Fictional Qliphah Round Table, Number 5: “The Merciful Killing Machine, Chesed Adyeshach.”
According to Shizuku’s notebook, his character profile went something like this:
* A child who speaks in an unnaturally mature manner.
* Despite not holding a particularly high rank, he occupies the special position of Acting Supreme Commander.
* Exceptionally capable in combat, with a mastery of underhanded tactics such as mental attacks.
* The younger brother and betrothed of Number 1, “The Lady of the Morning Star, Bacikal Kether”
* Number 3, “The Understanding Confidant, Sheriruth Binah”, is his attendant—and also his lover.
* His true identity is “The Supreme Commander of the C∴C∴C ( Clan Who Bears the Cracked Inverted Cross), as well as Number 0, “The True Will of God, Daath”. He is an eighteen-year-old young man clad in jet-black armor.
* He was cursed and transformed into a child, and now goes by the title of Number 5.
Uhm…
There were an awful lot of details in there that seemed strangely familiar. Almost as if I had seen them before. Or, more accurately, “lived” them.
Was this Number 5 guy modeled after me?
And while we’re at it, Number 1 was obviously Mia, and Number 3 was Shizuku. It’s well… a chuunibyou setting based on the author’s actual relationships with the people around her…
Ugh. Just thinking about it was giving me a headache.
Back in my previous life, I’d even spent time typing out a story on my computer about “What if my entire class got summoned to another world and everyone was granted cheat abilities?”. The darkness lurking within the human heart was truly terrifying.
Anyway, if Number 5 is me, then convincing Shizuku that the C∴C∴C actually existed should be even easier.
We moved outside, where I was supposed to demonstrate the magic written in the notebook.
But before that—
“Mia and Shizuku-oneechan, could you two go on ahead?”
Ayano Matsuki—the very person who had instigated this whole situation—made such proposal.
“Yoshito-kun, you need to change into the formal attire of the ‘Fictional Round Table,’ so I’ll be right behind you.”
An unexpected turn of events. Apparently, Ayano had even prepared a costume. It was a case of either meticulous planning or just an obsessive nature. Half-exasperated, I let her guide me toward the dressing room.
On the way, I asked,
“Even if we’re pressed for time before the Shohyakka gathering, isn’t this a bit too heavy-handed?”
Making someone believe C∴C∴C actually exists lends a powerful sense of reality to Shizuku’s magic. In the short term, it was certainly an effective strategy. But looking at the long term, wouldn’t the downsides outweigh the benefits? Especially since the method bordered on brainwashing; there was a risk Shizuku might mistake the contents of the notebook for absolute truth. If that happened, it would go far beyond mere “chuunibyou” delusions.
She’d just be completely unhinged. At worst, I could end up ruining a girl’s entire life.
—That was the sort of question I put to Ayano.
Her reply was,
“In that case, Shizuku-oneechan would also come to believe the setting where Number 3 is the slave and lover of Number 5.’ Congratulations, Yoshito-kun—you’d be free to do whatever you want with those ample breasts of hers.”
“(Oi!)…………No, that’s not the issue here.”
“That was an awfully long silence just now, wasn’t it?”
Ayano grinned slyly. It was as if she could see right through my thoughts.
Well, I couldn’t help it—I’m a guy, after all. Shizuku’s chest armor had undergone further evolution over the past year. The sheer volume, threatening to burst forth, was like explosive reactive armor.
Not sure what I’m talking about? Don’t worry—it makes no sense to me, either. But I bet they’d feel amazing if you squeezed them.
“Anyway, jokes unbefitting a kindergartner aside, I think this is far better than the method you were originally planning, Yoshito-kun. After all, you were intending to erase her memories regarding Western magic, right?”
Having that pointed out really stung. Verbal brainwashing, or perhaps altering her consciousness. In terms of sheer depravity, I suppose the “win” would go to me.
“For starters, if you are going to brainwash someone for real, it would take a lot more time. You’d have to lock them in a room, starve them, and so on. What I’m doing is, at most, just a bit of fun on the level of hypnosis.”
Ayano continued.
“Shizuku-oneechan herself wants to believe what’s written in that notebook. She wishes that it were all real. That desire is what makes the suggestion that the C∴C∴C really exists take hold.”
Despite everything, Shizuku was strong-willed, and I thought she still had a part of herself that remained perfectly rational.
“The reality won’t be quite as strong as the real thing, but I think it’ll be more than enough for her to overpower the exorcists of this country. If I actually brainwashed her completely, she might become “too” strong. Then every organization under the sun might start coming after her.”
I imagined what might have happened if I’d tried to solve Shizuku’s problem all by myself. I could have failed at the mind hack and turned her into a vegetable. Or I could have accidentally trained her too far and created some kind of superhuman. Either way, I would have ended up ruining Shizuku’s life.
Thinking about it that way, Ayano’s method really was far better than mine.
“…Thanks, Ayano.”
“It’s okay, Yoshito-kun.”
Ayano smiled. It was a calm, peaceful smile, utterly devoid of any hint of ulterior motive. Her eyes were perfectly clear as she spoke.
“I’d be happy if you became someone who couldn’t do anything without me, Yoshito-kun.”
“…”
Evil gods are scary.
＊ ＊ ＊
When, where, and how exactly had I managed to raise Ayano’s affection for me this much?
Nothing immediately came to mind. By the time I’d finished puzzling over it, I had changed clothes, and we were heading outside the mansion. Fortunately, there was a wide-open area on the estate that was practically made for something like this, so we decided to use it.
My outfit consisted of a black tailcoat and fingerless gloves. The Cracked Inverted Cross was embroidered here and there across the outfit.
“…Oniisan, it actually suits you pretty well.”
The moment Mia saw me, she hurried over and complimented me. Judging from her expression, it didn’t seem like she was just being polite.
“Hey, Ayano. Don’t I get an outfit too?”
“Of course I prepared one for you. You’re a member of the Fictional Qliphah Round Table too, after all.”
If I remembered correctly, she is Number 1: “Lady of the Morning Star, Bacikal Kether.”
I don’t know whether it was intentional or not, but that title fit her surprisingly well. All right, let’s activate the chuunibyou circuitry for a moment. Speaking of Morning Star, it makes me think of Charumera…No, wait—the Morning Star itself.
And when you hear Morning Star, you might think of the final episode of Ultraseve—○. No, let’s go with the classic one: Lucifer. Which meant, The Demon King. In other words, “Lady of the Morning Star” = “Daughter of the Devil King.”
Then again, there was no way Shizuku could have known anything about Mia’s past life. It was probably just a coincidence.
Anyway, it was finally time for me to demonstrate the magic written in the notebook. As I said before, magic was all about imagination. As long as you could visualize something, you could accomplish just about anything. In the extreme, even the incantation itself could be completely arbitrary.
Take one of the higher-level spells of the Fire Magic System, for example:
“My flames shall purify all things in a blaze of sacred destruction, and so forth.”
It would work just as well if I called it something like:
“The flames come outta this gas and ignite from the rear!”
Or:
“Burn it! Burn it all! Set everything ablaze!”
The incantation was basically the magical equivalent of a coach shouting, “Come on, everyone! Let’s hear your voices!” before a sporting event.
That said, it wasn’t as though I disliked dramatic lines.
“—I am Yoshito Kirasawa, Number 5 of the Fictional Qliphah Round Table and Acting Supreme Commander of the C∴C∴C:, the Merciful Killing Machine, Chesed Adyeshach. Will you sink into a peaceful death, or drift in eternal madness? It is an act of mercy—I shall let you choose.”
As I introduced myself according to the character I had been given, I could feel myself getting more and more fired up.
“I feel no cold, for I am loved by the Snow Queen. My heart is frozen solid, for I’m desired by the Snow Queen. I sought to fashion something from shards of thin ice—to spell out a single word—yet I could not bring it into being. I would spend eternity alongside the Snow Queen, until the day I could finally offer her that word: Eternity.
—Behold:”
I thrust out my hand.
“Eternal World of the Undying Frostland!”
The moment the spell activated, a wide-ranging barrier spread outward, engulfing the entire area in a raging blizzard.
“Wow…!”
The voice of awe belonged to Shizuku.
“As expected of you, Master. To think you could wield one of the highest-tier barrier spells so effortlessly…”
Heh-heh. Being praised felt pretty good.
Alright. Let’s move on to the next one.
“From the depths of twilight—”
Wait. Wasn’t that just a blatant rip-off of one of the most famous incantations from some ancient light novel?
Yeah, no. That was far too sacred to mess with.
Next spell.
“The cherry tree withers, struck by lightning; the crow starves and thirsts, its wings broken. I offer repentance at the world’s final dawn and, with arms raised high, extol our annihilation. —There is no escape for you: ‘Godbird—like the Stoner Sun—descends upon the Earth!”
At “Godbird,” I raised my right hand high into the air. Then, at “Stoner Sun”, I brought it crashing downward. A gigantic bird formed from magical energy plummeted toward the earth with a bizarre shriek—
“Piiieeeeeeeeeeek!”
Violent heat and light exploded across the battlefield, tearing through the Eternal World of the Undying Frostland and reducing it to nothing.
I’d already cast defensive spells on Mia and the others, so they were completely unharmed.
By the way, does the phrase “The Thunderbird Falls to Earth Like the Sun” sound familiar? That’s right. It was the name Shizuku had come up with on her own when I launched a paper airplane on a kamikaze run sometime last year.
I never expected her to actually use it here. I was kind of happy about it. Getting carried away, I continued demonstrating the spells from the notebook one after another.
And every single time, Shizuku would make a huge fuss.
“As expected of you, Master! That’s not something just anyone could do!”
Including my previous life, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so much of what you might call “fulfillment”.
…My life was kind of empty, wasn’t it?
There were roughly seventy spells written in the notebook. By the time I had finished demonstrating every last one of them, an entire hour had passed.
“Thank you very much, Master. You went to all this trouble just for someone like me…”
“It’s no big deal. I want you to win, after all. —Ah, right.”
Something else in the notebook suddenly came back to me.
* Each member of the Fictional Round Table can unlock even greater power by forming a contract with Number 0, ‘The True Will of God, Daath’.
* However, at present, there is no one who has been acknowledged by Number 0.
All right. This was for the sake of making the suggestion even more convincing. I might as well put a little more effort into it.
“《Time Spell—Clockly》: the Knight Grows Up Thanks to a Jet-Black Blue Candy —I suppose a gag like that won’t really land back here in the realm of the living, unlike in the world beyond, will it?”
My body began to change. From five-year-old Yoshito Kirasawa, into the me I had been in my previous life. My entire body became encased in pitch-black armor. According to the settings in the notebook, I had just become Number 0—the True Will of God.
“Master… no, Supreme Commander…!?”
Shizuku stared at me in shock.
I had told her long ago that I could transform into the Black Knight, but now that I thought about it, this was actually the first time she’d ever seen me do it.
“Shizuku… no. Number 3, Sheriruth Binah.”
Conscious of my position as Supreme Commander, I addressed her in a slightly more authoritative tone than usual.
“Y-yes!”
“From this moment forth, we shall perform the Rite of Contract. Is that understood?”
“Th-thank you very much! But I haven’t accomplished anything yet. Are you really certain I am worthy of this…?”
Now, how should I answer that?
I hesitated over whether to say what came next. But according to the setting, Number 5 is Number 0 too, was romantically involved with Number 3, Shizuku. So it wouldn’t be strange for him to say something a little forward. Besides, my own chuunibyou circuit was still running at full power. I desperately wanted to say something cool and painfully dramatic—anything would do.
“I will not have you stolen away by some nobody like Takasu. Now, give me your hand.”
“Y-yes…”
Shizuku timidly extended her left hand. Her face was bright red.
I touched the back of her hand and channeled my magic into it, engraving a crest. It wasn’t the Cracked Inverted Cross. It was a geometric figure I’d used as my signature in my previous life.
—Trapezohedron. Through this crest, Shizuku and I would be able to exchange magical energy. I couldn’t imagine ever actually needing to use it, but it might come in handy someday.
“You are the first person in the Fictional Round Table to enter into a contract with me. You must win.”
“I-I understand! I shall seize victory with this hand—and place it before you!”
Shizuku straightened her back with a sharp salute. She looked thoroughly motivated. Apparently Ayano intended to handle the finer points of her training, but with that kind of enthusiasm, I figured she’d be fine.
Relieved, I revert to my child form… and then, my consciousness begins to fade.
Damn. The depletion of magical energy that accompanies reverting from the transformation—followed by losing consciousness. That is something unavoidable, even if I choose to end the transformation voluntarily.
Perhaps I should have stayed in my armored form until I at least made it back to the mansion…
And then came the following morning. For some reason, I found myself lying in a tatami-floored room.
This was…
The guesthouse on the Matsuki estate.
I must have passed out and been carried here by someone.
“Oh, you’re awake, Yoshito.”
The person who called out to me was Sougen-san. As always, he wore the gentle, grandfatherly smile that seemed permanently fixed on his face.
“Actually, I have a favor to ask of you.”
I wondered what it could be.
“Would you mind letting me join this C∴C∴C of yours?”
Apparently, Sougen-san had been secretly watching me demonstrate the magic.
Or rather—
“I should probably point this out, but C∴C∴C is a fictional organization, you know?”
“What… did you say…?”
Sougen-san looked utterly devastated.
“I was so excited because I thought there was some secret society out there that even I didn’t know about…”
And with that, the nearly seventy-year-old man shuffled over to the corner of the room and curled himself up into a dejected little ball.
In the end, we settled the matter by making a promise that, if I ever actually founded C∴C∴C, I’d let him be one of its sponsors.
….Of course, at the time, I had absolutely no idea that it would ever become a reality.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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