Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy
Ouka
“…Why did it have to turn out like this?”
The worst thing possible had happened.
I had been in high spirits as I pulled an all-nighter to finalize the design blueprint for the magical armor, basking in a sense of accomplishment as I stepped outside to greet the morning sun. Little did I know, the worst was lurking there, ready to ambush me at that moment.
Before me stood several men.
They all had handsome features, but that was to be expected. These individuals were former players—avatars brought to life, so it was only natural that many of them were good-looking.
The weapons hanging from their waists were mostly swords and other bladed weapons. Given that sword builds were the most popular and leveling-friendly, it was reasonable that many of those transported to this world belonged to that category.
However, no matter how many handsome faces surrounded me, my mood was not just bad; it was beyond awful. Because…
“Why the cold shoulder?”
“Aren’t we supposed to help fellow players out in this situation?”
“Just because you earn well doesn’t mean you have to act all high and mighty.”
I desperately held back the cringe as I listened to their angry grumbling.
It was disgusting how they tried to justify their actions while brandishing their weapons and saying threatening remarks. Just their presence alone fueled my frustration to unprecedented levels.
Apparently, there was a group going around forcefully recruiting former players.
That was the story I told Iris and the others just yesterday.
Never did I imagine that the very next day, I would be confronted by that group.
And I never dreamed that they would turn out to be so repulsive, far beyond my expectations.
“I’m terribly sorry, Ouka-san. I’ll try to reason with them, at least…”
A boy among them, supposedly their negotiator, rushed over in a panic.
Unlike the others, he was wearing a strange mask resembling a bird’s skull. Behind that mask, there might be another breathtakingly beautiful boy, but for now, the continuous stream of cold sweat running down his face ruined any charm he might have had.
As much as I pitied this boy, there was no chance that I would change my mind regarding those players.
It seemed that the Princess and her friends, hailing from a remote region, were mostly unaware of where the formers players ended up in this world… Some lived quietly like myself, while others made a name for themselves in mercenary guilds or achieved success in business. With three months having passed, most had accepted this world as their reality and were establishing their own way of life.
On the other hand, there were also people with less-than-stellar character, to which those people in front of me unfortunately belonged.
Nevertheless, since they had levelled enough to reach reincarnation, they must have possessed some level of skill. But…
They were the type to look down on those weaker than themselves.
They lacked the ability to make their own judgments and decisions despite their high self-esteem.
They fantasized about being heroes without possessing the qualities necessary to fulfill that role.
Such individuals insisted on flaunting the power they had stumbled upon by chance, but they had no intention of fulfilling the various responsibilities that came with it, nor did they have the courage to venture into new paths. The lack of determination was evident in their expressions—adorned with a facade of vigor, but lacking any true spirit.
And… banding together like thugs, they went after defenseless people, against whom they could wield their force without resistance, a fact I knew all too well as a former delinquent.
Perhaps having heard about me from somewhere, they had chosen to target me today.
“…Seriously, you guys are persistent. I don’t owe you anything, and I want nothing to do with you.”
I firmly told the boy who tried to persist despite the favors he presented.
It’s not like I’m being unreasonable toward people from the same world as me, in fact, I wouldn’t mind if they requested my service like normal customers. At least, that was what I thought until this morning.
If this boy had been the first to appear, I might have listened to what he had to say.
But now, after being subjected to unbearable selfish demands from those unsavory characters, any inclination to listen had long disappeared.
“Helping fellow players out? Don’t make me laugh. What have you guys done to help others? Or you’re just a bunch of good-for-nothings acting tough?”
“We…”
The boy fell silent. Perhaps he was also aware that his little group was nothing more than thugs, and that’s why he was unable to come up with a response.
Until his intervention, those players’ so-called “negotiations” consisted of demanding me to hand over the products I made to them for the sake of my “protection”. For free.
Given the way they glanced at my chest and waist, it’s clear that they have other ulterior motives as well.
“I-I apologize on their behalf, it was rude of us…”
“No need to apologize, I’m not even angry at you.”
The boy raised his face expectantly at my slightly gentler tone, but unfortunately, I had no obligation to respond to such gestures.
“But I’m going to make it clear here. I have absolutely no intention of abandoning my current life and join up with the lot behind you… I have nothing more to say to you. Take those guys and leave!”
With that, I turned away and headed back to my workshop… at that moment.
“…Don’t fuck with me!”
Finally losing his temper, one of them stepped forward aggressively towards me.
“…What else do I need to say? Get lost.”
“How… How dare you…”
I didn’t even bother hiding the disdain in my eyes anymore.
“Since all of your heads are so far high up your ass, let me point it our for you. You all are just scoundrels… no, scoundrels are way above your league. You’re a bunch of lowlifes doing a scoundrel’s bidding. How about you think about what you’d done instead of harassing everyone you see?”
They came to me proclaiming to be members of a mutual aid organization that seeks to return us players to our old world, but their actions were anything but helpful.
And yet, they were too caught up in their hero fantasy to reflect on their deeds. I have to wonder if that’s the only way for them to cope with the reality of being sent to another world.
I’m not sure whoever’s running this scam organization is up to any good, but I’m not going to count on it.
Regardless, I didn’t want to see them for even a second longer. As I turned to leave once more…
“…The fuck you say about us, you bitch?!”
In the next instant, a strong impact hit my back.
It took a moment for me to realize that I’d been grabbed by the collar and slammed against the wall.
Did I say too much?
I understand my tendency to speak bluntly, but… well, it’s only natural to lose my temper when my life is on the line, isn’t it? However, I don’t think I’m wrong, and I refuse to yield to such people.
“…What now? Are you resorting to violence because someone rejected you? How pathetic.”
“G-Grr…!”
The man raised his arm again.
I anticipated what’s coming next and flinched, but I refused to abandon my pride. I glared at the impending fist.
SMACK
Sparks flew in my mind, and my vision wavered.
After a moment, warmth spread across my cheek, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. But…
“…Is that all? Your punch is weaker than I thought…!”
After spitting out the blood in my mouth, I glared at the man who, despite throwing the punch, seemed hesitant upon hitting a woman’s face.
However, things had taken a turn for the worse.
The fact that one of their own had crossed the line and resorted to violence had tainted the atmosphere around us. This had undoubtedly removed the psychological restraint of “a man doesn’t hit a woman” from them.
“Stop! We’re not here to fight, we’re here to persuade her, remember?!”
The boy desperately tried to calm the situation.
But there was no way that those stuck-up bunch would stop with just a punch.
I watched the situation with cold eyes and wondered what’s going to happen next.
What came to mind was a certain prince who’s aloof to everyone but his little sister. The time we had agreed to meet today was approaching, so if I could endure a little longer, he would probably come to my aid.
With a sigh, I braced myself for a few more punches.
“…Onee-chan?!”
“Eh…?”
The voice I wasn’t expecting reached my ears, and my entire body froze as if ice water was poured into my veins.
“Onee-chan… what happened to your cheek…?”
“Kirsche…?! Idiot, don’t come here, just run…!”
Internally, I clicked my tongue at the sight of my stepsister’s eyes, which seemed to lose their light as if a switch had been turned off.
Kirsche had gone ahead to Master’s place this morning, saying she had preparations for work. I had thought she’d be spared from this situation this time, and I had let my guard down.
As if this situation couldn’t get any worse…!
“Heh, so this bitch can still make such a face. Guys, capture that girl!”
“Stop it! Don’t lay a hand on her… especially not her!!”
“So? If your sister is so important to you, then you’d better behave-”
“That’s not it! Just let me go already, I can’t afford to deal with you guys right now!”
In a panic, I tried to reach out to my stepsister, but one of the men still had me in his grasp.
At the same time, his friends began to converge on Kirsche, who was frozen in place—completely unaware of the swirling presence around her.
“Something weird is happening! Just stop and pull back, now!”
“Oh, just shut up, will you?! I don’t care if you’re Boss’ favorite or whatever, but you’re fucking useless! We’ll take those sisters with us, even if they want to or not!”
“Listen to me, please! Something is appearing around her!”
The boy, who seemed to be the only one maintaining a clear head, continued to try to restrain his companions, but the men who had become so aggressive by now wouldn’t listen.
“Let go of me already! Dammit, what the hell am I even doing…?!”
I really started to despise myself.
This felt like a replay of that nightmare day.
And it was even worse. The absolute worst. It would become irreversible if it continued like this.
What was different from that day was that Kirsche wasn’t a powerless girl in this world.
Kirsche, who, due to the trauma of that day, was no longer able to control her powers properly.
“No… Get off me already!”
“Hah, as if we’d let you escape…”
“You don’t understand! All of you, get out of here or you’ll die!!”
I struggled to break free from the man restraining me, who still had no idea of how bad this situation is.
It seemed my basic physical strength surpassed his, as his grip loosened slightly. Seizing the opportunity, I ignored the sound of fabric tearing from where he had grabbed me and forcibly shook myself loose, escaping from his restraint.
Sprinting toward my stepsister, I stretched out my hand toward her.
“You…”
Just a bit more… a few more steps…
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ONEE-CHAN?!!!!!!!”
Once again, my voice fell short as an enraged Kirsche, whose demeanor had changed completely, shouted and glared at the men with dark eyes.
The world was engulfed in red…
Iris
On the second day of our arrival in Ares Isle, a morning filled with cool and refreshing air.
Walking along the bridge leading to the island where Ouka-san’s workshop is, we were once again surrounded by people preparing for the festival.
As planned, Reiji-san and Milly-san would be joining Nii-sama and me today… but I didn’t expect Titilia-san to tag along as well.
Considering Titilia-san came here as Leonhardt-sama’s personal attendant, I thought she must be quite busy.
“It’s fine! Today, Leonhardt-sama told me to accompany Iris-cha… Princess, and stretch my wings while I’m at it!”
Titilia-san cheerfully answered when I asked her about it.
Having shed her maid uniform, Titilia-san had changed into a casual outfit of an off-shoulder summer knit and a miniskirt.
“I see… Then I have to apologize. Today’s destination isn’t exactly a place for leisure…”
“I don’t mind, I’m just happy to go out with Princess today. I do have some interest in seeing a giant’s workshop myself.”
“That’s good to hear, but…”
As I shifted my gaze behind, Milly-san, who was smiling and in high spirits, observed the two of us. She was dressed in a camisole, hot pants, with a summer cardigan draped over, flaunting her style…
“…Hmm? Is there something on my face, nya?”
“N-No…”
To avoid dampening Titilia-san’s mood, I decided not to talk about what might await us ahead.
…If she found out and tried to escape, the burden we hoped to alleviate by having one more person will disappear. It’s not that I have malicious intentions. Absolutely not.
While chatting like this, we headed to Ouka-san’s workshop when suddenly…
A flash illuminated the sky.
Startled, we all turned our gaze in that direction… toward Ouka-san’s workshop, which we were just about to head to. There… a tremendous pillar of fire roared into the sky.
Anxious murmurs spread among the onlookers.
“Reiji-san!”
“Yeah, let’s hurry! Hold on tight!”
Reacting to my call without a moment’s delay, Reiji-san swiftly picked me up. Instantly, the scenery began flowing backward at high speed.
“Your Highness, if you’re in a hurry, please carry me too!”
“Got it, just don’t bite your tongue!”
“Hey, that’s not fair, nya! I’m a rear guard too, nya!”
Reiji-san grabbed me, and Nii-sama picked up Titilia-san, who started chanting magic, and we started running, with Milly-san following a little behind, using her flight magic.
We couldn’t afford to waste time navigating through the crowd.
Running through the bridge made of light Titilia-san created, we headed straight for our destination…where the pillar of fire was still raging.
Thanks to Titilia-san’s magic and Reiji-san’s sprinting speed, we arrived at the source of the flames without much delay, which, as I feared, turned out to be Ouka-san’s workshop we visited yesterday.
“Kirsche-san, Ouka-san! What… in the world…”
My voice faded away in the face of the scene before my eyes.
The sisters were quickly found. Ouka-san was sitting against the wall of her house, staring blankly at somewhere, while a few unknown people lay collapsed a short distance away. And then…
A song reached my ears.
It was a melody that had been stripped of all emotions except pure anger, emanating a beautiful yet instinctively terrifying tune from the depths of the heart.
And at the source of the melody was…
“…Kirsche…san…?!”
She was completely unresponsive to my call.
Gazing into the void with vacant eyes, it was like she’d been turned into a machine whose only purpose was to sing the song of anger.
Protecting her was a giant bird made of fire spreading its wings, exuding its baleful gaze on the surrounding.
This was the true power of the Bard grouping, often concealed away.
Normally, after layering numerous chants and reaching the peak of emotions gathered from the surroundings, the twisted emotions would serve as nourishment for the manifestation of a mighty being known as a Beast of Spiritual Chants.
And now, what appeared before us was the embodiment of “Rage” and “Motion”, the most difficult-to-handle and ferocious entity.
Its name was…
“Beast of Spiritual Chants… Thanatos?!”
APM - Translation 