WG – Chapter 141.

5: Side Story –
Fake Prince Charming
“…Souma?”
“—!”
That clear voice that called out to me in a subdued manner brought me back to my senses.
When I looked at my side, there were clear blue eyes closer than I thought.
“…Did something happen?”
“N-No, there’s no issues…R-Ringo.”
I hurriedly shook my head to the sides at the questioning tone.
It seems like my consciousness flew away from the way too shocking sight.
Understanding it in your head and seeing it in the flesh is different.
I was once again reminded of such an obvious fact.
That guy, who called himself ‘Prince Charming Loic’, suddenly went in front of the target, Leila, the
moment he saw her at the plaza.
“You are Leila-san, right? I have been waiting for you the whole time.”
And then, with such a cheesy line that I definitely wouldn’t ever be able to say, he offered her a
bouquet of flowers with motions that even I as a man can tell were perfect.
It is exactly as we discussed, so I should have been prepared for it, but this being done with that face
gave me more of a shock than I imagined.
Moreover, he grabbed the hand of the confused girl and kissed it!
Before the plan began, he said ‘I am not that good at talking with women’, and yet, he is completely
into the role.
Or more like, he is overdoing it no matter how you think about it.
There’s no doubt he hasn’t considered at all who is the one that’s going to be suffering after this is
over.
It is only now that I began to regret it, thinking ‘I really shouldn’t have trusted in him’.
Now that I think about it, he has been acting weird since the phase of choosing the outfit and the
meeting.
Why did he have something like that?
“I think these are the clothes that fit a prince charming the most.”
He exaggerated as he wore knight-like clothes and…
“Right, in the middle of this operation, call me Prince Charming Loic.”
He said this with a straight face.
Honestly speaking, the only thing I could think of is that he is a nutcase.
Moreover, from what I heard, that’s not proper armor but a fashion item sold in the item shop and has
papier mache defense.
According to the information I have, they will be heading to a level 130 dungeon now.
I don’t know how strong a great hero-sama is, but it is by no means a place you could lower your
guard in.
Me, Ringo, and the others all said that this is dangerous, but the person himself said with a
nonchalant face: “It is okay, it is okay. If anything happens, we can have that cat-eared swordsman-
sama protect us.”
“…I will try, but it is not my fault if you get stabbed after I save you.” (Mitsuki)
And so, the aforementioned cat-eared swordsman, Mitsuki, said with a displeased look.
I am disappointed in myself for thinking even for an instant that he might be a decent guy the first
time I met him.
Even while I was lost in reflection, the offensive of the Prince Charming was not stopping.
“That’s why I want you to watch me and judge whether I am worthy of trust.”
He was still approaching Leila with a serious face.
From the conclusion of the strategy meeting that took almost the whole night, we decided to divulge
our plan to Leila from the beginning to a certain degree.
And so, he said to Leila…
-He needs an item from the ruins.
-He wants the cooperation of Leila who knows in detail about those ruins.
-About how he will need to return to his homeland once the ruin exploration is done.
-The fact that he will have to separate from Leila once it is over.
He clearly told her that, and requested for her help.
It doesn’t change the fact that we are deceiving her here, but you could say it is fair to an extent…I
think.
More importantly, I was more interested in whether these conditions could convince Leila, but it
seems like that was unnecessary worry.
“…I-I also wanted help…in exploring the ruins, so…I am fine…with that much.”
“Thanks, Leila!”
“I-It is not like…I have already decided…to bring you.”
I could see even from the side that Leila was being overwhelmed by his one-sided push.
The fearsome thing here is that they have grown pretty close to each other in the short time they have
met.
Physical distance goes without saying, but his formal way of speech at first had changed into the
same one that he had in yesterday’s strategy meeting.
In other words, this guy is beginning to get along with her almost in his natural state.
He really is an unbelievable playboy -is the new evaluation I had of him.
“…Souma.”
Ringo spoke to me once again.
“W-What is it, Ringo? Did something happen?”
Unease was reflected in my voice.
You could say this blue haired girl is the person that I have been together with the longest since
coming here, but having these clear eyes stare straight at me still makes me nervous.
“…Standing out too much.”
“R-Right. Sorry.”
I got so absorbed in observing their situation that I got a bit too at the front.
I hurriedly moved back.
My role in the first phase of the plan is mostly to make sure no girls get close to him, and to hinder
any dangerous looking person.
I am currently the Ultimate Hero, the Sinking Prince Souma.
Thinking about the core of the situation, it feels like I am deceiving them, but I decide to concentrate
on the people, taking it as work.
I feel bad for the elderly men and women that seriously come to me with admiration and gratitude.
Seeing the boys and girls that were looking at me with pure eyes like that of seeing a hero, it feels as
if I am looking at myself in my younger days, and it made me feel good.
While I was thinking that, a small girl came running with all she could from deep in the road. And
then, with a big smile on her face, she held out a colored paper.
“Hero Onii-chan! Sign, please give me your sign!”
My heart shook at her way too pure request, but I haven’t practiced a sign.
Or more like, a guy like me doing signs is not good.
“I am sorry. Signing is a bit impossible for me.”
I felt bad for refusing the request of a young child, but I refused as politely and gently as possible.
“……I see. Is that so.”
But those feelings of mine didn’t reach the young girl.
Her eyes scrutinized me for a moment there, and she averted her gaze to the side.
I cursed my own inability with words and hurriedly continued speaking.
“N-No, it is not like I don’t want to give you a sign or anything…”
But the girl grinned before that and…
“No, you don’t need to worry about it at all, Onii-san! I actually think Onii-chan’s sign is worth less
than trash anyways!”
“…Eh?”
“See ya, Onii-san. Do your best from here on too, okay?!”
She ran off with her short legs.
I really am terrible at dealing with women regardless of age.
I groaned.
And from the other side…
“I see! What you say is really educational, Leila!”
“T-That’s…”
“No, honestly speaking, I had absolutely no interest in talking about ruins until now, but hearing
about age and the types of traps from you, I went ‘I see!’.”
“That’s…great, I guess.”
And contrary to myself, our Prince Charming-sama was smoothly getting along with the princess.
I have only spoken with him for a few couple hours, but it feels as if a certain something had been
unleashed in him after obtaining the mask of Prince Charming.
I can tell he is really lively even when looking from the side.
“…But is it really…fun to be together with someone…like me?”
“Yeah. I have been fighting the whole time lately, so I have had no experience of going out shopping
and having fun.”
“Really…?”
“Also, it is probably the first time in my life that I have gone out shopping alone with a beauty like
you, Leila.”
“I am not…a beauty though…”
I could hear a conversation that made my back feel itchy just from standing slightly further away
from them.
Right after I was assailed with the desire to shout mindlessly…
*Dwon!*
A sound like that of a blunt weapon hitting the ground with massive force rang somewhere.
A support aside from me might have not been able to take it anymore just like me and vented just
now.
There’s no way Maki would do something like that in public since she is a princess, so it must have
been Mitsuki who is also acting as support.
“Oi, is something the matter?”
And there’s someone here in a weird state too.
Ringo, who is by my side, was holding her chest tightly and her usual expressionless face was
warped slightly.
“…I am…okay… Don’t worry, Souma.”
Seeing that state of hers, I thought ‘as expected’.
I knew clearly just how much influence he had on women…no, putting it bluntly, I could tell just
how popular that guy was with women even before the operation began.
I barely interacted with people since coming here, but it is not like I am completely dense when it
comes to matters with men and women.
I don’t want to admit it, but the blue haired blue eyed mysterious girl by my side, Ringo, in my eyes,
is most likely in love with that guy.
Ringo would go to that guy’s side and would take care of him despite not being instructed to, and she
would look happy simply from being spoken to.
I would instead be surprised if she were to not be in love with him.
No, it is not only Ringo.
It has only been half a day since coming from that cabin in the mountains to the capital, but in just
that time alone, I could tell clearly that they liked this guy.
Mitsuki, Maki, and Ina, who is looking after the mansion now, were directing passionate gazes at him
by the time I noticed.
Not only that, even the man with a weird mask, Sazan, also looked at him weird…but just imagining
it is scary, so I will stop that. Anyways, it seems like everyone has fallen in love with him despite
how hard to believe it is.
Being shown this much, it goes above jealousy and it even impresses me.
Looks like there’s popular guys that surpass my furthest imagination.
“Souma!!”
That short call hit my eardrums for the 3rd time.
(Crap!!)
I was so in my thoughts that I once again went too forward.
Moreover, the two of them are moving our way.
He saw me and made a face as if saying ‘I messed up’, but he must have thought it would be weird to
change directions at this point in time, so he tried to pass by my side as if nothing happened.
(Sorry!)
I apologize to him with my eyes.
Receiving this, he responded with: (Don’t worry about it).
The problem is not that though.
Leila seeing me at this stage might hinder our operation.
I prayed she didn’t notice me, but Leila, who was walking a bit further apart, made complete eye-
contact with me…
(…Hm?)
And she looked away soon after as if nothing happened.
She certainly looked for a moment at me as if she saw something weird, but that’s all.
She didn’t show any signs of unrest or even surprise.
And then, the moment I sighed internally in relief and she passed by my side…
“Aah, Loic…”
That low whisper of hers reached my ears and shivers ran through my back.
Just hearing about a girl loving someone so much she would kill her partner would be hard to
believe, but hearing that whisper of hers that felt as if it melted even the depths of your bones, I
understood.
…She would do it.
That woman would do it.
Moreover, her feelings aren’t that completely up there yet.
Knowing of the possibility that such feelings could be directed at me, I once again shuddered.
Or more like…
“Don’t hurry too much and trip over, okay?”
“T-That’s…u-uhm…”
“Hm?”
“I would like you to support me at that time.”
“Of course, I will save you whenever I am by your side, Leila. But I won’t be able to do it if you
were to trip over when I am not there.”
Being able to do such a conversation filled with landmines as if it is nothing, I hate to admit it, but he
is the real deal.
I doubt he doesn’t notice how dangerous this conversation is. The nature of a hero might
unexpectedly show up in situations like this.
(…I really am far from being a real hero.)
Leaving aside the type, his courage is the real deal.
I felt as if I was shown something that plain strength and power can’t attain, and ended up biting my
lips.
But while I was being hit by a strange sense of defeat, I for some reason didn’t feel bad about it.
I instead realized that there’s even higher heights and was happy about it.
(But right now…)
Let’s just think about the success of this operation.
I psych myself up so as not to fail ever again, and returned to protecting the Prince-sama.
He didn’t stop even after that.
He took out dozens of presents from the bag and gave them to Leila, protected Leila from a carriage
that had suddenly gone out of control in the middle of the city for some reason, got in trouble with a
group of 3 hoodlums (who are adventurers and the leader is someone by the name of Abel or
something like that) and he said firmly in front of Leila ‘she is my girlfriend!’.
Everything was planned beforehand in the strategy meeting, but I could only be impressed at how
smoothly he performed them all.
Within those, their exchange at the library was a sight to behold.
“There’s a book I want to read, so let’s move separately from here.”
He said that and, inside the library, he would ‘coincidentally touch fingers trying to pick the same
book’. Even if it is within the plan, your average person wouldn’t be able to do that.
Also, no matter how you think about it, it is strange that your fingers would touch when going for a
book with the title ‘Cave Dungeon Transitions: the Present and Past’, but she was completely beside
herself already, so it didn’t matter.
Leaving aside whether to admire that way of doing things, I had to admit that he did outstanding
here.
And then, after less than 1 hour of the operation…
“A-Actually, I have been interested in you since the first time I met you.”
“Eh…?”
I was watching the two with a baffled look and…
“I might not hate you…”
This crappy plan had already entered the second phase.
Party One’s Turn! Let’s Check Out on
Their Abilities!
<Thunder Javelin>, formerly <Mechanical Carriage>, in its prime condition, has arrived at the
deepest part of <Serene Water Underground Dungeon>, traversing through the path it had traveled
once already easily. Though, it's Ester who's driving it.
The most remarkable thing was the performance of Lulu and Celia's on the way. Not even once could
I stop myself from smiling when I saw Celia and Lulu squealing each time the carriage ran over a
monster.
The combination of a young girl and an elf really makes a picturesque scene, which once again
piqued my desire to somehow get hold of a camera.
Amidst such thoughts, the battle with the <Alligator Lizard> begins.
As usual, Ester and I spectate the battle from outside. From their battle, I assume they mainly
practiced their coordination in a battle under the support of Sierra in the last two days.
Lulu's job, <Lolita hero>, is mainly a debuff attacker type job, but can also play the tank role.
Celia's <Spiritualist> is, as its name suggests, a magic attacker and can also play the role of support.
Celestine's <Butler> is a self-buffed oriented job and although not much, it can play the role of mini
tank.
All three of them are attack oriented mostly.
Only Lulu and Celestine among three are able to play the role of attracting the enemy and a tank but
Lulu's method is quite peculiar when playing as tank as she shaves off the offensive power and
accuracy rate of enemies through the debuff she applies which makes the attacks she receives mark
as miss.
This tactic has a high comparability with Lulu since her job can recover her MP when attacking.
When her MP is almost exhausted, she can recover through the lame attacks and coupled with the
unique strongest skill <Hero’s Undefeatable>, she can become an unparalleled attacker.
What's more, she doesn't even need to act as a tank and can literally play in her never ending ultimate
mode if paired with an excellent healer.
In today's boss battle, they can let Lulu be the pivot of the party or leave the repelling and tank role to
Celestine.
I looked at them curiously which strategy they were going to adopt but much to my surprise, none of
them played the role of supporter or tank and all of them assumed the role of attacker, adopting the
strategy of winning through coordination.
When the boss aims at either of them, they evade or defend while the other two attack and if the
target is changed, they simply repeat the tactic.
Hmm. This tactic without the balance formation is only better in starting at best but it becomes
unusable at an alarming rate when the grade of the dungeon rises.
Did Sierra teach them this method? They are not half bad, and properly plays their role when the time
comes to basic things such as hate or target change. But this tactic's future is not so optimistic when
you take future targets into account.
However, compared to the boss battle of Pamela and Shizu, which would make one doubt if they are
shooting a skit, their formation is obviously stable. Ahh, they defeated it.
I tried to ask when everyone gathered temporarily after those fights.
"Splendid cooperation, all of you. Now you can call yourself the conqueror of lower level dungeons.
Congratulations."
"Thank you very much."
"Thank you!"
"By the way, did Sierra teach you that tactic?"
"That's right. This happened when we were wondering about the scenario without a tank. Is there any
problem?"
I first expressed my appreciation, offered my compliments and gave Lulu and Celia a high five,
which delighted them. What a precious sight to see.
When I asked them about the tactics they used, Celestine confirmed my speculation.
"No-no, the tactic itself doesn't have any problem. It's just, the need for a tank will increase naturally
with the rise in dungeon difficulty. Furthermore, tanks are an outright necessity in boss battles. That's
why I found it strange that she taught you this method."
The role of a tank is like the castle wall. You're just asking for the annihilation without the castle wall
in a war.
My theory is it's stupidity to enter into a boss battle without a tank, with some exceptions of course.
As I twisted my neck in wonder why she didn't teach them the strategy centered around Lulu,
Celestine took out an adorable looking paper.
"Sierra-sama has asked us to carry it with us"
"A memo? No, a letter?"
The page seemed to be from the memo pad Sierra normally uses. I remember it.
I received the letter she passed through Celestine, and with slight nervousness, I read it.
"...... Ohh. So that's the case."
For a moment, I wondered if it's the legends love letter that often appears in the youth love comedy
but alas, it was just a letter for help.
In short, she doesn't know how to train a <Lolita Hero> and is also much unfamiliar with <Butlers>.
Much less about the <Spiritualist> whose name she had never heard and so on is written, to sum it
up, she is requesting me to guide them.
Now that I think about it, high ranking jobs are quite rare from the perspective of the inhabitants of
this world. So, It's even more impossible to sketch out an optimum battle method or how to guide
them.
Hmm, if that's the case一
"Celestine, Lulu, Celia. What is your current job level?"
"After the battle just now, I'm at Lv15."
"Muhh, sneaky Celestine. Lulu didn't even level up."
"I'm also like Lulu."
"Celestine's job is high rank mid level, so she needs a bit less XP for level up compared to both of
you. That's where the difference lies. Fret not, you both will be able to catch up with another boss
fight"
The prerequisite to enter the beginner-mid level is Lv15, while Lulu and Celia's level is 14 currently,
so they now have to defeat the boss one more time. Incidentally, I just happen to teach them about
matching tactics with their jobs.
"Boss?"
"We are going to re-enter the dungeon once again?"
Oops, I almost forgot that these girls didn't know about the <Official Hidden Tactics - Boss Grind>
yet.
All right. Let's begin with this.
The time has come to teach both of them the training method, <Eden> style.
The time mage’s strong new game ~ I
returned to the past to rewrite it as the
world’s strongest – Chapter 26 –
Intruder
The deepest part of the underground dungeon in Almana.
In the test site where first-class mages made preparations for their ‘project’, an alarm started blaring
too.
Six, the one in charge of this place, operated the control panel, and reports started coming from the
communications equipment.
“Hey, what…”
“M-Mister Six… We are under attack…!”
“…What?”
It was an unexpected report, so Six was taken aback.
“Ahh… So there is someone that foolish out there.”
He paid no attention to the desperation in the voice of the person on the other side, and smiled
without a care.
After all, this dungeon had an impenetrable magic defense system.
Endless traps, rigid locks, guard mages…
There were even powerful chimera roaming around.
Even an army couldn’t hope to break through these defenses.
“I guess I should at least ask exactly what organization is attacking.”
“W-we don’t know…! Everyone who engaged the attackers probably died. We’ve lost contact with
the fifth floor and above…! T-the sixth floor… No, the sixth floor has been breached! Now the
seventh…!!”
“What about the seventh…?”
Six opened his eyes wide, like cold water had been dumped on him.
This dungeon with a test site had twelve floors, and these intruders were already pretty deep,
considering the alarm just started ringing.
“T-the intruder is one person! Just one person!”
And then, the communication was cut, but similar screaming reports started coming.
All of them said the same thing as the first one.
“Mister Six, help…”
“Instructions…”
“This floor has been breached… Uwaaah!”
“W-what is going on…?”
Six stood next to the communication device with a dumbfounded look on his face.
He had to give instructions, but didn’t understand anything. What was happening? Who did they
antagonize?
Six was gradually becoming scared about being attacked by a monster he knew nothing about.
“One intruder…? It can’t be… This place is a base of the Sorcerer Association, and has the latest
magic defense system…”
It couldn’t be true.
Even if it was just a regular dungeon, conquering a dungeon alone was too much. It was
unreasonable for someone to detect enemies, carry things, and also fight.
But at the very least, whatever it was, it was pretty deep into the dungeon.
Six operated the control panel to project the status of the dungeon in the air.
(…?)
The images showed most mages were just standing in place.
For a second, Six started thinking it was all a false alarm, but…
Something was off.
Everyone was perfectly still, like they were frozen in place.
“W-what happened…?”
He cut to one of the deeper floors… And saw a flash of lighting running through.
No, it wasn’t just a flash of lighting.
“…Is that a human shadow I see?”
It was too fast to show up clearly, but it appeared to be the shadow of a boy wearing a hood.
This shadow approached the mages in battle positions too fast to really see.
“““‘Nine flame’.”””
A ritual spell was prepared in anticipation of the enemy’s arrival, and was fired against the shadow.
The incredibly powerful flames quickly engulfed him.
The image was shaking due to the smoke and noise, but it did show the attack was a direct hit.
“A-ah… So he was just fast, but nothing much aside from that.”
Six sighed heavily, but…
When the smoke cleared, the shadow stood unharmed.
“What?”
The shadow formulated a technique with a method Six had never seen, and all the mages suddenly
stopped moving, as though they were frozen in place.
“W-wha…”
Six had no idea what was happening.
Even a first-class mage like himself had never seen magic like this.
“W-what is this intruder…?”
Did the intruder feel Six’s gaze?
The shadow suddenly looked at the surveillance device from beneath the hood, and locked eyes with
Six for a moment.
I’m coming for you now, was what Six felt the intruder was saying. The intense bloodlust was felt
even through this projection.
“…Eek.”
Six shrunk back without thinking, as static filled the image before it was cut.
“W-what was that… Thing? Was it human…?”
This person moved at lightning speed, took a direct hit of a ritual spell and came out unharmed, and
continuously used powerful magic Six had never seen.
The unconquerable base was very quickly being taken over by one person.
“…‘Hero’…”
This word suddenly popped up in the back of Six’s brain.
Surely this shadow was the rumored ‘hero’ seen during the monster stampede.
But why would a ‘hero’ be attacking a place like this?
How did this person even locate it?
It was all a mystery.
“Dammit, right when Mister Cradle isn’t here…! Right when I was left in charge of this place!”
Six yelled with irritation.
If it was known that he allowed someone to invade despite the very strong defensive system, he
would no doubt lose his position.
“Did this person cross paths with Fuse’s group?”
The trio that was sent to Almana to take down that ‘hero’.
Did the intruder find out about this base after fighting those three… No, the timing didn’t match.
There was no way someone could fight three first-class mages and leave without a scratch anyway.
Fuse could do some rash things, but he was powerful even among first-class mages. And with the
skillful support of the other two, even a ‘hero’ would have trouble fighting them…
“Our precious fighting power is scattered…”
There was no time to call them back now.
They would have to deal with this strange opponent with what they had.
“…What should I do? Delay our plans and attack with everyone?”
Six mumbled with clenched teeth.
“No, I’ll be enough to deal with this ‘hero’.”
Said a veteran first-class mage.
His face was completely covered with a hood and a mask, but a first-class mage could tell who it was
via the nature of the magic energy alone.
“Rains?”
A man known as the ‘Puppet Mage’, who excelled at enslavement magic.
And behind him, was a line of chimera chained together.
“Guarding the dungeon is my job anyway. Carry on with the ‘project’.”
“Are you sure you want to go alone? It could be the one who hunted the ancestral dragon.”
“Calm yourself Six. This ‘hero’ is only human.”
“…What?”
“I don’t know what kind of tricks are being used, but one person is successfully taking over this base.
You’re not yourself because you’re struggling to understand the meaning of it all, right?”
“…! I see.”
Six started doing calculations very quickly in his mind.
Judging by that speed, this ‘hero’ was using physical strengthening of a level higher than six this
whole time.
He also used defensive magic powerful enough to withstand a ritual spell, and used a weird spell on
all the mages.
Using such great magic one after the other meant using a lot of magic energy, and assuming this
‘hero’ had the capacity of a human…
“…It should be running out soon.”
It took less than a second for Six to reach this conclusion, proof that his talent for arithmetic was
exceptional.
“Yes. I imagine this ‘hero’ probably couldn’t have broken through this base’s defenses without using
powerful spells, and neglecting to consider the consequences.”
“…Although a ‘hero’, this person is an amateur when it comes to this sort of calculation…”
No matter how mysterious he seemed, he was still just a human, and there was a limit to what
humans could do.
This ‘hero’ probably started thinking of himself as the strongest being in the world after hunting the
ancestral dragon, and this hubris led to going too deep into the enemy’s base. Too deep to be able to
escape.
“…I’m sorry. I let panic take over me.”
Six’s carefree smile returned.
He operated the control panel again, cut the alarm, and shut down communications.
“And it won’t be a problem no matter how many low level mages are killed, as long as he doesn’t
make it into the test site.”
“You have finally opened your eyes, Six.”
The magic barrier and magic lock on the door to the testing site were top-of-the-line.
It was possible to get through the door to the dungeon itself by threatening one of the guards, but this
door was on another level in terms of how secure it was.
It was impossible to break through using current magic theory.
In short, even a ‘hero’ wouldn’t get in.
“It’s actually a good opportunity to take down this ‘hero’ at his weakest. Or rather, if I, the puppet
mage, use my enslavement magic… Maybe I could make this ‘hero’ my own slave.”
“…! Yes, Rains, of course. Wonderful idea.”
Six grinned.
He allowed the dungeon to be invaded, but surely Mister Cradle will commend him on the great
achievement that would be capturing the ‘hero’.
“In that case, I’ll leave this to you, Rains.”
Six operated the control panel, and teleportation magic circles appeared in the empty cultivation
tanks around them.
This was the ‘transfer feature’ that was already in this dungeon.
These cultivation tanks were normally used to position monsters within the dungeon, but Six and the
others had been using this transfer feature for many different purposes.
Sending the ancestral dragon and the monster stampede to the surface being one of them.
Even though this was a low level dungeon, they could use this sort of lost technology, and they
couldn’t allow savages who didn’t understand its importance to get close to this test site.
“Well then, I’m sending you.”
“Yes, I will be right back.”
Rains and monsters under his control entered empty tanks, and disappeared after being enveloped in
light.
Six then took out a syringe from his pocket, and turned around.
“Well then, let’s focus on the ‘project’.”
Six’s eyes were pointed towards the lined-up ‘demon king prospects’, and one sleeping girl in
particular.
(…Everything is going well.)
They were making progress with the demon king prospects, and Mister Cradle was particularly
interested in one vessel.
And the one thing that worried them, that ‘hero’ who defeated the ancestral dragon, was about to fall
into their hands.
Six felt he was one step closer to securing a seat within the twelve sages.
“Fufufu… Fuhahahaha!”
Six let out a loud, triumphant laugh.
Little did he know the footsteps that signaled his destruction were drawing near.
The Principle of a Philosopher by
Eternal Fool “Asley” – Chapter 306,
Leole Mask’s Magic Classroom
“I! ASK! AGAIN! Why did you put a weird formula THERE, my Lord!?”
“What!? WEIRD!? You dare to complain about my beautiful magic formulas!? Very well! Go stand
in your original position again, Leole Mask!”
“You won’t fare any better by simply trying that again and again, my Lord!”
“What!? Big talk, coming from someone who’s never managed to land a single hit on me!”
“Because I haven’t even attacked you yet!”
“Incorrect! You simply couldn’t react in time to my consecutive attacks!”
“That’s right! I’m stronger! Stronger than my Master, Leole Mask!”
“Why the hell are you butting in now, Pocchie Mask!?”
“That is right, Pocchie Mask! Say that again! And cooperate with me! You will be handsomely
rewarded!”
“Huh!? That better we worth at least twenty meals, or I won’t do anything, my Lord!”
“I’ll make that two hundred! It is well within my means!”
“Well then, the fight shall be decided–“
“–In a blink of an eye!”
“”Right now!””
“AHH, STOP!! STOPPPPPP!!!!”

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

“Oof……”
“Fwahahaha! I win, Leole Mask! Justice prevails!”
“Ahahaha! Did you actually lose that, Master!?”
“Yeah, because you, Pochhie Mask, have forsaken the side of justice! Who would’ve seen that
coming!?”
“All according to my negotiations! How was it, sir!?”

Oh, please, she wouldn’t be asking me that if I was actually hurt too much. Good God…
Really, though, what was up with their synergy? Even the Devilkin would be taken off-guard!
“Middle Cure.”

I healed my injured body, then sat back down on the boulder that I had been on until now.
And while scratching my disheveled hair, I asked,

“So, my Lord, what was that formula? Your artistic sense was indeed unique — no offense. It
radiated so brightly that I forgot what spell that even was!”
“Hmph, that was simply a failed attempt on my part. If you are so curious, then try it out for
yourself.”
“Uh……”
“W-what is that look for!? You just have to give it a try! Do it! Now!”

Man, how did this selfish guy get to be a War Demon Emperor, anyway?
Despite my uneasiness, though, I proceeded to copy the formula that Sagan had created.

“Hmm, let’s see… Rise? A-rise? A-rise? Fire…”

Why would he dedicate such a long, complicated formula to an elementary-level spell like Fire?

“W-wow, are you seeing this, sir!? Lord Sagan’s face is inside the flame!”
“Hehehe… amazing, isn’t it? This spell is perfect for highlighting my greatness, don’t you think?”

Not wanting to see Sagan’s face like that any longer — as in not even a split-second longer, I snuffed
out the flame with a blast of arcane energy.

“AAAHHH!? Why would you do that!?”

Ever since I had made that appointment in front of the cave that day, we had been sparring daily with
Sagan, this newly-ascended War Demon Emperor who turned out to somehow be noisier than Irene.
He’s been dangling the promise of reward in front of us, all the while using us as convenient training
partners.
Of course I realized that; anyone would after being told ‘tomorrow’ for a few days straight.
And so I’ve taken this opportunity to focus less on tempering his swordplay, and more on showing
off my arcane arts.
This War Demon Emperor was, at first, quite grumpy in the face of my magic’s overwhelming power.
So childish.
Then the following day, Sagan said to me,
“Teach me magic.”
Yes, that came from him, a man who had been wielding exclusively the sword, the only thing he
knew he had talent for.
Perhaps the arrival of me, superior in both martial and arcane arts, had created a wall that Sagan
wished to overcome.
Sagan’s genius is quite remarkable, and like Bright before him, he has already learned to cast all
elementary-level magic spells under my tutelage.
Before I realized it, more than two weeks had passed since I started teaching him.
Right now, both he and Pochi are learning magecraft.
Yes, Pochi is taking part in this, too.
Somehow, Pochi’s gotten pretty good at magic. She hasn’t touched magecraft much, though, so I’m
taking this opportunity to start teaching her. That, and she did want to try it for herself.
Now then, let’s see how she’s doing…

“Hehehe! Piece of cake! All you need to do is put a loophole on this formula’s reverse side! Eh-
hem!”

I know she’s a liiittle bit better at magic than Sagan, but isn’t it unwise to act that much like a senior
to a genius like him? Besides, she’s dealing with MAGECRAFT right now! She started almost at the
same time as him…

“Ngh… Pocchie Mask!”

“What is it, my Lord?”
“This formula is undecipherable! Explain it to me in a way that I can easily understand!”
“Oh? I see, this one…? Hmm… Juuust give me a second here…”

Huh, it’s actually a pretty advanced Boundary magecraft formula.

If Pochi can tell what it is, I’ll have to change my opinion on her–

“Master, you’re up!”

–Not.

“Hah… Well, listen closely, my Lord. That loophole she just created was packed with too much data.
It will interfere with the distribution of arcane energy throughout the Craft Circle, causing the
actually important channels to clog up. Instead, putting this additional formula above this location
here will help improve the energy flow.”
“But I’m working with the magecraft formula’s reserve side right now. It can’t be that simple, can
it?”

…Incredible. This guy might be an even bigger genius than Bright.

I sighed — out of admiration for Sagan, but took care not to let him notice it.

“…Yes, my Lord. As this is the reverse side, the formula is… well, reversed. To properly edit it, you
must remember to flip all of the code characters over.”
“I see! Like flipping pancakes!”
“Yes; such is how magecraft demands higher degrees of subtlety compared to magic.”
“Oh-ho… I must say, It’s quite a surprise to even see magecraft at all in this day and age, considering
that the Dark Elves are nowhere to be found. And the flipped letters… they’re sure to confuse me for
some time…”

Sagan scratched his hair and proceeded to note down the shapes of the flipped code letters on a sheet
of parchment.
This is something that needs practice by repetition.
Sagan continued practicing his writing over and over, and at one point, he turned asked me,

“By the way, Leole Mask. I did promise you a reward — have you thought about what you want?”

Ooh, didn’t expect the important question to pop up now.

“I’ve figured it’s about time to ask. That day, you were waiting for me because you wanted
something that only I can give. Am I correct?”
“Let’s see… I’d like to see mages be more socially accepted — and Familiars as well, while we’re at
it.”
“Oh-ho. Familiars, you say?”

The magic I had showcased during our sparring sessions had swayed War Demon Emperor Sagan to
the side of the arcane arts.
And so the reward I originally wanted has already been granted.
So I figured I should make another thing right: make it so that the discrimination Pochi had
experienced in the Royal Capital of Regalia is no more.
Eventually, Sagan stopped writing and turned to me.

“Well, Leole Mask, consider this: Hands-on experience has helped me to know and understand the
relationship between you and Pocchie Mask. My mindset was influenced, and you are suggesting, in
short, that the same is done to the Nation’s people. Am I correct?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm…”

Sagan groaned and scratched his temple with the butt of his calligraphy brush.

“That is an extremely complicated matter, I’m afraid. Due to the rarity of Familiars, the rural regions
may very well adapt without difficulty. But Regalia houses too many political powers…”
“And those people cannot be changed?”
“No, not at all what I meant. But it will require a great deal of effort… is what I think.”

After denying my question, Sagan heaved a sigh and pondered over his future plans.

“Are you suggesting that it CAN be done, then?”

“Listen, Leole Mask… It’s never about can or can’t.”

So I’ve been wondering for a while now… Where the hell does Sagan get his seemingly limitless
confidence from?

“A man… is all about DO or DON’T!”

Ah, yes. As expected of a rightful Emperor.

“Master, Master! Where are the pancakes!? I heard that you were flipping some just now! Where are
they, sir!?”

And man, the doggo sure has her priorities straight.

Chapter 184: The Beginning of the Subjugation?

“Zero-niisama, you’ve heard the story, haven’t you?”
“Ah…”

I could hear what they were talking about before about the moths that
appeared on the spirit tree after the caterpillars had grown. And that the
spirit magic that Sophie and Elira were talking about was ineffective. I also
heard that their magical resistance was quite high.
“Let’s defeat it ourselves.”
“Eh? Uh-yeah.”
I had intended to do it from the beginning for the elven village, but I didn’t
think Sophie would come out and say it. I was wondering how to persuade
her, but it seemed to be a needless worry.
“I’ll help you.”
Then Elira came to me and Sophie.
“Elira, please work with those three to keep the elves away from the spirit
tree so that Me and Zero-niisama will fight at our best.”
“I understand…”
Sophie’s strong words made Elira flinch a little as she gave her consent.
“I will tell you the plan, are you ready?”
“Oh.”

After a little confirmation with the elf messenger, Elira had already begun
to do as Sophie asked. The messenger said that a large number of elves
had gathered around the spirit tree. In order to make them leave with
Emily, Tiya and Judy, she left the training ground and headed for the spirit
tree.
“Zero-niisama, I’ll tell you the plan.”
“Oh.”

Now there are only two people left in the training ground, me and Sophie. I
listened to Sophie’s plan as I put on my equipment.
“First, I will knock the moth down to the ground. Then I’ll hold it down so
that it’ll not fly away again. Then, Zero-niisama, you will deal with the
moth that has fallen to the ground.”
“Okay.”

I wondered if it was really possible to drop a moth with abnormally high

magic defense to the ground, but since Sophie said she would drop it, I
guess she would.
“Asfor the poison, I will treat you as soon as you show even the slightest
symptom of poisoning. However, if the poison has not yet recovered when
you are aware that the symptoms have clearly appeared, please do not
hesitate to use the elixir.”
“Thanks.”

Sophie then handed me three bottles of the elixir. I took them and put them
in my magic ring.
“And, Zero-niisama.”
“Hmm?”

Sophie suddenly opened her hands and looked me up and down.

“Hug, please.”
“Eh? In this kind of emergency!”
“Because it’s an emergency.”
I looked at Sophie’s face and she didn’t look like she was joking. Don’t
say stuff like this when we don’t have the time… I thought and gave
Sophie a hug.
“Mmm…”

I didn’t know what it meant to demand a hug in such an emergency, but I

felt somewhat comforted. I also feel a little lighter. I even felt like I wanted
to do it for a long time when I had time, even though I didn’t realize it.
“Are we done yet…?”
“…still recharging.”
Sophie replied as she buried her face in my shoulder. In reality, it may have
been less than a minute, but it felt like five minutes.
“Thank you.”
After hugging for about twice as long, Sophie pulled away from me.
“Then, let’s go.”
“Ah.”

Then me and Sophie ran and headed for the spirit tree. The barriers that
made the tree invisible had been in place when I woke up from my week-
long sleep, but now they were gone, probably because of the Emperor
Moth.
“I got all the elves as far away from the spirit tree as I could.”
“Thank you, Elira.”
When we arrived at the spirit tree, I found those three, Elira, and two
stranger elves there. I wondered if the two stranger elves were also
contractors of top level spirits.
” Zeros-sama, Sophie-sama.”
“What is it?”
“What do you want?”
“I ask that you do as little damage to the spirit tree as possible.”
Emily said something like that to me and Sophie. Well, it’s a very important
tree and we don’t want it to get damaged.
“I understand.”
“I’ll be as careful as I can.”
I turned toward Emily-san and Sophie said so, looking toward the top of the
spirit tree where the Emperor Moth was. Even from here, I can see the
Emperor Moth far above us.
“Zero-niisama, are you ready?”
“Yeah.”

Sophie said and began to prepare her magic.

“Blast.”

When she chanted that, she hit the ground with her magic and flew toward
the Emperor Moth. A large dent was made in the ground.
And I thought Sophie was going to drop Emperor Moth on the ground with
this, but she came down without doing anything. Right above me. Is she
telling me to catch her?
“Oops…”

“Thank you.”
Then I took Sophie in a princess hug when she slowed down on the way.
But Sophie immediately got out of my arms a ton and turned to Emily and
started talking.
“Did you know that besides the Emperor Moth, other giant monsters have
arrived at the Spirit Tree?”
“What the hell?……”
Apparently, defeating the Emperor Moth is not the end of the story.
“Giant monster?”
First of all, I was surprised to hear that there was another giant monster.
Secondly, I wondered why Sophie was being so vague. She would at least
confirm what kind of monster it was. If she couldn’t confirm it this time,
she would go back to see it again. It was strange that she was saying it was
a huge monster without doing so.
“I
didn’t confirm its appearance. No, I couldn’t, but there was a monster that
was over 10 meters tall.”
“You couldn’t?”
“Yes. I couldn’t see anything at all. It’s probably invisible.”
“Then how did you see it?”
“I confirmed it with magic detection.”
She said after Elira asked her how to find the monster. I was relieved to hear
that even though it was invisible, it didn’t seem to hide its magic. If that’s
the case, even I can find it.
“I
could tell by magic sensing that there was a space with no magic at all,
which was obviously unnatural.”
“That’s what you’re saying…”
Apparently, the monster can even hide its magic power. However, even with
my high-speed magic sensing, I can see that there is a lot of magic flowing
through the spirit tree. A large amount of this magic power is leaking out
around the spirit tree. It would be easier to understand if only a part of the
leaking magic was completely absent. But it’s more than 10 meters long and
even Sophie couldn’t tell the detailed size…. However, even with its
troublesome skills, this monster’s intelligence doesn’t seem to be that high.
Because it didn’t realize that it would create a space with no magic power.
And I don’t think it would care about its surroundings even if we drop the
Emperor Moth to the ground. This is a fine play by Sophie.
“Ifwe’re going to defeat that other one as well, for me it would be better to
ignore that mysterious monster for now and defeat the moth first. I don’t
know why, but the mysterious monster was not moving at all. I think it
would be better to deal with them one at a time, rather than messing with
them and dealing with both of them at the same time.”
“Okay. Let’s go with that. If the other giant monster starts to move, we’ll
deal with it ourselves. So, Zeros-sama and Sophie-sama, please give
priority to killing the Emperor Moth.”
“Okay.”

“I understand.”
Sophie quickly finished discussing the strategy with Emily. The mysterious
monster is a concern, but let’s focus on the Emperor Moth first.
“Then I’ll go drop it down.”
Sophie said so and flew away again. The spirit tree seemed to be about 500
meters high. And the Emperor Moth is about 400 meters away. Sophie
reached that position in less than 30 seconds. I don’t think I can do it…
“Kummiiiiii~~!”

And soon Sophie and the Emperor Moth fell together. I think, as expected
of Sophie, but the way she dropped is not good. She had a rock made of
earth magic, about the same size as the moth, wrapped around the moth. It
was a complete tour de force. I could see why we had evacuated the elves.
The moth, along with the huge rock, fell about 20 meters away from the
spirit tree with a thud! The explosion was accompanied by the sound of a
“bang”. Incidentally, Sophie was separated from the moth on the way and I
caught her as she fell right on top of me.
“Then, Zero-niisama, please.”
“Ah!”

I then set Sophie down on the ground and ran toward the moth. The rock
that was wrapped around the moth had broken off when it fell, so it was
already moving freely.
“KUMMII!!!”

The moth floated five meters in the air, spread its wings, and sent its venom
flying toward us. When I was told that it was moth venom, I thought it was
in powder form, but it was a ball the size of a ping pong ball that flew at
me. Moreover, it was flying with the force of its flapping wings. It’s kind of
an uncool way to fly than I thought it would be…
“Hoi!”

I knew from the magic high-speed sensing that its venom contained magic
power, so I slashed everything that might hit my body while facing the
moth. In the meantime, the crisis high speed detection, which is an
evolution of crisis detection, is reacting quite well, so it looks like it’s
dangerous if it hits me. But I can slice everything that looks like it could
easily hit me without enchantment. There’s plenty of room to slash even
though the poison must be hitting pretty densely. Having said that, I decided
to enchant and face the moth because at this rate it’ll likely be flying away
by the time I arrive at its position.
“Raiden double enchantment.”
I did a double enchantment with the same feeling I always have with
lightning.
“Whoa!”

It was close. Suddenly there was poison in front of me and I was a little
nervous. Well, I could have cut it normally… Maybe even just the Raiden
enchantment increased my status almost as much as when I enchanted Zeal.
Since it was double enchantment, my status increased drastically. Because
of that, my expected distance from the poison was suddenly changed. It’s
obvious, but I should have tested it thoroughly before fighting.
“Cueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

Thanks to the double enchantment, I was able to get out of the poison in a
few seconds. However, the moment I got out, the moth released a laser from
its antennae. Before the evolution, I would have slashed it in a panic, but I
was able to slash it normally without any particular panic.
“Haaaa!”

“Keeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!”

Then, because it would be troublesome if it flew away, I jumped and

slashed part of its wing. I cut off about a third of the right wing, so this guy
would no longer be able to fly. In fact, it was floating and then it fell. I
thought about slashing it at that time, but decided to avoid it because I
didn’t want to be trapped under this huge body of almost 10 meters.
Still, the Raiden double enchantment consumes a lot of MP. Considering the
other monster, I couldn’t afford to waste it, so I switched to the Raiden
enchantment and the light enchantment. At that time, the light enchantment
didn’t raise my status as much as I expected. Oh…that reminds me…I went
down to skill level 1. ……

Chapter 155: Confronting the Assassin

From the day after the attempted assassination of Tauro, he began to take
personal action.
It can be called a provocation against the assassin.
As if to lure the wary assassin, Tauro rented out the top of the “Soraki no
Toa,” one of the tourist attractions in the royal capital from which he could
view the city, for a few days and waited alone at the top all morning.
On the third day, while Tauro was sitting on the edge of the tower’s rooftop
looking out over the city, he heard a voice behind him.
“I’ll show myself to you as you wish.”
Tauro turned around and saw a man standing there with a hood pulled up
over his eyes.
The impression of the man is vague, probably due to the use of “presence
blocking”.
“You’re still receiving requests to kill me, right?”
Tauro questioned the assassin who finally appeared.
“…I thought I had killed you and reported it, but you were still alive, so their
trust in me has been shattered. Today, I will put a proper stop to it and clear
my name.”
The assassin quickly put a thin tube to his mouth and blew a needle toward
him.
Tauro had read this, so he readied his small sword and parried it.
Click!
 The needle was bounced and fell to the floor with a “kin” sound.
However, another needle was stuck in the hand holding the small sword.
It seemed that he had released two needles in quick succession.
“Unlike last time, I prepared a secret poison. You’ll never be able to save
yourself by accident again. I’ve won.”
The assassin, convinced of his victory, declared.
…
…
…

“Umm… should I scream ‘gyaah!’?”

The assassin seemed to be waiting for his response, so Tauro asked if he
should be concerned.
“…Why doesn’t the poison work?”
The assassin was astonished.
It wasn’t that the poison was slow to work, but that it wasn’t working at all
on this child.
He had shamelessly asked for the assassin’s guild’s secret poison and had
put it in the needle, but the child in front of him was still alive and well, and
he could not help but be amazed.
Tauro pulls the needle out of his hand.
“I’m resistant to the poison, so it won’t work.”
He replied matter-of-factly.
“That’s impossible! I’ve never heard in the history of the Guild of Assassins
that the guild’s secret deadly poison, which is so lethal that it cannot be
tolerated even with resistance, doesn’t work!”
“That being said, it doesn’t work, so…. You lost the moment you failed to
finish me off the last time.”
“Damn! Then I’ll only kill you with other methods. I know you chose this
place so as not to get people involved, but I have time until noon and you
made a mistake in getting rid of people until then!”
The assassin said and drew his dagger.
“Ifwe fought normally, I would probably lose. I know you are strong. But
I’ve got my Kingsguard on the ground and when I give the signal, you’ll be
the rat in the bag.”
“As a member of the guild, I would be happy to kill you. If you send a
signal to the ground now, I can kill you before they come up. I know the
only way in and out of this summit is this door behind you, you can’t
escape.”
This time, the assassin was confident of victory, that he could complete his
objective.
“Then I’ll give the signal. The spirit magic of light, ‘illumination’.”
Tauro, standing on the edge of the tower sent a light signal to the ground
with “Illumination.
The ground became hectic and from above it could be seen that the
Kingsguard were rushing to the doorway.
“Looks like I don’t have much time, die!”
The assassin readied his dagger and flashed it at Tauro.
“Then I win, goodbye.”
With that, Tauro leapt backward over the edge of the tower.
Which meant he jumped off the tower.
“What? Stupid!”
The assassin was again aghast at the kid who jumped off the tower
proclaiming victory.
“Hethought he would have won if I hadn’t killed him…. If he jumped, he
would die with me…!”
Muttering this, he was stunned for a few moments, then rushed to the edge
to check for death and looked down to check the ground.
Then, from the ground, the child who had been his target waved at him.
“Once again, you have lost! I’m so sorry!”
Tauro waved his hand as he loudly addressed the assassin at the top.
Tauro had descended to the ground unharmed by the ‘levitation’ magic.
In essence, it was a bungee with no strings attached, but Tauro was
inwardly quite scared to jump off.
But he was relieved that it worked.
“I mentally don’t want to do this move again…”
Thinking he didn’t know what kind of person would do a bungee, Tauro
doubled down by tearing the assassin’s self-esteem to shreds.

Chapter 25: She fell ill (Part 1)

It was the day Ren took a break from hunting.
It was a pleasant afternoon in the warm spring sun.
“Ren, let’s do some cleaning today.”
“Cleaning?”

“Yes. It’s getting warmer outside, so it’s time to put all the winter stuff in
storage.”
“Oh, ……, come to think of it, that’s true.”
By the way, Roy is not here.
He should be heading into the woods with his knights and working on
his daily hunting routine.
So why was Ren the only one off? There was no big reason. It was simply
because that was the schedule.
“What do you want me to do?”
“We’ll clean our rooms first …… and then, well, I have some stuff on the
dirt floor that I plan to put in storage, so can you bring it to the front of the
warehouse for me? I’ll take over and carry the necessary items into the
house.”
“Roger”

“I’ll also change all the winter stuff on Ren’s bed.”

“What? I can do that myself.”
“Iknow. I know, but it’s easier to do it all at once since I’ll be changing the
bedding in all the rooms. You know, you’ll do the laundry later, right?”
If that’s the case, then let’s be obediently spoiled.
Instead, I’ll just do what she wants and take the winter goods to the
warehouse.
Nodding his head, Ren immediately went to his room.
From the windows to the walls to the floor, he swept and wiped, carefully
wiping away the winter’s dirt. The ceiling, for example, he cleaned by
creating a foothold by growing roots with the wooden magic sword.
The cleaning took about an hour, and when he was done, a pleasant sweat
ran down his forehead.
Ren then went to the dirt floor of the mansion as he had talked about with
Mireille.
In the dirt floor, as Mireille had said, there were bags to be carried, and
surprisingly, they were arranged in a heap.
Ren carries them out little by little.
, “Hm?—- what was this melted down box?”
As he was carrying them out, he suddenly heard Mireille’s voice
unexpectedly coming from the warehouse.
Yes, that’s right. Ren —- did it, and he’s going to tell us. —-
“Mother! What’s wrong?”
When Ren peeked into the warehouse through the entrance, he found
Mireille in the back of the warehouse, talking to herself with something in
her hand.
However, he could not see what was in her hand.
The back of the warehouse was dimly lit, with only a little light shining
through a small window.
“It’s nothing! Never mind!”
Hearing her reply, Ren quickly replied, “Okay,” and went back to carrying
the luggage.
 After a while, Mireille, who had been inside the warehouse, came outside
with a lot of bedding.
Ren offered to help, but she laughed and said, “It’s light, so I’m fine.”
Mireille passed Ren and entered the house.
First, she went upstairs to make up the beds in the couple’s bedroom, put
the bedding to be changed in the hallway, and now stepped into Ren’s
room.

Here, too, the bedding is changed, and she takes out the wooden box she
brought with her.
This wooden box has melted paint on the surface and the lid is blocked.
Mireille puts it on the shelf by Ren’s desk.
“I’ll have to tell Roy that I left it in Ren’s room just for the sake of it.”
She quickly left Ren’s room and went to the guest room.
But here she noticed.
The bedding for the bed in the guest room is somewhat moldy, and she let
out a sigh at the fact that it was not usable.
“….. this one needs to be washed again.”
She had no choice but to leave the bed in the guest room unmade.
“Ah, are you done?”
She headed for the dirt floor, and when she went outside, Ren had just
finished carrying the winter items in.
After telling him that she had finished changing the bedding, Mireille
went to the back of the house to wash all the bedding.
She does this because there is a well in the back of the house where she
does her laundry.
Meanwhile, Ren decided to organize the warehouse while he was at it,
…….
“—- eh?”
 I noticed a certain group as they passed through the forest and approached
us on the field road.
Come to think of it, they haven’t been here recently.
I guessed that today must have been the first visit after the winter had
passed.
“As usual, his footwork is too light.”
The line of knights riding horses along the field road was familiar to me.
But Ren, who was watching the scene from the window of his room,
suddenly tilts his head.
Weiss’s expression as he moved through the field road was different and
stern, and the horses that were being led down the field path seemed to be
galloping more than usual.
The Reincarnation Of The Strongest
Onmyouji In Another World ~ These
Monsters Are Too Weak Compared To
My Demons ~ - Chapter 0
———— How did this happen?
A mysterious night in Heian.1
As I lay down in the burning mansion, on the verge of death, I could only think about that.
I had lost most of my straw doll charms and all of my shikigami were sealed.
My trump card, the demon god, was also defeated. The corpse of the demon crushed the mansion and
was now burning up in blue flames.
I lost my left arm. I can no longer form a complete seal.
My lungs were burnt by the smoke. I could not even recite a mantra.
I was praised as the strongest Onmyouji in successive generations.
I was feared as the『Night Parade of One Hundred Demons』 and 『Gate of Living Hell』.

I lived for more than a hundred years in a youthful form.

This was the end.
I sought power from a young age.
I thought that if I had it, there would never be a time I would lose something so I thought I could be
happy.
I got the power I desired and I became the strongest.
And then I lost everything.
Conspiracy and betrayal.
Those were the names of the things that killed the strongest.
If I think about it, it seems that everything was plotted.
The matter of his disciples taken as hostages too.
The matter of making enemies out of the Imperial Court too.
And……the matter of that child who wept while coming to strike me too.
It was perfect.
I don’t know who the mastermind was, the aristocrats or the royal family but they did a great job in
putting me in a tight spot.
Something like being the strongest was of no use to me.
Was there a limit to what I could do through power?
I should have schemed and should have always conducted myself well to win over supporters to my
side.
Now I know exactly what I was lacking ———— it’s cunningness.
Since I understand it, it’s all right now.
Next time・・ I’ll do it right.

Using my trembling right hand, I formed an incomplete seal.

I chanted a mantra in a whisper with my burning throat.
A talisman I kept in reserve for a crisis, emerged from the smoke.
In the last moments of my life, I will use the secret arts.
The spell of reincarnation.
I will start anew once more.
Hereafter, I don’t know how Japan will change. No. On the contrary, there’s also a high possibility
that I’ll be born in a completely different country.
However, this time I will not fail.
In my next life ———— I’m going to be happy.
The talisman emitted light.

A magic circle appeared in the centre of my fallen body.

My consciousness recedes.
And I am ————
[Umph. Umph.]
I spread out the hem of my clothes and gathered the leaves from the garden.
No matter how you look at it, I’m a three-year-old child.
While taking action like this, I was thinking of something else in my mind.
Conclusion.
It seems that this is a different world after all.
On the night of that ritual. When I returned from the basement to the magnificent mansion above, I
looked up at the sky to check the constellations.
And then I saw two moons. I had already guessed from the vicinity.
According to the wisdom of ancient Greece, the Earth is a sphere that rotates on its own.

Since Japan is on the opposite side of the spherical surface, I was supposed to see a different starry
sky……As for the moon, I was thinking about where it was supposed to be seen in orbit. Let alone
two moons, there is no way that it will increase in numbers.
After that, I listened attentively to my family’s conversations over the next few days but I have never
ever heard of the names of the places, countries and so forth that I know of.
I had no choice but to think that this is already a different world I had come to.
The only requirement for reincarnation was a body that can recreate the structure of my soul. That
was all.
That’s why I didn’t know in the slightest where I would be born…….I didn’t think it would be a
different world.
A key is necessary to use the signature to move between worlds but does the situation of the soul
matter? No, it’s pointless to even think about it.
I regained my composure and gathered more information.
My name in this world is Seika・Lamprogue.
Lamprogue is a Count family. In other words, a noble family.
Despite the fact that I am the third son, this was a stroke of luck.

If I had been born as a commoner like in my previous life, there is nothing I can do if I died from a
plague at once.
However, it seems to be a wealthy and developed country to begin with.
At least more than Japan. Perhaps on par with the likes of the Song Dynasty, Islam, Eastern Roman
Empire, or maybe more than that.
There are many things that I don’t understand.
I need to gather more information.
[Umph. Umph.]
I carried the leaves I had gathered to the shade of the tree.
When I let go of the hem of my clothes, the leaves fell to the ground with a rustle.
Hmm. This much is enough for the time being.
[————ओम् पा ािलका िविध ाहा.]

I chanted a short mantra.

Then, all of the leaves that had fallen to the ground floated up from the ground, exposing their veins
to me. I collected all those leaves together and wrote letters using my spiritual power.
[……I did it.]
I issued simple instructions and leaves flew in every direction. I confirmed the effect by watching. I
guess it’s passable.
It’s simple but the shikigami is complete.
This frame will become my eyes and ears, hands and feet. In fact, it would be best to make the dolls
from paper but paper is like a valuable commodity in this world so I can’t afford to be extravagant.
I guess I will prepare for it, step by step.
Give one-third the form of a crow and release it into the sky.
Give one-third the form of a mouse and release it to the fields.
I decided to make the rest invisible and keep them close by. The talisman can be used as a substitute
for the formula, serving as a medium for the technique and is useful in many other ways.

[Hey, Seika! What are you doing out here!]

I turned around in shock at the boisterous voice.
Standing behind me was a child with a mean look on his face.
It was my brother, who was three years older, Gurai.
[I saw it. You have been gathering leaves. Disgusting! What’s the point in collecting all that stuff?
Hmm? Hey, where are the leaves?]
I was relieved when I saw Gurai looking around nearby. He didn’t seem to have seen what I was
doing moments ago.
No matter what it takes, I have to keep my previous life a secret.
[Say something, you failure!]
Getting irritated by my silence, Gurai kicked dirt at me.
I didn’t say a word and brushed the dirt away. But he was such a stupid brat. I feel even more so
because my disciples were nothing but good children.
The father doesn’t care much about the children and the mother has a tendency to pamper. He is
terribly selfish probably because maids will turn up for his everyday life but my older brother is still
decent though.
[……Stop it, Brother Gurai.]
When I said that, Gurai gave a smile that curled the corner of his mouth.
[Please stop it, okay? The way you speak is unacceptable. You don’t think you’re in the same
position as me and Brother Luft, do you?]
[It’s different?]
[Of course, it’s different. After all, you’re not a person from the main family!]
I tilted my head in confusion. What does that mean?
[The maids said so. You are the son of a mistress! That’s why you’re a failure, you don’t even have
the slightest bit of magical power!]
I see. It finally made sense to me.
When I thought about it, I had a feeling that my mother was ignoring me, so that was the case. The
maids also treated her as if she were a tumour, even my father and older brother were so distant.

"

"

It was useful information. Thank you, Gurai-kun.

But seeing that I’m being raised in this house, I’m considered as a real member of the main family.
[Do you understand? You’re in a position where you must listen to what our older brother and I say!
……That’s right, I am practising martial arts now. You can be my guinea pig for a while.]
As he said this, Gurai smirked while stepping backwards bit-by-bit as if he was adding a run-up.
[Ready? Stay where you are!]
As soon as Gurai shouted, he came running towards me.
Was he also planning to inflict a flying kick? I have never seen anyone do that in a fight before but
please forgive me.
I sent one of my shikigami that I made invisible under his foot.
Then, Gurai stumbled over it and conspicuously fell flat on his face.
Yikes, that looks painful.
[Bwah! Th-this……!]
It looks like he was still heading towards me so I called back the two shikigami crows I had sent out
earlier
The crows squeaked while swooping down at Gurai and began to peck on his head with their thick
beaks.
[Uwah, wh-what the heck are these guys?]
Gurai flailed his arms around to resist for a while but eventually, he cowered while protecting his
head and began to cry out loudly.
I felt a little sorry for him. It was indeed too much for a child.
When I thought so and was about to withdraw the shikigami crows,
[Gurai!!]
There was the voice of another child.
I saw our eldest brother, Luft, run up to Gurai holding a stick.

[Stop, stop, this!]

Luft swung a stick to chase the crows away.
The crows seemed to flinch and the two of them flew away together.
Or rather I did so.
[Gurai, are you okay? Any injuries?]
He worried about his younger brother who was crying his eyes out. Luft has a decent personality
compared to the second son and he is only older than me by five years. He was mature indeed.
Although, he’s only eight years old.
[Why would the crows…… Seikai, are you all right?]
[Yes. I’m fine, Brother Luft.]
When I replied and smiled in return, Luft seemed to look at me weirdly.
It’s understandable. It was strange that I’m the only one who wasn’t attacked.

But that was it.

Luft took Gurai, who still had not stopped crying, back to the mansion to treat his injuries.
And I was left alone.
Although I got interrupted, I was able to release the shikigami. With this, gathering information
would become much easier.
There are many things that I must do.
But with this three-year-old body, there is only so much I can do. Let’s make use of at least a few
years’ time to prepare.
Since I still have a long way to go in this life.
Four years have already passed and I am now seven years old.
[……]
In a hut in the forest, in the middle of the night. While the shikigami emitted dim light, I was silently
stirring a huge pot with a large spatula.
This is clearly not the behaviour of a seven-year-old. It is very much a direct and suspicious sight but
I must not be discovered which is why I’m doing this at this hour.
Simple work in a quiet place helps me to think.
I have learnt a lot since then.
The Uldwight Empire that encompasses the Lamprogue territory here is, as I thought, quite a
powerful country.
I felt that its culture was similar to that of the West in my previous life but the level of the civilization
surpassed it. It was peaceful and prosperous.
Although there were lords that governed each region, no military service was imposed because the
strength of the direct army under the empire’s control was strong. The job of the lords is to solely
manage the territory but they are prohibited from fighting over territories.

Those circumstances are much better than the empire in my previous life.
However, there are still some threats.
That is, monsters and the demon race.
Monsters are like the demons that existed in my previous life. There are monsters that occasionally
attack humans. However, their corpses are also a resource so they are more useful than demons.
And the demon race are those who govern the demon territory outside the empire. They are hostile to
humans. From what I have heard, they are human beings similar to monsters.
Usually, the troops of the imperial army will be stationed at various places to keep a watchful eye
along the border and occasionally subjugate troublesome monsters (and even hunt down bandits
while they are at it), maintaining peace.
However, even so, it did not mean that all the monsters could be dealt with. That’s why towns have
their own forces for self-defense or surround themselves with adventures. The Lamprogue territory
also has a vigilante corps that maintains public order.
Speaking of self-defense————this world has its own magic system.
They are called the four attributes of magic. All of them are categorised into fire, water, wind and
earth and it seems to be considerably similar to the magic system.
Actually, in addition to this, there are also the light and darkness attributes but……somehow, I felt
that it was similar to an aspect of the art of the Cosmic Dual Force and Five Elements1 that I have
developed.
 "

"

I have a few things to think about in regards to magic but I’ll devote myself to learn it precisely in the
future.
I’m sure I’ll be able to get something out of it.
[But……Let’s do this first.]
I looked down at the large pot.
I sighed as I thought about the hard work that would follow.
I’m making paper right now.
I really need it to make the doll, the medium for the shikigami. As paper is also a valuable
commodity in this world, I cannot readily get my hands on it with the status of a child.
So I decided to make my own.
As for the way of making it, first tear the raw material, grass into pieces and boil it in a strong
alkaline liquid to saturate it in a high concentration of iron. Then take out only the fibers and pound
them well. Add the plant as a binder, pour the pulp into a mold and let it dry thoroughly. That’s all.
I was lucky. In my previous life, I studied paper-making in depth as I was particular about the raw
materials used to make my charms. That’s the reason why I was able to find and substitute the
original raw materials such as Broussonetia and Gampi for grass, and substitute Abelmoschus
manihot for fruits.

Well, it took me a long time to find the materials and make the tools.
The work itself is hard work and tough for a child’s body but it can’t be helped. Although I enjoy
using techniques and shikigami as much as possible, I can’t do everything by myself.
[……Hmm.]
I felt a sense of discomfort in my mouth.
I pushed the wobbly tooth with my tongue and it came out without much difficulty.
I spit out my baby tooth and placed it on my palm. I check it and put it in my pocket with a smile of
satisfaction.
A tooth can also be a great tool for spiritual arts.
Reincarnation is a good opportunity to try out things that I could not attempt in my previous life.
If I can create a lot of dolls, the things that I can do will increase.
My second life is going well.
[Eh?]
I tilted my head as I opened the closet to take out my cloak.
It’s not there.
That’s odd, I’m sure I put it in here yesterday but…….
Ah, no way.
[———— Seika-kun, Seika-kun.]
I turned around at the small voice and saw a girl looking at me through the gaps of the door.
She had fine golden hair. She was a little girl about the same age and height as me.
[What? Aoife.]

[Um, this……]
She offered me the cloak that I was looking for with a dispirited look.
If I looked closely here and there, I could see small leaves and twigs on it. I knew it and I sighed
inwardly.
It was probably Gurai’s deed.
Four years have passed and that stupid brat was still alive and well. He has been looking down on me
and pestering me repeatedly whenever possible but he has been very vigilant lately; it may be
because I have been nonchalantly using shikigami to get back at him every time so he did not come
to do anything direct anymore.
Then, he started to be small-minded and played mischievous pranks such as hiding or breaking my
personal belongings.
How could he do this to a brother three years younger than him?
I am naturally worried about the humanity of my second elder brother.
[Thank you, Aoife. I’ve been searching for it.]
I thanked her and took the cloak and the little girl cast her head downwards.

"

"

Aoife is the daughter of a slave owned by the Lamprogue family.

The children born to slaves are also naturally slaves but slaves that live in the mansion are treated
well and are not treated much differently from servants. This aspect was similar to the West in my
previous life.
Although, I think it probably does not change the fact that slaves like those used for big plantations
and mines are miserable.
[But, how do you find it every time?]
I wonder how many times I have asked Aoife to find something that’s hidden.
[That is……well, by chance…… Seika-kun, this is really too much. I’ll try to request help from the
master and then maybe young master Gurai will kindly stop it……]
Aoife said in a hushed voice.
As you can understand from listening, this child does not use honorific titles and honorifics for only
me. At first, I was disappointed that even slaves could look down on me but apparently, he was close
to her age so she thought that she had to get along with the child outcast since that was the case.
I was moved to tears. This was one of the few in the house with a conscience.
[It’s all right.]

[But……]
[It’s the truth. Since this much is fine.]
Actually, this is kind of cute.
At the time I became the apprentice to my master, my senior brothers and sisters seriously tried to kill
me.
Well, in the end, I cursed everyone to death.
[No, but I’m still……]
[Seika! What the hell are you doing here!]
The sudden loud voice made Aoife’s shoulders tremble in fear.
My second elder brother, Gurai approached us with his thudding big steps and glared at Aoife.
[Hey, slave! What are you doing slacking off here! I’ll tell father!]

[I, I’m sorry.]

Aoife was so frightened that she bowed her head and left in order to escape.
Gurai snorted and took his eyes off her back. He looked at the cloak I was holding and then said after
he smacked his lips.
[Playing with grass outside again? The mistress’s children are so easygoing! Since you don’t have to
study things like magic. Oops, you can’t do it even if you wanted to in the first place. ]
And then, Gurai said, showing his personality with an evil smile on his face.
[Well, you can do whatever you want. You are going to get driven out of this family in the future
anyway! What are you going to do, Seika? The only future for you is the army.]
[Can I get into the Imperial troops?]
So I thought, why not.
It’s much better than starving. If it’s the direct army, I’ll be treated well.
Well, although I don’t think I will ever join the army.

[What are you being so relieved about? You don’t know? In the military, they train you to the extent
that you will puke and you must obey the orders of your superior officer at all costs. Even if the other
party is a commoner, you know?]
I was at a loss to respond.
No, that’s true. Because it’s the military.
Rather, if you don’t do those two things without exception, you will die in the crucial moment.
He thought I was silent because I was seized with fear, but Gurai’s tone of voice was clearly getting
carried away.
[You should start practicing with your sword from now on. Well, but at any rate, a pipsqueak like you
will probably die in your first battle!]
[I will grow taller from now on, more importantly, what about Brother Gurai?]
[What?]
[Brother Luft will take over the family, right? Isn’t Brother Gurai the one who will be driven out?]
Gurai snorted and scowled at me.

[I don’t want to be lumped together with a failure like you! I’m going to the Magic Academy to
become a first-class researcher like father.]
[The Magic Academy?]
[You don’t know anything about the Magic Academy? It’s the Imperial Rodnea Magic Academy, a
prestigious academy for magicians that has produced a number of imperial court magicians, you
know?]
If I’m not mistaken, Rodnea is the name of a city close to the imperial capital.
I see, so there’s an educational institution there. Since it’s called an academy, it must be large-scale.
I have heard good things.
[Hmm. How old do you have to be to go there?]
[You have to be twelve years old to take the test but I am part of the Lamprogue family. I don’t need
to learn the basics with those uneducated people. It would be enough for me to transfer to a higher
division at the age of fifteen! Maybe I’ll be scouted by an imperial court magician as soon as I enter
the academy and I’d be happy to build my career there then.]
I was taken aback by my second elder brother who was not embarrassed talking about it.
That’s a lot of confidence. Even if you have the ability, it’s hard even for a human to do this.
[Hey, Seika. Don’t think you’re going down the same path as me. The Lamprogue family has such a
wide influence that they don’t allow members of their family to choose the same path! Oh, you’re a
failure with no magical powers in the first place. Humph.]
This fellow really never forgets to denounce me.
[I don’t care.]
[Ah? What’s with that……]
[Gurai, how long are you going to talk for?]
A low and heavy voice resounded.
A tall and mature man was standing behind Gurai before he knew it.
My second elder brother turned around in a panic.
[Father!]
[Luft has already left. Where’s your staff?]

[Ah, um, after this……]

[I told you I would examine your magic today.]
[No, no, That fellow, Seika is……]
As expected, it’s difficult to blame me, isn’t it?
The man looked away from Gurai and looked down at me.
[Seika, stay obediently in the mansion today.]
[Father.]
I stared straight at the man.
It doesn’t work that way. That’s why I was looking for the cloak.
[Can you please also take me along to practice magic?]
My father in this life looks at me in silence.
Blaise・Lamprogue.
The current head of the Lamprogue family.
The Lamprogue family was originally bestowed their title in recognition of their achievements in
magical research and also produced a great number of excellent magicians. Blaise seemed to have
been a top-notch magic researcher too before he took over as the head of the family and even now he
was always away from home because he dropped by at various research institutions.
Furthermore, he also seems to have excelled in magic combat and has been invited to be an imperial
court magician more than once or twice.
But I actually don’t know how great his skills were.
When I used to be an official in the Bureau of Onmyoudou, I guess I was an imperial court magician,
my colleagues were generally morons who could not even do proper divination.
[Hey. Seika! What are you talking about! What’s the use of a person like you coming when you don’t
have magical powers!]
[All right.]

[Eh, father!?]
[However, only to observe. If that’s alright with you, then get ready to go soon.]
I broadly grinned at Gurai, who was dumbfounded.
[Thank you, father. I’m ready to go.]
****
A short distance away from the mansion, there was a magical training ground used by the Lamprogue
family.
Although one might say it was just a row of rock targets on the wooden platform.
The mansion of the Lamprogue family itself was located at the foot of a small mountain, a short
distance away from the town.
It was said that Gurai will eventually hunt the monsters that live in the mountains to gain practical
experience but……that aside I’m sure that even if a lot of noise is made here, no one will be bothered
by it.
[Let’s start with Luft.]

[Yes, father.]
Luft, my eldest brother, held up his staff with a nervous look on his face and aimed the tip of his staff
at the rock target.
[Green surges! O spirits of the air, gather thy fury into a blade.]
With those words, power flowed into Luft’s staff.
[————Wind Edge!!]
Wind was shot out from the staff and struck the rock target with a bang.
With a closer look, the surface of the rock seemed to have a few scratches on it.
[It’s stable. The power is passable. This would be a good time to try it without a chant.]
[Yes!]
I contemplated as I took a sidelong glance at my eldest brother who was delighted.
 "

"

Magic that deals directly with the matter. As expected, it was an existence that was quite similar to
black magic.
It’s different in that combat magic is learned first and to assume that you will be in a situation where
you’re directly facing your opponent.
It’s very different from the black magic in my previous world where curses and divination are
mainstream in every country.
If I had to choose, it’s similar to martial arts.
How should I put it……what a waste.
Another thing that bothered me was that spells were usually spoken.
To tell the truth, it doesn’t matter what the language is, there is nothing wrong with it per se but……
Well, you know, it was kind of embarrassing to listen to it. I don’t know how these guys can be so
composed.
[Next, Gurai, go ahead and try it.]
[Yes!]

Gurai walked out triumphantly and held up his staff in contempt.

[Red blazes! O spirits of flames and sulfur, bellow thy fury into a fireball! ————Fireball!!]
A bright red fireball was shot out from Gurai’s staff.
It hit the rock with great force……and dispersed just like that. It was no surprise that the rock did not
burn.
[How did it go, father?]
[Gurai, why didn’t you use wind magic like Luft did?]
[Uh, that’s……]
[It’s good that you have learned a new spell. But it’s still rough. I told you to be proficient in one
system first.]
[Yes……]
[You should learn to be diligent like Luft. Your aptitude is not bad either. If you keep up with your
efforts, you will eventually succeed as a two system magician in wind and fire.]

[Y-yes! Father!]
With a glance at Gurai, who did not seem to reflect, I pondered once more.
Hmm……
That was pure spiritual power, not magical power burning?
The efficiency was bad and on top of that, there was no physical power too. It is also difficult to aim
with the spread of fire. If that’s the case, wouldn’t a fire arrow be better for that?
Oh, well. I’m sure Gurai is just not very good at it but it’s actually more powerful.
[Hahahah…That’s right. Hey, Seika! You should try it too!]
And Gurai, who was in a good mood, suddenly called out to me like that.
[Hey, Gurai……]
[Isn’t it boring for you to watch in a place like that? Father is kindly watching so I’ll lend you my
staff for a bit for you so you can show that you are worthy of the Lamprogue family.]

Gurai ignored Luft’s attempts to stop him. He walked over to me and pushed his staff against me.
He was trying to make me a laughing stock for not being able to do it.
This guy really has a bad personality.
[……Ok.I’ll try it.]
I walked past Gurai, who was grinning and stood in front of the target.
Honestly, I don’t really want to show them my spell right now.
Those who stand out will be regarded as an enemy.
That’s why, the truth is that the stronger one is, the more likely they will die in this world.
No matter how strong I became, I could not escape from that principle in the end.
However, the weak will continue to be robbed. This is also the truth.

It is also inconvenient to be made fun of as one likes. It would be good to show them my minimal
power here.
[……ha. What are you getting all worked up about? You don’t even have magical power.]
With Gurai’s voice in the background, I sensed my spiritual power.
As long as I’m being watched by them like this, I can’t use mantras, seals and charms but I’ll be able
to manage it one way or another.
I chanted the mantra in my mind.
I formed a seal in my consciousness.
I invoked fire and earth.
I briefly said the name of the technique.
[———— Fireball.]
<Phase of Fire and Earth ———— The Art of Demon Fire>

The staff, to be precise, the space in front of it shot out a ———— large fireball clad in pale blue
flames.
The fireball hit the rock.
Then, there was a loud explosion.
The training grounds fell into complete silence.
Everyone’s gaze was drawn to the rock that was half gone and embers giving out white smoke.
That’s bad.
I’ve gone overboard.
[Just now……a fireball?]
[No chant……and that power……and the flames were blue……]
While my brothers were in a daze and in the middle of muttering, my face stiffened.

The art of the Cosmic Dual Force and Five Elements that I have developed are based on the five
elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water; and with yin and yang included, a total of seven
elements. I can call the spirits of each element with ease.
Of the previously mentioned, the <Demon Fire> that I often used in my previous life, is only a
simple technique that ignites the earth energy summoned as a lump of phosphorus, with fire energy
but……Apparently, there was too much phosphorus. All the pieces seemed to have burst up in
flames at once the moment they were broken by the rock.
On top of that, the pieces of quartz that had been mixed in order to maintain the form of the core had
pulverised the rock in the blast.
In addition, I completely forgot about the flame reaction……If I had at least mixed in quicklime and
salt, I could have made the colour natural……
This is bad.
[Seika.]
My father in my life said in a calm voice.
[Aim at the next rock and try it again.]
[……Yes. Father.]
Okay, let’s just do it in moderation this time.
[———— Fireball.]
A large pale blue fireball was shot out again and ———— with a loud bang, it destroyed the rock
target once again.
[What the hell……?]
It was better than before but not much had changed.
Apparently, the circulation of spiritual power in this body was good. It seems that I can’t control the
technique well.
This is bad if I don’t fix it.
[Father……Th-this, what is the meaning of this? Seika does not have magical powers. He should not
be able to use magic……By any chance, could it be my strong magic left in the staff?]
Gurai said as he looked up at his father.
No, that’s not possible.
[There have been cases where those who are not born with magical powers can use magic. Moreover,
depending on the quality of the magic, it is said that the flame can take on a distinctive colour.]

[Father.]
I called out to our father.
[I want to learn magic just like my brothers.]
There was a slight miscalculation but this was a good opportunity. If I can use and comprehend
magic, he might teach me magic too.
But my father shook his head.
[No.]
[……Why?]
[There have been instances of magic being used by those without magical powers. However, there
are no known instances of them becoming great magicians. There’s no point in learning.]
[……]
[Seikai. From this year onwards, you will be assigned a private tutor just like your brothers. You need
to focus on that.]

[……I understand, father.]

My father looked at my brothers and said,
[Now that this has happened, practice is now over. I’ll make arrangements for new targets. Until then,
the two of you need to make an effort in your own training.]
With the reply of my two older brothers, father left. Luft followed after him.
As for Gurai, he snatched the staff out of my hand and spit out some words when he left.
[Don’t get cocky, you don’t have magical powers.]
Then chased after our eldest brother————I was the only one left behind.
It was a very meaningful time.
I understood the magic of this world and also the issues with myself now.
I’m also honestly happy that I can study under a tutor. Since there was a limit to how much I could
learn from only reading books.

The magic practice was, whatever.

Since I can just skip the formula and watch a show.
Since then, another four years have passed and I am eleven years old.
[……]
In the middle of the night, in my silent room.

Under the light emitted by the shikigami, I cut out a doll from a piece of paper with scissors and I
carefully inscribed the words with a quill.

Now that I think of it, I was doing the same thing in my previous life when I was about this age.

It’s nostalgic. If I remember correctly, my coming-of-age ceremony was around this time of the year.
When I think about it, I have also grown up a lot in this life.

[……I did it.]

I looked at the completed doll and I let out a breath filled with tension.
This is a door.
In my previous life, I exorcised and sealed many demons and I used them as a fighting power.
The charm used for the seal was practically burnt in my previous life so it’s naturally not here. I don’t
have it but……to be honest, it is theoretically possible to summon the sealed demons here.
Sealing. In other words, it is sending the demons to the phase.1

The charm is no more than a door.

The phase is also a different world. Therefore, as long as the door is prepared, I think……I should be
able to connect it to any world. Theoretically speaking that is.

I’m going to try whether or not I can really do it.

I placed the shikigami on the bed.
I formed a seal and recited a mantra.
To be honest, I don’t know what will happen.

So, the first one I will summon will be the quietest demon.
Before long, the technique was completely constructed.
[――――ओम् चतुदश दश ीिण नव नव एकम् िन यित सकल ाह]
<Divine Call――――Mythological Pipe Fox>

The shikigami emitted light, distorting the surrounding scene around me.

And then, what appeared in the dim room was a ―――― girl in white.

White hair as white as Virgin Snow. The kimono was strangely short and the arms and legs that
extended from it were also white. A girl with a kind of mysterious appearance.

The eyelids slowly open, revealing contrasting jet-black eyes.

Huh? S-success……? Even so, something is a little different.

[Haruyoshi-samaーーーーーー!!]
The girl suddenly embraced him.

She pinned me down with her momentum and rubbed her cheek against my face to her heart’s
content.
[Haruyoshi-sama, Haruyoshi-sama! Ah, Yuki2 is truly, truly happy to be able to see that face again!
Suーhaー! How many times has Yuki dreamt of this when she slept in the phase! Suuuuuuuu
haaaaah! Aah~ The smell of Haruyoshi-sama!]
[Stop it, you idiot! Get away from me.]
I pushed the girl back and I stepped back with a rustle.

And then I cautiously observed the figure.

[Yuki……right?]
[Yes, Haruyoshi-sama! I’m Yuki.]

I observed the smiling girl carefully.

It’s Yuki, a mythological pipe fox.
She’s a demon…….that I bestowed with the appearance of a human being and used in my previous
life.
[Somehow…..did you get smaller? And those clothes……]
In my previous life, she had the appearance of a young woman, this……Ah, I’m pretty sure her legs
weren’t exposed like that……
[Ah, you’re right. I wonder why? I think it’s because I got pulled in by the spell of the current
Haruyoshi-sama or it’s the effect of the world itself.]
Well…… both of them seem to be possible.

It’s still Yuki on the inside so I’d call it a success.

[Haa……It was good to summon you for the time being. It’s been a while, Yuki.]

[Haruyoshi-sama……!]
[All right, stop hugging me!]
[Okay, but……I’m glad.]
Yuki says in a tearful voice.
[At that time……when I found out t-that girl was an enemy……it seemed that Haruyoshi-sama was
already prepared to die……]
[Hmm, yeah……]
[But it’s worth waiting and believing that you will summon me without fail in the next life……]
[Aah, there, there……]
After stroking her head, Yuki sniffled and wiped her tears.
[But, how did you know it was me in this form?]

[That is……I know what you mean. You have become a little younger now, but you still have the
same spiritual power and the same face.]
[Eh, is that so?]
[Yes.]
It is true that I am the only one in my family with black hair and black eyes.

It’s probably just the blood of my father’s mistress but……I’m sure I’m the only reincarnated body
that has chosen to cross over to this world.
[Haruyoshi-sama……!]
[Yes?]
[Since you have summoned me, Yuki will do anything you want! It seems that this place is not Japan
or even in the world. I’m sure it must have been a lot of work for you, Haruyoshi-sama. Now, what
can Yuki do for you?]
[No…..nothing in particular. I just wanted to try out whether I could summon a demon over here
too……]

[Ehー!]
Yuki dropped her shoulder with disappointment.

I’m sorry but Yuki is not very useful at all as a mythological pipe fox.
I remembered that in my previous life.
A mythological pipe fox is a type of fox demon that is used for spell casting.
This one time when an acquaintance of mine who uses fox spirits, had a very usual white variant with
black eyes that was born so it was given to me! I’m sure you have great power!! I was told with eyes
filled with a hundred percent good faith and received Yuki.
In the beginning, I was full of expectations. However, Yuki is in fact no good at all in possession and
divine power, which are the specialties of a mythological pipe fox. No matter how many times I
made her do it, she always failed and ended up in a mess.

"

"

However, I couldn’t bear to throw her away so I had no choice but to give her a human form and let
her serve tea.
In my previous life, I never had a child until the end but thanks to Yuki, I understood the meaning of
the phrase, [The worse the child is, the cuter he or she is.]
But putting that aside, there’s no work to be done.
[I mean, I can’t let anyone see you with that form.]
[But, I don’t want to be in the phase anymore……]
[Then you can hide all you want.]
[Yes.]
When I said that, Yuki returned to the form of a fox and became small in the blink of an eye.

And then, with a swoosh, she concealed herself under my hair.

[As I thought, this is where I feel the most at ease.]

One of Yuki’s few special skills is that she can become extremely small. Since the day she was given
to me, Yuki has often concealed herself under my hair.

It’s certainly one of the skills of a mythological pipe fox but……oh well.
[That’s right, Yuki. My name is Seika now so call me that from now on.]
[Seika-sama……? Hee hee, it’s a perfect name for Haruyoshi-sama!]
It is a perfect fit or rather well……it was read like that in my previous life.3
Well, I should go to bed now.

I put away all the tools and crawl into bed.

Even from this world, I can summon a demon.
I think I can accomplish the most important part of my plan.
Now, it’s time to see if it will work as expected……
Since I was seven years old, I have spent the last four years of my life preparing and gathering
information.
I was diligently creating paper and cutting out dolls. I memorised what my private tutor says while I
watched the magic of my father and brothers through shikigami. I exercised outside. When I had the
chance to, I would go to the library to read books and scrolls; learn history and other languages.
If I think about it, I have done nothing but prepare ever since I have come here.
Nevertheless, I have been changing steadily. I have grown taller and put on weight. My teeth have
been replaced too.
It was almost time for action.
Incidentally, there have been changes to the people around me.
In particular, Gurai.
To be precise, when it comes to what had exactly changed……
First of all, since I displayed the spell, my personal belongings are no longer hidden.

To be honest, it seemed very frightened while he spoke assertively to me. Thanks to this, my life here
has become even more pleasant.
However, he vented his anger on the servants instead.
But he didn’t go against older servants or those with a good physique or those close to his father and
his mother. His target became――――,
[Hey, slave! Do you know what you did! You’ve soiled my clothes!]
[I-I am sorry, Gurai-sama.]
A servant that was younger or a girl……Yes, a person like Aoife.
This guy is really……going too far.
To what extent will you go? Your determination that is, older brother.
[It seems that you don’t understand your position because father and mother are kind. You’re the
possession of this house! You’re in a position where you can’t complain about it even if you get
killed!]
[Yes……I’m sorry……]
[Humph, I hope you don’t think crying is a good idea.]
Then, Gurai put his hand on Aoife’s shoulder.
[Well, I have no intention to criticise you that much either. If you understand, then that’s great……
Ah yes, come to my room tonight. I’ll educate you about your identity as a servant very, very well.]
Aoife drooped her head down and shrank in on herself.
Wow, he became a perverted brat at last. Come to think of it, this guy is already fourteen…….
I mean, hey, don’t gnaw your teeth. I can’t even look at you anymore, brother.
[You’ve been so noisy in the hallway in the morning, Brother Gurai]
I couldn’t bear it and butted in.
Sure enough, my brother glared at me.
[Ah? What the hell, Seika……None of your business. Stay out of this!]

[I have something I need Aoife for. If you’re going to lecture her, do it quickly.]
[What’s with the……way you speak!]
With a shout of abuse, Gurai raised his fist.
I caught the fist that was about to come to my cheek――――in the palm of my hand.
We were in a deadlock just like that.
[……Tsk!]
Eventually, Gurai pulled his arm back forcefully.
[Remember that, you’re a failure!]
My older brother walked away just like that.
And then I sighed.

Although I put a lot of force into it, I wonder if it hurt? But how can you lose to an eleven-year-old in
brute strength…….
Even though I’m optimizing the flow of ki,1 my physique should be appropriate for my age.
[Ah, thank you. Seika-kun]
With that said, approached me.
Well, but it’s not like I understand how Gurai thinks.
I don’t know how to say in particular but……You know, the chest.
She’s one year older than me, so she should be twelve or thirteen but I wonder what’s going on.
Perhaps, it’s an ethnic trait in this world? But from what I’ve seen from the maids in the mansion,
that’s not necessarily the case……
No, let’s not go any further.
[No, not all. Don’t mention it. That’s right, Aoife, to tell the truth, I have a favour to ask.]
[I-I’m sorry! Come with me for a moment.]

"

"

Aoife led me by the hand and started running.

What?
Aoife took me with her and we arrived at the edge of the mansion grounds.
The person in question, Aoife, stopped walking. For some reason, she was restlessly looking around
the vicinity for something.
[Ah!]
With a short cry, Aoife ran up to the base of a large tree.
[Seika-kun, this……is.]
[This is……]
A small animal with a coat of jade green fur was lying down there.
It was about the size of a kitten and had a thick tail. There was a gem the same colour as its fur
embedded in its forehead. I could sense a weak flow of energy from it.
It was covered in injuries and more than half of its coat was stained with dirt and blood.

[This, whoa……isn’t this a monster?]

[Yes. It’s probably the young of a carbuncle.]1The carbuncle (カーバンクル) is a creature from
South American folklore and is said to have a gem on its forehead that would bring wealth and fame
to those who possess it.
Meanwhile, in Japan, they are treated as rare monsters with valuable items and have a lot of gold in
games.
The carbuncle got its name from the gem on its forehead was red like a garnet.2
That reminds me, I think I saw an illustration of such an animal in one of the books in the mansion.
[I think it most likely sustained losses from an owl or a crow.]
[A monster was attacked by common animals?]
[Yes, that’s correct. They’re weak while they’re young so something like this happens.]
I thought it was like a demon but it was more like an ordinary creature.
[Seika-kun……this child, I wonder if we can help it?]

Aoife said as she looked up at me.

So that’s the reason. But, um…….
[Alright……]
In my previous life, I have treated humans, dogs and cats, livestock, etc.
However, I don’t have much confidence in healing something like a monster that I’m meeting for the
first time.
Nevertheless, there was a technique that works on almost everything.
[Okay. I don’t know if it’ll work but I’ll give it a try. Even so, it’s hard to concentrate when I’m being
watched, so turn around.]
[Huh? Uh, yeah.]
I pulled a strand of fur soaked in blood from the carbuncle’s body.
And then, I stuck it on a piece of shikigami I had with me.

I added characters to it using spiritual power.

I formed the seals and recited the mantra in a low voice.
[――――ओ ीः थाना रण ाः ून शा ाहा]
The technique worked. Changes begin to happen to the carbuncle and the shikigami.
And then――――
[It’s done.]
I shove the torn and blackened shikigami into my clothes’ pocket while I called out to Aoife.
Aoife turned her head and her eyes widened.
The carbuncle sat up and licked the blood stuck to its body with its tongue.
Despite the fact that it was still weak, it was much better than before. There was still blood all over
its body but its injuries should be almost healed.

[W-what? That’s amazing!……Ah.]

When Aoife reached out with a hand, the carbuncle dashed into the forest like a bullet with animal-
like movements.
In the end, it turned around one last time, stared at me for a moment before it disappeared into the
shade of the trees.
It seems to be fine.
[Now……By any chance, did Seika-kun heal it?]
[Yes. I’m glad it turned out better than I expected.]
[Seika-kun, you can use healing magic!?]
Huh?
[W-wow! I thought only magicians of the light attribute in big cities could do that!]
[Ah……hahaha.]

I laughed to cover it up.

W-what? Isn’t that what you mean? You wanted me to heal it with magic?
Or rather…….
The treatment of injuries and sickness was the most important pursuit for spiritual arts but even so,
only those magicians in the big cities could do this? Even though there are educational institutions?
I don’t understand the magic in this world well. Wasn’t there something I should be doing before I
start with the likes of fire and wind?
[Seika-kun is amazing.]
Aoife said quietly.
[They used to say you didn’t have any magic but now you can use magic as well as Luft-sama and
Gurai-sama……No, it’s not just that, you were also not discouraged at all even when you’ve had
unpleasant experiences in the past. I believe you are strong.]
Unpleasant experiences……?
Did something like that happen? Though, I’ve been astounded by my second brother time after time.

If anything, the last eight years have been considerably easygoing.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been in an environment where I don’t have to worry about starvation,
fear for my life, or any strange responsibilities.
I don’t think I want to stay like this forever.
[Ah……maybe that’s so. But I think that’s the same for Aoife.]
[Eh?]
[Let’s see. Didn’t Aoife frequently find my hidden clothes and shoes when I was being bullied by my
brother, Gurai? That’s why it didn’t matter even when Brother Gurai zeroed in on me. That helped
me a lot.]
I really meant it.
As well as with the carbuncle today, this child was surprising and had a heart.
[I think that’s what it means to really be strong.]
[Eh, I, I’m not like that at all! Since I’m sluggish, I simply didn’t notice it that much. I often get
angry at myself for being so absent-minded……And even when things were hidden, there were a lot
of times when Seika-kun found them first before I knew it……]

That’s because I did divination when I was looking for them. But it was a hassle.
[I’m also not of excellent birth and I’m of no worth……We’re not the same at all. I’m not special
like Seika-kun.]
[Haha, I’m also not of excellent birth. Besides……Aoife is special too.]
[Eh……?]
Ah, finally, that’s the main point.
[Don’t you see things that normal people don’t?]
Aoife was evidently trembling when I said that.
[Eh……W-what are you talking about?]
[To tell you the truth, I’ve seen Aoife’s eyes following the soul of an animal or something several
times.]
[Seika-kun can see it too!?]
[Well…]
In my case, I was born with it but spirits can also be seen through the likes of training.
But that was an exception.
[But that’s not all, is it?]
[……]

[Your eyes can follow after the things that I can’t see and you can even see them. Aoife, what can
you see other than souls?]
[……You’re amazing, Seika-kun. You know something like this. My deceased mother told me not to
let never anyone know about it.]
With that said, Aoife reached her hand out to something in the air.
Of course, nothing could be seen there.
[This must be a spirit of a deceased.]
[Spirit……]
[Yes. Those that appear in fairy-tale, you know.]
[……That is, what form does take?]
[They are round and vague with small wings. But they take the forms of small animals and children
at times: crows, lizards, fish and moles. I think they’re probably strong children. Because the place
where such a child went was warm and the wind blew……As expected, you can’t believe it, can
you?]
[No……I believe you.]

The presence of something that was neither spirit nor demon that I had been felt in my previous life.
On my journey to seek the wisdom of the West, I met a Celtic shaman — a druid — who possessed a
special staff made from common mistletoe.
He told me that his staff was inhabited by a spirit but……I wasn’t able to see its presence even
though I could certainly feel the flow of power.
A person like you can’t see it? This indigo blue of a common raven.
Those surprising words didn’t sound like a lie.
As I thought, they were in this world too……
It could be the remnants of a soul like a spirit or a soul of a demon, which came from the body……
Or it could be something else entirely.
[Your mother was wise. It probably wouldn’t have done you any good to let people around you know
about it.]
[……If it wasn’t for Seika-kun, I wouldn’t even believe it. I’m sure of it.]
Yes, I guess so.

[By any chance, was it the spirits that helped you find the carbuncle today and also my clothes?]
[Uh, yes. Those children gather around magic. Only Seika-kun’s belongings are……a little special.]
[Special?]
[Whenever Seika-kun’s belongings are around, the spirits get weird. They strangely gather around
and some of them start spinning around like they’re drunk……That’s how I knew immediately if
they were near me.]
[Really……By the way, what about me?]
[That, there aren’t any around Seika-kun at all. I have a feeling that they avoid you instead. Normally,
people with strong magical powers — such as master — always have several of them attached to
him……so it’s very strange.]
Hmm, I wonder why? Oh well.
[Doing things like touching a spirit……you can’t do it right? Do they listen to what you say?]
[No. They have no relation with humans, so they’re like children who live as they like.]
[Really?]

[Yes……Ah, yes. There was once.]

Aoife said like she was remembering something.
[There was once where they did as I asked. When I was hanging the laundry, a number of children in
the form of birds were playing but……at that time, the wind sent the master’s shirt flying, so I yelled
at them to stop it. Then all of them fled. They came back soon after but they were all very quiet after
that. Yes……that’s it. I’m sorry it wasn’t a significant matter.]
[No, not at all.]
They will listen to you. That was a big factor.
This could be it.
[Aoife. It’s out of nowhere but don’t you want to be able to use magic?]
[What! It……would be nice being able to use magic but I can’t.]
Aoife laughed helplessly.
[I don’t have any spirits coming to me at all. Perhaps I think that I don’t have magical powers or I
don’t have much.]

[No, you don’t need magic.]

I opened the door with the shikigami I held in my hand behind my back.
[You can just let these guys do the magic.]
<Divine Call――――Hitodama>
Many balls of fire were summoned from the phase and materialised. Flickering orange flames floated
behind me.
……I mean, these guys are hot. I got a bit further away from them.
[Eh, eh, what are these monsters!? Seika-kun, what are those!?]
[Errr……I found them.]
[I found them!?]
It wasn’t a lie.

They were floating in a cemetery in my previous life so I collected them.

They were dangerous because they were simply the cause of fires.
If I pushed it with an invisible shikigami, the hitodama would drift towards Aoife like so.
[A spirit-like monster, I guess. It’s not the kind that attacks humans, so don’t worry.]
[Yes, it’s kind of hot but……]
[Then let’s put out the fire.]
[Eh?]
[Please do me a favour. Like you did with the wind spirit.]
[Yes……Ok. I’ll try it.]
After Aoife looked at the hitodama, she shut her eyes tightly like she was thinking about something.

"

"

Just like that, about half of an hour (※fifteen minutes) has passed.
Nothing, in particular, was happening.
[Seika-kun. The fire, did it disappear?]
[It didn’t disappear.]
[Ehー! Even though you asked me to do it……]
Aoife slumped her shoulders in disappointment.
[Why don’t you say it out loud? It doesn’t have much to do with spirits but it gets you into the state
of mind.]
[Ok……Please disappear. Please.
[……]
[Please disappear. Please, I beg of you.]

[……]
[Um, really……please……]
It didn’t disappear.
[……Come on! Disappear!!]
It went out.
All of the flames have disappeared as if they had been doused with water and the temperature around
us dropped quickly.
[Huh? Eh? T-they’re gone!?]
[They’re here. Look.]
As Aoife looked up, small dots of fire flickered out in midair.
[……You don’t have to come out.]

When Aoife stare intensively as she said so, the fire forcefully became smaller.
Ah.
[Good. Let’s try a little more.]
For the next one hour.
As the balls of fire showed themselves and disappeared many times, Aoife was able to control the
hitodama without speaking aloud.
[S-something like this?]
[You’re improving fast. If you do this, you will soon be able to manipulate the direction and the
strength of the flame. I’m sure of that.]
I was inwardly satisfied.
In my previous life, there was a kind of ghost fox that often controlled the hitodama.
When I saw this, I thought that a human sorcerer could definitely do the same. I had been researching
it for a long time but it was impossible for me in the end. That’s why I wanted to find a talented child
one day and thought about letting him or her inheriting my ambition but……I never thought it would
come true so soon in my next life.

Finally, my hypothesis has been proven……

It was worth the effort, even though I was treated like a weirdo by my peers.
[Anyway, the fire arts of a ghost fox……that’s not it, it should be similar to do the same thing as fire
attribute magic.]
[Really!?]
[Not only that. Perhaps we can get the spirits that Aoife can see to do us a favour. Like a princess in a
fairy tale.]
The druid in my previous life could do it. So it’s not impossible.
[Amazing……Seika-kun knows everything.]
[I don’t know everything but I’m studying hard.]
[I will also try my best in this too! I thought it was a useless skill but now I feel a little more
confident! Thank you, Seika-kun.]
Yes, yes. Good luck, good luck.

I’m lucky too.

I was able to find such a talent just after my reincarnation.
Well, it seems that this child was a bit out of my depth but…… it’s always good to have friends.
[That’s right, does Aoife ever think of getting out of here?]
[Ehh……?]
[No, I don’t mean escape. Even if a slave was freed, they will still work as a servant in this residence,
right? Aoife’s father was like that. Even with his status as a slave, it must be hard to leave the place
where he has lived all his life but I wonder how Aoife feels about it.]
[I want to leave.]
Aoife said firmly.
[It’s not that I don’t like it here, I just want to go to different places. I want to know a lot of things
and I want to see a lot of things. This country is so vast, isn’t it? That is why I feel like it’s a waste to
stay here forever. Perhaps someday when I’m freed, I’ll be able to……]
[Hmm, I see.]

Aoife’s eyes seemed to be looking somewhere in the distance.

As I thought, this docile child is rather energetic.
Like I how I used to be……or not.
My impulses were not this positive.
[Ah, yes. I have one more thing I need Aoife to do.]
[What?]
[I’m going to be away from home several times from now on. Could you just cover up for me? Tell
them that I’m not feeling well so I’m sleeping in my room.]
[Uh, yes. It’s fine but……]
[I’d like to look around on my own but I don’t want my brother to get in the way. Please.]
After I said that, Aoife nodded her head in agreement.
This was good.
I’ll get started with the preparations tomorrow.
Aoife had to get back soon, so I put a shikigami on her when she was in a hurry to get back to the
mansion.
It was a doll with the art of the water phase.
Naturally, it was used to extinguish a fire just in case.
It would be a disaster if the mansion got burned down by a hitodama.
Kyle, the evil eye user, won the second round in the same way.
His opponent was a strong swordsman, but he seemed to be helpless
before the evil eye.
Some of the spectators were very excited to see the dead body that had
rolled over again.
Kyle was within the expected range, but Reynas was a little different.
The young knight, who had shown earth and wind magic in the first
round, used fire and water magic in the second round and won another
brilliant victory.
A magician who can use all four attributes seems to be quite rare, and
coupled with his cool face, he was the talk of the town. He was also the
odds-on favorite.
After the second round was over, it was time for my third round.
“Herecomes Seika Lamprog! Seika, it seems that there are girls from the
same grade as you cheering for you. I am so envious!”
“Hey!”

A part of the audience booed. Don’t say unnecessary things.

“Now, I wonder what kind of fight he will show us against Keady’s deadly
beast!”
I look at my opponent.
Standing in front of me is a woman with white hair.
It’s hard to tell her age, she looks like she could be a girl or an old
woman.
 But it didn’t matter.
I told Keady, the magician, what I had been thinking all along.
“Isn’t that kind of unfair?”
The wolves were spread out like a pack of wolves with black fur,
protecting the female magician.
However, in some places the flesh is rotting and bones are visible.
The woman laughs and replies in a wrinkled voice.
“Hie hie hie. What’s unfairy?”|
“I thought trainers, tamers and summoners were forbidden to compete.”
“Hiehie he, I’m a necromancer! it is not a monster to use, but a dead beast.
What are you complaining about?”
The woman said.
No, a spirit in a corpse is not much different from a monster.
It’s just a matter of what you call it, isn’t it? I don’t agree…….
“Keady has so far won her matches by sheer numbers using dead beasts.
Seika has yet to show us his depths, but does he have the means to counter
the multitude of mosters? That will likely be the deciding factor.”
“Hie hie hie. The battle is in the numbers.”
The necromancer woman laughs.
“Itdoesn’t matter if you are a swordsman or a sorceress. The many are the
natural enemy of the individual. No adventurer can dive a dungeon alone.”
“…..”

“Are you confident you can survive a pack of beasts?”

No, I know what you mean…….
“Then —- let the games begin!”
The whistle blew with the MC’s voice.
“Go, dead wolves!”
The wolves’, black corpses spread out in a fan shape, rushed out and
approached me.
 I crossed my arms and muttered to myself.
After all it’s the same. Please be quiet for the time being.
《The phase of earth and water —-》
A wave of gray mud spewed out from the ground and swallowed the pack
of wolves.
“What?”

The mud swallowed Keady as it was and swept her away.

And then it completely froze.
“Are, what’s this? Seika’s …… is this earth or water magic? Mud attacked
Keady and the dead beasts! It looks like they are just barely not out of the
field, but the …… mud has hardened like a rock! Keady and the dead
beasts can’t move!”
What the hell is this?
Keedie calls out, sticking out only one arm and her head from the
hardened mud.
I walk on the mud and stand in front of the female magician while the
wolves struggle around me.
“There are astral monsters out there, but there’s no reason to think that
spirits aren’t monsters. That said, you’re incapable of continuing, isn’t
it?”
“Gghh…….”

“And there’s the whistle! The prodigy of a prestigious count’s family was
strong! Seika Lamprog is through to the semi-finals!”
As I turn on my heel and start to walk away, Keady starts to struggle as if
in a panic.
“Hey, come on! no way, You’re not going to just leave me here like this, are
you?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll get you out.”
I climbed down from the mud and cast a spell on a few of the talismans
that I had embedded inside.
 At that moment, cracks appeared in various parts of the mud, and the
whole thing shattered.
The female magician, who was struggling at the edge of the stage,
tumbled off the stage.
I can’t see it from here, but the wolves moved, so I hope she didn’t hit her
head.
Yare yare( how troublesome.
****
‘Itwas an unusual jutsu, wasn’t it? I’d never seen it before. Seika-sama can
create mud that turns into rocks like that, can’t you?”
I chuckle at Yuki’s words.
“No, that was originally a building material invented by a human builder. I
just reproduced it with my jutsu.”
Even if you don’t use onmyouji techniques, you can make that cement
by mixing just the right amount of volcanic ash and limestone with water.
It is an artificial rock that hardens over time.
I knew this technique, which was once used in Rome to build huge
amphitheaters and public bathhouses, by Islamic engineers. The ingredients
have been slightly modified to make it quick-drying, but the basics remain
the same.
The material is strong enough to withstand a thousand years, but it is
vulnerable to pressure from the inside. If I put a charm inside and give it a
shock, I can easily break it.
“You know everything, don’t you, Seika-sama? I think Seika-sama is the
only one who likes to learn building techniques.”
I never liked to study.
Unexpected things are useful in this world.
In order to clean up the huge amount of cement that I had created, the next
match had to be carried over to the next day.
The booing from the audience was quite loud, and I feel a little sorry for
them.
The next day.
 I was alone in the audience, looking down at the stage.
Amiyu and Eefa were not there. I had left them at the inn since I didn’t
have a match.
Today, there was also Kyle’s third match.
I felt sorry to show Eefa any more of that gore, Amiyu felt the same way.
The important thing was the tournament.
As for the most important match.
Mabel had won without a hitch against a big spearman.
As for Reynas’s match, it seemed that his opponent had abandoned the
match. He must have seen the difference in ability. There was no point in
challenging a match that could not be won.
And then.
Standing on the stage now is Kyle.
……”

However, his opponent has not shown up at all.

The MC has stopped talking and has gone quiet, and the crowd around me
is starting to get annoyed.
He must have gotten scared and fled. Amidst this atmosphere, Kyle stands
alone on the stage, looking as emotionless as ever.
Hmmm, it looks like this match will be lost the same way as Reynas’.
……
“Seika Lamprog.”
Suddenly, a voice calls out to me from the side.
I turn my head and there is Mabel.
She was not holding her two-handed sword, as if she had left it
somewhere.
Her cool appearance did not look like she had just finished a match.
I smiled at her.
“Hey congratulations. You won the match as expected, but I won’t lose in
the semifinals tomorrow.”
“Abstain,”

Mabel told me shortly.

After a short silence, I asked.
“Why?”

“This isn’t the tournament you think it is.”

“……I don’t know what the tournament I think it is refers to, but I don’t
like it. If you want to get to the final, you have to compete fairly and
honestly.”
“I know you’re strong.”
I stopped talking at Mabel’s words.
The girl continued.
“Iknow you’re much stronger than your opponents so far,” she continued.
So I might not be able to take it easy on you.”
“…..”

“I can’t lose. Please. You don’t want to die, do you?”

I was silent for a moment, and then my mouth turned up at the corners.
“I don’t want to die.”
“……”
“Ifyou don’t think I can beat you, just say so. I’m still not going to give it
up.”
“Don’t …… be stupid. You …….”
At that moment, the moderator’s voice echoed throughout the arena.
“Well, after deliberation, it appears that it has been decided that Zagan will
be disqualified. Therefore, …… Kyle, you are qualified! We have decided
to advance you to the semi-finals!”
Violent booing erupted from the audience.
No wonder. They paid the admission fee, but two matches were canceled.
Kyle turns on his heel and leaves the stage.
I look to the side.
 Mabel was looking at him with a relieved expression.
I wonder.
She said something about holding back, and maybe she didn’t want the
match to turn into a fight for life, but I felt a little curious.
Mabel noticed my gaze and said, a little panicked.
“Anyway, you should abstain. I don’t know why the school sent you……”
“Seika?”

I turned to look at the familiar voice.

Sure enough, there was Amiyu.
She looked surprised.
“Ididn’t think I’d find you in this crowd. …… Oh, the new student is also
here.”
The red-haired girl smiled wryly as she turned her gaze to Mabel, saying
so.
“Iheard you won the third round too. You’re good. But he’s pretty strong
too, you know?”
The red-haired girl looks at Amiyu with hatred and then turns away
silently.
Wordlessly, he turned away and left.
I think as I watch her disappear into the crowd.
I wonder if the reason she asked me to abstain was because she had been
ordered to win the tournament.
From the school and above.
“Um, Seika-sama……”
Yuki asked in a whisper.
“About what you said earlier,…… don’t tell me you’re planning to beat that
girl too?”
“No.”

I deny in a whisper.
“Iintend to lose to Mabel as planned. I have no intention of interfering with
her mission.
I refused to abstain because I just wanted to have a little of her hand.
I’m interested in her fighting style. I would like to see a little more of her
moves.
And when I was satisfied, I was going to be out of the ring for good.
“—- Seika?”
“What?”

I replied in a panic, and Amiyu said with half-open eyes.

“Why are you in a daze? Hey, how many matches have they played now?
What’s going on?”
‘Ah …… actually, matches of the second knight and the one with the evil
eye were uncontested. The only match that took place today was Mabel’s.”
“Is that so ……. Nandaaaa!???(What did you say!?)”
Amiyu screamed regretfully.
“Rather why are you here? I thought you were at the inn.”
“I
was worried about the match after all. I left Eefa behind and came out. It
was also bad to go out with that girl.”
“I see. I’m sorry you had to come all this way.”
“It’s
all right. Let’s go home. Tomorrow you and the freshman have the
semifinals …….”
At that moment.
Once again, the voice of the MC echoed through the arena.
“Ladies and gentlemen! Good news! Since both Reynas’ and Kyle’s
opponenets forfeited in the third round, it has been decided that the semi-
finals between these two competitors will be held from this time today!”
The buzz in the hall grows louder. There were cheers in places.
According to the schedule, the semifinals and final were supposed to be
held tomorrow. …… probably the management decided that it would be bad
for the show to cancel two matches in one day. They just postponed a match
yesterday because of me.
“I’m lucky that I came today. If I hadn’t come , I wouldn’t have been able to
see this match.”
Amiyu muttered and looked at the stage below.
I feel sorry for the guys who were planning to come tomorrow, but I’m
glad that I can take a good look at the semi-finals here first.
‘Then let the fighters enter! The handsome magic knight of the four
attributes, Reynas Kaybeln!”
Amidst the cheers, a handsome man in lightweight metal armor walks
onto the stage, waving his hands in the air.
His opponent is Kyle, but he doesn’t abstain?
I wonder if he has some kind of plan to counter the evil eye.
“And—- the slayer of this tournament! Kyle the Evil-Eyed Swordsman!”
The ghostly boy quietly steps onto the stage.
In his right hand is a drawn sword. It is no different from the previous
matches.
The audience naturally quieted down.
“Both competitors are the talk of the town in this tournament, but what kind
of battle will unfold! The first match of the semi-final, which has attracted
a lot of attention, begin —-!”
With the MC’s voice, the whistle sounded.
The boy raises his face, which had been turned down, and looks at the
young knight with his red left eye.
However.
Before the evil eye could take effect, Reynas had already begun chanting.
“Shine and shine, white! Spirit of love and protection, give me a bright
body light to resist the eye of death. —- Grant add intermediate level evil
eye resistance Evil Eye Tolerance!”
As soon as the chanting ends, the knight’s body is momentarily covered in
a pale light.
 Amiyu shouted in surprise next to me.
“Evil eye resistance support magic buff! That knight could even use the
light attribute!”
While the boy’s evil eye stared at him, Reynas, a five-attribute user,
leisurely drew his sword and swung it.
“Ha-ha-ha! How about it, boy? Your eyes don’t work anymore, do they?
Do you give up? Or would you like to have a sword fight with me?”
Reynas raised his voice lightly.
Kyle did not answer.
Instead, he took a step forward.
One step, then another.
With his drawn sword slouched down and his ineffective evil eye fixed on
the knight, Kyle quietly closed the distance between him and the enemy.
His face is devoid of any emotion.
Like a ghost, he just keeps walking.
Reynas was intimidated by this situation, and pointed the tip of his staff
sword at the enemy.
A flaming fireball!
A fireball was produced and attacked the boy.
Kyle did not even resist and took the attack.
“How about ……?”
The boy appears, cracking open the flames.
Not only his skin, but his hair and clothes show no signs of being burned.
‘Tsk, flaming fireball Fireball! Fireball, fireball, fireball!”
Fireballs are fired in rapid succession.
Kyle makes no sign of resistance, but continues on his way without a
single burn.
Amiyu mutters next to me.
“……What’s that? Does that mean the amulet isn’t working?”
“No,…… if that were the case, it would have self-destructed long ago,
emitting sound and light.”
“But with all that magic landing?”
“It’s
a reaction to the …… damage that befalls the bearer. That’s why
…….”
Kyle would have taken very little damage from the fireballs.
“What the hell are you ……! Wind conical spear Windlance! Ice cone
spear icicle lance! Rigid rock bullet rock blast!”
Reynas unleashes a gust of wind blade, an ice spear, and a rock
cannonball.
Kyle took them all.
A gust of wind slammed into the boy’s body, and ice and rock crashed and
shattered.
Kyle did not even react to the numerous magic spells…..
Unscathed, he just kept on walking.
His footprints were carved into the ground in an unnaturally deep —-
manner.
Strong durability that prevents not only physical attacks, but even
combustion, and extends to clothing and hair.
There is only one way to achieve such a thing that I can think of.
The same as Mabel’s, gravity magic.
“What does this mean? Kyle is completely impervious to magic! It
looked like he was in big trouble when his evil eye was blocked, but he had
a huge secret trick hidden in there!”
“Hey, hey, hey, hey! Why is it like this!”
I explain to Amiyu, who tugs at my sleeve excitedly.
“It’sthe same as what happened with Mabel. The dark magic can
manipulate how easily an object is drawn to the stars, but this value is also
linked to the difficulty of moving or stopping the object by itself. Mabel
was increasing the power of her weapons, but from a very small
perspective, phenomena such as destruction and combustion are actually
just physical movements, so if you make them as heavy as their structure
can withstand, you can increase their strength. The human body can support
a surprisingly large amount of its own weight for a short period of time, and
with the right amount of ingenuity, it can support even greater weights.
……?
“……?”

“Oh, um.”
I looked at Amiyu with her mouth gaping open, and I was forced to
change my explanation.
“The house made of just bricks is less likely to be blown away by the wind
than a house made of …… straw tied together, right? Heavy weight makes
it harder to break down.”
“Itsounds obvious, but I don’t understand it at all. …… Is that something I
can do?”
“If you work hard, maybe …..”.
At that moment, the live commentator barked out, “Oh, Reynas, is making
a new move. Can he really get out of this situation?”
“Damn ……!”
Reynas suddenly thrust his staff sword into the ground and began
chanting a spell.
Then, the soil transforms into a bumpy mess, and rock puppets rise from
it.
They were smaller in size than people, but there were many of them.
While we watched, rock dolls sprang up one after another from the soil on
the stage.
Amiyu said again in amazement.
“Tomake such a large number of golems at once! That knight is quite
something…….”
Reynas, as expected, looked as if he had been worn out or was in pain.
But there was a smile on his face.
“You seem very sturdy. But I wonder if that’s enough to take on my
golems……!”
Reynas’s golems started to move forward at once.
It’s true that if he can hold him off with numbers, he may be able to stop
him from moving.
Kyle stopped for the first time.
At that moment, something strange happened.
The boy’s shadow suddenly begins to wriggle.
Then, after forming a circle for a moment, a large number of thin, thorn-
like shadows sprang out of it. They stretched out at a furious pace, each
rushing toward a golem.
The shadows crawled on the ground, but when they approached the rock
puppets, they suddenly reared up like snakes and pierced with their bodies
with their sharp tips. The golems, sewn up in mid-air, are unable to move,
and are incapacitated one by one.
“The dark-attribute shadow magic,……, that Kyle, with his evil eye, could
also use ordinary magic.”
Amiyu muttered, as she had heard it in class and knew about it.
Kyle’s shadow magic was then approaching Reynas himself.
A sharp shadow that pops out of the ground and attacks.
The young knight, however, managed to avoid it with his brilliant body
movement.
Was the golem a decoy from the beginning? With such a smooth
movement, Reynas closes the distance with Kyle in the blink of an eye.
Then, he raised his sword at the boy who was in between them.
I knew he was good.
Kyle’s body, which is probably super-heavy with magic, would probably
bounce off even the sword. But if he stopped just short, he could win by the
judges’ decision.
The only remaining slim chance to win.
But —- there, Reynas’s movement stopped.
 The young knight was frozen with a look of astonishment on his face as
he held up his sword.
The audience was also shocked.
He could have won by thrusting his sword at him, but he showed no sign
of moving.
No —- can he move?
Carefully looking at the stage, I saw that one of Kyle’s shadows had
entered Reynas’s shadow.
That’s …… a curse.
Perhaps he is redefining the opponent’s shadow as an associated object of
the main body and stabbing his own shadow to block his movement. It’s
similar to driving a nail into a straw man.
The boy looks up and gazes at the knight, who is taller than he is.
There was no emotion in his eyes. Not even a desire to kill.
Kyle lifts his drawn sword.
The crowd showed signs of excitement at the prospect of death.
At that moment, —-
The whistle blew, signaling the end of the match.
“Ootto! The referee has now declared the match settled! The winner —-
is Kyle, the Evil-Eyed Swordsman! He has advanced to the finals with
flying colors!”
The boy who had almost lifted his sword.
Surprisingly, he put down the blade honestly.
He turns on his heel in silence and leaves the stage.
When the boy’s shadow returned to its owner, Reynas collapsed as if he
had been knocked out of his seat.
The crowd was quiet, although it was probably a match not often seen.
It must have been overwhelming.
Whether the content of the fight or the unfathomable spirit that Kyle
possessed.
 The MC’s voice echoed through the arena.
“That was a tremendous match! All that remains is the second semifinal
match tomorrow, and then the final! You definitely cannot miss out on
seeing how this memorable first Teito Comprehensive Martial Arts
Tournament will end!”
That night. At the inn where I was staying.
I turned off the lamps and got into bed.
I had already stopped the monitoring and eavesdropping I had been
having the shikigami do all over the capital. So I could sleep without any
worries.
It was not very efficient for all the hard work I had done…….
If I lose tomorrow as planned, my tournament will be over.
All I have to do now is go back to school.
But before that, I might as well spend a day sightseeing. Unlike those two,
I haven’t been able to get around the capital much,…….
“…… Seika-sama.”

Yuki’s voice sounded somewhat suspicious.

“Hmm?”

“Areyou sure you’ll lose tomorrow? Don’t tell me you’re thinking of

winning…….”
“No, no. What’s the point of doing that?”
“You’re right, master….. but somehow Yuki had a hunch.”
“Sure spirit foxes like you can make predictions, but have you ever
succeeded?”
“Even Yuki once guessed at least the next day’s weather!”
“Isn’t
it between cloudy, clear weather and rain…… and you’ve missed
most of them”
I yawn and close my eyes.
“Are you going to bed?”
“Yes.”
“Then …… Yuki will go to sleep too. Good night.”
I thought I heard a close voice.
I felt something soft touch my left arm.
I opened my eyes and saw a white girl hugging my left arm.
I opened my eyes and saw a white girl hugging my left arm.
“…… Hey.”

“Yes?”

With a curious reply, Yuki, in her girlish form, looks at me.

It’s too dark to make out much, but it looks like she’s trying to hold back
a laugh.
“No……Why so suddenly”
“Let’s sleep together for the first time in a long time! Seika-sama!”
“You’ve been sleeping on my head.”
“I mean beside you like this. I feel like Yuki hasn’t been in human form for
a long time now!”
“Well, that’s true.”
“It’s
good, isn’t it, once in a while! The bunks in this inn seem to be
spacious!”
“…… I guess I don’t have a choice.”
“Heh heh heh!”
Yuki hugs me.

I remember when I had just given her human form to her, she was so
excited that she said she would not go back to her yo-ayakashi form forever,
and even at night we would sleep under the covers like this.
If you look at her as a fox, she must have lived for quite a few years, but
she still looks like a child. I wonder if she’s staying like this to match me.
Yuki suddenly reached out her hand to touch my cheek, and touched me
stickily.
Yuki looked at me and seemed to be beaming.
“Uuhuhuhu, Seika-sama’s face is so cute…….! You look like a little
Haruyoshi.”
“Won’t you stop it,…….”
nd then, at that moment.
I felt a presence and turned my attention to the view of the owl perched on
the roof.
This is …….
“Iwonder if Haruyoshi-sama was like this when he was a child ……, eh,
Se, Seika-sama!”
I turned my body around and grabbed Yuki’s shoulder with my right hand,
and the white girl screamed in agitation.
“I’msorry, I’m just a spirit, and I’m not supposed to be around other
people!”
“Can you please be quiet for a minute?”
I embrace Yuki’s thin body and cover it.
I turned over on my —- other side and we rolled off the bed.
The sound of a thud echoed through the room.
“Ow!”

Yuki, who fell in with me, moaned.

The next moment, the figure that had fallen through the ceiling was
thrusting a dagger into the bed.
A roar echoes through the inn.
The bed had been broken like a harpooned carp, unable to withstand the
tremendous impact.
Startled, Yuki reverted to her fox form and dove into my hair.
I rolled further, grabbing Hitogami and raising myself up.
Then I turned my attention to the figure standing in the center of the
destroyed bed.
“Ha, that’s radical for a night crawl, isn’t it? Mabel.”
Mabel’s reply was a flashing sword throw.
 I duck and dodge the silver blade.
The sword, which had missed its target, smashed through the wood of the
wall behind it and made a number of large holes. As I expected, the power
was extraordinary. A night breeze blew in from outside, and the cool air
touched my skin.
Mabel, who had finished throwing the throwing sword, immediately
rushed forward with a dagger in her hand.
I stopped the thrusting blade by grabbing the arm and deflecting it.
However, I could not kill the momentum of the rush. Unable to catch the
girl who had hit me with her whole body, I broke through the hole in the
wall with my back. I was thrown into the air with Mabel.
The night cityscape spread out below us.
I was on the third floor. It was no big deal.
I kicked Mabel as I fell to open up the distance between us, became aware
of the flow of chi, and landed with my stance in the air.
Ahead of me, the assassin girl landed on the street with the lightness of a
feather.
It is nighttime in the Imperial capital.
In a deserted alley, we silently confront each other.
The gravity-user girl’s face, illuminated by the moonlight, is
expressionless. I couldn’t read her inner thoughts.
Once again, Mabel released her throwing sword.
I roll away from the snarling blade, and make a sign with one hand.
《The “tree phase” —- vine-binding-tsuribari-no-jutsu.》
Vines erupt from under Mabel’s feet.
Her eyes widened for a moment, but she dealt with it quickly. She cut off
the vine in front of her from the root and took a large step forward to escape
the surrounding vines.
She then used her momentum to close the gap between me and the vines.
A dagger was thrust toward my shoulder.
However, the tip of the blade pierced a single hitogami.
 I shifted to Mabel’s back and attached another hitogami on her back.
“I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
《The yang phase —- hakkei no jutsu.》
The kinetic energy was added from the symbols and was supposed to
blow Mabel across the alley —-.
But.

Her dagger was thrust into the cobblestone pavement at the same time as
it began to blow her away.
The cobblestone pavement was scraped away with a tremendous “clang
clang” sound.
But at the same time, the momentum was rapidly lost. …… Eventually,
her body came to a stop.
The smell of burning smells wafted around the area.
Hmm-.
I was able to get a lot of momentum going, but I guess I wasn’t quite
there yet. She had probably increased her weight considerably as she was
much slower than expected from the initial speed.
Mabel gets up slowly.
She was indeed pushed to the edge with that attack, and her breathing
seemed to be a bit erratic.
I sighed.
She is strong.
How scary, I could die if I keep going easy on her.
I don’t like to do this, but I think I’ll turn it off. —-
“What the hell, shut up ……Ooto!”
I turn around at the sound of the voice.
I looked and saw a middle-aged man peering at me from the corner of the
alley, apparently on his way home from a bar. He rolls his eyes at the
cracked cobblestones and the holed exterior wall of the inn.
“Sorry for intrud~ huh, isn’t that the hero?”
Before I could unleash my technique …….
Mabel’s throwing sword was flying from behind me.
The slender throwing sword hit the city wall at the corner where the man
was, , destroying it with a loud crash, sending shards of debris and dust
down to the intruder.
“Hee!”

With a short scream, the middle-aged man runs away.

When I turn around, Mabel is already gone.
The nighttime alley is quiet again.
I let out a breath of calmness.
“Hmmm……….”

As my head cools, I feel my thoughts return.

I calmly think back on the fight and realize a few things.
Yuki fearfully peeks out of my hair.
‘Seika-sama,……, um, what was that?”
‘…… tomorrow’s preliminaries, I’d say. I’ve made up my mind, Yuki.”
I smiled and told Yuki.
“She’s come all this way to see me. Shall we spend the night with her?”
A small plaza on the edge of the Imperial City.
Mabel stopped at this place, which was not very crowded even during the
daytime.
Sitting on the edge of the cozy fountain, she looked up at the starry sky
with a sigh.
She looked a little sad, so I called out to her.
“Hey.”

Mabel stood up as if she had been knocked to her feet, looked at me, and
reached for the handle of her throwing sword.
I waved my hands at her.
“Wait, wait, wait. I’m not here to fight. We’ll settle this tomorrow. That’s
fine, right?”
Mabel looked at me.
“I don’t care whether it’s tomorrow or now.”
But you’re not very good with daggers, are you?
Mabel’s eyes widen.
“Why?”

‘Because you seemed kind of lacking in the fight. I think you’re really
good with something heavier than that two-handed sword, don’t you?”
Saying this, I sit down on the edge of the fountain.
I looked up at the sky.
“It’s nice and quiet here. It’s just a shame it’s not cloudy.”
“What’s wrong with clear skies…… ?”
“I like it better when there’s a cloud on the moon. A moon that is too bright
is not elegant, especially if there are two moons. Two moons are even
worse.”
“What’s wrong with that……? Two moons are normal. You’re weird.”
Saying this, Mabel sat down away from me.
A cool night breeze was blowing through the small square.
“If you’re not going to fight, …… why did you come after me?”
“I came to talk to you.”
“Talk ……?”
“You want to win, don’t you? I’m not going to give in just because you ask
me to, and I’m not going to give in with force. But if you tell me what
you’re going through, maybe I’ll change my mind.”
“It’s crazy to have a discussion after what happened…. just now.’
“But you didn’t try to kill me, did you?”
“……”
“And didn’t you try to get away before I did something about that intruder
guy earlier?”
 Mabel is silent for a moment, then says with a small sigh.
“At the time, it looked like you were trying to …… make that witness
disappear.”
“I didn’t mean it that way, though.”
I was just trying to get rid of him because it was dangerous. I might have
seemed a little murderous though.
Mabel continues.
“I
would have been happy if you had gotten hurt and had to sit out the
match tomorrow.”
“That would have been pretty extreme.”
“Iwas going to get an arm or a leg or two or three, because I knew if I
didn’t go that far, I wouldn’t be able to hurt you.”
“……”
‘Actually,
that wasn’t going to happen either, but ……. By any chance, if
you were hurt, could you have healed yourself?”
“…… Well…”

It’s hard to say I could have come back from the dead.
Mabel looks at me and says.
“I’m not going to be defeated if I fight seriously,……. I have a reason why I
can’t lose. Please, just give up. I can’t go easy on you. I don’t want anyone
else to die…….”
“I told you. I’m not going to give up the win, even if you ask me to.”
“……”
Silence fell over the night square.
Mabel was still not willing to talk.
I guess there’s nothing I can do about it.
“Then I’ll tell you what I think.”
“What? ……?”
“You’re Amiyu’s replacement.”
“……!”
“Your mission is to win this tournament, impersonate the hero, and get the
attention of the demon tribe. That’s why you were adopted by Baron Crane
and came to the academy.”
“You knew about this?”
“No, it’s just a guess., correct?”
“No, but …… how did you know she was a hero?”
“There are a lot of things pointing to that.”
I smile wryly.
“But I don’t think that’s all.”
“……”
“There must be some other reason why you are so desperate, Depending on
that, I might consider abstaining.”
“……”
After a long, long silence.
Mabel opened her mouth gravely.
“There is one place where your prediction is wrong.”
‘Wrong?”

‘What is required of me is to lose the …… final.

“Huh ……?”
“Tobe killed by that evil-eyed swordsman in the finals. That is my role. To
make the demons think that the hero is dead.”
I take a breath and open my mouth.
“So you’re saying that Kyle was someone who was sent here, too, after all.
…… I don’t understand. I don’t understand the mind of the person who
made such a sloppy plan, nor do I understand you. First of all, the demons
probably don’t think of you as a hero. Think normally, which is more likely,
that you were living in a village somewhere without realizing it, or that the
empire is keeping you a secret.”
“…… that’s right.”
“The situation itself is too convenient, for you to be in a competition like
this. And yet, if you …… win, you still lose in the finals? If that’s how
they think they can fake the death of the hero, then it looks like the courtiers
have quite the head on their shoulders.”
“…… had no choice.”
“No choice? Why?
“Because the terms of the loan was to get Kyle to kill me in the finals in the
first place.”
“Haa……?”

‘The academy and those above decided. I was probably the only one who
was the same age as the hero, a woman, and the only one who could surely
win the tournament. They gave up the win and put in her place a shadow
warrior and decided to make it look like she was dead. Even if it would
diminish her significance somewhat.”
“Sorry,but I’m not following. The terms of the loan ……? Where the hell
did they send you from?”
“—- LeGroc Trading Company.”
Mabel turns to me.
“Have you heard of them?”
“The MC said that …… Kyle was from a security force. I thought that was
his official status.”
“Not ostensibly. It’s true. The Guard is the name of the organization that
keeps reserve personnel who are not yet “products.”
“Products?”

Mabel pauses for a beat.

“The Luglok Trading Company makes people a commodity. They buy and
sell slaves and send mercenaries. That is the business of Legrok.”
Mabel continues.
“What makes that trading company different from other slave traders is that
they find …… talented slaves and train them to become mercenaries
themselves. Especially children with magical qualities. Kyle, and I, were
part of them.”
“……”
“The Empire knows this, of course, and that’s why they were the first to talk
to LeGrok when this plan was hatched. They were asked if there were any
strong children who could be made into heroes. And they chose me. I was
the right age and gender, although my hair color was different. But ……”
“But……?”

“Iwas originally supposed to be used for something else, Kyle’s last test.
So, instead of lending me out, the Chamber of Commerce put a condition
on it. That is, they would enter Kyle in the tournament and have him fight
me in the finals. And that they would not be responsible …… for the
outcome of our match. So if I lose to Kyle in the finals, it is not the
knowledge of the company. I guess the Empire knew what that meant, they
gave up on having me win from the beginning.”
“……”
“But I’m sure it was a good thing for LeGrok that this happened. They
would have profited from me, and he would be able to complete his exam at
the tournament and promote Kyle, their newest creation.”
I thought for a moment before opening my mouth.
“What exactly is this test? You are one of the mercenaries, a product,
aren’t you? Why would they do something that would destroy it?”
Mabel shook her head.
“I’mnot an official ‘product. In order to become an official mercenary of
LeGroc, I need …… surgery.”
“Surgery?”

”I asked back.
“Why bother with that? Are they going to implant something in your
body?”
“No…… they open your head.”
“Your head?”
“Yes.”

Mabel traces a finger further up her forehead.

“Cut the skin, pierce the skull,…… and insert a blade into the brain.
“What …… for?”
“That will make you a perfect soldier. A perfect soldier who follows every
command without fear, anger, or hesitation. Instead, you lose emotions
like joy and sadness and become a different person.”
“……”
Then Mabel looked at me.
“You don’t believe me?”
“No,…… I believe you.”
I was not unaware of similar cases.
I continued,
“You didn’t get it, but Kyle did. No wonder I thought he was a little bit out
of touch with humanity. …… So, what’s the test?”
“They’re going to see if the operation was a success by having him kill ……
one of his own.”
Mabel continued.
“The children who are found to have a talent for magic or swordsmanship
among the slaves are sent to a training camp where they are raised in pairs
of four. There, they are always together. They slept together, ate together,
and went through rigorous training together. They sometimes fought, but
they were like a family to the children who had no relatives. We encouraged
each other to do our best together, and told each other that one day we
would be free, and the adults at the training center told us to help each other
…………, too.”
Mabel says.
“Only one of the four of us can have the surgery. The strongest one.”
“No way…….”
“The test is to kill the other three.”
I was speechless, but Mabel continued.
“Onlyif you can kill them without hesitation will you become a Lugrok
mercenary.”
“Then you will be ……”
“Iam one of Kyle’s three companions. The other two have already been
killed. The only one left is me, who was a candidate to take the place of the
hero and whose examinations were postponed. Killing me is Kyle’s last
test.”
I opened my mouth after a long silence.
“You were going to win for that …… ? You were going to …… make it to
the finals and get killed by that guy.”
“No.”

Mabel immediately denies it.

It was the first time I saw anything resembling emotion in the back of her
voice.
“Idon’t know anything about bravery or exams. The reason I can’t lose is
because I have to kill Kyle in the finals…… . Regardless of the intentions
of the Empire or the company.”
“That’s why……”
“I had a brother. My own brother.”
Mabel says.
‘The only family member who was sold into slavery with me. It just so
happened that my brother and I both had a talent for magic, and we were
picked up by the Company together. We were together in the training center.
He was always kind, he cared for everyone, he comforted me when I was in
pain. ………… and first of all, he was killed.”
“……”
I’m going to avenge him. That’s why I’m here.”
I heard Mabel’s words.
The sense of incongruity that had been piled up finally clears.
“It’s a lie that Kyle is the enemy of your brother.”
“……huh?”

“Kyle is your brother….., , isn’t he?”

“Wha……? Why ……?”
Mabel mutters in astonishment.
 I sigh and say.
“I’m not sure I can answer that question. It’s mostly a hunch. It wasn’t
convincing the way you were talking about revenge, and the way you were
looking at Kyle in the arena. I also noticed that your eyes are the same color
as Kyle’s, the one without the evil eye. You even have a bit of a facial
resemblance.”
“…… I see.”
“I wonder if your hair was gray like his before you dyed it?”
Mabel nodded.
When I saw the girl who kept silent… I had something more to think about.
I asked while looking at her eyes involuntarily.
“No way……did Kyle himself want it……? To die by your hands.”
Mabel’s eyes widened.
Then she turns her face down and mutters a few words.
“You know everything, ……. Have you lived in a terrible world, too?”
“No, not as much as …… you.”
At least not in this life.
Mabel begins to talk in hushed tones.
“Shortly before he was going to have the surgery……my brother told me,
“If I’m no longer me, then I want Mabel to put me at ease.” When I was
told, I didn’t know what he meant, but……I think my brother knew what
would happen……Because the people who where “products” were
somehow strange. And it was my brother who was most likely to be the
“product”. My brother, who was born with the evil eye, was stronger than
anyone in the nursery.”
“……”
“He’s not my brother …… anymore. He would never have killed his
opponent in a fight, much less two on his own……. I don’t know what he’s
thinking right now. But if he still has my brother inside him,…… he must
be in pain. I just want to put him to rest.”
I asked after a pause.
“Can you beat Kyle?”
“I don’t know. No…… Maybe impossible.”
“……”

“But I have to do it. I’m the only one who can do it. Besides.”
Then Mabel laughed a small laugh, as if she was troubled.
‘I’mjust going to die no matter what happens. Even if I lose in the finals,
even if I win, even if I escape. Even if that person doesn’t kill me, the
Company will just get rid of me. If that is the case,……, I would like to do
my brother a favor for the last time.”
It was the first time I saw Mabel smile, I realized that I had never seen her
smile before.
The girl said,
“I want to fight in the finals. Please let me. I don’t think i’ll lose to you. But
I don’t think I can win for free. I want to face him in the best possible
condition. That’s all I want…….”
“……I’ve changed my mind.”
I kept my eyes down.
“Iwas actually planning to lose the semi-finals on purpose. I wasn’t
interested in winning, and I knew what this tournament meant. But I’ve
decided not to.”
I told her quietly.
“I’ll beat you in the semifinals, and in the finals, I’ll beat Kyle.”
“What….”

A moment later, Mabel makes an angry face.

“Why? Why why?”
“You don’t need to kill your brother, and you don’t need him to kill you. It’s
not right to take your only family member by your hands.”
“You don’t know what you’re doing!”
Mabel shouted.
“What do you think I’ve been fighting for!? To be sent to a school, to be
shown all these blessed people, to be reunited with my brother at a
tournament like this! Don’t tell me you’re so naive! I’m different! I’m
not a carefree noble child, or a hero who’s carefully protected, or you!
Don’t take away my last role! What am I to do when you defeat me and I
disappear without being able to do anything!”
“Whatever you like. Go back to the academy. You are now a baroness and a
student of the school.”
I said.
“You’ll go back to the academy and be congratulated for making it to the
semi-finals. Then it’s back to school life. You’ll study with the other happy-
go-lucky students, take the usual exams, advance, and eventually graduate.
…… From there, it’s up to you.”
Mabel’s eyes widen and her lips quiver.
“Don’t…… say that, there’s no way. The school has no reason to keep me
around after I’ve failed and am no longer of any use.”
“Well, my guess is that’s the least of your worries.”
“Even if one out of a hundred times that can happen, the …… Company
won’t shut up about it. There’s no way they would leave me alone, who
knows inside information. They will definitely send assassins……They
have a lot of ‘products’ that are stronger than my brother. There’s no way I
can stay safe…….”
“As expected, they’ll definitely take such steps. Well, there’s no problem if
it’s just assassins.”
I say while smiling
“As long as I’m in school, no one is going to mess with you.”
“You …… can’t do that.”
“I can do it,—- because I’m the strongest.”
“Ha- haaa……!?”
The time for the semi-finals had arrived.
In the midst of the large crowd, the MC announced in a loud voice.
“Now, Seika’s opponent will be Mabel Crane, who was also recommended
by the Magic Academy』\
I smiled lightly as I watched Mabel come onto the stage.
“Is that what you’re really good at, Mabel?”
“Ooto… Mabel changed her weapon! What a …… huge battle axe! 』\
Mabel, carrying a double-bladed battle axe that is nearly twice her height
including the handle, confronts me.
“Pretending to be a hero is over.”
Mabel tells me, holding up her battle-axe.
I wonder how heavy that thing is.
At least, I don’t think I could lift it without magic.
I looked at Mabel and said.
“The reason I didn’t want to abandon the semi-finals was because I wanted
to see how you would fight. I thought there was more to the story, but I’m
glad we talked yesterday.”
Mabel raises an eyebrow.
“Are you underestimating me? For the record, I’m still going to beat you.”
“I’m not underestimating you.”
I said, smiling.
“I’m just given a fair assessment of your abilities.”
“I still can’t believe you’re that strong. How can a child of nobility who has
lived a quiet life —- beat me?”
“The two are complete opposites, even though they’re both students at the
academy! Who will really win the second semi-final match? Let the match,
begin! 』\
The whistle sounded.
“Haa!”

At the same time, Mabel kicked the ground.

Raising her battle-axe, she instantly brings me into the fray.
A heavy blade swings down.
But it’s not fast and its trajectory is easy to read.
I avoid it with a little time to spare.
The battle-axe strikes the left side of my body with a delay.
It was a blow that did not even graze me.
But in the next instant—- the ground beneath my feet is elevated up.
“Hah!?”

Looking down, something like stone material is exposed along with the soil
that has been raised.
It seems that with a single blow, the stone that had been laid under the soil
as the foundation of the stage was smashed.
What kind of power is that?
As I was out of balance, she swung her battle axe towards my side.
I had no choice but to shift to avoid it. However, she had already read where
I was planning to move. The blade strikes again, but this time I bend down
to avoid it.
Even though it is a battle axe of that size, it was as fast as a one-handed
sword in its turnaround.
Perhaps she makes it extremely light when she swings it. Mabel herself
hardly moves with the recoil.
Thanks to this, it’s easy to aim.
While running around, I send a shikigami to the stone that appeared on the
ground earlier.
Then, I make a mark with one hand.
<<Phase of the sun —- Fajin no jutsu>>
Kinetic energy was added to the stone and shot out to Mabel.
The battle axe has just been cut back. It was too late to use it for defense.
Her response was a strange one.
The momentum of the battleaxe, which was supposed to swing, suddenly
weakens. Then, as if the recoil had just been felt, Mabel was swung wildly.
The stone material that missed its target cut through the air and shattered on
the pillars supporting the spectator seats.
“…… interesting.”

I muttered to myself.
Mabel had now turned back the weight of her battle axe.
If the weight of the weapon changes, the center of gravity changes when
the weapon and the user are viewed as a single object. If the center of
gravity changes, the center of rotational motion shifts. The swinging of
the weapon shifts from the battleaxe’s side to Mabel’s side.
Mabel, who had been forced to move out of my way, threw her throwing
knives at me in a low trajectory.
I jumped back and avoided it, and a series of thin blades thrust into the
ground. The impact must have been substantial, for a conical hole was
punched in the ground, sending up a cloud of dust.
In my deteriorating vision, I squinted at Mabel.
I guess it was a check against a chase, but she took one hand off the battle
axe as she released her throwing knives.
<<Tree Phase —- vine-binding jutsu>>
Vines grow up from under Mabel’s feet.
She doesn’t have her dagger with her today. It’s too late to swing the battle-
axe now. As expected, this is—
“Is that it!”
Mabel waves her hand to the side.
With that, several vines were torn off in one piece, as if they had been
knocked off by a metal rod.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Yes.”

That’s good.
I knew that her previous matches had been nothing more than a front-
runner.
 I was happy to see this much.
The original plan was to lose here.
But now I have to win.
And since I said I was going to win by a comfortable margin. I had to finish
quickly.
Mabel had closed the distance again, and her battleaxe with a side cleave
was closing in.
I activated my technique, starting from the invisible shikigami that I had
secretly attached to the belly of the blade.
<<Phase of the Sun —-the art of fruit fall>>
The weight of the battle axe increases a thousand fold at once.
“Eh!!”

The center of gravity is forcibly shifted and Mabel is swung around greatly.
When she was out of position, I made a further move.
<<Phase of Wood and Gold —- mercury vine binding jutsu>>
A faint blackish vine erupts from the ground.
“The same move!”
Mabel swings her arm again.
This time, however, the vines were not torn away.
It wrapped around the arm it touched, blocking its movement and then other
vines wrapped around her entire body, tying it up.
Mabel let out a pained squeal.
The battle axe fell from her hand.
“Why…”

“This is a vine filled with mercury. It’s a lot heavier than the normal one.”
Even so, if she had used her full strength, it might have been torn apart, but
I had already shown Mabel the “vine bind” twice.
The fact that she knew half of it probably made her let her guard down.
“This much ……!”
Mabel grabbed the vines that constricted her with her only free left hand.
The entire wooden vine began to creak.
The tremendous weight of the vine is breaking the tissue in places and the
red sap of the mercury compound begins to leak out.
This thing won’t last long.
I pick up the hilt of the battle-axe that Mabel had dropped.
She saw it and glares at me.
“Oh…… you can’t possibly lift it.”
“Sure I can…”
<<Shadow Phase— art of floating leaves>>
The weight disappears from the battle axe.
I then wielded it with one arm in a flashy manner —-
The blade was placed squarely against the neck of the captive girl.
Mabel’s face contorts.
“With such a light axe, you can’t even scratch me.”
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
I tell her while smiling.
“I’m just trying to win the game.”
At that moment…
The whistle for the end of the match sounded —-
“The referee has ruled that the match is over. What a surprise! Mabel, who
seemed to be dominating in the beginning, was overturned at once! No, it
was in his hands from the beginning! The prodigy, Seika Lamplog, has
advanced to the finals!”
I exhaled and threw the battle-axe behind me.
The battle-axe, freed from its magic spell, spun around in the air and then
plunged to the ground with a thud.
I tried to imitate Reynas’s last attempt yesterday and it seems to have
worked.
“I’ll leave you to deal with Kyle.”
Mabel said as she has slumped to the ground at the center of the rotting
vine.
“Leave it to me. You get some rest.”
………………………………………….

Mercury Vine Binding Technique

The art of binding an opponent with heavy vines containing high
concentrations of mercury. A group of plants called hyperaccumulators has
the property of actively accumulating heavy metals taken in from the
ground. Familiar examples include rice and willow, but others, such as
Picnandra acuminata in New Caledonia, are known to shed a blue-green sap
that contains as much as 25 percent nickel. If one were to replace a quarter
of the total water content of a typical tree with mercury, which has a higher
specific gravity, one could create a super-heavyweight plant with nearly
three times the mass in the same volume.
*The Art of Floating Leaves.
The art of reducing the weight of an object. It’s the opposite of “Fruit Fall.
While otherworldly magic selects one of the two elements, gravitational
acceleration and gravitational mass that determine the so-called “weight” of
an object, Fruit Fall and Floating Leaves can only increase or decrease the
latter. Gravitational mass is linked to inertial mass by the principle of
equivalence, so when used on a weapon, its handling and power change.

nterlude: Baroness Mabel Crane in the arena

waiting room
Mabel was sitting on a chair in the waiting room of the arena, looking out
the window.
In the arena, workers using earth magic were hurriedly repairing the stage.
I thought the finals would be carried over to tomorrow because of our own
spectacular destruction of the stage, but at this rate, it looked like it would
take place in the afternoon.
However, it doesn’t matter to me anymore.
I had lost.
An unspeakable feeling of depression welled up in me
Until now, all I had to do was think about what I had to accomplish. Even if
death awaited me in the future, I was able to keep my mind strong.
But now that it’s over, there is nothing to accomplish.
I don’t even know what will happen to me in the future.
Not knowing made me anxious.
I heard a clicking sound coming from the table beside me.
I looked and saw a crow, which had somehow followed me from outside,
walking around on the table. Its claws were clicking against the hardwood
table.
The thought of having this crow by my side was strangely calming.
Suddenly, I thought back to the words Seika had spoken to me.
—-It’s all right now.
When I heard those words.
Strangely, the image of my brother overlapped with him, and I felt a sense
of relief.
It’s okay, Mabel. That’s what my brother used to say to me, patting me on
the head.
Seika is strong.
Even when he was fighting with me, he still seemed to have room to spare.
But still, I don’t know if he can beat Kyle now…….
I was always afraid of losing to my brother, who has become a different
person.
But now, just as much.
I was worried about Seika challenging my brother.
“Ladiesand gentlemen, thank you for your patience! The time has finally
come for the finals of the memorable First Teito Comprehensive Martial
Arts Tournament!”
The MC’s voice rang out.
“Thefirst of the elite warriors to face the prestigious finals is the —-
Lamplog, whose family name Is no joke! This boy who has yet to show his
trump card, how many drawers does he have! The young talent of the
Imperial Academy of Magic, Seika lamplog!”
I go up on stage to the cheers of the audience.
The stage was clean after all the damage I had done to it in the morning.
I guess the box office probably didn’t allow for any more delays. It’s
probably only a first aid measure since the foundation was smashed, but at
least it looks undisturbed now.
“The second person is this swordsman who is —- unique, different,
heretical and most unusual! What in the world is he! Where did you bring
this guy from! The hidden ball of the Lugrok Trading Company, Kyle the
Evil-Eyed Slayer!』\
A gray-haired boy appeared on the stage, climbing the stairs.
In his right hand, he carried a drawn sword. His left and right eyes, half-
open, are of different colors. His ghostly atmosphere remained unchanged.
I wasn’t even sure if he recognized me.
“Hey.”

I spoke to Kyle with a smile on my face.

“Sorry, I’m not your sister. Mabel lost to me in the semifinals.”
“Mabel….?”

The boy muttered in an unexpectedly high voice.

“Mabel…… ah?”
The boy’s eyes widened just a little bit …… and he said.
“I’m in trouble….. this wasn’t the plan. Is she alive?”
“Ah…. Yes.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Good.”
Kyle said in a dreamy voice.
“Then I’ll be able to kill her properly.”
I exhale and say.
“That’s your sister.”
“Yeah, she’s the last of us, the last of our family.”
Kyle’s voice is emotionless.
“I’m being told to kill someone I care about.”
“I know your situation….. but I still don’t understand it.”
I ask.
“What are you living for? Isn’t it to be happy? Does killing your precious
sister help you achieve that goal? I don’t think you were deprived of
logical thinking through surgery in order to be used as a soldier.”
“What does it mean to live for happiness?”
“……”

“Happiness is living. To live for tomorrow. For me, or rather for everyone at
the training center, it was. It’s all about becoming stronger and following
those who are stronger. I was able to undergo the surgery because I was the
strongest. But the Lugrok Trading Company is stronger than me, so I still
follow them In order to live. Is there something wrong with that?”
“You sacrifice your precious family in order to live…..?”
“That’s right. Happiness is to live. Family is nothing more than strangers.”
“You used to be different. Have you forgotten that?”
“Of course I remember, but now it feels right.”
“And that’s bad enough. Mabel will be sad.”
“I don’t understand …….”
Kyle asked me, his voice weightless.
“You have nothing to do with me or Mabel. Why do you keep talking about
our situation?”
“Why….? Why not?”
I tell him, smiling.
“I’m interfering because I don’t like it. You should at least take care of your
only sister. You follow the strong, don’t you? Then, after you lose this
match, I’d like you to say a few words to Mabel and apologize.”
“……I still don’t get it.”
Kyle slightly clinked his right-hand sword.
“—- how could I lose to you?”
“It’s
time to settle the score! The first Imperial Capital Comprehensive
Martial Arts Tournament finals —- are about to begin!』\
The whistle sounded.
Kyle opened both of his eyes.
But before the evil eye could take effect.
I had already finished opening the door.
<<Vocation— Gobo no Night Blind>>
The thick fog drawn from the phase covers the arena in the blink of an eye.
“Oooh, is this Seika’s magic! I can’t see the stage at all!』\
“This is ……”
“It’s no use trying to rely on those eyes.”
I show him a smile as I catch Kyle from the front, blurred by the fog.
The Gobo no Night Blind is a misty ghost caught deep in the mountains of
Emishi Ezo.
This demon, which causes those who enter the mountains to lose their way
and become lost, applies a debuff to the cognitive abilities of those it
possesses inside itself. The effect is limited to making it impossible to find
one’s way home or distinguish the faces of those nearby, but it would be a
hindrance to an evil eye user who exercises magic with his or her sight.
Well, the reason I put this guy out there is to hide him from the audience.
It seems that a person with that level of evil eye would be able to resist it.
The sound of a “thump”.
Kyle seemed to take a step forward.
The footprints that are carved with each step are unnaturally deep.
“Hmmm.”

<<Phase of Fire and Earth—art of demon fire>>

The blue-white fireballs hit Kyle, but the boy didn’t seem to mind. The
phosphorus flames bouncing around the area don’t even burn the clothes.
It seems that the magic of gravity has made him quite heavy after all.
“Then what about this?”
<<Phase of wood and gold —- Art of Mercury Vine Binding>>
Blackish vines erupt from under Kyle’s feet.
The heavy vines containing mercury wrap around and bind the boy, who is
completely unresisting.
For a moment, I thought it was over.
But then.
Kyle’s shadow, which had been faded by the fog, suddenly darkened and
began to twitch.
The shadow crawled up the boy’s body.
The next moment, it sliced through the restraining vine from the inside.
The shadow then branches out, crawls on the ground and rushes toward me.
The tip of the shadow snarled at me. It attacked me, trying to pierce me.
But that was the end of it. The attacking shadow couldn’t penetrate the
barrier and it quickly ceased to exist—-
Then.
It was as if the attack and defense had never happened.
Kyle went one step further, silently.
There is no color of emotion there.
I sighed.
It’s sad to see him not reacting in any way.
I guess Kyle has no more excitement, tension, or fear left in him from the
battle.
It can’t be helped. Let’s go with the original plan.
I pull out a piece of shikigami and open the door to the phase.
<<Vocation—-Ushi-Oni>>
What appeared from the distortion of space was a —- bull-headed demon.
A muscular physique with black skin. The bull’s head, which is high
enough to look up at, has sharp horns and a vicious look attached to it, as if
it resents everything in the world.
I turned to Kyle and asked.
“Are you the perfect soldier now that you’ve lost your emotions?”
Dragging a thick gold metal club, the bull demon takes a step toward Kyle.
Then the boy’s footsteps stopped.
“Minotaur……?”

Kyle muttered vacantly.

The shadows under his feet began to squirm and growl and he attacked the
bull demon.
The bull demon did nothing.
But nevertheless, the shadow could not penetrate the bull demon. It was
blocked by something invisible and just crawled on the surface of the black
body.
“……!”

“I don’t think it’s wrong to feel fear.”

The bull demon takes another step toward the boy.
Kyle took his first big step.
He wields a one handed sword and slashes at the bull demon.
The sword was probably also quite heavy due to the magic of gravity.
However.
With a mere swing of his arm, the demon smashed the sword.
Through the fog, there was a sign that Kyle was gasping for air.
It was the first time he had shown this gesture of slight agitation in this
tournament.
The bull demon raised his gold club casually.
“Did you feel anything when you saw that?”
And the club swung sideways and blew Kyle away.
The boy rolls offstage and stops moving.
There was no offense or defense; it was an overwhelming difference in
power.
“He’snot like you. He’s not a guy you can play gravity magic, shadow
magic, or any of those tricks with.”
I looked at Kyle, who was lying on the ground and muttered to myself.
“If his fear remained, he wouldn’t have challenged such a reckless battle.”
****
I said to the bull demon, who came back at a leisurely pace.
“Hey, I hope you went easy on him.”
He nodded taciturnly.
He was as unsociable as ever.
Ushi-oni(bull demon) is one of the more powerful yokai that I have, though
not as powerful as Mizuchi. (TN: Mizuchi is a kind of dragon yokai)
He’s easy to handle and I used him frequently in my previous life. He did a
good job this time too. Incidentally, although his face is scary, he’s not
angry.
After putting the bull demon back in phase, I rushed to Kyle, who was lying
on his back.
He seemed to have fainted, but he was still breathing. It seems that he is not
badly injured.
“……you really want to keep him alive, don’t you?”
I nodded at the sound of Yuki’s voice.
“Is it too naive?”
“It is. But…. Yuki is starting to think it’s okay.”
Well, what do I do from here?
For now, I’ll sneak him out …… and then it’s actually up to him to decide
what he wants to do. If he insists on returning to the Trading company, I
can’t stop him.
But if he has a desire to be free…… he’ll be able to do so. He can be a good
adventurer, or he can even go into a caravan of some merchants as an escort
and hide his true identity.
Even his emotions can return.
The human body will try to compensate for lost functions, just as a blind
person becomes sensitive to sound. If he leads a normal life in which
emotions are required, different parts of the brain may compensate.
Well, that’s more than what lies ahead.
I guess I’ll start by taking him to see Mabel. —-
“—- Seika-sama!”
I was startled by Yuki’s sharp voice.
Kyle’s head.
Black patterns radiate from there, eroding into the face and body.
“Is this a …… curse?”
“……!”

Immediately, I draw a shikigami to him and set up a barrier.

The erosion of the pattern stops eventually, faded and disappeared.
After a brief moment of relief,—- Kyle’s body began to shake violently.
His eyes widened in shock. The barrier must be working. So, when the
erosion started, was the damage already done to his body?”
But …… I don’t know the details of the damage. The only thing I can think
of is that his body is not in a good shape. I won’t be able to prepare a
shikigami fast enough.
I won’t make it in time.
“…… Ma……Bel.”

Kyle opened his eyes thinly.

He tells me in a gravelly voice.
“Apologize………… please……. tell her…. I want you to…”
Then I heard the boy’s last words.
“——–“
Kyle’s strength drained from his body.
He was not breathing. The light has already been lost from the left and right
different colored eyes.
The evil-eyed swordsman had run out of steam.
“Seika-sama… this is….”
Yuki muttered in shock.
The curse was something I had an idea of what it was.
Perhaps this was something the Lugrok Trading Company had done to him
during his surgery.
To prevent them from becoming prisoners of war and giving up
information. Or not to let the details of the surgery be known.
A curse to keep their mouths shut, invoked in the event of defeat.
“…… curse spell.”
Alone, the curse power seeped into my voice.
It attracts all the shikigami which were flying around me.
“Do you want to outwit me here with a spell……? Are you looking down
on me…..”
The shikigami are arranged three-dimensionally around Kyle’s corpse.
Each is connected by a line of spell power and soon a magic circle of
mysticism is completed.
ओम् अपाकरोित पदाथ समुि शित आधुिनक इ का—-“

I Chant the mantra, form a sign with both hands, and build up the art.
Curse a man and you will get two holes.
The person who has done this will not just die.
But first, this way.
Don’t worry. I’ll make it.
He’s only just died.
If I refer to the most recent timestamp on the soul’s structure, it should be
enough to read it.
That’s right.
I was the strongest in my previous life.
I can do this easily.
I could even raise a dead person.
“That’s no good, Seika-sama! That’s too much!”
Yuki’s voice was urgent.
I stopped doing the spell.
Yuki was still insisting.
“You said so yourself! That’s dangerous! Did you forget why you were
reincarnated?”
“…..”

“Please reconsider! Are you so indebted to that person Seika-sama that you
have to go to such lengths?”
“…………”

I put down my hand that had been crossed over the —- sign.
The shikigamis scatter around.
The line of spells breaks and the magic circle collapses.
I stood there, speechless, in front of the dead body of the boy.
“…I understand how you feel.”
Only Yuki’s caring voice echoes.
“I know that Seika-sama is the kindest person —- of all.”
The final match was decided with my victory.
After retrieving the mist demon, Kyle disappeared and the audience was in
an uproar, but in the end, my words were accepted: “I erased him without a
trace”. Perhaps it was a good thing that I had made a dye similar to blood
with mercury and sulfur and carefully sprinkled it on the stage.
The awarding ceremony and closing ceremony that followed went off
without a hitch.
Although the tournament was held in the imperial capital, the emperor was
not present and I only received a necklace as a medal from a bald-headed
middle-aged man who claimed to be the head of the steering committee.
I refused to be inducted into the Kings guard during the ceremony. I was
impressed by the fact that he accepted my response as if it were a scheduled
event, although he did embellish his words in consideration of the other
party’s honor.
The only good thing about it was that I received a large amount of prize
money.
And then…
Early in the morning of the next day.
Mabel and I were standing outside the walls of the Imperial City.
It was a long walk from the city gate, close to a forest.
We stood speechless and in front of us was a small moss-covered rock.
“……”
Under this rock, Kyle was laid.
I put Kyle’s dead body in the phase and took it away so that no one would
know.
If I had left it as it was, the Lugrok Trading Company would have probably
recovered it and disposed of it so that no trace of it would remain.
At the very least, I wanted to give him a proper burial.
I wanted to do that, not so much for Mabel’s sake, but for my own.
Even now, I can’t think of the right words to say to her.
“It’s okay…. I knew this would happen.”
Mabel said quietly, as if reading my thoughts.
“Ihad somehow expected such a curse to be placed on him. Products that
have lost never come back. I also know that you were trying to help my
brother. So don’t worry about it. I had given up on the idea of saying
goodbye like this.”
“……”

I don’t regret not bringing Kyle back to life.

That spell is something I had refrained from using even in my previous life.
If it’s used, there will be no end to it, and eventually it will lead to a major
collapse.
It was a mistake to forget the restraint that I had decided to exercise in my
previous life and to try to use it in the heat of passion. It was too much,
even if I had been lax.
Yuki is right, I don’t owe Kyle or Mabel that much.
There was no reason for me to perform the secret technique there that I
hadn’t performed in my previous life, no matter how much I’d been begged
to do so.
However.
I just couldn’t do it.
“…… Isthis the right place for it? If you wanted to bury him in your
hometown, I would have gone along with you.”
It was Mabel who chose this place.
She shook her head.
“We don’t have a home anymore.”
I ask Mabel before another long silence falls.
“Is Mabel your real name.”
Mabel nodded curiously.
“Yes. Did you think it was an alias?”
“At first.”
“Idon’t think people usually go out of their way to choose an old hero name
for a fake hero’s name.”
“is that so? It’s too deliberate I guess.”
“But why?”
“Kyle called your name a few times…….”
“Oh…… I see.”
I tell Mabel, who has a calm expression on her face.
“I’ve been asked by Kyle to tell you something.”
“…Eh.”

“I don’t really understand, but he said he’s sorry about the four-leaf clover.”
Mabel’s eyes widened as she gasped for air.
Then she began to talk.
“Justbefore the surgery….. my brother accidentally broke the four-leaf hair
ornament that I treasured so much. We had a bit of a fight. I think that’s
what happened. It was nothing serious like that…….”
I could hear her sobbing next to me.
I just kept quiet and waited for Mabel to stop crying.
A long time passed.
Mabel murmured quietly,
“What’s going to happen to me now?”
“Itold you. You’re going to go back to the academy and spend time as a
student.”
“Really?”

Mabel looked at my face.

She had an anxious voice.
“I still can’t believe this. My brother was supposed to kill me, but I lost the
match. I can’t believe I’m going to go back to that temporary status as an
adopted child of a noble family and a student at a magic academy and go on
living my life as it is. …… Hey, are you sure? Is it true? I’m ……”
“You’ll be fine.”
Saying this, I took Mabel’s hand.
“Let’s go. The carriage will be leaving soon. It’s our carriage.”
“……”

“Even… if it’s not alright.”

I pause for a bit and say.
“I’ll take care of it. So don’t worry.”
Just because I’m the strongest doesn’t mean I can do everything.
In fact, it’s amazingly helpless.
But still.
But even so, I have more options than ordinary people.
****
“Ah, you’re back at last.”
When we came back to the castle gate, Amiyu was standing in front of the
carriage we were riding in.
Next to her, there was an anxious-looking Ifa. (TN: Might have translated
‘Ifa’ as ‘Eefa’ previously)
I had told them both roughly what had happened.
Kyle and Mabel were brother and sister, and had been raised by a trading
company that surrounded themselves with mercenaries. That Kyle had been
cursed to keep his mouth shut if he was defeated. That I had secretly
removed his dead body. That Mabel and I had just buried him together.
The only thing I didn’t want to mention was the hero. Mabel was taken in
by a nobleman because of fate, and it was a coincidence that they were able
to meet again at the convention. That’s what we decided.
I was going to let Amiyu remain in the dark about what happened.
And what about Amiyu?
She was staring at Mabel and smiling fearlessly.
“Huh. I’m tired of waiting. I don’t blame you.”
“Hey Amiyu-chan, are you sure you want to do this?”
“You’re an idiot. This is the time when you should grab the sword.”
The two of them were arguing.
What is it?
“Newbie.”

She said.
Amiyu held out a sword to Mabel.
It was a long, wide sword for a one-handed sword.
It looks like a cheap one.
Amiyu tells her.
“You should fight me.”
“I don’t want to. I’m not in the mood.”
“Just do it!”
She said, forcing Mabel to take the sword.
Then she pulled out her own mithril staff sword, which she had come to
love so much.
“It’s not a mock sword, so if the weapon breaks or falls off, you lose.”
“…… What’s that? How about a quick stop?”
“No, it’s too dangerous.”
I tilted my head.
That’s a strange rule.
“Oh, yeah, you’re not allowed to use magic.”
“Okay.”

“I’ll use it.”

“What…..?”

Mabel raises an eyebrow.

“Are you kidding me?”
“It won’t do. You’ve already won once. Give me a handicap.”
You’re talking nonsense.
“Seika. Give me a signal.”
It’s kind of not very Amiyu-like.
She knows what’s going on with Mabel. I know she wasn’t insensitive
enough to offer a rematch at a time like this…..
Whatever.
“I will, then….. begin.”
Amiyu kicked the ground.
She swings her staff sword and slashes at Mabel’s one-handed sword.
It’s just …… not as sharp as usual.
It’s strangely slow.
Mabel puts up her sword and tries to take it with a dubious expression.
But the moment each blade touches.
Mabel’s one-handed sword snapped in half with a loud sound.
“This is…….”
Mabel rolls her eyes.
Amiyu was like.
“Whoa!”

As if swept away by her own sword, she fell to the ground with a tantrum.
Surprisingly, the sword blade of the staff sword that had been thrust into the
ground was buried about halfway into the ground.
Amiyu, who had fallen on her buttocks, smiled at Mabel.
“Haha, I win! What do you think, newbie? I can do this too!”
“Huh, that’s gravity magic….”
“Don’t underestimate the top passer of all attributes! But this is so hard! I
don’t know how you can use this stuff in a real fight.”
“……”
Mabel looked at Amiyu with a cold stare.
“What? You just wanted to show off?”
“You …… really wanted to beat your brother yourself, didn’t you?”
“It’s …… nothing. It’s not about winning or losing. I just wanted to…..”
“You’re lying.”
“……”

“Ican tell by your swordsmanship. You were never the quiet little sister
who followed your brother around. You thought you’d get him side by side
or …… overtake him if you had the chance. Didn’t you?”
“…….”
“Maybe the reason you went to the tournament was because the finals was
your last chance to do that?”
“Don’t say it like you know what you’re talking about. What are you trying
to say?”
“Next time, try to beat me.”
“What?”

“I’vewon one match and lost one match. You should try to beat me by the
time you graduate. Don’t think it’s going to be easy.”
“You sound like an …… idiot. Why would you say that?”
“You’ve lost the person you were aiming for and you have nothing left to
do. You don’t know what to do now, do you?”
“……”

“That’s fine. I was bored because I didn’t have anyone to practice with at
school. You should hang out with me for a while. Just until you find
something else you want to do.”
Amiyu, who had been talking while sitting on her butt, extended her hand to
Mabel.
Mabel looked at it silently for a while….. and then said with a small sigh.
“……As I thought, you’re an idiot after all.”
And then she took her hand.
“It’s
too easy to beat you. It’s not my goal. You can’t talk so high and
mighty until you can handle my magic.”
“I couldn’t help it. I wasn’t used to it.”
“There is a trick to it. You have to break the magic faster. You can’t pull it
back like you did before.”
“Hmmm…..? And while you’re at it, can’t you do something about the
harsh recoil when you use it while swinging?”
“Ionly use it when I’m going to hit something. If you use it while swinging,
you can’t help but feel the force…..”
“Oh, I see…”
Ifa who returned from the carriage said we should hurry.
“Guys, shouldn’t we be on our way? Gosha-san (the coachman) seemed
kind of irritated…..”
I laughed a little.
I then addressed the two girl swordsmen.
“Let’s go home. We can continue our conversation in the carriage.”
Two days later.
We returned safely to the school.
It was surprising to me that I felt like it had been a long time, even though
we had only been away for half a month.
I heard that classes had progressed quite a bit. It might be hard to catch up,
mainly for Amiyu.
Anyway, peace and quiet is the best.
****
I went to see the dean the day after I got back.
“Hey, you both did well.”
As soon as Mabel and I entered the room, the headmaster said with a big
smile on her face.
“Iwas not expecting the winner of the memorable first Imperial Capital
Comprehensive Martial Arts Tournament to be from our school. I’m very
proud. I don’t know if there will be a second tournament, but …… anyway,
well done Ramplog and Mabel, too. It’s a great achievement to advance to
the semi-finals. It was a shame that the two students from the school were
matched up against each other. If the blocks had been different, we might
have been aiming for more than the semifinals.”
The dean added after a short pause.
“However, you are still students. What’s a student’s duty? Yes, to study.
This will give you a little boost in your career, but that’s all. If you stay in a
daze, you will be left behind in no time. Especially Mabel.”
Mabel, whose name was called, asked a question in a puzzled manner.
“……Me?”
“It’s
our convenience, but you’ve been away from the school for half a
month since the beginning of the school year. It’s hard to catch up.
Especially in your case, your writing is……. You should ask the young lord
from Ramplog and his attendant to teach you, since they have good
grades.”
Mabel blinked a few times in confusion and then nodded.
The dean smiled and clapped her hands.
“I’m sorry you had to come here so soon after you just got back. You can
get some rest today in preparation for tomorrow. Oh, Ramplog. Can you
stay for a bit?”
I remained silent and kept my eyes down.
Mabel seemed a little lost, but eventually left the dean’s office alone.
“……”
“……”
After the door closed, both the dean and I remained silent.
Then.
“Well, you have something you want to ask me, don’t you?”
“…… I guess so.”
I let out a breath.
I see.
If she’s coming from that direction, let’s not try to imitate what’s going
around.
With a smile, I told the dean.
“Are you okay with this, Dean-sensei?”
“Hm. What do you mean?”
“Thefact that Mabel didn’t make it to the finals, ruined the whole plot to
make it look like the hero died. I mean, are you satisfied with that?”
The dean looked at me with narrowed eyes.
“If you knew that much, then the question of whether I’m satisfied is a
strange one, although it would seem I might have missed the point.”
“I thought it was odd.”
I continue to walk around the room.
“The school didn’t need two recommendation slots for the plot. I didn’t
need to be a contestant. Well, if that’s the only reason, it could be said that it
was to cover up the unnaturalness of only one new student being selected.
Discretion is important. But …… even so, it was very, very prudent.”
“……What are you talking about?”
“Iwas curious about it after I heard the name of the Crane family. What
kind of house is it? Naturally, I didn’t get much information. I was told that
they were magical researchers and that many of them were from the
school’s faction. That it’s actually an old family. The only other thing I
could find out was that he was very fond of Mabel, whom he had recently
adopted……. He bought her many dresses, took her out to social
gatherings, hired a painter to have her portrait painted…… and so on.
Camouflaging is important, but did he really need to do all this for a
daughter that was about to die? It’s as if they are really adopting her.”
The school dean blurted out with her head in her hands.
“They were having too much fun. I told them to be careful……”
“From the beginning, the school and its top management had no intention of
following through with the plan. The goal was to get Mabel in their hands.”
I continued.
“Although they weren’t responsible for the outcome of the match, the
Lugrok trading company couldn’t let Mabel lose outside of the finals. They
had to finish Kyle’s exams. So, naturally, they had a say in the tournament
table. They checked the backgrounds of the contestants and placed
dangerous candidates like Reynas on Kyle’s side, who would surely win.
Mabel was supposed to go through to the finals in order, lose there and die.
But they probably didn’t expect that the school, the client, would hit them
with a piece of sesame so big that it would even beat Kyle himself.”
“……”

“The only thing the academy has to gain from this is Mabel. Perhaps the
Lugrok Trading Company didn’t rent Mabel out like a mercenary, but sold
her to the academy? It would be strange to ask someone who was going to
die in the finals to return later. They would have at least put a clause to
dispose of her in case she escaped, but they didn’t expect her to survive or
lose. And that’s what you were going for and by having me defeat Mabel,
you were going to get her. Am I right?”
The dean sighed after a few moments of silence.
“We’ve been underestimated.”
“……”

“We are not responsible for the outcome of Mabel’s matches. If things don’t
go the way we want them to, we won’t refund the money. They are also
willing to sell their name by having their own mercenaries compete and win
the tournament, but they raised the fee just because there’s a chance that
Mabel might win. The hero is an important factor in deciding the course of
this country…… and you can see how much the empire is underestimated
right now. I used you to destroy their confidence. They’ve lost Mabel,
they’ve lost confidence in themselves and they’re probably in a mess. It’s a
nice feeling.”
“Did you ever think that….. I’d lose to Mabel and Kyle?”
“I’ve lived this long.”
The dean’s mouth twisted into a smile.
“Ican see the extent of your power. Your talent is probably comparable to
that of a hero and you already have a lot of power. It’s terrifying. It might be
bad, but you’ll be more powerful than a hero or maybe not. There is no such
thing in this world as a talent that surpasses that of a hero.”
“Well, I don’t care about that. I only want to ask you one question.”
I say quietly.
“What do you want with Mabel?”
“…….”

“You didn’t plan all of this just to get Lugrok to take a shot at you, did you?
Getting Mabel would have meant something in and of itself. What is it?”
The dean giggles and says.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothingspecial, I just think it might be a pitiful reason. But I also have
some sense of duty, so if there’s something I can do for you, I might.”
“Huh, that’s scary. What reasons do you imagine?”
I replied with a furrowed brow.
“I know it’s to fortify the school from the inside. Even if you hire security
guards, they’ll not be able to grasp the inner workings of the school. As
long as there’s a possibility that interlopers will be sent as incoming
students, wasn’t there a need for someone to protect Amiyu from the
standpoint of a student?”
“I see. That’s good. However, it seems that the attention of the demons will
be removed from the school in the future, though, right? The fact that you,
who clearly didn’t match the content of the oracle, won this time has helped
to show the depth of the school’s human resources. The fact that last year,
somehow an assassin and an interloper disappeared one by one can no
longer be attributed to the work of a hero.”
“……If you say it wasn’t, then what was it?”
After a few moments of silence, the dean suddenly lowered her eyes and
muttered,
“I took pity on the girl.”
“……”

“You don’t believe me, do you? But that’s the truth. If you press further,
nothing more will come out.”
The dean began to speak.
“At first, the officials wanted to drop the plan. They had finally found a
candidate for the hero’s shadow warrior, but it was no use if they couldn’t
get her to win the tournament. They wanted to kick out the conditions of the
merchants’ association, which was taking a lickety-split attitude and return
this plan to the drawing board. I agreed with them. But after meeting Mabel,
I changed my mind.”
“……”

“A child blessed with talent. But she looked as if she had tasted every
misfortune in the world. It was no wonder, since she was going to be killed
by her own brother, whom she adored. However, she told me that she would
win the championship. ‘I want to make my brother, who has changed, feel
better. ‘She said she would use her gifted talent to kill her own flesh and
blood, so she wanted me to use her with dead eyes. At that time, I thought
—- this is wrong.”
“……”

“Ihad to persuade the officials to sign the contract with the Trading
Company, and I thought of a way to use the devil’s advocate, Seika
Ramplog, for the girl, who would never abstain from competing. That’s one
of the reasons I put the squire girl on the shortlist. Wasn’t it somewhat
unsettling that if you declined, she might have to compete? It’s just one of
those talking points that merchants use.”
The dean continues.
“The longer you live, the less attached you become to many things, like
money, honor, power and even life itself. But it’s hard to let go of the
attachment to do something for others. Maybe that’s why I’m in this
position. You just don’t know it yet.”
“No…..”

I trailed off.
I, who in a previous life picked up orphans and made them my apprentices,
am probably similar to this person.
The same is true for the attachment to the power you once possessed.
I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been reincarnated or because I was killed
by my beloved disciple that I lost it.
I exhale and ask.
“Mabel was worried that Lugrok would send assassins. They must be very
angry about the loss of Kyle and I think they won’t leave Mabel, who
knows their situation inside and out.”
“I’m sure he’s taken care of that much. The Crane family is a baron family,
but it’s a venerable family with strong ties to the court and in addition, the
wife is the third daughter of a duke. Even though she’s adopted, if they lay
their hands on their daughter, Lugrok will be doomed. Well, I guess there’s
nothing to worry about.”
Besides, the dean added.
“Lugrok has only started to gain strength in the last few years. If they’re
unexpectedly caught flat-footed, they’ll become cowardly. They’ll probably
stay quiet for a while.”
“I see. Well, then….. I guess there’s nothing for me to do.”
“What are you talking about?”
The dean said in amazement.
“It’sa given that we don’t need to be afraid of assassination. The important
thing is how she’s going to live after that. She’s going to start a new school
life which she’s not used to. You can help her in many ways. As a senior.”
“I know that much.”
I turned on my heel.
I guess that’s the end of the story.
I sighed inwardly.
In hindsight, I shouldn’t have gotten involved.
I should have declined to participate in the tournament and stayed away
from Mabel’s death and the school dean’s intentions. That would have been
the best outcome for me.
I could say that it was a failure to let my unwanted curiosity get the better of
me.
However….. I didn’t regret it.
Suddenly…
One trivial question came to mind. I looked back at the principal.
“By the way…… you said you lived a long time, but how old are you
really?”
“You ask a woman how old she is? You’re a childish brat. I wish I could tell
you how old I am.”
The dean spat out.
“I haven’t counted beyond three hundred.”
One month has passed since then.
We were back to school life.
In the morning.
As we walk along the path leading to the cafeteria, students we pass glance
back at us.
We could faintly hear them talking.
“Oh, that guy.” “Hey, that’s Ramplog.” “Didn’t he win the Teito sword-
fighting tournament?” He won the finals and obliterated his opponent
without leaving a trace.” “Without a sword? – No, that’s impossible. “- Hey,
isn’t he cute?”
I sighed inwardly.
It’s been like this ever since I got back, but I’m much better now.
There are a lot of misunderstandings, but I’m letting it go because it’s not
that bad. At least it’s much better than being talked about behind my back
like a year ago.
The rumors will eventually die down.
When I arrived at the cafeteria, I scurried around looking for the person I
wanted to see.
It wasn’t long before I found them. Amiyu, Ifa and Mabel were talking with
books from the library spread out on the table.
So they were here after all.
I had heard Ifa say before that she and Amiyu sometimes study together
in the morning cafeteria, so I thought it might be possible, but it looks like
my intuition was right.
I walked up behind the girls and called out.
“Ma-y-be-l”

“Ahhh!”

Mabel jumped up.

She looked back at me with a startled expression and tried to run away in a
panic.
I grabbed her hand.
“Don’t run away!”
“No!”

“Seika-kun?”

“When did you get here?”

Ifa and Amiyu seemed to notice me for the first time. Probably because they
were concentrating on their books.
I said.
“I have some business with Mabel.”
“I don’t have any.”
“Why didn’t you come yesterday? I was waiting for you.”
“I don’t want to study with Seika anymore.”
Mabel said with tears in her eyes.
“Study! Study! Study! all the time! When we have classes, we study until
late at night and when we don’t have classes, we study the whole day until
late at night! It’s been like that for the past month! I mean, even the training
center had days off!”
“It can’t be helped.”
I say.
“You have to catch up with your classes and you can’t even solve the
entrance exam questions properly, let alone make up for the half month you
missed because of the competition. So you have to work harder to make up
for that.”
“But…..”

Mabel’s moist eyes go down.

“I’ve never had a reason to learn anything like that before……”
“Hah. Mabel.”
I put my hand on her shoulder.
“Retention comes to everyone equally.”
“Don’tsay it like it’s an adage! It’s not right for you to barge into the girls’
dormitory and stay there until late at night!”
“I
have permission from the head of the dormitory through the dean. So,
Mabel, if I wanted to, I could teach you until morning.”
I’m not allowed to go anywhere but the lounge, as expected.
“I…Ifa. Help me.”
Mabel, who had turned pale, asked Ifa for help.
Perhaps because of the kindness she received at the dormitory, Mabel was
instantly attracted to Ifa.
After looking at Mabel with a smile like the legendary Virgin of the West,
she tells me.
“Seika-kun….. I think you’re still sweet.”
“!?”

“She has so much energy. I’m sure Mabel-chan can still do her best.”
“Ugh, no way. Ifa….”
Mabel turns her sullen eyes on Ifa, as if in disbelief that she has been
abandoned.
Ifa looked back at Mabel with the Virgin smile.
Her eyes seem distant, if not heartless.
“It’sokay, Mabel-chan. There is a way beyond the “hard” part. We study,
sleep at night, eat and study again. You haven’t become such a creature yet,
have you, Mabel? Then, you have to work harder and harder.”
“This is scary……”
“What kind of hell have you been through?”
“It was hard.”
Ifa stares into the sky.
Maybe it’s my imagination, but there is some kind of lack of light in her
eyes.
“When I was studying while working at the mansion, it was hard work, but I
was still able to do my best. I could take a break for work and I could move
my body and get rid of distractions. But after the entrance exam approached
and I was exempted from work, that didn’t happen anymore…… hehehe, I
was studying all the time. At first, the other servants were sarcastic with me,
but soon they started to look at me like I was pitiful. On the day I left, they
all sent me off crying.”
“……”
“……”

“But it was thanks to Seika-sama that I was able to work so hard. Thank
you so much, Seika-sama.”
I replied to Ifa, who looked as if she had a halo shining on her.
“Oh, you’re welcome.”
“Your reply is too light for the current atmosphere!”
“Eh… but, I was just studying and teaching normally. We ust didn’t have
time for breaks before the entrance exam.”
Everyone is exaggerating.
“So,Mabel, I’m coming to the girls’ dormitory again today after class. You
need to work extra hard over the next few days to make up for yesterday.”
“No….. I don’t want to end up like Ifa…..”
“Do it in moderation.”
Afterwards.
After negotiating with defense attorney Amiyu, it was decided that Mabel
would have at least two full days off per month.
Well, she’s been inefficient lately, so I guess it’s just right.
Mabel’s school life has just begun.
Three months have passed since the tumultuous Teito Comprehensive
Martial Arts Tournament.
Summer had arrived in this country.
The windows were open in my room in the dormitory.
I sat on my bed and ran my eyes over the letter that had arrived.
“Is it from someone from the mansion? Seika-sama.”
Yuki, who was sitting on my shoulder, looked down at the letter and asked
me that.
She still couldn’t read the characters here yet.
“Oh.”

I nodded.
“It’s from my father.”
“I think it’s a little strange for Seika-sama to call that young man ‘father’.”
“Don’t say that. I owe Blaze a debt of gratitude.”
Especially, getting a private room for aristocrats in the dormitory, for
example.
I’m really grateful to be able to talk to Yuki and expand my conjuring
arsenal.
Yuki says as if she has regained her composure.
“So, what was the content of the letter? Does he want you to show up for
this vacation?”
As Yuki had said, the school had just started its summer vacation.
There was no point in going home and I didn’t want to make the long trip
by horse-drawn carriage.
I’m used to the shaking now, but it is still tiring.
But the contents of this letter were not an invitation to return home.
I shook my head and replied.
“No. They want me to go and investigate dragons.”
“Dragons…?”

“Yes.”

I explain to Yuki, who looks doubtful.

“One of the empire’s member states is the kingdom of Astilia, and the
former capital of Astilia is said to be a city where people and dragons live
together. There’s a huge dragon nested in a nearby mountain, and the city is
completely contained within its territory. In the past, the city’s residents
were never attacked by the dragon. The dragon and its guards used to fight
off thieves and enemy armies.”
“Oh.”
Yuki answered with unusual interest.
“When you think about it, I’m a demon, living together with a human, so I
guess that’s possible. So, what’s wrong with the dragon?”
“It’s been acting strangely lately.”
“What do you mean by strange?”
“They say it’s been attacking humans and sometimes livestock.”
“….”

Yuki makes a gesture as if twisting her head.

“….. it’s strange, though it seems normal to me. If a dragon is hungry, it’ll
attack the fattest beast that’s around.”
“No, this monster is a lot like an animal, but it’s still an incarnation. As long
as the magic of the land is sufficient, it should be able to survive without
food, just like demons.”
From what I had read in various literatures, this seemed to be the case.
I continued.
“The dragon of Astilia probably rarely attacked beasts before. It had never
turned hostile toward humans. That’s probably why the city’s residents are
so puzzled.”
“Haa…….”

Yuki gives a sloppy reply.

“But why is Seika-sama doing this research?”
“To put it simply, I’m checking to see if they’re keeping their beast under
proper control.”
I say.
“The dragon is almost the most powerful monster in this world. If it were to
fly toward us, the empire could suffer serious damage. That’s why I have to
conduct a survey to check the area and determine the threat.”
“……Since when did Seika-sama become the errand boy for the
bureaucrats?”
“I’m not. I’m just doing what Blaze asked me to do.”
I explained.
“The investigation was not requested by the imperial bureaucracy, but by
the senators of Astilia directly to my father. They must have decided that it
would be better to commission the research mission themselves before they
were pestered by the Imperial Diet. And they turned to my father, who is
well known as a researcher.”
“Don’t they usually call politicians instead of researchers?”
“If you owe a politician a favor, he might demand a heavy quid pro quo
later on in Congress. The governor stationed in Astilia wouldn’t like to have
a political opponent come to his doorstep. In this respect, Father keeps his
distance from politics and moreover, the report would be academically
persuasive. It was convenient for him in more ways than one. He’s often in
the capital for academic conferences, so it is easy for them to talk to him.”
“People’s political affairs are so bothersome, aren’t they ……?”
Yuki muttered as if exhausted.
In my previous life, I was not interested in politics and we never talked
about this kind of thing.
By the way, if you read the thoughts of the Astilia side a little more.
They probably already have a solution to the dragon problem.
Otherwise, a request for an investigation would just be digging their own
grave.
Then Yuki said something in a disappointed manner.
“But I still don’t understand why that young man is asking Seika-sama to do
this kind of thing…. You’re just a student, right?”
“That’s …… surely because I was the only one with free time.”
“Hai?”

“When you think about it, my father himself is very busy and Luft has his
hands full learning the lord’s work. Grey is stuck in the garrison and all the
relatives are busy with their own work and managing the estate. Meanwhile,
I, a student, am on summer vacation. I have a month of free time and no
sign of going back to my parents’ house.”
“Oh…… that’s the reason?”
“But it sounds good to hear him say ‘I entrusted it to my son, who is a very
talented man. He is one of the top students in the school and has even won a
martial arts competition’.”
It’s a little too good.
I think I’m going to have to tone it down a bit.
“So what are you going to do? If you want to live discreetly, I suggest you
refuse this request.”
“No, I’ll go.”
Despite my thoughts on whether I should hold back or not, I immediately
responded.
“Iagree with you, but I wanted to see the rest of the country for myself. It’s
much better than being told to go back to our territory. Also, I’m curious
about the dragon.”
“Isn’t…. the last reason all that matters?”
Yuki said with half-lidded eyes.
“Seika-sama….. please moderate yourself.”
“What?”

“I’m quite sure your hobby is fine, but don’t overdo it. Please refrain from
spending three whole days in the basement, as you did in your previous
life, immersed in experiments and then being mistaken for having
disappeared and causing a fuss.”
“I know, I know.”
I replied with a wave of my hand.
It’s true that it’s kind of a hobby, but …… it’s quite a useful one.
****
“So I’m going to the Kingdom of Astilia for the rest of the summer.”
In the cafeteria at lunchtime.
I told Ifa, Amiyu, and Mabel, who were sitting at the same table.
“I’ve never seen a dragon either. Can I follow you?”
I replied in amazement to Amiyu, who said it in a normal way.
“What are you talking about? You were supposed to go back to your
parents’ house tomorrow.”
“In my case, it’s close to Rodnea, so I can go home even in the spring.”
“Don’t say that. You should see your family when you can.”
“Idon’t know if it’s heavy or light when you say it like that….. Well, I will.
I’ve already asked for a carriage.”
“Good.”

Mabel raised a small hand.

“I don’t have any plans. I can carry heavy things, so I’ll handle the escort.”
She looks at me as if she wants to go.
It’s surprising to say the least…… but she seems to have brightened up and
gotten used to school life recently, so maybe she’s feeling a little
adventurous.
But I have to say.
“You have plans, don’t you?”
“……?”

“Study.”

“……!”

“Are you doing all your assignments? If you don’t keep up with your
classes this semester, you’re going to have a lot of studying to do.”
“Eh! I’m working on it……”
I added to Mabel, who looked away from me with all her might.
“I wish you’d go home. Maybe your parents are waiting for you.”
“Hmmm……… I’ll do that then.”
I looked at Mabel, who nodded, and then turned my attention to Ifa, who
seemed to be itching to do something.
“Ifa…… you want to come with me?”
“Eh!?”
“It’s
going to be a long trip and it’s going to take you a lot of time off, so
I’m not going to force you to come.”
“Eh! I’m coming! I thought you’d say no to me too.”
“I’m pretty sure they’ll let me bring at least one of my attendants.”
I felt a little sorry after I said that.
Ifa would be able to go home alone if I don’t go with her. I felt guilty for
preventing her from seeing her father.
Still I wasn’t sure if she would be able to see her father when she returned
home, since he was even busier than Blaze.
“So when are you leaving?”
“The day after tomorrow, according to the schedule.”
“That’s pretty fast.”
“It
takes time to get around. We only have a month’s summer vacation, and
we’re in a hurry.”
“Have you already arranged a carriage?”
“No. They’re going to arrange it for me.”
“The other side?”
“Yes. He’s a great man from Astilia.”
I explained.
“He was just in the capital and he said he would stop by Rodnea on his way
back. So we can go to Astilia with a convoy.”
“A convoy?”
Amiyu raised her eyebrows.
“They’reexaggerating a lot. If you take the highways, you shouldn’t have to
worry about thieves or monsters.”
It’s true that even a caravan of merchants would only take a few guards if
they are only going along the main roads as Amiyu said.
Imperial highways connecting distant cities are essentially military routes
for the efficient movement of troops. Monsters are regularly eliminated for
safety and wild thieves stay away.
This time, however, things were a little different.
“It can’t be helped. It’s his position.”
“……?”

“The great man of Astilia is, in fact…..”

At that time, a murmur could be heard from the back of the cafeteria.
The loudest voice is heard talking.
“—-This is the place, isn’t it? Thank you for showing us around. However,
it’s very simple. But if the building is so old, why not rebuild it?”
“Bo–chan.”

“Ihope you don’t mind what I just said. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…… Oh,
he is? I appreciate it. That’s enough. Let’s just go on our own now, Rize…..
hmm? What’s the matter? Why don’t you come quickly?”
A rustle and a presence approached me, and I turned around.
There was a boy in a luxurious formal dress.
He was in his late teens. His well-groomed appearance, coupled with his
graceful demeanor, made it undeniable that he was of noble lineage.
She must have also served as a guard. The tall, pointy-eared subhuman
woman standing by his side seemed to be a considerable user.
The cause of the commotion was obviously these two eye-catching people.
No way…..?
The boy opened his mouth with a smile at my dumbfounded look.
“Are you Sir Seika?”
I froze for a moment.
But then I regain my composure and stand up, smiling and speaking in the
aristocratic honorifics.
“Yes I am. It’s my pleasure to meet you. You arrived earlier than expected,
His Royal Highness Prince Cecilio Astilia.”
Behind me, I can hear the girls whispering.
“……Who’s that?”
“Did he just say prince?”
I say with a wry smile.
“Iam sorry that this is a somewhat inappropriate place to receive His
Highness, the first prince of the Kingdom of Astiria. Even I wouldn’t come
here.”
“It’s all good. I forced the academy to show me around.”
The prince smiled pleasantly as he said this.
“It’s
not urgent, but I wanted to take a look at the Imperial Academy of
Magic on my way to see you. The students all seem to be excellent…….
Oh, this is….!”
Prince Cecilio cut off.
His eyes were on Ifa, who was sitting next to me, looking very formal.
“What’s your …… name?”
“Eh? Uh…… I’m Ifa…..”
The prince kneeled down in front of the stiff Ifa, took the girl’s hand, and
said with feverish eyes.
“How beautiful …… you are, will you come to my Hermitage Harem?”
Huh?
Ifa looked at me in confusion, as if she did not understand what he had just
said.
However, I didn’t know what to say to him either.
The prince continued.
“The current ruler of Astilia is my mother, Her Majesty the Queen, and the
current harem is nominally reserved for me, the first in the line of
succession. You can even be educated in such a splendid academy. Ifa, you
must be a very intelligent and noble woman. For the sake of me and my
country, I would like you to come to the palace.”
Ifa finally understood the situation.
“I’m sorry… but I’m Seika-kun’s slave. I can’t do something like that.”
“How …… you’re not a student of this academy?”
“No, I am a student……”
“Isee. Then you are still a brilliant woman, aren’t you? Then there is no
problem. Sir Seika, I’ll buy her at asking price. Will you accept payment in
our country’s large gold coins?”
I was stunned, but barely managed to open my mouth.
“Oh… that is…”
“Young Lord.”
The woman of a different race said in a cold voice.
The prince looked embarrassed.
“I
know, Rize. I am sorry, Sir Seika. This was not the purpose of our
meeting. Let’s get down to business.”
“…. Let’s move on then, Your Highness. This place attracts too much
attention. Let’s rent a room in the academy, this way.”
As I walked out, I thought to myself.
Is this guy okay?
*************
The Dean of the school knew in advance that the prince was coming, so she
was able to smoothly rent a reception room for the dignitaries.
In one of the rooms, we faced each other.
“……”
For some reason, Ifa was sitting next to me looking nervous.
I don’t know why. Maybe because of the prince’s wish. …… Well, it’s okay
for now.
I collect my thoughts and spoke.
“So, could you begin by telling us about the situation in the old royal
capital?”
“Um… I’ll start with that, Sir Seika.”
“Before you go any further, Your Highness, you need not address me as
“Sir”. I have not inherited the title from my father, nor do I plan to.”
“Isee. You’re right. I will call you Seika-dono……. I’m also comfortable
with you since we seem to be close in age.”
The prince said this with a smile.
He has dignity in every word and deed.
“Now, the old royal capital, do you know exactly which city this is?”
“Yes,it’s a city located about half a day’s ride west of the royal city of Asta,
Proto Asta.”
The old royal capital is a city with precisely such a name.
It means ‘the former royal city of Astilia’ or something like that.
The prince nods and begins to speak.
“Although the momentum has slowed since the capital was relocated about
100 years ago, Proto Asta is still one of the largest cities in our country.
Since the transfer of the capital, it’s customary for the next in line to the
throne to serve as its head of state. That’s the reason why I went to the
capital this time and met with you here.”
This was unexpected.
I thought it was just an envoy, but the prince himself was the head of the old
capital.
It was a practice I’d never heard of in my previous life, but it might make
sense for him to experience the bureaucratic work beforehand.
The prince continues.
“And the dragon of Astilia has lived with the people there for more than a
hundred years before the transfer of the capital. It made its home in the
mountains that stand just outside the city.”
“That’s amazing.”
I was frankly astonished.
Even in my previous life, I’d never known a case in which a powerful
creature had lived with people for more than 200 years. Apart from
guardian deities, it’s usually difficult for such beings to coexist in a place
like a human village.
The prince nodded mysteriously.
“Once, together with our ancestors, it fought an enemy army approaching
King’s Landing and drove it back…… However, as you have probably
heard from Lord Blaze, Seika-dono, the dragon has been acting strangely
for the past year or so.”
“I heard it started attacking livestock and people.”
“Mm……”

The prince nodded gravely.

“The damage is not that serious. Even when it comes to livestock, only a
few stray sheep were targeted during the grazing season. It only attacked
people from outside the city who carelessly entered the mountain where the
dragon lives. They were injured but not eaten, that said they had to step of a
cliff to escape. But there’s something wrong that’s for sure. This has never
happened before, and it’s clearly becoming more cautious. Lately, it’s been
particularly bad, threatening even the people in town that it encounter
outside the city walls.”
“Does the dragon distinguish between the people of the city and the rest of
us?”
“Hmm. I wonder if he remembers the faces he sees over and over again.
Although he doesn’t alight within the city walls, he used to alight near the
meadows and fields around the city, and often does nothing but stand
around in a daze. He wouldn’t care if there were people nearby. However,
many peddlers and travelers from other towns say they have been stared at
or followed out of the sky.”
“I see….”
Is the dragon wary of those coming from outside the territory?
I just don’t understand how he accepts the people inside the territory.
“Why doesn’t the Astilian dragon attack people in the first place? From
what I’ve read in the literature, I don’t think dragons are monsters that can
live with people.”
“I don’t know exactly, but that’s the way it’s been for a long time.”
The prince said.
“But there’s a legend …… that a dragon was once hatched from an egg by
the queen of Astilia.”
“A dragon hatched by a human……?”
“It’s
just folklore. Dragon eggs are said to appear on the market on rare
occasions, but I’ve never heard of one being hatched by a human.”
“……”

Eggs of snakes, turtles and lizards usually hatch without any effort.
I thought dragons were similar, but aren’t they?
“I said the damage wasn’t serious, but I’m not so optimistic about the
situation.”
The prince says gravely.
“The livestock are frightened, which is hindering their grazing and the
peddlers are refraining from doing any major business. The people are also
becoming anxious. And then there’s the empire’s vigilance…… .”
The prince’s gaze turned straight to me.
“I want Seika-dono to see this matter through.”
The prince said with a serious expression.
The prince’s ostensible position is higher than mine, but my actual position
is higher than his. Depending on my report, the situation in Astilia could be
better or worse.
From the way he was talking, I guessed that Astilia must have some kind of
solution to the dragon’s problem.
I smile back.
“Ofcourse, Your Highness. My role, as ordered by my father, is to
conduct an academic investigation, study, and report on this matter.”
When I said the obvious premise, as if I was trying to be neutral, the
prince’s expression softened.
“I’malso interested in the academic study. What do you think, Seika-dono?
Do you have any thoughts at this time?”
“Perhaps…..”

I think about it.

While there are some concerns, there is too little information to say at this
time.
“No…… I’d have to go to the site and check out the detailed records.”
“I see. What about Ifa?”
The prince then turned his attention to Ifa, who had remained silent for a
long time.
Ifa was clearly embarrased.
“Eh…eh… me?”
“Mm-hmm. Any ideas?”
“I…… Seika-sana… I don’t……”
The prince smiles and tells her.
“I’mthe one asking for it. You don’t need to worry about your master. I
want your opinion.”
“Yes….. umm……”
Ifa pondered for a moment and then spoke.
“Idon’t really know what to say….. Did something similar happen in the
past?”
“Hm.”

The prince put his hand on his chin and thought about it.
“I’ve never heard of it, but it might be worth reviewing the records. Thank
you, Ifa. I will rely on your insight from now on.”
“Hah…….”

“Speaking of which, I’d like to have dinner with you this evening. We could
have a long talk with Seika-dono……”
“Young Lord.”
The sub-specie woman standing beside him said quickly.
“This is going to interfere with the escort plan.”
The prince had a bitter expression.
She seems to be an attendant or an escort, but her position is strong.
She has silky platinum hair and green eyes. She’s tall and has long, pointed
ears.
Probably a forest elf.
A race that excels with bows and magic. It’s no wonder she has a strong
current of power.
But what’s worrisome is that since we met at the cafeteria, she’s been giving
me strong cautious glances.
The reason for this is not for protection either.
If anything, it’s closer to the way they used to look at me in my previous
life.
Eyes filled with awe.
I wonder what it is. Does she sense my power?
But I’ve only just met her.
“I know, Rize.”
The prince replies to the forest elf with a bitter look on his face.
“I’m sorry, Seika-dono. My escort is a bit of a worrier.”
“…… No problem at all.”
“If you’ll excuse us now. I’ll see you when we leave.”
“Yes, your Highness.”
The prince and his forest elf escort leave the room.
This is exhausting.
It reminded me of my days as a government official, when I was humbled
by the great aristocrats.
I was really fed up with that. It was one of the reasons why I left the
onmyodo dormitory halfway through my disappearance.
Ifa, who was still standing, asked me anxiously
“Um, Seika-kun. I didn’t do anything rude, right?”
“Huh? Oh. It’s all right. I think you had a pretty good opinion.”
Similar cases from the past are often the first thing to look for. From there,
it is often possible to determine what may happen in the future and how to
solve the problem.
Although it’s doubtful that he would have done it by the looks of that
prince.
Remembering our earlier exchange…… I was getting somewhat annoyed.
Is that prince…… okay?
Didn’t he think it would be taken as the least bit disrespectful to ask the
attendant for their opinion without the master?
I mean, he invited someone else’s slave to the palace and then tried to buy
them.
What kind of nerve does he have to try to seduce a woman who is another
person’s attendant in the first place?
The word “no good man” comes to mind without any denial.
“Ah, Ifa….. about this time, you don’t have to force yourself to follow me.”
“Eh? Why? I’m not forcing myself. I’m going to follow you, Seika-kun,
I’m your attendant.”
“Oh, really……”
I’ll return that much to Ifa.
Whatever.
He seemed to understand his situation. His language and mannerisms were
refined.
He was not a complete incompetent.
Even though he’s a vassal, he belongs to the royal family. He’s also in the
first place of inheritance rights.
He had status and money. He’s not a bad guy because he likes her.
I’m certain that the back palace would treat her well. It would be a perfect
place to marry into the family.
I glanced at Ifa.
I think she has become beautiful. It seems that she is popular among the
male students of the school and it is no wonder that princes of other
countries have taken notice of her.
This year she will be fifteen. This is the age of adulthood in our world as
well.
It’s time for her to decide where she will go.
It’ll be a shame to see her leave my hands, but it’s not a bad idea to be able
to make contacts in other countries.
If Ifa wants to.
I might even let her marry into Astilia.
****
On the way back to the men’s dormitory, I was pulled into the bushes by a
strong force.
“Be quiet.”
“I’m going to make you tell me everything.”
“……”

I was held by the mouth and looked up at Mabel and Amiyu.

“What have you been talking to that prince about?”
“…… What? It’s about the situation in the old royal city, about the dragons
and so on. We talked about it at lunch.”
I waited for Mabel to remove her hand before answering and Amiyu raised
an eyebrow.
“That’s not important. What I want to ask you is about Ifa. You even went to
the trouble of taking her with you.”
“Ah…….”

“Eh….. you’re trying to sell Ifa?”

“No!. All we really talked about was dragons. So there’s nothing else to tell
you.”
“Really?”

“Yes. Well, His Highness seemed to like Ifa a lot.”

The two girls looked at each other.
“…… You really won’t sell Ifa?”
“I wouldn’t. I’m not that untrustworthy.”
“No, but…”
“Well, just …….”
I stood up, brushed the dirt off my clothes, and said.
“IfIfa wants, I’ll free her from her slavery. In the empire, it was difficult
because of the need for adult guardianship, but in Astilia, that shouldn’t be
necessary.”
“If it is in Astilia…. does that mean that Ifa will be in the palace?”
“If she accepts his highness’s invitation.”
“What are you talking about? She’d never say such a thing.”
“What are you talking about?”
The tone of voice is unintentionally a little reproachful.
“Ifais coming of age this year. It’s not every day you get a chance to be
approached by royalty from another country. It’s time for her to decide her
future. We shouldn’t interfere.”
The two girls looked at each other with a delicate expression on their faces
when they heard this.
Mabel said timidly.
“Iunderstand what you’re saying, Seika, but …… don’t tell Ifa about it,
because she’ll probably be sad.”
“Why would she be sad? If I don’t tell her, she might be too shy to accept
it.”
“Please.”

“I get it. But not if she wants to.”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”
Mabel pulled Amiyu who still wanted to say something, and they both went
away.
Well, I’m sure they were both worried about Ifa.
It would certainly be pitiful to be forced into a rear palace by a prince who
seems to be a no-good man.
Don’t worry, both of you.
I’ll respect Ifa’s wishes.
Both Amiyu and Mabel have the ability to live on their own. I’m sure Ifa is
the same way.
It’ll be good to build a career at the academy.
But there are other options.
Some of my apprentices chose that path even though they were gifted.
I’m not going to deny the lives of those who lived and died happily.
Two days later.
I and Ifa departed from Rodnea with the prince and his escort.
The Kingdom of Astilia is much farther away than the Ramplog territory.
It was going to be a very long journey.
Ifa, who was sitting next to me, asked me worriedly.
“Seika-kun, are you all right? Do you feel sick?”
“Oh. I’ve gotten used to it by now.”
I answer with a smile.
As expected, no matter how many times I ride it, it’s still not very
comfortable.
Ifa spoke again.
“If
it’s difficult, you can go back to sleep, okay? I’ll wake you up if
something happens.”
“I’ll do that when push comes to shove. But as I said, I’m not sleepy yet.”
“I see….. It’s only the first day…..”
“What?”

“Nothing.”

Ifa shakes her head and smiles.

“Seika-kun, when we rode in the carriage together in the past, you stayed up
all night at the inn on the way, didn’t you? You were sleeping in the carriage
when it was bright outside and I wondered if that was the reason.”
“Ah…… you noticed.”
Apart from large cities, most inns like those in small towns and villages are
mostly large rooms which you share with strangers.
The fact that we’re all in the same room makes it difficult for one to sleep
peacefully. It’s even more so if you’re carrying valuables or have a young
woman with you.
So when I came out of the territory last year, I had to stay awake all night at
an inn along the way….. But that’s not why I stayed up. If I needed to do
that, I would have left it to the shikigami.
The only reason I stayed up at night was because I didn’t want to get
carriage sickness and wanted to sleep through the day.
I’d been riding for seven days, but I never got used to it and that was one of
the reasons.
“You don’t need to worry, It was rather hard for me to stay awake in the
carriage at that time.”
”Yeah….. thank you, Seika-kun.”
Ifa smiled and said.
It’s true, but I don’t think this girl really cares.
Well, that’s probably why she’s liked by so many different students even in
the girls’ dorms.
“ButI don’t think we’ll have to worry about accommodations this time.
With all those guards, I’m certain they’ve at least made arrangements in
advance.”
After all, he is a prince.
We may have to camp out because of the number of people, but it’ll still be
much more comfortable than a country inn.
“It’s
not every day you get to go to another country on such good terms.
Perhaps, there are all kinds of dragons.”
“…… Dragons, huh? But it’s amazing, isn’t it, people and dragons living
together?”
Ifa raised her gaze and said happily.
“I wonder if he’ll let me ride on his back like the dragon knight does?”
“I think the dragon knight is a fairy tale. I know you like that kind of thing,
Ifa…. but it’s very hard to do in real life.”
“I know, but I think we’ll actually get along.”
“No, it’s not about getting along……”
The same is true of the yokai, but it’s difficult to fly on one with wings.
When I rode a yokai, I chose ones that flew completely on divine power
alone. Specifically, I rode on mizuchi (A dragon Yokai).
I was wondering how to explain it, when Ifa suddenly remembered.
“By the way, before we left, His Highness Cecilio asked me if I wanted to
ride in the carriage with him.”
“What?”

“He said he wanted to tell me more about dragons.”

“Heh…..”

The prince wants to talk about dragons but not to me?

No, I get it. The dragons are just an excuse. But even still, why not be polite
to me?
In the first place, in the current situation, is this really the time to do such a
thing?
I asked, my face scrunched up.
“Then…?”

“Of course I refused. I’m Seika-kun’s attendant.”

Ifa says with a smile on her face.
“I’m in trouble, aren’t I? I don’t think he really wants me in his palace.”
“No…. I think he was seriously inviting you.”
“Is that so? If so, I’m a little happy.”
Ifa said as though she was shy.
The carriage goes on with a mulling feeling.
****
Nine days later.
The city of our destination, surrounded by walls, appeared before our eyes.
Proto Asta, the former royal capital of the Kingdom of Astilia.
The city stood in a peaceful location, with mountains in the background and
grasslands spreading out around it.
Although it seemed a little small for a former royal city, it had a dignified
and historical appearance.
The carriage stopped before the gate.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, it looks like …… the gates are jammed.”
I answered, looking out the window.
It seemed to be the carriages of merchants waiting to enter the castle. We
might have arrived when it was crowded.
But there are quite a lot of them. The imperial highway runs through the
city and it seems to be true that it’s a big city.
“Seika-dono.”

A voice calls out to me from outside the carriage.

When I looked, I saw the prince getting off his carriage and walking toward
us with several guards.
“I’msorry. It’ll take some time. Why don’t you get some air while you still
can?”
“Yes, I will.”
I turned my head back to look at Ifa.
“Shall we go down?”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
Ifa got out of the carriage first and stretched.
“It’s a nice place.”
She walked happily through the meadow.
She seemed more energetic than I was, but she must have been tired after
being in the carriage for so long.
I talked to the prince, who was standing near me, following Ifa’s figure with
his eyes.
“It’s a pleasant place.”
The prince chuckled.
“Iguess it is. I like it here too. It’s not as idyllic now as it used to be,
though. That’s why it’s taking so long to get into the castle.”
“What’s going on?”
“Thehorses of the merchants seem to be frightened. Just a few moments
ago……”
Then.
I felt the presence of a powerful force with all my being.
The shadow of a large shadow glided across the earth.
I looked up at the sky and blinked blindly —- .
“That is….”
A huge monster was flying overhead, spreading its wings leisurely.
Its silhouette is similar to that of a feathered lizard.
But its presence was almost that of a dragon.
That is a dragon.
I’d seen pictures of dragons many times in literature, but this was the first
time I had seen a real one.
There are powerful incarnations like that in our world, too.
“…… hasn’t he left yet?”
The prince next to me muttered.
He noticed my gaze and began to explain.
“Itseems to have started flying around here a little while ago. He’s probably
on alert because of the merchant’s carriage that arrived at one point. That’s
why the horses are frightened. But if we don’t do anything, he won’t attack
us.”
“I see…..”
I certainly don’t sense much hostility. It also seems true that he lives with
people.
I asked him, while making some preparations.
“It’s
very big. Even in literature, there were very few references to them
being that big.”
From head to tail, it is roughly thirty or more meters long.
“It seems to be a species of that kind. They call it a Greater Dragon.”
“…… is that so?”
I wish he had told me that beforehand. If I had known that, I could have
looked into it in more detail. But that’s okay.
“Bythe way, you said he’s on the lookout for carriages. I’m afraid that the
number of carriages has increased since we arrived.”
“We may have provoked him a little……”
Just then.
The dragon, which seemed to be flying away to the mountains, circled its
huge body in the sky above.
It lowered its altitude and, as if by chance, came right at us.
“Um, it’s coming this way.”
“Yes, it’s coming this way. He seems to be a little wary of us.
The prince said without moving.
I looked at the other guards and they were also unperturbed. I guess that’s
the way it always is.
The dragon lowered its altitude further and came so close that we could see
its rugged face and blackish scales.
Then it flew away right above us.
A gust of wind hit the top of the wagon, causing the frightened horses to
whinny.
Ifa, who was a little further away from us, fell on her butt.
I looked at the back of the dragon and said.
“He may be big, but what he does is no different from a crow guarding its
nest.”
“…… Seika-dono is a bold man. Even the strongest adventurers scream when
they aren’t used to it.”
The prince said, somewhat surprised.
“But you are right. If we do nothing at this point, he’ll leave in due time.”
The dragon flipped itself up in the air again.
But at a slightly higher altitude than before. Perhaps the prince was right
and he was planning to leave after one more intimidation.
The dragon was closing in again.
At that moment, I felt a clear flow of power, this time from the
ground.”Come from the Fiery Land —- [Lava Tiger]!”
A man’s voice echoed.
Then, out of nowhere, a reddish-black beast, that exceeded his height,
suddenly appeared.
The huge beast sprinted across the grassy plains, scattering heat waves
around it and then leapt high into the air and attacked the approaching
dragon.
Neither its claws nor its fangs could reach the dragon in the sky.
But the dragon flapped its wings in fright and flew off in the direction of the
mountain.
I scrutinize the beast as it howls and rages, its enemy fleeing.
It looked like a lava beast.
Its reddish-black skin was all armor made of minerals and lava. It had a
rounded face, a supple body similar to a cat’s, and only the red and black
stripes, which looked like a badly made pattern, barely resembled a tiger’s.
Its physique was not that of a tiger, as it was supposed to be. But its stature
was nearly three times that of the original tiger.
It was a Lava Tiger …… a monster that should have lived in a volcano.
“That’s not good.”
I muttered.
The lava beast was still excited even though the dragon had escaped.
It let out an angry roar, shook its body —- and, as if to vent its frustration,
attacked Ifa, who was standing alone in the distance.
Ifa stood there with her eyes wide open.
She showed no sign of running away or resisting.
I furrowed my brow and made a sign with one hand.
<<Soil Phase—- Art of Fortification>>
A swarm of translucent pillars stood in front of the lava beast.
The Lava Tiger jumped at the pillar and bit it, but it was as thick as a giant
tree, so it was not broken through.
No…… if you look closely, the surface seems to have been melted by the
heat.
The quartz in the “Fortress” should be able to withstand the heat of lava….
but that armor seems to have a higher temperature than I thought.
I left the prince behind and stepped forward.
I don’t know what it is, but i’ll take care of it anyway because it’s
dangerous.
The lava beast noticed my presence and turned its eyes toward me.
Its burning legs kicked across the grass and came toward me.
Its fangs were bared.
At the same time, the moment I was about to unleash a technique from an
invisible shikigami—-
The Lava Tiger was as if it had been pulled by invisible reins and its body
was turned upside down.
“How can you be so quick to lash out?”
The man’s voice rang out again.
The voice was coming from a magician wearing a —- black robe and a few
of his followers. He was wearing a large hood completely covering his head
and is holding a book open in his right hand.
“Is that a….. grimoire?”
“Hey, be quiet. That’s a breach of contract.”
The Lava beast was struggling but seemed to be prevented from moving.
The magic that binds the Lava Tiger is apparently connected to that
grimoire.
The lava beast was in a rage, but it was prevented from moving.
“Enough, go back.”
The magician closed the book with a snap and the lava beast turned into
particles of light and was sucked between the pages.
Finally, I’m convinced.
That man is Summoner.
He’s a rearguard who contracts monsters and summons them to fight at will.
The Lava Tiger must have been his summon.
“How dangerous, how dangerous. Are you alright? Prince Cecilio.”
With a frivolous tone, the summoner man walks toward us.
“Zekto, What are you doing?”
In response, the prince’s face contorted as he spoke.
“You knew there was no danger from the dragon! Why did you summon
that beast? You could have harmed our guests from the empire!”
“That’s not right, Your Highness. I just saved your life.”
The man called Zekto shrugged his shoulders.
“You can’t tell me that there was no danger. If the client dies, we’ll be in
trouble. Besides, our situation has changed while His Highness was gone.”
“Things have changed?”
“The last few days, the dragon has been flying much less frequently. But
instead, he seems to be quite feisty. There are a number of residents who
were growled at just as they arrived here. Do you understand? We had a
close call just now.”
The prince, who had been told this, fell silent.
What is this? Who’s this guy?
“Your Highness, who is this?”
I asked and the prince looked at me and spoke.
“Excuse me, Seika-dono. This is Zekto, the head of the Zekto Mercenaries,
as I called him. Zekto, this is Seika Ramplog, the Dragon’s research
emissary. He’s also the son of an imperial count. Please don’t be rude.”
“Huh. Still a kid…. Oops, excuse me. He’s even younger than His Highness
and yet he’s a research emissary, that’s a big deal.”
Ignoring the man with the underestimating attitude, I ask my question.
“A group of mercenaries? Why on earth would you have such a thing?”
The prince stammers for a moment and then answers somewhat bitterly.
“To subdue the dragon.”
Eh?
*Art of Fortification.
The art of producing quartz pillars. Its main component, silicon dioxide, has
a melting point of 1650°C, is chemically stable, and has excellent strength.
It is also the most abundant molecule in the earth’s crust.
“Subdue……? That dragon?”
“Yes.”

The prince nodded at my dumbfounded question.

“That’s the only way to resolve this situation.”
I realized.
The Astilian side had prepared a plan.
“You think …… such a thing is possible?”
“I’m certain you saw it, Seika-dono. The summoned beast of Zekto kicked
out the dragon. The dragon is afraid of that monster.”
I thought about it.
The Lava Tiger is larger than a human, but still much smaller than the
Greater Dragon.
But the dragon certainly seemed to be intimidated by the lava beast.
The honey badger, which lives in the south of Tenjiku (ancient India) and
Africa, and the wolverine, which is said to live in the far northern reaches of
the Ezo Emishi lands, are said to be small in size but go at lions and brown
bears with their ferocity.
Perhaps the Lava Tiger is a similar relation to that for dragons. Certainly,
looking at that armor, it doesn’t look like even a breath of fire would work.
It just can’t be defeated.
Unlike lions and brown bears, dragons have the ability to fly.
I glance at Zekto and his cronies.
There were less than ten in all, and other than Zekto, there were only those
who carried swords, with no magicians in sight. There may be others, but I
don’t think they’d be able to handle it even if they were all present.
I tell the prince.
“I think you should reconsider, Your Highness.
“What…?”

“Idon’t think we can defeat the dragon with that monster. The difference in
physique and the fact that it can hold the sky is significant. If it comes at
you without fear of being wounded, it will tear you to pieces. No …… if it
loses, it’s still good. The worst that can happen is that it will abandon its
nest and flee the region. That could be the situation the empire fears the
most.”
“Oh, you are a scholarly man who can talk as he pleases!”
Zekto is closing in on me.
The face peeking out from under the hood had morbidly white skin.
“We’ve already slain dragons many times! Even the strongest monsters can
be defeated if you’re prepared. I hope you, scholarly boy, will not interfere
with something that is not your area of expertise!”
“….Don’t be rude.”
I smiled and said.
“It’scertainly not my area of expertise. I guess there’s a manner of monster
extermination. But…. you too, If you’re an expert, I’d like you to avoid
being too careless. It was a close call earlier. Good thing I managed to stop
it.”
“Ha, that earth magic was you? I would have been able to hold it off without
it.”
“Hold it off….? I don’t think so.”
I tell him sarcastically.
“I’m
telling you not to take out your precious summon so lightly in front of
me—- I almost obliterated it into charcoal.”
“Ah……?”

“Wouldn’t you have been in trouble if I had?”

Zekto pulls his face.
“Oh, you were going to turn my Lava Tiger into charcoal….? You’re talking
out of your ass….”
“Stop it! That’s enough!”
The prince broke in between us.
“Zekto! I told you not to be rude! Enough of this. You can go back!”
“Tch… I understand, Your Highness. This is not what we do.”
The prince, who had been watching Zekto and his cronies leave for the city,
turned back to me.
“You too, Seika-dono. Don’t provoke such a ruffian.”
“I beg your pardon. My attendant was in danger.”
Having said that, the prince fell silent.
I let out a small sigh and said the one thing I wanted to ask.
“Letme return to the subject, Your Highness. Do you have the confidence
of Her Majesty the Queen and the people in your plan to subdue the
dragon?”
“Oh… that is…”
“The dragon in the old royal city is like a symbol of Astilia. Does Her
Majesty and the people consent to subdue a neighbor they have lived with
for so long?”
“…… it doesn’t matter.”
The prince says to himself.
“I’m the head of Proto Asta. This matter is entirely up to me.”
“Is it Her Majesty’s will?”
“The chief’s authority is defined by law. The law supersedes the will of the
king.”
The rule of law.
That’s all very well, but now we see its shortcomings.
“I know Mother and the people will understand.”
“But……”

“Seika-dono. This is a matter between Proto Asta and my country. It’s not
your responsibility. I ask you not to interfere.”
“You are right…. I’ve gone too far.”
“The dragon issue will be resolved. You’ll see to it that it’s resolved and you
will report back to the kingdom.”
“……Yes, that’s right.”
I’m very uneasy.
It seems to me that this prince is floating around and acting arbitrarily. I’m
certain that’s the case.
The mercenaries are also very suspicious.
But I am not in the mood to say anything more right now.
It can’t be helped.
For now, let’s do one more thing.
“Ifa.”

I looked back at Ifa, who was coming back to me.

She appeared to be unharmed.
I was glad to see that, but…….
“Eh… ah, Seika-kun, thanks for earlier……”
“Why didn’t you use magic?”
“Eh….?”

She was so surprised to hear my stern voice that she was stuttering as if
she was amazed.
“Why did you hesitate? You could have died.”
“Uh, I was …… surprised……”
“If
you’re startled, do you die? Or do you decide to have someone help
you?”
“ ……!”

“Se -Seika-dono! It’s not like that……”

The prince interrupted me in surprise, but I ignored him and continued.
“What will you do when I’m not around and you’re in danger?”
“……”
“Itold you I was investigating dragons. Besides, you’re traveling out of the
country to begin with. I thought you were smart enough to know the risks.
Was it wrong of me to bring you along just because you’re good enough at
magic?”
“I’m sorry….”
“Seika-dono! You don’t have to blame her like that! Don’t worry about it,
Ifa. You are a woman…..”
“What does her being a woman have to do with anything?”
I glared at him sideways.
“Your Highness, this is between me and Ifa. It has nothing to do with your
responsibilities. Isn’t that right?”
“Uh, but ……”
“I’m not asking you to protect yourself from now on, but at least use magic.
No, it doesn’t have to be magic. You can run away or ask someone for help.
Just act on your own, that’s all you need to do. I’ll help you until you can
manage on your own. Understand?”
“Um…yes……”

“Hmm.”
I patted Ifa’s head when she was down.
“…… You’re being a little too harsh, Seika-dono. Ifa is a woman. Why
should she learn to fight?”
“She’sa woman but, she has power. What good is it if she can’t wield it
when she should?”
“……”

“It
seems the front of the castle gate is open. It’s time to go back to the
wagon. Come on, Ifa.”
“Mm.”

I walked to the carriage, taking the tearful Ifa’s hand.

I feel a little sorry for her, but it can’t be helped.
Cowering in fear happens to everyone.
In such a situation, a person cannot move unless he or she is strongly patted
on the back.
In my case, it was the only sibling I was close with who was eaten in front
of me.
I’ve never forgotten that time.
I still use that ghostly creature, which I sealed in a phase with my mind, as a
pawn.
I didn’t want her to feel that way.
Proto Asta was a bustling but historical city.
Unlike Rodnea, where development is relatively new, or the Imperial City,
which had been burned down in a large fire in the past, there were many old
buildings remaining.
I wanted to do some sightseeing, but I was too tired to do so that day.
There was no dinner. The prince also didn’t take care of the political affairs
that had accumulated and said he would take a rest soon.
Well, that’s understandable.
******
The next day.
Me and Ifa came to the library that had been built in the old castle.
The purpose, of course, was to look up dragon records.
I thought we would be able to find more documents in this city than we
could in Rodnea, but we were surprised to find a library that was more
magnificent than we had expected. It’s said that most of the books in Astilia
are copied and collected here.
It’s very difficult to find documents in Astilia because of this.
However, because of that, I was able to find more materials than I expected.
We are now examining the contents of the books.
Ifa is also helping me. But she can’t read the ancient language, so it’s not
going as smoothly as I’d hoped.
“Where did you learn such a thing, Seika-kun?”
“In the library of the mansion.”
It’s one of the different languages I learned as a child.
I can’t speak or hear, but I can read and write with no problem.
Although the official language of the empire is used in Astilia now, there
was a lot of archaic material when it came to records from over a hundred
years ago.
And the older the books, the more unknown information is written.
Some of them seemed important.
“Seika-kun……I’ve finished my part. Did you find anything?”
Ifa, who looked tired, walked up to me.
There were quite a lot of documents in the official languages alone. But,
from the looks of things, I guess she didn’t find anything.
I nodded and answered.
“Yes.It seems that something similar to the current situation occurred about
150 years ago.”
There’s no clear record of the birth of the Astilian dragon, since it happened
several hundred years ago.
It is said that he was hatched from an egg by the queen, but this is not
certain. What is certain is that for several hundred years after he became an
adult, he lived together with the residents of the city in their territory around
the mountains.
This changed a little over 200 years ago.
One day, another dragon arrived on their territory.
At first, Astilia’s dragon chased the unwanted intruder away, but eventually
they came to live together in the mountains.
The Astilian dragon was a male, and the new dragon was a female.
After both dragons became mates, they stopped showing interest in the
people of the city.
The residents, who had been afraid of the dragon at first, gradually began to
accept her, and life returned to the town as it had been before.
However, about 50 years later, the dragons changed again.
Both dragons became more cautious, attacking stray livestock and
threatening people who came from outside.
Just like now.
That was 150 years ago.
At that time, we soon found out why.
One day, about a year after the strange behavior, a baby dragon began to be
seen on the mountain where they lived.
“Oh, so you mean they were trying to raise a baby?”
“That’s what it must have been.”
It’s not unusual for creatures to become ill-tempered before spawning or
while raising their young.
It may be that they were attacking livestock and couldn’t build up their
strength with the magic of the land alone.
The little dragon grew up well.
It’s said that spawning took place several times at different times, with the
first-born offspring taking care of the later-born.
When the young dragons grew up, they left the nest.
There’s no record of where they went. However, it’s certain that they went
to faraway places anyway.
After all the young dragons had left the nest and after nearly fifty more
years had passed, the —- female dragon died.
The record says she died of natural causes.
I don’t know if monsters have a life span. However, even among the yokai,
such as nine tailed foxes, they eventually die after mating and giving birth
to their offspring. Perhaps it was something similar to that.
After that, the dragon of Astilia became very quiet.
Their territory became much smaller and their aggression toward the city’s
enemies and monsters had completely disappeared.
This was about a hundred years ago.
This was the reason why Astilia became a vassal state of the empire in the
first place.
At that time, the demon tribe was showing signs of invasion.
Astilia, which had lost several of its forts and could no longer rely on the
dragons that had been the absolute guardians of the capital, entered into a
relationship of kinship with the imperial family and came under their
protection by inviting their army into the country.
Although Astilia was effectively ruled by the imperial family, it was
probably unable to turn its back on them.
Perhaps because of this, the demon tribe’s army gave up further invasion
and retreated.
Soon after, the capital was relocated for administrative reasons and this city
became the former royal capital.
Even today, the land is owned by the king and it is customary to have a
chief elected from the royal family to rule. Right now, Prince Cecilio is it.
The dragon of Astilia must have been quietly watching the various changes
in the city for a long time.
Until recently.
“Iknow that’s the case…… but I don’t think it has much to do with what
happened here.”
Ifa said.
“Right now, there’s only that one dragon, right?”
“Yes.
The one they have now is a male. I don’t think he’s raising a child.
But…”
I can’t believe that they are not related.
It’s just a hunch, as usual.
In times like this …… I guess I’ll have to take action.
“I’m going to climb the mountain.”
“Eh? You don’t …. mean the mountain that’s inhabited by the dragon?”
“Yes.”

The best way to find out is to visit the area and actually see the dragon up
close.
Observation is important in both biology and yokai research.
Ifa said, stunned.
“It’s
dangerous. No matter how much strong you are, Seika-kun, you’re no
match for a dragon……”
“Idon’t intend to fight. If he sees me, I’ll just run away. It might be
impossible to win, but running is not that hard.”
In fact, it is much easier to just beat him.
“If that’s the case, I’ll go too.”
“No, you’ll have to wait for me. It’s probably not going to last more than a
day and it’s dangerous.”
I might have to use some arts and yokai that I don’t want to show too much.
The situation was indeed different from when I went into the mountains to
search for magic stones in the territory.
“Ah, you’re right …..”
I smile and say to Ifa, who looks a little depressed, as if she’s worried about
what will happen when I get angry.
“You don’t have to worry about it. I haven’t thought about taking you to the
mountains from the beginning. You originally had a summer vacation, so
take it easy.”
“…… yes.”

Ifa nods dejectedly.

Hmm…… I may have said a little too much yesterday.
That night.
As I was thinking about what I should prepare for tomorrow, there was a
knock at the door of the room I had been assigned.
I thought it was a servant, but when I answered the door, I found Ifa
standing there, dressed in her nightgown.
Looking a little anxious, Ifa says.
“Seika—kun, a while ago, a maid came to my room and she told me that
His Highness Cecilio wanted to see me……”
“…… What? You? At this hour?”
“She said he wanted to talk to me…..”
I pull a face.
Hey….. there’s an order to this kind of thing.
The first thing to do is to send a song with a love letter. …… No, this was a
story from my previous life.
I mean come on, even if you’re a hundred steps ahead of me, how much of
a position does he think he’s in….. No, this was also in a previous life and
the other party was a noble man’s son, not a prince.
No, calm down. I’m confused.
But what’s the deal with that prince? She’s not your lover, she’s not your
lady-in-waiting. I mean, really, is this really the time to be worrying about
women?
“What should I do?……”
I waved my hand at Ifa, who looked like she was about to cry.
“Oh, you don’t have to go. I’ll tell His Highness about it.”
“Umm, yeah. It’s just that…….”
“…… perhaps you’re anxious to be alone in your room?”
“…… yes.”

Ifa nodded.
Even though there is a room for visitors, this is the official residence of the
proto-vassals. No wonder.
“Then, do you want to sleep over here?”
“Um…mm.”

“Okay. Come here.”

Ifa nodded, and I smiled and invited her in.
I remember that in my previous life, a disciple who had just lost a parent or
had been burned in a war would sleep beside me and my brothers and
sisters because they were afraid to sleep alone. I remember that somehow.
But in the case of this girl, I’m having a little trouble with my …… eyes.
I knew she was skinny in her uniform. Come to think of it, Ifa is getting
bigger too, so it’s no wonder since she’s growing. ……
No, let’s not go any further.
I said as I turned off some of the lights.
“I’ll stay up a little longer and sleep on the couch later.”
“Eh? I’m sorry. I’m just a servant…….”
“No problem. Children are not reserved.”
“Seika-kun, you’re younger than me….. Then… how about we sleep
together?”
“Eh?”

“Well, look, the bed here is big, so …… two people can sleep together.”
I smiled a little as I replied to Ifa, who said fearfully.
“Well, let’s do that. Then I think I’ll go to bed too.”
As I turn off the light, Yuki wriggles on my head and says in my ear.
“Eh …. Seika-sama. If so, Yuki is going somewhere……”
“Why? I’d rather you not go out right now because they’ll find you if you
do.”
When I whispered back, Yuki was silent for a moment, and then she
squirmed back into my head. What was that about?
I turn off the last light, and Ifa, who was stiffening next to the bed, says.
“Thank you.”
“What….? it’s okay. Come on in.”
I rolled up the quilt as I lay down on the bed, and Ifa slipped in as well.
I thought about it as I gazed absentmindedly at the canopy.
I was a little worried about leaving Ifa here alone and entering the
mountain. I’ll leave the shikigami here just in case. I’m certain much
attention won’t be paid to me, so I’ll have to make sure I have the right
formula.
The room was lit only by moonlight.
Unlike in Japan, the nights are quiet even in summer.
There are no rice paddies because rice cultivation is not popular and thanks
to this, you don’t hear frogs or insects croaking.
Maybe this would be a good time to talk.
“Ifa.”

“Ha… hai!”
I say to Ifa, who shouts in a crazy voice next to me.
“What do you think of Prince Cecilio?”
“Eh….?”

I was so surprised to hear her voice take on a puzzled tone.

“What do you mean in particular. ………..?.”
“Have you given any thought to the idea of joining His Highness’ Harem?”
“Eh …… I haven’t thought about it! Why suddenly ask about that…?”
“You don’t have to hold back. You can be honest with me.”
“Why …… am I so annoying?”
“—–Eh?”

Ifa says in a quivering voice.

“I apologize for yesterday. …… I’ll learn to use magic properly. I’m going
to learn to read in languages other than the official one… I promise!”
“No, no… that’s not it!”
I lay back and look at Ifa next to me.
The girl’s eyes were wet even in the dim light.
“It’s a misunderstanding. It’s not that you got in the way.”
“If that’s the case…. Then why?”
“I don’t think it’s a bad idea.”
I’m just saying.
It pains me to break my promise to Mabel, but …… I still think we should
talk about this properly.
“Although it is only a tributary state of the empire, it’s the rear palace of
the royal family. Unless you are the daughter of an influential nobleman,
it’s not a place you can enter even if you really wanted to. You might have
a hard time if you don’t have any backing, but I think you’ll be able to
make it. You may have a difficult time getting in because of me, and
you’ve made so many friends at the academy….. If you want, I can
arrange for your release in Astilia. And you can stay here in this
country.”
“I don’t wan’t that……”
“Of course you don’t have to decide right now. You’ll have some regrets
because of school. But think about it. You will be an adult soon.”
“What about you, Seika-kun?”
“Hmm?”

“Seika-kun, don’t you think anything of me entering the rear palace?”

I give it a little thought and replied Ifa who spoke with a quivering voice.
“I’ll be lonely… But…… everyone has to go their own way eventually.”
“…..I understand.”
 Efa wipes her eyes and smiles at me.
“Thank you for thinking about me. I’m really glad that Seika-kun became
the master.”
“……yes”

“I’m not too keen on it, but …… I’ll give it some thought.”
“Oh.”

“Then…… good night, Seika-kun.”

Having said that, Ifa turned to face the other side.
After gazing at her expressionless profile for a while, I turned my body onto
my back, closed my eyes, and murmured to myself.
“Good night, Ifa.”
****************
The next morning.
When I woke up, Ifa was already gone.
The sun had already risen. I had slept a little too much.
“Seika-sama …… that was somewhat harsh.”
As I was getting dressed, Yuki, who was sitting on the table, spoke to me.
“What is it?”
“It’s
about last night, sir. She was told that if she wanted to enter the rear
palace, she could. …… I’m gradually taking pity on the girl……”
“What about it?”
“Before, I told you that …… that slave girl was in love with you, Seika-
sama.”
“Huh? What are you talking about? When did you tell me”
I buttoned up my shirt and was dumbfounded.
“You’re still pulling out the same old story from more than a year ago?”
“Yuki understands. She’s been in love with you, Seika-sama ever since that
time. Of course, even now.”
“I wonder…”
Yuki seems to have a strange fondness for human colorful affairs and is
definitely preoccupied.
I sighed and said.
“You know what? This time, no matter what, it’s Ifa’s problem. Whether
she accepts or rejects the invitation is her decision to make. I’m not going
to get in the way. I’ll just leave it to her.”
“Is that what you believe in….?”
I explained to the puzzled Yuki after a little bit of stammering.
“…… Remember that girl I had as an apprentice? You see, she was good at
astrology and cooking.”
“Ah, she had good dexterity.”
“Oh, yeah. And there was a boy who used to come to my place all the time,
obviously for her.”
“Ithink he was the son of a nobleman. The girl seemed to enjoy talking to
him and seemed to be in love with him.”
“Yes. I did complain to him once, though, right? “.
“Oh….. yes. You said something like, “You come here too often,” in a
slightly frightening tone….”
“And then he stopped coming to the office that day, didn’t he?”
“…… yes.”

“Do you remember what happened?”

“………… She didn’t talk to you anymore. For about ten days.”
“I’ll tell you now, that was quite a shock for me.”
“Seika-sama, you were more upset than I’ve ever seen you.”
“I’ve never had a student hate me like that before.”
I remember the time when she told me in tears that she didn’t have any
master. I wondered if this is how a father feels when his daughter hates him.
I wondered what would have happened if he had not come to see her again.
“I’ve decided since then not to meddle in the affairs of my disciples. No, Ifa
is not my disciple.”
“Hmmm…..”

Yuki pondered.
“That’s fine, but …… in this case, isn’t it different again? Because who the
slave girl is really thinking of is you, Seika-sama……”
“Even if it were a hundred steps.”
I sighed and continued.
“Ifawill soon be fifteen. She knows that she can’t choose a marriage
partner based on likes and dislikes.”
“You have a good point, but she’s not of noble birth, you know. She may
choose her husband out of love.”
“It’s
because she’s not of noble birth. She can’t depend on her parents, it’s
always better to marry somewhere with money. Besides……”
I added, after some hesitation.
“…… affection is something that comes later than you might think.”
“Mmm…… hmm?”
Yuki ears perk up.
“Seika-sama, have you… experienced it by any chance?”
“Hmm …… well…
“Seika-sama, were you ever married …… before?”
“When I was young, but only briefly.”
“Eh!!!?”

Yuki suddenly cheered.

She then leaned forward and wound up as if she was excited.
“Really? I never heard of it!”
“That’s because I didn’t tell you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me such an important thing?”
“Well, I didn’t have a chance to …… and it’s not that important…….”
“I’m curious…. How old were you? What was your wife like? How did you
get married? How did Seika whisper your love to her?”
“Ah……You’re noisy!”
I covered my ears.
“Your highness. It seems that you called my squire last night, did you have
any instructions for me?”
That morning.
I called out to the prince, who was out on the terrace between official
duties.
The prince smiled and replied,
“I wanted to talk to her for a while. I was rejected.”
“She seemed troubled, so I told her there was no need to go. I hope you will
refrain from such calls from now on, Your Highness. She has not yet
decided to join the palace, and she is not your maid.”
The prince turns to me with a straight face and says,
“Ithink I may have misled you somehow. I really just wanted to talk to her
over a cup of tea.”
“At such a time of night?”
“I’m usually up late at night because of my official duties. Everyone usually
adjusts to my schedule, so my sense of time seems to have been a little off. I
apologize.”
The prince apologizes honestly.
But it’s doubtful.
“Would you please apologize to Ifa as well?”
“……Please do that on your own. If you really want to invite her to the
palace, that is.”
The prince’s eyes widened in surprise at my answer.
“I’m surprised. I had thought you would refuse to allow Ifa to enter the
palace.”
“….. In the first place, your highness, do you really intend to bring that child
into the rear palace?”
“Of course.”
 The prince nodded widely.
“What is it that you like so much about her?”
“The way she looks, I suppose.”
“…….”

“I’m not talking only about her beauty. I’m talking about her intelligence.”
The prince said, a little embarrassed.
“I’m guessing but…… Ifa is one of the best students in that school, isn’t
she?”
“Well, she usually comes in first or second in the written exam.”
“I knew it!”
The prince said happily.
“The
queen is also customarily involved in political affairs in Astiria. The
woman who will be my wife must be intelligent.”
“Huh.”

“Inaddition, …… Ifa is very beautiful and pretty. She has the flair to be the
face of the country. What’s more, she’s also my type……”
The prince coughed once and continued.
“As for me, if possible, I would like to have her as the first queen and have
her support the king’s political affairs.”
The prince said in a serious tone.
Then he looked at me with a delicate expression.
“Idon’t care if she’s a slave or not. I don’t care …… if she and Seika were
once close friends. Her past will also be kept under wraps.”
“I don’t have that kind of relationship with …… Ifa.”
“Mu,is that so. However, for a squire and a master, you guys seemed
somewhat close……”
“She is what is called a domestic birth slave. She was brought up in the
house with me since she was a little girl. She’s like a younger sister to me.
Although I’m younger.”
“I see, that makes sense. If that’s the case, then …… Seika-dono, I would
like to ask you again. Will you give her to me?”
“……”

“Iwill pay any amount of money. I’m sure that entering the rear palace of
Astiria will be a blessing for Ifa. In your capacity as her brother, could you
wish for her happiness?”
“If you’re asking me to sell her, I won’t do it.”
I said.
“Butif she wants to enter the rear palace herself, …… then I will free her
from her slave status in this country. That won’t be a problem.”
“Mhm, I, I see. ……. Then…….”
The prince said with some difficulty.
“I wonder if I can get you to talk her into it.”
What?
“I’m afraid she’s avoiding me……”
“You…”

I said, my face scrunched up.

“You should at least try to seduce girls yourself. Your Highness, you’re a
prince, aren’t you? You’re good-looking, and probably not many people
are as fortunate as you are, and…….”
And at this point, I shut my mouth.
I was about to start a sermon.
“Anyway, I’ll only respect Eefa’s wishes. I don’t intend to do anything
unnecessary.”
“I see, no, that’s the right thing to do. Seika-dono really is thinking about
Ifa, isn’t it?”
Then the prince asked quietly.
“When …… would she be willing to be freed from her slave status?”
I answer with a slight furrow of my brow.
“Well,there’s nothing good about being a slave. I would like to free her, but
the Empire requires adult guardianship to do so. At the academy, I’m a bit
confined.
“I see……I understand.”
The prince nodded firmly, while I wondered what he had understood.
I then remembered another thing I wanted to talk about.
“Bythe way, Your Highness. Tomorrow I am going to enter the mountain
where the dragons live.”
“What!? …… that mountain? That’s reckless. It’s too dangerous.”
“I’ll be fine. I just want to arrange some supplies. May I ask?”
“Ah,aah, I’ll have my subordinates prepare them, but…… is there
something you need so much as to need such an arrangement?”
“It might take a few days, so I need food and a change of clothes.”
“Certainly, it will take more than a day to enter the mountain and
investigate,…… but I see, it will take several days,…….”
The prince mumbled something and then nodded broadly.
“I understand. I will arrange everything you need for your investigation.”
I watched him and thought to myself, scrutinizing him.
“…..Thank you”
He’s …….
I hope he’s not thinking of something extra.
****
The next day.
I was carrying my backpack up the mountain behind Protoasta.
The prince had prepared exactly what I had asked for, but it was not until
this morning that I found it all, probably because it was so urgent.
Thanks to this, our departure was a little later than planned.
Yuki asked over my head,
“Is the dragon’s nest far away?”
“It’s
far away. We have to make a detour to get there. We won’t be there by
nightfall, so we’ll have to camp somewhere.”
Normally, birds do not fly at night.
However, monsters do not have a problem with darkness, as evidenced by
the fact that they did not hesitate to attack us when we encountered them in
the dungeon.
There are records of dragons flying in the sky at night.
I didn’t want to deal with it in the dark too much.
Normally, camping out in the mountains would be fatal, but beasts and
small fry monsters could be managed with barriers and shikigami.
If I wanted, I could use owls and light jutsu to keep going through the
night, but I didn’t want to tire myself out on the first day.
There was no need to overdo it.
The destination, the current location, and the surrounding terrain are all
grasped by hawks and crows.
If a beast or monster is nearby, I can easily sense it by a mouse or a white-
tailed hawk.
The mountain, where no man has ever set foot, is like a garden to me.
“……”

However, I was very worried about Ifa, who came to see me off..
I’ll return as soon as possible.
After seeing Seika off to the mountain where the dragon lives.
Ifa was returning alone to the room where she was staying.
It makes me feel uncomfortable.
Naturally, a sigh escaped me.
When it was decided that I could go with him to Astiria, I thought that this
would allow me to do a little work as a squire and be useful to Seika.
But in reality, I was just slowing us down.
With these thoughts in mind, I opened the door to the room I was assigned.
There was a guest in the room.
“Hmm, did you come back?”
Ifa’s eyes flashed.
There was the subhuman woman who had been by Prince Cecilio’s side at
the school.
Transparent white skin and pointed ears.
Ifa knew that this was a characteristic of the forest elf race.
Strangely, she was not afraid.
Perhaps it was because she had the impression that they were a sacred race
that appeared in the fairy tales she liked.
However
The current situation is slightly confusing.
“Eh, um……what do you want?”
“I wanted to talk to you alone once. Well, sit down.”
The forest elf woman —- or Rize, as she was called, urged me to do so as if
she were the master of the room.
Reluctantly, Ifa sits on a chair beside her.
Rize doesn’t try to sit down herself, but walks around the room and starts
talking.
“ProtoAsta is a nice place.”
“……Is that so……”
“The city has a history, its inhabitants are good people, and above all, it is
rich in the magic of the land. It is because of this abundance of magical
power that our race of woodland elves have been in close contact with
Astiria since ancient times, and that dragon has watched over this city for so
long.”
“Well, I don’t …… know much about magic power or anything like that…”
“No, you know what I mean.”
The forest elf turns her green twin eyes straight at Ifa.
“There are so many spirits. You should have guessed that much.”
“Eh, I’m sorry, I’m not ……, no, I mean, I don’t know what ……”
“There’s no need to fool around.”
As she said this, Rize raised her hand and pinched the blue fish —- water
spirit that was swimming in the air with her slender fingers.,
“There are many spirits in this land, but it is rare for a city to be so full of
them, especially one’s like this, the Children of Blue. Perhaps that’s why
many of the children born in this city have an aptitude for the water
attribute.”
When Rize releases her finger, the blue fish swims away in a hurry.
Ifa, who had been following it with her eyes, turned away when she noticed
Rize’s gaze.
Then I look up at the fearful forest elf.
“… Why can I see that …”
“Something’s wrong if you don’t. Who would think that someone who
collects so many spirits without magic stones and tools doesn’t intend to do
so? When I saw you in the cafeteria of the school, I was surprised, but soon
I realized that this girl was our descendant. “
“I’m a descendant of …….”
Ifa raises a confused voice.
“You mean “offspring” right? I am……?”
“Yes, you are. Few people know about it anymore, but the magic of our
forest elves is very different from the magic used by other races and
monsters.”
Rize continues, looking down at Ifa.
“The power to communicate with the spirits is the power of the forest elf..
At the school, you call upon the spirits you have gathered and use magic,
don’t you? Your magic is the very magic of the elf of the woods.”
“Bu … but”
Ifa says, puzzled.
“I’m an ordinary human being. I don’t even have as much magic power as
you do.”
From the first time I saw Rize, a vast array of colorful spirits swirled around
her.
She must have a lot of magical power.
Rize, when told, laughed and answered,
“Don’t use me as a benchmark. You’re still quite skilled. Well, it is true that
you have little magic power. Besides, you have little tribal characteristics
but that’s a minor problem. …… Which of your parents is blonde?”
“Uh, well, it’s my mother. ……”
“If
so, there must have been a forest elf in the distant ancestor of your
mother.”
“But …”
“The amount of magical power is greater or lesser among the races. The
characteristics of their appearance also disappear as their human blood
thickens. But the way you looked at the spirits is different. It’s the
unmistakable sign of our people. …… Did your mother see them too? If
she didn’t, then you’re a very special throwback. Good for you.”
「……」

Ifa was stunned.

She had never expected to discover the roots of her power in such a place.
She had never thought that she was the descendant of a sacred race, that she
once read about in a fairy tale.
Rize speaks to the speechless Ifa in a calm tone.
“This,too, is the guidance of the spirits. I too am glad to have unexpectedly
met my fellow compatriot. But …… at the same time, I feel sorry for you.
Being a slave, you must have gone through a lot of hardship.”
“Oh, no. ……”
“Asa matter of fact, I’m here today to persuade you on behalf of our young
master.”
The forest elf tells me with a smile.
“Come to the Harem of Astiria, Ifa”
“Eh!”
“It’s
an interesting place. I used to be a member there, and I can assure you.
Our young master is a bit unreliable because he’s still young, but he’s not a
bad man. I’m sure he’ll at least show his worthiness to rescue you from
your current master. But that doesn’t mean you have to become a
queen……”
“Uh, um, excuse me!”
Ifa interrupted in a rush.
Then, looking away, she said.
“I’m glad you feel that way. But …… I still won’t enter the palace.”
Originally, Ifa had no intention of being there.
Even when Seika told her, she couldn’t picture herself there.
“And……even now, I’m happy enough. The school is fun, and Seika-kun is
also gentle. That’s why I don’t want to leave him.”
“… What are you talking about?”
“eh”

Ifa saw Rize’s face.

She is confused.
There was an expression that she couldn’t understand.
“Are you …… willing to remain a slave to that boy?”
“Eh, that……”
“Iinvited you to the palace not because I thought it would open the way for
you to get ahead or become queen, but because I thought that if the young
master was going to buy you from him, it would be the best thing for you.
Of course, your young master probably didn’t realize it. ……”
“Huh, wait. What are you talking about? If you’re saying bad things about
Seika-kun, I’ll get angry too!”
“…… you should have noticed too.”
Rize said in a slightly tense voice.
“That boy is a monster.”
“Monster?”
I was about to say something, but stopped.
Because I knew what Rize was trying to say.
“Yes, you would know…… That boy has every spirit… keeping their
distance…. from him. It is not that they do not gather because he has no
magic power. They avoid him. It’s as if he’s wearing a miasma …….”
Rize continues in a hard voice.
“When I first saw you at the academy, I was surprised. But then I
immediately noticed something different about the boy sitting next to you
and froze. The spirits you were wearing were strangely distant from the boy,
not even one near him. I had never seen anything like that before.”
The sound of something eerie being recalled mingles in her voice.
“Icouldn’t help thinking, the demon king that once existed was surely such
a person.”
“Sure,
Seika-kun is a little different, but … but he’s a human being. Not a
demon king, he’s not even a demon.”
“Not a demon, ……. Are you sure?”
Rize asks.
“What do you know about that boy?”
“Seika and I grew up together at the mansion. So I’ve known him since I
was little.”
“Are the boy’s parents really Count Lamprog and his wife?”
“Oh ………… no, the count is his father, but …… his mother is a
mistress.”
“Do you know his mother?”
“……No.”

“How can you be so sure that the woman wasn’t a demon? Is his father
really the count in the first place?”
“……”

“You’re not much older than that boy. You won’t know what happened
before you were old enough to remember. How can you say that he didn’t
show any abnormality in his childhood? No…After you’ve learned
something, what do you think? Is there nothing really abnormal about the
boy?”
Ifa can’t answer.
If you think about it … Seika has been obviously abnormal for a long time.
It was not only that he could use magic despite his lack of magical power.
How could a small child live with such a white eye from his older brother,
mother, and servants?
I wonder if it is possible for someone to learn on his own, make headway
without fear of monsters, and to even get himself accepted into a magic
academy where he was not supposed to be able to go.
That mysterious magic that he learned in the library of the mansion is also
an unusual thing.
Despite having been together since childhood, I know very little about
Seika myself.
There is something seriously hidden.
I just have that feeling.
“……but”

Ifa says to shake off the doubt.

“Seika is a human being and a good person. I believe so.”
“To believe is to not think”
Rize said, as if to pour cold water on me.
“It’s
no different from asking God for help. It’s the equivalent of closing
your eyes and holding your hands together to get the desired result in a dice
game.”
“……”

“Idon’t know what that boy is or why the spirits avoid him, but he’s too
different, to blindly trust his goodness. You have no reason to stay with
him.”
“…..”

“Come to the palace, Ifa. You must stay away from that dangerous master.”
“……but……”

Then Rize said, as if suddenly realizing.

“You … maybe you’re misunderstanding?”
“eh……?”

“The Astirian palace is more than just a place where the king’s wives and
mistresses live and paint a sordid love-hate picture.”
“What!, isn’t it?”
Rize holds her head.
“I’m afraid… It was from there. I thought that the affairs of our consort was
well known in the empire.”
Then Rize says, as she has regained her composure.
“OK, I’ll show you.”
“Eh ?”
“It’s
faster to look at it directly than to say it all. Tomorrow we shall go to
Asta, the capital.”
“Well, okay…But I don’t have the permission to…”
“Is that boy telling you not to move from here?”
“It’s not like that, but ……”
“Iguess it won’t be a problem, he won’t be back from the mountain for a
few days anyway. The capital is close. If we leave tomorrow, we can be
back before noon the day after tomorrow.”
“………”

“It’s not too late to refuse, but only after you’ve seen it for yourself.”
To be honest, I didn’t feel like it.
However, the words Seika had said to me two nights ago came back to me
unexpectedly.
―――― Everyone has to go their own way eventually.
――――you’re about to become an adult.
Ifa was nodding when she noticed.
The morning of the second day after entering the mountain.
I had reached my destination, the summit of the mountain.
It’s an open area with a gentle slope.
The mountain path had been forest all along, but only in this area were there
unnaturally no trees, but instead there were a number of craggy rocks lying
around.
It was clear that the dragons had burned down the trees, knocked them over,
and carried away the boulders, as charred trunks could be seen here and
there.
The lord of the dwelling place created in this way is now leaning his head
back in front of my eyes.
There was a glint in the eye behind the stern scales.
I smiled as I was gazed by it.
“Hi”

A cheerful greeting to the huge dragon.

After all, it is huge.
It must have been more than ten meters long (about 30 feet) including its
tail. The head alone is more than my height.
The dragon, which had been sleeping on top of a nest of rocks, stared at me
with eyes that clearly looked at me as if i were the enemy.
“Gurururuoooooo — !!”
Suddenly, the dragon growled.
The jaw with the fangs is wide open, and the faint red light begins to flicker.
The next moment, a breath of fire was exhaled.
A flame that can swallow me whole creates a path of heat and light on the
mountaintop.
“— Well, it doesn’t work on the barrier.”
Seeing me emerge unscathed from the flames, the dragon repeatedly
exhaled his breath in frustration.
But, of course, it’s the same no matter how many times you do it.
“……oh?”

At that moment, the dragon suddenly spread its wings.

A faint flow of power. With a leisurely flap of its wings, its huge body
floats in the air, as if by magic. I frown at the fierce gust of wind.
Normally, such a huge body would not be able to fly.
But the denser air makes takeoff easier. It seems that they can manipulate
air pressure like a higher dragon. It’s much smaller in scale than that which
causes storms, though.
I turned my head to look at the dragon as it flew off into the sky above the
mountain.
I wonder what he’s going to do. I don’t think he’s going to run away. ……
And just then, the dragon circled in the air.
It swoops down with its eyes straight at me.
This time, unlike when I first encountered him, It doesn’t seem to be
intimidated.
A huge body looms up close.
The moment I was caught by its thick claws that opened up—- I swapped
positions with a nearby shikigami.
A shikigami slips between the dragon’s claws.
The limbs that had failed to grab me had instead hit a huge rock nearby,
smashing the top half of it.
Oh wow, scary, scary.
The dragon, which seems to be wondering why it struck out, turns its huge
body again in mid-air.
It’s time to get serious.
I open a portal with the shikigami that was flying right above the dragon.
《Summon: Kokyu-Konaki-jiji》
What emerged from the spatial distortion was a baby with the face of an old
man.
The demon Ayakashi, who has an ugly appearance, clings to the back of the
flying dragon as it is, distorting his wrinkled face and itching.
Then he began to cry loudly.
“Fungyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa”

At that moment, the —- dragon’s body sank in mid-air.

The dragon flaps its wings repeatedly as if in a panic but each time the baby
cries, it loses altitude.
“Gruaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

One loud cry went up and the —- dragon crashed to the top of the
mountain.
The violent impact causes Kokyu Konakijiji to tumble off the dragon’s
back.
“Ah……”

“Fugi!”

The youkai who sank into the ground from his face … screamed like a
crushed frog and stopped moving.
…… I’m a little sorry for him.
He doesn’t attach to the opponent with supernatural power, he just clings to
them with grip strength.
Was it indeed too much to ask him to deal with a flying dragon?
However, he did well.
Konaki-jiji is a demon that cries in the mountains disguised as a baby and
crushes people who are carrying it on their backs in pity.
Each time it’s cries, they become heavier, up to a maximum weight of ten
times the weight of the person carrying them.
Against that dragon, it would have been about 50,000 kan (*about 190 tons)
if it was bad…….
As I was putting Konaki-jiji back into phase, the weighted-down dragon
was about to spread its wings again.
There, I point at a Hitogata.
“No, no, no. Stay calm”
《Soil phase ――― The art of fire nets》
A cast net woven with white thick rope covered the dragon.
The resisting dragon rampages violently and exhales fire breath in all
directions.
But the white cast net neither tears nor burns out.
Yuki looks up fearfully and says.
“… It’s a very sturdy net, isn’t it?”
“Because it is made of asbestos-woven rope.”
Asbestos is a very tough material and heat resistant.
Exposure to fire will only burn the dirt and clean it.
Eventually, perhaps tired, the dragon stopped rampaging.
However, it is still staring at me and making subtle snarling noises.
“Why didn’t you just catch him with this cast net and the art of the abyss
instead of using a yokai?”
It would be dangerous if the wings suddenly stopped working in mid-air.”
…… it’s rare to see her ponder the core of things.
“Hmm… Well, this time I’m the uninvited guest.”
Also, I can’t afford to defeat it without permission.
Yuki says in a tone of voice that sounds like she’s disappointed.
“Hmm. However, the monsters in this world are weak.”
“Ah, but this guy is probably as strong as a regular dragon.”
“Oh … is that so?”
Yuki pulled back her outstretched neck.
I start walking.
“Well, let’s start by checking out this guy’s nest.”
As I approached a bed of rocks, the dragon began to howl and lash out.
Ignoring it, I put my foot on the rock pile.
Then I looked into the nest.
It is blindingly obvious.
There was a pale yellow, oval sphere that was covered with sand.
Yuki, stretching her neck, mutters.
“ Seika-sama, I could it be……”
I touch the surface of the sphere lightly.
It’s smooth. It’s heavy and looks pretty hard, but … no doubt.
“―――― It’s an egg.”
The art of fire netting
The technique of capturing an object with a net made of asbestos. The
tensile strength of asbestos (chrysotile) is 30,000 kg / m ^ 2. This is more
than piano wire, and the strength of the twisted rope theoretically exceeds
that of carbon steel wire. Furthermore, it is rich in flexibility, chemical
resistance, and abrasion resistance, and when it comes to heat resistance, it
boasts a decomposition temperature of 450 to 700 ° C, which far exceeds
that of piano wire, and a melting point of 1,521 ° C.
“What do you mean, Seika-sama?”
Yuki mutters in bewilderment.
It’s clear what this means.
This dragon was in the middle of raising a child.
It probably laid the egg in the last few days, when the frequency of flight
had decreased.
The reason it had been acting strangely for a year was to prepare for egg-
laying. It attacked stray livestock because it could not build up strength with
the magic of the land alone.
That explains everything.
The problem is.
Why is this dragon raising a child? ……
“Thatmonster is a male, isn’t it ……? Then does that mean that there’s a
female, a mating pair?”
“No, that shouldn’t be true.”
How could there be another dragon like that and no one would notice?
“Then why …”
I’ll mention one possibility.
“… Sex change”
“eh?”

“This dragon has become a female.”

I’ll explain to Yuki, who may not understand.
“Many fish change sex depending on their environment. I’ve heard that a
male can become a female and a female can become a male as well.”
In Rome, where having a fish tank in one’s residence was once a status
symbol and fish breeding was popular, a renowned naturalist kept detailed
records.
“One of the conditions for a sex change to occur was the absence of the
opposite sex around. Perhaps this dragon changed sex somewhere between
the death of its mate and now. Perhaps that was the cause of the change a
hundred years ago, when the territory became smaller and more docile.”
Although I have never heard of terrestrial beasts changing sex, many of
them change the sex ratio depending on the temperature at the time of birth
and other factors. The sexes of living creatures are, in fact, quite fluid.
“No, but, Seika-sama…”
Yuki bites down.
“Even if It’s a female, it still has no mate, right? How did it have a baby?”
“It’s actually not uncommon for a creature to reproduce only with females.”
I’ll explain again.
“There have been several instances of snakes and lizards that have been kept
by people that have laid eggs and hatched, even though they had no mate.
Not only that, there have even been creatures without males.”
“Oh, there’s such a thing?”
 “I had crucian carps swimming in the pond at my house, didn’t I? At first
it was just one fish.”
It was an accidental discovery, but I was surprised when I noticed it.
“That wasn’t for eating?”
“That was the plan at first, but now I see that it as no wonder that they
reproduce only with females. It’s more advantageous to reproduce in pairs,
but in some environments, that’s not an option.”
“Hohe~……”

Yuki gave a distracted sigh.

“Seika sama’s hobby has come in handy.”
“Hobby … well, but what should I do?”
Now I know why it was acting strange.
But I can’t say the problem is solved.
One could say that they should wait until the pups leave the nest, but past
records indicate that spawning occurred several times.
How long will it take for all the pups to leave the nest?
And then there is the problem of the pups that have left the nest.
One hundred and fifty years ago, the country was independent, but now that
it’s a vassal state, would the empire be willing to let the dangerous dragon’s
children leave the nest as they are?
Surprisingly, the prince’s idea of defeating the dragon seems to be the best
one, but I’m not sure it’s possible with that mercenary group….
I’m not sure I’d want to be a part of it.
Hmm …
As I was looking at the eggs and worrying about them, …… I suddenly
noticed a mark on the sand.
It seemed to be the mark where the egg had rolled.
I had an idea.
“……The Prince said there’s never been a case of a human hatching a
dragon’s egg, and now I know why …….”
“Yes, why?”
“It’s a rolling egg. You have to roll a dragon’s egg.”
I explain again.
“Chickens and other birds generally do this, and if you don’t turn the eggs
around from time to time, the hatchlings will stick to the inside of the
eggshell and die. Conversely, you can’t move the eggs of lizards or turtles,
but in the case of …… parenting dragons, the eggs seem to be more like
birds than lizards. So, something like this……”
I slowly roll the large egg along the trail of sand.
“’You must roll it regularly. The reason the dragon eggs on the market don’t
hatch must be because they neglected to do this. And for what it’s worth,
they don’t do this during transport.”
“…..”

“The legend of Queen Astiria hatching and raising dragons now has some
credence. All we had to do was know how to do it. But just rolling it by
chance probably wouldn’t have worked, so there would have been a big
element of coincidence. ……”
“Seika-sama …… is talking like an otaku ……”
“Shut up.”
Yuki mutters in exasperation, to which I reply with a retort.
It’s fine. She can say what she wants!
“… Oh, that’s right. By the way …”
《Fire phase —- Flame Homura no Jutsu》
Flames burst forth from a few pieces and began to heat up the pile of
rocks that served as the nest.
The areas exposed to the fire gradually became red hot
“Huh? Seika-sama, are you going to make steamed eggs?”
“No. Look closely. It’s just warming up the rocks. The sand on the rocks
keeps the eggs from getting too hot. If you heat the rock pile with a flame
like this, it will keep the eggs warm for a while after they leave the nest.
That’s how the dragons hold their eggs.”
“Why do you know that?”
“Some of the stones were brittle and cracked. It was evidence of repeated
red heat. I mean, they were still a little warm.”
Besides, I had heard that on the far southern islands of Khmer (Cambodia)
and Champa (Vietnam), there are birds that warm their eggs with the heat of
the earth.
This is similar.
Suddenly I noticed that the dragon was much quieter.
I looked, and saw that the dragon was staring at me with eyes behind stern
scales.
I don’t sense any hostility there anymore.
I fly a Hitogata.
“Seika! What are you doing? ……”
With the Hitogata, to which a spell is attached with dispelling technique, the
asbestos web is returned to the phase.
The unleashed dragon shook slightly, but there was no sign that it was about
to lash out or attack.
It just stare at us.
“…… Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”

“What?”

Suddenly it roared, and the dragon spread its wings wide.

Then it used that air pressure magic again and flapped its wings into the
sky.
Both Yuki and I stared in amazement as the dragon flew away.
“…… what was that?”
“Well, I don’t know. ……”
Somehow.
I felt like I was being told to watch the eggs properly.
– *Flame Homura no Jutsu
A technique to create a flame from the air. Efficiency is low because there
is no combustion material.
It took less than half a day by carriage from Proto Asta to the royal city of
Asta.
It was so close that Ifa was a little out of tune.
I didn’t even know why the capital was relocated, but I’m sure there were
various reasons, such as, location, expandability, and ease of laying the
Imperial Highway.
The royal city of Asta was a sophisticated city.
The roads and buildings are rationally laid out, as the history is new and the
area was built in a planned manner.
It wasn’t as big as the imperial capital, but it was big enough for Ifa.
However, she did not come for sightseeing.
Without much time to take in the view of the city, Rize and Ifa headed
straight for the palace harem.
The palace harem was built as a separate building in a section of the interior
of the Astilia Royal Castle.
It is much larger than Ifa had imagined.
How many women live in this?
With that in mind, Ifa followed Rize into the building and —-.
“……that”

“what”

Ifa asks Rize, who returns shortly.

“This is the palace harem……, isn’t it?”
“of course”
“Then, what are you guys doing now?”
“It’s as you see.”
Rize says, as a matter of course.
“They’re taking a lecture”
A room in the palace harem.
It was like a school auditorium.
The tiered desks are attended by well-dressed girls.
A lecture podium was set up in front of the room, and a female faculty
member was explaining in a clear voice while writing mathematical
formulas on a black board with a lime stick.
The content of the lecture was apparently statistics.
When Astilia was an independent country, this was an ordinary palace
harem. In other words, it was a women’s garden where the king’s wives and
mistresses resided, a place of love, hate, and intrigue.
Ifa looks up at Rize, who begins to speak quietly.
“Butthat changed after we became a vassal state of the empire. The reason,
simply put, is that the problem of succession was solved. Women and
adopted sons are now recognized as heirs to the throne.”
“……Did you not have queens in the past?”
“Oh,there weren’t, because it wasn’t recognized by the royal code. Women
were not even allowed to inherit property in the first place.”
“I didn’t realize that……”
“But it was different in the empire. In the days when the empire was in
fierce conflict with the demon tribe long ago, there were so many families
that were facing the crisis of being cut off because of too few men, so they
allowed women to have the right to inherit. And in making Astilia a vassal
state, the empire did not tolerate this discrepancy. Perhaps they saw it as an
obstacle to expanding their economic sphere. Imperial law prevailed, and
women’s inheritance rights were recognized in our country.”
Rize continues.
“And so it went with the succession to the throne. The queen could now
reign. Later, the Imperial Household Law allowed adopted sons to succeed
to the throne, and this completely eliminated the problem of heirs. At the
same time, there was no longer any need for the palace harem.”
“Oh … I see.”
Ifa also understood the meaning.
If only boys could succeed to the throne, the royal family would be severed
when no prince was born. To avoid this at all costs, the palace harem with a
large number of women would be necessary.
But unless the Queen is recognized. Simply, the odds of a heir being born
are doubled.
Besides, if they can adopt a child, they no longer have to worry about an
heir.
Inevitably, there would be no need for the palace harem.
“But … why is that so?”
“It is customary for queens of Astiria to be deeply involved in government
affairs from generation to generation. The royal court had always had a
large number of highly qualified teachers to serve as educators. After the
first queen took the reigns, there was a succession of influential people who
wanted to bring their daughters into the palace for the purpose of education.
It is likely that, as the inheritance of property became possible, more and
more people wanted to entrust their houses to their excellent daughters
when the time came.”
Rize continues.
“And here we are. Now the palace harem is like a girls’ academy. Many of
them will later be involved in national politics, so you could say it’s an
institution for training female bureaucrats.”
“So, …… His Highness Cecilio didn’t have any, you know, special feelings
for me?”
“No”

Rize laughs and says.

“Most of the queens have come from here. In that sense, this is still a harem.
Some even come in for it. …… You were definitely discovered by a young
man.”
“Oh, I see. ……”
That being said, I am still puzzled.
……but.

I felt the place was brighter, more open, and —- better than I had expected.
“—- Yes, well, enough preamble, let’s get you all used to the idea of
statistics first.”
I looked back, and saw a calm female faculty member holding up a dice.
“Here’sthe problem. I rolled this dice, and it rolled six, ten times in a row!
Now, what is the probability of getting a six next time? Let’s see: ……
Cornelia.”
“yes”

A bright blonde girl with a noble air stands up and answers with dignity.
“It’s one-sixth.”
“Thank you”
The female teacher smiles and says.
“Isthere anyone else with an answer? No? ……? Well, you, who came to
see us today.”
The eyes in the auditorium turn to her, and Ifa is surprised and raises her
voice.
“Eh, eh? Me …?”
“Yes, please tell us your thoughts.”
I looked at Rize and she just smiled amusedly.
Having no choice, Ifa replies with a downcast look on her face.
“… I think there will be six next time.”
Immediately, a loud laugh escaped from the entire auditorium.
“You shouldn’t be gambling.”
A girl called Cornelia raises her voice teasingly.
“Have you ever heard of event independence? Whatever outcome you have
seen in the past has nothing to do with the next outcome that comes up.”
When told, Ifa was a bit miffed and retorted.
“The probability of getting six …… ten times in a row is approximately one
in sixty million.”
“……eh?”
“Rather, why do you think that would happen naturally?”
Ifa looks at the female faculty member and says.
“Those dice you’re holding, the weights are skewed ……, they’re all sixes,
aren’t they?”
“Wonderful! A great answer!”
The female faculty member sounded remarkably happy.
She then passed the dice she was holding around to the students, starting
from the seats at the end of the room.
It’s hard to see clearly from here, but judging from the roll of the student’s
eyes ass he held it in her hand, it was probably a six-eyed cheating dice
after all.
“Ifthis were an arithmetic lecture, Cornelia’s answer would be correct. But
this lecture is about statistics, exploring probabilities that no one knows. We
don’t consider bias as just a coincidence, but as such a tendency. It puts
aside preconceived notions and calculates probabilities based on actual
results. That’s what —-”
*****
When the lecture ended, a crowd gathered around Ifa.
“Hey,where are you from?” “Are you really from a magic school?” “Can
you use magic?” “What kind of place is the empire?” “Did you meet His
Royal Highness Cecilio?” Come on? My room is vacant for one person
now! “
“Um…”

In the face of the questions, Ifa was in a panic.

“……Our guest is feeling troubled.”
A stunned voice echoed, and the crowd quieted.
The crowd of people naturally breaks up.
Standing there was the blonde girl from earlier.
The girl speaks to the gaping Ifa.
“I have one question for you.”
 “What, ha…, yes. What is it, ……?”
“…… You don’t have to be so formal. You just calculated the power of six
squared to the tenth power. How did you do that?”
“Um … I didn’t calculate it properly.”
Ifa explains pensively.
“Multiply six three times and you get 216, so let’s consider this as 200 for
now, and multiply it three times for a total of 800,000 Now you have
multiplied six nine times, so multiply it by six one more time, and you get
48,000,000. I think there should really be a little more, so …… probably
means about 60,000,000. I wasn’t too sure, but ……”
The crowd was noisy.
The blonde girl says with a sigh.
“I just did the math and it’s almost right. You have a great mind …… What
is your name?”
“Ifa …”
“No family name, huh?”
The girl with the noble air, however, continues without scorn.
“’The fact that you are here in spite of your low status suggests that you
must be very good at what you do. From the empire, how did you come to
be in the palace harem of Astillia?”
“That’s … I got a call from His Royal Highness, Prince Cecilio …”
Loud cheers rose from the crowd.
The blonde girl says, a little surprised.
“A candidate for queen: ……. No wonder, you’re so talented and have
such a pretty face.”
So the girl quickly held out her hand.
“Cornelia Est Latosa.”
Then she smiles and says.
“Ilook forward to the day when I can compete with you here.., even though
our goals are different, mine as heir to the family throne.”
“Yes, thank you …”
Ifa squeezed her hand back.
A little bit, with a sense of guilt.
*****
“It would have been an interesting place.”
On the way to the inn where I plan to stay.
Rize, walking next to me, said this unexpectedly.
“At least, it doesn’t look like a palace harem at all.”
“……yes”

Ifa, too, had an honestly good impression of the place.

Somehow, the atmosphere is similar to that of a magic academy.
However, I felt that they were more serious than the students at the school,
as if they were all looking firmly toward their own future.
“Because there is such a place, there is a tendency in this country that
women should be civil officers. That is why the Prince did not wish to
engage you in a conflict”
Rize says with a sigh.
“Iused to think the same way when I was a student there. I would still be
thinking that way today if my grades hadn’t hit rock bottom and I had no
choice but to turn into a royal magician.”
“… Ah, what’s with that?”
Ifa gave a small laugh.
Then Rize begins to speak slowly.
“Her Majesty the Queen, the mother of the current King of Astiria,……, is
an excellent monarch. She is wise, decisive, and loved by her people. She is
an outstanding person. The succession to the throne is still a long way off,
but the …… young Prince must be feeling uneasy. Can he really match up
to that queen.”
“……”
“That’s why he’s so impatient with the dragon thing. If he can’t solve this,
he may even think he doesn’t deserve to be king. And …… he is probably
the same in his search for a queen. He seems to be in a hurry to find a
suitable one.”
Rize says.
“ He’s immature. But he’s not abad man……. I’ve known him since he was
an infant, and I can vouch for that.”
“…..”

“Will you support the young Prince from your side?”

“……that’s ……”
In the past, I would have immediately refused the request.
But now… the words are stuck in something, and they didn’t come out at
all.
The third day after entering the mountain.
The sun has fully risen and it is already noon.
I stretched as hard as I could and exhaled heavily.
“I’m tired…….”
Shortly after that, the dragon that took off yesterday grabbed a beast-shaped
monster with its hind limbs and returned.
She munched on it, and soon after, she fell asleep by the nest.
When I woke up in the evening, it took off again, this time looking around
the surrounding sky as if to warn me, and then it came back at night. Then I
went right back to sleep again.
Morning after night, and then mid-day. The dragon is still not awake.
It’s not dead.
It’s just sleeping.
I think as I look at the sleeping dragon.
I’m sure it was tired.
Raising a child is hard, not only for humans, but for animals as well. This
guy was a monster, but probably the same. It was obvious that the magic of
the land was not enough to keep her strong.
I guess she was having a hard time because she didn’t have a mate.
However……,
“When will I be released …?”
While the dragon ate, strolled in the air, and slept, I spent all my time
tending to the nest, rolling eggs, heating rocks, and so on.
I got fed up enough and tried to leave once, but she got mad and growled at
me a lot. I was stuck in the middle of nowhere because if I ran away, she
might chase me all the way to the city.
Maybe eggs are fine if left alone to some extent, but I don’t know how
much …… is safe. It kept me up all night.
Yuki, too, says, as if disgusted.
“You’re such a brazen monster, asking …… people to raise your pups for
you!”
“……The kuda-gitsune is also like that.”
“Ugh, no, the kuda-gitsune is, well, let’s just say that it’s a demon, so
……”
“Haa……Well, maybe this is the only one like this, even if it’s a dragon.”
This individual is special.
No, you could say that the dragon itself has such qualities…….
“So what are you going to do? Seika-sama.”
Yuki asks.
I can’t possibly be the nanny of a monster.
“… I’m going home. I’m running out of food.”
I have to convince the dragon somehow.
“Hey! Wake up! It’s almost noon!”
I yelled loudly at the coasting dragon, and its craggy eyelids opened
slightly.
He clearly looks like a pain in the ass.
I say, pointing toward the city in frustration.
“I’m leaving now!”
“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”

“I’mnot Grrruu, for God’s sake! I’m not your mate, and I have nothing to
do with this!”
The dragon growled in frustration and then stood up with a sigh.
Then she steps toward me and lowers her big head and rests her chin on the
ground.
“?”

“Grrrrrrr ……”
I saw the way she flapped her wings, and I guessed it.
“Maybe, you want to give me a ride…..?”
“Grrrr.”

“’Yeah, I appreciate the sentiment, but ………… no, wait.”

I see the possibilities.
I thought it was impossible to fly on a winged creature, but …… she might
be able to do it.
I put my feet up on the scales and climb on top of the head.
It has hard bristles seemingly custom-made and is not uncomfortable to
sit on.
“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”

The dragon spread its wings and flapped its wings.

The magic of atmospheric pressure is activated, and the huge body floats in
the air with me on top of it.
A fierce wind blows around me.
But it’s not so fierce that I cannot ride it.
Most importantly, —- there is less shaking. Just as I thought.
As I held onto the protruding scales, I was alone in my excitement and
cheering.
Once circling in the sky, the dragon glides leisurely toward the city at the
foot of the foothills. —-