――A girl in shrine maiden robes stands with a Japanese sword at the ready.
Reona Kaminagi. Her eyes are long and sharp, fixed straight on us.
If I remember Hatoba’s story correctly, she’s the same age as Shizuku. Which means she’s fourteen.
…Man, humans really do come in all shapes and sizes. It might seem like a strange thing to be thinking about in the middle of a battle, but since the thought crossed my mind, I might as well explain.
Reona has a dignified, striking face, with an air of quiet serenity about her. And her figure certainly doesn’t betray that impression, either. She has the kind of pure, modest build you’d expect from her appearance.
You could call it the Wall of Lamentation. Or perhaps, rather than streamlined, she’s more… straight-lined. Put her next to Shizuku, and the difference would be immediately obvious.
Shizuku, on the other hand, may have a hopeless personality and an even more hopeless set of interests, but when it comes to her figure, she’s been absurdly blessed.
“You were just thinking something terribly rude, weren’t you?”
How did she know?
“A man’s sidelong glance is a woman’s full-on stare. …Besides, breasts are nothing more than decorations. The larger they are, the more cumbersome they become on the battlefield. My body has undergone an evolution perfectly suited to a swordswoman.”
“R-right…”
There was an oddly intense conviction behind Reona’s words, and I found myself slightly overwhelmed.
“Besides, I am a swordswoman before I am a woman. I don’t care about my breasts. I don’t care about them at all, but――they still piss me off, so die anyway, you sexual-harassing kindergarten brat.”
The instant she finished speaking—
Reona vanished.
It was probably some form of movement technique combining 《Concealment》 with another skill. Not even a tenth of a second passed before she was already upon us.
“――I’ll be taking your head.”
With that declaration, Reona thrust her sword straight toward Phyllis’s chest.
Between that cheap trick just now and this, she really seemed to be the type who loved surprise attacks. That said, I had spent my previous life wading through one life-or-death situation after another. This much was easy enough to predict, and I’d already moved into position to shield Phyllis.
As Reona closed in, I gently placed a hand against her chest and activated a formula.
“《Flame Spell》・《My flame is Burning Pile Bunker》.”
The impact tore straight through her.
Kaminagi Reona’s body was blasted backward, slamming into the rock wall. A massive hole had been punched through the center of her chest. She hung there limply, head bowed, utterly motionless.
――《My flame is Burning Pile Bunker》.
A “stake” of flame, fired from point-blank range, had pierced straight through her heart and reduced it to ash.
There was no doubt about it. She was dead instantly.
“…Yoshito, I didn’t get to do anything.”
Phyllis muttered, sounding a little sulky.
“At this point, I have no choice but to double the punishment I’m going to give Herbert.”
Not just double, but an increase of two times the original amount. In other words, “1 + 2 = 3,” making the total three times the original. There is nothing to say but “Namu-san”—fitting, given it’s three times the amount.
Anyway.
“Phyllis, go on ahead and secure Matsuki-san for me.”
“Aren’t you coming, Yoshito?”
“Actually, girls who look like Kaminagi Reona are my type. I’m going to admire her for a little while longer, then I’ll catch up.”
“Oh my. What a terrible man, openly cheating on me while we’re on a date.”
Phyllis giggled.
“In that case, I’ll go beat Herbert to a pulp for you. Just try not to get too carried away with your little bit of “fire” play.”
＊ ＊ ＊
A moment ago, I unleashed a spell resembling a pile bunker at Reona Kannagi. In doing so—strictly out of necessity, mind you—I made contact with her chest. It felt soft and yielding, and I was able to confirm the presence of a slight swell.
Do you realize the significance of this, gentlemen?
Reona Kannagi is not flat-chested.
The size might be negligible—barely registering above zero—but there is undeniably a curve there. This may be a small discovery for humanity, but for me, it is a monumental one. I think I shall try to capture this moment of emotion in a haiku.
—You never know boobs / Until you touch them yourself
Huh? A *kigo*—a seasonal word? Boobs encompass all of creation, so it’s all good. Case closed. Q.E.D.
Hah. I’ve gone and proven something utterly trivial again.
Truly trivial stuff.
Anyway, the reason I stayed behind here wasn’t to deliver this lewd monologue—or “erologue,” if you will. Phyllis has put enough distance between us. It’s probably safe to proceed now.
“《Flame Spell》・《My Flame is the Wheel of Ordinary Purification and Incineration: Ordinary Fireball》.”
I launch a ball of fire from my right hand. It is a Fireball—the most run-of-the-mill spell imaginable, likely the one that appears most frequently in fantasy light novels.
It doesn’t split, and it doesn’t explode.
Simple is best. Considering how much I spammed Time Spell earlier, I want to start conserving my magical energy. The Fireball—sadly devoid of any unique flair—flies forward with tremendous speed.
It heads toward empty space, away from Reona Kannagi’s corpse—
“《Dispel》.”
A spell-charged word rang out.
The perfectly ordinary fireball vanished with a faint *whoosh*, without even getting a chance to put on a show.
“Now that was an unexpected development. I’m surprised.”
A small figure suddenly appeared right where the fireball had disappeared. Wrapped in a jet-black robe, the face was concealed behind a clown mask.
Black robe. Clown mask. Extremely suspicious.
Probably the mage who had attacked Hatoba and the others outside.
“When did you notice me?”
The mage spoke in Japanese with a somewhat peculiar intonation.
From her voice, she was a girl—and a very young one at that.
The answer was: I’d noticed her from the very beginning. She had been hiding here the entire time, concealed from sight. Ever since we first encountered Kaminagi Reona, she had remained hidden, waiting for an opportunity to strike us by surprise.
That was precisely why I had sent Phyllis ahead.
The most important thing right now was stopping Herbert’s ritual and rescuing Ayano Matsuki. And, of course, I had no obligation whatsoever to explain any of that to this mage.
Instead of answering, I activated a spell.
“[Multi-Casting]—《Binding Ritual》・《Your limbs are ropes; they are no longer yours to command.》”
“[Multi-Casting]—《Dispelling Ritual》・《I Refuse Your Curse》”
A total of twenty-eight ropes of light lunged toward the mage, only to be nullified in the blink of an eye.
Looks like this mage is quite the powerhouse.
“Such a disturbing fixation with bondage. Children these days are terrifying.”
“Wait, that’s a misunderstanding.”
“The fact that you’re denying it makes you even more suspicious, but Aria is an adult, so I’ll graciously let it slide.”
An adult?
She spoke with a slightly childish lisp, and she was extremely short. Probably less than 150 centimeters tall.
Honestly, she looked like she was in elementary school….
Then again, there could always be an old lady hiding underneath that mask.
“Now that Phyllis-Iris has arrived, Herbert’s plan has failed. Still, we managed to take out the freelance exorcists, so I’ll be more than satisfied if we can just recover Kaminagi Reona.”
“So, in other words, you want me to hand over her corpse.”
“Yes, exactly. If you do that now, we can avoid a direct confrontation. I don’t think either of us would walk away unscathed if we fought, so I would be deeply grateful if you would accept my proposal. Gratitude and excitement and flying pebbles.”
That was supposed to be “gratitude and excitement and rainstorms.”
Why the hell did she throw rocks into it? She had completely ruined the whole expression.
Anyway. Should I accept her terms or not?
While pretending to deliberate, I activated Appraisal. This skill only works when the target is within my field of vision, after all.
That was why I hadn’t been able to examine her status until now.
So, just how strong was she?
| [Name] Aria El Samaria [Gender] Female [Race] Artificial Mage [Age] Unknown [Title] Unknown [Stats] ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙Level: 50–200 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙Attack: 50–300 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙Defense: 50–300 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙Vitality: 50–300 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙Magic Power: 100–600 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙Mental Strength: 10–150 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙Agility: 50–300 [Abilities] Tons of them [Skills] A huge number ※ I really don’t get this girl! ＼(＞o＜)／ (by Alcapa) |
What the hell is this?
Regarding the matter of Alcapa-sama giving up and throwing her hands in the air. This is basically the same as knowing nothing at all.
Still, at least I managed to find out her name. That’s a big deal.
Aria El Samaria.
I’ve heard of her. She was Dad’s mistress.
If I remember correctly, she was a “prototype of the greatest mage in human history,” created by some secret magical society.
“Did you just scan Aria?”
No way. Did she notice my Appraisal?
“An eye for an eye, toothpaste for a tooth, stalking for peeking. ――《Analyze》.”
She was faster than I was at preparing a counter-spell.
A sensation like something brushing over my entire body passed through me, and then—
“…Huh?”
Aria let out an oddly vacant little voice.
She was staring blankly into empty space, completely frozen. Maybe some kind of status screen was being displayed in front of her.
“Ishirogi Yoshito? Naoki….sama’s…. child? No, no, no, no――”
What the hell was happening?
Aria clutched her head and began to writhe in anguish.
Her black robe slipped off, and her mask clattered to the ground. The face revealed underneath was remarkably young. Not quite as young as me or Mia, but she looked like a child in the lower grades of elementary school.
Whoa.
So if this girl was Old Man’s mistress…
Was he the kind of guy who’d go for little girls, too?
I don’t like speaking ill of the dead, but honestly, I think he belongs in hell. If by some tiny chance he’s still alive, I’ll personally make sure he gets there.
“Naoki-sama doesn’t have a child—no, no, there’s no way he does. I won’t accept it, I won’t, I won’t, I won’t.…”
Aria muttered the words over and over, like someone delirious. As she did, an explosive surge of magical power swirled around her, and finally…
“…Kill.”
She arrived at an outrageous conclusion.
Monsters these days are terrifying.
…Despite her youthful appearance, Aria El Samaria fought with savage ferocity.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
She lashed out with limbs amplified dozens of times over by magical power, driven purely by instinct.
There was not a shred of reason in her movements. It felt like fighting a dragon-kin that had activated [Berserk]. Even if I dodged by a hair’s breadth, the gale force accompanying her fists would throw me off balance.
That left me with no choice but to take drastic evasive action, making it impossible to find an opening for a counterattack… or so it seemed.
I decided to charge in, accepting the damage. I boosted my own physical capabilities with magic, using the “Clockwork” time-manipulation spell to negate any damage the moment I took it.
A head-on clash.
Although Aria had the physical advantage, I gradually began to push her back. It was likely due to the difference in combat experience.
“…!?”
Eventually, a decisive opening appeared.
I parried the arm Aria had swung down violently and slipped right into her guard. I intended to deliver the finishing blow with “Burning Pile Bunker.”
But then… “You know… I get cranky right after waking up. So, let me take it out on you a little.”
An unexpected intruder had appeared.
Red-and-white shrine maiden robes. Cool, composed features. It was Kaminagi Reona—the very person I should have killed moments ago. The gaping hole in her chest had closed up before I even noticed.
There was no time to be surprised.
A blade was closing in, slicing through the air with a sharp *whish*.
I dodged the slash by rolling along the ground.
“This body has undergone an evolution suited for a swordswoman. I told you that, didn’t I?”
Reona muttered this calmly as she swung her sword again and again.
“When I was little, my older sister Makina cast some shady spell on me. Thanks to that, I’m… well, a bit hard to kill.”
Wait—isn’t coming back to life after having your heart incinerated a bit beyond the realm of just being “hard to kill”?
And speaking of Makina… she must mean Makina Kaminagi.
The Old Man and his associates really are nothing but trouble.
“That said, I was actually impressed by that blow earlier. You tried to kill a beautiful girl like me without a second thought—are you a denizen of some land of carnage? Usually, people hesitate at least a little.”
Calling herself a “beautiful girl”—Reona really has quite the personality.
“…Excuse me? It would be nice if you at least acknowledged what I was saying.”
“Yeeeah!”
I answered with uncalled-for cheerfulness. Right now, I was parrying not just Reona’s slashes, but Aria’s attacks as well.
I am pretty busy. It was like playing a healer class in an online game; if I didn’t think several steps ahead, I’d be done for.
“!?”
Startled by my sudden shout, Aria’s movements faltered.
This was my chance. I closed the distance in a flash and blasted her far away with a wind spell fired at point-blank range.
“To think you’d even use conversation as a weapon.…”
Reona let out a sigh of admiration.
“Are you really just a child? I wouldn’t be surprised if you were living your second life.”
Reona, you nailed it. A round of applause for the correct answer.
There used to be a show called [Heisei Kyouiku Iinkai ], didn’t there?
I wonder if they planned to change the show’s title whenever the era name changed.
Then again… I sure have a lot of distracting thoughts for someone in the middle of a fight. Back in my past life, my elementary school report cards always described me as a “restless child.”
“…By the way, if you don’t mind me asking…”
Reona was quite the talker herself, considering we were in a life-or-death struggle.
She was going to end up biting her tongue at this rate.
“Is it true that someone with a face like mine is your type?”
Huh?
I was taken aback by those unexpected words.
Come to think of it, I had made a joke like that when I decided to stay behind here. I never imagined she’d actually heard it.
“I cut down a human for the first time today, but I didn’t find it fun at all. Makina-neesan is a liar… Fighting you is far more interesting. Yes—I suppose that means you are my type.”
Reona’s cheeks flushed pink.
Am I the only one who feels like I’ve just triggered a dangerous flag? Just as I felt that chilling premonition…
“Shaaaa..!”
At that very moment, a vicious murderous intent closed in from behind. Aria, having been blown back by wind magic, had regained her footing and was lunging at me.
Exactly as calculated. Aria was now a monster devoid of reason. If I simply dodged nimbly, I could trick her into attacking Reona instead. Then, I’d take them both down while they were distracted.
That was the plan.
But in that split second…
…the cave shook at the worst possible moment.
A sound like an explosion echoed in the distance, and the ground beneath my feet lurched violently.
The tremor was massive, it was impossible to stay on my feet.
“Whoa!?”
Because of that, I couldn’t dodge to the side.
I lost my balance and fell forward…
“Eek!?”
…ending up pinning Reona to the ground.
Aria shot past right over our heads at the speed of a cannonball.
“…Did you… protect me?”
Reona murmured.
No, it was just a coincidence.
That’s what I wanted to say, but she was looking at me with such sparkling, admiring eyes that I couldn’t bring myself to tell the truth.
Right. Okay.
I stood up. I also reached out a hand to help Reona up.
Regardless of how we got here, it seemed like there was room to reach an understanding with her. There was no need to make an enemy unnecessarily. Besides… I’m a sucker for someone who opens up to me so guilelessly.
“Th-thank you…”
Reona sat up, looking down in embarrassment. I felt like I was sinking deeper and deeper into a quagmire.
Meanwhile, Aria was in a rather ridiculous state. Her charge at me had missed, and her momentum had sent her slamming right into the rock face. Her upper body was now wedged right into the stone. Her skirt had flipped up, leaving her “teddy bear” panties fully exposed.
“…Do you want to see mine, too?”
Reona lifted the hem of her hakama just a little.
I am incredibly interested, but… please, not right now.
＊ ＊ ＊
Anyway, I should probably incapacitate Aria.
Severing the nerves in her limbs, followed by sealing her magic, ought to do the trick.
I am in the middle of constructing the spell when, suddenly, two unfamiliar magic circles appeared.
One beneath the unconscious Aria. The other beneath Reona, who was staring blankly at me.
“.…It seems we’re being told to retreat.”
Reona murmured the words with a hint of reluctance.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything particularly interesting in staying with Oneesan, so I think I’ll betray her at some point. I’ll come visit you soon, so if you don’t mind, I’d like us to start out as murder buddies.”
“That is an incredibly violent relationship to start with.”
More importantly, shouldn’t she go to the police first?
She had killed twenty people, after all. Or was there some sort of industry-specific code among exorcists?
I’d have to ask Shizuku about it later.
“I probably have about fifteen seconds before I’m teleported away, so why don’t I reveal as much of the inside story as I can?”
“…I appreciate the offer, but are you sure that’s okay?”
“Makina-oneesan said that killing humans feels really good, but it didn’t feel good at all. I was lied to. I’m grateful to her for raising me in place of my parents, but after what happened today, I’ve finally reached my limit.”
Reona’s family situation sounded pretty messed up.
“It was Makina-oneesan’s plan to lure Herbert to Japan, and to take advantage of Ayano Matsuki’s kidnapping to gather all those freelancers. I don’t know exactly what her objective was, but I’m fairly certain she wanted to eliminate the country’s most powerful exorcists. Oh, and… right. Makina-oneesan is obsessed with some perverted middle-aged man named Naoki Ishirogi, but don’t worry, I haven’t fallen prey to his evil clutches. I’m still a virgin.”
Was that last part really necessary?
No, more importantly—
“Old Man… Ishirogi Naoki is alive?”
“I heard he died in a plane crash, but if I find out anything else, I’ll let you know. In exchange, I’d appreciate it if you’d have a three-round death match with me as a reward.”
“Humans don’t get extra lives, you know. Once you die, that’s it.”
“Don’t worry. I have a body that’s difficult to kill, and you’re more or less the same, aren’t you?”
Well… she wasn’t wrong.
As long as I had enough mana, I could regenerate myself over and over with 《Time Spell》.
A few seconds later, Reona’s figure vanished into thin air.
Aria disappeared as well.
The teleportation magic they had used was completely unfamiliar to me, and I couldn’t analyze it. But I wasn’t about to stand there and let them get away without doing anything.
I secretly planted several “Trojan horse”-style curses on Aria. Next time we fought, things should be much easier.
And, as a little bonus—
“――《Charge Spell》・《And: Enchant》・《Time Spell》・《Your flesh and blood here is just a nuisance for the mastermind, so don’t misunderstand and flow backward, all of you》.”
I squeezed every last drop of mana out of myself and forcibly resurrected the twenty people who had fallen here. Even I was running on fumes.
Every now and then, my consciousness threatened to fade. Still, I couldn’t exactly leave Phyllis on her own.
I cast 《Hypnosis Spell》 on the newly resurrected exorcists and sent them toward the exit. Then I headed deeper into the cave.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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