis ojos inquieto acabaron llegando a las manchas de tintas que había sobre la mesa, junto a la grieta que ese hombre había provocado al dar un puñetazo cargado con poder mágico.

Y así recordé los 3 puntos principales que ese viejo me había pedido que hiciera.

Y aun en la situación actual, había uno de ellos que podía hacer justamente en este lugar, con los materiales que había en esta habitación y con mi falta de sueño.

Por eso, me senté en la silla.

"..."

Y lo primero que hice, fue escribirle una carta a Eris.

<big>Fin del Volumen 14</big>

== Notas del traductor y Referencias ==
<references />
<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| [[Mushoku Tensei Spanish:Volume 13|Ir al Volumen Anterior]]
| [[Mushoku Tensei Spanish |Volver a la Página Principal]]
| [[Mushoku Tensei Spanish:Volume 15|Ir al Volumen Siguiente]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (Indonesia)

2021-08-04T06:39:19Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Volume 15 */

[[Image:Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Cover_Vol_01_Cover.jpg|thumb|Volume 1 Cover]]
'''Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken/ Regarding Reincarnated to Slime''' (転生したらスライムだった件,) Adalah Web Novel yang di tulis oleh Fuse dan di ilustrasikan oleh Mitz Vah, Saat ini web novel berlangsung 10 Volume/250 Chapter berstatuskan Complete. Yang di publikasikan oleh Micro Magazine.

==='''Source'''===
[https://circustranslations.com/chapter-list/ '''Circus Translation'''] '''Dan''' [http://gurotranslation.blogspot.co.id/p/ioduction.html?m=1 '''Guro Translation''']

==Sinopsis Cerita==
Mikami Satoru adalah, Seorang pria dewasa berusia 37 tahun sukses yang memiliki masalah: dia tidak pernah punya pacar dan sementara memenuhi pangilan untuk membantu rekannya di jalan, Satoru mendapat ditusuk oleh penjambret. Hasilnya? Dia telah bereinkarnasi sebagai lendir. Apakah itu kemalangan ataukah berkat?

== Translation ==
Bagi yang mampu berbahasa inggris dan ingin meninjau ulang dari aslinya, bantuan anda sangat kami hargai.

==[[Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Bahasa Indonesia:Registration Page|Pendaftaran]]==
'''Penerjemah diminta untuk meminta izin kepada [[User:Baka-Tsuki Update Indonesia|Proyek Manager]] setelah di setujui penerjemah di persilahkan [[Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Bahasa Indonesia:Registration Page|'''mendaftarkan''']] bab mana yang ingin dikerjakan'''

=== Format Standar ===
*[[Format_guideline | General Format/Style Guideline]]

== Update ==
<div style="overflow:auto; max-height: 150px;">

*15 Oktober 2016 Proyek ditinjau ulang mulai Chapter 1
* 13 Oktober 2016 Volume 1 '''Selesai'''
* 23 September 2016 Proyek Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Indonesia dimulai.
</div>
Hahaha alok

==Status==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Volume !! Status !! Keterangan
|-
| Volume 1 || 100% || Sedang diedit ulang
|-
|}

==Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken By Fuse==

===Volume 1 ([[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken (Indonesia):Volume 1|Teks Utuh]])===
[[File:Slime_Datte_Ken_16.jpg|thumb|Volume 1 Sampul]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Ilustrasi_(Indonesia)|Ilustrasi]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Prolog_(Indonesia)|Prolog - Kematian dan Reinkarnasi]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_01_(Indonesia)|Chapter 01 - Mari Kita Lihat Apa yang Bisa Kulakukan]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_02_(Indonesia)|Chapter 02 - Pertemuan Pertama]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_03_(Indonesia)|Chapter 03 - Percakapan Pertama]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_04_(Indonesia)|Chapter 04 - Teman Pertama]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_05_(Indonesia)|Chapter 05 - Pengadukan Masalah]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_06_(Indonesia)|Chapter 06 - Keterampilan Akusisi]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_07_(Indonesia)|Chapter 07 - Pertempuran Pertama]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_08_(Indonesia)|Chapter 08 - Kekuatan di Tangan ku]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_09_(Indonesia)|Chapter 09 - Negosiasi Dengan Goblin]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_10_(Indonesia)|Chapter 10 - Pertempuran Di Desa Goblin]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_11_(Indonesia)|Chapter 11 - Perkembangan Monster]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_12_(Indonesia)|Chapter 12 - Mempersiapkan Lingkungan Kami]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_13_(Indonesia)|Chapter 13 - Mengunjungi Kerajaan Dwarf]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_14_(Indonesia)|Chapter 14 - Masalah]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_15_(Indonesia)|Chapter 15 - Deal Dengan Pengawal]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_16_(Indonesia)|Chapter 16 - Blacksmith Dwarft]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_17_(Indonesia)|Chapter 17 - Hasil Dari Janji]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_18_(Indonesia)|Chapter 18 - Akhir Dari Gejolak]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_Ekstra_(Indonesia)|Chapter Ekstra - Bagworm Gobuta]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_19_(Indonesia)|Chapter 19 - Kembali Ke Desa]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_20_(Indonesia)|Chapter 20 - Menjelang Pembangunan Desa]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_21_(Indonesia)|Chapter 21 - Gerakan Baru]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_22_(Indonesia)|Chapter 22 - Para Petualang Akhirnya Tiba]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_23_(Indonesia)|Chapter 23 - Monster Api]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_24_(Indonesia)|Chapter 24 - Reminiscence ~ Funeral March]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_25_(Indonesia)|Chapter 25 - Transformasi Menjadi Manusia!]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_01_Chapter_26_(Indonesia)|Chapter 26 - Kemampuan Baru]]

===Volume 2===
[[File:Slime_Datta_Ken_01.jpg|thumb|Volume 2 Sampul]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Ilustrasi_(Indonesia)|Ilustrasi]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_01_(Indonesia)|Chapter 27 - Suku Ogre]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_02_(Indonesia)|Chapter 28 - Pekerjaan]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_03_(Indonesia)|Chapter 29 - Penyerangan Lizardman]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_04_(Indonesia)|Chapter 30 - Utusan]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_05_(Indonesia)|Chapter 31 - Rapat Darurat]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_06_(Indonesia)|Chapter 32 - Tahap Tirai Meningkat]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_07_(Indonesia)|Chapter 33 - Pemirsa]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_08_(Indonesia)|Chapter 34 - Wabah Perang]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_09_(Indonesia)|Chapter 35 - Persiapan Perang]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_10_(Indonesia)|Chapter 36 - Berpartisipasi Dalam Perang]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_11_(Indonesia)|Chapter 37 - Encounter - Benimaru & Ranga]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_12_(Indonesia)|Chapter 38 - Demon Gelmudo]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_13_(Indonesia)|Chapter 39 - Gears of Fate]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_14_(Indonesia)|Chapter 40 - Bencana Orc]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_15_(Indonesia)|Chapter 41 - Predator]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_16_(Indonesia)|Chapter 42 - Aliansi Besar Hutan Jura]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_17_(Indonesia)|Chapter 43 - Reparasi Perang]]
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_02_Chapter_18_(Indonesia)|Chapter 44 - Dan dengan demikian kami menyelesaikan kota]]

===Volume 15===
*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_06_Chapter_06_(Indonesiaf)|Chapter 102 - Pertemuan dengan Para monster]]

*[[Tensei_Shitara_Slime_Datta_Ken_Vol_06_Chapter_07_(Indonesia)|Chapter 103 - Budak Monster]]

==Staf Proyek==
*Supervisor:
*Project Manager: [[User:Baka-Tsuki Update Indonesia|Baka-Tsuki Update Indonesia]]
===Penerjemah===
Aktif.

===Penyunting===
Aktif

Tidak Aktif
*[[User:Rin.chan|Rin.chan]]

==Series Overview==

*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 1 (May 30th, 2014) ISBN-4896374592
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 2 (August 30th, 2014) ISBN-4896374738
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 3 (December 24th, 2014) ISBN-4896374886
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 4 (April 30th, 2015) ISBN-4896375025
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 5 (May 30th, 2015) ISBN-4896375076
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 6 (October 30th, 2015) ISBN-4896375386
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 7 (April 28th, 2016) ISBN-4896375610
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 8 (August 30th, 2016) ISBN-4896375777
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 8.5 (August 30th, 2016) ISBN-4896375807
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 9 (November 30th, 2016) ISBN-4896376005
*Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Volume 10 (April 7th, 2017) ISBN-4896376307

[[Category:Light novel (Indonesian)]]
[[Category:Indonesian]]

Overlord (Indonesia)

2021-08-02T18:07:44Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Volume 10: Pengatur Konspirasi */

{{Teaser|Indonesian}}
[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|thumb|Volume 1 Cover]]

 
'''''Overlord''''' (オーバーロード) adalah Light Novel Jepang yang ditulis oleh Maruyama Kugane (丸山くがね) dan diilustrasikan oleh So-bin. Series ini sudah memiliki 9 volume. Dan adaptasi anime sedang ditayangkan.

:Series Overlord tersedia juga dalam bahasa :
*[[Overlord|English]]
*[[Overlord~Brazilian Portuguese~|Português (Portuguese)]]
*[[Overlord~Russian_Version~|Русский (Russian)]]
*[[Overlord~Versión Epañol~|Español (Español)]]

 

==Sinopsis Cerita==
Ceritanya dimulai dengan Yggdrasil, sebuah game online terkenal yang pada akhirnya ditutup. Sang Protagonist, Momonga memutuskan untuk tinggal di game tercintanya itu hingga detik terakhir dan menunggu logout paksa. Tidak disangka, server game tersebut tidak mati dan Momonga terjebak dalam tubuh tengkorak serta dikirim ke dunia lain. “The powerful Overlord” kini menjelajahi dunia baru dan terus menghadapi tantangan.

==Translation==
Ini adalah proyek terjemahan second hand setelah versi English-nya, bagi yang mampu berbahasa Jepang dan ingin meninjau ulang dari bahasa aslinya, bantuan anda sangat kami hargai.
Semua link yang ada adalah ''External link'' ke website pada penerjemah.

=== Pendaftaran ===
Bagi yang ingin mendaftarkan diri sebagai translator maupun editor silakan ke halaman [[Overlord_(Indonesia):Pendaftaran|Overlord (Indonesia): Pendaftaran]], lalu kontak ke Staff Proyek. Jika ada hal yang ingin ditanyakan kalian bisa mengunjungi [https://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=67&t=11237 thread Overlord (Indonesia)] di forum baka-tsuki.

===Format Standar===
* [[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]

==Update==
<div style="overflow:auto; max-height: 150px;">
* 22 Desember 2015 Overlord Volume 1 Chapter 2 Selesai
* 12 September 2015 Overlord Volume 1 Chapter 1 Bagian 3 Selesai
* 29 Agustus 2015 Overlord Volume 1 Chapter 1 Bagian 2 Selesai
* 13 Agustus 2015 Overlord Volume 1 Chapter 1 Bagian 1 Selesai
* 08 Agustus 2015 Overlord Volume 1 Chapter 0 Selesai
* 08 Agustus 2015 Proyek Overlord Indonesia dimulai.
</div>

==''Overlord'' series by Maruyama Kugane==

===Volume 1: Raja Undead===
[[File:Overlord v1 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Ilustrasi
::*Prolog [[https://lichkingofchaos.wordpress.com/overlord/v01-ch00/ LKoC]] [[http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2015/09/overlord-volume-1-prolog.html cybershnote]]
::*Chapter 1 Akhir dan Permulaan
::**Bagian 1 [[https://oriontranslations.wordpress.com/2015/08/13/overlord-v01-chapter-1-akhir-dan-permulaan-bagian-1/ Orion]] [[http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2015/09/overlord-vol-1-chapter-1-part-1.html cybershnote]]
::**Bagian 2 [[https://oriontranslations.wordpress.com/2015/08/29/overlord-v01-chapter-1-akhir-dan-permulaan-bagian-2/ Orion]] [[http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2015/09/overlord-vol-1-chapter-1-part-2.html cybershnote]]
::**Bagian 3 [[https://oriontranslations.wordpress.com/2015/09/12/overlord-v01-chapter-1-akhir-dan-permulaan-bagian-3/ Orion]] [[http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2015/09/overlord-vol-1-chapter-1-part-3.html cybershnote]]
::*Chapter 2 Para Penjaga Lantai [[https://oriontranslations.wordpress.com/2015/12/22/overlord-v01-chapter-2-selingan-para-penjaga-lantai/ Orion]]
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2015/10/overlord-vol-1-chapter-2-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-1-chapter-2-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-1-chapter-2-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-1-chapter-2-part-4.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 5 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-1-chapter-2-part-5.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 3 Pertarungan di Desa Carne
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-1-chapter-3-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-1-chapter-3-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-1-chapter-3-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-1-chapter-3-part-4.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 5 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-1-chapter-3-part-5.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 4 Konflik
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-1-chapter-4-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-1-chapter-4-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-1-chapter-4-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-1-chapter-4-part-4.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 5 Penguasa Kematian
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-1-chapter-5-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-1-chapter-5-part-2.html cybershnote]
::*Epilog [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-1-epilog.html cybershnote]
::*Kata Penutup [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-1-penutup.html cybershnote]

 

===Volume 2: Kesatria Kegelapan===
[[File:Overlord v2 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Ilustrasi
::*Prolog [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-2-prolog.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 1 Dua Petualang
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-2-chapter-1-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-2-chapter-1-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-2-chapter-1-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-2-chapter-1-part-4.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 5 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-2-chapter-1-part-5.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 2 Perjalanan + Cerita Selingan
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-2-chapter-2-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-2-chapter-2-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-2-chapter-2-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Interlude [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-2-chapter-2-interlude.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 3 Raja Hutan Yang Agung
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-2-chapter-3-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-2-chapter-3-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-2-chapter-3-part-3.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 4 Pedang Ganda Kematian
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-2-chapter-4-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-2-chapter-4-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-2-chapter-4-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-2-chapter-4-part-4.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 5 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-2-chapter-4-part-5.html cybershnote]
::*Epilog [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-2-epilog.html cybershnote]
::*Penutup [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-2-penutup.html cybershnote]

 

===Volume 3: Bloody Valkyrie===
[[File:Overlord v3 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Ilustrasi
::*Chapter 1 Gerombolan Pemangsa
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-3-chapter-1-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-3-chapter-1-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-3-chapter-1-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-3-chapter-1-part-4.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 2 Vampir Sejati
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-3-chapter-2-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-3-chapter-2-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-3-chapter-2-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-3-chapter-2-part-4.html cybershnote]
::*Interlude [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-3-interlude.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 3 Kebingungan Dan Pemahaman
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-3-chapter-3-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-3-chapter-3-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-3-chapter-3-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-3-chapter-3-part-4.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 5 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-3-chapter-3-part-5.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 4 Sebelum Pertarungan Sampai Mati
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-3-chapter-4-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-3-chapter-4-part-2.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 5 Player Vs NPC
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-3-chapter-5-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-3-chapter-5-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-3-chapter-5-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/overlord-vol-3-chapter-5-part-4.html cybershnote]
::*Epilog [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-3-epilog.html cybershnote]
::Penutup [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-3-afterword. cybershnote]

 

===Volume 4: Para Pahlawan Kaum Lizardman===
[[File:Overlord v4 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Ilustrasi
::*Prolog [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-4-prolog.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 1 Keberangkatan
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-4-chapter-1-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-4-chapter-1-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-4-chapter-1-part-3.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 2 Berkumpul! Lizardman
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-4-chapter-2-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-4-chapter-2-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-4-chapter-2-part-3.html cybershnote]
::*Intermission [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-4-intermission.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 3 Pasukan Kematian
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-4-chapter-3-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-4-chapter-3-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-4-chapter-3-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-4-chapter-3-part-4.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 5 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-4-chapter-3-part-5.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 6 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-4-chapter-3-part-6.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 4 Fajar Penuh Keputusasaan
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-4-chapter-4-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-4-chapter-4-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-4-chapter-4-part-3.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 5 Dewa Freezing
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-4-chapter-5-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-4-chapter-5-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-4-chapter-5-part-3.html cybershnote]
::*Epilog [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-4-epilog.html cybershnote]
::*Penutup [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-4-penutup.html cybershnote]

 

===Volume 5: Orang - Orang di Kerajaan - Part 1===
[[File:Overlord v5 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Ilustrasi
::*Prolog [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-5-prolog.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 1 Perasaan Seorang Anak Laki-Laki
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-5-chapter-1-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-5-chapter-1-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-5-chapter-1-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-5-chapter-1-part-4.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 2 Mawar Biru
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-5-chapter-2-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-5-chapter-2-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-5-chapter-2-part-3.html cybershnote]
::*Intermission [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-5-intermission.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 3 Mereka yang Mengambil dan Mereka yang Dibawa
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-5-chapter-3-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-5-chapter-3-part-2.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 4 Orang - orang yang Berdiskusi
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-5-chapter-4-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-5-chapter-4-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-5-chapter-4-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-5-chapter-4-part-4.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 5 Percikan Api yang Padam
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-5-chapter-5-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-5-chapter-5-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/02/overlord-vol-5-chapter-5-part-3.html cybershnote]
::*Penutup [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/03/overlord-vol-5-penutup.html cybershnote]

 

===Volume 6: Orang - Orang di Kerajaan - Part 2===
[[File:Overlord v6 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Ilustrasi
::*Chapter 6 Pembukaan dari Kerusuhan di Ibu Kota Raja
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/03/overlord-vol-6-chapter-6-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/03/overlord-vol-6-chapter-6-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/03/overlord-vol-6-chapter-6-part-3.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 7 Persiapan Penyerangan
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/03/overlord-vol-6-chapter-7-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/03/overlord-vol-6-chapter-7-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/03/overlord-vol-6-chapter-7-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/03/overlord-vol-6-chapter-7-part-4.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 8 Enam Tangan
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/03/overlord-vol-6-chapter-8-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/03/overlord-vol-6-chapter-8-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/03/overlord-vol-6-chapter-8-part-3.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 9 Jaldabaoth
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/03/overlord-vol-6-chapter-9-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/03/overlord-vol-6-chapter-9-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/03/overlord-vol-6-chapter-9-part-3.html cybershnote]
::*Intermission [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/03/overlord-vol-6-intermission.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 10 Kartu As yang Terkuat!
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/03/overlord-vol-6-chapter-10-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/03/overlord-vol-6-chapter-10-part-2.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 11 Pertarungan Terakhir di Kerusuhan
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/03/overlord-vol-6-chapter-11-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/03/overlord-vol-6-chapter-11-part-2.html cybershnote]
::*Epilog [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/03/overlord-vol-6-epilog.html cybershnote]
::*Penutup [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/03/overlord-vol-6-afterword.html cybershnote]

 

===Volume 7: Para Penyerbu Makam Raksasa===
[[File:Overlord v7 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Ilustrasi
::*Prolog [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/04/overlord-vol-7-prolog.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 1 Undangan Kematian
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/04/overlord-vol-7-chapter-1-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/04/overlord-vol-7-chapter-1-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/04/overlord-vol-7-chapter-1-part-3.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 2 Kupu-kupu yang Terjerat oleh Jaring Laba-laba
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/04/overlord-vol-7-chapter-2-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/04/overlord-vol-7-chapter-2-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/04/overlord-vol-7-chapter-2-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/04/overlord-vol-7-chapter-2-part-4.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 3 Makam Raksasa
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/04/overlord-vol-7-chapter-3-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/04/overlord-vol-7-chapter-3-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/04/overlord-vol-7-chapter-3-part-3.html cybershnote]
::*Intermission [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/04/overlord-vol-7-intermission.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 4 Harapan yang Tipis
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/04/overlord-vol-7-chapter-4-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/05/overlord-vol-7-chapter-4-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/05/overlord-vol-7-chapter-4-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/05/overlord-vol-7-chapter-4-part-4.html cybershnote]
::*Epilog [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/05/overlord-vol-7-epilog.html cybershnote]
::*Penutup [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/05/overlord-vol-7-penutup.html cybershnote]

 

===Volume 8: Dua Pemimpin===
[[File:Overlord v8 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Ilustrasi
::*Slide 1 Kesibukan dan Kehebohan sehari-hari Enri
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/05/overlord-vol-8-side-1-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/05/overlord-vol-8-side-1-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/05/overlord-vol-8-side-1-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/06/overlord-vol-8-side-1-part-4.html cybershnote]
::**Epilog [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/06/overlord-vol-8-side-1-epilog.html cybershnote]
::*Slide 2 Sehari di Nazarick
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/06/overlord-vol-8-side-2-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/05/overlord-vol-8-side-2-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/05/overlord-vol-8-side-2-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/06/overlord-vol-8-side-2-part-4.html cybershnote]
::*Penutup [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/06/overlord-vol-8-penutup.html cybershnote]

 

===Volume 9: Pelantun Sihir Kehancuran===
[[File:Overlord v9 cover.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Ilustrasi
::*Prolog [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/06/overlord-vol-9-prolog.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 1 Perang Kata-kata
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/06/overlord-vol-9-chapter-1-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/06/overlord-vol-9-chapter-1-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/06/overlord-vol-9-chapter-1-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/06/overlord-vol-9-chapter-1-part-4.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 5 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/06/overlord-vol-9-chapter-1-part-5.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 6 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/06/overlord-vol-9-chapter-1-part-6.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 2 Persiapan-persiapan untuk perang
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/06/overlord-vol-9-chapter-2-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/06/overlord-vol-9-chapter-2-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/06/overlord-vol-9-chapter-2-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/07/overlord-vol-9-chapter-2-part-4.html cybershnote]
::*Selingan [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/07/overlord-vol-9-intermission.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 3 Pertempuran lainnya
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/07/overlord-vol-9-chapter-3-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/07/overlord-vol-9-chapter-3-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/07/overlord-vol-9-chapter-3-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/07/overlord-vol-9-chapter-3-part-4.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 4 Pembantaian besar-besaran
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/07/overlord-vol-9-chapter-4-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/06/overlord-vol-9-chapter-4-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/06/overlord-vol-9-chapter-4-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/07/overlord-vol-9-chapter-4-part-4.html cybershnote]
::*Epilog [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/07/overlord-vol-9-epilog.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter baru [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/07/overlord-vol-9-brand-new-chapter.html cybershnote]
::*Penutup [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/07/overlord-vol-9-penutup.html cybershnote]

 

===Volume 10: Pengatur Konspirasi===

[[File:Overlord Vol 10.jpg|right|300px]]
::*Ilustrasi
::*Prolog [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/07/overlord-vol-10-prolog.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 1
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/08/overlord-vol-10-chapter-1-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/08/overlord-vol-10-chapter-1-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.com/2016/08/overlord-vol-10-chapter-1-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/08/overlord-vol-10-chapter-1-part-4.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 2
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/08/overlord-vol-10-chapter-2-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/08/overlord-vol-10-chapter-2-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/08/overlord-vol-10-chapter-2-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/08/overlord-vol-10-chapter-2-part-4.html cybershnote]
::*Selingan [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/08/overlord-vol-10-intermission.html cybershnote]
::*Cerita sampingan [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/08/overlord-vol-10-side-story.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 3
::**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/08/overlord-vol-10-chapter-3-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/09/overlord-vol-10-chapter-3-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/09/overlord-vol-10-chapter-3-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/09/overlord-vol-10-chapter-3-part-4.html cybershnote]
::*Epilog [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/09/overlord-vol-10-epilog.html cybershnote]
::*Penutup [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/09/overlord-vol-10-penutup.html cybershnote]

 

===Volume 11: Negeri para Dwarf===
[[File:Overlord Volume 11.png|right|300px]]
::*Ilustrasi
::*Prolog [https://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/10/overlord-vol-11-prolog.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 1
::**Bagian 1 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/10/overlord-vol-11-chapter-1-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/10/overlord-vol-11-chapter-1-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/10/overlord-vol-11-chapter-1-part-3.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 2
::**Bagian 1 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/10/overlord-vol-11-chapter-2-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/10/overlord-vol-11-chapter-2-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/10/overlord-vol-11-chapter-2-part-2.html cybershnote]
::*Intermission [https://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/10/overlord-vol-11-intermission.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 3
::**Bagian 1 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/10/overlord-vol-11-chapter-3-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/10/overlord-vol-11-chapter-3-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/11/overlord-vol-11-chapter-3-part-3.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 4
::**Bagian 1 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/11/overlord-vol-11-chapter-4-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/11/overlord-vol-11-chapter-4-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/11/overlord-vol-11-chapter-4-part-3.html cybershnote]
::*Chapter 5
::**Bagian 1 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/11/overlord-vol-11-chapter-5-part-1.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 2 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/12/overlord-vol-11-chapter-5-part-2.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 3 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/12/overlord-vol-11-chapter-5-part-3.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 4 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/12/overlord-vol-11-chapter-5-part-4.html cybershnote]
::**Bagian 5 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/12/overlord-vol-11-chapter-5-part-5.html cybershnote]
::*Epilog [https://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/12/overlord-vol-11-epilog.html]
::*Penutup [https://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/2016/12/overlord-vol-11-penutup.html cybershnote]

=== Overlord Special - Pleiades Days ===
:** Bagian 1 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.com/2017/03/overlord-spesial-pleiades-days-part-1.html cybershnote]
:** Bagian 2 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.com/2017/03/overlord-spesial-pleiades-days-part-2.html cybershnote]
:** Bagian 3 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.com/2017/03/overlord-spesial-pleiades-days-part-3.html cybershnote]
:** Bagian 4 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.com/2017/03/overlord-spesial-pleiades-days-part-4.html cybershnote]
:** Bagian 5 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.com/2017/03/overlord-spesial-pleiades-days-part-5.html cybershnote]
:** Bagian 6 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.com/2017/03/overlord-spesial-pleiades-days-part-6.html cybershnote] 

===Volume 12: Paladin dari Holy Kingdom===
:*Chapter 1
:**Bagian 1 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.com/2017/10/overlord-vol-12-chapter-1-part-1.html cybershnote]
:**Bagian 2 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.com/2017/10/overlord-vol-12-chapter-1-part-2.html cybershnote]
:**Bagian 3 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.com/2017/10/overlord-vol-12-chapter-1-part-3.html cybershnote]
:**Bagian 4 [http://cybershnote.blogspot.com/2018/02/overlord-vol-12-chapter-1-part-4.html cybershnote]
:*Chapter 2
:**Bagian 1 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.com/2018/05/overlord-vol-12-chapter-2-part-1.html cybershnote]
:**Bagian 2 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.com/2019/01/overlord-vol-12-chapter-2-part-2.html cybershnote]
:**Bagian 3 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.com/2019/02/overlord-vol-12-chapter-2-part-3.html cybershnote]
:**Bagian 4 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.com/2019/08/overlord-vol-12-chapter-2-part-4.html cybershnote]
:*Chapter 3
:**Bagian 1 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.com/2019/08/overlord-vol-12-chapter-3-part-1_29.html cybershnote]
:**Bagian 2 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.com/2019/09/overlord-vol-12-chapter-3-part-2.html cybershnote]
:**Bagian 3 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.com/2019/09/overlord-vol-12-chapter-3-part-3.html cybershnote]
:**Bagian 4 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.com/2019/09/overlord-vol-12-chapter-3-part-4.html cybershnote]
:**Bagian 5 [https://cybershnote.blogspot.com/2020/04/overlord-vol-12-chapter-3-part-5.html cybershnote] 

===Volume 13: Paladin dari Holy Kingdom===
:*Full Chapter [https://overlordfree.web.id/novel/overlord-ln/ overlordfree]

===Volume 14: Penyihir dari Kerajaan yang Jatuh (The Witch Of The Falling Kingdom) ===
:*Full Chapter [https://komoetranslation.blogspot.com/2020/03/OVERLORD.html komoetranslation]

==Staff Proyek==
*Administrator Proyek: -
*Pengawas Proyek: -

==Translator==
'''Aktif'''
*

'''Tidak Aktif'''
* [http://cybershnote.blogspot.co.id/ cybershnote] (external link)
* [[User:Chronoside|Chronoside]]
* [http://lichkingofchaos.wordpress.com LichKingofChaos Translations] (sangat lambat karena terbatas waktunya)
* [https://oriontranslations.wordpress.com/ Orion Translations] / [[User:Erythrina|Erythrina]] (tidak aktif sementara karena kesibukan Tugas Akhir)
* [[User:Silverhunter|Silverhunter]]

==Editor==
'''Aktif'''
* -

'''Non-aktif'''
*[[usr:LichKingofChaos|LKOC]]
*[[user:Yuuki Nurdin|Yuuki Nurdin]]

==Series Overview==
# 《オーバーロード1 不死者の王》, 2012-07-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8152-3
# 《オーバーロード2 漆黒の戦士》, 2012-11-13, ISBN 978-4-0472-8451-7
# 《オーバーロード3 鮮血の戦乙女》, 2013-03-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-8689-4
# 《オーバーロード4 蜥蜴人の勇者たち》, 2013-07-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-8954-3
# 《オーバーロード5 王国の漢たち [上]》, 2013-12-28, ISBN 978-4-0472-9259-8
# 《オーバーロード6 王国の漢たち[下]》, 2014-01-31, ISBN 978-4-0472-9357-1
# 《オーバーロード7 大墳墓の侵入者》, 2014-08-30, ISBN 978-4-0472-9809-5
# 《オーバーロード8 二人の指導者》, 2014-12-26, ISBN 978-4-0473-0084-2

[[Category:Linked Project]]

Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei ~Brazilian Portuguese~

2021-07-28T04:06:28Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Tradutores */

[[Image:MKnR v01 cover.jpg|300px|thumb|Capa do Volume 1]]
'''''Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei''''' (魔法科高校の劣等生)'', literalmente "O Estudante de Baixa Performance de ''
uma Escola de Mágia"'', oficialmente conhecido como "The Irregular at Magic High School", é uma light novel japonesa escrita por Satou Tsutomu (佐岛勤), com ilustrações de Ishida Kana (石田可奈), publicada pela [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII_Media_Works ASCII Media Works] sob a editora [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dengeki_Bunko Dengeki Bunko]. A light novel começou como um romance de serialização online em "[http://syosetu.com/ Vamos virar um romancista]" em 12 de outubro de 2008. É o segundo romance de serialização online, depois de "[[Sword Art Online]]", a ser comercializado e publicado pela Dengeki em julho de 2011. Uma adaptação em anime pela Madhouse Studios foi anunciada no dia 6 de outubro de 2013 e começou a ser transmitida apartir do dia 5 de abril de 2014 e terminou em 28 de setembro de 2014.''

'''''Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei''''' também está disponível nas seguintes línguas:

*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei ~Russian Version~|Русский (Russian)]]
*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Français|Français (French)]]
*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei (Español)|Español (Spanish)]]
*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei PL|Polski (Polish)]]
*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei (Italiano)|Italiano (Italian)]]
*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei (tiếng Việt)|Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)]]
*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei Bahasa_Indonesia|Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)]]
*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei |English (Inglês)]]

==Sinopse==

Magia.

Não é um produto de lendas ou contos de fadas, mas sim um produto da realidade desde um tempo desconhecido para as pessoas

Poderes sobrenaturais viraram uma tecnologia sistematizada pela magia, enquanto a magia se tornou uma habilidade técnica. "Usuarios de poderes sobrenaturais" passaram a serem chamados de "Técnicos de Magia".

Técnicos de Magia (ou Magos) são treinados em Colégios e Universidades de Magia.

Essa é uma historia sobre:

Um irmão mais velho que é horrível em magia mas um estudante exemplar.

Uma irmã mais nova, que é boa em tudo.

Após ambos terem sidos admitidos em um Colégio de Magia,

O estagio de uma turbulência diária foi revelada——.

==Tradução e edição==

===[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei: Página de Registro|Registro]]===

Aqueles que desejarem contribuir são convidados a primeiro notificarem um supervisor com antecedência através do fórum.

'''Tradutores devem [[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei: Página de Registro | registrar]] os capítulos que desejam trabalhar'''

===Formato===
'''Cada capítulo (após a edição) deve estar em conformidade com as diretrizes do formato e manter a mesma terminologia utilizada. Editores devem verificar se estão no padrão, se possível. Ambos os tradutores e editores são obrigados a participar ativamente no fórum em padrões do projeto.'''

*[[Guia de Formato|Guia de Formato em Português (Portuguese)]]
*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Guia|Projeto Específico de Terminologia]] (contém spoilers)

===Comentários===
'''Discuta essa série no [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=6006 Fórum]'''

'''Se você encontrar qualquer parte estranha na tradução ou que não faça sentido, diga-nos no [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=6006&p=201900 nosso tópico]'''

'''Se você aprecia o esforço do tradutor, agradeça-os aqui: [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=5669 Staff Appreciation Thread]'''

==Atualizações==

'''03 de maio de 2018''': Volumes 1 ao 23 formato PDF com tradução baixa qualidade adicionados.

'''08 de outubro de 2014''': Volume 9 Capítulo 1, 2 e 3 completos 

'''01 de setembro de 2014''':Volume 8 completo

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Atualizações anteriores podem ser visualizadas no [[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei: Histórico de atualizações|'''Histórico de atualizações''']].

==Serie ''Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei'' por Satou Tsutomu==

'''Você irá encontrar a versão E-book dos volumes em inglês [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=5502 aqui].'''

'''Você irá encontrar a versão E-book dos volumes em português [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/ aqui].'''

:*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Personagens|Personagens]]
:*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Glossário|Glossário]]

===Volume 1 - Matrícula (I) ===
[[image:MKnR v01 cover.jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[https://draconictranslations.wordpress.com/2018/10/21/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-volume-01-ilustracoes/ Ilustrações]
::*[https://draconictranslations.wordpress.com/2018/05/20/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-volume-01-colegios-de-magia-sao/ Colégios de Magia são—]
::*[https://draconictranslations.wordpress.com/2018/05/20/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-volume-01-capitulo-0/ Capítulo 0]
::*[https://draconictranslations.wordpress.com/2018/05/20/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-volume-01-capitulo-1/ Capítulo 1]
::*[https://draconictranslations.wordpress.com/2018/11/10/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-volume-01-capitulo-2/ Capítulo 2]
::*[https://yesmangasbr.com/manga/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-novel-ym21081/3#1/ Capítulo 3]
::*[https://yesmangasbr.com/manga/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-novel-ym21081/4#1/ Capítulo 4]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 1 Capítulo 5|Capítulo 5]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 1 Posfácio|Posfácio]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 1 O grande favorito|O grande favorito]]
 

===Volume 2 - Matrícula (II) ===
[[image:Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei 02 000cov.jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 2 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 2 Prefácio|Dispositivo de assistência de invocações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 2 Capítulo 6|Capítulo 6]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 2 Capítulo 7|Capítulo 7]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 2 Capítulo 8|Capítulo 8]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 2 Capítulo 9|Capítulo 9]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 2 Capítulo 10|Capítulo 10]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 2 Capítulo 11|Capítulo 11]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 2 Capítulo 12|Capítulo 12]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 2 Posfácio|Posfácio]]
 

===Volume 3 - Competição das Nove Escolas (I) ===
[[image:Mknr v03 cover.jpeg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 3 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 3 Capítulo 0|Capítulo 0]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 3 Capítulo 1|Capítulo 1]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 3 Capítulo 2|Capítulo 2]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 3 Capítulo 3|Capítulo 3]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 3 Capítulo 4|Capítulo 4]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 3 Capítulo 5|Capítulo 5]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 3 Capítulo 6|Capítulo 6]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 3 Capítulo 7|Capítulo 7]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 3 Posfácio|Posfácio]]
 

===Volume 4 - Competição das Nove Escolas (II) ===
[[image:Mknr v04 cover .jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 4 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 4 Prefácio|Prefácio]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 4 Capítulo 8|Capítulo 8]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 4 Capítulo 9|Capítulo 9]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 4 Capítulo 10|Capítulo 10]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 4 Capítulo 11|Capítulo 11]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 4 Capítulo 12|Capítulo 12]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 4 Capítulo 13|Capítulo 13]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 4 Capítulo 14|Capítulo 14]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 4 Posfácio|Posfácio]]
 

===Volume 5 - Férias de Verão ===
[[image:Mknr v05 cover.jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 5 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 5 Férias de verão|Férias de verão]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 5 Lição complementar do estudante de honra|Lição complementar do estudante de honra]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 5 Amelia no País das Maravilhas|Amelia no País das Maravilhas]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 5 Amizade, confiança e o duvidoso lolicon|Amizade, confiança e o duvidoso Lolicon]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 5 Memorias de Verão|Memorias de Verão]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 5 Eleições presidenciais e a rainha|Eleições presidenciais e a rainha]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 5 Posfácio|Posfácio]]
 

===Volume 6 - Perturbação em Yokohama (I) ===
[[image:MKnR v06 000-Areal.jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 6 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 6 Capítulo 1|Capítulo 1]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 6 Capítulo 2|Capítulo 2]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 6 Capítulo 3|Capítulo 3]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 6 Capítulo 4|Capítulo 4]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 6 Capítulo 5|Capítulo 5]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 6 Capítulo 6|Capítulo 6]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 6 Capítulo 7|Capítulo 7]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 6 Posfácio|Posfácio]]
 

===Volume 7 - Perturbação em Yokohama (II) ===
[[image:MKnR v07 000-Areal.jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 7 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 7 Capítulo 8|Capítulo 8]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 7 Capítulo 9|Capítulo 9]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 7 Capítulo 10|Capítulo 10]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 7 Capítulo 11|Capítulo 11]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 7 Capítulo 12|Capítulo 12]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 7 Capítulo 13|Capítulo 13]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 7 Posfácio|Posfácio]]
 

===Volume 8 - Memórias (II) ===
[[image:MKnR_v08_000-0.jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Capítulo 8|Capítulo 8]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Capítulo 9|Capítulo 9]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Capítulo 10|Capítulo 10]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Capítulo 11|Capítulo 11]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Capítulo 12|Capítulo 12]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Capítulo 13|Capítulo 13]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Posfácio|Posfácio]]
 

===Volume 9 - Visitante (I)===
[[image:Mknr v9 000.jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 9 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 9 Capítulo 0|Capítulo 0]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 9 Capítulo 1|Capítulo 1]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 9 Capítulo 2|Capítulo 2]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 9 Capítulo 3|Capítulo 3]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 9 Capítulo 4|Capítulo 4]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 9 Capítulo 5|Capítulo 5]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 9 Capítulo 6|Capítulo 6]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 9 Capítulo 7|Capítulo 7]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 9 Posfácio|Posfácio]]
 

===Volume 10 - Visitante (II)===
[[image:Mknr_v10_00cov.jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 10 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 10 Capítulo 8|Capítulo 8]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 10 Capítulo 9|Capítulo 9]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 10 Capítulo 10|Capítulo 10]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 10 Capítulo 11|Capítulo 11]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 10 Capítulo 12|Capítulo 12]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 10 Posfácio|Posfácio]]
 

===Volume 11 - Visitante (III)===
[[image:Mknr_v11_00cover.jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 11 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 11 Capítulo 13|Capítulo 13]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 11 Capítulo 14|Capítulo 14]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 11 Capítulo 15|Capítulo 15]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 11 Capítulo 16|Capítulo 16]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 11 Capítulo 17|Capítulo 17]]
::*Epílogo
::*O dia de Ojou-sama
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 11 Posfácio|Posfácio]]
 

===Volume 12 - Double Seven Chapter===
[[image:Mknr v12 00cover.jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*Introdução
::*Prólogo
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Capítulo 1|Capítulo 1]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Capítulo 2|Capítulo 2]]
::*Capítulo 3
::*Capítulo 4
::*Capítulo 5
::*Capítulo 6
::*Capítulo 7
::*Capítulo 8
::*Capítulo 9
::*Capítulo 10
::*Capítulo 11
::*Capítulo 12
::*Capítulo 13
::*Capítulo 14
::*Capítulo 15
::*Capítulo 16
::*Epílogo
::*Posfácio
 

===Volume 13 - Steeplechase Chapter===
[[image:MKnR v13 covercut.jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 13 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*Os Dez Laboratórios de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Mágico
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 13 Capítulo 0|Capítulo 0]]
::*Capítulo 1
::*Capítulo 2
::*Capítulo 3
::*Capítulo 4
::*Capítulo 5
::*Capítulo 6
::*Capítulo 7
::*Capítulo 8
::*Posfácio
 

===Volume 14 - Insurreição da Antiga Cidade (I)===
[[image:MKnR v14 001.jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 14 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 14 Capítulo 1|Capítulo 1]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 14 Capítulo 2|Capítulo 2]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 14 Capítulo 3|Capítulo 3]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 14 Capítulo 4|Capítulo 4]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 14 Capítulo 5|Capítulo 5]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 14 Posfácio|Posfácio]]
 

===Volume 15 - Insurreição da Antiga Cidade (II)===
[[image:MKnR v15 covercut.jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 15 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 15 Capítulo 6|Capítulo 6]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 15 Capítulo 7|Capítulo 7]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 15 Capítulo 8|Capítulo 8]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 15 Capítulo 9|Capítulo 9]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 15 Capítulo 10|Capítulo 10]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 15 Posfácio|Posfácio]]
 

===Volume 16 - Sucessão da Família Yotsuba===
[[image:MKnR v16 covercut.jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 16 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 16 Capítulo 1|Capítulo 1]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 16 Capítulo 2|Capítulo 2]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 16 Capítulo 3|Capítulo 3]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 16 Capítulo 4|Capítulo 4]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 16 Capítulo 5|Capítulo 5]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 16 Capítulo 6|Capítulo 6]]
::*Capítulo 7
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 16 Posfácio|Posfácio]]
 

===Volume 17: Ten Master Clans Conference Chapter (I)===
[[image:MKnR_v17_cover_crop.jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 17 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 17 Capítulo 1|Capítulo 1]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 17 Capítulo 2|Capítulo 2]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 17 Capítulo 3|Capítulo 3]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 17 Capítulo 4|Capítulo 4]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 17 Capítulo 5|Capítulo 5]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 17 Posfácio|Posfácio]]
 

===Volume 18: Ten Master Clans Conference Chapter (II) ===
[[image:MKnR v18 cover.jpeg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 18 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 18 Capítulo 6|Capítulo 6]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 18 Capítulo 7|Capítulo 7]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 18 Capítulo 8|Capítulo 8]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 18 Capítulo 9|Capítulo 9]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 18 Capítulo 10|Capítulo 10]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 18 Posfácio|Posfácio]]
 

===Volume 19: Ten Master Clans Conference Chapter (III)===
[[image:Vol19-LN-Cover.jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 19 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 19 Capítulo 11|Capítulo 11]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/10/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-19-cap-11/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 19 Capítulo 12|Capítulo 12]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/10/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-19-cap-12/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 19 Capítulo 13|Capítulo 13]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/10/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-19-cap-13/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 19 Capítulo 14|Capítulo 14]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/10/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-19-cap-14/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 19 Capítulo 15|Capítulo 15]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/10/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-19-cap-15/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 19 Posfácio|Posfácio]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/10/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-19-afterwords/ Prévia] )
 

===Volume 20: Southern Sea Riot Chapter ===
[[image:MKnR v20 cover.jpeg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 20 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 20 Capítulo 1|Capítulo 1]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-20-cap-1/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 20 Capítulo 2|Capítulo 2]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-20-cap-2/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 20 Capítulo 3|Capítulo 3]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-20-cap-3/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 20 Capítulo 4|Capítulo 4]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-20-cap-4/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 20 Capítulo 5|Capítulo 5]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-20-cap-5/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 20 Capítulo 6|Capítulo 6]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-20-cap-6/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 20 Capítulo 7|Capítulo 7]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-20-cap-7/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 20 Epílogo|Epílogo]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-20-epilogo/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 20 Posfácio|Posfácio]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-20-afterwords/ Prévia] )
 

===Volume 21: Prologue of Disturbance Chapter (I) ===
[[image:Vol21-LN-Cover.jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 21 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 21 Capítulo 1|Capítulo 1]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-21-cap-1/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 21 Capítulo 2|Capítulo 2]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-21-cap-2/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 21 Capítulo 3|Capítulo 3]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-21-cap-3/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 21 Capítulo 4|Capítulo 4]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-21-cap-4/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 21 Capítulo 5|Capítulo 5]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-21-cap-5/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 21 Posfácio|Posfácio]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-21-afterwords/ Prévia] )
 

===Volume 22: Prologue of Disturbance Chapter (II) ===
[[image:10587993 48b657c4-56d3-4d04-97e6-aaf7c6042d17 1128 1600.jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 22 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 22 Capítulo 1|Capítulo 1]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-22-cap-6/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 22 Capítulo 2|Capítulo 2]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-22-cap-7/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 22 Capítulo 3|Capítulo 3]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-22-cap-8/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 22 Capítulo 4|Capítulo 4]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-22-cap-9/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 22 Capítulo 5|Capítulo 5]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-22-cap-10/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 22 Capítulo 6|Capítulo 6]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-22-cap-11/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 22 Capítulo 7|Capítulo 7]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-22-cap-12/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 22 Capítulo 8|Capítulo 8]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-22-cap-13/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 22 Posfácio|Posfácio]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-22-afterwords/ Prévia] )
 

===Volume 23: Isolation ===
[[image:Magouka23.jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 23 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 23 Capítulo 1|Capítulo 1]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-23-cap-1/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 23 Capítulo 2|Capítulo 2]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-23-cap-2/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 23 Capítulo 3|Capítulo 3]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-23-cap-3/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 23 Capítulo 4|Capítulo 4]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-23-cap-4/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 23 Capítulo 5|Capítulo 5]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-23-cap-5/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 23 Capítulo 6|Capítulo 6]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-23-cap-6/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 23 Capítulo 7|Capítulo 7]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-23-cap-7/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 23 Capítulo 8|Capítulo 8]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-23-cap-8/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 23 Capítulo 9|Capítulo 9]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-23-cap-9/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 23 Capítulo 10|Capítulo 10]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-23-cap-10/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 23 Posfácio|Posfácio]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-23-afterwords/ Prévia] )
 

===Volume 24: Escape Chapter (I)===
[[image:Covermkv24.jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 24 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 24 Capítulo 1|Capítulo 1]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/09/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-24-cap-1/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 24 Capítulo 2|Capítulo 2]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/14/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-24-cap-2/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 24 Capítulo 3|Capítulo 3]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/27/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-24-cap-3/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 24 Capítulo 4|Capítulo 4]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/05/29/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-24-cap-4/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 24 Capítulo 5|Capítulo 5]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/06/02/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-24-cap-5/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 24 Capítulo 6|Capítulo 6]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/06/19/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-24-cap-6/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 24 Capítulo 7|Capítulo 7]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/06/21/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-24-cap-7/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 24 Capítulo 8|Capítulo 8]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/07/03/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-24-cap-8/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 24 Posfácio|Posfácio]]
 

===Volume 25: Escape Chapter (II) ===
[[image:Covermkv25.jpg|frameless|right|200px]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 25 Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 25 Introdução|Introdução]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 25 Capítulo 1|Capítulo 1]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/08/02/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-25-cap-1/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 25 Capítulo 2|Capítulo 2]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/08/29/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-25-cap-2/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 25 Capítulo 3|Capítulo 3]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/08/29/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-25-cap-3/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 25 Capítulo 4|Capítulo 4]] ( [https://onlymanscan.wordpress.com/2018/09/11/mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei-vol-25-cap-4/ Prévia] )
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 25 Capítulo 5|Capítulo 5]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 25 Capítulo 6|Capítulo 6]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 25 Capítulo 7|Capítulo 7]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 25 Capítulo 8|Capítulo 8]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 25 Capítulo 9|Capítulo 9]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 25 Posfácio|Posfácio]]
 

==''Dengeki Bunko Magazine:'' Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei Ninendo ==
Ninendo começou a ser publicado na Dengeki Bunko MAGAZINE (a partir do Volume 28) antes de ser publicado em formato de livro (volume 12). Tatsuya, Miyuki e seus amigos estão em seu segundo ano do ensino médio.
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei Ninendo Ilustrações|Ilustrações]]
 

==The ''Gaiden: Mahouka Koukou no Shounen Shoujo'' series por Sato Tsutomu==

==Membros do Projeto==

*Administrador do projeto:
*Supervisor do projeto:

===Tradutores===

'''Ativos'''

'''Não Ativos'''

===Editores===
'''Ativos'''

Todos os editores que falarem português suficiente bem são bem-vindos.

==Series Overview==
*魔法科高校の劣等生（1）入学編<上> (10 de Julho de 2011 ISBN 978-4048705974)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（2）入学編<下> (10 de Agosto de 2011 ISBN 978-4048705981)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（3）九校戦編<上> (10 de Novembro de 2011 ISBN 978-4048709989)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（4）九校戦編<下> (10 de Dezembro de 2011 ISBN 978-4048709996)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（5）夏休み編＋１ (10 de Abril de 2012 ISBN 978-4-04-886522-7)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（6）横浜騒乱編〈上〉 (10 de Julho de 2012 ISBN 978-4-04-886700-9)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（7）横浜騒乱編〈下〉 (10 de Setembro de 2012 ISBN 978-4-04-886701-6)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（8）追憶編 (10 de Dezembro de 2012 ISBN 978-4-04-891158-0)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（9）来訪者編<上> (10 de Março de 2013 ISBN 978-4-04-891423-9)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（10）来訪者編<中> (7 de Junho de 2013 ISBN 978-4-04-891609-7)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（11）来訪者編<下> (10 de Agosto de 2013 ISBN 978-4-04-891610-3)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（12）ダブルセブン編 (10 de Outubro de 2013 ISBN 978-4-04-866003-7)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（13）スティープルチェース編 (10 de Abril de 2014 ISBN 978-4-04-866507-0)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（14）古都内乱編〈上〉 (10 de Setembro de 2014 ISBN 978-4-04-866860-6)

[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Light novel (Brazilian Portuguese)]]
[[Category:Tsutomu Satou]]
[[Category:Brazilian Portuguese]]

Tate no Yuusha Jilid 2 LN Bab 1 (Indonesia)

2021-07-27T14:39:33Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1: /* Chapter 1 - Mesin Telur */

==Chapter 1 - Mesin Telur==

"Well, well, bukankah itu sang Pahlawan! Apa ada yang bisa kubantu hari ini?"

Kami masuk ke tenda, dan si penjual budak dengan sopan menyambut kami.

"Woah...."

Dia menatap Raphtalia dengan cermat dan bergumam terkejut.

"Dia benar-benar sudah berubah. Siapa yang menyangka dia adalah sebuah berlian mentah<ref>ini seperti idiom "sebuah berlian diantara tumpukan batu"</ref>?"

Dia menatapku dan mendesah.

Dia adalah pedagang budak yang kutemui disaat-saat kelamku. Saat semua milikku dicuri dan reputasiku hancur, saat itulah aku menyadari aku harus naik level tanpa punya cara untuk menyerang, dia muncul dan bertanya apakah aku tertarik pada seorang budak.

Dia adalah seorang pria yang lebih tua, gemuk dan mengenakan pakaian dengan jas berekor. Kalau boleh kubilang, dia kelihatan gak bisa dipercaya.

Tapi dia menyukaiku karena suatu alasan dan bilang dia akan melakukan apa yang dia bisa untuk membantu. Dia adalah orang yang menjual Raphtalia padaku.

"Apa?"

"Kupikir dia seperti kami. Aku nggak menyadarinya kalau dia punya begitu banyak potensi."

Apaan sih maksudnya? Aku hampir memukul dia, tapi aku berhasil mengendalikan diri.

Aku nggak mau menghancurkan hubungan kami. Siapa yang tau kapan aku butuh layanan dia lagi dimasa mendatang? Aku akan mengatakan sesuatu mengikuti arus.

"Entah mereka hidup atau mati, cara yang tepat untuk menggunakan seorang budak adalah cara yang akan meningkatkan kualitas produk."

Aku menanggapi dengan nada mengancam:

"Kurasa semua budak yang kau tau adalah barang sekali pakai?"

"N...Naofumi?"

Raphtalia menatapku, kuatir kalau aku nggak menunjukkan rasa hormat yang tepat.

Aku sudah menyadari hal itu, bahwa aku agak kelepasan. Tapi aku merasa lebih baik daripada saat terakhir kali aku bertemu dia.

"Heh, heh, heh.... Kurasa begitu. Kau membuatku gemetar."

Aku nggak tau apakah dia menyukai tanggapanku atau enggak, tapi dia tersenyum.

"Nah sekarang, adapun untuk tawarannya. Dia tentunya menjadi seseorang yang cantik, tapi kalau dia sudah gak perawan, maka gimana dengan.... 20 gold?"

"Kenapa kau menganggap dia kesini untuk menjual aku?! Dan selain itu, AKU MASIH PERAWAN!"

Si pedagang budak melompat karena pernyataan Raphtalia.

"Jadi begitu! Gimana kalau 30 gold? Tentunya, aku harus memastikan keperawananmu."

"Tuan Naofumi!"

Aku bisa mendapatkan 30 gold dengan menjual Raphtalia?

"Tuan Naofumi! Jangan diam saja!"

Kalau aku punya 30 gold, aku bisa dengan mudah membeli wolfman berlevel 75 itu!

Aku sedang berpikir tentang hal itu saat Raphtalia berteriak padaku dengan penampilan menakutkan sebelum memegang pundakku.

"Tuan Naofumi, kalau kamu terus main-main, aku akan marah!"

"Apaan sih? Kenapa kamu marah kek gitu?"

"Pria ini menawar aku, dan kamu cuma diam aja."

"Kita harus kelihatan acuh tak acuh atau kita akan kehilangan muka."

Itulah yang bisa kupikirkan untuk membuat dia menjauh dari punggungku. Kalau aku nggak menyembunyikan pemikiranku lebih baik lagi, Raphtalia akan mengetahui apa yang kupikirkan. Selain itu, itu nggak seperti aku akan menjual satu-satunya orang yang mempercayaiku.

Akan tetapi....

"30 gold... ya?"

Aku bergumam, dan Raphtalia meremas pundakku semakin keras.

"Ouch! Ouch!"

Kayaknya kekuatan serangan Raphtalia sekarang sudah lebih kuat daripada pertahananku.

Itu bagus. Aku bisa bergantung pada hal itu.

"Kamu mau aku kabur? Sekarang juga?"

"Becanda becanda. Aku cuma terkejut bahwa kamu bernilai sebanyak itu."

"Tapi.... tapi Tuan Naofumi...."

Dia meringankan pegangannya dan terlihat malu.

"Nah begitulah, Pendagang Budak, aku sudah memutuskan untuk nggak menjual dia. Siapa yang akan menjual putri mereka sendiri?"

"Putri?"

"Abaikan saja."

"Huh....?"

Meskipun aku bersikap seperti ayahnya, dia cuma punya dua orangtua kandung. Kalau aku mulai bersikap seperti ayahnya, dia pasti akan marah.

"Yah, sayang sekali. Sungguh disayangkan memang.... Nah sekarang, apa yang bisa kubantu?"

"Apa kau sudah mendengar semua keributan di istana?"

Dia tersenyum pada pertanyaanku.

"Aku sudah mendengarnya. Kutukan budak sudah dihilangkan, bukan?"

"Kalau kau sudah tau maka urusannya akan tambah gampang. Dan kalau kau sudah tau, maka jangan membuang-buang waktu kami dengan memperkirakan harga Raphtalia."

Aku sudah diambang kehilangan Raphtalia.

"Komentar gegabah sang Raja tidak untuk menghilangkan perbudakan di kerajaan ini. Tidak tuan."

Malam kemarin raja begitu marah bahwa aku membiarkan Raphtalia sebagai seorang budak hingga dia hendak mengubah aturan untuk menyita dia. Sepertinya itu cuma pembelaan bahwa Motoyasu nggak menyukai hal itu.

"Huh? Tapi para keluarga kerajaan nggak memelihara para budak, kan?"

"Ha! Para keluarga kerajaan membeli lebih banyak budak daripada siapapun. Mereka menggunakan segala cara untuk memfaatkan mereka. Begitulah tuan."

"Si idiot Motoyasu! Pahlawan Tombak geblek itu, apa dia menganggap dia bisa mengatakan apapun dan nggak berakhir jadi orang munafik terhadap keluarga kerajaan?"

Kalau dipikir-pikir, itu betul-betul sangat lucu, dan itu mungkin akan lebih baik untuk negeri ini pada akhirnya.

"Ya, negeri ini bukanlah monolitik. Ada banyak suara berbeda yang perlu didengarkan. Kalau Raja angkat suara untuk menentangnya, mereka adalah orang pertama yang menderita karena proklamasi tersebut. Begitulah tuan."

"Apa si bodoh itu punya kekuasaan sebanyak itu?"

Ya, penguasa tertinggi memang punya wewenang mutlak—tapi bukan berarti dia bisa melakukan apapun yang dia mau. Kalau raja menentang harapan rakyat, akan ada kekacauan. Dibawah situasi seperti itu, keluarga kerajaan mungkin nggak akan bisa mempertahankan kekuasaan dalam waktu yang lama. Putrinya nggak akan senang kehilangan tahta warisannya.

"Begitulah, ada orang-orang yang memiliki kekuasaan lebih tinggi daripada raja...."

"Um.... Gimana dengan kutukan budaknya? Apa kita melupakan hal itu?"

"Oh, ya, silahkan."

Percakapannya agak melenceng. Selain itu, kalau kami nggak akan bertemu si Sampah itu lagi, siapa yang peduli?

"Ya, jadi kau datang kesini untuk memasang kembali kutukan itu, benar?"

"Ya, kau bisa melakukannya?"

"Tentu saja."

Dia menjentikkan jarinya, dan seorang pelayan muncul sambil membawa wadah yang sama yang kami gunakan untuk pemasangan kutukan yang sebelumnya.

Raphtalia terlihat malu-malu saat dia melepas pelindung dadanya dan menunjukkan dadanya.

"G...Gimana?"

"Apa?"

"Haaaaaah."

Huh? Kenapa dia kelihatan begitu marah? 
Dan kenapa dia menghela nafas? Apa aku melakukan sesuatu yang salah?

Sama seperti sebelumnya, mereka mencampurkan darahku dengan tinta dan menggambar segel kutukan pada dada Raphtalia. Pola tersebut mulai menyala dan bersinar.

"Ugh..."

Raphtalia menggertakkan giginya kesakitan.

Ikon budak muncul di bidang pandangku. Sebuah jendela juga muncul menampilkan peraturan penggunaan secara terperinci.

Kurasa aku nggak perlu membaca secara menyeluruh karena aku sudah membacanya sebelumnya. Raphtalia telah menjadi seorang budak sekali lagi untuk mendapatkan kepercayaanku. Aku harus mempercayai dia juga. Sejujurnya, Raphtalia nggak perlu repot-repot melakukan upacara ini. Itu cuma sekedar syarat doang.

"Nah sekarang."

Aku mulai melangkah ke langkah selanjutnya saat aku melihat tinta itu, aku mengulurkan tangan untuk menyentuhnya, dan perisaiku milai bereaksi.

"Boleh aku membeli tinta ini?"

"Tentu."

Aku menuangkan tinta yang tersisa pada perisaiku. 
Perisaiku menyerap tinta itu.

<center>
{| border="5px" style="background: #FFEBCD" width="70%"
|-
|align="center" |
'''Slave User Shield: persyaratan terpenuhi'''

'''Slave User Shield II: persyaratan terpenuhi'''
|-
|align="center" |
'''Slave User Shield:''' 
Kemampuan belum terbuka 
'''Bonus equip:''' penyesuaian pendewasaan budak (kecil)
|-
|align="center" |
'''Slave User Shield II:''' 
Kemampuan belum terbuka 
'''Bonus equip:''' penyesuaian status budak (kecil)
|-
|}
</center>

Slave User Shield? Hm... Yah, kurasa itu masuk akal.

Aku melihatnya pohonnya, dan pohon itu muncul tersendiri, bercabang dari Small Shield yang paling awal. Karena itulah, perisai itu nggak terlalu kuat. Tapi equip bonusnya kelihatan menjanjikan.

Pengaturan pendewasaan....

Padahal aku cuma menuangkan sedikit tinta pada perisai itu, tapi aku masih mendapatkan dua perisai baru.

Jadi yang kuperlukan adalah memakai perisai itu beberapa saat untuk membuka kemampuannya, dan kemudian aku akan bisa menggunakan bonus equip itu selamanya. Itu adalah sebuah sistem yang hebat. Perisai Legendaris memungkinkan aku untuk menggunakan segala macam tipe perisai ini, mempelajari kemampuannya, dan kemudian terus menyimpan kemampuan-kemampuan tersebut saat aku terus naik level. Itu sebabnya kami para pahlawan bisa berkembang lebih kuat daripada orang normal, pohon skill kami terus berkembang.

Kupikir aku cukup handal dalam menangani skill, kemampuan, peningkatan status, dan equip bonus yang diperoleh perisai sejauh ini. Tapi masih ada begitu banyak hal yang nggak kumengerti, dan aku mulai merasa bahwa penguasaanku terhadap perisai akan diputuskan apakah aku bisa bertahan hidup atau enggak.

Dalam diam aku menatap Raphtalia

"Ada apa?"

Itu mengingatkan aku, aku pernah membuat perisaiku menyerap rambutnya. Pada saat itu aku melihat sesuatu tentang sebuah perisai rakun, tapi ini pasti telah memenuhi persyaratan yang lain. Pasti itulah yang membuka Slave User Shield II. Setidaknya, itulah tebakan terbaikku.

Yang mana itu artinya...

"Raphtalia, boleh aku minta darahmu sedikit?"

"Ada apa emangnya?"

"Aku coba sesuatu."

Dia memiringkan kepalanya dan terlihat bingung, tapi ujung-ujungnya dia menusuk jarinya dengan jarum. Dia meneteskan darahnya pada wadah tinta itu, mengaduknya, dan menuangkan sedikit pada perisaiku.

<center>
{| border="5px" style="background: #FFEBCD" width="70%"
|-
|align="center" |
'''Slave User Shield III: persyaratan terpenuhi'''

'''Slave User Shield III:''' 
Kemampuan belum terbuka 
'''Bonus equip:''' penyesuaian pendewasaan budak (medium)
|-
|}
</center>

Bagus! Aku betul!

"Tuan Naofumi? Kamu kelihatan seperti sedang bersenang-senang."

"Ya. Yah, aku barusan membuka sebuah perisai yang kelihatan menarik."

"Menakjubkan."

Aku mengubah perisaiku menjadi Slave User Shield dan memutuskan untuk menunggu kemampuannya terbuka.

"Nah sekarang... Hm?"

Kami sudah selesai disini, jadi aku berbalik untuk pergi, lalu aku menyadari sebiah wadah telur yang besar yang terbuat dari kayu disudut tenda. Wadah itu dipenuhi telur.

Aku belum pernah melihatnya sebelumnya. Apaan itu?

"Itu apaan?"

Aku menanyai si penjual budak.

"Oh, itu adalah produk untuk bisnis penutup kami."

"Emangnya apaan bisnis penutupmu?"

"Kami menjual monster."

Matanya berkilauan saat dia menjawab pertanyaanku.

"Monster? Maksudmu ada pelatih monster disekitar sini?"

"Seperti biasa, kau memang pria yang cerdas. Apa kau sudah berjumpa dengan mereka?"

"Kurasa aku belum pernah bertemu mereka, tapi...."

"Tuan Naofumi." Raphtalia mengangkat tangannya.

"Ada apa?"

"Para Filolial adalah monster yang dibesarkan oleh para pelatih monster."

Aku belum pernah mendengar apaan itu Filolial. Aku nggak tau apa yang dibicarakan Raphtalia.

"Apa itu?"

"Itu lho burung-burung besar di kota. Mereka yang menarik kereta bukannya kuda."

"Oh, yang itu."

Aku melihat mereka di kota. Mereka adalah burung besar yang dimanfaatkan seperti kuda. Kupikir mereka merupakan sejenis hewan yang ada didunia ini, ternyata secara tenknis mereka adalah monster.

"Ada seorang pelatih monster didesaku. Dia memiliki sebuah peternakan dimana dia membesarkan berbagai macam monster untuk diambil dagingnya."

"Betulkah...."

Kurasa di dunia ini, peternak dan penggembala ternak, siapapun yang merawat mahluk-mahluk seperti itu dianggap sebagai pelatih monster. Mungkin mereka nggak mengenal yang namanya "hewan" dan segala sesuatu yang bukan manusia disebut monster.

"Terus telur apaan itu?"

"Kalau monster nggak di besarkan dari telur, mereka nggak akan menganggap manusia sebagai tuannya. Itu sebabnya kami menjual mereka sebagai telur. Begitulah tuan."

"Jadi gitu."

"Apa kau mau melihat kandang monster?"

Dia menjual apapun yang kau inginkan. Penjual budak ini cukup kapitalis.

"Yah, nggak masalah sih sekarang ini. Tapi tanda apa itu yang ada di peti telur itu?"

Aku nggak bisa baca apa yang tertulis disana, tapi ada tanda panah yang mengarah pada kotak tersebut, dan kayaknya itu adalah tulisan angka.

"Itu adalah sebuah lotre! Satu kali coba 100 silver, dan jika kau menang, kau mendapatkan sebutir telur!"

"Mahal amat tiketnya."

Saat ini, kami punya 508 silver, yang mana itu adalah uang yang cukup banyak.

"Yah, mereka adalah monster-monster yang berharga."

"Aku mau tanya buat cari tau sedikit, tapi apa sebutan mereka? Filolial? Biasanya berapa harganya kalau dijual?"

"Yang dewasa? Biasanya sekitar 200 silver, tapi harga itu bisa naik turun bergantung pada kualitasnya. Begitulah tuan."

"Kalau kau membandrol 200 silver untuk yang dewasa, maka kurasa anakannya lebih murah? Dan telurnya lebih murah lagi.... Yah, kurasa kau harus memperhitungkan biaya perawatannya. Aku penasaran apakah itu adalah sebuah bisnis yang bagus."

"Yah tidak seperti itu juga. Telur yang asli bercampur dengan telur-telur yang lain."

"Oh ya, kau menyebutnya lotre."

Jadi kau bisa dapat atau enggak.

Jadi kalau kau nggak beruntung, kau nggak akan dapat apa-apa, dan kalau kau beruntung, kau masih akan berakhir membayar lebih banyak.

"Dan aku menebak disana nggak ada telur yang asli kan?"

"Mana mungkin. Apa kau menuduhku melakukan praktek bisnis tidak sehat? Wahai pahlawanku..."

"Jadi aku salah?"

"Aku sangat bangga pada bisnisku. Aku mungkin menikmati menipu seorang pelanggan, tapi aku tidak suka memalsukan produk-produkku."

"Kau suka mengurangi orang, tapi nggak memalsukan?"

Aku nggak bisa mengikuti logikanya. Aku nyerah deh.

"Dan apa yang didapat kalau mengambil telur jackpot?"

"Aku akan membuatnya mudah untuk kau pahami, sebagai orang asing. Sederhananya, seekor Knight's Dragon."

Woah, seekor Knight's Dragon? Aku penasaran apakah itu adalah kelas naga yang ditunggangi para knight dalam pertempuran?

"Apa itu adalah seekor naga yang ditunggangi orang seperti seekor kuda?"

"Bukan hanya itu, naga ini bisa terbang. Mereka sangat populer, jadi game ini telah populer pada para bangsawan."

"Seekor naga terbang? Kayak mimpi aja."

"Tuan Naofumi?"

"Untuk membeli naga itu di pasar, kau butuh sekitar 20 gold. Mereka adalah salah satu dari naga yang paling murah. Begitulah tuan."

"Berapa kemungkinannya? Beritahu aku berapa peluang mendapatkan telur naga itu."

"Ada 250 telur didalam peti, dan hanya satu yang merupakan telur naga."

Jadi peluangnya adalah 1 banding 250.

"Aku sudah menutupi perbedaan telurnya dengan mantra sihir. Kau pasti setuju dengan gagasan mendapatkan zonk terlebih dahulu sebelum mendapatkan hadiahnya."

"Pemikiranmu betul-betul seorang pebisnis."

"Ya begitulah. Setiap kali ada pemenang, aku mencatat nama mereka, dan mereka cenderung menyebarkan berita ke sekitar yang mana menguntungkan aku."

"Ya, tapi peluangnya sangat kecil...."

"Yah, namanya juga lotre tuan, dan jika kau membeli 10 tiket, kau dijamin menang, setidaknya sekali. Begitulah tuan."

"Jadi, bisa aku anggap disana nggak ada telur naga?"

"Ya, itu benar, tapi hadiahnya bisa dipastikan bernilai setidaknya 300 silver."

Tunggu sebentar, bukankah ini seperti mesin slot online? Ayolah!

Permainan-permainan ini dirancang untuk mendapatkan keuntungan bagi pebisnis yang membuatnya. Dan dia membuatku sedikit tertarik....

"Hmm...."

Kalau dipikir-pikir, aku bertanya-tanya seberapa jauh aku bisa membuat kemajuan hanya dengan Raphtalia yang ada di partyku?

Kira-kira lebih murah mana antara membeli budak lain atau membeli seekor monster untuk bepergian bersama kami?

Mungkin aku harus mencoba Slave User Shield baru punyaku. Raphtalia sudah berlevel cukup tinggi, jadi penyesuaian pendewasaannya mungkin nggak terlalu berpengaruh pada dia.

Namun, aku bisa merawat monster. Bepergian bersama Raphtalia, biaya paling besar adalah memperbarui equipment miliknya. Tapi ada peluang bahwa monsternya bisa bertarung tanpa perlu menggunakan senjata apapun. Aku bisa menggunakan semua uang tambahan yang kami dapatkan untuk Raphtalia.

"Baiklah, aku akan mencobanya sekali."

"Terimakasih banyak! Sebagai rasa terimakasih, aku akan menggratiskan biaya upacara kutukan budak."

"Sungguh baik sekali kau. Aku suka hal seperti itu."

"Tuan Naofumi?"

"Ada apa?"

"Apa kamu membeli sebuah telur monster?"

"Ya, kupikir kita mungkin bisa menggunakan anggota party yang lain. Aku bisa saja membeli seorang budak, tapi mereka cuma akan membuat pembengkakan pengeluaran untuk equipment mereka. Aku merasa bahwa berinvestasi pada seekor monster mungkin cara yang bagus untuk dilakukan."

"Ya, tapi monster bisa betul-betul merepotkan."

"Aku tau itu. Tapi bukankah kamu ingin seekor peliharaan?"

"Apa kamu yakin bahwa kamu nggak berusaha mendapatkan telur seekor naga?"

"Bahkan jika kita mendapatkan seekor Usapil, aku nggak masalah."

Aku menyukai hewan-hewan kecil. MMORPG sering kali mengijinkan kau memelihara peliharaan dan menggunakan mereka dalam partymu. Setidaknya mereka bisa jadi hiburan. Dan kalau aku bisa memberi mereka perintah, seperti seorang budak, maka meraka bisa jadi bantuan dalam pertempuran.

Kamu punya sedikit uang tambahan, dan aku bisa bilang bahwa itu akan mengempeskan dompetku. Tapi tetap aja, itu nggak kelihatan kayak sebuah investasi yang remeh bagiku. Selain itu, kalau ada Slave Shield, berarti ada perisai untuk monster juga.

"Dan jika kita membesarkannya lalu menjualnya, kita nggak akan merasa seburuk seperti jika kita melakukan hal yang sama pada seorang budak."

"Oh oke, kurasa aku ngerti sekarang."

Tentunya, kami mungkin akan merasa terikat, tapi kami butuh uang—hal itu nggak bisa dihindari lagi.

Kurasa menjual seorang budak sangat sulit karena kau tau bahwa mereka adalah orang. Sama seperti Raphtalia yang kembali padaku dengan kemauannya sendiri, kalau budak yang berikutnya melakukan hal yang sama. Aku nggak yakin aku bisa menjual budak yang lain. Setidaknya monster nggak bicara. Jadi meskipun kami jadi terikat, kurasa aku masih bisa meninggalkannya demi keuntungan.

Aku bisa saja menjualnya begitu saja, dan berharap bahwa dia akan jadi monster yang bagus. Kira-kira kayak gitulah.

"Aku yakin kau akan membantuku dalam hal itu, kan?"

"Pertimbanganmu yang mendalam memang menakjubkan, Pahlawan. Ya aku akan membantu!"

Dia menyukai pembicaraan ini.

Aku melihat telur-telur itu. Si penjual budak sudah mengatakan bahwa sudah dipasang mantra agar telur-telur itu nggak bisa dibedakan, jadi kurasa aku cuma perlu memilihnya secara sembarangan.

"Aku pilih yang ini."

Aku cuma mengikuti naluriku dan memilih telur yang ada disebelah kanan.

"Lihat pada simbol yang terlukis pada cangkang telur, dan salinlah ke piring yang ada didepanmu."

Aku melakukan seperti yang dia katakan dan menggambar simbol itu pada piring. Saat aku melakukannya, simbolnya menyala merah, dan sebuah ikon baru muncul di bidang pandangku. Ikon itu menyebutkan pelatihan monster. Sama seperti ketika ikon budak muncul, sebuah jendela juga muncul menampilkan berbagai peraturan penggunaan yang terperinci yang bisa diterapkan pada si monster.

Aku memilih pilihan yang membuatnya mematuhi perintahku atau hukuman langsung. Aku memutuskan untuk membuat hukumannya lebih parah daripada yang kutetapkan pada Raphtalia. Kayaknya itu adalah pilihan yang jelas— gimanapun juga ini adalah seekor monster. Aku nggak yakin apakah monster itu memahami bahasa kami, jadi aku akan memastikan untuk memasukkan lebih banyak emosi dalam kata-kataku saat aku memarahinya. Telur itu masih belum menetas sih.

Si penjual budak menggosok-gosok tangannya dalam kegembiraan dan mengeluarkan sebuah mesin yang kelihatan kayak incubator. Aku menaruh telurnya didalamnya.

"Kalau telur ini nggak menetas, kembalikan uangku."

"Aku salut padamu, Pahlawan! Bertekad untuk mendapatkan kembali uangnya meskipun telah mengambil telur yang salah."

Si penjual budak kayaknya sedang dalam suasana hati yang bagus. Apa dia orang maso? Bukannya aku mau mempermainkan orang lain, tapi... sebenernya kalau dipikir-pikir, aku nggak keberatan melihat para pahlawan lain yang geblek sedikit menderita.

"Meskipun ini adalah persetujuan verbal, aku betul-betul akan memintanya kembali. Kalau kau bertindak seolah percakapan ini nggak pernah terjadi, budakku yang ganas ini mungkin akan menyebabkan kekacauan."

"Hei, kamu mau aku melakukan apa?"

"Kunantikan kunjunganmu lagi, tuan!"

Si penjual budak sedang dalam suasana hati yang sangat bagus.

"Terus kapan telurnya menetas?"

Aku memberikan 100 silver sambil bertanya.

"Itu tertulis di inkubator."

"Coba kulihat...."

Aku melihat sesuatu seperti sejenis angka, tapi aku nggak bisa membacanya.

"Raphtalia, kamu bisa membacanya?"

"Coba kulihat, sedikit sih. Kayaknya angkanya akan menghilang besok."

"Lumayan cepat. Bagus."

Aku jadi bersemangat. Aku nggak sabar pengen melihat monster macam apa yang menetas dari telur itu.

"Aku selalu senang saat kau mengunjungi aku. Begitulah tuan."

Kami berbalik dan meninggalkan tenda itu.

==Catatan Penerjemah==
<references/>

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Phenomeno:Case 03

2021-07-24T23:20:42Z

0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1:

==Case 03: Beyond the Fusuma==

===1===

I was in my dreams that day, too.

It was an afternoon right smack in the middle of summer, and I could hear cicadas somewhere. It was such a hot day that I could feel sweat dripping even if I were just sitting still, and I sat on the porch of the house, staring absent-mindedly at the garden.

At some point, the girl belonging to the house had taken a seat by my side.

She wore a white shirt and a drab skirt. I couldn't figure out what era this dream chose as its setting by what she wore. Still, I thought it couldn't be too far from my time. The girl couldn't see me in this dream.

That's why we didn't so much as exchange greetings. The girl stepped down from the porch, poured water into a small tub, and then sat next to me with her feet in the tub. She looked absolutely beautiful as she sat there using a small fan to send herself a breeze. Her black hair was carefully tied behind her, and the way she always had her lips closed expressed her upright personality.

The girl and I simply sat there in silence. The bamboo trees on the other side of the white wall swayed from the wind and made rustling sounds.

This world was peaceful, as it had no other sounds.

Or it should have been--

I had a feeling, which was closer to conviction.

A sad premonition that this dream wouldn't have a happy ending.

This one large Japanese-style building that was covered in a somewhat bluish tint.

At some point, I'd started seeing the dream of this house over and over again.

There were times I'd see a continuation, and other times that it seemed like time had skipped. But being a dream, I'd eventually awaken. That's why I'd slowly begun to enjoy these dreams -- but at the same time, I'd begun to feel sad whenever I awakened. Eventually, I'd come to realize that the emotions I felt were tied to the eventual sad conclusion that this mansion faced. I often saw the blue world stained red, the girl a bloody heap on the ground.

This was clearly a lucid dream. In other words, a dream that I am cognizant is a dream even as I dream.

Normally, dreams have unique attributes that make them stand out. lucid dreams in particular usually cause you to have an omnipotent feeling because you can cause anything to happen. However, this dream always gave me a nagging feeling of lack of control.

Why?

Shouldn't I be finding out?

And then I began investigating the nooks and crannies of this house.

The house in the dream had, roughly speaking, a cast of four. At the center was the girl, who smiled at everyone like a spring breeze, and there was also an old man of around fifty, presumably the lord of this house and probably her father. Furthermore, there there were two other men, who seemed to love the girl, and who also seemed to be her cousins. I also saw servants entering and leaving every so often, but we can probably put them aside. The house had a room roughly fifty tatamis large with a large pillar going right down its center that housed the houselord, and to its side was the girl's room, and then further than that were the rooms of her cousins. There was a kitchen, a parterre, a parlor, and a room for servants. I would answer yes it I were asked if it were large, but there were also plenty of houses around this size in the countryside from which I came. It didn't strike me as particularly uncommon, and so I simply wandered about.

Windows and sliding-screen doors held no meaning to me, given that I was like a ghost in this world. I could enter anywhere I wanted to if I wished. However, the more I roamed the house the more I had this bizarre and out-of-place feeling.

There was something wrong with this house.

I began to think that. And then I felt like I'd sensed this oddity before. And when I thought about it, I realized: it was like that house. The "house that grants wishes" that I'd stayed in when I first came to Tokyo. A house for the house that had been built by a heart-broken architect. It was the same sense of misplacement that I felt then.

That would mean.

That there should be a room that could not be entered via normal means. A space that had been deliberately sealed away.

I felt some misgiving, but I decided to look for that room, anyways.

However, I would always forget about that goal whenever the dream began, and only after gazing at the various events occurring in the house (such as an amusing conversation between the girl and her cousins, the houselord having trouble with the trees in the garden, such as when there's some trouble the servants need to take care of) do I eventually remember that room. And then I would begin searching, but time would run out and I would awaken. It was almost as if once I remembered the existence of that room, the administrator of the dream would kick me out.

Of course, in the end, it's still just a dream.

Not everything needed to make absolute sense. In particular, looking at the girl's spring-like smile makes me feel like such a room doesn't really matter at all. Was it wrong to just wish for the girl's happiness? Isn't it enough to just watch over the girl's beautiful mannerisms? There was always something nagging at me from the corner of my mind, but that's what I'd begun to think.

But, when I was rudely lying down on the porch and gazing at the girl pruning the trees in the garden, I heard a familiar voice from above.

"This house is quite amusing."

I looked, and for some reason, Yoishi Mitsurugi was there.

"Everything here was built to further seal off something that had already been sealed."

She whispered, as the dark eyes on her white face glimmered.

"You-"

I pointed at Yoishi as I spoke.

"You, what are you doing in my dream?"

----

I opened my eyes and found myself in a car.

I was in the back of a damn small light vehicle and about to be crushed by a number of bags.

I tried to straighten myself out and was shocked to find someone's fragrant, black hair right up at my nose.

I hurriedly pushed out with my hands, and that person lazily slid back over to the other side, like a rotten corpse.

"It- it was your fault!?"

I shouted, but Yoishi Mitsurugi kept sleeping as if she were dead.

"Shut up, Nagi-kun."

"You know, Fujieda should be a short drive off the highway."

"Don't blame me, the GPS told me to go this way."

I sighed. We'd done that exchange several times already in this tiny car.

Well, all of this is because I struggled with the first-semester exams at my university, and then I forgot to buy train tickets to get back home.

That was yesterday. After I finished my exams, I was sleeping like a log to make up for my sleep deprivation. And then my cell phone rang... my sister was on the other end.

"So, we're getting ready for the festival tomorrow. When're you getting here?"

My brain cells froze for a moment, and then pulled out some latent powers without any regard for how overheated they were from my exams, like a divine revelation, it came to me...

Krishna-san had certainly spoken about it, At the end of July, she was going to participate in the Ikaigabuchi offline meeting taking place in Shizuoka. Moments later I called Krishna-san and cried, please let me tag along.

And now, I'm being shaken around in this cramped car.

"That's why I tried to stop you."

Krishna-san said with an annoyed voice from the driver's seat.

"I'm not a good driver, and this car's an almost thirty-year-old can of junk. You're the one that insisted, anyways. I have so much stuff to bring to the offline meeting, so you're the ones making things worse. It's usually just fine when I'm the only one here--"

Sounded the cold voice from the driver's seat.

I looked up, and found Krishna-san glaring at me through her rear-view mirror.

"You made me miss what the GPS was saying."

Those words finally jostled my consciousness back.

The sunlight shone brightly through the car window as the car drove westward with full speed. I could see the Pacific Ocean expanding in my view, glimmering on the other side of the window.

That's right... we're in Krishna-san's old car.

And I was on my way back to Fujieda.

"This GPS is old, so it takes a really long time to get back on track once I miss the road. It's like it's punishing me for not paying attention to it."

Krishna-san, who was extremely poor with any machine other than a computer, desperately tried to adjust the GPS, but the old LCD display started to give even more inexplicable directions.

"It's because you bought such an old car."

I said with a somewhat teasing tone, and she quickly fired back.

"I was told this was a bargain, and I really liked the design, too."

"You get too empathetic over everything, Krishna-san."

"Shut up. If you're good to machines, your feelings will eventually reach them."

And then she looked back at us, at Yoishi, who slept between the luggage like a broken doll.

"It's pretty insane to try to fit both of you in there, you know."

"I agree, but you know, I'm not the one who dragged her in here."

And then, Yoishi whispered, still in a crumpled posture.

"You're the one that told me to come to Eboshi Mountain."

".....Huh?"

That moment, the car took a bounce.

For a moment it felt like my stomach was turning inside-out, but I frantically held that back. And on the side, I looked at Yoishi's face, and her usual pale face had become ashen-blue.

"Hey! You! don't puke here!"

"What?"

Krishna-san shouted back in a frantic voice, but by that time Yoishi had quickly opened the rear-seat window, stuck her head out, and vomited.

"Hey, you!!"

Astonishingly, a blue sports car that was driving right behind us zig-zagged. I think they probably managed to avoid the vomit with their nice judgement. After that, the sports car kept a large distance away from our car, Their intense glares toward us were actually hurtful.

After Yoishi finished vomiting, a little bit of drool still remained on her lips as she closed the window and went back to sleep. It couldn't be helped, I took out a crumpled handkerchief from my pocket. Don't get on a car if you have a habit of throwing up, I grumbled to myself as I wiped off her mouth.

I ended up meeting up with Yoishi Mitsurugi mysteriously early this morning. Me and Krishna-san were to meet in front of a room in the university. It was loaded with video cameras, tripods and computers. Over there, Yoishi aimlessly arrived.

"You- What are you doing here?"

Of course I asked her that question, but she didn't answer.

It was already summer vacation for the public, if we were any more late in our departure, the roads would be jammed with traffic and that would have been troublesome. For the time being I ignored the vacant Yoishi still standing there.

First, I loaded the goods into the car. The small car barely had a trunk at all, most of the front passenger seat was already occupied with Krishna-san's clothes and books related to the occult. That's why I loaded up the rear seat with cameras and other things, along with my own luggage.

I managed to cram it all in somehow and managed to make a place for myself to sit. But before I knew it, Yoishi was already sitting there. Naturally, I told her to move, but she just silently closed her eyes. No matter how many times I told her, she didn't move. Thanks to that, I ended up having to sit bending backwards in the middle of the luggage like a prawn.

Remembering this, I looked at Yoishi. After puking out the window she had deftly pulled a book out of her backpack, and was now staring at it in her lap.

"Hey, Yoishi"

I pointed at her clothes and asked, "Why did you come to school so early in the morning, while still wearing a school uniform even when it's summer vacation?"

"It wasn't early at all."

"Eh?"

"Because last night , I was in Tsukimori cemetery for a long time, that's my way back home."

"Ah... So you stayed out all night and arrived the next morning."

Or should I say, what's up with staying at Tsukimori cemetery all night and returning back the next morning.

As I thought that, I got confused and shook my head.

"Actually, it's fine. I won't ask what you were doing. It was probably some weird stuff anyway. But once we get to Fujieda, you must get in touch with your household. Don't worry your parents like that."

With Krishna-san in front of me, I said that, acting as the dignified senior.

"Where will the offline meeting for Ikagebuchi be held, I wonder?", said Yoishi while ignoring me and asked Krishna-san.

"In Shizuoka city, There's interesting research being announced about Konohanasakuya-hime<ref>Cherry tree blossom princess</ref>", answered Kirshna while driving.

"That was originally called a banana type myth in South East Asia, there are some unique Japanese descriptions that I can't accept. There have been researchers of Konohanasakuya-hime in Shizuoka for a long time. They are going to supplement those shortcomings by presenting a hypothesis, that's why I'm going."

Krishna-san seemed to be in an unusually good mood. Because her occult website Ikagebuchi was famous at a national level, offline meetings and searches of haunted places were being held monthly. I was only attending the meetings that were being held in Tokyo, as expected, I hadn't yet followed the forum threads of Shizuoka.

"A lot of things happened and I was restraining myself on attending offline meetings, but I've had a lot of interest in Konohanasakuya-hime, so I just have to attend the meeting."

"Is that so?"

Konohanasakuya-hime is about that, a female goddess from Mount Fuji whose had various theories about her deification. She married the grandson of the sun-goddess Hononinigi, gave birth to three children, one of whom was Hoori. He would be the ancestor of the Japanese royal family, even I knew that much.

"Your family's fire festival is also perhaps, derived from that lineage." said Krishna.

"Konohanasakuya-hime's, whose fidelity was suspected by Ninigi, gave birth in the midst of fire. That legend was used as a model for the often occurring fire festival everywhere... Or I wonder if it belongs to another legend altogether?”

"I don't know about the details, but the festival in our home town was originally dedicated to the mountain god. Making portable shrines, parading them downtown, and finally burning them. At that time, the electricity of the town is mostly shut off, leaving only the light of the iron basket fire. That spectacle, how should I describe it…? Beautiful, just like a dream.”

“I’m looking forward to it” Said Krishna-san while driving the car; her voice seemed to be in a happy tone.

I haven’t told my family about it yet, but in exchange for driving me back, I promised to let her stay at my house. Well, Krishna-san is polite and courteous; I don’t think she would be a problem at all, the problem lay with Yoishi.

That girl is completely unpredictable, if it was concerning her, even a chat over tea would turn into a ghost story. Especially, as my elder sister had said, this years’ fire festival is to be organized by us: the Yamada family. It would be nice if we could carry out our responsibility safely, I reflected, as I pondered over such dark thoughts.

“It’s no good.” Said Krishna all of a sudden, slamming down on the car’s GPS.

“I didn’t say anything…”

At that moment, an unpleasant thud sound was heard from the engine. Before long the car gradually slowed to a halt

“Even though we left with a full tank of gas…” mumbled Krishna in a timid tone of voice as she glanced back at us.

I looked towards Yoishi feeling she might be responsible for what happened. But Yoishi was reading a tasteless book on the medieval history of execution tools while on her knees as her eyes glimmered.

----

After the continuous struggle through the highway, on top of its engine stalling four times for no particular reason, the car finally reached my home. The sun had already gone down and it was evening time. We parked Krishna’s car in the field which served a dual purpose of being a place to cultivate and to store lumber. During this time, I saw the figure of my older sister in jeans and a T-shirt coming out of the front door of the house.

“You’re late, Nagi-suke! What were you doing, slacki-“

As she said that, my sister fell silent silent seeing the two strangers who had stepped off the car.

“Eh, this is..?”

“Nice to meet you.” Krishna-san introduced herself while politely bowing her head. “I’m Nagi-kun’s senior at university, Kurimoto Shina. I’m always being helped by Nagi-kun with various things.“

“Oh…is that so..?”

With that introduction, my elder sister replied in a polite and courteous attitude that I hadn’t seen up until now.

“I’m his elder sister, Akira. It’s a pleasure to meet you, thank you for looking after my little brother.”

After that, I pushed Yoishi -- You also introduce yourself, dumbass. Yoishi just stood there staring silently. It couldn’t be helped, I thought, as I introduced Yoishi.

“This is Yoishi, Yoishi Mitsurugi. Uhhh… “

What would be a good way to explain my relation to her?

“We belong to the same group with shared interests, right…?”

With Krishna’s impromptu commendation, my elder sister stared in amazement.

“Ehh, you’re still a high schooler, right?”

When asked that, Yoishi just silently raised one finger.

“A first year high schooler, is it?”

Yoishi nodded

Was that so? Even for me, this was my first time hearing about it.

“Even though you seem to be quiet, but you sure are very beautiful”. The candid line from my sister made Yoishi tilt her head slightly. I’m afraid any moment now, she’ll say something like, “Does that have any meaning?”

“Why! Yoishi-chan is a beauty, and Krishna san is cute as well, which one will be this guy’s wife? Or how should I put it…It’s not my place to decide, is it?”

What are you saying?? This person…

I stood dumbfounded glaring at my sister whose long and bright hair was swaying, Krishna-san decisively took a deep breath of air and spoke.

“It’s so scenic and beautiful around here, and the air is great to breathe; it’s a really good place, isn’t it?”

“Only because it’s the sticks”, laughed my sister.

“Anyway, it’s only my mother and father besides me living here, so we have a lot of rooms, please feel free to relax.” Saying that, she invited both Krishna-san and Yoishi inside.

While I was undertaking the work of carrying the luggage, I squinted at the base of the mountain, which was dyed in sunshine. At the entrance of Eboshiyama, the path to the temple already had a wooden structure constructed; a few adults could be seen working around there.

The cold wind blowing down from Fuji, and the hot wind rising up from the Pacific Ocean, entwined with the breath of the forest and blew a unique kind of wind in Fujieda. Being struck by the wind on my cheeks, I was hit with the realization… I was finally back; in my home town, where the fire festival would soon begin.

===2===

“Ah! Nagito!”

Welcome back, said my mother smiling fondly at me.

“Returned, have you?” remarked my father curtly while lying on his back.

Well then, I should talk about both my parents here a little bit.

After all, it was a story told to me by my dad who tended to boast about himself, but I want to tell one third of the story.

When my father was young, he was known to be an outrageous brat, if you were to put it in modern terms, a DQN <ref>a slang term used in 2channel for someone who is extremely foolish</ref>, Yankee, or one of those delinquents who teams up with other delinquents and roams the streets. In short, he was a hooligan. I don't know what I didn't like about it when I thought about it now, but he rebelled against a lot of things.

Fights won: 75, lost: 12. His influence reached as far away as Yaizu city. The name Kanto Yamada, made those near and far tremble with fear. Those legendary tales still seems to be talked about at neighborhood association meetings: He had eliminated monstrous catfish living the Kasuga pond; he caused ill-mannered sailors who had strayed into Yaizu city from abroad to go back to their home countries with just one glare, plenty of these kinds of iffy stories typical of the countryside.

My father was that kind of man, who after graduating high school, had no intention of inheriting the family’s lumber business. He spent his days lazily; drinking sake, gambling, getting into fights, with women, and acting violently. At last, it could be said that he finally drew the attention of the god from the shrine of three-god-mountain. From that day on, for causes unknown, he got a high fever and fell down, hives developed on his face, a rash on his arm and warts sprouted on his legs. So my father, who was always over-confident in his looks took a painful blow and prepared himself for a painful death. But, if he was going to die anyway, he would take forcefully take down the incarnation of the mountain god with him; my father schemed up something completely ridiculous like that, like he was going to live shamelessly and shortly anyway.

Uttering that line like a high schooler who had watched too many heroic movies, my father’s younger self grabbed some gasoline and a lighter and headed off in the direction of the three god mountain shrine. However, the shrine maiden was sweeping the temple grounds at the time, my mother: Nogi Tomoko. What’s more, my mother had only just enlisted as a part time apprentice, but still, she eloquently managed to preach to my father. You can’t have such a short temper and such, you are still young, behave yourself from now on, and such.
However, the self-proclaimed number one wild boy of Fujieda prostrated himself in front of my mother, the shrine maiden who was not even dressed stylishly. He’d come prepared for death, but instead ending up proposing to her at that place. This is what is known among us in the Yamada family as, the ceremony of the angel Tomoko causing Kanto’s submission.

Or rather, no matter how dubious this overly long story might be, it seems to have been the start of the romance between my parents. I don't want to go into too much detail about why they called her an angel Tomoko, even though she is a shrine maiden. Anyway, it’s been 24 years since then and they’re living a happy conjugal life here in Fujieda. I mean, my father pretended to be the domineering husband, but he was just so deeply in love with my mother.

“Have you lost a little weight?”

My father and elder sister had went to the living room to make arrangements for the visitors who had come from far away, at that time my mother asked stretching my cheeks with her hand.

“You’ve had it difficult in Tokyo, haven’t you?”

“Well, various things have happened”

I almost unintentionally blurted out everything that happened with me up until then, the fearful experiences I had gone through in Tokyo; I was on the verge of spilling it all: Being chased by the countdown of death and the fear of not having any place to run away to, the spine creaking fear I felt when we took down that unbelievable giant floating matter. Well, in the first place it stemmed from me being an occult maniac, but in this short time I’ve gone through consecutive perils which seem to have worn away my lifespan. I don’t even know how many times all I wanted was return home to Fujieda.

But… “ I don’t know if you heard from sis, but uh… First, the house I rented ended up still being occupied by the previous owner; then because of some difficulties I had to go to the hospital, when I was there I ended up being examined by a completely incompetent quack.”
I was bad at lying, and made up some sloppy falsifications. In the first place, saying something about being possessed by ghosts would probably not be believable. In any case, it’s not a problem now, everything is already over. Nevertheless, my mother still stared at me with a look of worry in her eyes.

“Sounds like you’ve had an awful time”.

“No, well, it’s not a big deal”. After that I sat up straight and apologized once again. “With that being said... I’m sorry mom, I was in the middle of writing letters and messages to you, but various things happened, and I ended up unable to send them. I’m fine, and I’m now back home.”

When I said that, my mother gently narrowed her eyes and laughed.

“I got that; you also brought along some friends, as well?”

"Aah… sorry, one of them is a person who helped me out, and the other is... someone who ended up getting attached to me. "

“Hah-? “

Ignoring my mother who was staring in amazement once again, I took that out of the bag. The thing I had bought from the western dress store closest to the station: A cardigan.

“I bought it quite a while ago, but it’s already summer. Well you can wear it when autumn starts and it get cold.”

“Even when you don’t have any money, is this ok?”

“I bought it from the first month of my part time job’s salary. Anyway, it was rather cheap.”

With that, my mother delightfully opened the parcel, and took out the cardigan.”

“It’s a nice color isn’t it, I’ll be sure to treasure it.”

I nodded, and at the same time wild laughter echoed in from the living room. My father and sister had probably used the pretext of entertaining guests to start pouring sake.
“Well Nagito, shouldn’t you also be there?”
“Aren’t you coming as well?” I inquired
“I haven’t made dinner her, you need to eat a lot, don’t you?”

“Well, to be honest, I didn’t eat a lot on the way here”. I laughed while standing up, “Then, we’ll be waiting for you”.

----

“You’re late, Nagi-kun!”

When I opened the Fusuma<ref>sliding door</ref> of the living room, I found the manager of the occult site standing atop a desk making an uproar. Her face completely red, she was wearing a hyottoko mask slanted on her forehead; the mask was originally a decoration piece in the living room.

“W-what are you doing Krishna-san?”
“Drinking, of course…The sake here is amazing. It’s my first time drinking pulpy sake which soaks into my stomach.”

“That’s great, Krishna-chan! Keep going like that!”

“Oh! We still have plenty of sake!”

With Krishna san like that, my elder sister and father vigorously poured more sake over flowing the cup. The big table in the living room was lined grand with sushi catered from outside. Empty bottles of my father’s treasured sake and my sister’s favorite beer were already emptied on the floor.

“Hey! Yoishi-chan, was it? You also drink some more!” Seeing my red faced sister tried to influence Yoishi, I stepped in.

“That’s unwise. She’s still a high school stu-“

“Don’t be so stuffy, Nagi-suke, I was in middle school when I started, right?”

“Right, because you are special”

“Wha- Hey! Special, you say?”

“You are exceedingly special, that’s why involving yourself with a docile girl like her is a little pitiful, it’s for the best!”

“Oh, I get it, well then Yoishi-chan, will it be cola, or some orange juice?”

Yoishi replied silently by pointing to the orange juice. While merely taking a sip of the poured orange juice to get a taste, she only silently looked around at the ceiling and walls of the residence.

“Hey, Krishna-san has been poured quite a few drinks already, right?” I quietly asked, sitting across from Yoishi.

“Probably”, replied Yoishi quietly.

“Be careful and don't drink with them, OK? My father and sister aren't bad people, but they have a habit of drinking a little too much.”
My father red in the face shuffled towards us. In his hand was the famous local sake brew: “Kurasui”

“Go ahead Nagito! You have a drink as well!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, I’m still underage”

I tried hard to push it away from me, but as expected from a man of the mountains, he’s way more physically stronger than me. With his thick arms he forcefully grabbed my arm and didn’t let go.

“No, aren’t you around twenty years old by now?”

“Hey, at least bother remembering the age of your own son.”

Being drowned in breath smelling of liquor, we continued talking when the front door bell rang.
“Gooood Evening!”

The door opened and a familiar voice echoed in the hallway.

“Oooh!”

I recognized it by the voice, the bad company from my high school days had joined in.

“It’s good those guys came” I somehow managed to get away from my father and headed to the front door to greet the guests. There, the nostalgic faces were all lined up. The eccentric square faced guy with the family surname of Marui<ref>A pun because Marui means round</ref>: Maru-yan. Then there was Ranbashi, He’d lost some weight and gotten taller; he was actually pretty strong in fights but usually well mannered. Finally there was the guy always making trying to look cool and only chasing women, Hirayama also known as Pei chan.

“Oh, Nagi, is it?”

“You’ve returned!”

“You haven’t changed.”

“You guys haven’t either, have you been well?”

I bumped our shoulders and arms with each of them in our unusual way of exchanging greetings; my elder sister then arrived.
“The appetizers are here!” And she snatched away the food Maru-yan had brought as a gift.

“Your sister is the same as always.”

“Sorry, there are a lot of guests today so she’s frolicking about.”

“Guests?” Maru-yan asked inclining his head slightly as the manager of the occult site appeared staggeringly from the living room. Kirshna-san was now wearing the Hyottoko mask completely over her face.

“Ooh, Guests, is it? No, wait, am I the guest?”

“Hey, who is that?”

“Ah”. I took off Krishna-san’s mask and introduced her to the rest.

“She’s my senpai from university, Kurimoto-san. Various things happened, and we drove here in her car.”

“Is that so?”

Being slightly taken aback, the three bowed their heads and greeted.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Marui.”

“I’m Hirayama.”

“I’m Ranbashi.”

“Ahh, I’m Kurimoto, I’m Shina. Before I knew it, I ended up being called a scary name like Krishna.” Krishna-san replied while bowing unsteadily on her feet. After that she smiled again as she spoke to me.

“Hey Nagi-kun, I’m a little relieved. I thought you were a complete loner with no friends, but you do have some friends who have common courtesy after all.”

After that I beckoned the three in.

“Ah please come in.”

With that, Krishna-san who was acting self-importantly, disappeared into the living room once again.

“It seems to be getting pretty exciting around here” said Maru-yan happily while taking off his shoes. All I could do was shrug my shoulders.

The first one to enter the living room, Ranbashi raised his voice in surprise.

“A female high schooler. There’s a female high schooler here.”

“What did you just say?”

“It’s true. It really is a female high schooler!”

These three raising a ruckus all of a sudden, I asked exasperatedly:

“You guys have surely seen high school girls up until last year, right?”

“You idiot, all men don’t understand the preciousness of it at the time. After graduating, I’ve come to appreciate the figure of a high school girl in her uniform. I’m in agony over the fact that I didn’t enjoy the springtime of my youth to its fullest.”

“Pei-chan, it’s fine so just take a seat.”

With that, even the usually reserved Ranbashi howled:

“She’s an angel! I’ve never seen a girl as pretty as her.”

But, even with such a ruckus being raised in front of her, Yoishi was sitting with a dreary face drinking orange juice. I introduced the Yoishi to the three.

“This is Yoishi Mitsurugi, she’s a member of the same circle as me and Kurimoto back in Tokyo, well, that sort of thing.”

“Oh, Yoishi-chan, is it? Good evening.”

Immediately after Pei-chan’s greeting: “Uwaaaaa--!” Maru-yan let out a shriek.

“Dammit, I should have also gone to university in Tokyo! Hey Nagito! Can you meet beautiful girls like this in the city all over?”

“Not really all over or anything like that!”

“But you… with these two…”

“Calm down Maru-yan. I’m saying they’re just my senior and juni--.”

“Square faced and fair spoken, you sure are cute…” Krishna-san came staggering in and put her hands on my shoulder as she tried to join the conversation.

“Hear that, Nagi? That's how I'm usually treated! You're always making fun of my childish appearance, but I'm actually quite popular, alright?”

“Yeah, you're famous and popular alright… among occult maniacs all over Japan, that is.”

“That’s just cruel, it’s like you’re trying to say I’m some kind of UMA<ref>unidentified mysterious animal</ref>. “

“I’m not trying to say that at all.”

“Hey Nagi-suke! How long are you gonna stand at the entrance? Sit down. Have a drink!” My sister yelled and dragged me to a seat in the center.

“Everyone! Here’s to Nagi’s homecoming!”

“Oh! Welcome back!”

“Cheers”.

“Hahaha”.

They all leisurely raised their drinks up in the air.

“Thank you, I’m back” I also raised my glass; the party became a mess immediately after that. My father began dancing; my sister started singing. In the corner Krishna-san started telling an impromptu ghost story. Pei-chan, who hated scary stories tried to escape, but Ranbashi, wearing a straight face, kept him tied down. My mother kept focusing on the dinner intently, and tried to make sure we didn’t run out of drinks. I didn’t even drink a drop of sake, but after a long time I got drunk on the atmosphere of my home, I watched over the scene with a feeling of lightness wearing a slight grin.

At that moment, I suddenly realized…Yoishi had vanished before I knew it.

“Damn, where did she go?” I looked around restlessly and…

“Oi, Nagi.”

Maru-yan came crawling towards me.

“Where’s the bath?”

“Huh? You wanna take a bath?”

“I’m hopeless”.

“What’s wrong?”

“I was knocked down by Kurimoto-san’s breasts.”

“Huh?”

“She’s gonna use the bath, right? I’m gonna confirm the location of the bathroom beforehand for that. There has to be a window somewhere.” Maru-yan spoke with a sleepy look in his eyes.

“You… were forced to drink some alcohol, weren’t you?”

“I drank…no, I didn’t drink...”

“Which one is it?”

“I don’t know but, I haven’t had such a fun night in a long time. Maybe I’m drunk on the night? No, I’m drunk on Kurimoto-san’s breasts and Yoishi-chan’s beauty.”
“Ah-- Where did that Yoishi go?” I asked diverting from the topic. Maru-yan pointed unsteadily towards the outside.

“She just left. Is it the bathroom? Is it??”

…No way. I don’t think she would go take a bath voluntarily like that. Pushing away the clinging Maru-yan from me, I opened the sliding door and went out to the corridor. I followed the path of the veranda out into the garden to find Yoishi standing out there alone.

“Yo, what are you doing in a place like this?” I called out to her back, but she continued staring at the base of the mountain. I put on sandals heading out in the garden and stood next to Yoishi.

“It’s because it’s the sticks, that’s why there’s so many stars.” But Yoishi, without answering, pointed straight ahead. It was the way to the three gods’ mountain shrine.

“What is… that light?”

“Aah, that’s the iron basket fire for the festival, they’re going to try and keep it lit until the day of the festival.”

“It’s moving.”

“Huh?” I too, strained my eyes around halfway up Eboshiyama at the glimmering light. Now that you say it, I do feel like it is moving.

“What could it be then? Could they be switching the iron basket fire?”

“Hmmm…”

I looked at Yoishi, in the moon’s pale blue light reflected on her cheeks; she looked even paler and transparent than usual. At this late hour, what was she doing here? A strange feeling came over me. I...I felt like some other color of paint had spilled into my own palette. No, that wasn’t to say it was an unpleasant feeling, but…

“My household…is quite noisy, isn’t it?”

“That’s right”, she replied without hesitation while continuing to look up at the base of the mountain, then quietly whispered. “But, this is where your precious roots lie.”

----

That night, I was in that blue world again. In that old and large Japanese style house, roaming about in that dream. However, for some reason Yoishi was with me from the start, it apparently seemed to be a continuation of the dream I had recently.

“Well, why are you here again?” I asked, and Yoishi replied with a shine in her eyes.

“To find the entrance to the closed room.” Like that, she began arbitrarily walking briskly towards the back of the residence.

“Oi, Wait, Damn it.” It can’t be helped, I chased after her; midway through, I ran into the daughter of the house and her clingy cousins who were following her around. They walked alongside the daughter, as if keeping each other in check while talking to her. Even someone like me, who was ignorant about love affairs, knew a passionate battle was unfolding between the cousins around the daughter. Nevertheless, it seemed that they still couldn’t see us. The daughter passed through without exchanging glances with me, the two cousins continued to gaze at the daughter as they left. Yoishi didn’t try avoiding the daughter and the cousins as they passed right through her. As expected, it seemed Yoishi too, was an invisible spirit in this world.

Why am I’m thinking such carefree thoughts? Wait a minute. I was originally searching this residence for a happy ending to this dream. Instead, I had ended up searching for the true face of the lurking omen that was present. And when I’m with her, doesn’t this ominous premonition accelerate even faster? My wild imagination was spurring me towards eerie events unfolding. And then wouldn’t Yoishi’s eyes glitter, and I would end up in tears like always?

--It’s not funny.

Panicking, I put my hand on the shoulders of the advancing Yoishi.

“Hey, wait. You go back, this is my dream. Don’t just barge in here with your shining eyes like you own the place.”

But Yoishi replied without stopping.

“My appearance in your dream, it’s not my fault.”

“….Oof”

“This is no more than a dream you willingly dreamed, with me in it.”

it was a fair argument to make, It was hopeless to try and refute that,

“Then I’ll say it: I’m hoping to lead this dream to a happy conclusion. Which is why I’m begging you, just don’t say creepy things, ok? Don’t start saying things like ‘It’s strange’ or anything like that again, ok?”

However, even within a dream, Yoishi was still Yoishi.

“Say, have you heard the story of a dream you can’t wake up from?”

In that usual manner of hers, once more her dark eyes began to shine, and doing as she pleased, began to tell a story.

“Once you start watching a repeating dream. The occurrence of the dream increases in frequency gradually, before long you end up not being able to return from the dream world, that kind of ghost story. Or when you wake up from a dream, you hear the sound of a dripping wet mop from somewhere feeling someone’s presence approaching you; or how about the manifestation in reality of something you saw in a dream; there are various patterns, but in the end, the dream encroaches on reality resulting in death is the common thread.

“H-Hey, Don’t mess with me. Are you saying this dream is that?”

“I don’t know, but there’s one thing I’m curious about.”

With that lowered whisper, a detestable premonition set in and I put myself on guard.

“In this mansion, there is no outside.”

“…Huh?” Now that she said it, I haven’t been outside this mansion before. The story always concludes inside the mansion.

“No, wait a minute, that’s because I always wake up at that time, if I walked there, I could easily go out, right?”

Well, let’s try it out then, Yoishi opened the fusuma<ref>sliding door</ref> close by and headed towards the garden. Passing by the two rooms, we headed out in to the garden. Past the courtyard, In front of the entrance there was a large plaza with many cars parked. Yoishi, without stopping, continued to the front gate. Before long, we arrive at a large wooden gate standing sturdily in place, bolted with the wood of the hinoki. I was unsure if I could shift it with my power alone. But right alongside it, we found there was a smaller side entrance, so I pushed it. But, it didn’t budge in the slightest. Feeling befuddled at that moment, it soon struck me: As an existence akin to that of a ghost in this world, a door didn’t actually mean anything. I could just as easily pass through it. Thinking that, I pushed my body against the door itself, but for some reason my body was repelled. Something made me feel that a strong will that I hadn’t felt before was there.

“No way.”

I took a few steps back, and dashed toward the door crashing into it with my full force. But with a violent thud, I was repelled back and fell down. I had been drifting in this place for so long, and yet, I realized that the laws of physics applied to that door alone.

“You can’t leave this residence. Right?” Whispered Yoishi questioningly while I was still lying down on the ground.

“Why is that?”

“Ordinarily a lucid dream is said to be one established by the ego. That dream world should be actively controlled and freely manipulated by the dreamer. But in this dream, there are two things you can’t control freely…” Yoishi’s dark eyes suddenly began to be filled with life – I put myself on guard.

“That is, the closed room and yourself…”

I was half expecting that.

Yoishi spoke with an entranced expression.

“This dream probably has a hidden meaning”.

===3===

In the afternoon, the temperature had already reached 35 degrees. The sunlight was hitting like a hammer today. It was scorching enough that it felt like my hair would burst into flames at any point. One a day like this, I thought, it was insanity to construct the pedestal to be used in the festival, but when I put on a towel around my head and joined, everyone was lively, I also got caught up in it and ended up joining them in the hectic work.

My town -- Nango Town, was one of the smaller ones of Fujieda City; but nevertheless, whenever this festival draws near, people gush out from nowhere and before you know it, the front of three mountain god shrine ends up being overflowed with people. The job of constructing the festivals’ pedestal is always given to the young men of the city, but like my sister said, it was said to be our family’s responsibility this year. But still, in actuality it was being done by all the guys from downtown who were free at the time.

Today too, the front of the mountain shrine was crowded, in that crowd, I could see many nostalgic faces; at that time I would stop working, greet and have a deep talk with them. Everyone was wearing a smile on their faces. The old lady from the neighborhood who brought refreshments was also pleasant; being in this kind of atmosphere, it really made me realize that the festival was near.

“Yo, Nagi.”

Being greeted from behind, I turned around to see Maru’s square shaped face.

“Seems like the pedestal has begun construction, it really feels like the festival is getting pretty close, eh?”

“That’s right” Wiping off my sweat with a towel. I inquired:

“What about Ranbashi and Pei-chan?”

“They’ve got work in the afternoon; they may come in the evening.” Is that so? Come to think of it, among the lot that I used to hang out with in our high school days, only me and Maru-yan went on to higher studies. I went to a university in Tokyo; Maru-yan to a local technical school. His family owns a small restaurant; he too liked to cook so he decided to become a chef.

While recollecting such things, Maru-yan abruptly began to examine my expression.

“Are you sleeping properly? You’ve got dark circles under your eyes”

“….Aah.” To be honest, I felt like I wasn’t getting enough sleep recently. I had pulled consecutive all-nighters during my exams, after that, I was seeing the dream with the mansion every night, Furthermore, searching with Yoishi in the dream day after day. By itself, the dream is a place where I can drift around comfortably, but she just wanders here and there going “It’s strange” or “How unusual”, saying creepy things like that and bringing me to tears even within a dream. Originally, my sleep time meant for me to rest but my brain had naturally become exhausting because of this.

However, Maru came to his own conclusions, and, smirking, commented, looking somewhere off in the distance:

"Yeah, well, if I lived under the same roof with two hotties like that, I wouldn't be able to quit fantasizing either."

“What?..”

As I followed his gaze, I saw two girls vying for the title of Japan's most obsessed lover of the occult. Krishna-san, dressed in a pink t-shirt with a piglet on it, was helping out with catering preparations. Yoishi, on the other hand, was loafing about as usual, tight white blouse and black tie of her school uniform standing out against the picturesque countryside.

“Are they staying for the festival?”

“I think so, since they didn't leave after the offline meeting.”

“So there's one more reason to look forward to it," Maru grinned.

“Say, is it alright if I visit you again today?”

“Sure, but why?”

“For Yoishi and Krishna, of course. Pei-chan wanted to come too, and it seems that Ranbashi is also interested in Yoishi.”

“Listen, Maru-yan” I said sighing and putting down the lumber I was carrying. “Give it up. You don't want to mess with them, especially Yoishi.”

“Why?”

“She’s not normal. How should I put it? When you listen to her speaking, you’ll end up shaking and crying, or like the feeling of your soul leaving your body. “

When I spoke of her like that, I remembered…
*Yoishi is not a living human.
*Anyone who comes in contact with Yoishi will die in seven days.
*Anyone connected to Yoishi’s ghost stories meets a terrible end.
That is… just like those rumors spread on the internet about Yoishi in the past, they were just made up exaggerations…those words I had refuted in the past were not much different from what I had just said. I shook my head and corrected myself:

“No, In short… she just has taste in slightly different hobbies from the norm.”

“Well, that’s fine, city girls are like that, and I wanted to get to know someone who’s a little eccentric.”

It’s like this guy doesn’t get it all. Well, I wasn’t much different back then… I didn’t believe the rumors on the net either, up until I prowled around a haunted place with her.

You’ll get cursed just by talking to her. If you meet her you die. Those kinds of rumors were spread because her speech had a strange pull. Like Kirshna san had said, her words contain things people shouldn’t know. But, I didn’t know how to explain that to Maru-yan who had no interest in the occult.

“Oh—Maru-yan” With long hair tied up like a pineapple, my elder sister appeared.

“Square faced as always”

“Oh, Thanks for the meal yesterday.”

“It’s fine, I had fun as well.” Saying that, with a whomp, my sister suddenly punched me in the gut. I buckled over instantly grasping for air.

“Say Nagi. I’ve taken a liking…”

“T-to what…?”

“Krishna-chan, she’ll make a good wife, don’t you think?” She boasted while using the broom in her hand as a cane, she’s only twenty two still a bachelorette, yet she acts like an old village hag match maker nodding to herself.

“That’s right? I’ve got to try, don’t you think?” said Maru-yan earnestly as if embarking on a new venture.

“You Idiot, A wife for Nagi here”.

“Why is that? This guy doesn’t seem to think like that”.

“Oh, is that so? Are you in the Yoishi faction then?” Staring in amazement, I waved my hands as if to say no.

“It’s really not like that with those two.”

“Don’t be shy now. I mean for a wife, it’s better for you to choose Krishna-chan. Someone like you who’s always in a daze… an older wife would be just fine. She was asking about the three mountain god to the head of the neighborhood association just now, and he was also buzzing in admiration about her -- that she was so young and so knowledgeable.”

That’s obvious. She is the manager of a huge occult website that earns tens of thousands of hits a day. According to Karasu-san, she is a person who has applied for collaborative research with professors of folklore at various universities.

“Compare that with Yoishi-chan, who’s rather eccentric”. With those words, I looked towards Yoishi, she was sitting near the shrine archway. And I was dumbfounded at what I saw. For some reason, Yoishi was digging up the base of the archway of the three mountain god shrine, with a seemingly smiling expression.
“Yeah… definitely a little weird”. Muttered Maru-yan as I rushed over to Yoishi in a hurry.

Her expression of ecstasy had been brought forth by digging out something she wasn’t supposed to.

“Oi! Don’t do stuff that’ll get you cursed.” I rapped Yoishi's head as she poked around the base of the torii with a sharp stone picked up from somewhere nearby.

“Ow! That hurt”

“Sure it did, now what were you doing there?”

“This place is interesting.” Yoishi looked up towards me. Her eyes were shining brightly, I quickly regained my composure.

“That’s fine; I don’t want to hear it.” But Yoishi continued speaking without a care.

“I wonder if everyone is aware. The torii is in this direction-“

“That’s enough! Stop it already!” I screamed. Was it because I had been out in the sun for too long? Or maybe because of a lack of sleep, or perhaps because of the hidden meaning in her words. I felt unsteady of my feet, as if gastric juice was welling up inside me. Don’t say anymore unnecessary things, is what I wanted to say. Menacing me in my dreams, and scaring me in reality as well, where was I supposed to run to?

“Why? It’s an important thing” Yoishi kept crouching down looking up at me with her dark eyes.

I stood there taking a deep breath, staring at Yoishi. Her school uniform had become crumpled already. The same white blouse had become wrinkled after being worn for a few days. Her hands were dirty from messing around in the dirt; she hadn’t taken a shower so her naturally long and beautiful hair was dirty again. As everyone was merrily going about their work with a smile preparing for the ceremony, she was looking up to me with an ominous gaze as if she were a lone, corrupted entity in all of this.

“Why are you like this?” I asked feeling dizzied under the strong sunlight. “Why do you always say things like that? Isn’t everyone having fun with the festival preparations? This festival only happens once every three years. It’s a small town but everyone adjusts their schedule for this day. So I’m begging you, just read the atmosphere. I’m not asking you to help or anything, just don’t get in the way. Don’t try and ruin things at least!” Oh, I think I may have overreacted. I don't know why I suddenly snapped at this girl who was younger than me. I should have stopped, but due to the lack of sleep, her tendency to do strange things that made people around her look askance, and the fact that I wanted to improve her situation just a little bit, I couldn't help myself. I had already crossed the line; it was too late to retreat.

“Why can't you live like a normal person? You have to go to school and learn to talk to people normally. Otherwise you'll have a very hard time later in life.”

Yoishi looked down in silence.

“What do you mean by normal?”

“Huh?”

“In this world, is there any worth in conforming?”

The darkness in Yoishi's eyes seemed eternal. More so than time at the Hachioji hospital; more so than the night at the reservoir, the darkness was even deeper.
"No- that is... There's many disagreeable people, so it's obvious, anyone who can't adapt to that will find living difficult, right?"

"Adapting? I wonder if that has any meaning" Yoishi stood up with her hands still dirty staring off somewhere. That back of hers looked slender and unreliable as always. Anyways, I was tired and irritated: of her, and her words. Tired from my exams, tired of my dreams, I had no energy to comprehend what her words meant.

“Anyway, just don’t get in the way of the festival.” I said over my shoulder as I left Yoishi and returned to the preparations for the festival.

--

On that night, it was a full moon. I was looking happily at the beautiful full moon’s perfect circle, holding the bat tightly in my hands. The location was the garden at the back of the house. Why was I standing here alone while being stung by striped mosquitoes? That was entirely Maru-yan and the others’ fault. After we had finished the construction of the pedestal for the festival, Ranbashi and the others had gathered at my house for a party at evening time. While helping out my mother, I was keeping an eye out for Krishna-san, who had an extremely anti-alcoholic constitution, as well as the underage Yoishi to make sure that my father and the others would not make them drink any alcohol. However, Krishna-san would get intoxicated just by the smell of alcohol alone, and after about 30 minutes, was once again dancing around wearing the tengu mask. The problem occurred after that.

My mother announced that the bath was ready and urged Krishna-san and Yoishi to take a bath first. That moment, I witnessed Maru-yan and Pei-chan’s suspicious behavior. After a while, they fled to the hallway. I had a bad feeling and chased them outside, catching them in the front door.

“Where are you two off to?”

“Nowhere-- just to observe the moon for a little bit.”

“Liar, you’re going to peep in the bath, right?”

When pointed out so bluntly: “Please look the other way, Nagito” Pei-chan exaggeratedly begged while putting his hands together and raising them over his head in supplication.

Not a chance. “Are you animals? Have you lost your senses?”

“Peeping is a man’s romance, a deed that humanity must carry”. Maru-yan came up with such absurd reasoning, I firmly shook my head.

“It’s no good; I’m going to stand guard until those two step out of the bath.”

“Well, we’re going home then”. Maru-yan quickly replied.

“How’s that? You can’t stop us from leaving.”

“Are you really going home?”

“If we stay here, we’d just be anguished and go crazy, it’s better to say good bye and leave here, right, Pei-chan?”

“O-oh..! That’s right. Let’s go back.” Exchanging looks in a strange way, nodding to each other in unison was too suspicious.

Oh, you’re leaving already? Replied my sister as the two bid their farewells and left. Seeing the two off in silence, I looked into the tatami room. Ranbashi was trapped alone with my father as he narrated his tales of heroism from his younger days. I could trust Ranbashi based on his personality. But those two wouldn’t possibly go home so obediently like that, I thought. With that, I returned to my room for the time being, and grabbed the wooden bat from my elementary school days. After that I thrust a flashlight in my pocket and went outside. I took up position in the rear garden on the north side of the house, and stood guard outside the window of the bathroom.

It wasn’t like I didn’t comprehend the feeling of wanting to peek in on women taking a bath, but I was indebted to Krishna-san, and I had said some harsh things to Yoishi in the afternoon; that feeling of remorse mixed in, is why I stood guard here alone. The bathroom’s window was slightly open, a few meters ahead of me, the light and the steam was drifting from there. I was relentlessly chasing off the striped mosquitoes that were coming close to me.

“I really am quite weak with alcohol.” Soon I heard her, the voice of Krishna-san.

“Hey, Get in already.” She called out to someone. Probably Yoishi, I thought. Incidentally, I had requested Krishna-san in the afternoon, to take Yoishi with her when she goes to take a bath at night. As far as I knew, Yoishi had not stepped into the bath even once since she had come here. I was afraid my family would say that to me as well, which is why I requested Krishna-san. If Yoishi couldn’t wash her body or her hair herself, it’s regretful, but would you do it? Is what I asked.

“Hey, don’t get in the bathtub so suddenly.” Came Krishna-san’s voice from the window, along with the lively sound of a splash and bubbles. I plugged my ears, but that didn’t stop the scent of the shampoo drifting in my direction. My mind gradually got stimulated. This is crazy, isn’t it like I’m the one peeping in this scenario? I fervently shook my head but, the image of those two naked was vividly being drawn in my mind.

“Those are what are called worldly desires, Nagito.” I heard a voice and looked around at the fence to see Maru-yan and Pei-chan’s faces peering in.

“You’ve arrived, have you…? You shameless lot…”

“The shameless one here is you”.
Brazenly, the two climbed over the fence slowly.

“Hey, don’t come in.”

“Be quiet, Nagito. Otherwise they’ll hear you.”

“That’s why I’m telling you not to come.”

“Silently, we’ll reach there. After that it’ll just be fun in our day dreams.”

One way or the other, they climbed down to the other side of the fence, and crouched over to my side.

“If you take one more step from there, this is going to roar.” I readied my bat. Ok, we get it, the two whispered. That moment, another splash, and the sound of flipping hot water was heard.

“Hey! I’ll wash your head, so look over here.” Spoke Krishna. Soon, the shampoo’s fragrant scent would once again drift our way. I turned around just then to make eye contact with Maru-yan and Pei-chan. Their faces were stretched outward to the maximum limit.

“Don’t smell it! Don’t listen!” I spoke as the two replied in unison:

“That’s impossible.” They blurted out in hoarse tones.

“It’s so good.”
“A woman is so good.”

“I can’t bear it.”

They kept repeating things like that and mumbling. Ah, I know! I know these things already. After all, I was trying frantically to suppress the squirming lower half of my body. So stop speaking already.

“However, I have a question.” Yoishi’s voice suddenly rang out.

“What do you need to eat, to get big breasts like that?”

“Hey…“

“Naturally, women's breasts swell. But your breasts are clearly outrageous”

“………..”

“I pressed my nose in a hurry. I felt like something warm was pushing up from the back of my nose. However, something red was already hanging from the nostrils of Pei-chan and Maru-yan.

“How should I know? I didn’t like my breasts becoming this big in the first place. I think yours are just about right.”

“Mine are almost non-existent”

“Isn’t that fine? Look, they are just fine. They fit in the size of a woman’s hand, just the right size”

I thought she was flat chested, so that’s what it was. I unintentionally pictured it.

“Is that so, I wonder? I’ve read somewhere that that an unmanageable size is the best.” Came Yoishoi’s rebuttal. “Oval in shape; white and lustrous, like ripened peaches, or watermelons about to burst. I wanted you to tell me if you had a secret method.”

At the same time as suppressing the delusions bubbling forth, I was cheering Yoishi on to give more descriptions. Suddenly, before I knew it, the maple in the backyard was shaking. Pei-chan was shaking it in order to endure something. Maru-yan was holding it back from shaking desperately. Both their faces were so flush they could burst.

“T-that’s enough! Stop it, this topic of breasts” With Krishna-san’s shy voice, the discussion on breasts was over. The sound of the boiling water became more furious than before, the steam and scent overflowed all the more from the window.

“By the way, why are you clinging to Nagi-kun?” Krishna-san’s inquiry brought about a temporary silence in the bath. That’s right, I recalled as I finally regained control of myself. Certainly, that is a problem. I did say I would show her Eboshi mountain, but at that time it was just a figure of speech, in the first place, mountains of this height were plenty in Tokyo.

“What? Is it inconvenient for you?” Yoishi’s words brought about another silence. Suddenly with a thump, I was struck at my side. When I looked, Pei-chan was glaring at me a dripping nosebleed. Oh, it’s like that, is it you bastard? He whispered. I waved my hands as if to say no.

“To begin with, was your coming here even meaningful? Did you have any interest in the three god manifestation fire festival?”
“I did have an interest, but perhaps a different aim than yours”.

“What’s that?”

“Originally, I heard that the festival started as a thank-you to the mountain gods of this whole area that flourished in forestry. However, if we assume that, there will be various inconsistencies.”

“…………..”

“I thought you realized it” ….What is it? What is this discussion? I was puzzled.

“Don’t pry into that, Yoishi.” Krishna-san spoke sternly. “The village has its own circumstances. In ancient places where people live, circumstances which outsiders can’t perceive, those kinds of things. Moreover, in that kind of process, the circumstances pile up. An outsider digging up that kind of stuff isn’t good.”

“Even if that was related to a curse?”

....What? What curse?

“That festival was not born out of thanks or reverence.”

“Even if that were true…” Krishna interrupted Yoishi’s words. “There are many festivals where the conditions changed after many long years. Now, it’s just a festival of gratitude. It’s only held to exorcise any impurity. Don’t speak of what was sealed here once in the past. This town… is tied to that fire festival.”

The conversation had completely become occult focused, my erotic thoughts quickly withered away. These two are always like this. After all, there was never a time when these two got along like young girls playing house with dolls. Nevertheless, standing in the same posture for a long time made my legs go completely numb. I unintentionally staggered from my spot. I ended up leaning on Maru-yan who, in turn pushed down Pei-chan.

“Owww!”

Raising that kind of voice, we fell down in unison. The bat I was holding also dropped down making a rattling noise and breaking the flower pot that had been left there.

“W-who is it?” Krishna-san’s voice roared from the bath, at the same time Maru-yan and Pei-chan dashed out of there. They jumped the fence like flying monkeys and disappeared on the other side. I tried to follow, but my legs were still numb, I made for the fence but my legs slipped and I fell again. This time, a different flower pot was broken.

“Oh! Hey, Yoishi!” When I heard Krishna's voice, I involuntarily turned around. There, in the wide-open bathroom window, stood Yoishi. She was staring intently at me, covered only up to her waist by the wall.

“What are you doing here?”

“Ah... I... Well, it's...”

Despite the light coming from behind her back, which obscured all the important details, I could make out the outline of the girl's body. Her pure white skin and the flawless curves of her figure were capable of depriving me of sleep for years to come.

“Don't forget that if you peek,” she said, looking at me coldly. Something warm dripped from my nose.

“...someone might peek back.”

===4===

That night, I couldn’t sleep as Yoishi’s naked body kept flickering in my mind. Before I knew it, I was once again drifting in that blue dream world after falling asleep. Looking around me, now I could confidently say this place had become a second home for me: The old Japanese style mansion. As always, I began to wander lazily around the mansion. Yoishi was by my side on this day as well.

“Before we wake up, let’s find the entrance of that room.” Her dark eyes shined, with her usual black and white school uniform, she spoke with enthusiasm. Promptly taking the lead and walking forward, she opened the fusuma door completely and wandered around.

“Hold on.”

Still confused between reality and dream, I spoke out to her:

“That was….I wasn’t trying to peep in the bath. I was trying to stop the peeping toms from going there.”

“I don’t care.” Said Yoishi without looking back. “Why does this mansion have a room you can’t get into? Why can’t you go out of this mansion? I want to find that out today.”

….That’s right. This girl didn’t even have a general reaction of being embarrassed when seen naked. She only cares about paranormal events. Going on a trip without bringing a change of clothes, not taking a bath, vomiting everywhere, not helping out at the festival, digging around at the tori of the three god mountain shrine; that’s the kind of girl she was. I had completely forgotten because of that juvenile peeping scene at the bath. Breathing a sigh, I followed her.
The dark, chilly, heavily worn floorboards gleamed in the dim light filling the room. Without knowing why, I thought it was early in the morning just before the sun was about to rise. The air felt tense, as if prickling my skin. It was the first time it was nighttime in this dream. it wasn’t like the filter of a bluish 8 mm film I was used to, it felt as if I were drifting at the bottom of the pale blue sea. The air felt traced with stickiness, I rubbed my body to get rid of that feeling.

Without a care, Yoishi continued exploring the mansion opening the fusuma doors, I was looking into the rooms after her when suddenly, in one of those rooms, I saw the girl of the mansion sleeping there and became flustered.

“Hey, Yoishi! Everyone is sleeping, leaving the doors open like that is rude.” Yoishi suddenly stopped. And looked back at me and stared at my face intently.

“Did you just say something?”

“What I’m saying is that we shouldn’t leave the doors open for people who are asleep…”

“Where was someone sleeping?”

“Eh?” I took one step back and stood in front of the room the girl was sleeping in and pointed there.

“Isn’t she sleeping there?” Yoishi silently came to my side and took a look into the room. Then silently shook her head.

“I don’t see anyone.”

“Eh? But, the girl of the mansion is—”

Yoishi cut me off halfway: “People are living in this mansion?”

“….You never saw them?”

Ignoring my question, Yoishi continued, asking how many people there were in total.

“Uhhh…. The ones I know of are the head of the household, his daughter, two cousins. Also, the servants are also around here somewhere…”

“What are the characteristics of the head of the house? The daughter? Do the two cousins resemble each other?” Being asked questions in rapid succession, I explained the characteristics of the family as well as I could remember. Yoishi remained silent for a while listening with her hand on her chin, before long she uttered something cryptic.

“The two cousins may be pointing to something”

“The cousins?” I mean, weren’t they just supporting characters? The daughter had been firmly established in my mind as the main character in this dream. However, Yoishi had come up with something, Is that so? She muttered as she suddenly closed the fusuma in front of her. And she vigorously ran off from that place.

“H-hey, Yoishi!”

While I was still dumbfounded, Yoishi was running around the mansion, closing all the fusuma and sliding doors that had been left open.

“Hey, What are you doing?” She didn’t answer. Before long she returned again to where I was standing in front of the daughter’s room when she pointed to the door.

“Open the fusuma”

“Eh?”

“This time, open it with your own hands.” What is she saying? I wondered. Yoishi’s facial expression suggested she would keep silent and not move until I did as she said. It couldn’t be helped, as I turned to face the fusuma door.

Is this what they call a Kayou pattern? The blooming flower was thinly drawn on the fusuma with streamlined brushwork. Finally, I put my hand on the fusuma, but did not manage to grab it. My fingers slipped as they passed through.

--Ah, that’s right. When I think about it, I hadn’t opened a fusuma door in this dream before. I thought I would try to open it, but each time my fingers didn't work and the sliding doors just moved subtly, so it became troublesome and I passed through as it was. It was a dream after all, I didn’t think it was strange or anything. I was a spirit in this dream after all.

“Isn’t this hard?” I asked Yoishi, who silently opened the fusuma door again, and closed it again.

“It’s simple.”

“…Is that so?” Once again, I tried to put my fingers on the Fusuma. Like before, my fingertips did feel something but, they just ended up passing through and I couldn’t open the door properly. Without knowing why, a chill crawled up from under my feet. Yoishi could easily do something I couldn’t, she also couldn’t see the people in the mansion.

Did she perceive the dream differently from me? No… Thinking about it rationally, Yoishi was a part of my dream, and it would be correct to assume that the Yoishi in my subconscious was saying something weird again.

“That’s enough.” Yoishi nodded slightly. I shook my head.

“Wait. A little bit mor-“

“It’s fine. You can never open the fusuma”

“….What, did you say?” That shouldn’t be possible. It was just because I was lightly drifting around, that was why I couldn’t grab hold. As I was about to say that, Yoishi announced something strange.

“I'm sure that for you, the fusuma is not a thing you can open.”

When I heard those words –I heard a creaking sound from somewhere. It echoed from somewhere in the mansion is what I thought, but in fact, it echoed from inside me. A rustling sound that felt like it had echoed from afar, innumerable echoes ringing, and becoming louder, finally converging together. When I realized they had changed into someone’s voice.

Opening it is forbidden. This room belongs to「xxx」. Absolutely must not be opened. That voice, where was it from? Before I knew it, my knees where trembling furiously. It was incomparable up until now. Even in that strange house, even in that hospital late at night, they had not trembled so much.

“Is it scary?” I heard the usual line from her. “Do you feel fear now?” Those eyes, endlessly dark, filled with unending darkness. I trembled all over; I felt I was confronting something extremely ominous.

Yoishi is not a living human being. If you meet Yoishi by chance, you will die in seven days. Those who come across Yoishi’s ghost stories meet a terrible end. Those kinds of urban legends on the internet were vividly becoming real and cornering my heart and soul. The whole mansion quickly became distorted, and, that might have been because of my scream, I thought. This was not just my dream world: when my heart and soul became exhausted, this world too, would distort. But – Originally it was just supposed to be a dream. And yet, why did things become so fearful? If I wake up now… the usual everyday routine would be waiting for me, wouldn’t it?
However, I had been gazing at this dream for too long. And, this dream which already had Yoishi included in it had become a continuous story. Suddenly the word "possessed" crossed my mind. And I was reminded of the phrase a woman who had once been with Krishna said, "It's already gotten a bit inside."

I – looked silently at Yoishi’s face. Is she trying to destroy something important of mine? The moment I realized that, a chill ran down my spine. This blue world was just a dream. It was the same dream I had seen repeatedly, but I wasn't scared to see it. Rather, I had enjoyed wandering about. Certainly, I had felt the presence of a hidden room; it might have been an influence of ‘the house that grants wishes’. This kind of exhaustion hadn’t set in until, she appeared. That’s right; it was her words that had brought upon such hopelessness and distortion. Just by having something connected with her, is enough to manifest a door to the underworld. If she opens her mouth, that door is sure to open. You’ll end up seeing something you’re not supposed to see.

But,

“If, you really are scared…” Yoishi spoke with a different air than usual. “It would be better to not continue from here on.”

“…What?”

“If you continue from here on, you might end up seeing something you’re not supposed to see.”

“………….”

“The thing I can say for sure is that you have to open the fusuma door yourself to finish this dream.”

I didn't understand anymore. The tremors of my feet were even shaking the whole mansion. No, this blue dream world itself was shaking and distorting. It would be the correct decision to end this dream. It would be correct to end it without seeing something I wasn’t supposed to see.

However…

“….Yoishi, I can’t take it anymore.” I spat out. “I didn’t believe you were a cursed person, or that someone would die if they came in contact with you. But I can't do it anymore. I’m scared” I spoke while slapping my shaking knees. “I’m…scared of you.” I knew those kinds of words would usually hurt other people. But I really was a coward after all. I may have liked scary things, but I had no tolerance for them. I realized that I didn't have an inquisitive mind about the strange and unknown like her. My spirit, worn out by various things, was fragile and at its breaking point. It was as if my nerves had peeled out of my skin, on top of that, Yoishi’s words were painful. If I continued to listen to Yoishi, I couldn’t get rid of the feeling that something inside me would crumble and disappear without a trace.

“--I’m sorry.” I bowed my head as I apologized. “Please disappear, Yoishi.” Gripping my trembling knees, I beseeched the Yoishi in my dream. It was a dream I was dreaming willfully, yet, I didn’t want to see her shape anymore, I wished that from the bottom of my heart. Whereupon, something in the blue dream world began to shake; I slowly raised my head to see no one by my side. I looked behind and in the surroundings: Yoishi’s figure had completely disappeared. I let out an unsteady breath, and crumpled to the floor. More so than Yoishi disappearing, it was a sigh of relief that I was once again, in control my dreams.

That’s right… This was after all, my dream in the first place. With renewed confidence, I once again faced the fusuma door.

To end this dream, you must open the fusuma door with your own hands. Whether Yoishi’s suggestion was right or wrong, I had to do it, I thought. There was no reason to not open it. Why would I be scared of something like a fusuma? Why would I be scared of the presence on the other side of the fusuma? If I don’t open this door, I'll keep dreaming this dream for the rest of my life.

“I will end this dream.” I tried to persuade myself as I spoke those words. I placed my shaking fingers on the fusuma’s handle once again. I concentrated my fingertips on the slight texture of the flat surface. Taking a deep breath, I gradually poured my power into it. As if I was breaking an ancient seal, I poured power into my fingers. There was a slight hint of movement, and the fusuma eventually moved. At that moment, I felt an overwhelming light shining at the back, the sound of something breaking violently. However, that quickly passed by and in front of me, the fusuma opened. However,

--However.

“…..What is this?” Before my eyes, there was no trace of daughter’s tidied room from before. Neither the daughter, nor the futon was there. It was like a completely different room. The air pierced my nose; it was a dead room on the verge of collapse that looked like it hadn’t been used for a hundred years.

“…What is this place?” My voice shook; I realized the fear hadn’t gone away.

“That is….?” In the dark interior of the room, something was there.
Something was placed on the alcove at the back of the room. My brain felt completely uneasy about trying to understand what lay there. But I realized, Yoishi had said it: it was something I wasn’t supposed to see. However,

I had already opened the fusuma.

I will immediately end this dream. I will return to my normal life. That’s right, with all the courage I could muster, I took one step forward. The sound of the tatami mat bending echoed along with that of a creak similar to that of a person crying. I approached the alcove, and grabbed it.

In the dim light, what stood there was --- an old kokeshi doll.

A kokeshi doll, it had been left there for countless years, without being cleaned by anyone. The brush strokes depicting the soft corner of the eyes, I was about to recall something, when the kokeshi spoke:

“Even after I told you not to open it...”

----

“…Nagi-kun”

I heard a voice. “Get a hold of yourself, Nagi-kun”, it made me feel somewhat better; the moment I realized who it was, I finally woke up.

“Are you alright?” In the darkly lit room, the one shaking me was Krishna-san. “You were making a lot of noise like you were having a nightmare. Sorry I entered your room because of that” Saying that, she opened the curtain. The moon’s light seeped in; Krishna-san’s figure in her fancy sleep-wear became apparent.
“Did you have a bad dream?” She said, as she sat down on the bed, slightly putting her hand on my knee, I became flustered and pulled back my knee.

When I think about it, both Krishna-san and Yoishi were supposed to be asleep in the guest rooms in the first floor. My voice echoed from the room in the second floor – How much did I yell to reach that far?

“Don’t worry.” Krishna-san said with a smile, As if reading my mind. “Yoishi and I were in the same room, I woke up because she was grumbling in her sleep.”

It was my first time seeing Krishna-san without glasses. On top of that, she was too cute in those strawberry pajamas. She was reflected in the moonlight with her smooth bobbed hair slightly disheveled. My heart started beating fast, to hide that I took repeated deep breaths.

“Is there anything troubling you?” Krishna-san asked me. That straight gaze was fixed on the inside of my eyes, as if she could see right through me. I nodded, and began to open up bit by bit about everything that had happened until now. I started talking about seeing the same dream recently, about it being a lucid dream, about the large Japanese style mansion as the setting and it being a continuous story. About the family living there, about there being an unreachable room. Yoishi’s recent appearance in the dream, the dream rapidly becoming creepier due to her. However, while in the middle of my talk, I became sour. I know from experience. People's nightmares are not scary to hear. Rather, the more desperately we try to convey that fear, the more the listener will be disillusioned.

“Well, it’s that sort of thing, but – It’s not scary, is it?” Hearing me say that, Krishna-san crossed her legs and looked at me with a serious face.

“No-That is, not really a good tendency.” Hearing that unexpectedly serious tone, I unconsciously sat up straight.
“A dream is a chaotic piece of memory randomly constructed from your unconscious mind. And, in that dream, the room you can’t go into is – probably… A thing you unconsciously want to forget, that’s a high probability.”

“I was told something similar by Yoishi”, in my dream of course, I added.

“And yet, why did you open it?”

“…..Eh?”

“People are animals that can forget things they don't want to remember. And that especially goes for humans: who have this rare ability. It's an important factor in keeping a human sane. Digging that up as a joke is just problematic.”

It seemed Krishna-san was implicitly laying the blame at Yoishi.

“I’ll give you one stern warning.” With a strict, straight gaze towards me, Krishna-san spoke.

“Don’t associate with her anymore.”

“No, but it’s a dream—” Krishna-san cut me off quietly:

"Listen, Nagi-kun. I told you before. The spirits try desperately to seek meaning. They seek meaning because their existence is weak."

"Yes, but what does that have to do with my dream….?"
"In seeking meaning, many ghosts and Yoishi Mitsurugi are almost the same."

“……”

“Maybe she and you -- no, she and all human beings, are in a different place from the very start. Perhaps she is already in the world beyond while still living. We are standing in this world talking about the world beyond, in comparison: she stands alone in the world beyond while talking about the world beyond. That is exactly why her words are filled with gloom, causing fear and anxiety in the listener.”

That’s right, within the dream, the fear I felt was that I was going to be ‘taken away’ by her. To a place I wouldn’t be able to come back from, I wouldn’t be able to wake up again, I thought I would be dragged to the world on the other side. At that moment, above all else: I feared Yoishi. I was frightened by something that could be glimpsed in her dark eyes.

So that is what is known as the power of the world beyond.

“She seeks meaning in the paranormal. And her reason for seeking it must also have something to do with the other side. It's not a good thing for a living person to start digging into. There are some things people aren’t supposed to know.” With those words, I remembered that forgotten dark room. There was certainly something over there that made me think I didn't want to stay there for even a minute or a second. I scratched my head, and I asked:

“But –what should I do? How do I stop seeing that dream?”

It’s difficult, replied Krishna as she folded her arms. “If you are conscious of a specific dream, it will inevitably be easier to link with -- The best thing is to turn your consciousness towards something else, like a manga or a novel, until you fall asleep naturally.” With that she looked at me: “But regardless, you too are to blame for seeing the same dream repeatedly.”

“Eh?”

“Didn’t I tell you? You have no tolerance for the occult. In spite of that you’ve ignored my warnings recently. You choose to wander around in the depths of this world by choice. On top of that, doing exactly what a child like Yoishi tells you to do, that’s nothing more than reaping what you sow.”

“T-that’s cruel, please don’t say such coldhearted things.” Without thinking I grabbed Krishna-san’s shoulder, the petite occult site manager jumped in a shock and her cheeks turned flush red.

“A-anyway, as soon as the festival is over, I’ll take responsibility and take Yoishi back to Tokyo, You spend your summer vacation here in your hometown. Your mind and spirit is exhausted from living in Tokyo alone for so long! Got it? Well, Good night!” saying that rapidly like a machine gun, she got up and darted out of the room. For some reason or the other, it seems she realized that she was in a guy’s room late at night, on top of that in her pajamas.

I took a deep breath.

“But, you know...” I gazed at the half-moon from the window. “I was told not to associate with Yoishi ever again but… She’s here until the festival. Even though it’s unpleasant, I’ll end up meeting her somehow”.

To be honest, when I think about it, it’s not Yoishi who I’m afraid of; rather, it’s the words she spits out. For example: What I had been looking at with peace of mind up until now had turning it into something uncomfortable. Making me feel that there was no safe place in this world, that kind of despair. Her words were filled with these kinds of unlucky things.

On the other hand, to call her unpleasant -- I don’t feel that’s the case. She’s a little difficult to approach, and it’s not like I can just call her eccentric or anything.

“Dammit…I don’t know!” Why do I have to be so sleepless about Yoishi? Getting angry at myself with thoughts like that, I got up and left my room. I moved through the dark corridor, passing my sister’s room along the way, going down the stairs to the first floor. I poured myself a cup of water in the kitchen and drank it in one gulp. After idly spending time there for a while, I was about to return to my room, when I realized it…

The second floor, which was added around the time my sister started going to junior high school, had a Western-style structure; the first floor had my parents’ room, the tatami room and the guest room -- Everything was a chain of Japanese style rooms. I think they had been made in such a way to accommodate a large number of guests; however, all of the partitions were fusuma doors.

--You can never open the fusuma.

I recalled the words Yoishi had said in my dream.

“…It can’t be.” Feeling slightly nervous, I proceeded into the corridor, and stood in front of the guest room. Taking one gulp I stretched out my hands, and placed them on the fusuma. I could feel the dry touch on my fingertips. With that, my heart became stronger, and I put all my strength into them. The fusuma opened abruptly. The living room where the party was held the other day spread before my eyes. On the tatami mats, there was a large table, and in the corner, a Buddhist altar. On it, my grandmother and grandfather were smiling peacefully, it was the living room I had been used to since childhood.

“...... That’s right, didn't it always open like this?” Muttering that, I once again moved in the direction of the stairs, once more standing in front of my parents’ room. Taking a gulp, I put my fingers on the fusuma, quietly opening it.

“….It opens. It was just a dream after all, how ridiculous.” as I muttered that triumphantly, in that moment, I realized it.

In that dark room, there was no futon. It was the dead of night, but neither my mother nor father were present. The moonlight shining in from the window was clear and blue. This is, just like the mansion in the dream, dyed in pale blue everywhere. In that room with no one else, the sound of my heartbeat had started reverberating loudly. There’s no way, I muttered.

At that moment, as if being guided by something, my eyes were drawn to the inner part of the room. I noticed a closet was there, and the pattern that was drawn on that fusuma came into view, it was the Kayou pattern…

--You must not open it.
--This room belongs to「xxx」, that’s why you must absolutely not open it.

Remembering the voice I had heard in the dream – I staggered into the room. I recalled the story Yoishi had spoken of in the dream, about a dream you couldn’t wake up from. Things that happen in the dream begin to manifest themselves in reality, is what she said.

“No, it’s the other way around.” I said as if trying to convince myself. “I had unconsciously seen this pattern here, that’s why it appeared in my dream." I said that, standing In front of the design that was exactly the same as the one in the dream.

“That’s right, I’m sure of it. That’s why I should be able to open this one as well.”

Up until now I had opened two fusuma doors. Just like those two, it would be fine to try and open this one as well. But – my hands were shaking. My legs were as well, I couldn’t take one more step. Without knowing it, I was sweating. I couldn’t get close to the fusuma which was just a few meters ahead of me.

--It’ll be fine if I do it tomorrow, I thought. That’s right. I shouldn’t push myself. It’ll be fine if I open it tomorrow when it’s daytime.

But, the moment I tried to escape placing my foot at the entrance, I heard a scraping sound behind me. Something cold ran down my back, my legs became petrified.

--What is that sound?

I want to know. But, I don’t want to look. I’m not supposed to look.

My heart began to throb violently.

But, my neck was, slowly turning back.

I didn’t want to know the true identity of that sound, but as if it was being manipulated, my head turned back.

In the dark interior of the room – The fusuma, was slightly open.

It was just a few centimeters, a gap appeared, from which the jet-black darkness could be seen.

From the other side of the darkness, something was peeking at me.

While listening to my screams from somewhere – my consciousness… disappeared.

===5===
The sound of bursting fireworks reverberated from the other side of the window. The bright sunlight shone in through the curtains and illuminated the room. I opened my eyes – I was, on my bed. About to fall over at any moment because of my bad sleeping posture, I simply looked up at the ceiling in a daze.

“…Is this, reality?” I couldn’t make sense of what was real and what wasn’t anymore. Firstly, I’ll try to pinch my cheeks. It hurts. I couldn’t be convinced with just that, I repeatedly slapped my head. It hurts to a ridiculous extent.

Scratching my hair, I finally let out a deep breath. Standing up, I shifted the window curtains aside and peeked outside. Along the road, I could see many parents and children walking while wearing traditional happi coats<ref>Happi is a traditional tube-sleeved Japanese coat, usually worn during festivals. The usual happi color is blue, and the symbols of the festival or the participating association are depicted on the lapels and back in red, black or white.</ref>. I drew the curtains open fully, and opened the window. The summer breeze blew in, that dense hot air quickly woke me up. From afar, I could hear the sound of laughter and the traditional music. The sunlight was already strong.

I heard the sound of a flute drifting in through the wind from somewhere.

“It’s the festival.”

The day of the Fujieda three-mountain gods’ fire festival had clear weather.

But – The emotional uplift of the festival I was intimate with since childhood had been completely spoiled recently because of the dream I’d been having. How much of a dream was it? I had no idea. If the dream kept itself contained to that residence, then that’s well and good. I’m certain of that much. But afterwards, waking up in the middle of the night and speaking to Krishna-san -- was that part of the dream as well? And after that wanting to drink a glass of water and opening my parents’ room, what about that? And finally, I recalled the thing that was peeking from the fusuma, my body shivered. Unconsciously, I hugged myself with both my arms, and fell to the ground for a minute.

“….Something awful is going to happen to me sooner or later, isn’t it?”

Or rather, am I going to end up devoured by the dream if this continues?

The moment I began to worry –

“Nagi-suke! How long are you gonna sleep for?!” Suddenly, my sister’s voice resounded in from the lower floor, jolting my consciousness to attention. Surprised, I took a glance at the clock at my bedside, it was already past the agreed assembly time of 10’o clock.

“Dammit!” Sloppily combing my disheveled bed hair, I left my room in a rush. Galloping down the corridor, I thundered down the stairs, where I looked into my elder sister's bold eyes on the first floor, my heart suddenly loosened.

“Ah! Sis…”

My spirit, exhausted to its limit because of the nightmares of every day, needed a resting place. There had been a lot of creepy things happening in rapid succession, and I wanted to tell someone about it. I could have told my mother, but I didn’t want to worry her, my father wouldn’t take me seriously, but when I think about it, I think there is only one reliable relative here.

“Sis, please listen to me”. Uttering those words, in the spur of the moment, I extended my arms to try and hug her; instead I received a perfect punch to my stomach.

“Urgh”

“You’re slow, Nagi. How long did you sleep for?”

…Ugh. It’s painful. I can’t breathe. I mean, it really went in there quite deep.

“Everyone is already heading there, you hear? You’re supposed to carry the portable shrine too, aren’t you? Stop dilly dallying and hurry up then!”

Rattling on and on like that, my sister Akira was already dressed in an indigo dyed Hanten<ref>Hanten is a short winter coat with a black satin collar and an item of traditional Japanese clothing. Hanten is very similar to a happi with a warm cotton padding that allows it to be used in winter or at night during a festival. Hanten also often features a family crest or other designs.</ref>. A thin, narrow towel was bound tightly to her forehead, and black trousers going down to her slender legs. Looking at that figure, even a relative like me is fascinated and filled with vigou – no, it’s beautiful.

“…Sis” I said while holding back the pain in my stomach.

“It really suits you.”

“Ha-?”

I had intended to praise her, but for some reason, she raised her sharp eyebrows and glared at me.

“Why are you saying that at this point? Men have been swarming around me since forever.”

“Eh? Aren’t they your henchme…?”

*slap*

Without a moment’s delay, I was struck with the towel she was holding.

“You moron! Don’t call them my henchmen. They’re my followers. They’re good-for-nothings whose souls have been robbed by my charm.”

Good-for-nothings -- Isn’t that rating them rather poorly?

As I continued to be befuddled:

“So, you feel like carrying the portable shrine in that get-up?” My elder sisters’ eyes shined with anger.

“No, of course not. Where is my Hanten?”

“It’s in the drawing room, hurry up and get changed.” Ah, as I moved towards the living room, I remembered something and looked back.

“Sis, where are those two?”

“They already left for the mountain temple. Krishna-chan was looking very beautiful in her yukata”.

Well, that’s what I thought, the problem wasn’t with her.

“What about Yoishi? Did she, properly get dressed for the festival?”

My sister just shrugged “That girl is fine with just a school uniform.”

“I see…” I left to change my clothes right away.

It’s finally time I thought, as I pushed my foot through my trousers, I felt really excited about the festival happening. I put on my jika-tabi socks<ref>Tabi are traditional Japanese socks with a divided toe, worn with thonged footwear. Jika-tabi are made of harder and stronger materials and often have a rubberized sole; they look like boots of different heights and more like street shoes than socks. Like regular tabi, jika-tabi have a separate thumb so they can be worn with loose strap shoes.</ref>, and wore the hanten. Lastly I tied the workman’s apron, that’s everything. I hung the hand towel from my forehead and left the drawing room where my sister scrutinized me.

“….What is it?”

“Well, you look pretty good in it.”

“Right?”

“Oi! Don’t get carried away. Hurry up and let’s go” Right, I answered.

I wore my sandals at the front door and the moment I left, all traces of that ominous dream vanished.

The day of Fujieda’s fire festival: on this day, almost all the shops in the city are closed, instead people all gather around the festival float. They line up in the open air in great numbers, wearing matching happi coats. With the onset of mid-day, they bring down the portable shrine from the mountain shrine and parade it around town for the whole day. Around night time, the portable shrine, imbued with everyone’s wishes of a peaceful life hereafter, is burned in front of the mountain shrine. Those flames dye Eboshi Mountain in bright red, engulfing the town in a magical glow. That was, what was called the fire festival of the three god’s mountain shrine.
[[Image:Phenomeno_vol1-3_case_03.jpg|Height in pixel|thumb|]]

The scorching sunlight kept pouring down from high in the sky, the portable shrine was being paraded in the main street. The men wore black work aprons, while the women were wearing deep red ones, and they all cheered in rhythm each time the portable shrine was raised up in the air. The elderly, the young, men and women, waved traditional fans from the roadside, as they extolled the people holding up the portable shrines. They said their thanks to the portable shrine as the holders danced with it and moved forward. This was the tradition of my town, which has lived in forestry for generations. The carrying pole that was used to hold up the portable shrine, they were made from a warped Japanese cypress called the left cypress found in the deepest forest of Eboshi mountain. The mountain god is said to have passed back and forth there and bended it over on the way through, and is said to be an omen of good luck.

Maru-yan, Ranbashi and the other youngsters of the neighborhood together with me included in the second position as carrier, shouldered the portable shrine together. I took hold of the weight of the carrying poles as it dug into my shoulder, lifted it up, and chanted in unison with the parishioner of the three god mountain shrine. The voices reverberated from the roadside. Matching with the rhythm of the portable shrine, the mountain shrine festival becomes more energetic.

I heard a remarkable shout of encouragement, when I looked it was my elder sister was waving a large traditional Japanese fan. Next to her was Krishna, who wore an indigo-dyed yukata that matched my sister's hanten. They matched each other quite well. Next to her was Pei-chan, wasn’t he clinging a little too much to her? He was grinning while staring at Krishna-san, not even bothering to look my way. My father was already red faced, when the portable shrine passed by him, he looked at me for an instant, but soon someone in the neighborhood association next to him poured him a drink and he turned that way. Next to him was my mother. We made eye contact and she simply smiled. And then -- there was Yoishi. She felt out of place standing there alone wearing a white blouse and black tie; she was gazing intently towards me. In this joyous ceremony, she alone was intently wearing an ominous face. But I courageously raised my voice so much that I didn't care about that.
“Youseiya. Seiya. Yosseiya” I chanted, as if I was driving away the dream I couldn’t wake up from, as if I was dispelling every part of me that was clinging to her, I raised the portable shrine. The trees used to build this portable shrine were a gift from the mountain god. They are tempered thoroughly in difficult environments for many long years, finally coming of age. They are then cut down and used for lumber. Afterwards, with the skill and knowledge of the craftsman used, they become our shield from wind and rain. We had been repeating this long tradition since the time of our ancestos. And will continue here forth, as well. We thank the mountains that rise above the earth, thank our ancestors, and pray for sound health in the future. We give thanks for being brought to life.

I entrusted the portable shrine to the next carrier
“Ahh, it’s a good festival”. Said Krishna-san who finally came around, drinking the sacred wine she was supplied with.

“Having fun is the most important thing, after all.”

“But, they’re going to be burning that portable shrine from here on, right? That’s just a waste.” Krishna-san muttered, as she fanned me with a traditional Japanese fan.

“That’s right. Six months ago, the youth association and the parishioners of the mountain shrine did their best to make it.” I nodded while dripping with sweat; I wiped my neck with a towel. The time had already around five in the evening; the setting sun dyed the mountains in red. The portable shrine, which had finished its fourth round around, would soon be heading towards the front of the mountain shrine. There the tree has to be returned back to the mountain god, where it would be burned in a grand fire.

“At that time, the lights in the downtown will be turned off with only the light of the iron basket fire remaining, that is the climax. Because it gets so exciting, a lot of couples adhere to this festival.”

“I see. Literally what you call: smokes of love.”

Seeing Krishna-san being reflected in the evening sun like that, I suddenly got curious.

“Krishna-san, do you have a boyfriend?”
“……Eh?”

“Well, I asked if you have a boyfriend.” When I did so, Krishna-san’s face dyed redder then the evening sun.

“D-don’t say stupid things! It’s obvious I don’t have one!”

“Well, it’s not so obvious, is it? You’re already twenty, having one or two boyfriends is obvio-..”

“It’s not like that. I’ve never had any. In the first place, I don’t have time to do things like that. There are still many things I want to learn, so many books I want to read. You know the story about with the gardener who fell in love with the emperor's wife?"
"If that's how you want to put it, there's also a story about Confucius who tripped when posed with a love problem." I retorted immediately, demonstrating my knowledge of Japanese literature I had recently gained while studying for my exams.

“If you say that, then love is darkness <ref>proverb meaning love is blind</ref>, I’m busy with a different type of darkness.” We were both playing such a type of word game, when:

“Do you dislike long distance relationships?” Pei-chan butted in. “Dance with me in the main stage of the fire festival.”

“Ah… There is a dance?”

Laughing at a flustered Krishna-san, I nodded. “It’s like the dance at the Bon festival. It’s fine if you take it easy and match to the rhythm.”

“I’m in trouble then, it’s like I have no sense for music at all. I’m bad at things like Karaoke.”

Karaoke and a Bon dance are pretty different things, I thought, but seeing Krishna-san this flustered was funny, so I didn’t say it out loud.

“Anyway, I’ve fallen in love with you at first sight, Krishna-san. Please go out with me!” Pei-chan ignored my shocked stare as he lowered his head, at that moment:

“Don’t make me laugh.” Maru-yan barged in the conversation. “I was looking for you all over and here you were; it looks like I made it in time. Krishna-san, this guy is known as the number one playboy in all of Fujieda. If you wish to go out with a young man, then please go out with m—”

“Don’t get in the way, Maru-yan. I haven’t even received a reply yet, that’s unfair!”

“Shut up, you were trying to get a head start, you bastard…”

If Maru-yan or Pei-chan alone were gunning for Krishna-san, I would have had to try and protect her a little, but if the two of them were gunning for her at the same time, they would keep each other in check and it would probably turn out fine.

Anyway, what happened with Yoishi? I looked around restlessly and from a distance, recognized Ranbashi’s tall and thin figure walking vacantly.

“Hey, you happen to know where Yoishi went off to?” Ranbashi shook his head in silence and murmured something.

“What? I couldn’t hear you”

“I was given the cold shoulder.”

“…Huh?”

“I said good evening to her and tried to speak but --- she ignored me and went in the direction of the mountain shrine.”

His tall figure drooped down so low looked comical; I tried frantically not to laugh and asked him in return:

“Being given the cold shoulder? She probably didn’t hear you, that’s all.”

“No, she looked at me once so she should have heard me. Tokyo high school girls really are stubborn.” Ranbashi sighed deeply.

I ran off immediately to look for Yoishi at the mountain shrine. The crowd was overflowing in comparison with the afternoon; I couldn’t run anymore around the area of the Torii gate. Yellow peach-like lights were hung as if to guide people towards the mountain shrine, stalls lined up on both sides drew the attention of the people dressed in yukatas. Trying to weave in between them and moving ahead, I looked for Yoishi. But even when I managed to arrive at the mountain shrine, Yoishi was nowhere to be seen.

--After that, I went up the road approaching the shrine and was around the main shrine when, I heard a long and loud cheer behind me. It seems as if the portable shrine had arrived. The sounds of the cheers were echoing from a distance, I was pushed along with the flow of the crowd heading in that direction. Including the people from the neighborhood town, a large number of tourists might have been mixed in together. Out of all the times I had experienced this festival, this was the biggest crowd I had seen. Countless number of colored Yukata’s piled up – all chanting “Youseiya. Seiya. Yosseia.” However, within that crowd, was a face I thought I knew. I couldn’t immediately recognize who it was. Was it an acquaintance from my high school days? Or was it an acquaintance from much further back. Flickering figures of people, blending together, in that far away distance, that person once again appeared. When I saw that hair style, my heart rang out. It couldn’t be, I gulped. I pushed away the person in front of me as I ran. I chased after that person with all my might. “Youseiya. Seiseiya. Yosseia.” In between the echoes of those resounding voices, I ran with desperation. A richly colored phoenix enshrined on top of the portable shrine, shines brightly, dances above the crowds. Dissipating fireworks dye the sky. In the illumination of the dropping sparks, I saw it. It was a woman in a yukata with a dyed pattern of gold on a white background. Her long hair carefully tied up, lips softly pursed. And, next to that girl…two boys accompanied her. The two were speaking alternatively to attract the girl’s attention. I was convinced with the way they were paying attention to her.

“Why…is the girl from the mansion in this place?” I chased them desperately, but even though the three did not seem to be in a hurry, they gradually moved away from me. They were supposed to exist only in my dream. Or could it be that I had already seen them somewhere else? Was that the reason? Was that why they appeared in my dream? Moreover, I realized it. The person accompanying behind those three, was the head of the household, wearing a dark face. Behind him was that familiar long and black hair.

“Hey Yoishi, is that you? Why are you…?”

However, the five people seemed detached... They walked through the crowd as if they were illusions mixed in from another other world. Their figures becoming increasingly smaller.

“Wait! Wait a second!” I shouted.

“Oh, Nagito”. Someone grabbed my shoulders. When I turned around, my father was there laughing gleefully.

“You did well in carrying the portable shrine. Here, have a drink”
“Hey, let go of me, old man.” I replied, my father’s strength knew no limit when he got drunk. Dammit, in this situation, all I can do is find someone drunk to mingle with him. Isn’t there an acquaintance of my father’s here somewhere, I looked around, and there was my sister, looking even more red faced.

“Oh, so here you were” My sister came close to me saying that line, and without a moment’s delay, put me in a headlock. Even though she’s my sister, she looked pretty glamorous. My right cheek was tightly locked against her breast.

“It’s so much fun, the festival, isn’t it?”

“H-hey, stop it already sis. Let go already sis!”

“Say, Nagi. You think the same, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I think so but, there’s someone I have gotta go afte-“

“It’s fine.” My elder sis said that while still holding me firmly down under her armpit. “Just stay here.”

“…Huh?”

“Just stay here and don’t go back to Tokyo. That would be what’s best for you.”

“Stay here? What about my university?”

“University? I was against it, wasn’t I? You have everything here. Nature, people who care about you, the mountain god will protect you. That’s right; you just marry that Krishna-san, and live here. That girl will make a good wife for you. She’s the type who can easily give birth, I guarantee it.”

In terms of disposition, well, I agree, but --- isn’t that jumping too far ahead? The moment I thought I would say that out loud. My sister’s voice changed to a lowered one, as if reverberating from beneath the surface.

“But that other girl is no good, she can’t stay here.”

Hearing that shuddering voice like a man’s, my feet hardened. “Youseiya. Seiseiya. Yosseiya.” The reverberating chants of the fire festival echoed in my ears, as if they were heard from another world, as if they were faint ripples of waves. I felt the color in my vision quickly fading away.

“Sis, let go of me! Seriously!” I meant to shout that out. But, my voice wouldn’t come out. Breathing – was hard. Around me, the air was disappearing. As if I had dived into the depth of the ocean, the oxygen was depleting --- and, all that was left inside me was absolute fear in its primordial state. When I was a kid, I had tasted this feeling of despair too many times.

“Youseiya. Seiseiya. Yosseiya”. The festival was coming to a boil. Crowds of people were pushing up towards the mountain shrine.

“Youseiya. Seiseiya. Yosseiya”.
“Youseiya. Seiseiya. Yosseiya”.
“Youseiya. Seiseiya. Yosseiya”.

As if a Buddhist prayer was being chanted, it echoed all around me, and within those shouts:

“S-stop it!” With my full strength put into it, I wrestled free of my sister’s arm. Clutching my throat like that, I ran. My breathing – I couldn’t breathe well. Was it because I was feeling shaken? My asthma attacks had completely returned.

In a world that was rapidly deteriorating, I kept running. I desperately kept running, even though I was bumping into people. Even as my tears welled up, I kept coughing violently. However, the fresh air was not reaching my lungs in the least.

--Mother...

In a soundless voice, I shouted.

--Help me, mother.

That’s right. If that hand would rub my back, everything would turn out fine. These asthma attacks would always settle down with that.

--Where is she? Where is my mother?

Everything was hazy. Only the flames of the iron basket fire danced and flickered, as if they guided me. Black, red, white and yellow. In this hazy world, only that light flickered. It would take fifteen minutes to run to my house from the mountain shrine. On top of that, it’s not guaranteed that my mother will be at home, because it was the middle of the festival. Moreover, when I can’t see the landscape in this situation, how am I supposed to find my way to her?

--Nagito. In that instant, I thought I heard my mother’s voice, I shouted back in response. However, that voice too, was drowned out in the hustle and bustle of the festival.
Youseiya. Nagito. Nag--Youseiya. Seiseiya. Yosseiya. --to. Nagito. Youseiya. Seiseiya. Youseiya. Seiseiya. Yosseiya. –to. Nag—Youseiya. Seiseiya. Yosseiya. Nagito. Youseiya. Seiseiya. Youseiya. Seiseiya. Yosseiya.

“Mother, mother, mother!”

Within those repeated chants, I shouted in reply, I ran. I kept running. Dammit, move. Please get out of the way. I can’t breathe anymore. I’m -- going to end up dead. My legs got tangled, I was about to lose my balance and fall into the crowd when – I tumbled into the place that abruptly opened. It was subdued in darkness.

No—

In that place, there was no surface, just a floating piece of ground that continued to disappear --

In that murky, unending darkness, I was swallowed whole.

----

There was a quiet sound of the fusuma opening. Someone drew near, as if to hug my head, they embraced me. I rested my head on that person’s lap, and, I felt a warm hand touching my back, as if stroking it, as if massaging it, that warm hand kept going back and forth across. Before I knew it, I could breathe once again. I continued breathing with comfort. As I kept breathing, my heart calmed down.

I slowly raised my head.

With soft narrowed eyes, my mother was looking at me. Unawares, I had managed to make it back home. I was in my mother’s familiar room, and found myself lying on my mother's lap, using it as a pillow.
“Did your cough settle down?”

Being spoken to in such a kind voice –

It was a pretty pathetic thing for an eighteen year old but, my tears almost spilled over.

“Mother, I, I was –“

“Yes?”

I was always into strange and mysterious stories. I also had an interest in scary stories. I was frequenting an occult site. I really loved that creepy feeling and that world where common sense didn’t apply. And I only planned on enjoying that world from the outside. But, before I realized – I had crossed a line. If you take a peek, you end up being seen from the other side as well. I thought I knew that. But before I knew it, my feet had already stepped into Ikaigabuchi. I had crossed a distinct line that separates the dead and the living.

“Hey, mother.”

I thought –

“’I’ve been a weirdo for a long time.” At last, I spat out those words.

“….I, I was, In Tokyo, the first house I lived in, I realized I was not in control of myself. I was possessed by something; I later realized that as if it was someone else’s problem. Nevertheless, even after I was told not to go, I went to an abandoned hospital. I suffered through much more eerie things when I was there. Even if I talked about them, you wouldn’t believe the dreadful things I suffered through. However, thanks to the help of various people, I was able to survive. I was safely able to return back. But, I’m – once again, being drawn to somewhere. Towards that darkness -- towards something present in that darkness. I don’t know what that thing is. In that terrible dream I was dreaming for so long, I’m being drawn to something inside that fusuma. I can’t stop myself. I can hear the voice in my head telling me to stop. But, I think I want to try and sink in. I want to try and entrust my body to it. When I try and tell myself not to go, I still end up going. Why is that? I don’t know.”

In the middle of the conversation, my knees began to tremble, I stuttered between words. But my mother, without rushing me, just listened silently. Sometimes, my breathing became difficult but, I felt like I couldn't escape this suffering unless I spat it out, so I fervently continued speaking. All the doubts I had been holding about myself for so long, I confessed them all to my mother.

“No matter what I do, I end up going along with my heart’s desire to see that something present on the other side. Does that mean, In short, that I’m already swallowed by the darkness?”

That must mean –

I’m already --

“I’m broken, right?”

I spat out the dark and sinister thoughts that had been wriggling inside me for a long time, I knew that admitting them would destroy my core identity as a human being. But, I felt I couldn’t move forward if I kept fooling myself any longer. I feel like I’m going around in circles unless I admit that I’m scared of that possibility – Like Yoishi always did – I spat everything out.

After the long conversation was over, every part of my body was so weak that nothing even mattered anymore. Only the dim light provided comfort, and my back continued to be massaged, I wanted to sink into the darkness, I thought.
“I thought it was about time.” Suddenly, my mother spoke in a whisper.

“I knew that someday, a time would come where you would choose to walk your own path.” Not knowing the meaning, my startled body rose up.

For who knows how long, sitting next to me, was Yoishi Mitsurugi. Dark eyes, filled with a seemingly sad light, fixedly stared at me.

“W-why…are you?”

The embarrassment of being seen with tearful eyes as I made feeble complaints to my mother, quickly changed to anger. This is my place. It's the only place where I can recover as myself.

I moved my body, as if to signal her to get out, at that moment—

“That young lady is not a bad girl”. My mother’s silent whisper echoed in the room.

“She can surely exorcise your darkness.”

“--Eh?”

“From here on, Listen to her words carefully, and see things properly with your own eyes.”

Yoishi just sat there in silence, I objected.

“Her? No mother, you probably don’t know, but, this girl has a psychic power. With her, she might suddenly receive some strange message, in other words, she has no interest other than horror stories, she doesn’t take baths, she can’t read the atmosphere, she vomits everywhere-“

“Nagito, that’s not it”. My mother shook her head, and whispered once more. “That’s not it.”

“Only those who know the darkness know the value of the light.”

With those words, my mother... disappeared from sight.

After that, only the silence and the dark remained. My house was illuminated solely by the light of the pale blue moon. My parents’ room: There are still signs of my mother here and there, but this was a room with only me and Yoishi present.

“I—“

With that hoarse voice, I collapsed onto the frayed tatami mat. Why am I here? Where did my mother go to, she was just here… The festival – my father, my sister, Krishna-san, Maru-yan, Pei-chan, Ranbashi, where was everyone? I didn’t understand anything anymore. I couldn’t grasp hold of the situation. I didn’t know where I was standing. What is a dream? What is reality? I didn’t know anymore. Information was all mixed up in a jumble inside my head.

“No….”

Lying in the corner of my head, I found that cold ‘answer’. If I were to explain everything with a simple answer, I had already found it.

--I’m broken.

For a long time, I had already --been broken, from the start. Otherwise, there was no way to explain the phenomenon that had occurred so far.

“The act of giving meaning to the the thoughts of the dead in the reality in front of you is what is called a curse.” Yoishi spoke under the moonlight.

“In other words, a phenomenon in which you can think and move in only a single direction. That is to say, a very strong and firm curse has been placed upon you.”

--A curse?

“But – given that there is no malice there, I don’t know what to do. “

Malice? A curse? Ridiculous. She is trying to confuse me again. It shook the roots of my heart. Just hearing her words is enough to cause anxiety. She is trying to drag me down again somewhere.

“Listen to her words carefully from here on, and see things properly from now on with your own eyes.”

But, my mother’s words from a few moments ago were still ringing in my ears.

“What should I do?” I asked in a shivering voice. “Yoishi… what should I do?”

“To put it simply, open it.” The place Yoishi was pointing to, it was the Kayou patterned fusuma.

“That fusuma, when it’s opened with your own hand, everything will be over.”

But that moment, I heard the sound of footsteps from the hall.

“Nag-suke!” The voice rang out. When I turned around, there was my sister, wearing her hanten dress. Behind her, was Krishna-san who was out of breath, my father and Maru-yan. Pei-chan and Ranbashi rushed in in soon after.

“Everyone….”

As I rose to my feet, my sister at the head shouted. “You idiot, Where did you go in the middle of the festival?!”

“No, I was…”

“Didn’t I tell you not to associate with Yoishi” Wearing a yukata, Krishna-san’s cheeks were swelled up. At the same time, everyone started speaking to me all at once. I had been possessed by the evil mountain god, according to my father. This festival is to save your spirit, said my sister. If I’m going to have a wife, it’s definitely going to Kurimoto-san, said Maru-yan. That girl is so pretty, said Ranbashi as he stared at Yoishi. Look, the portable shrine is coming, said Pei-chan as he laughed. “Seiseiya, yosseiya”, and then I heard the music from the festival. It was getting closer. I knew the portable shrine was coming close to my home. I was in a daze, just standing there and looking at everyone as the sounds piled on each other.

“It’s alright.” Yoishi whispered slightly. “They can never enter this room.” With those words, I realized that neither my sister, nor the others had stepped foot into the room. And with Yoishi speaking those words, they were all thrown into disarray at once, shouting something incomprehensible. I registered their words simply as noise; I couldn’t understand what they were saying. But, in this dim and hazy world, my nose smelled something. When I looked, I could see shadows swaying behind the sliding door, an orange light flickered.

“Hey, this house, it’s burni—“I was cut short when I saw it, in the direction of the hall. There was something fallen behind Ranbashi. It was a yukata with a white background. The center of the yukata was stained dark red. It was the daughter from that residence, completely motionless. Her stomach was split open, her entrails strewn all over. As if they were fighting over the spilled entrails next to her, the two cousins also lay there. Likewise, their navy blue yukatas were completely drenched. The two had stabbed each other with a sharp knife, dying together. A little further away, the lord of the mansion was also collapsed. His neck was lurched in a strange way. In my burning house, dead bodies and the festival manifested at the same time.

“It’s alright.” Spoke Krishna-san. “This is a mistake. They ended up mixed in this. That’s why they’re dead. But the next time you go to the mansion, the original outcome will be waiting for you.”

That kind of impossible to understand thing, was spoken from that usually logical tone of voice.

“The amalgamation has already begun.” Yoishi spoke.

“It is no longer consistent.” I dumbfoundedly looked over to Yoishi, who muttered while kneeling down. “If this were the real mountain festival, the torii should have been turned in the direction of south east in order to return what you received.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The iron basket fire should not have moved. That night, I told you that the iron basket fire of the mountain gods’ shrine had moved.”

“…What does that mean?”

“The fine details of the dream come from the limits of the dreamer's memory.”

“If someone from outside the dream influences it, it will change. If you pull it, it will come towards you. If you push it, it will pull you. If you shake it, it will shake.

…In short, what is it? What do you wanna say?

“I only wanted to try and press the point you were not confident about. That’s why: the iron basket fire moved.”

“Like I said already, that is—“

What did it mean?

Those words didn’t come out of my mouth. I already understood. I realized what Yoishi was trying to say. However, I was too afraid to accept the truth -- it would destroy everything.

“The curse that has been cast upon you – What should it be called? I don’t know the answer.” Yoishi whispered in a somewhat sad tone.

“But-“

“What lies behind the fusuma is not what you would call a mother.”

Something streamed along my cheek. I slowly wiped it with my hand and found it to be tears. Before I knew it, I had begun to stagger my way to Yoishi’s side. In my back, my father and the others shouted at me to stop. But, I slowly neared the fusuma in the back. Pushing my way through the frayed tatami, I stood in front of the Kayou-patterned fusuma, which stood solemnly in the darkness.

I extended my hand, placed my fingers on the fusuma – in the same breath, I opened it.

“…..It can’t be.”

On the other side of the fusuma I had thrown open, was the kokeshi doll I had seen in the dream. With soft, narrow eyes, an antiquated kokeshi. The kokeshi was clad in some kind of cloth.

Dragging my shivering legs, I neared the kokeshi, I grabbed the cloth.

“….It can’t be” I felt that voice didn’t belong to me. I thought I heard it from a tear in the corner of the world somewhere.

That cloth was –

The red cardigan I had given to my mother.

“You’ve been speaking alone in front of this fusuma for a long time.” Whispered Yoishi, who was suddenly standing by my side. “—saying mother, mother. That -- is the true face of the curse that has been cast upon you.” I heard a crack, the sound of the whole mansion grating. It sounded like the whole world was being squeezed from the outside.

“Nagi-suke! it’s all a lie. Don’t be fooled!” When I look back, my sister was outside the room extending her hand towards me. My father just smiled with wrinkles on the corners of his eyes, Maru-yan waved. Pei-chan and Ranbashi both laughed as if they were having fun, at the center, the petite Krishna-san extended her hand and yelled at Yoishi not to take me away. My hometown was there. Fujieda’s dense greenery came into view. The warm sun blazed down and the wind blew past my side. It was just like before, the peaceful hometown where I lived. Behind them, it was very bright. In contrast, there was only darkness behind me. There was only a dark colored girl besides me.

“You must choose.” Yoishi, said as she took my hand. “A world of comfort… or a world filled with pain.”

Don’t mess with me, what do I choose?

I shook my hand off as I shouted at Yoishi. But, no words came out of my mouth. Isn’t it obvious that it would be better to live in comfort? I’ve had enough of creepy worlds. I don’t have the resistance for it anymore. That’s right, unnoticed, I had started dreaming again. If I return to that side, I’d be able to return to my every-day life. What happened to the festival? It should still be halfway through. I had become exhausted from various things, and ended up in this dream.

But, as I stepped towards the bright world, I met eyes with the person standing furthest back, my mother who stood with a reserved manner. She loosened her cheeks slightly, and showed me a smile of contentment. With everyone desperately stretching out their hands out towards me, I had a strange sensation. Seeing me stop my legs:

“Hurry up and come here, Nagi-kun!” Krishna-san held out her hand again.

“Nagi-suke, you idiot, hurry up and get over here.” Shouted my sister.

“Your mother is here, right? What are you hesitating for?!” My father turned red in anger.

“Tokyo is impossible for you.” Maru-yan laughed as he tried to make fun of me.

“Bring Kurimoto back home with you.” Pei-chan waved with both hands, Ranbashi just kept staring at Yoishi, spellbound.

“Everyone…” With a hoarse voice, I struggled towards the edge of the room.

“Everyone, help me.” As I spoke that out loud, I was hugged tightly. Was it my sister, my father, or my mother, I didn’t know. But, I was in the midst of peaceful warmth. I am blessed. I am loved. I can live here in peace without any discomfort.

“That’s right.”

“This place suits you.”

“You made a mistake going to Tokyo.”

“Well then, let’s go to the festival.”

“That’s right, isn’t it the climax from here on?”

“Let’s make some noise with everyone.”

“Return back to how you were before.”

“Come back, Nagito.”

“Nagito.”

“Nagito.”

-Nagito.

A great many voices chanted in unison close to my ear. Each one of them accepted me. I could live with peace of mind here. If I were to ever fall down, there would be someone to pick me up. If there were fun times, there would be people who would be happy with me; if there were sad times, there would be people who would share in my grief. I would be a part of that, the me that would exist there would be the true me.

--Come here.

Amidst the many overlapping voices, I managed to squeeze out my voice.

“Ah, I’m coming. I’m going over to that side. But, Yoishi, as well—“

---She is not allowed. With that voice, I raised my head in surprise.

“…Why?”

---She will destroy this place, that’s why.

--She will destroy this peaceful world.

“Why… would she destroy it?”

-xxxxx

…What is it?

-xxxxxx

“…Can’t you answer?”

With my face becoming soggy with snot and tears, I spoke out.

“Then, I’ll say it.” I felt a shiver as my surroundings moved.

“That is --- she -- it’s because she doesn’t deceive. She has no restraints, nor taboos. She has no connection to god or devil. She’s never able to read the situation; no matter how inconvenient the truth is, she never runs from it, but instead, digs it up and exposes it.”

With those words, the grating noise of the world throbbed violently like a storm, banging in my eardrums. I couldn’t discern anybody’s voice anymore; their voices were mixed in with the chants of the festival.

“Seiya. Seiya. Yosseiya. Seiseiya. Yosseiya-” As I hummed along with the noises, I remembered.

The fire festival was—

A festival of purification.

To return everything to its original state.

--Nagito.

I didn’t know whose voice it was anymore, a profusely impatient voice struck my ear—

--Don’t get swallowed up by the nightmare.

--Hurry up and come back to the fire festival.

With those words, I replied: “No”, and walked away from there.

“Everything was in reverse.”

Without wiping away the tears, I spat it out:

“You guys – are just a dream.”

===6===
An innumerable bundle of light kept rotating. It became a spiral, then scattered, winding round and round as it made up the world. Finally, the light slowly came to a stop – forming the brand new wallpaper on the ceiling as I regained consciousness.

I realized it was the apartment I was paying fifty thousand yen in rent for, in Musashino. The blurred world gradually regained its features, and it was Krishna-san who first caught my sight.

“Are you awake, Nagi-kun?”

I took a long, deep sigh of relief; I knew I had survived an unfathomable abyss.

“You’ve been asleep, for three whole days.” With those words, I realized there was someone standing next to Krishna-san.

“…You idiot” It was my sister Akira, sobbing.

“I was contacted by Kurimoto-san, how dare you make me waste my paid vacation?” She blasted at me with her eyes filled with tears. Behind Krishna-san and my sister was Karasu-san. Next to her, was the Buddhist priest I knew from before and a stranger dressed in a kimono with a hakana. In my faint consciousness, I wondered if my apartment was over capacity.

“Everything is thanks to her, be grateful.” Krishna-san pointed at Yoishi Mitsurugi. But she was right next to me with her eyes closed as if she were dead. Her pale, transparent skin, had no trace of blood. She really looked like she was dead.

“She was the one who told us you wouldn’t wake up.”

According to her, Yoishi had once again come to my house around midnight. Why she did so, voluntarily, is because she realized that something abnormal had happened to me. She quickly contacted Krishna-san, came up with something, and was found sleeping next to my side ever since.

“If a catalyst with a strong disposition like hers didn’t intervene in your dream, you likely would have continued to stay asleep in that state.”

I began to understand my situation with Krishna-san’s words. I had been dreaming. I had been seeing a dream within that dream, and I was struggling desperately to wake up from that dream, And in order to end that dream, I was almost engulfed by the dream.

However, I still wasn’t convinced.

“Is this really... reality?”

The petite occult site manager slowly shook her head.

“I can’t guarantee that. Dreams are scary. They are tied deeply to human consciousness. In short, when you dive into the world of the deep subconscious, it’s basically impossible to conclude if it’s a dream or not. That’s why, lucid dreams are so rare. ”

I reeled in the threads of my hazy consciousness, and looked towards my sister.

“Sis..”

“…Yeah?”

“Mother is...—“

“…What about mother?”

“—I…killed her.”

As I spoke those words, the broken fragments of that dream became whole again.

“That’s, not true.”

“But…”

“That’s not true. That’s not what happened, Nagi.” My sister spoke as she took hold of my lying figure.

“You were convinced about that for a long time. Always blaming yourself – That’s why this happened.”

My sister told me everything:

When I was eight years old – my asthma wasn’t just infantile asthma, but Antitrypsin Deficiency, a disease that requires an early healthy lung transplant. For that sake, my mother who was the same blood type was recommended to transplant part of her lung. But, my mother who already had thin blood vessels around her heart, couldn’t withstand the operation. The transplant was a success but, my mother didn’t return.

“After the operation, you cried and cried, asking where mother went. I ended up saying it to you – mother is inside the fusuma.”

“…….”

“From here onwards, she will stay inside the fusuma but, she’s always by your side.”

--Ah.

If you hear it from someone, you would probably laugh it off as a silly story. But, at this moment, I began to recall the scene I had forgotten up until this point. That is: one evening, our living room was dyed in orange. I was in primary school, crying alone in my mother’s room. My sister came and hugged me tight.

--You can’t open this fusuma. My sister surely said that.

-If you open it, mother will die.

That lie, spoken in desperation by my twelve year old sister: saved the balance of my heart from collapsing. And, the rupture in my heart was stopped in a distorted way. My mother… wasn’t dead. She just couldn’t come out from the fusuma.

--That kind of warped understanding quickly took root in me and hardened. When I returned from school, I would stand in front of the fusuma and say my greetings. I spoke about what happened with me throughout the day to the fusuma. If anything troubled me, I would discuss it with the fusuma. And, I would be looked at in a sad way by my father and sister. But, that sad gaze, I interpreted it as it being my fault that my mother would not emerge from the fusuma. Eventually, I stopped caring about that gaze, and continued to talk together with the fusuma, freely and openly –We lived that kind of warped daily life, and now is the first time I feel how messed up it all was.

“Nagi-kun” Krishna-san peered into my eyes as she spoke.

“That’s what a person’s death is. It takes time to comprehend it. It took you ten years, but, there are still people who can’t accept it throughout their whole lives. And – that is a form of ghosts.”

Ghosts-

I was drawn to them, I chased them, and I involved myself with them -- the weak existence called ghosts.

It had all been a waste. That -- had already been present inside me, since long ago. Nestled close to my broken heart, it helped me

“That’s right.” Krishna-san nodded kindly. “Even thought it might be called a curse from its start, it never had any malice.”

Tears spilled down from my sister's big eyes as Krishna-san said that.

--There was never any malice?

Those words seemed to sink into my brain, when I suddenly remembered. I quickly got up.

“What about Yoishi? When is she gonna wake up?” I asked that as Krishna-san quietly looked towards the man in the back. An effeminate man dressed in a blue dyed kinagashi<ref>wearing kimono casually</ref>. He shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant way. That detached manner made me remember. This guy… isn’t this bastard the one who Krishna-san called her master? He chanted ‘Out’ to me that one time I was in agony.

“Hey, don’t mess with me. Are you trying to save face like that as Krishna-san’s master?”

I stood up, and drew near to that guy.

“Nagi-kun, stop” Krishna-san stopped me in my tracks, but I didn’t completely settle down.

“So in short, Yoishi entered my dream to try and save me, right?” As I tried to get a confirmation, the man broadly grinned and nodded.

“Then it’s simple. You do as I say. Return me to that dream one more time. Take me to the place where she is. From there on, I’ll go and bring her back.”

“Hey now, don’t make unreasonable requests.” The man raised both his hands in an exaggerated pose as if giving up. “Do you even know what it means to link a person’s self-consciousness to a dream? Common sense doesn’t apply there. People can only ‘think’ when they know where they are standing. If it’s a normal person, it will be difficult for them to preserve their sanity, right? Besides that, you have already been made aware that the dream is a distortion. By now, your brain should be working on the restoration in a hurry. It’s basically impossible to find your way to the same place, and even if you were to do that, it would be recognized as a distortion once more, and the probability of you ever waking up again will be slim to none.”

“Then, what is going to happen to Yoishi? Is she just going to continue sleeping like this?” I yelled as my saliva went flying, Krishna-san took over.

“Listen to me, Nagi-kun. No matter how strong a catalyst is, it's usually impossible to establish your ego when linking to a person's dream. But she was able to do it. Due to the fact that she was able to do it, albeit with some luck, I was able to confirm to some extent, about the essence of the girl named Yoishi Mitsurugi.”

“Confirm? What do you mean?

“Perhaps we and she, the places we stand are distinctly different.”

Those words, made me feel déjà vu. Right, I had heard those words used somewhere before –

“What did Yoishi Mitsurugi lose? What was the cause that made her that way? I don’t know the reason. But she already stands in the world beyond. Alive in the physical sense, but dead in the spiritual sense, an existence synonymous to that of many ghosts.

--Yoishi, is not a living person.

The absurd rumors that were circulating on the internet, I recalled them.

“In other words, we are standing in the living world while talking about the world beyond, in comparison: she stubbornly, talks about the world beyond while in the world beyond. That’s why --her words shake us, who live in this world. That is wh--”

“Her words are filled with gloom, causing fear and anxiety in the listener, right?”

As I whispered that, Krishna-san stared at me in wonder. That’s right – I remembered.

I had definitely heard these words in my dream. That was – the moment I woke up in the blue room in the mansion. Krishna-san who had come to check up on my state had said the same words.

“The same lines were said to me in the dream by Krishna-san. And at that moment, I…I thought Yoishi had dragged me down into that creepy world. Because of her, the situation was headed in a worse direction. And…”

I waved my hands in a panic to Krishna-san who was speechless.

“No, it’s like I’m blaming you or anything. The Krishna-san in my dream that spoke those words was an illusion created by my weak heart. It’s just…I was really cold to Yoishi since she had come into my dream. At the end, I even became convinced that she was some sort of monster. Up until I was admonished by my mother, I really wondered whether Yoishi was some kind of monster, like the rumors on the net had said.”

But – That’s not it. If what that kinagashi wearing bastard said is true, she took an absurd risk when she arrived in my sub-conscious. Without knowing if she could make it back in safety, she walked with me together in my twisted world.

Why was that? Why did she do that for me?

“I have to find out why that was. Why did she do such a dangerous thing for me? I need to ask her directly.”

I spoke that with utmost seriousness, but…
“You don’t know why?” With a sharp glare, Krishna-san clicked her tongue.
“Young men really are hopeless, insensitive creatures. I’ve had enough then; I’ll say it in place of her. Why, did Yoishi Mitsurugi save you? It’s because you didn’t throw away that notebook until the very end!”

“…Huh?”

“You are essentially worthless, a foolish, unprincipled, weak willed, hopeless idiot. And yet, for some reason you still continue to thrust yourself into the paranormal, even sympathizing with the suffering of the dead. After sympathizing, you tried to walk together with it. You absolute moron! But that’s not something just anyone can do. A fool you may be, however, as a human that is a valuable quality, like that of a jewel. And a girl is extremely weak for that sort of thing.”

“……………..Ehhhh?”

“That girl, she helped you with super-logical methods so many times. Without even being a specialist on the occult, she spread those dangerous self-responsibility-type ghost stories in this world to try and save you. Why does she, who is extremely detached with the living, take such actions only for you? --- Understand that much, you fool!”

“N…now, wait a second.”

I—wasn’t that kind of outstanding human. I was just an indecisive, illogical, warped asshole. In the past, I suffered to the point I thought I was gonna die, that’s why I ended up having sympathy for that boy from the notebook. I just knew that the pain would be lessened tens of thousands of times just by having someone by my side.

“I understand that, but as a human being, your respect-worthy nature is a double-edged sword. If you continue doing things like this, you’ll only have a few more years left to live.”
“….Eh?”

“I once told you that you were not suitable for having an interest in the occult, but I said that out of utmost concern for your nature. As long as you have that nature, you will continue to be involved in the affairs of the other side. And no matter how much you try to stay in this world, you will be dragged to the other side, whether you want to or not. That's why I kept telling you not to get involved with Yoishi, that's what it means to confront a girl standing in the world beyond.”

At long last Krishna-san stopped to catch her breath, and took a big gulp of tea from the plastic bottle next to her, draining it, and turned around to face me once again.

“But are you still resolved to get involved with her?”

“……..”

“To save a girl like her, a half-hearted resolve won’t do. If you do things half-heartedly, both of you will end up destroyed. You must step forward, and confront her with the determination of putting your whole life to it. If you do that, a miracle might happen.”

“Wait a minute, Kurimoto-san.” Behind Krishna-san, the kinagashi wearing man shrugged his shoulders. “Shouldn’t you be stopping him?”

“I know it already! But I’m sorry, it’s useless! It’s like I’m not even here! Since I’ve met him, Nagi-kun has never listened to what I said.”

….Stop, it’s painful to be talked about like that by such a tearful face, but, as I continued to be heaped upon by Krishna-san’s passionate criticism – I kept thinking about only one thing in the back of my head. That is, the words I yelled just before I woke up from the dream. Yoishi doesn’t run from reality -- I was able to get out of there by saying those words to some strange thing that tried to confine me in a dream world.

“In the first place, it’s harsh to think that she doesn’t want to return to this world", the kinazashi man whispered as if he were humming a song. As usual he was acting as if it were someone else’s problem.

But his words struck some part of me like a bolt of lightning.

…That’s right, her not coming back, wouldn’t it be a betrayal of the conclusion I drew, those words I uttered about Yoishi in those last moments of conflict? If she didn’t come back, wouldn’t that mean she ran away?

And at that moment, I finally saw what it was that I should do. Why did she go through all the trouble of descending to the depths of my dream? I understood the real reason.

“Only those who know the darkness know the value of the light, right?”

“….What did you just say?” Krishna-san tilted her head, I replied, ‘No’, and shook my head.

After that, I lay down once more. I rested both my hands on my stomach, deliberately wearing a smile, and forcefully said.

“I’ll be back, and I’ll definitely bring her with me.”

----

The blue world was filled with white smoke. Sounds of crackling fires bursting here and there, the smoke rose up in the air. However, because it was a dream, it wasn’t hot at all.

It couldn’t be helped that my vision was bad, for the time being I tried my best to remember the layout of the mansion while moving towards the interior.

That closed room --- I ran as fast as possible to the daughter’s room. Fallen down all around were smoldering pillars and fusuma doors. I kicked them away as I continued forward, before long I could see the white blouse in the back, Yoishi’s slender figure was visible. What was she doing, playing around with that kokeshi, while everything continued to burn around her?

“Hey, Yoishi. Let’s go back.” I called out to her from behind, Yoishi continued to stroke the kokeshi and whispered:

“Why did you deliberately give birth in the fire?”

“What did you say?”

“Konohanasakuya-hime was distrusted by Ninigi, why did she do such a thing?”

“How should I know? It was such a long time ago”.

For now, I put my hand on her arm and motioned for her to get up and she said. “Undoubtedly, she thought about disappearing for a moment.”

I stopped my hand at her words.

“Being suspected by the person she loved, Konohanasakuya-hime lost her place in this world.” Yoishi raised her face in the direction of the burning flames. Beyond the fallen sliding doors, was the courtyard of the mansion. And there, the daughter of this mansion was looking up at a plum tree, as if she couldn't see the burning flames. Her eyes squinted slightly; she gently stroked a small flower bud on the verge of blooming. And – next to her, the two cousins were there, looking up at the plum tree with a gentle expression I hadn’t seen before.

“Why didn’t I realize it before?”

I sat down next to Yoishi, and spoke my thoughts out loud.

“Is that…me?”

The two who were fighting over the daughter, the faces of both cousins --- they were just like identical twins, with the same eyes and ears everywhere. You could say if it was a face I was tired of looking at -- my own face.

“One of them protects the daughter.” Yoishi spoke, “And, the other you who tries to kill her.”

That moment, I finally realized it, who it was the daughter’s face resembled. That’s right – it was the face of my mother. It was an illusion carved from my memory that beautified and rejuvenated her.

“That’s right – the family that lives in this mansion is based on the emotions inside you."

“Then…” I pointed. “Who is the man looking at the daughter and the cousins from far away?”

“I think he represents your family which can’t support either one of you.”

Finally the scattered pieces began to come together.

The daughter pours her love into all these people. One cousin is the part of me that wants to live on, even after gaining my mother’s lung. The other cousin is the part of me that won’t accept that. To the bitter end, they quarrel over the daught—no, my mother. However, the head of the household, who can support neither side, and only stand there from a distance bewildered – That was -- an exact microcosm of my home from back then.

But now, all four of them were smiling together, looking up at the plum tree. It was a sight I should have seen some day. But, it was an illusion where the family members were smiling without being distorted.

“This place is comfortable to live in.” Yoishi spoke as she stared at that sight.

I stood up in silence and I put my hand on Yoishi’s shoulder.

“Let’s go back, Yoishi.”

I gazed at the mansion, whose outline grew more and more ominous.

“This is my dream. I created this world to avert my eyes from the pain of reality.”

But Yoishi didn’t move an inch. With her white hands, she gripped the kokeshi doll tightly, and whispered in a hoarse voice.

“You…Perhaps you should have lived the rest of your life here without ever opening it.”

My breath stopped at those words.

“There are things in this world that you shouldn’t willfully see.”

And with those words, the scattered parts inside finally took shape. This girl --- she and I really are the same. Yoishi, like me, is carrying something warped inside her as well, and had probably been suffering for many years because of it. That’s why, she could understand my pain and suffering; when I felt the pain of the boy from the notebook, could she have felt my pain?

I remember Yoishi’s forlorn figure.

I remember her thin back that seemed to carry all the sorrows of the world alone. I distorted my memories, and was able to live in comfort. But, she neither ran, nor sealed them away, and continued to carry it all on her back. That – must have been unbelievably heavy, she must have been unable to walk normally. And -- in the middle of that lonely journey, with her feet stuck into the ground –

Her heart may have died.

That is why: even while she still lived, it was as if she stood in the world beyond.

“Yoishi – you…”

Those words spontaneously spun from my mouth.

“What the hell – killed you?”

If it wasn’t for this strange place, I probably wouldn’t have asked that. And I probably couldn’t ask her again. However, at that moment, the words came out of my mouth spontaneously.

That idiotic question of mine --- twisted Yoishi’s lips into a tearful shape for just one moment.

As she was about to speak through the gap in her lips – in the dark recesses of her eyes, I saw something.

The instant that silhouette emerged, every part of me was filled with fear.

On the other side of the dark colored eyes, a black figure wriggled.

That ominous something -- twisted and turned as it gradually molded itself into shape.

It was – a black haired girl.

Her dark colored hair fluttered, with her white face and beautiful features, she--

Somehow looked similar to Yoishi but -- the aura was definitely different. With a faint smile, that face seemed to be filled with the malice of this world, it was horrifying.

-- You kill people because it’s fun. People can’t stand suffering faces. If you press them a little, people break so easily. It’s so fun to break happy people. Is it fine if I press you just a little? I'm going to press you to make this world so much fun--

Those red lips opened, and began to spit out many twisted words.

“—Absolute evil.”

In the pale blue world, my faint words echoed in silence.

“That’s why, whenever I feel malice, I vomit.”

Yoishi’s slender legs shook, as she spoke weakly.

“When my heart dies, it’s in an instant – Without any warning, when I’ve realized it, it’s already dead.”

The Yoishi from before: The Yoishi who happily leapt into whatever monstrosity that lay before her, that girl wasn’t present here now. In front of me was just a girl acting appropriate for her age -- broken in spirit. Yoishi’s well-shaped eyebrows were warped, her large eyes filled with clear tears that were on the verge of falling.

“I don't know what it feels like to be scared anymore.”

「 “Are you scared?” “Do you feel fear now?” “How does it feel to be scared?”」

I recalled those past words of hers—

Before I knew it, I was hugging Yoishi’s slender body tightly. I embraced that slender shoulder and arms, as if to confine her inside me.

“It’s alright now – I’m sorry.”

This girl was -- a warm corpse. When she would spit out words, they would be accompanied with the scent of death. That kind of Yoishi, had seen something she wasn’t supposed to see. She found out something that she shouldn’t have, and as a result, was swallowed by the deep darkness. And thus, she lost the emotion known as fear.

--Once a person knows the depth of the darkness, they will end up possessed by those depths.

She said that once in thr past. That was in fact, about herself. She was going after the paranormal in search of her lost feelings of fear. Just as I was drawn to my mother out in the darkness — even if I were to burn myself sooner or later, she too would jump into the flames of darkness.

“There is no malice present here.” Yoishi murmured, transparent tears overflowed from both her eyes.

“Even if you say we should go back – no matter how much I look for it, I can’t find a reason to return.”

It’s harsh to think that she doesn’t want to return to this world – I recalled that kinagashi wearing bastard’s words. Countless emotions were overflowing inside me, sweeping away and tossing about. I was powerless, an incompetent bastard who couldn’t even save a single crying girl in front of me. What should I do? What should I say to her? A person like me, is there anything I could say to Yoishi? Was there anything I could do? Without a shred of logic, could my crappy words move her heart in the least?

--That’s right, I reached my hands out in desperation, and there...

“I’m still alive.” I whispered those words which were just on the tips of my outstretched hand. “And you too, are still alive.” I said something completely nonsensical while looking straight into Yoishi’s eyes.

“For you, living itself might not be what you want; I don’t know how heavy the burden it is that you’re carrying, and, I can't even say that I really understand. Neither can I carry the tremendous something that you are burdened with.”

But, together with those lines which I did my best to squeeze out, I felt a thin, thin, faint light shine in from the far away heavens. And that tightened something in my stomach at a tremendous speed. I could feel it, the power being transmitted to both my legs.

“But from now on, I’ll stand by your side. I’ll always stand by your side, and share half of your burden. From here on I’ll stand in the way of any malice that’s pointed your way. Anything that would want to kill you would have to go through me first. To sum it all up, as long as I’m alive, I will never let you be killed.”

“…….”

Yoishi looked at me astonished, I’d really done it now, I thought. But, I would have to take responsibility for my illogical words now. Now, I’d have to be armed with the theory of the lifetime. I don’t know if these words would become true or not, something ridiculously heavy is now entrusted to me. I frantically turned over my little storehouse of knowledge, scampered to the bottom, and, in the nick of time -- caught sight of that legend. And then I worked out an interpretation.

“Listen, remember that story you said a while ago, about Princess Konohanasakuya-hime?”

“…….Eh?”

“You said she wanted to disappear, but according to legends, she didn’t disappear. She purposely gave birth to a child in the fire. If she were to die, she wouldn’t be able to give birth. Why is that? Maybe you don’t know why, but I do. Konohanasakuya-hime's thoughts in the fire were like this: Within me there dwells a new life that's eager to come out. There is a life that desperately wants to be born from me, me who decided to disappear from this world. That moment, didn’t she decide? To walk along side that life -- she realized that taking that path would be more painful than dying. That’s why Konohanasakuya-hime’s personification: the Fuji mountain and cherry blossom are beautiful. They touch the hearts of us Japanese.”

“…..That logic is a failure.”

“Aw jeez, just shut up, don’t object. I know it already. It’s what I think. Nobody knows the truth of what happened back then. That’s why, in short – “

I pushed myself to the limits, and brought it to an end with the worst and strongest nonsensical words.

“From now on going forward, you walk with your head held high.”

The moment I announced those words, I heard a terrible sound close by. I narrowly pulled Yoishi towards my side as the wall together with the beam behind her collapsed. As I held Yoishi’s head in my arms, I also had a sniff of her hair. She’s like that in my dream as well, isn’t that a little strange?

“What is strange?”

Yoishi inquired, but I just shook my head, as if to say no.

“When we get back, take a bath.”

Yoishi slightly tilted her head away and replied as usual, I don’t like baths, as she stood up.

And it was the moment a different burning beam fell down.

“Come on!”

I promptly pulled Yoishi’s hand, and we ran from there while holding hands. My left hand gripped Yoishi’s, with my right hand I protected myself the sparks of the collapsed pillars, and we ran out of the room. However, as soon as I came out into the corridor I realized, the collapsing mansion was enough to completely destroy my sense of direction. Clicking my tongue, I ran to the left side where the fire was weaker. The mansion wasn’t like a vast labyrinth. If I were to just run in a straight direction, we’d be able to get out of here. If we just follow the fence from there, we should arrive at the main gate. However, perhaps it was because the mystery of my heart had been solved and the mansion had served its purpose, the structure of the mansion became so chaotic that the directions of top, bottom, right and left were vague. The stairs were connected with the kitchen; in front of the toilet was the storage room. The tatami mats continued for eternity. The corridor was winded into a spiral shape.

“Damn it, which way?”

On top of that the sparks were falling rapidly from overhead, burning my skin. They weren’t hot, but they were inflicting a dull pain, and seemingly erasing my existence.

--Dammit, It’s impossible.

A voice inside me said that, and I shouted back.

“It’s not impossible. This is my dream.”

Like hell am I gonna end up killed in my own dream. Like hell am I gonna stand being killed by anyone.

I yelled that as I clasped Yoishi’s hand as tightly as I could and kept running. The white darkness spreads before me. I was quickly covered in smoke and couldn’t even see my fingers.

-- The probability of you ever waking up again will be slim to none.

I faintly remembered the words of that kinagashi wearing bastard, but I shook my head and cleared away any such thoughts. I’ll definitely get back. Back to that apartment, back to Tokyo. And back to Fujieda, this time for sure, I’ll take back reality. I’ll rebuild my distorted and trampled memories. I’ll take back the everyday life the way it was supposed to be. But – I still couldn’t see the exit anywhere. Wherever I looked, the rubble from the mansion blocked our path. The pillars of fire rose relentlessly.

It might really be useless, after all.

It was that moment when I raised my head in weakness.

From the white darkness, someone’s hand held out towards me. It was a small hand. Because of the smoke, I couldn’t see whose face it was. But for some reason, I eagerly gripped that hand without any hesitation. Under the guidance of that hand, I ran out of that flaming corridor with Yoishi. The walls were crumbling, beams were falling down. Even if it was regrettable, this mansion was close to its demise. Yet despite that, I didn’t know how much further we would have to go.
However, however... strangely enough, the hope in my heart which had begun to disappear just before was still there. Without hesitation, it guided us -- this small hand. I didn’t know why, but it was trustworthy. Even though I had suffered through many creepy experiences up until now, yet I still concluded that. Why was that? Running with all their might, I caught glimpse of the feet of the child right in front of me. And because of that, I realized it. At this child’s feet, was a white sneaker tied with blue shoelaces.

The moment I realized who that child was, my vision suddenly blurred.

“Over there.”

The place ahead Yoishi pointed at, was the collapsed gate burning down.

--It was the exit.

I felt I’d be able to manage somehow or another when I reached there.

But the moment I thought that, the tiny hand grasping my left hand disappeared. Becoming flustered I looked back, her was there, enshrouded in smoke. Gently waving his hand in my direction and faintly smiled. I waved my hand in response with as much power as I could muster, at the same time, the mansion collapsed with the sound of an iceberg breaking.

We ran.

The main gate was already open.

The thick latch was lying on the ground, broken.

I let Yoishi pass through there, and looked back – that moment…

--At the entrance of the crumbled mansion, I realized someone was gazing my way. Dimmed with the white fog, my feelings burst forth seeing the beloved figure.

“Mother.”

The world was crumbling – shrinking rapidly. At the end of this white world -- I cried at the top of my voice.

“Thank you.”

“And I’m sorry.”

“I was running away. I was protected and behaved like a spoiled brat.”

Even as my voice grew dim, I continued to yell.

“But, I think I’ll carry everything by myself now.”

“The things father and sis were carrying for me.”

“I'm gonna live my reality.”

That’s why.

That’s why--

No matter what I did, my tears continued to fall, and I couldn’t utter those words.

I felt the soft power of Yoishi’s fingertips being poured into my left hand.

With a flood of emotions, I cried my heart out:

“Goodbye, mother.”

---

The first thing I perceived was the warm sunlight from the window. I was in my apartment. I was in my futon – And, I recognized the smiles of Krishna-san and the others; being hugged by the petite site manager, Karasu-san and the others all at once, I knew I had returned alive. By the way, this didn’t include that kinagashi wearing bastard, of course. I was dumbfounded as the Buddhist priest hugged me with a scary smile, anyway, Krishna-san’s master which was supposed to be that smug bastard, after he performed hypnosis on me, seemed to have left at once. Well, I suppose that’s for the best.

Anyhow, I tore off from the lot, quickly rose up, and examined the face of the sleeping Yoishi next to me. Yoishi was still sleeping then. With her fingers crossed on her stomach, she was lying down, as if she wasn’t breathing.

Was she able to come back?

The abyss of the world beyond and this world. – The absolute boundary, from the ‘abyss of the underworld’.

The moment I thought that, Yoishi, slightly opened her eyes. And – let out a sigh, speaking in a somewhat embarrassed tone.

“It was comfortable there.”

===Epilogue===

I understand, it’s true that in this world you have to be cautious like you’re cautious when exploring haunted places. In the shadow of fun things, lurk painful and difficult things, they are all present on the path we choose – This time, I learned that painfully. There may be a clear spring at the end of a narrow road. There may be a beast waiting at the end of a big, bright road. It's up to you to choose where to go on that crossroad, since nobody knows what lies ahead. Even if you keep your ears open, keep your eyes open, and try your best to think, you may make mistakes. But, it’s wrong to blame yourself or the people around you when that happens. Rather it would be better to enjoy it. I’m sure that way life will be—

“….It would be brighter that way.”

Leaning back on a bench in Tokyo station, I was thinking those kinds of things absentmindedly. My exams ended safely, I’d be going back home with my sister. I’d return to Fujieda, press the reset button on my life. It seemed the main gist of the events had been discussed by my sister and father. My father just took a long sigh as if a heavy weight had been lifted off of his shoulders and only said, ‘is that so?’ At any rate, I hadn't even visited my mom's grave until now, and that was a bad sign of filial piety. That’s why… I’d planned on talking about the many things that happened up until now.

“Hey, Nagi-suke!”

Suddenly, there was a shout so angry that people in a hundred meter range turned around in unison.

“You bastard, sitting on that bench all self-important, don’t act so carefree –dammit!”

I timidly turned to face that direction -- Bento, magazines, tea, souvenirs, and other stuff I didn’t know, was being carried in large quantities by my sister, twenty year old Akira Yamada. She tossed back her long, dyed in deep red, fluffy hair, and gave me a vicious stare.

“Making a lady carry heavy things like this, while you recline back on that bench, what are you thinking, ya bastard?”

“I-I’m sorry.” It's almost a conditional reflex now. I stumbled forward, and rushed towards my sister’s side.

“Listen! I even ended up paying for your substitute train ticket. I'll add that to the moving expenses from the other day, so you pay me back in full, alright?”

“….Yes.”

I hoped she would at least be a little nice to me after all that had happened, but that was actually a naïve view. In any case, there was still one week left to return home, so it was fine, she said. And without considering the fact that it had only being her second year in her company, she excitedly applied for a paid vacation, and decided to stay in my apartment until the day we returned. She took care of the food and laundry, but she took over the loft area where I slept, my right to choose the TV programs disappeared, and took away my right to the freshly drawn bath. I was only able to finish this trial because I was working in the family restaurants that open late at night.

As expected of the leader of the ladies: Akira of the Dawn, who was famous in Fujieda in the past.

“Come on, guys, grab all these. You owe me money for lunch and tea, right? Get a part time job and pay me back, ok? There's no interest for up to 3 months, but after that, I'll start charging 10% interest a month.”

….A demon. She’s a demon.

Does she realize that I'm a struggling university student with no allowance?

After shoving a total of six bags on me, my sister asked:

“So, you still haven’t realized it?”

“….What?”

I asked in return, and she clicked her tongue a little and ruffled her curly, bright hair.

“That's why you’re called a fool. Mind your surroundings a bit more.”

I look around and I see someone plodding around on a bench near the stairs, playing with their feet. In that familiar uniform of white blouse and black tie, was Yoishi Mitsurugi.

“I-it’s her, why is sh—“

“Hurry up and go, just remember, you have about two minutes until the train leaves. Keep it short.”

For all those thoughtful lines, she still thrust the luggage on to me while she went ahead and boarded the train. It couldn’t be helped; I staggered my way to the bench Yoishi was sitting on while carrying the luggage.

“Hey.”

I called out to Yoishi, she raised her face slightly.

“What are you doing in a place like this?”

Yoishi didn’t reply, and continued to look vacantly in the direction of her feet.

“Oh, I see, You came to see me off? Maybe you were worried we might not meet again.”

I took a seat next to the silent Yoishi – I intentionally put on a smile and said.

“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be back. I’ll definitely return to my house, and open the fusuma, without fail. No matter what’s on the other side – I’ll accept it, and come back.”

I felt a pang in my chest at the end, but I spoke that much in one breath to hide it.

“But, you know, really-- it's all just like a dream.” I whispered that and Yoishi turned my way.

“Ah, I’m talking about it being a dream in a figurative sense, there’s still so many things that I can’t piece together. When I get back home, my mother won’t be there, I still…haven’t accepted that completely.”

I was supposed to say things as smoothly as possible - but how pathetic. I ended up saying something unexpected to Yoishi.

“If it’s about your mother, she’s here.”

“….Eh?”

Yoishi slowly took out something wrapped in white cloth from her bag. She gently unwrapped that with both her hands and it was – an old kokeshi doll. At that moment, an unspeakable chill spread down my spine.

“---Ah, You, That is…”

“It’s a trophy.”

Yoishi Mitsurugi’s tucked the kokeshi back into her bag again, her dark eyes shined with happiness.

“Show it to me once again, there’s no way that...”

“I refuse. This is something I brought out, after all.”

No, there’s no way it could have been that. She’s probably just trying to scare me with a similar kokeshi doll she found at a thrift store or something. That has to be it – I try to think like that, but it’s Yoishi after all. I couldn't think about the possibility of such a creepy thing happening calmly, so I stopped myself from pursuing it. After all, I was in a period of mental rehabilitation. I couldn’t afford to be shaken mentally right now.

“So, did you come all the way to Tokyo station just to show that me?”

Yoishi sank back into silence in response. I was at a loss for words, too, because I didn’t know how much I could ask in such a short amount of time. We just wasted the rest of our time there, as if we were playing the role of a new couple who were going to say farewell soon.

Before long – the announcement of the train departing echoed on the platform.

“Well… I’m going.”

I stood up, and Yoishi followed in silence. . As I walked to the entrance of the train and was about to push the bulky bundle of paper bags into the doorway, I heard a voice from behind me.

“Koumei school, first year highschooler, Class A, Yoishi Mitsurugi, 16 years old.”

Surprised, I turned back, Yoishi was standing still in a posture with her hands clasped behind her back.

The train bell rang – I panicked, and got on the train.

“Next time, if we meet again...”

Yoishi spoke. But that moment, the door closed, but she continued to speak. I tried hard to read the movement of her lips. I never studied lip-reading in the first place. But, miraculously her words reached me.

I’ll become your friend.

Yoishi said with a somewhat nervous expression.

“You're kidding me.”

I laughed.

I frantically waved to her as I looked out of the window of the moving train.

I don’t know if that was enough to convey it to her.

In that case, I'll come back as soon as possible. She was wearing a forlorn look on her face as she came to see me off. So I'm going to convey this to her:

We’re not friends, we’re war comrades.

------------------

==Translator's notes and references==
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