Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy
Saul
The Cyclops blacksmith we were looking for seemed to own a workshop on the same island where these sisters resided.
Taking them up on their offer to guide us, Iris and I, along with Ouka-san and Kirsche-san, were now walking on the city outskirts, on the road leading to the bridge that crosses over to the adjacent island…
“So, Ouka-san, what did you want to talk about?”
When Ouka-san invited me to a private chat, we hastened our steps to stay a little ahead of the other two.
“Um… I just wanted some reference, really. Why do you guys want to become stronger? Ah, it’s not like I’m suspecting you or anything…”
“…Did something happen?”
“Well…”
She began speaking in a hushed tone, still aware of the slight foot traffic around us.
“I heard it from another former player in this city. Apparently, there’s a group going around forcefully recruiting influential players. They tried approaching him too, but he felt a suspicious vibe about them and refused, yet they kept pestering him since.”
“I see… I have a feeling something like this would happen sooner or later.”
Since we spent most of our time in this world in quite the remote region, where there weren’t many former players around, such rumors didn’t exist. But it’s to be expected that a so-called mutual aid organization would rear its head in this city, where people around the world gathered.
…Not like we’re one to talk, considering one of our goals was to gather as many allies as possible.
“…If you guys really are from that group, then I can’t introduce you to Master. I hope you understand.”
“Thank you for letting us know. We’ll be cautious, too.”
“Yeah, that’s better. Well, it’s just unthinkable for that princess of yours to be in league with those guys, isn’t she?”
“Haha, that’s true.”
We chuckled in agreement.
Indeed, with her status and popularity, gathering the former players would be easy.
However, she seemed to have no ambitions for that… in fact, she might not even be aware of such means.
“…Well, since you asked for it, there’s a reason we’re seeking strong equipment. I’ll keep it short since it’ll be a long story otherwise, but it’s related to recent events…”
With that preface, I briefly explained the events so far.
The “fight” with Death Serpent, so one-sided that it could hardly be called one.
Realizing our powerlessness there, and knowing that it wouldn’t suffice the next time we faced him.
“…So that really happened… and you guys started looking for stronger equipment because of it?”
“Yeah. Of course, we know we need to become stronger ourselves, not just rely on equipment…”
Just focusing on one aspect isn’t enough.
Especially if we want to protect Iris.
That Death Serpent aside… she’s the only remaining Lightwing in this world. Not to mention this whole Sacred Daughter business.
It’s now officially recognized that she has a blood relation to the Nordglacier royal family. With the right of succession to a sovereign state, it would be considerably difficult to lay hands on her.
However, it wouldn’t discount the possibility of somebody targeting her.
Like, for example,… an enemy that sees themselves beyond the scope of nations.
I have a feeling that to protect her from such people, we’ll have to explore every possible means.
“…You guys are amazing.”
“…Huh?”
“That Death Serpent… was incredibly dangerous, wasn’t he? And you guys didn’t even stand a chance against him.”
“That’s right… It was a feeling of having everything we’d built in this world over the past few months, all our confidence and arrogance, swept away at once.”
It was even worse for me than for Iris or Reiji-san, because I literally contributed nothing in that fight.
Being blown away like trash in the very beginning, and waking up afterward on a bed, with everything already over… that frustration still smolders within me.
“Yet, you guys don’t give up, but try to stand up again. I… I just can’t… If I experienced what you went through, I’d never want to leave a safe place again.”
“No… We have an excellent healer with us, so we still have more leeway compared to you or other players…”
“Even so, aren’t you scared? Especially you, a tank? You might be the first to die, you know?”
“That…”
…Of course I was scared.
Even if I suffer a fatal wound, Iris will heal me.
Though, if I die instantly, her protection won’t reach me. I might never wake up again.
But… more than that, watching Onii-chan struggle with disabilities, and now seeing Iris get hurt before my eyes, seems much scarier.
“That might be true… But, if the same thing happens again, and if I couldn’t protect again… that’s scarier for me.”
“…”
At my words, Ouka-san’s expression twisted.
I thought of her as a strong, straightforward girl, but her expression seemed like she was holding back tears.
Uncertain of what to say to her silence, I simply followed a few steps behind her.
After a few minutes… she finally spoke up.
“I don’t get it… Why don’t you guys just run away? What are you fighting so hard for? To return to the original world?”
“…”
I should have answered the question if I thought about it normally, but I couldn’t answer right away.
…To be honest, I hadn’t thought about the old world until she mentioned it.
Returning to my old world?
Is that really what I want?
“…I probably don’t really want to go back to the other world.”
“…Huh?”
“Reiji… one of our companions who also got sent here, I’m not so sure about him. He left his family in the other world, so I guess there’s a part of him that wants to come back. Iris seems to want to send Reiji back there as well.”
And I think those two, whether they return or stay, probably want to be together. Of course, I want the same thing. But there’s one thing different about me from the two of them.
“…But I don’t have that kind of attachment like Reiji. My parents and grandparents passed away long ago, and besides Iris, I have no family. I have a few close friends and acquaintances… but they’re just people I know, nothing more. I think I’m quite callous, honestly.”
“…I’m sorry to hear that.”
“No, don’t worry about it. I might sound like I’m betraying every player who wants to come back… but I don’t have much left in the other world anymore.”
“…In the other world? That sounds a bit…”
She started to say something, but then closed her mouth awkwardly. But… I could somewhat understand what she was trying to say.
I have gotten attached to this world.
In fact, it might be true. Since finding out my mother was from here, I’d been thinking more and more that maybe this is where we belong.
“Well, I don’t know… What I can say is, if Iris wants to go back, I’ll do everything to take her back, and if not, I’ll stay here. Either way… as long as I’m alive, I’ll never leave Iris alone.”
And that’s enough of a reason for me to fight… I chuckled to myself, realizing how messed up I must be.
“…Why are you going so far for that girl?”
“You probably know about Iris’ legs, right?”
“Well, it’s pretty famous that the ‘Princess’ has bad legs.”
“She… wasn’t born with it. It was my fault.”
In the end, no matter how far I go, my starting point has always been the day we lost many things we held dear.
Onii-chan, and now Iris, kept telling me not to worry about it, but I couldn’t help but worry every time.
“I’ve seen her struggle a lot because of that, and every time, I felt frustrated that I couldn’t do much.”
And every time, it tormented me – that it’s my fault she’s like this.
“But… it’s different now. I have the means to protect her, and that makes me happy… At the same time, I feel like I can’t make excuses anymore.”
“…What excuse?”
“Something like… since I can’t do anything, it can’t be helped.”
That’s why I want to do what I can.
Training, yes. Seeking stronger equipment, yes.
To avoid having any regrets.
After finishing my story, there was a painful silence between us for a while.
“…When I first saw you, I thought we’re similar, but I’ve never been so wrong.”
In that awkward atmosphere, Ouka-san started speaking.
“I’m just hopeless. If something like that happened, I wouldn’t be able to muster the courage to stand up again.”
Stammering, she began to recount the events just before she was sent to this world.
She’d become disillusioned due to certain circumstances, and lived like a delinquent.
She’d been cold to her suddenly found stepsister.
“I didn’t hate her. She was cute, a model student, loved by everyone unlike me, a really good kid with a great dream… I just thought that she shouldn’t have anything to do with me.”
Saying that much… as if she was vomiting up the overflowing emotions in her chest, she sighed deeply.
“…It was supposed to be that way.”
“What?”
“No, it’s nothing. I… tried to avoid getting her involved in my mess, but the people who have a grudge against me eventually found out about her…”
On the day we were all brought here.
When her kidnapped stepsister was about to be assaulted, before they knew it… they were both sent to this world.
“…And I guess it’s because of that incident, she lost her ability to control her power. If she doesn’t consciously do it, she’d activate her class abilities just by speaking. She’s been practicing a lot to keep it under control even now…”
It must have been about that time when I first heard her voice.
Her self-defense instincts inadvertently exerted the charm effect on the surroundings.
“I… don’t know how to face her anymore. I have no rights to call myself her sister.”
“But you still tried to protect her, right? In that case, you probably don’t lack the qualifications of being a sister…”
“No!”
At her sudden outburst, I stopped and turned around unintentionally.
Trembling like having a fever, she was grabbing her head in an unnatural manner.
“No, that’s just wrong! At that time, seeing that girl almost assaulted in front of me, what I thought first was… No, I was…!!”
Overflowing with tears, Ouka-san’s painful sobs rendered her unable to finish her sentence.
I took out a handkerchief from my pocket and handed it to her, silently walking beside her until she calmed down.
…After walking in silence for a while, she finally wiped her tears and looked up.
“…Sorry, let’s forget what I said. I probably think you’ll despise me if you hear it.”
“Understood. I shouldn’t have made you talk about painful things. But even if you did think that way at the time, I won’t despise you… I think.”
“…Eh?”
“Because you’re still suffering from that, right? Then, that was just a momentary lapse, not your true feelings… I believe.”
“…Why are you saying such embarrassing things all of a sudden?”
With that teary smile, she replied, then fell silent once again.
After another ten minutes of walking… she suddenly muttered.
“…You’re strong, after all.”
“You really think so?”
“Yeah. Hard, sharp, and strong. But…”
Her words faltered. However, the movement of her lips without sound…
—A blade sharpened and hardened for only one purpose is fragile.
Yes, I felt like she said that.
Iris
“…Looks like they’re discussing some heavy stuff over there.”
On the peaceful road leading away from the urban area towards the bridge connecting to the adjacent island, a heavy atmosphere began to envelop the space between Nii-sama and Ouka-san, who were walking a good distance ahead of us, even visible from our position.
“Onee-chan tends to obsess over things once she’s set her mind on them…”
“Ahaha… I get what you’re saying… Nii-sama is like that too.”
Recalling Ayame’s stubborn face, never changing despite me telling her not to worry about my injuries anymore for years, I chuckled inwardly.
Moreover, since she became “Saul”, that obsession of hers had grown even worse.
To be honest, it’s a bit comforting to know that she thinks about us in that way, but… at the same time, I wish she’d think about herself a bit more.
Besides…
“At the plaza, I thought you didn’t get along with your sister, but it seems like… you like her?”
At my question, Kirsche-san became bright red from her face to ears, just like her name.
“Mm… she kept thinking like she’s a delinquent, but she hadn’t actually done anything bad… I knew she wanted to push me away, but still, whenever I was in trouble, she would always appear from somewhere and help me… um, and…”
Ouka-san? You seem to care about your sister a lot, but why do you keep hiding it?
I thought to myself as a blushing, fingers intertwining Kirsche-san continued to gush over her sister in a sickly sweet manner, like a maiden in love.
“And… and…”
Kirsche-san seemed to be happy as she talked about various things… but eventually, her expression turned bitter, and she toned down her voice.
“…Is something bothering you?”
“Yes… Onee-chan didn’t seem to remember, but before we became family through our parents’ remarriage, she saved me once. When I was still in middle school, I was surrounded by some scary high school boys…”
In short, Ouka-san, who was, at that time, still a member of her club. She jumped in to save a younger girl she didn’t know, brandishing the naginata she carries around to drive the boys away.
But because of that incident, she got into a fight with a boy from another school… Turns out he was from a prestigious sports school… and the rumor got exaggerated by a member of the same club who was competing with her for a regular spot. She was pushed out of the club because of it… Kirsche-san only heard about it later, after they became family.
“I wanted to apologize for what happened, but by then, it seemed like it was too late, and I couldn’t bring myself to say it… and then, things turned out like this.”
“I see… I hope you can reconcile soon and apologize properly.”
“Yeah… I’ll do my best!”
With flushed cheeks and clenched fists, Kirsche-san resolved to reconcile with her sister. Her demeanor reminded me of a determined puppy, which brought a smile to my face despite myself.
“And… it wasn’t just the trauma that made you quiet when we first met, right?”
“Yeah… I’m definitely scared, but it’s not like it’s affecting my daily life. It’s just that I have to be conscious and careful when I talk, or else I might accidentally use my power… That’s all.”
While it’s more evident with people she meets for the first time, it’s considerably better with those she’s used to.
Seeing how she’s become more talkative compared to when we first met, it seems she’s accepted me too.
Speaking of her ability… it must belong to her tertiary class gained after reincarnation. If so, then her class should be…
“Are you in the Bard grouping? To think someone actually reached reincarnation with it…”
“I don’t want to hear that from the pure healer Princess.”
“…You’re right.”
I replied with a wry smile to her slightly sulky expression.
However… a tertiary class in the Bard series is truly astonishing.
The Bard grouping she belonged to was tough, but in a different sense compared to a healer like me.
However, that doesn’t mean they’re at a disadvantage in terms of ability; they have the specs that allow them to be one of the best among all classes, provided they’re able to master their abilities.
I must emphasize again, provided they’re able to master their abilities.
The magic used by us magician-type involved combining multiple “words of power” that were systemized during the late period of the old magical civilization. The longer the phrases become, the more powerful the combination of “words of power” and the greater the efficacy and magical power consumption.
Its structure is as follows: first, the command word “Sest” initiates the chanting. By uttering this word, our intentions and magical powers are connected to the world, entering a state of incantation readiness.
Next, the selection of the magic’s form. This varies by profession; in my case, it corresponds to “Purify”.
Then comes the rank of the magic, which roughly indicates how much magical power will be consumed. This ranges from “1” to, in the case of players with secondary class, a maximum of “11”.
Finally, by weaving the chant, which consists of a series of “words of power” predetermined for each magic, the magic is finally activated.
On that note, my exclusive magic of the Lightwing race is handled differently, resembling a prayer more than the organized system described above, so I cannot explain it well myself.
And… the magic used by Kirsche-san’s Bard grouping, called “Curses Song”, possesses a similar nature.
Unlike other magics that combine “words of power,” it weaves power directly into the song itself.
While its range and effect control are vastly superior to other types of magic, there’s a drawback: the effects aren’t stable across different users of the same song.
It was said that this depended not only on the accuracy of pitch and singing ability but also on the emotions infused into the song.
Many scoffed at the idea of emotions being involved in the game system, but with numerous inexplicable occurrences, such objections couldn’t be upheld.
Naturally, there were very few players who could handle such professions properly. Moreover, given the high hurdles of relying heavily on user qualifications and the difficulty of singing in public, the player base was extremely small.
However, there’s another ability that only those who could fully master their class abilities could use, aside from the “Curses Song”. Many people entered the game world dreaming of becoming singers like those in games and anime, only to give up halfway.
“…Onee-chan told me to keep it a secret until I can control it and defend myself.”
“Well, that’s understandable… I truly believe that’s what you should do. Seriously. Yeah.”
“Um, Princess…?”
Surprised by my sudden firm grip on her shoulders, Kirsche-san was taken aback, but I fully agreed with Ouka-san’s words. It’s not unreasonable for her to say that.
If Kirsche-san’s abilities were exposed, she would undoubtedly become a target for various individuals… something I know firsthand.
Because… the Bard grouping, despite many restrictions on its use, is the only grouping aside from my Priest that possesses proper area-of-effect healing magic.
APM - Translation 