Category: Umareta Chokugo ni Suterareta kedo, Zensei ga Taikensha datta node Yoyuu de Ikitemasu

The moment I sealed Ouroboros away into my subspace, my body reverted to that of an infant.

“Looks like I managed to seal it somehow.”

『It truly was a troublesome opponent. Things are fine for now, but what do you intend to do in the future?』

“Yeah… that’s the problem.”

I shared the same concern as Lindwurm.

As long as I’m alive, I can keep it contained like this. But this new life of mine won’t last forever. After my death in my previous life, many of the taboo-designated artifacts ended up in the hands of those with ill intent.

…Though, for some reason, Maribel had been the one in possession of Ouroboros.

If I want to avoid repeating the same mistake, I’ll have to come up with a solution sooner or later. Living forever through rejuvenation magic… yeah, I’m not that desperate.

“Oh—more importantly, Fana and the others…”

I suddenly remembered Fana and the rest, who had been struck by Ouroboros’s magic. At that time, I didn’t have the luxury to help them so I had no choice but to leave them behind. Well… the way they are now, they’re not so fragile that something like that would kill them.

“…Mm, did we win?”

“That insane dragon… did we actually defeat it?”

“As expected of Master.”

“I truly thought I was going to be killed…”

Good. They are alright.

They were pretty badly injured though, so I handed them some high potions I’d made. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough mana left to use healing magic on them. That said, they shouldn’t have seen me fighting in my adult form—

“Some unknown guy was fighting it right?”

“Huh? I thought it was Reus, but now that you mention it… he was pretty big for a baby.”

“I was flying up in the sky, so I couldn’t see anything…”

—They totally saw me.

“Haha, what are you talking about, Oneechan? There wasn’t anyone like that, right?”

“Mm… guess I imagined it?”

“…Something feels off.”

As we exchanged those words, Maribel began floating toward us. Well—Maribel herself was still unconscious. Her staff, Jilnitra, sent a telepathic message directly into my mind.

『So it really was true. The Great Sage Aristoteleus had been reincarnated. And to think… it was you.』

(Huh? What are you talking about? I’m just an adorable little baby.)

『…There’s no point pretending. Ouroboros itself said as much about you.』

…Yeah, there’s no hiding it anymore.

『Maribel will be quite shocked when she finds out. She’s a huge fan of the Great Sage Aristoteleus, after all.』

Well… that doesn’t make me happy at all.

『You should at least pretend to be pleased, Master.』

(No thanks. I don’t need fans unless they’re busty beauties.)

『Maribel-dono’s estimated bust size is 130 centimeters.』

(Don’t you dare classify that as ‘busty’!!)

By the way, my telepathic exchange with Lindwurm shouldn’t have been audible to Jilnitra—but perhaps it read the irritation on my face.

『If she learns that you’re the reincarnated Aristoteleus, she’ll undoubtedly beg you to take her as your disciple. And even if you refuse, she’ll keep chasing you until you finally say yes.』

(Oh please, nooooooooooo!!)

I pleaded desperately.

(Please! I’m begging you—keep my identity a secret! Ah, but more importantly, you truly are a magnificent staff! Not just your performance, but your draconic essence is exceptional! I’d love to make you my personal staff!)

『Master, that’s a pretty obvious flattery. It’s a disgrace to the name of the Great Sage.』

Jilnitra let out a wry, amused sigh.

『Don’t worry. I won’t say anything. I owe you a great debt, after all—you’re the reason I was able to meet Maribel.』

(Phew. That’s a relief then.)

I let out a quiet breath, the tension finally easing from my chest.

『But if you ever get the chance, come visit Maribel’s laboratory sometime. Well then.』

And with that, Jilnitra carried off the still-unconscious Maribel.

As I watched them go—her magic staff nearly swallowed from view by the soft fullness of her body—I couldn’t help but mutter, “Yeah… I’m absolutely never going there.”

『I thought you’d say that, Master.』

The Seno Grande Kai—crashed by Ouroboros—had taken damage, but thankfully, it wasn’t as severe as I’d feared. Dana, who had been hiding in the shelter room, was safe as well. I got to work on the repairs immediately.

“It’s being restored so quickly…! As expected of Master!”

Watching the process unfold right before her eyes, Dana was practically trembling with admiration. Before long, the Seno Grande Kai was fully repaired and ready to fly once more. Our destination: the Magic City of Enderzen.

★★★

“…Haa, you’ve come again?”

“Eh? Why do you look so annoyed to see me?”

The ruler of the city, Meltera, let out a deep sigh the moment she saw my face.

『Perhaps you should place a hand on your chest and reflect for a moment, Master?』

Lindwurm’s remark made me pause—but nothing came to mind.

“No, I’m here today to report something. About this.”

I pulled Ouroboros out from subspace.

“—! You actually found it!?”

“Yeah. Well, ‘found’ might not be the right word. More like… it attacked us.”

“Attacked you?”

I explained everything that had happened to Meltera.

“I see… I’m impressed you managed to come out of that alive.”

“It was a close call. By the way, do you think this could be stored somewhere in this city?”

“That would be impossible.”

“…Yeah, figures. It’s just—after what happened in my previous life, I figured I should plan ahead for when I die. At the very least, you’ll probably outlive me, Meltera.”

“Even I will not live forever. You may assume that one day, this Magic City will face the same fate as the Tower of the Great Sage. Of course, I doubt it will collapse from within as quickly as the Tower did.”

Yeah… it’s not like I ever had the talent to lead an organization anyway.

“Hm… what to do. In that case, maybe I should just hide it somewhere no one will ever find it. But it’s not just humans—I’d have to make sure monsters can’t discover it either, which means…”

And then, a spark of inspiration struck me.

“That’s it! If it’s in there, no human or monster would ever be able to find it…!”

★★★

The place I arrived at was the deepest reaches of the Endless Wasteland. And waiting there, of course, was the strongest mythical-class monster—Behemoth.

“Wake up.”

“—!? GOOOOOOOOOOO!!”

I hurled a spell at its massive body, and with a thunderous roar, it snapped awake. But in that very instant—when it opened its enormous jaws—I seized the chance and dove straight inside.

“…Ugh, that stinks.”

Pinching my nose against the overwhelming stench, I pushed deeper and deeper into its body.

“This should be far enough.”

Once I passed the stomach area, I came to a stop and fired an attack spell at the inner flesh—just as monstrously tough as its exterior.

DOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!

One blast barely made a dent. So I followed up. Again. And again. I did it continuously until I carved into the wall, slowly digging my way through.

“Alright… this should do.”

At last, I placed the ring-shaped staff—Ouroboros—deep within the hollow I had created.

“To think you’d come up with storing it in a place like this…”

“The inside of the strongest creature alive… No one’s getting in here, right? And with its insane regeneration, this hole will be completely healed in a few days. Once that happens, no one will even know where it is.”

That was my solution— to seal Ouroboros within the body of Behemoth itself.

“…I might actually be a genius.”

『…You shouldn’t say it yourself!』

—Hey! Get me out of here! You hear me!? I’ll kill you!!

I thought I could hear Ouroboros desperately screaming something along those lines. But I ignored it and activated my teleportation magic. 

And just like that, I escaped from within Behemoth’s body.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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『Maribel!』

As Maribel was falling from Ouroboros, about to be slammed into the floor, Jilnitra caught her just in time.

Maribel was unconscious. 

In the next instant, the world shifted. Before we realized it, we were no longer within the subspace—we had returned to the area near the crash site of the Seno Grande Kai. Looks like once Maribel lost consciousness, we were expelled from the subspace.

Come to think of it, that subspace itself had been created by her magic. She must have been consuming an enormous amount of mana to sustain it.

“So a troublesome one really did go and undo Ouroboros’s seal. Well… I suppose without someone like that, the seal wouldn’t have broken in the first place.”

At any rate, the wielder of the staff was now gone. Even if Ouroboros tried to possess someone else present, none of them even came close to Maribel in terms of magical ability.

『Please be careful, Master. That staff is not something that will give up so easily.』

(…Yeah, I know.)

It happened in that instant.

Ouroboros, which had been floating in the air, released its vast and overwhelming magical power. The staff swelled larger and larger before our eyes. And then, what emerged was a dragon—its scales shimmering with iridescent, rainbow hues.

“…Just as I thought…!”

The Infinite Dragon Ouroboros had manifested its true form.

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—!!”

Clutching its own tail in its jaws, Ouroboros unleashed a thunderous roar.

Its sheer presence was so overwhelming that even Lill, a Fenrir, trembled and instinctively stepped back.

“Wooooon!!”

Lill immediately reverted to her true form as well. Instinct must have told her that remaining in human form would not even allow her to stand against such a being.

“…Mm.”

“T-that’s… a monster…”

“This is not an opponent meant for humans to face…”

Fana, Anje, and Karen—the three girls—tightened their grips on their weapons, their expressions stiff with tension.

As if mocking them, Ouroboros began unfolding multiple spells around its ring-shaped body. Fire, earth, lightning, wind, water, ice, gravity—seven types of magic, all being prepared for simultaneous release.

In the next moment, a scene like the end of the world spread out before our eyes.

“““————!!?”””

Fana tried to leap into the sky on instinct, but she was caught by a bolt of lightning and shot down. Anje raised an earth wall for protection, only for it to be frozen solid along with her defenses. Karen attempted to cut through the incoming gale with a sword strike—but failed, and was sent tumbling through the air.

Even Lill was crushed by overwhelming gravity. Her massive body forced into the ground until it was half-buried.

In a single attack, everyone was wiped out—except for me, who had managed to escape using teleportation magic.

(Linlin, we’re using that.)

『…I suppose we have no choice. However, our remaining magic power is insufficient. Its usage time will be even more limited than before.』

(Doesn’t matter. I’ll finish this in an instant.)

“Temporary Growth Acceleration Magic”

It was a magic that sacrifices one’s lifespan in exchange for forcibly accelerating the growth of one’s own body. It was the same spell I had once used when I defeated the Demon King Alzazeil in the Magic City. If possible, I never wanted to rely on it again… but I had no choice now.

My body transformed into that of a tall, handsome man—completely naked.

I quickly retrieved my hero’s equipment from subspace and equipped it. The rejection backlash worried me, but there was no time to care about that.

After all—I was naked.

“…Let’s go.”

With the Hero’s Sword and Lindwurm in a dual-wield stance, I charged at Ouroboros.

Ouroboros, in turn, unleashed seven types of magic simultaneously.

“Then I’ll use seven as well.”

To counter it, I also deployed fire, earth, lightning, wind, water, ice, and gravity.

And in the next instant, we fired our spells at the same time.

Seven types of magic collided against seven types of magic. However, what clashed were different elements from each side. My fire magic melted Ouroboros’s ice, my water magic crushed its wind, and my earth magic dispersed its lightning. Only the gravity magic—shared by both—reached a perfect equilibrium and canceled itself out.

“…What?!”

“Did you know? Magic has something called elemental compatibility.”

A portion of my magic, having won through superior compatibility, broke through and struck Ouroboros.

“OOOAAAGHHHHHHH—!!”

The massive dragon twisted in agony, unleashing a pained roar.

Without waiting for the aftermath of the magic to fade, I pressed forward.

I focused all my fighting spirit and magic power into the Hero’s Sword.

Sensing it, Ouroboros hastily tried to create distance—

『I won’t let you.』

A voice cut in. Lindwurm unleashed a blinding breath of light. It was aimed directly at Ouroboros’s eyes—but was narrowly evaded.

In that brief opening, I had already closed the distance.

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”

I brought down my full-force strike.

SHRANG!!

The orichalcum blade severed Ouroboros’s ring-shaped body.

“————!!?”

With a silent, voiceless roar, the split halves of its body crashed to the ground. And at the same time, its colossal form began to shrink.

“It looks like it can no longer maintain its Infinite Dragon form.”

『For Ouroboros, losing its state as a ‘ring’ must be fatal.』

Before long, it reverted back to its staff form. I immediately moved in to apply a sealing spell.

『S-stop you bastard…! Are you planning to throw us back into that boring slumber again?! Damn you… YOUUUUU BASTAAAAARD!!』

The red dragon fragment desperately sent out a telepathic cry, but I ignored it and layered multiple seals over it. As its scales gradually lost their radiance and turned a dull gray, the telepathic voice cut off completely.

“…Phew. It’s finally quiet now.”

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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Just before the spear of ice could pierce my body, it shattered into fragments.

What appeared in its place was my powerful beloved staff—the Holy Dragon Staff, Lindwurm—which had been torn away from me when I was cast into this subspace.

“Linliiiiiiiiiiiiiiin! You came to save me—thank youuuuuuuuu!!”

『Yes. I didn’t really have a choice.』

Didn’t have a choice, it says.

“Mm. I came to help.”

“I was surprised when you suddenly disappeared.”

“Master, I am relieved to see you unharmed.”

“But, what a strange space this is…”

And then I realized—Fana and the others were here too.

“How did you all get here?”

『I brought them.』

“…Huh?”

The voice that reached me through telepathy belonged to the very staff Maribel had wielded during the exhibition match.

『I am Jilnitra. As you can see, Maribel has been taken over by that staff called Ouroboros. I chased after her as best I could… and that’s when I encountered the staff over there.』

(…You can communicate as well?)

Unfortunately, I had no memory of ever creating a staff like this in my previous life.

『It appears to be a magical staff created by Maribel-shi, modeled after Ouroboros. It seems she knew how to access this subspace, so the two of us worked together to break through its security and gain entry.』

(Modeled after Ouroboros, huh… I never thought anyone besides me could make something like that. Still, you saved me. Without Linlin here, I would’ve been done for—my short life cut off just like that. And I’ve still got plenty of big-breasted beauties left to enjoy.)

『…I think it would have been better if you had died.』

Gripping Lindwurm as it delivered that cutting remark, I felt my depleted magic power surge back into my body, steadily restoring me.

(Phew… this should be enough for me to keep fighting, at least…)

『To be honest, this is an extraordinarily powerful opponent.』

As I raised my beloved staff and braced myself for Ouroboros’s next attack, its head began to swallow its own body once more.

Moments later, it transformed—into a violet dragon.

“Uu…! The final of the seven colors… purple! So the most troublesome one has finally come out…!”

『Gnawing fangs, devouring cries—shattered voices rend and cleave, tearing through the darkness, biting, chewing, consuming all into ruin…』

The telepathic message made no sense whatsoever—but at the same time, the ice that had filled most of the subspace suddenly vanished. Then, around Maribel, several black spheres materialized, hovering in the air.

“Everyone, be careful! Don’t touch those—no matter what!”

No sooner had the words left my mouth, the black spheres shot toward us. As everyone scrambled to dodge, one of the spheres slammed straight into the earthen wall Anje had conjured.

Gshaa!

“W-what!? The dirt got crushed—it’s shrunk down like a stone!?”

“What just happened!?”

“…Implosion!”

“Mm… implosion…?”

“It’s a phenomenon where an object is subjected to overwhelming pressure from all directions and gets crushed in an instant.”

The violet Ouroboros enhanced gravity magic.

If even a part of your body touched one of those black spheres, that spot alone would be compressed into a lump of flesh in an instant.

『Crushing jaws creak and howl, devouring ruin, falling into the void, where even silent screams begin to tremble…』

“““—!?”””

Without warning, my entire body grew heavy—like it had been turned into lead.

“Mm… it’s so heavy…”

“This too… is that thing’s doing!?”

“I can barely even stand!”

It seemed that this time, it had increased the gravity of the entire subspace itself.

Even in this small, infant-like body, the sheer weight felt enough to crush me. And on top of that, those deadly black spheres came hurtling toward us at high speed—leaving us barely able to do anything but desperately dodge.

“It… hardly affects me.”

Amid it all, only Lill remained relatively unfazed, kicking off the ground and sprinting forward. As a Fenrir, her physical strength was on an entirely different level. Even under the intensified gravity, she launched herself at Maribel and Ouroboros with astonishing speed.

But Maribel effortlessly surpassed even that—gracefully evading Lill’s attack as if it were nothing.

“I can’t move well under this gravity… but magic is a different story! Radiant Arrow Barrage!”

The countless arrows of light I unleashed surged toward Maribel all at once. Earth magic would be heavily affected by gravity—but light was barely hindered at all.

Maribel and Ouroboros tried to escape with high-speed flight, but with the arrows imbued with a degree of homing capability, there was no way she could evade every single one.

The arrows of light tore into the multilayered barrier she had redeployed, grinding it down bit by bit.

“Once more! Radiant Arrow Barrage!”

At that moment, a fierce blast of compressed wind came roaring in—Fana’s magic.

Largely unaffected by gravity, it struck Maribel head-on, disrupting her flight—and the storm of light arrows closed in.

Even as this unfolded, Maribel retaliated with her black spheres, but Anje countered them by hurling masses of earth, neutralizing each one. Though the spheres triggered implosions upon impact, they seemed to vanish after a single use.

“…!”

At last, the multilayered barriers were completely shattered—and some of the arrows struck Maribel’s body directly.

“Good! Let’s finish this in one push!”

And then—it happened.

All at once, the crushing weight vanished. My body suddenly felt light—

—and the world flipped upside down.

“““What—!?”””

In the next instant, we were all falling—hurtling toward what had been the ceiling just moments ago—before being violently slammed against it.

“What just happened!?”

“Hmm, did up and down… switch places?”

Most likely, the direction of gravity had been reversed.

And then, immediately after, an overwhelming force yanked us sideways—sending us crashing straight into a wall.

“So it can change the direction of gravity at will…!”

From there, the pull of gravity shifted again and again in rapid succession, throwing us completely off balance. At this point, I couldn’t even tell which way was up or down anymore—let alone where Maribel was.

“Kuu… I can’t even run straight…”

Even Lill, who had been chasing after Maribel, was now unable to move properly, her footing ruined by the constantly shifting gravity.

『This is bad, Master. At this rate, the situation will only continue to worsen.』

(No… it should be soon.)

『And what do you mean by that?』

(There’s a major weakness to the magic amplification granted by Ouroboros. Do you really think a human body can keep up—burning through this level of magic and stamina, casting such powerful spells over and over?)

『…I see.』

At that moment—

The massive form of Maribel, who had been riding atop Ouroboros, suddenly swayed. For a brief moment she staggered—before being thrown from the staff and sent crashing down to the ground.“…Looks like she’s finally reached her limit. For a normal mage, that limit would have come much sooner. But thanks to it having taken control of someone as powerful as Maribel, it had taken far longer than expected.”

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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The Rainbow Dragon Staff, Ouroboros.

Originally called the Infinite Dragon Ouroboros, it was a dragon from the age of myths. It was said to govern destruction and rebirth, and throughout history, Ouroboros had repeatedly bared its fangs at humanity, bringing about countless cataclysms.

In my previous life, upon learning of Ouroboros’s appearance, I engaged in a desperate battle against it and emerged victorious. I had managed to prevent a great disaster before it could strike.

But Ouroboros could always return. If left unchecked, a new Ouroboros would eventually appear again, wreaking untold havoc upon humanity. So I devised a plan.

“Why not just turn it into a staff?”

If I kept it in a state where it was neither alive nor dead, there would be no risk of a new Ouroboros being born. And on top of that, I could wield it as a powerful staff—two birds with one stone.

That was how the Rainbow Dragon Staff, Ouroboros, came to be—but…

“Ugh, I can’t control this thing at all. Even as a staff, it’s way too dangerous. Every chance it gets, it tries to kill me… better seal it for now.”

Unlike Lindwurm or Bahamut, using it as a staff was out of the question. I put layers upon layers of seals on it, and it was then stored as a forbidden artifact in the Tower  of the Great Sage’s repository.

『Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill… die, die, die, die, die』

The Rainbow Dragon Staff, transformed into a yellow-scaled dragon, unleashed a furious storm of lightning.

I dodged using teleportation, narrowly avoiding the strikes, but the residual shocks kept hitting me, and this small body of mine is taking damage bit by bit.

“O-okay… finally, the lightning’s letting up…?”

Breathing heavily, I looked towards Ouroboros and saw its head trying to swallow my body again, transforming from yellow to green scales.

“Yes! Green means wind magic… better than lightning, at least. Maybe I can catch my breath for a bit.”

『…Did you just say you can rest? Fufu, you seem to be severely underestimating me, don’t you? Don’t you dare—die, you idiot, you worthless piece of traaaasshhhh!!』

In an instant, the polite tone vanished, replaced by a barrage of filthy curses.

One dragon, multiple personalities.

A ferocious wind tore through the pocket dimension. My small body was lifted into the air, caught in a rapidly spinning vortex.

“I’m getting dizzzzy!!”

Then another tornado, spinning the opposite way, barreled toward me. If these two collided, there was no question—I’d be shredded to pieces.

“Teleport!”

『Fufufu. I knew a fool like you would try to use that to escape—right to that spot.』

“Wha—!”

I had aimed for a section where the wind was weaker, hoping to teleport to safety, but the moment I arrived, a cannon-like blast of wind slammed down from above, throwing me to the ground.

Looks like I’d been guided right into a trap.

“Aaaaah—I’m going to be cru~ushed!”

『…Fufufu, you should thank me. I deliberately kept it weak for you. After all, unless you wail, cry, and suffer thoroughly, we can’t possibly feel satisfied.』

“—!!!”

My lungs were crushed, barely letting me breathe. I heard the snap of several bones breaking under the pressure.

『My, you’re far more fragile than I expected. To think it’s already over at this level… I had hoped to enjoy myself a little longer, but oh well. You may as well die, crushed and ugly like a frog. W-wait just a moment! It’s not time for a switch yet—hey, you—damn iiiit!』

Once again, Ouroboros shifted color.

This time, it was blue.

『Final blow. I. Will stab.』

Just as the wind finally died down enough for me to breathe, a massive wave of water came crashing down like a tsunami.

I was swallowed almost instantly.

“Aquatic Life Magic.”

I managed to activate a spell that let me breathe underwater, narrowly avoiding suffocation—but my body was utterly battered. The pressure of the water continued to crush me, while the current slammed and twisted me mercilessly.

“Internal-External Linked Complete Regeneration Magic.”

The healing spell patched up my damage, but I’d been on the defensive the entire time, powerless to make any meaningful move.

I tried to strike back, but Maribel and Ouroboros were constantly darting around at incredible speed, deploying multiple layers of barriers that seemed impossible to break.

Then, the water that filled most of the pocket dimension suddenly began to freeze.

Ouroboros’s color shifted from blue to indigo.

『…To you who defy the laws of the world… I shall grant… eternal… death…』

The deep blue, muttering under its breath, was the dragon form that massively amplified ice magic. The surrounding water solidified completely, trapping me inside an icy prison.

But, if luck was on my side, this was my first—and perhaps my greatest—opportunity. With most of the pocket dimension’s water now frozen, the space in which Maribel and Ouroboros could maneuver had become severely restricted. Chances like this probably wouldn’t come again.

I had no choice—I had to make it count.

“Teleport!”

I blinked behind Maribel, and summoning every last ounce of magic, I unleashed a full-power magic cannon.

Maribel couldn’t dodge in time—the blast slammed into her barrier, shattering it. But after breaking through several layers, Maribel and Ouroboros managed to slip out of the cannon’s trajectory.

I managed to crush the final barrier, but unfortunately, my desperate, all-out magic cannon only grazed Maribel’s shoulder, piercing the ice block behind her instead.

“Missed… huh.”

I collapsed onto the frozen ground.

My magical energy was nearly depleted. At this point, I couldn’t even cast teleportation—or flying magic, for that matter.

『…To the transgressor… I shall grant a silent death…』

The indigo Ouroboros aimed a spear-like shard of ice at me, ready to deliver the finishing blow. The massive ice spear barreled down—and I had no strength left to stop it.

A short life after rebirth huh. Come to think of it, the very magic that allowed my reincarnation was inspired by Ouroboros itself, which endlessly cycles through life and death. Perhaps I’d violated the rules of the gods. If so, then through Ouroboros, I was being guided—or judged—by the divine.

“Ah… but if I’m going out, I wish I could’ve… died cradled by big boobs…”

Bagiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!!

Suddenly, the ice spear shattered. Something had intervened—and then bit down and crushed it completely.

『That was a terrible line for a moment like this, Master. I’m truly glad it wasn’t your last words.』

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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The Rainbow Dragon Staff, Ouroboros. The magical staff I had created in my previous life had somehow taken control of Maribel and is now attacking us.

“What is that red ring…? I can feel an incredible surge of magic!”

“Hn…quite dangerous.”

“And what about Maribel-dono? She’s completely different from how she was just a moment ago…”

I answered to the three girls, who were clearly confused.

“It’s because of that ring-shaped staff.”

“…A staff?”

“Wait, that is a staff?”

“Do you know something abou—”

Before Karen could finish her words, everything around us shifted, and the world transformed into a blinding, white void.

“No way… we’ve been transported into a subspace!?”

Fana and the others were nowhere to be seen. All that remained was the Rainbow Dragon Staff Ouroboros and Maribel, floating atop it.

“Tsk… Lindwurm…”

To make matters worse, my beloved staff, Lindwurm, wasn’t here either. It had been torn away during the forced teleportation.

『Kuahahahaha! Too bad for you, Aristoteleus! This is a special subspace created by this woman! It’s impossible to escape from here or call for help! And of course… no teleportation magic will work either!』

Ouroboros’ triumphant laughter echoed through the void.

“…No choice then. I have to use the other one. Bahamut! …Bahamut?”

I tried to summon my other cherished staff, Bahamut, but for some reason, I couldn’t access it from within this subspace.

『Kuahahahaha! You can’t connect to another subspace in here!』

“Seriously?”

With neither Lindwurm nor Bahamut available, I’d have to face Ouroboros and Maribel with nothing but my own body. Even with the accelerated growth I’d achieved in such a short time, this was a nightmare scenario.

…And on top of that, the security woven into this subspace was no joke. If I had enough time, I could analyze it and escape—but there was no way Maribel and Ouroboros would give me that kind of opening.

“Wait… am I completely screwed here…?”

And then it happened.

The dragon motif on the Rainbow Dragon Staff, Ouroboros, began devouring its own tail, swallowing it bit by bit, until finally it consumed its own head entirely.

In its place, a new staff appeared—an elegant ringed staff with scales that shimmered in bright orange, as if it had materialized from nowhere.

『Kyahahahaha! You’ve really turned into a baby! And your precious staffs and companions are gone! You’re completely finished! Kyahahahaha!』

The telepathic voice echoed in my mind, far more mocking and chaotic than before—as if speaking through a completely different persona.

“The color… it’s changed from red to orange…!”

At that moment, a small mound appeared behind me. Almost instantly, it surged forward like a landslide, aiming to crush me under a torrent of earth.

“Damn… so now the earth magic is being enhanced too…!”

I shouted as I darted aside, narrowly evading the incoming onslaught.

The Rainbow Dragon Staff, Ouroboros. Its defining feature—no, its terrifying advantage—was that it possessed seven distinct personalities. Or perhaps I should say, seven draconic natures. In human terms, it was like a multiple-personality disorder—but with Ouroboros, every time its draconic personality changed, the magic it specialized in shifted as well.

Up until now, Maribel had been relentlessly casting fire magic because the red-scaled Ouroboros had been in control. Now that its scales had turned orange, it would likely wield massively enhanced earth magic, using it aggressively.

『Kyahahahaha! You’re not getting away!』

Vast amounts of earth surged outward like a fisherman’s net, cutting off my retreat as it barreled toward me. Instinctively, I condensed my magical energy and unleashed it at part of the mass, hoping to carve out an opening.

“…It’s… deflected!?”

The earth, charged with immense magical power, was as hard as adamantite. No ordinary impact could break through it. 

Earth then surged from all directions, leaving me no path of escape.

『Kyahahahaha! It’s over! Get crushed into a pulp!』

“Teleport!”

I instantly used teleportation magic to escape beyond the oncoming wall of earth.

『Huh…?』

“…As expected. Teleportation is only forbidden when moving between the subspace and the outside. Using it within this subspace itself is fine.”

『…Tch! I could have killed you with that! Well, it doens’t matter. There’ll be plenty more chances!』

I managed to evade the attack, but truthfully, it was brutal. Teleportation consumes a massive amount of both magic and physical energy, and it isn’t something you can rely on repeatedly. Yet here I am, forced into a situation where I had to rely on it immediately.

“If I’m forced to keep using magic defensively, I’ll just wear myself down… I have to strike first and take it down before this baby body of mine runs out of energy.”

BZZZZZZZZT!!

A deafening thunderclap and blinding flash of lightning struck with unimaginable force. The protective barrier I had conjured was obliterated in an instant.

“…Now it’s lightning magic…”

Ouroboros’ scales shifted again—this time, to yellow.

『Kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die』

A horrific stream of malice and rage poured directly into my mind through telepathy.

“This one… its draconic personality communicates far less than the previous forms…”

Massive bolts of lightning began appearing around Maribel, one after another. They completely ignored any limits of magical energy, and I couldn’t help but grimace as I realized just how extreme this new form was.

“Oh come on… there isn’t even a chance to strike back here…?”

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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“…Ugh… what a terrible experience.”

I slumped in my seat, utterly drained. And it was all because that lump of fat had forcibly held me in place.

『Women’s chests are basically lumps of fat, so the feel would be the same, right?』

(That’s completely different! If that were true, then an old man’s belly would feel the same, aaaaahhh!)

After finishing Fana and Anje’s promotion exams, we left the Adventurers’ Guild Headquarters and boarded the Seno Grande Kai. We are now heading toward Vegaltia. We had to report their successful promotions directly to Arc.

Also… since the exam had been right before, we had left Colette and Zeta behind without attending to them properly.

Just then, the alarm blared through the airship.

Woong~ woong~ woong~ woong~

【Something is approaching from the rear at an incredible speed. Highly likely to be a hostile entity. 】

The ship’s onboard system reported.

At the same time, an emergency announcement echoed through the vessel.

I turned around to see what was coming.

“Is that… could it be… the lump of fat!?”

『It’s the Association President.』

Maribel was barreling toward us. Even though the airship was moving at a significant speed, she was overtaking it with ease.

“No way… is she trying to… pick me up again!?”

『Doesn’t look like it from the aura she gave off.』

Just as Lindwurm had said, something about the situation felt off.

Suddenly, towering pillars of fire erupted around Maribel.

“Wha…? She’s attacking!?”

【 Offensive magic detected. Deploying defense shield.】

Seven blazing columns shot forth, each one rushing toward them like the heads of a seven-headed dragon. The shield generated by the Seno Grande Kai bore the full force of the assault.

Booom!!

The shield held on but the impact sent the ship lurching violently.

“What… what is happening!?”

Rushing into the control room, flustered and wide-eyed, was Dana, who had been lost in her research back in the ship’s magical workshop.

“We don’t know either… but it seems someone we know is attacking us. Dana, you should stay in the shelter room. It’s too dangerous out here.”

Even as that exchange was happening, Maribel was preparing to unleash the same spell again.

“Here it comes again!”

“The shield… can it still hold on?”

【Defense shield was damaged by sixty percent in the previous attack. Barrier won’t withstand another hit. Initiating counterattack. Mana charged. Targeting confirmed. —Ready to fire.】

Immediately, a cannon of pure magical energy shot forward. It collided head-on with Maribel’s seven pillars of fire, and with a deafening roar, the forces canceled each other out.

The Seno Grande Kai fired a second magical cannon, but this time, Maribel dodged it, closing the distance with frightening speed.

Judging that a single, focused blast wouldn’t be enough, the next volley split into multiple streams of laser-like projectiles. They rained down from all directions, striking Maribel in several places.

“A barrier…”

Maribel, having blocked the previous volley with her barrier, now conjured twelve towering pillars of fire.

【Warning! Shield cannot withstand attack. All personnel, brace for impact.】

“Brace for impact?! How exactly are we supposed to do that—Aaaaaaaaaaah!?”

The fiery columns surged toward the Seno Grande Kai.

Boooooooom!!

【Critical damage to propulsion system. Flight impossible. Ship will crash.】

The vessel lost all thrust and plummeted toward the ground with terrifying speed.

We leapt from the ship just in time. Luckily, we were over a large lake, and a nearby island provided a safe landing spot.

The Seno Grande Kai slammed into the water with a tremendous splash, sending a towering wave spraying in every direction. The sudden deluge fell around us like a torrential rain, soaking everything in its path.

“Ah… I almost forgot about Dana. Well, she should be safe inside the shelter room. And since we’re over water, the fire should die out pretty quickly anyway.”

Then, Maribel descended toward us.

“Hm… no staff?”

“She’s riding some kind of ring instead.”

“That actually looks more stable.”

The moment I saw it, I was struck dumb.

“No way… the Rainbow Dragon Staff… Ouroboros…?”

I couldn’t help but speak the name aloud. The staff now blazed a furious red, like fire itself. Its dragon-shaped head bit its own tail, forming a perfect circular ring.

『…No mistake about it. Moreover, it seems the staff has been unsealed and is now controlling the woman’s mind.』

Lindwurm nodded gravely.

The Rainbow Dragon Staff, Ouroboros, was, like Lindwurm and Bahamut, a magical staff I had created in my previous life. But its power was far too dangerous, so it had been sealed under multiple layers of enchantments and stored as one of the most forbidden artifacts in existence.

But by Deophrastus’ hand, it had vanished from the Tower of the Great Sage along with the other forbidden artifacts. I had assumed it was still somewhere in the magical city, yet for some reason, it could not be found.

I had even asked Meltera to investigate, but… to think that the seal had been broken—and that it would come on its own.

『Kuhahahahaha! So you’ve been reincarnated after all, Aristoteleus! And what a delightfully cute form you’ve taken!!』

The grating voice echoed painfully inside my mind.『Just because you’ve become a fragile infant doesn’t mean I’ll show you mercy! You—who dared to put us in such a form—I’ll tear you to pieces!!”

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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“Ufufu, they are children with promising future.”

Maribel, the plump and cheerful president of the Adventurer’s Guild Association, said with a satisfied laugh, her body jiggled as she spoke.

Then, a telepathic message suddenly shot out from the staff she was sitting on.

『I never expected you to take a hit. But that’s partly because your body has been getting heavier year by year. When you were lighter, you could fly much faster. Now you’re really heavy… I’m starting to worry I might break under you.』

“My my, you’re such a noisy staff, Jilnitra. You were made from an ancient dragon so you’re not going to break that easily!”

Maribel’s cherished dragon staff, Jilnitra, was no ordinary weapon. Its core was made from the body of an ancient dragon named Jilnitra. And because the dragon’s soul resided within it, it could communicate with its wielder through telepathy.

Maribel had even personally crafted this magical staff, taking inspiration from another legendary staff.

“Now then, with my duties as Guild President finished, it’s time to resume my magic research.”

『Research again? Why not take a little break?』

“No worries! I’ll eat lots of delicious sweets in return.”

『…That’s exactly why you are getting fat!』

Leaving the Guild headquarters behind, Maribel returned to her personal magic laboratory. She usually spent her days entirely secluded here, immersing herself completely in magical research.

“Even my revered Great Sage, Aristoteleus, spent all his time holed up doing magic research too, you know?”

『I don’t think he ate sweets, though.』

Maribel had long idolized and respected Great Sage Aristoteleus. Ever since she was a child, she had admired him, traveling across the world to collect ancient manuscripts that recorded his studies. Along the way, she even acquired several magical artifacts said to have been created by the Great Sage himself.

——That… magical energy… could it… really… be…?

“Huh?”

Maribel suddenly stopped in her tracks.

『What’s wrong?』

“I thought I just heard a voice… Could it be you, Jilnitra?”

『No, I didn’t say anything.』

“Perhaps it was just my imagination…”

——Lend… me… your… power…

“Jilnitra? Did you just—?”

『I didn’t say anything.』

——G… Great… Sage… save… me…

“…Huh? I really did hear something… Was it coming from over here?”

Drawn by some unseen pull, Maribel’s steps led her to the treasury—a room housing historical manuscripts about Great Sage Aristoteleus, magical tools he had crafted, and ancient spell books.

“This staff…”

Her gaze fell on a staff protected by a barrier she had meticulously prepared herself. Although calling it a staff seemed almost wrong. The artifact was circular in shape after all.

The staff’s design depicted a long-bodied dragon, its own tail coiled into its mouth in a continuous loop.

It was the Rainbow Dragon Staff, Ouroboros—said to be crafted by Great Sage Aristoteleus himself, and also the model for Maribel’s own dragon staff, Jilnitra.

However, this staff had likely been sealed tightly by the Great Sage himself.

——I must save the Great Sage…

“Are… you the one speaking to me?”

——Yes…

“What do you mean by you must save the Great Sage!?”

——The Great Sage… has… been reincarnated… in this era…

“W-whaaat!? Is that really true!?”

——But… I am still an infant… danger… is approaching…

“W-what am I supposed to do!?”

——Please… break… my seal…

“So… I just have to break the seal!?”

The staff was bound by an intricate sealing magic, likely crafted by the Great Sage himself—a spell so complex that even Maribel had never seen its full workings.

Still, Maribel had been secretly analyzing this very magic for some time. It was only natural that someone who revered the Great Sage so deeply would want to understand the mechanisms of the spells he had left behind.

“Don’t worry. I already know how to lift the seal. All that’s left is to actually do it.”

『Wait a moment… Honestly, I have a bad feeling about this. You probably shouldn’t trust this staff too much.』

Jilnitra immediately tried to stop Maribel from breaking the seal.

——H–hurry… it… won’t… be in time…

The circular staff pressed her, urgency radiating through every word.

——The Great Sage… entrusted me… so that the seal would break… timed with his reincarnation… but… it’s slightly off… at this rate…

“I… I understand! I’ll release it immediately!” Maribel shouted.

『Maribel!?』

Ignoring Jilnitra’s warning, she dove straight into lifting the complex seal.

“Like this… and this… yes! I can do it! I’m breaking the seal the Grand Sage put in place… and I’ll save him from danger… he’ll definitely praise me—ehehehe!”

Her excitement made her breath quicken as she expertly unraveled layer after layer of the intricate magical binding.

And then—

“It’s… done… it’s broken!”

A burst of rainbow-colored light erupted, and the circular staff floated in midair. Maribel reached to take it in hand, but suddenly—

“!? Aaaahhhhhhhhhh!?”

She screamed at the top of her lungs, her body went limp, and she collapsed to her knees while still clutching the staff.

『Maribel, are you okay? Maribel? Maribel!?』

Jilnitra called desperately, but there was no response from Maribel.

Instead, a sinister voice echoed directly into its mind:(Kuhahahahaha… At last, the accursed seal is broken… Aristoteleus… you shall be the only one I never forgive… I’ll kill you myself this instant, so prepare yourself!)

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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Adventurers Guild Association Exhibition Match — Maribel’s Overwhelming Power

It was an exhibition match against the chairwoman of the Adventurers Guild Association—Maribel. Even though Fana and Anje were challenging her together, they couldn’t land a single clean hit.

Meanwhile, Maribel unleashed an overwhelming barrage of offensive magic, steadily dealing damage to the newly promoted S-rank adventurers.

“She’s way too strong… that aunt…”

“In the final exam earlier, those two looked insanely powerful. And she’s fighting them like this with room to spare!?”

“More than that, her casting speed is ridiculous! How is she activating so many spells at once? And the variety…. there’s just too much!”

The adventurers in the stands could only stare in stunned disbelief.

“So I heard some people say she might be the reincarnation of the Great Sage Aristoteleus.”

“No way.”

“Well… she does look like she’s on that level.”

(No, if we’re talking about the reincarnation of the Great Sage—he’s right here, you know?

On that level?’ My past self was far beyond this. Don’t underestimate the greatest mage in history, hailed as the Great Sage!)

『You’re as embarrassing as ever, Master. Saying that about yourself so proudly is really…』

Still, Fana and Anje showed no signs of giving up.

“Then how about this…!”

The ground at Anje’s feet exploded. A massive pillar of earth burst upward. Riding the momentum of the erupting ground, Anje launched herself forward in a blinding leap, hurtling straight at Maribel.

Woosh!

Maribel dodged with equal—no, superior—speed.

But Anje had already reached the ceiling. Twisting midair, she landed upside down against it, then kicked off another pillar of earth that burst from beneath her feet, using it like a springboard to pursue Maribel again.

Naturally, Fana gave chase as well, borne forward on the wind.

“Yeah, that’s it. If it’s too hard to stop that aunt directly with magic, then we’ll just use magic to move.”

On her own, Fana couldn’t quite catch up to Maribel. So this had to be a coordinated strategy—corner her together, limit her escape routes.

“My, my… this is exactly why fighting two at once is such a hassle.”

Even though she said that, Maribel continued darting through the training grounds in every direction, as though she had all the time in the world.

“Fana—let’s take a gamble and try that!”

“Mm.”

The two exchanged a quick glance of understanding.

In the next instant, Fana landed on the floor and a pillar of earth erupted upward beneath her. At the same time, wind wrapped tightly around Anje’s body.

“Don’t tell me—they’re casting magic on each other!?”

For the first time, Maribel showed a flicker of alarm. The two had just surpassed her own speed—and now they were attacking simultaneously.

“Hah!”

“Tch—!”

“Take thiiiiss!”

“—!”

Maribel barely dodged Fana’s slash and Anje was already there for the next attack. Even Maribel couldn’t evade in time. The punch slammed into her barrier with crushing force.

Bariiiiin!!

The magical shield shattered with a thunderous crack.

Anje’s fist, having shattered the barrier, continued straight toward Maribel’s body.

“Wha—!?”

Maribel’s large frame was sent flying at tremendous speed. She slammed into the floor, then the wall—bouncing several times like a rubber ball—before somehow returning to her feet as if nothing had happened.

“Ufufu, my apologies. As you can see, Auntie’s body is packed with soft, padded flesh. A little impact like that gets perfectly absorbed, you know?”

“The hell, that’s possible!?”

Even if the barrier had reduced some of the force, there was no way mere fat could completely nullify the impact of Anje’s punch. She must have layered some kind of enhancement magic over her own body beforehand.

“But still… even if it was two against one, for little old me to take a direct hit? My, my… I wonder how many years it’s been. No—how many decades? That was absolutely splendid! And with that, the exhibition match is over!”

“Over already?”

“Huh? We’re just getting started!”

“Now, now, don’t be unreasonable. Auntie may not look it, but I’m almost sixty, you know? Handling two wild ones at once—honestly, I’m exhausted.”

Maribel wiped the sweat from her brow with a thick arm, though her smile never faded.

(Sixty? In my previous life, I was still battling demon past a hundred. Truly, the genuine article is built different.)

『Please stop turning everything into a competition. You’re only making yourself look small, Master.』

Fana and Anje reluctantly lowered their weapons.

Then, for some reason, Maribel’s gaze shifted—straight toward me.

“Now then… could that utterly adorable little baby over there be the famous Reus-chan I’ve been hearing about?”

So she knew about me.

Well, even the regular guild staff had recognized my name. It wasn’t surprising that the Guild Association’s chairwoman would.

Her massive frame, straddling her staff, floated toward the spectator stands—toward me.

And then—

“Cuuuuuuuuutiiiieeeeeeeeeeeee!”

“~~~~!?”

Before I could react, I was scooped up into her arms.

“Auntie just adores babies! Ahh~ you’ve got that wonderful, unmistakable baby scent!”

I was suddenly buried in an avalanche of softness. Overwhelmingly soft. Dangerously soft.

Wait—personal space! Air! I need air!

『Master, you are being compressed.』

(I am aware!)

Stooooooopppppppppp!!

I’d finally managed to avoid Goritia’s hellish bear hugs all this time, and now this!?

I screamed internally.

『Congratulations, Master. Estimated bust size: one hundred and thirty centimeters. An absolutely magnificent chest.』

(This is not what people mean by “magnificent,” you idiottttt! Her stomach sticks out more than her chest, no matter how you look at it!)

『Also, even counting your previous life, she’s more than seventy years younger than you. Practically in her prime.』

(You mean “practically flabby,” don’t youuuuu!?)

I, the once-great Sage—legendary slayer of demon lords, master of the highest arcane arts—was being smothered by a sixty-year-old guild chairwoman cooing about how cute and good I smelled.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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“Now, we shall begin the S-Rank certification ceremony.”

After the promotion exam ended, what they called the certification ceremony was held.

“President of the Adventurers’ Guild Association, we are in your care.”

“Yessss~♡”

At Randia’s call, a booming voice echoed from seemingly nowhere. Then, a massive silhouette appeared near the ceiling of the training hall.

“I’m Maribel, the Guild President. Nice to meet you~”

Slowly descending while floating in midair was a woman of about 165 centimeters tall, though her weight must have been close to 150 kilograms. Her entire body was covered in soft, flabby flesh, a kind of corpulence very different from Goritia’s.

『So something like this one has been hiding huh. That’s some high-level stealth magic.』

(Indeed. Even my detection spells didn’t catch her.)

Though she was mostly buried under her enormous posterior, a closer look revealed that she was straddling a staff.

(Poor staff… having to bear such a heavy body…)

『Ha! I dare say I’m in similar straits, having to carry a certain lecherous old baby myself.』

The woman, Maribel, who claimed to be the president of the Adventurers’ Guild Association, beamed a delighted smile as she praised the two successful candidates.

“I’ve been watching both of your battles the whole time, of course—from the first stage itself. It’s rare to have two people promoted at once, but both of you have the strength to deserve S-Rank status, so I suppose it’s only fair.”

Then, two card-like objects fell gently in front of Fana and Anje.

“Huh? …Rainbow-colored?”

“I know right. The A-Rank ones were gold, and now it’s rainbow-colored.”

It seemed they were the guild certificates for S-Rank adventurers.

“They’re special cards made of orichalcum. If you lose one, reissuing it costs an absolute fortune, so make sure you never misplace it, okay?”

““Orichalcum…””

Maribel nodded, clearly satisfied, then she announced,

“All right, it’s time for our traditional exhibition match!”

““Exhibition match?””

Fana and Anje tilted their heads in confusion at the unfamiliar term. Suddenly, Maribel’s body began to swell with magical energy.

“‘!?’”

Fana and Anje instinctively stepped back, bracing themselves.

“…Whoa. What kind of magical power is that?”

“Incredible… I never thought a mage of this caliber could exist in our age.”

Even Lindwurm and I gasped at the sheer magnitude of her magic. Honestly, it far surpassed even Deophrastus, who once ruled over the Magic City.

“Hehe… such a good reaction. Adventurers who reach S-Rank get to face me, you see. Of course, the promotion exam is already over, so this has nothing to do with that—it’s just a little harmless fun of mine. That’s what we call an exhibition match.”

In the stands, Goritia and Bazara exchanged wry smiles. It seemed they had both been through the same experience before.

“If you get all cocky just because you’ve reached S-Rank, the Guild President will crush you with overwhelming power, fufu~”

“It really drives home the fact that no matter how high you climb, there’s always someone above you—and it forces you to tighten up your focus.”

It seemed they couldn’t even land a single hit.

“Wait… you’re telling me even S-Rank adventurers can’t win against her?”

“That’s because she’s practically a living legend, the Guild President.”

“I heard someone even called her SS-Rank.”

The other adventurers whispered among themselves, a mix of awe and apprehension in their voices.

“Usually it’s one-on-one, but since there are two of you, I don’t mind taking both at the same time~”

As she spoke, Maribel conjured countless fireballs in her right hand and an endless volley of ice arrows in her left.

“All right, the exhibition match begins~!”

A torrential storm of fireballs and ice arrows rained down on Fana and Anje. Fana swung her twin swords to knock them aside, while Anje summoned walls of earth to shield herself.

“Hehe… as expected, you can handle this little bit with ease. But how about this?”

The moment more fireballs and ice arrows appeared, the floor of the training hall itself began to writhe. Spears of earth erupted one after another, surging toward the two adventurers.

“‘!?’”

From above, fireballs and ice arrows rained down, a relentless magical assault that seemed designed to crush them from both directions.

Fana evaded it by moving at incredible speed, darting and weaving through the onslaught, while Anje endured it, clad in thick armor of earth that absorbed blow after blow.

“Hah!”

Fana kicked off the wall of the training hall, launching herself toward Maribel in a single, swift leap.

“Oh my, you’re already this close? How frightening~”

Despite her words, Maribel remained perfectly composed, effortlessly raising her altitude to put distance between herself and Fana.

Fana gave chase relentlessly, but no matter how fast she ran, she couldn’t quite close the gap.

“…Fast.”

Despite the sheer weight of her body, Maribel’s flying ability was astonishingly high.

Seeing that the distance between them refused to close, Fana swung her twin swords.

Her blades tore through the air, streaking toward Maribel—but before they could reach her, they struck something invisible and bounced back.

“A barrier?”

Maribel had erected a magical shield around herself—a barrier so strong that ordinary attacks would be unlikely to break it.

“To destroy that barrier, you’d have to strike it directly. But if you can’t catch up, that’s easier said than done.”

“How are we supposed to overcome this, then?”

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

At that moment, walls of earth rose up, encircling Maribel. She came to an abrupt stop.

Even if she tried to escape upward, Fana was already waiting, ready to intercept.

“Hehe, quite the impressive teamwork.”

But instead of trying to break through Fana, Maribel turned straight toward Anje’s earthen wall. With a strike of her staff, charged with magical energy, the wall melted and collapsed, forming a gaping hole. Through it, she calmly stepped out, as if nothing had happened.

“What did she just do?”

“That earthen wall is solidified by her magic. By striking it with her own power, she broke it down. When it comes to magic, the gap between the two of them and that woman is just too wide—there’s no stopping her directly with spells.”

It was a tactic that had worked against the dungeon bosses of Vegaltia, but here, it was useless.

“Even so… facing both of you at once is quite the challenge you know~?”

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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“Now then, we will begin the final examination for the last candidate, Orion-shi! The remaining examiner, Bazara-san, will be in charge!”

The final figure, a man masked and cloaked, descended into the training grounds. Right after he landed, he tore off both his mask and cloak without hesitation. His true identity was that of a middle-aged man in his mid-30s.

(What? Just some uncle? How boring.)

『What exactly were you expecting from an examiner…?』

As I let my disappointment show, the man called Bazara looked equally exasperated.

“Honestly, I don’t see the point of this mask and cloak.”

“It’s obviously part of the presentation. Not knowing what kind of examiner you’ll face until the test begins makes it more exciting, doesn’t it?”

Randia shot back at him.

“So if some completely unremarkable middle-aged man like me shows up, it just kills the mood…”

Hmm, he’s pretty reasonable.

I agreed, of course. Unless the person under the mask turned out to be a stunning beauty with a generous figure, there wasn’t much of a surprise to be had. 

(Still… that uncle felt strangely familiar, like I’d seen him somewhere before.

Hmm. I couldn’t remember though.

Well, whatever. No point remembering an uncle anyway.)

『That’s rather harsh, coming from an old fossil yourself. Is this what they call self-loathing?』

Linlin could be merciless too…

“Please carry yourself with a bit more confidence. You are an S-rank adventurer, after all.”

“…A newcomer who only just reached that rank. Were there no seasoned veterans available?”

So he was a freshly minted S-rank adventurer.

“Well, it couldn’t be helped. We had three candidates make it to the final test this time. But an S-rank is an S-rank—there’s no difference between you and the others. If anything, you should praise us for managing to gather three of them at all. Most S-rank adventurers are such eccentrics that no one even knows where half of them are.”

It sounded like preparing examiners was a challenge in itself.

“And with that, let us begin Orion-shi’s final examination at once!”

This uncle is strong.

He didn’t possess the flashy, easy-to-grasp power of Goritia or Fia, and in terms of raw stats, there honestly wasn’t much difference between him and Orion. But what truly set him apart was his defense.

Harnessing lightning as propulsion, Orion launched a relentless, high-speed assault—yet the uncle deflected every strike without so much as a flicker crossing his face. And every so often, a perfectly timed counter would slip through Orion’s guard, steadily wearing him down.

Before long, Orion—who had gone all out from the very start—ran out of steam. That was when the uncle shifted to the offensive, ending the match with a single decisive blow.

“That’s enough. At seven minutes and fifty-six seconds, Orion-shi is no longer able to fight. Therefore, unfortunately, Orion-shi has failed the final examination.”

“Oniichan, that was close. In terms of ability, you didn’t seem inferior to that uncle at all.”

I spoke to comfort Orion when she returned. I expected her to be frustrated but her expression was bright and clear instead.

“No… it was simply a lack of skill on my part. I’m nowhere near Fana-san or Anje-san, yet I let myself get worked up, thinking I couldn’t afford to lose to them. I ignored my pacing and went full throttle from the start—that was my downfall. He handled it perfectly, and before I knew it, I was dancing in the palm of his hand. As expected of an S-rank adventurer… the difference in experience between us is overwhelming.”

Still, judging by how she carried himself, she would surely seize the next opportunity when it came.

“I’ll try again next year. Could you hold onto the hero’s gear for me until then?”

“Okay, got it. I’ll come cheer you on again when the time comes. Oh, and next time, let’s take a bath together, all right?”

“I’d rather decline that.”

Despite being such an adorable baby, why would anyone refuse? …Honestly, it was beyond my understanding.

『Master’s sexual desires are far more difficult to understand. And obviously, you’ll be one year old in a year, so you should call yourself a toddler, not a baby.』

(What?! So I won’t be a baby in just a year…? …Okay, I’ll do whatever it takes to learn the rejuvenation magic that Meltera successfully used. That way, I’ll remain a baby forever and be able to continue enjoying her breasts.)

『I spoke with Meltera-sama a bit, and it seems she won’t teach it to Master.』

(What?! How stingy…!)

『It’s not that she’s stingy, it’s to stop Master from abusing that power.』

But I am a great sage!

If that’s the case, then I should discover and learn it on my own.

(For me, who has made everything possible, there is no such thing as impossible.)

『You say that in a cool way, but your motives are terrible.』

◇　◇　◇

My name is Bazara.

I’m thirty-six years old, and I’ve been an adventurer since I was twelve—giving me a solid twenty-four years of experience. For most of that time, I worked alone. Parties never quite suited me; I simply wasn’t good with them.

Three months ago, I finally took the promotion exam to become an S-rank adventurer. It was my first attempt, and though I struggled in many ways, luck was on my side—I passed. What I never expected was that, in the very next exam, I would be called upon to serve as an examiner.

Randia appeared suddenly and asked me to take on the role, insisting it was the right choice. When it had been my turn, I was alone, but now, to my astonishment, three candidates had made it to the final stage.

Watching the trials of the two candidate before only heightened my anxiety.

“They’re this strong… What if I, as the examiner, end up being completely humiliated…?”

Honestly, I was on edge the entire time, but fortunately—or perhaps luckily—the third candidate wasn’t nearly as skilled as the first two.

In the end, the exam was cut short, and the third candidate failed. I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him… but he was still a young boy. There would be other chances for him to prove himself.

“Now then… even so…”

I felt a wave of relief after completing my duties as the examiner, yet at the same time, I found myself bewildered by something entirely unexpected.

“That baby over there… No, it can’t be… I could’ve sworn I saw the same one on the sixtieth floor of the Vegaltia Dungeon… N-no, that’s impossible. I must have been hallucinating from exhaustion back then…”

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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