MaruMAːMini-novel:nneverending1

Never Ending Poison Lady

Note: First and Third person POV are heavily mixed in this story.

When I traveled to another world, I did so through a toilet. I thought that made sense.

I'm not good with stories about the occult, and I decided not to believe in ghosts or apparitions until the day I saw them with my own eyes. However, I could understand a lot more about magic and other worlds than other males my age.

The reason for that must be that he traveled to another world from a public bathroom, was made the king of the country of the mazoku at the tender age of 16, was constantly surrounded by flying and walking skeletons, as well as people who were so beautiful, that one could never find such beauties in modern day Japan. After seeing all of this with his own eyes, there was no way he wouldn't believe in it, no matter how stubborn he may be.

Since the first day I arrived, I've been travelling back and forth to this place, and every time, I did so through water.

The sea, a hot spring, a pool.

"... I.... couldn't have fallen asleep right after entering the bathtub, right?"

Yuuri murmured surprised. Although before speaking he had to spit the dirt that had entered his mouth.

"Where am I?"

I turned around looking at my surroundings, and there were tall and dense trees all around me; so many of them that one couldn't even see the sky. I also have no recollection of falling asleep in a place like this. There isn't even a reason for me to be alone in the middle of the forest. However I thought that I had once again, traveled through space as usual.

"But I clearly remember leaving the bathtub, putting on my pajamas, and getting into bed...."

I was trying to retrace my steps, while saying everything I had done before outloud.

Three days ago, we had come to visit the Karbelnikoff territory. It was good hearing about all the tourist resources that had been established, but when I thought about it, it sounded like a nice place for a pleasure trip to keep my body healthy.

As a reward for my daily work, I too was invited to come for a relaxing holiday.

Since Japanese politicians would be scolded if they did something like that, I tried to refuse, but when they added the condition that I would pay for it with your own money, I finally accepted.

"Besides, now that I think about it, Japanese politicians and lawmakers almost never get scolded...."

During the day, I was able to enjoy the characteristic blue sea and white sands of the Karbelnikoff territory, in a place that was something like a luxury resort with a private beach.

I could play BEACH baseball on the beach, and ROCKY baseball in rocky areas, and in the shallow waters I could increase my lower body strength for baseball. I seriously thought about how I could play baseball in the ocean, but since all your movements are in SLOW MOTION I gave it up. SPEED is important in modern day baseball.

After playing all I could and eating all I could, I was guided to the guest room in the Karbelnikoff mansion (Densham von Karbelnikoff said he preferred it to be called mansion rather than castle). After that, I entered the eggshell motif bathtub, and then I entered the borrowed bed, wearing nightwear with chicks pattern.

As a measure against Wolfram, who somehow even on our trips sleeps in the same bed as I do, I made a wall with three pillows which also had cute egg shaped buttons. I tucked my shirt into my pants, so that my stomach wouldn't get cold. After all, in the mornings when I woke up, both my clothes and my sleeping posture were always preposterous.

However, even though I was exhausted from the exercise I did during the day, my eyelids had not become heavy after a few minutes. Although I usually fall fast asleep within 3 seconds, tonight, I couldn't sleep at all.

It's like I can't sleep for some reason, and my eyes are unsettled and I'm tossing around, and I look back at him, and Wolfram is breathing rapidly.

What should I do when I can't sleep? That's right, sheep, I should count sheep.

And that is when Yuuri counted to 6,178 sheep. He also counted cows and pigs, but sleep would not come. Inevitably he also tried to count chicks, but he gave it up because their cries were waking him up even more. As for sheep dogs, there were only 3.

Even if he tried counting all the animals in a farm, sleep would not come, so he decided to try a more powerful method. This was a modern strategy, highly recommended throughout Japan, and proven medically to be effective.

When you can't sleep, read a book that's hard.

Like a philosophy book, or Socrates, or an economy paper.

While making sure not to wake up the person beside him, he found a thick book. A smooth red leather cover book. It was a Poison Lady book. That's right, in the nightstand of the guestroom where the king of Shin Makoku was staying, instead of a Hotel Bible, there was a Poison Lady Anissina book. Furthermore, this was a collectors edition. I wouldn't have expected less from the hometown of the author.

For Yuuri who could barely understand the characters, even if it was a children's book, it was hard to read. Actually even just reading the title was hard for him, and secretly using his fingers also took time.

"Uh... Poison Lady Anissina's watcher's seat edition, Poison Lady Anissina's Welcome to Another World.... 'watcher's seat edition'?"

The correct words would be "extra edition". It's not like this is a story being told by an old lady in the public bath.

"I've never heard this title before, I guess it must be a new book? Ah, maybe because we're in the author's hometown, it gets released earlier here?"

After turning the page, I could see the usual character introductions and after that the "What has happened so far" information. Since it's a book written so that children can understand, the spelling was simple and the sentences, short....

"Allow me to explain! Poison Lady Anissina, who loves poisons and hates chickens.... gh...."

However Yuuri, who has always doubted the bright minds of Japan didn't make it to the end of the page. He was KNOCKED OUT after reading a single sentence aimed to be read by infants, which wasn't difficult at all. He lost consciousness and fell over the opened book.

The fact that his majesty was such a dummy, would be kept a confidential matter that the citizens would never find out about.

"And now I'm here. Which means that I haven't traveled through space or to another world. Is this just a dream?"

While touching the hard ground on which he was standing with both hands, Yuuri looked around him again.

The air was humid and it had a unique odor that was hard to describe. Like when you pull out a box from the back of a closet, a box that was brought from the countryside and hasn't been moved for decades.

Like air mixed with mold and dust. Definitely nothing like the summer sea or a beach.

"A dream about a forest that smells like the inside of a closet? What on earth is in my unconscious mind....?"

My friend Murata would certainly say a Freudian thing like this. This type of dream where you're in the middle of a forest represents sexual frustration. Well, if I'm not in a hurry to deny it, is because Freud made everything into an erotic topic anyways.

While trying to figure out whether it was dream or reality, Yuuri carefully began to walk in order to get out of the forest. The ground felt cold on the soles of his feet. That was to be expected since he was barefoot.

Not only his feet, but his body too, since he was only wearing the chicks pajamas.

Luckily the temperature was warm enough so that he wouldn't be freezing, but it was still uncomfortable. Like when you just get into bed. It was feeling more and more like a dream.

"Maybe I should just strip...."

"Your majesty! Look up!"

When I heard the voice, I looked up and there was a black object falling down. Before I could scream, something grabbed my shoulder and pressed me against the nearest tree.

Literally a second after I moved, an animal of unimaginable proportions fell right where I had been standing. It was huge.

I was unconsciously trying to scream, when the palm of a scarred hand covered my mouth.

"It won't do anything"

But it was a 2 meter tall animal similar to a spider. It even had 8 legs! Although it was black and looked just like an arthropod, it also had arms like those of an adult man. On top of having its entire body covered in thin hair, as it moved it made a buzzing sound. Its huge eyes that were a mix of blue, green and gray, were looking in every direction. Of course, it must have also noticed that I was there.

Uh-oh, their eyes met. Yuuri started to panic as he was being held against the tree, but it was a given that their eyes would meet. Because due to its compound eyes, at least one of them would end up looking in his direction.

However, despite its fierce appearance, the huge spider walked away without doing anything. Thank goodness, if it had stayed 3 seconds longer, I would have started to look for an insecticide spray while half-crying.

Along with a sigh of relief, the arm that was pressing him against the tree loosened.

"When those things fall from the sky, it's best to not interfere with them"

"Conrad."

But before he could reply with a refreshing smile, Yuuri's body started to move instinctively.

"So it is a dream, huh!?"

"Well, I don't know whether it's a dream or... ghhhgnnn..."

Letting out a groan different from anything you've ever heard before, Lord Weller sank to the floor. Yuuri's knee had hit his groin and he couldn't stand up.

"Wah! Sorry! I thought it was a dream and didn't think this through! This is because my whole life I've always wanted to kick a popular guy! Uwah! I'm so sorry!!!"

While sweat dripped from his forehead and his body was bent in the shape of a K (く), he waved his hand next to his face as if to signal 'I'm okay, just wait a bit longer'. That's what I want to believe.

"I was just trying to confirm that this was only a dream. I can't apologize enough, I should have tried it on myself. Beating my own groin."

Even saying it sounds too harsh, just imagining it makes my vital parts hurt. Even if you were wearing a cup, you'd still feel pain with an attack like that.

However, Conrad manage to lift his upper body somehow and after moving his lips several times, finally his voice came out.

".... My groin... no I mean, I must say that, I had prepared my cheek for a pinch, but...."

"Ah, but Günter taught me never to do that again. I'm really sorry, does it hurt?"

"I'm probably fine"

Being the place that was hit, there's no way he could be fine, but him not making the other party feel guilty is one of his good points.

That's is probably the part that almost every woman likes about him, right?

And like this CONrad... Nono, just because I'm impressed by his behavior, doens't mean I need to imitate his dad jokes. In the back of his head, Yuuri refused to do that.

"Even so, I was surprised. I didn't expect to find an enormous 2 meter tall spider. I was spared because I didn't try to attack it, but I bet that thing was poisonous"

Although it might have been a gigantic woolly crab of the forest.

The MONSTER SIZED arthropod left behind surprisingly thin threats on its way. They shone bright even on a cloudy day with no sunshine.

"I saw bugs of different sizes in the Amazon, but the big ones never had any poison. It's the small ones that are dangerous. Since they cannot threaten the enemy with their appearance, they are equipped with powerful weapons."

"You went to the Amazon!? What for!?"

"I only went there once. It was when I joined the Foreign Legion and was escorting a group of people who went looking for the Paradise of Huge Gorillas"

"I think that gorillas are huge to begin with.... or rather... what? Foreign Legion? Conrad, what sort of life did you lead while on earth? Don't tell me you went to the Vietnam war or something like that."

"It was already over."

"Would you have gone if it wasn't?"

"Well, who knows?"

He replied with a smile on his face as if it wasn't a big deal.

"I only know how to live as a soldier"

As he said that, Yuuri pictured Conrad wearing a light blue beret. Wait, that's the UN Peacekeeping Forces. It's not the Foreign Legion. What sort of uniform do the soldiers of the Foreign Legion wear anyways? Or does everyone wear whatever they like? Like something that allows you to move freely.... like a jersey?

"By the way Conrad, how come you're wearing proper clothes?"

"Eh? Even if you ask me that..."

Although I was in my chicks pajamas, Conrad who appeared suddenly was wearing his usual clothes.

He wasn't wearing his jacket, but he was wearing the pale shirt I usually see him in, it's just that I had never seen the bottom part of that shirt exposed. The chest area was more opened than usual, similar to the way guys who are trying to hit on girls at night wear it, and it's considered cool-looking rather than sloppy.

Around his waist, he was carrying a sword, although it was a short one.

"They're not proper clothes"

However if you looked at Conrad, what he said made no sense.

"Although it pains me that I'm not wearing my much needed shoes"

"Ah, yeah"

Indeed, he was not wearing his usual heavy military shoes, but was instead wearing what you could call 'dad sandals', the type of shoes you wear inside your house. It was extremely funny to watch the contrast between them and the proper clothes.

"In order to be able to act promptly, I laid down with my day clothes on, and only took off my leather shoes. Until it was time to sleep, I thought it would be fine to wear comfortable clothes.... and that's why right now my clothes don't match. Well, anyways, I'm just glad I'm not naked."

"Wait a second, you sleep in your day clothes? Ah? By the way, do you think that sleepwear is unnecessary?"

Conrad shrugged slightly.

"It's because I'm a guard"

Indeed, after he left Yuuri and Wolfram in their room, he must have returned to the LIVING ROOM that was right in front of it.

But I thought that after that he had moved to another room.

"No way, were you sleeping in the SOFA!?"

Without answering that, he bent his index finger and hung it from Yuuri's collar.

"And what about you? What were you trying to do, undoing that button?"

"Ah, I was thinking about taking it off"

Conrad made the 'guard Lord Weller' face and raised his eyebrow slightly.

"In the middle of a strange forest ? Full of creatures that may pop up at any given time?"

"That's because I thought it was a dream"

"A dream, huh?"

"..... but you were in pain a while back, right?"

The result of the experiment I conducted on someone else determined that you could feel pain in this world. In fact, the pain was so intense he was in agony. A new memory was created off the face the subject made.

"No matter how tough a man is, feeling a pain like that would have woken him up"

"Indeed"

While I talked to Conrad, I fastened my egg shaped button again.

"..... this is bad. Once again, this isn't a dream."

㋮ ㋮ ㋮

Meanwhile, in the VIP room of the Karbelnikoff castle, even people who weren't supposed to be in the room started gathering.

"When I heard that something so funny, no, no, I mean, terrible had happened I had to come!"

Josak stood there, on the other side of the opened door, looking like he had rushed there quickly enough that he needed to catch his breath. A frowning Lord von Voltaire, was already in the corner of the room looking troubled. Next to him, his younger brother Lord von Bielefeld Wolfram, was busy turning from bright red to pale white.

Gwendal glanced at the door.

"Why are you here?"

"I can't just do nothing knowing that the commander and his majesty have been entrapped by a horrible curse."

"No, I mean, why are you here in Karbelnikoff?"

"Why you ask? Well, that's..."

The spy clapped his hands like an adorable little girl.

"Well, his excellency is in Karbelnikoff, right? So I thought maybe there's a new mission or something, and came here."

".... this late at night?"

"Excellency, please. Gurie works whether it's day or night. You should know that by now.... Hooo? Eeeeeh?"

Without asking for anyone's permission, he glanced inside and saw the whole picture of Yuuri and Conrad walking around. This is when he ask a frowning Gwendal:

"Is this the terrible curse?"

"Don't ask me"

He tried to ask the younger brother, but he was very busy screaming while looking at Yuuri's movements. But by putting together the things that he had found out, he realized the situation was pretty serious.

Wolfram had woken up all of a sudden to Yuuri walking around the room. He did not respond to his named being called out, and much like a sleep walker, he would simply turn around and walk in a different direction when he hit a wall. Even if he was grabbed around the shoulders to be stopped, he would simply slip out of Wolfram's arms and keep walking. Because his lips are moving slightly, it seems like he's murmuring something, but you can't properly hear what he's saying.

After walking around the room several times, he walked through the door and continued his sleep walking in the living room.

"And in that moment, you saw that the commander was in the same state, right?"

"That's right. Furthermore, since he joined in, the two of them have been walking around as if they are acting together!"

"Well, that's because he's his guard after all."

"But older brother! They haven't talked to each other at all!? Ah! Yuuri, careful! If you keep walking in a straight line you'll hit the wall!"

Right before their eyes, those two were about to hit the wall again. Wolfram gently guided Yuuri's hands away from it and when he had changed directions, Wolfram started shouting again.

"I'm sure he's being affected by one of Anissina's cursed objects!!! Otherwise he would be able to hear my voice. Hey, Yuuri! Hang on in there! I'm coming to save you."

"Well, but sleep walking is not such a terrible thing, right? Perhaps they're in the same dream due to the use of majutsu?"

Gwendal said shortly while still frowning.

"But they're not sleeping, right?"

".... I mean, he doesn't usually sleep with his eyes open like that, right?"

"Yuuri doesn't have such creepy habit!"

Wolfram denied right away. And he knows everything about his Majesty.

Josak quickly crossed the room so that the two people walking around wouldn't bump into him. He approached Gwendal, who still seemed to be grumbling under his breath. His current superior officer was this man.

"How strange. Although I know there's no one who surpasses Anissina-chan in regards to poisons in this country, it seems that now she has extended her research to curses as well, huh?"

"I don't know. I only knew she was working on traps as always."

"That's true. However to let others play with the traps she made herself is... what? Am I wrong? I'm talking about 'that'. Doesn't she like to trick people using her own hands? I don't think that someone who likes certainty so much, would leave a cursed object for anyone to randomly fall into that trap at any time. Even if it's using ma power, she'd still get consent."

"If it's ma power related, then why am I , who was sleeping next to him safe!?"

“Well, you have a point there."

While watching Wolfram's cheeks get red in excitement, a surprised Josak swallowed the question" You even sleep together when you're out on a trip?", and at the same time, he stopped himself from asking a new question like "Well, where was Lord Weller sleeping?".

It's likely that he thought that it didn't matter anyways.

And Wolfram had a point with his question. If this was majutsu at work, why were Conrad and Yuuri affected, and he was the only one spared?

If it only worked with people who had maryoku, then the victim should have been Wolfram, not Conrad. This was certainly strange.

"Could it be that it doesn't work on people who don't have human blood....?"

In a land vastly populated by demons, that sort of magic makes no sense.

But indeed, just like Wolfram said, could it be a curse aimed at a specific person?

"Damn it, I have no clue!"

Just as the two people were about to hit the wall again, Gwendal said the following in an impatient tone.

"Whether is a curse or a majutsu, only (Lord/Lady) von Karbelnikoff can manage this situation. Gurrier, hurry up and call them!"

"You're talking about the small one, right?

"That's right, the small one"

"But both of these siblings are small. Which of the small siblings?"

"A-NI-SSI-NA!"

Even if they were dealing with a curse, Josak would still tease him like that. It was fun to play with a serious looking superior officer, but it was more fun to play with a serious looking superior officer who was being serious.

On the other hand, the youngest brother was so deeply absorbed looking at Yuuri and Conrad's movements, that he didn't even notice what his eldest brother was going through.

"Ah! He is clinging on to him!? Yuuri, why are you clinging on to Conrad!? And right here in front of my eyes!!!"

"Calm down, Wolfram. They don't know we're here. Besides sometimes when you're walking with relatives or friends, there are times when you cling on to them, right?

But instead of being helpful and saying 'Oh, yes, of course there are ' Josak replied:

"For example?"

"When you're walking on the sidewalk and horse dung comes flying your way...."

"Or like when you meet a kitten that's too cute?"

He was scolded with a

"Hurry up and go get Anissina"

㋮ ㋮ ㋮

However what they had encountered was not a cute kitten.

"It's all right, it's gone now"

When Conrad said so, Yuuri's arms let go of Conrad's neck. His feet touched the ground again.

"I thought I was going to die, or rather, I was thinking what to climb to move higher."

A huge snake had slithered across his feet. Although it wasn't really just his feet. Because the MONSTER SIZED enemy was big enough to swallow a person whole in one bite. It was approximately 1 meter in width. Because it was such a METABOLIC SNAKE, the sound and vibrations it made were also strong.

Due to the way the ground vibrated as it got closer, I did not think it was only one reptile passing by. Well, these types of snakes are not suitable to work as spies.

"Spiders, rabbits, mushrooms and now, snakes. Everything is huge. I was lucky that it wasn't hostile, but this guy left a trail of juices on its path."

So that the socks he had borrowed (confirming there wasn't athelete feet bacteria in them) wouldn't get wet, Yuuri carefully jumped over the pond of mucus that was on the ground. The sandals hadn't fit him right.

When Conrad caught up to him after looking at the liquid pool he said with a serious face

"Even so, that was an elaborate anaconda, right?" (zuibun to tenokonda anakonda)

Huh?

Yuuri who wasn't willing to hear that, changed sides from right to left.

".... yeah, yeah, a trail left by the snake is weird, huh? Rather than something natural, I get the feeling it's like an artificially designed scene."

"That's why I said it was an elaborate ana...."

"Cut it out Conrad, in a time like this..."

"I was talking about the pattern "

"What? The pattern on the snake!?"

He misunderstood! Yuuri used both hands to hide his embarrassed face.

"I thought it was one of your dad jokes, you know? I mean, the type of cold ones that you like... but uh... ehh... shall we talk about the snake? What about the pattern?"

"I thought it was too elaborate. Did you see the pattern?"

When he said this, I immediately remembered it. But what kind of pattern was it? By the way my older brother is good with Rorschach tests, but I'm bad at them. Even if it's 'a bowl of rice stain', I can't see anything but a 'stain'.

"Uhm... was it a flower?"

"Unfortunately..."

"Okay, okay, then... a double circle?"

Conrad remained quiet and shook his head.

He tried to give a few other answers. A wave, a triangle, a star, it slowly started to feel like an IQ test. When he couldn't think of any other shapes, he threw his hands up in the air as proof of his surrender.

"I can't remember! That's because I was scared and I didn't have time to check the pattern on it. I remember it was surrounded by a circle, like a family crest."

"The writing on it was 'Poison' surrounded by a circle"

I unconsciously repeated the word.

"Poison!?"

"Yes, Poison in a circle"

"Maybe.... it was to say "Look at me, I'm a viper" and be easily identifiable as one?"

"It may be a warning note"

But who was the warning note for?

I understand the strategy of letting it know that you're poisonous to intimidate an enemy. But the enemy in this case were another animals. Instead of being decorated with bright colors, or have complicated patterns on it, so that there was no confusion it had the word "poison" written on it... what's that about?

Was it so that only enemies who could read be aware of the danger?

"Wild animals?"

However if all the wild animals that they had seen wouldn't really be wild, then things would be different. For example, if there was someone who owned the vast forest and had gathered enormous animals and raised them there. In such a case, you would put a warning on the the pets that were poisonous.

Or maybe the person was labeling their belongings like marking livestock, so that they don't get taken by mistake. When he thought about that, two things came to mind. One was someone who loved the word poison. And the other one was, Lady von Karbelnikoff, Poison Lady Anissina.

She is praised as being one of the Three Great Witches of Shin Makoku, at the same time as being feared as a the Red Demon, and being despised as a woman as a MAD MAGICALIST.

Completely afraid, he let himself say the name outloud.

"..... Anissina-san's...... snake?"

"We can't be sure, though"

"Then, does that mean that we have stepped into Anissina-san's pet park?"

Poison Lady's Pet Park, 'Poison Park' for short. Just thinking about it made me shiver. Once, some drunk soldiers got lost and stepped into Poison Lady's Botanical Part (also shortened as 'Poison Park'). One of them was found a year and a half later, the other one was never found. It is said that he became food for the plants after touching a poisonous-looking flower and getting poisoned.

The soldier that returned only recovered his health after 3 days and 3 nights in DETOX.

Due to the rumors, whether it was young people trying to test their courage, or people who wanted to see it, the amount of tourists increased and the Karbelnikoff family added one more tourist attraction by making a new Poison Park. This was of course designed by Anissina's older brother Lord von Karbelnikoff Densham. In it there were relatively safe toxic plants, and on the weekends obese mazoku who wanted to lose weight, would be allowed to eat the poisonous plants.

Although the Botanical Park is still open even to this day, I had never heard a story about Anissina having a special Pet Park. Even if a horrible place like that existed, there was no reason to carry both of them there.

There was no reason for Anissina to hold a grudge against Yuuri or Conrad..... maybe.

"But here we are"

"I mean, I'm sort of in my chicks pajamas. But no matter how soundly I may be sleeping, there's no way I wouldn't have noticed someone carrying me away. Because of all the shaking."

"Well, yeah, there's that."

An ivy that was hanging down was in their that way, and made them stop.

They had been walking for a long time trying to find a way out of the forest, but they couldn't see an exit.

It was still cloudy, with no sunshine passing through the clouds and even though the path under the trees was dim, they could see their feet, so it wasn't either night nor evening.

"It was late at night when we all went to sleep. So it would be strange for us not to notice the time change until noon. If this is Anissina's Pet Park, the time zone should be the same as in the Karbelnikoff territory."

"Yes, indeed. I also don't feel like I was asleep that long. Then maybe this isn't the Karbelnikoff territory?"

Putting my thickheaded-self aside, would it be possible to carry Conrad, who even sleep in his day clothes, such a long way without him waking up?

However if Anissina was the one who did it.... Conrad let out a soft 'hmmm' and sat next to Yuuri. He then leaned back on the trunk of a tree.

"Maybe someone used a ma powered device..."

"If it was a ma powered device, then certainly it must have been Anissina's magicc...." (Y)

As Conrad enterlaced his fingers behind his neck, and was looking up at the sky with a grin, a sound similar to a whistle cut through the air, and echoed throughout the whole forest.

As they looked at each other's faces with an expression wondering 'what did just happen', a bunch of lumps moving as fast as the wind, ran passed them.

"Eh!? Wait, were all these creatures in here ?"

They were all regular sized animals. Foxes, deer, mice, raccoons. If you looked closely, there were also people. They were all coming from another part of the forest and running in one direction. Someone screamed in a high pitched voice.

"POI- SON--LA-DY--IS--CO-MI-NG !"

That person is the only Poison Lady. Yuuri stood up unconsciously.

"Eh? What? Is it really Anissina-san!? If Anissina-san is here then this will end quickly. We'll ask her to save us, and she might be able to tell us what this place is. Heeey! Anissina! Say, Anissina, I'm calling you!"

As quickly as Yuuri said this, he started to walk in the direction that the animals were coming from. Conrad grabbed his arm quickly.

"Please wait. Both the animals and the inhabitants of this place are terribly shaken. Isn't it unusual to see this kind of fear? There's a possibility that the lady who lives in this forest isn't Anissina"

"Whaaat? Are you saying there's another poison Lady besides Anissina? That's...! "

As soon as he was going to say that it was impossible, they heard a man scream a few meters away. Reflected in the eyes of the two people who turned around to look, was the shadow of an image as big as that of a large Buddha, and from the part that seemed to be the face, a watermelon seed was being spat out.

The man who was spitting it out vigorously, drawing a beautiful curve, approached the other two. As his body hit the floor, he let out a sound similar to that of a crushed frog.

"Gyuum"

"Uwah! What do we do Conrad!? Is he okay? Is this person okay!? Say, ojiisan, are you all right!?"

"Over here your majesty. First, let's hide his body here"

They grabbed the collapsed man by his clothes, and dragged him under the shade of a tree near by, next to its trunk. If someone collapses right before you, you just can't abandon them.

The ground vibrated to the rhythm of footsteps similar to that of the Poison Lady. She was looking for the man. She was also looking for the thing that was spat out. What kind of relationship could this man and that monster have? Yuuri glanced at the man's face.

Although twisted in pain and looking exhausted, the face itself was a refined one. In human years he'd be approximately 30 years old, and if you put together his well proportioned body with his face, he was more or less, no, very much so, a handsome man. If you just comb his hair, and shave the uneven beard off his cheeks and chin.....

"HUH!?"

Although they were hiding, Yuuri let out an impressively loud exclamation. But his surprise was justified. If you cleaned up the face of the man who had lost consciousness, he looked just like an acquaintance of his. Someone really close to him.

"What happened, Yuu................. ri "

Conrad seemed to have noticed as well. As he was muttering, this can't be, I was cleaning his dirty face with the corners of my clothes.

"..... Gwen"

"Right? He looks just like Gwendal"

But in that moment, a scary groaning voice called the name of the person she was looking for.

"W-e-d-a-l"

Yuuri understood it right away.

"Wedal? Don't tell me that this is..."

They knew that person. No, actually, they have read about him.

A man who looked exactly like Lord von Voltaire Gwendal, whose name was We ・dal.

The best victim in the Poison Lady Anissina series.

㋮ ㋮ ㋮

"Which means that those two aren't asleep, they aren't dreaming, but have traveled to the world written in the book, which is ruled by Poison Lady, right?"

"That's right"

The oldest and youngest of the three mazoku brothers, who more or less looked alike, surrounded Anissina who was dragged there by Josak for a midnight experiment. They asked in unison:

"They're in the book!?"

Even if they would have asked how did that happen? Or said give us the physically explanation, there was no way that they would understand the theoretical development of the Mad Magicalist. Both of them knew that.

"Probably while both of them were reading the book, ma power was activated and they traveled to another world. I mean, look, the evidence is right there. Both of them had dropped my most beloved version of the book with the same binding. The second part of the book is really quite selfish, though."

If that's what Anissina says, then that's what happened. Even if they would have asked 'Is ma power really such a versatile thing?' or 'That's impossible', they didn't have any proof.

Meanwhile, Yuuri and Conrad who were in another world, had slowed down their pace and had been sitting down a lot, so for the time being they were staying in the bedroom.

"But at any rate, the door to the other world was this, this book, right!?"

"There's no thisthisthisthis (konokonokonokono), what are you mushroom salesman? Please do remember the title. The title! It's " Poison Lady Anissina's Welcome to Another World" . And that's right. His Majesty and Lord Weller have turned my book into a door, to travel to a simulated experience of the "Poison Lady's Other World". Ah!"

As soon as the Red Demon had finished saying that, Wolfram opened the thick leather cover book and started hitting hit head against it. His blonde hair shining between the white pages.

"Just wait for me Yuuri! I'm coming to save you!"

" .... Stop that, Wolfram. No matter how many times you hit your head against the book, you won't be able to enter "Poison Lady's Other World"."

"Why!?"

Anissina put her thin finger on his forehead, as if she was teaching a child.

"Because you're there." ( jp: "Irukaradesu" sounds like "dolphin")

"Dolphin? Bandou-kun?"

"No, I mean, that a character that's very similar to you already exists in the story"

"What!?"

"Although I haven't described his face yet"

Gwendal and Josak made a slightly creeped out expression. They imagined the third son with a blank face, and grumbled.

However that person himself seemed to have come up with a wonderful idea.

His eyes sparkled.

"M-maybe you can give the character a manly mustache"

But his suggestion was quickly dismissed. Because as a matter of fact, Anissina hated men's mustaches and beards. The reason for that was simple, it was because growing them is something that women can't do.

"A person who has already appeared in the story cannot go into the other world. Gwendal, that of course means you too."

"Yeah, because you have We ・dal who's always being bullied, right?"

Gurrier Josak was a man that liked to play games with his boss, but that, absolutely did not mean that he did not respect Gwendal. In fact, he would follow his orders no matter how dangerous the mission, no matter how sexy the dress he had to wear may be.

If Gwendal were to give the order, he would immediately butt the book with his head, and travel to the simulated experience.

But Lord von Voltaire thought that it was still too soon. There could still be more effective methods to bring those two back from the other world, and if that was the case, he wanted to try them first.

"What about Conrad?"

"Lord Weller appears as one of the red matagi (hunters). Well, he only appears in a few lines, but it's a good character. That's why he could join, you see? Even so, why, why is the simulated experience of "Poison Lady's Other World" running? Furthermore, I can't understand how "Poison Lady Anissina's Welcome to Another World" has become a door. The story itself has not even been completed yet."

"In the Alien Orange, hey! What do you mean 'how it happened!?', mgh."

Wolfram asked while continuing to hit his head against the book, not willing to give up.

"Because it's incomplete. I haven't finished it. Because I, the author, has only written about two thirds of the story."

"Huh? What do you mean by that Anissina-cha... san?"

Gurrier Josak was a man that liked to play games with his boss, but he was a weak man when it came to the Red Demon.

"What happens if the book is incomplete?"

"Until I write an end for it, his majesty won't be able to get to the ending point."

"In other words...."

While still holding the book with both hands, Wolfram's mouth trembled. It seems he couldn't speak at all. Gwendal was standing firm with his arms folded, so Josak who had a more relaxed posture was the one who spoke next :

"Uhm, so what you're saying is that until Anissina-chan finishes the book, his majesty and the commander can't return to this world"

"Of course"

"So, until then, his majesty and the commander...."

"They can of course enjoy "Poison Lady's Other World". Absolutely, endlessly, never ending. Or how about if we say it, using the words of the world where his majesty was raised: "NEVER ENDING POISON LADY"?

What an abominable sound to it! It sounded even scarier when put into words from another world. The book fell from Wolfram's hands. As soon as he imagined the terrifying world, his beautiful face became completely pale.

"What's up with those frowns? Your eyebrows should be raised in excitement. Raised! These three adults here shouldn't be making such troubled faces. There's nothing to worry about. If they get to the end with their own strength, they will return to this world on their own."

Gwendal, having more experience than his younger brother, snapped out of it faster, and raised his right hand as if saying" Teacher, I have a question". His dignity as a noble, long forgotten.

"W-what can we do to rescue them faster?"

"Right, about that... How about showing some support?"

As soon as he heard this, Wolfram, who was sad enough to become obedient, picked up the book and started shouting in a boyish tone.

"Yuuri, you can do it! You can do it , Yuuri!"

"No! Are you stupid? Or rather, you're stupid, huh? He won't hear you shouting. How can you support them? I've told you already, didn't I? I have to finish writing this book, and they have to get to the ending point. So for starters, the ending point doesn't exist."

"..... So?"

Looking up at Gwendal from a head below his, Anissina turned her lips into a smile.

"Since I'm the writer, the one you have to support, is me, right?"

"Huh?"

Stepping up for his older brother who was once again perplexed; Wolfram, who is terribly straightforward, clenched his fist, turned to Anissina and shouted:

"Red Demon, you can do it! You can do it, Nightmare Poison Lady!"

Unfortunately, however, this did not please Lady von Karbelnikoff Anissina. She shook her head as her burning red hair swayed.

"You got it wrong again! You really are an idiot! Why don't you use your brain, Wolfram? It's not made of tea leaves, you know?"

"Then how are we supposed to support you!?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Anissina put both of her hands on her hips and straightened up her small body. A Poison Lady smile appeared on her mouth.

"What supports an author, is the voice of the readers. And by voice of the readers, I mean you have to write your thoughts in a letter."

(to be continued)

(Story from 2006)

Hello everyone, it's Takabayashi. You might be wondering why I'm using katakana. This is my way to express my apologies to the readers for causing them so many problems, because I can't look at you face to face. So, I say it in katakana as if I were fearfully speaking from behind the door.

Yes, really, I can't apologize enough for all the twists and delays and for being crazy. I am currently trying to do old things one at the time. And one of them is this "Never ending Poison Lady", or "NEVER ENDING POISON LADY", abbreviated as "NEVER Poison" ( you don't actually have to picture it as an object). But why suddenly Poison Lady? Up until now, you've been writing about 'that young person' and a little bit of a bitter, HORROR story, so why Poison Lady out of the blue? I wonder about that myself. Wait, I think I got it. It's because in the past, books about travelling through another world have been written, but one with a plot (sigh, I have the nerve to call it plot) where people travel to another world through a book, hadn't been written up till now. So, since they had to travel to a world in a book, it had to be one of the Poison Lady series books, right? Furthermore, since it's NEVER ENDING, no matter how far you go, no matter how many times you escape, Poison Lady will be there. The words "Never ending" and "endless (hateshinaku tooi sora ni)" are a little different, but at any rate it's the Poison Lady's world that doesn't have an end. This is quite scary.... no, I mean fun, right? So I started writing this story with the premise of a delusion that never ends.

Ah! Because this is an extra story, don't really pay attention to the timeline in connection to the main novels. Like you know, people who are believed to be dead showing up and all that....... The third son (/ can be read as three men), who doesn't seem to be doing much in this part, will be actively trying to save Shibuya in the next part. I don't know which of the three men yet. Now that I think about it, if reading the same book makes you travel to another world, I kind of wish they would have had jumped into one of the Gyun-juices journals. A world with unimaginable beauties, but where maybe, no certainly they all release juices, who speak with beautiful rethoric and can be found one after another in that world. Uwah! I probably couldn't be there longer than three minutes!

Return to MA Series

Forward to Part 2