Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Iris

We turned on our heels to continue the inspection when…

“Iris-chaaaaan!”

“Wah?!”

Suddenly, my face was buried in something soft, and my vision blacked out.

I couldn’t move my body, as if something was restraining me… No, something was indeed restraining me.

“Aaaah… I miss this sensation so much… I feel alive again…”

“Mmh?! Mmgh?!”

Even if I flailed about, the difference in size was simply too great.

I think I’m going to faint…

“That’s enough, Miriam. If you don’t release her, I’m sure the knights here are going to make you unalive.”

“Oops, sorry about that, nya. I’m just so happy to see Iris-chan that I can’t help myself… I said I’m sorry!”

I was finally released from the demon’s clutch and took a deep breath.

“(pants)… Long time no see, Milly-san…”

Seeing Milly-san clasping her hands together and apologizing in a flurry, I let out a chuckle.

“…What are you doing here, by the way?”

Looking around, I saw the other Shadow Regiment members, who weren’t accompanying Ashley-san. They were scaling the walls and drawing on them with what seemed like chalks.

Meanwhile, Milly-san would move from place to place and put her hands on the ground to do something.

It’s hard to tell because the surroundings are bright in daytime, but I could see light emanating from where she just touched.

“Ah, you mean these? It’s just a little something to support my spellcasting, nya.”

“Support?”

“Yeah, I can temporarily store my magic power within these magic circles in advance by touching them, so that I can draw them out later. For simplicity’s sake, just call them ‘batteries’, nya.”

How convenient… I didn’t remember something like that in the game.

“By the way, what those guys are drawing over there are magical formations that boost effective range and power of magic. Each individual formation is only calibrated for a single person, nya, so how about getting some of your own later, Iris-chan?”

“I’d pretty much appreciate that. Do we have a way of doing that ourselves?”

“Uh…”

Milly-san’s face turned sour for some reason.

“Well, I’m sure we can draw it if they teach us how… The thing is, can you see the chalk-like things those guys use to draw?”

“Um, I do. What’s the matter with them?”

“They cost three gold coins each, nya.”

“THREE?!”

I, along with Reiji-san and Nii-sama behind me, choked all at once.

Speaking of the coins, they’re all minted in Acropolis at the center of the world, and circulate as a universal currency. From the lowest to highest value, there’re bronze, copper, silver, gold and mithril coins.

And three gold coins are a month worth of an average person’s income.

Since we were sent here without any money, I’m not sure if we could even afford to buy even one of those…

“Such extravagance…”

“I heard that the chalks are made from mixing powdered magic stones, mithril ores and gypsum before hardening them, nya.”

“No wonder they’re so expensive…”

“At least we know that the elite forces of this country are sooo well-funded, nya.”

“I know right…”

No matter which world we live in, life is tough without money.

“So you’ve come, Prin… Miss Iris.”

Suddenly, a voiced called out from the stairs behind me.

When I looked back, I saw Zeltis-san and Philias-san walking up the stairs… accompanied by another person. If I recall correctly, he’s a magician belonging to the mercenary company…

“Iris-chan hasn’t really talked to him, has she?”

“Yes, I’m sorry about that…”

I affirmed Philias-san’s words.

I was a shy person and avoided talking to men as much as possible, so even though I knew everyone’s face in the mercenary company, I’d never talked to most of them… including this person.

“Considering Iris-sama’s circumstances, it couldn’t be helped. Allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is Diaz. Please to make your acquaintance.”

He bowed to me politely with his hand on his chest.

His demeanor, coupled with his clean-cut, all-back black hair and neatly coiffed appearance, makes him look like a…

“…Did you work as a butler?”

“Yes, that’s correct. He and I were once butler and maid serving the same house.”

“What Lenny-san said. I have a family name, but I have no use for it now, so simply calling me Diaz is fine.”

“I see…”

“More importantly, please take a look at this.”

He then placed the package he was carrying, which was about as long as I’m tall, on a nearby stand and set it down.

“What’s this…?”

“With this length and thickness, I’m assuming it’s a sword.”

Nii-sama and Reiji-san inspected the package with great interest. However…

“It’s cursed, isn’t it?”

The package was hastily wrapped in layers of cloth, with a number of talismans attached to it. For good measure, the metal fittings holding the ends together were shining with the azure glow of a certain magic nullification stone.

Even though it was sealed that tightly, I still felt a cold sweat dripping down my back when I looked at it. A very powerful curse must be residing within.

“Indeed. While we were searching the mayor’s mansion for any items that could be used, we came across this object hidden in its deepest parts.”

“According to the people who know what was going on, it was unearthed from the very same mining site that Iris-chan and the others went down to.”

“…That tunnel?”

The place where Reiji-san and I fell down into a hole, destroying Reiji-san’s sword in the process.

Come to think of it, why was there such a beautiful dome-shaped open space underground? It was by no means a naturally formed terrain.

The dome’s surface was covered with magic nullification stones, all protruding inward. It’s as if it were a cage to seal something in.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your leisurely time… but I have to ask if it’s possible to lift the curse.”

“Eh?! Oh, right, I’m the person to ask when it comes to curses, aren’t I?”

I put my thoughts aside and hurriedly examined the package.

Then I realized. The feeling of powerlessness that permeated throughout my entire body… I was familiar with this curse.

Yes, it’s the same uncanny feeling when I fought against the monster affected by the “Wound of the World” in the previous town.

That means whatever cursed the item inside had something to do with the “Wounds”.

“…It’s a bit difficult, but doable. I’ll begin to lift the curse now.”

There seemed to be no problem with unwrapping the package. I held out my hands to get it done as soon as possible.

“…Sixth True Mantra…”

My hands started glowing faintly.

“That which erases all curses and devilry, the all-encompassing light… Curse Dissolve.”

At the same time I finished chanting, a warm green light enveloped the wrappings, entangling the miasma they were cloaked in and disappearing into thin air.

As I gazed at the light, I felt like something was poured into my brain…

“…With my authority, I shall appoint you as the owner of this sword, ‘Save the Queen’.”

“A-Are you okay with that, XXXXXX-sama? This is an important matter, you should have given it more thought.”

“My, could it be that you’re afraid, XXXXXX? You think you’re not up to the task of protecting me or something?”

“That’s not true at all! More than anyone else, I want to-”

“Then it’s fine, isn’t it? Even if people complain about it, it’s I who have the final say, and I want you to take up this sword. Just like always, please take good care of me, my knight?”            

Those two people again.

The cheerful yet mischievous young girl smiled and gave a sword to the boy of the same age as hers, looking troubled but somewhat happy.

This time, they were the youngest I’d ever seen of them. They were about my age… or a little younger. Is this… the memories that dwelled within this sword?

“…Wow.”

Reiji-san’s voice broke the silence, and my consciousness rapidly returned to reality.

When the curse was removed from the package, a sword in a delicately decorated white scabbard emerged from inside.

It was a somewhat large sword with a long handle that could be used with both hands, the so-called “bastard sword”.

I could hear the gasp of everyone present as they looked at this absolute work of art.

“…Iris? Is something wrong?”

“N-No.”

Wiping the tears from the corner of my eyes, I somehow managed to regain my peace of mind. But more than that, there’s something I had to say.

“This sword is… one of the ‘Save the Queen’ series, the ‘White Wisdom Arventia’… I believe that’s what it’s called.”

“Iris, you know about it?!”

“Yes… I don’t really get it, but I was granted this knowledge.”

And the name made my heart flutter. It was as if it is something I had known and cherished for a long time.

“Hmm… ‘Save the Queen’, you say? I’ve heard that name before.”

“Ashley-sama, is that true?”

“Yes. As written in literature, it’s a series of swords that generations of ‘Sacred Daughter’ of the Lightwing race, who were no longer with us, bestowed upon the knights protecting them.”

“And this sword here is one of them.”

“Unfortunately, this is the first time I’ve seen one in person… Oh, it’s stuck.”

Ashley-san grabbed the sword’s handle and tried to pull it out lightly, but it didn’t budge an inch from its scabbard. It seemed to be sealed.

Somehow, I knew the way to do it.

“…Excuse me, may I borrow it for a moment?”

Hearing my words, he immediately stepped aside, allowing me to grab the sword’s handle.

For a moment, light flashed on the golden pattern, which I thought was only decorative, and the scabbard released with a clang.

“It’s responding to Iris…?”

Nii-sama dumbfoundedly muttered.

When I applied slightly more force to it, I could feel the sword moving away from the scabbard.

“It seems that I can pull it out without any problem… And if I decide to entrust this sword to someone, they will be able to do that as well.”

“How did you know about all that…?”

I could only shake my head at Nii-sama’s perfectly reasonable question.

“I’m sorry, I really don’t understand how it worked… I just took a look at this sword, and I gained the knowledge about it, that’s all I can say.”

Carefully, I pulled the sword out of its scabbard a little.

What came out from inside was a pure white, slightly curved blade. Such an elegant blade was adorned with several gemstones… magic stones, perhaps.

“The blades seems a bit cracked.”

“I can’t sense any power from the magic stones either.”

If it had been neglected for many years, that would be unavoidable. However, it still had tremendous power as a weapon.

“At its current state, it’s probably no better than any weapon out there, to be honest.”

“So you’re saying it’s still usable, right?”

“Let Iris, who broke the seal, decide who gets to wield it. Apparently, only the person to whom she entrusts this sword is able to use it.”

“Eh… Ehhhhh?”

Hold on a minute! Isn’t this incredibly embarrassing?!

After all, its name is “Save the Queen”, emphasis on “Queen”!

Am I going to appoint somebody as my knight just like a fairytale queen?!

“My lovely Princess, I assume you’ve already had someone in mind?”

While my mind was in disarray, Zeltis-san “gently” gave me a little nudge.

…He wasn’t wrong. From the moment this process began, I had already decided who I would entrust it to. But I was embarrassed. Afraid, even.

Steeling myself, I put the sword back into the scabbard and held it up.

Then… I moved in front of that person.

I don’t know why, but I was terribly nervous. My own heart was racing and pulsing wildly, and my throat was not quite ready to speak.  

But I somehow managed to blurt out my desire.

“…Reiji-san. May I entrust this… ‘White Wisdom Arventia’ to you…?”

“…Me?”

“Ah, um, you see, you don’t have a weapon to use at the moment… Erm, I think this sword is just the right size for you… Yeah…”

Yes, it’s natural that he should get this sword, right?

Silence followed.

“…You don’t want to…?”

“N-No, it’s not like that at all, argh!”

I looked up when he suddenly raised his voice.

He was turning his gaze away from me, but his hands were poised to receive the sword I was holding.

“…Alright then, I’ll take this sword. Can I give it a try?”

For some reason, literally everyone else gave their nod of approval as the fidgeting Reiji-san took the sword I was holding out to him.

With a cool sound, the entire sword’s blade was pulled out of the scabbard.

The single-edged blade, which was pure white all the way to the tip, was much broader than the typical Japanese sword. On the lower half of the blade’s back, there was a handle-like gap, which could be gripped.

A powerful yet graceful sword fitting its “Save the Queen” name. That was my first impression.

“Not bad… It won’t take long for me to get used to this one.”

And so, after swinging it for a few times, he sheathed it with satisfaction and carried it on his shoulder.

“Though, I feel like this sword is a little too overleveled for me to use.”

“How so?”

“I get a bit exhausted when wielding it. Don’t worry, it’s nothing worth concerning.”

“Both you and the sword aren’t in perfect shape yet, I guess.”

“Just imagine how awesome it’d be when we’re actually in perfect shape. Anyway, I like this sword, thanks for giving it to me.”

Reiji-san then patted my head as if in a good mood.

Oh well, as long as he’s happy. I let out a breath of relief.

“Well then, let’s check out the other places too. Hayato must have been outside helping set up the traps, so we should pay him a visit.”

Saul-niisama clapped his hands and urged us onward to the next location.

As everyone began walking, Reiji-san quickly caught up beside me, who was slightly behind.

“I’ve said it many times already… but no matter what happens, I’ll protect you. I swear by this sword.”

“Yes, please take good care of me, Reiji-san.”

I couldn’t help but smile at him next to me, feeling a rush of joy I didn’t understand.

Why is my heart throbbing so much when he said that?

(Author’s Note)

Would “Save the Princess” be a more appropriate name than “Save the Queen”?

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Iris

There might be a way to return to our world… We were overjoyed to hear that such a possibility exists.

But we still had a long way to go until we could seize that possibility.

All we could do now was to solve the problems in front of us, one by one.

A huge threat was still looming over this town at the very moment… but I was still confined to bed because of my poor health.

Seeing everyone moving in a hectic manner, I was stricken with guilt.

Two days had passed without me able to do anything helpful.

“How’s it…?”

I watched in bated breath as Lenny-san stared at the small glass rod.

“…It seems that your fever has gone down.”

“Then..!”

Lenny-san was holding a thermometer not unlike the mercury version found in our old world.

At her words, I looked up in an instant.

“Yes, you’re able to go outside now. Once you’ve changed your clothes, I’ll go get Saul-sama and the others… Reiji-san’s already here, in fact.”

“I-Is that so?! I hope they’re getting proper rest…”

Nii-sama had been holed up in the office inside the mansion I was staying at, which served as a temporary base, while Reiji-san was running everywhere to help setting up the defense perimeter…

Both of them had been incredibly busy as of late.

“Mmm… Shall I prepare a really cute outfit for you to celebrate you Thgetting well?”

“Normal, please! Normal clothes is fine!”

Why does she sound so happy about making me her dressing doll?!

I think my face is heating up again…

After I got dressed and Lenny-san left to call the two of them over, I scrutinized my current outfit.

It consisted of a white blouse with frills in various places and a long skirt. Since it was still chilly, I also wore a bolero over the blouse and a shawl to match.

My hair was tied up neatly in a half-up style.

“…This is totally the virgin-killer style, isn’t it?”

Not to be confused with that virgin-killer sweater (I would never, ever wear such a thing), it’s a style that brought out my ladylike qualities, with an emphasis on prim and proper.

It really suited my current appearance, but well, it sure felt a bit embarrassing to wear.

I quickly took out my usual poncho to cover myself…

“Can I come in?”

“Eep?! G-Go ahead!”

The door opened and Saul-niisama entered the room.

As soon as he saw my current state, a grin cracked on his face.

“Reiji, you might wanna see this.”

“What are you talking about, Sau-”

Are you plotting something again, Nii-sama?!

Without elaborating, Nii-sama pulled Reiji-san from outside the room and pushed him in front of me.

Reiji-san was complaining while he was being dragged, but froze up on the spot when he saw me.

…Oh god, just say anything, please! I can’t bear this silence!

“…Cute. Yeah, that outfit’s really cute on you.”

“I see…”

“Okay, you two, stop staring at each other so intensely. We have a lot to do today.”

““AND WHOSE FAULT IS THAT?!””

Reiji-san and I retorted perfectly in sync.

“So we need you to have one last health checkup to see if you’re completely fine or not, then if you’re okay with that, we’ll pay a visit to the defense perimeter in construction.”

“You still won’t let me do anything by myself…”

The joy of finally going outside… was short lived.

I’m only going to get in everyone’s way if I go alone, aren’t I? That’s why those two have to keep me in their sight at all time…

“Oh come on, don’t be so gloomy. You just got out of sickbed, so I think this is the best course of action.”

“Ouch?!”

Reiji-san flicked me lightly on the forehead.

“Considering the enemies this time, you’re indispensable in the battle ahead of us.”

“We have to make sure you’re in the best shape when it happens. I hope you understand.”

“I know…”

Holding my pained forehead, I reluctantly agreed.

“Alright then, let’s get going… Iris?”

My body suddenly trembled.

I wanted to go outside so badly, but when the time actually came, I felt a deep shiver in my leg, as I remembered the second time I was kidnapped.

Seeing my hesitation, a large, familiar hand patted my head.

“Don’t you worry. As long as I’m here, nothing’s gonna lay a hand on you.”

“Reiji-san…”

“…Hmm? Did something happen?”

“I-It’s nothing. Y-Yeah, let’s get going!”

The words I heard in that half-dream was replaying in my head, and I couldn’t look directly at Reiji-san’s face anymore.

I urged those two to hurry up.

My legs had stopped shaking before I knew it. Rather, my heart was beating so hard from the sense of shame and other things I didn’t understand that I couldn’t feel anything else.

“I’m going to open the door, then… Uh oh. Iris, try not to be too shocked.”

“Nii-sama?”

The door to the hallway was opened, and for the first time in days, I stepped outside of my room-

“…!”

A dozen or so people had already lined up in the hallway as if waiting for my arrival.

Dressed like knights but without the armor since they weren’t in combat, all of them made a perfect salute upon seeing me.

I stopped dead in my track from sheer astonishment.

An elderly man with a robust physique and fine white beard stepped forward… I’d already heard about him from Nii-sama.

Just like Aini-san… Ashley-san was a game character I’d seen many times, who turned out to be a real person in this world.

But unlike her… he played a mayor role in my backstory as “Iris”.

“Congratulations for your safe recovery, Princess.”

“Thank you for your concerns. I’ve been able to have a good rest because everyone’s made great efforts in safeguarding me, and I’m sorry if I’ve caused you worry.”

I picked up my skirt, bent my knees slightly, bowed my head, and smiled at the knights lined up in front of me… Is this the way to do it?

Until now, the only people who treated me like a princess was Lenny-san and a couple others, but this is the first time I’d faced with so many highly professional knights.

This wasn’t a simple princess roleplay like in the game, I had to act my parts perfectly, but I was completely lost on what to do.

So I decided to try my best at it… Fortunately, Lenny-san, who was following a bit behind me, didn’t have any complaints, so I guess I got a passing mark.

…Some of the knights seemed to either look away from me or shrug their shoulders though, is that alright?

“Your wellbeing is my utmost concern. So, I would like you to evacuate, if possible, before danger arrives…”

“My apologizes, but I can’t do that.”

“…I’ve already expected that answer. We’re well aware of your desire to save this town, so we, the Shadow Regiment of Nordglacier’s Sorcerer Knights, shall gladly lend you our strength.”

“Thank you very much… Eh, the Shadow Regiment?”

Why would the Sorcerer Knights, the most elite of Nordglacier’s army, be in such a remote area? And more importantly, I didn’t know there’s a Shadow Regiment within their ranks.

In the game lore… there’s the Light Regiment, which maintains the security in the royal capital, the “Ice Regiment”, which maintains the security of the magical railway connecting the royal capital with the Central Business District, which is the closest city to Acropolis, and the “Flame Regiment”, which is sent to various places in case of emergency… I think those are the only three…

“Pardon me, Princess, while we understand your circumstance, I hope you’re able to uphold the dignity of this country’s royal family even on the first try… Alright, men, you can make yourselves comfortable now.”

Behind Ashley-san, someone slightly older than the rest of the knights was giving out instructions.

“Thank god… I’m no good with formal stuff like this.”

“It’s the reason we’re often sent to the middle of nowhere after all.”

“Well, that just how we are, so you don’t have to stay on guard too much around us, Princess… Ack?!”

The last person, who smiled and waved his hand at me, was smacked by their leader for being too comfortable around the Princess a.k.a me.

I could only blink my eyes at the sudden change in atmosphere.

“…Please excuse their behavior. I have no doubt against their capabilities, but this counterespionage regiment is made up of people with commoner background, who may have difficulties with etiquette and manner.”

Said Ashley-san, who had completely softened his mood and was watching his men like a grandfather to his grandchildren.

“I-I actually prefer it this way, because…”

“You lost your memories and lived as a commoner once, that I already heard of in the reports. Rest assured, everyone’s taken it into consideration. Leaving that aside…”

Ashley-san, with his hand on his chest and tears in the corners of his eyes as if filled with emotions, bowed his head.

Right… I, no… “the game’s Iris” was sheltered until his roof for a while before she could be identified, and this person before me, who acted as her guardian, was like a grandfather to her…

“Once again, I’m glad that I can see you alive and well like this. I thought I’d never see you again.”

“I… I appreciate your concern, Ashley-sama.”

For a moment, I saw the image of my own grandfather in my old world.

My grandparents were always strict, but there was a gentleness behind their eyes… the elderly knight before me was the same.

My subsequent medical checkup went without a hitch.

In conclusion, although I had some trauma-induced fear, as long as I was with Reiji-san and Saul-niisama, I seemed to be able to go out without any problems.

That didn’t mean my symptoms were getting any milder, though…

“…There’re so few people around.”

The town was much more sparsely populated than before.

I thought not many people would be around at this time of day, but even so, the silence covering the entire town was unnerving.

“They’ve mostly been evacuated in order to prepare for the upcoming attack. People with poor health, young children and the elderly are being taken care of at the eastern garrison and the clinic near the east gate, while the rest are further relocated to the campsites outside the town.”

“That’s a pretty fast evacuation, isn’t it?”

“I hate to say it… but the recent attack sure helped create a sense of urgency among the people here.”

Said Ashley-san, who was walking beside me with a complicated expression on his face.

As a side note, Nii-sama was also beside me, just in the opposite side, while Reiji-san followed close behind.

I’m glad that Reiji-san wasn’t side by side with me. I would be reminded of that half-dream if he did.

As a side note, there’s another reason for the evacuation.

We didn’t want others to notice that a certain someone of a supposedly extinct race was going to join the fight.

In the meantime, we arrived at the west gate of the town.

The gate, which had been repaired, albeit as a temporary measure, was still open, but there were now several layers of fences in front of and behind it that were not there before.

“…It’s much more heavily defended than before.”

“To be honest, I don’t think it’s nearly enough. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough material and time to mount a decent resistance.”

“If there’s a silver lining to all of this, Gantz-san still remains in the tunnel, and he’ll be sure to inform us when the enemies start moving.”

It could be tomorrow, or it could be this very moment.

Tension filled my body.

“Um… Can I take a look from atop the walls?”

“Of course. Please lend me your hand.”

“Eh? Okay…”

I quickly took the knight’s hand, which he held out to me, and he pulled me back and escorted me up the stairs.

…Why is Reiji-san staring at me so intensely?

“Thank you very much… Nii-sama! Reiji-san too!”

“…Huh?”

“…Yes?”

Unable to bear the gaze, I called out to the two of them. I appealed to the knights with my eyes that I had something important to discuss with them, and they immediately understood and moved away.

“What’s it?”

“Well… the knights are being awfully friendly to me, whom they’ve practically never met before, don’t you think?”

I might be the Princess of this country, but I’d been gone from this world for several years, and they hadn’t even tried to confirm my identity.

Despite this, they were very friendly towards me.

“Well, the current Nordglacier royal family didn’t have any female except for the queen. Now that their lovely princess has returned to this world, I’m sure those knights are pretty excited about living the dream of escorting a princess.”

“Answer me seriously please, Nii-sama.”

I did recall something like that happened.

The current king’s daughter had been married off to the southern continent… There was even an in-game event for that. By the way, although it was a political marriage, the story was a proper love marriage… Since then, like Nii-sama said, there was no longer any “Princess” in this country.

But I felt there’s something more to it than that.

“Okay, okay, I think I have an idea. Iris, do you remember the effect of your ‘Princess’ subclass?”

“Um… increased success rate of monster taming, granting permanent buffs to the surrounding players and NPCs affiliated with the home country, and…”

Ah. My “Princess” subclass certainly had this effect.

“…Increased initial value and growth of affection from NPCs affiliated with the home country.”

“That’s the one. My own ‘Prince’ subclass also comes with improved command effectiveness over people from the home country.”

“Then, do you think it’s causing the knights to like me so much?”

“I don’t know exactly, but at this point, anything can happen.”

“I’m not a fan of this. It feels like I’m messing with people’s minds.”

“Same… but let’s not worry too much about it. Maybe that’s just how princes and princesses normally look in the eyes of the common folk.”

“Reiji-san…”

“You guys may have mixed feelings about it, but those knights genuinely want to protect the people important to them, and that’s fine. Besides, we still have places to visit, so let’s move on.”

“You’re right, we should check the defensive positions while we can. The enemies may attack us at any moment.”

I still had some thoughts about that matter, but it’s just like Reiji-san said, we shouldn’t worry too much about it.

I decided to put it aside and followed the two of them again.

…Nevertheless, I vowed to myself to never forget this feeling of gratitude to the people who fought for my sake.

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Iris

Please, return my… return my XXXX to me!

In a room filled with numerous devices of some sort, a woman with hair color similar to mine was desperately trying to reach out and grab something while being restrained by a device that might or might not be magical.

Every time she struggled to escape, her otherwise beautiful white skin was cruelly reddened and bruised, but she continued as if it was nothing, just to reach for the…

How dare you… HOW DARE YOU?! Curse you all… CURSE YOU ALL TO HELL!

Another scene played.

I saw a somewhat futuristic passageway covered with metal and what seems to be a piece of machinery.

A man covered in scars, spewing out expletives, was surrounded by a large number of who appeared to be soldiers, yet still struggling to break through the enclosure, desperately defending a white book that looked like I had seen it somewhere.

Did I… know the two of them?

I remembered. Even though both of them looked older… I had seen them in a dream before…

Why do you two keep appearing in my dream?

Why does my chest hurt so much whenever I see you?

Why… Why… Why…

Flowing down through time, my incoherent thoughts roll round and round…

Then I woke up.

“…Why?”

Tears were streaming down my face. As had often been the case for the past few days, I couldn’t stop wiping and wiping. For some reason, I was inexplicably sad. But today was a little different from usual…

“(sniffs)… Ahh… Ahhhhh!”

I don’t understand it. The dream had dissipated quickly, but I couldn’t stop sobbing.

It was completely different from the feeling of desolation from before.

The sorrow gripped my heart and squeezed it violently.

For just how long had I woken up crying without knowing why?

Finally calming down a bit, I wiped my tears and looked around.

“…Where am I?”

It didn’t seem to be Aini-san’s clinic. If anything, the room was like a guest room in some rich person’s house.

My memory was fuzzy, but the last thing I remembered was being in Reiji-san’s arm… I should be fine now, but my anxiety was still swelling at the thought of being in a strange room.

I touched my neck. As my hand felt soft upon touching my own throat instead of hard, cold metal, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, I found what looks like a doorbell by my bedside and gave it a try. A clear sound chirped out… and almost without a pause, the door opened quietly.

“Please excuse me… Good, you’re awake at last.”

“Lenny-san… (coughs)”

Entered a woman in a maid’s dress, Lenny-san. A weight was removed off my chest when I saw someone I know.

My voice that called out to her was terribly gravelly. My throat felt completely dry, and I coughed involuntarily.

Seeing this, she offered me a small jug of water, from which I sipped to quench my thrist.

“Here’s the liquid medicine that Aini-sama prepared for you. Please drink it slowly.”

When I put my mouth to the spoonful of liquid offered to me, I found a sweet syrup with an indescribable taste of sour and bitter, perhaps medicinal herbs.

It’s like a much weirder version of the syrup medicine used for kids in my old world… If it tasted this weird even after being mixed with syrup, I shuddered at how dreadful it would be to consume this medicine by itself.

“Please don’t cry, you’ll have to take your medicine either way. They said good medicine tastes bitter after all. One more sip, please.”

“I’m not crying because of the medicine though…”

Steeling myself, I downed the entire thing in one gulp, then immediately neutralized my mouth with the offered water and took a breath.

…My mouth still tasted funny.

Let me be clear, my past self had no problem with bitter medicine at all. It’s just that this body’s got such a sensitive tongue.

I kept my perfectly legit excuse to myself.

“Um… where are we exactly?”

“This is the residence we seized from the town’s former mayor and turned it into a makeshift home base. You’re currently in the guest room at the innermost part of the mansion… We have moved you here from the clinic for safety concerns… well, certain people who care about you keep pestering us to do that, actually.”

I agree with them, though, Lenny-san blurted out those words before concluding.

Who are those “certain people”?

That raised a question, but more importantly…

“So that mayor has been arrested, right?”

“Yes. He has already been transferred to the royal capital, where he will stand trial.”

According to Lenny-san, at best, he would never see the light of day again.

From trading contraband goods and even slaves, to setting fire and release monsters upon the town he was supposed to govern… even I couldn’t find anything good to say about him.

“I-Is anyone injured after the attack? I think I can help…”

“You can’t.”

Still smiling, she rejected my offer giving me a chance to say anything.

I felt utterly helpless.

“I promise I won’t push myself too hard…”

“Iris-sama? We all know that’s not going to happen, so your brother has already given me permission to use force if you insist on overexerting yourself.”

“…I surrender, please forgive me.”

I’m sure it wasn’t my imagination that I saw a rope in her hand.

Reluctantly, I had to back down.

“Please rest assured, thanks to everyone’s hard work, no one was injured enough to require your attention. If anyone does, we’ll make sure you’re properly informed about the situation.”

“That’s a relief… By the way, where’re Nii-sama and Reiji-san?”

“They’re resting in the room next door. I’ll call them over right away… but first…”

With a light thud, she wrapped a cardigan over my shoulders.

“I know you were sick for days, but a lady such as yourself should always be presentable, so at least…”

Lenny-san came up to me with a hairbrush in her hand.

For some reason, my vision distorted when she reached out her hand to me.

“Allow me to fix your hair.”

“NO?!”

My body went stiff and jumped up.

My mind was going haywire. My heart was pounding like an alarm bell.

“Ah…”

I didn’t mean to react this way.

I lowered my arm and looked at Lenny-san… her eyes were full of pity as if looking at something painful.

From the way she looked at me, she seemed to be sincerely concerned about me.

That was rude of me, wasn’t it?

“…I’m sorry, please go ahead.”

“Well then, once again, allow me to do your hair…”

Somewhat reservedly, I felt a touch on my hair. It’s fine, she’s a good person.

Still, every time her fingers touched my neck, the feeling of the cold metal collar passed through my mind, and my body shivered.

I’m so sorry, Lenny-san. You’ve been so good to me, and I didn’t mean to scare you just now.

My hair was combed and loosely braided so that it wouldn’t get in the way.

Lenny-san then moved to leave the room.

“I’m going to get Saul-sama and Reiji-sama now. They said they have something important to tell you.”

“Please do.”

After she left the room, the door was closed.

For the moment, the room was filled with complete silence.

“(pants heavily)…”

Feeling bad for Lenny-san, I released the fear I had been enduring with all my might until now.

I almost forgot about it for a while, but I’m scared of other people. Again.

“I thought I’d gotten better…”

I could do nothing but sigh at my deep-seated trauma.

“If only I was stronger…”

Why did only Nii-sama and Reiji-san get such strong and powerful bodies, I’m so jealous.

I recalled how big and warm Reiji-san’s back was when he carried me on his back…

My body and mind petrified instantly.

Being alone had the side effects of bringing back memories of what happened when I was delirious with fever.

I was seen nude directly from the front.

I felt so safe and secure when I snuggled up to him in my piggyback ride.

I asked him to spoil me by holding my hand before I fell asleep.

…OH GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE?!

I was feeling sick and feeble back there, but still…!

If only it had been my carelessness alone, if that’s all there is to it, it’s still perfectly fine for me…!

The problem… the problem is…! In my foggy consciousness, which I wasn’t even sure if it’s dream or reality, I heard those words reach my ears…

“SHE’S… MINE!”

“SO KEEP YOUR DIRTY HAND OUT OF MY WOMAN YOU SON OF A BITCH!”

WAAAAAAAAAAAH?!

I felt like my face was on fire.

Any fear I’d felt was all blown away.

Reiji-san… just why?! Why did you have to say that?!

If that was a dream, then please let me wake up from it!

But, what if it was real? How… just how am I supposed to react if it was real?!

Even worse was that… I don’t really hate it. Far from it, in fact, I was really hap- NOOOOOOO!!

“WAAAAAAAAAAH?!”

I buried my face in the futon, desperately trying to quell the thoughts that seemed to spiral out of control, all alone in my carousel of agony…

“You alright in there? I’m coming in.”

“Yesh! Come inh!”

I stuttered?!

I hurriedly combed my hair that had become shaggy again, and was barely able to put the cardigan over my nightgown when the door clicked open.

“Sorry for intruding on your rest… Why do you look so out of breath?”

“It’s… nothing… Please don’t… worry about it…”

While I was gasping for breath, Nii-sama just shrugged his shoulders and watched…  I threw my pillow at him.

Inside the room, it’s just me, Reiji-san and Nii-sama… well, Ayame, there’s no need for her to act when no one else is around.

The two of them shared everything they knew about the “White Book”, and I told them as much as I knew about the day of my reincarnation in return.

Suddenly, a geometric pattern of crimson spawned from the book and ran in all directions to the white world where the reincarnation took place.

Shadows extended from the book and restrained my body, penetrating it and rewriting my entire existence.

I’d tried to forget about it out of terror, but that was clearly an anomaly.

“So that’s what happened…”

“It’s completely different from ours… I’m sorry, we should have asked about that earlier.”

“That wasn’t your fault… I, too, had forgotten about it until just now.”

But if that book really was the cause… the only person who could do such a thing was the one who single-handedly wrote the entire source code for that game.

“When you said he was likely to be the former king Aureolus in this world, I was inclined to agree, but…”

There’s a serious problem with that train of thoughts, namely…

“The former king was a Highborn, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

“He was. I just don’t understand how…”

The royal family of the Magical Kingdom of Nordglacier consisted of mostly Highborn, who excelled in magic. That included its previous king, Aureolus, as well.

However, Aureo-san in my old world had no such wings, and if he had, it would definitely be a big deal over there.

“What if that Aureo guy somehow converted himself into a Lightwing like Iris?”

“There’s no way that could have happened.”

Ayame immediately rejected Reiji-san’s theory. I’m with her on this one.

If he really could turn himself or anyone else into a Lightwing, would he have bothered to go through all this hurdle to send a bunch of people from our world into his?

“So we still have to travel to the royal capital to find that Higami dude after all?”

“Yes. We aren’t getting anywhere close to the answer no matter how hard we think at the moment.”

“I know right…”

And that concluded our discussion on the White Book topic.

However, there’s something else I was more concerned about, something that the two of them forgot because they were too focused on “the magic book that recreates the Lightwing race”.

“…By the way, aren’t you two forgetting something important?”

“Hmm?”

“If Aureo-san is really that Aureolus person, then how did he come to our world in the first place?”

“…Ah.”

“Damn, my mind was going in the opposite direction, so I completely missed it… What a shame…”

“You’re right, Iris, how did we miss something that important?”

Or perhaps it is something we ourselves had given up on somewhere along the way and tried not to think about.

If our speculation about Aureo-san was correct, it was a gospel that could not have been better for us.

It still remained a possibility.

How it will be done is yet to be imagined.

The question of what would happen to our current bodies also exists.

But… the possibility was no longer zero. It’s infinitely far from zero.

Someone from this world had indeed travelled to ours… that means!

“”“We can finally go home!”””

The three of us stood face to face, our faces beaming with joy, our voice overlapped with each other.

Amidst my life in another world with no foreseeable future, a ray of hope as small as a spider’s thread had sprouted.

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Reiji

“Recreating… the Lightwing?”

If such a thing existed, no wonder every country would want it for themselves at all costs. Is that why it was stolen…?

“Unfortunately, no one was able to find out how to use it, so they slowly lost interest and dismissed it as a legend…”

“I don’t get it. Didn’t your ancestors create that book?”

“As painful as it sounds, the truth of the matter is very unclear. The book first appeared during the end of the Old Magic Era. By that time, the Lightwing race had all but disappeared from the world.”

I think I’d read something like that in the game’s lore.

At the end of the Old Magic Era, the Lightwing race, whose blood had been diluted by forced intermarriage with other races, had mostly lost their wings and healing arts.

The few remaining who still retained their ability were placed under Acropolis’ custody at the center of the world.

At present, most of the royal families of each country were descended from the Lightwing race.

But none of them possessed a silver of power the former Lightwing race once had.

It was a hard to stomach story… and that’s why the book’s existence is really dangerous.

“In the end, the battered and bruised Lightwing knight who once accompanied Sacred Daughter-sama suddenly turned up at our village with the book, and asked for it to be sealed there.”

“Can you tell me more about your… village?”

So I’m assuming the soul sealed in the White Book belonged to the Sacred Daughter, who was probably the mistress (?) of this knight guy.

If the story Aini-san told me was true, I have to wonder why the knight decided to leave such an important item in the hands of unrelated people. What if they got greedy and stole the book for themselves?

“That’s… I’m sorry, I can’t tell you at the moment… Oh, right, when you look at me, which race do you think I am?”

“…Huh? Aren’t you human?”

Aini-san doesn’t have wings like Saul, nor does she have horns on her head like Miriam. By process of elimination…

“No… Several people in my village, me included, despite our thin blood, aren’t strictly humans.”

“Don’t tell me you’re…”

A person who looked like a regular human, but actually not.

I knew someone else who fit that description perfectly.

“…Actually, if you don’t want to talk about it further, I won’t pry. I’m in your debt after all.”

“Thank you for your understanding, Reiji-san. You’re a big help.”

“Still… if someone found a way to use the book no one had been able to use, could they have used it on Iris?”

“It’s hard to believe, but after seeing such a powerful Lightwing with my own eyes, I can’t help but suspect that the book has something to do with this girl.”

“…”

Memories that I had completely forgotten came flooding back to my mind.

“When you two changed classes, did you have three options?”

“Um, a unique race called Lightwing.”

“Saul, Reiji, something’s happening!”

The day we were thrown into this world, there was indeed something strange going on during her reincarnation event.

I didn’t give it much thought due to so many things going on, but a white book was certainly present during her reincarnation.

Unthinkable as it might sound, there’s only one way I can think of it.

Someone had brought over the “White Book” into our world, and put it inside a video game there.

But who did it? And why?

“So… If you happen to have any clues as to the book’s whereabouts, I would appreciate it.”

“Sorry, I’m in the dark about this too. Once I discuss this with Saul, we’ll get back to you if we find anything, is that okay?”

“Of course… and please do keep this matter to yourselves.”

When we returned to town, the commotion had been completely quelled.

The guards were now either returning to their homes, or running about to clean up the aftermath.

It was still dark, but dawn was approaching.

Apparently, some people had volunteered to open up an emergency kitchen. The nice smell of what seemed to be soup wafted in the air.

In the meantime, Aini-san escorted Iris back to the clinic, followed by the overly enthusiastic knights… well, she’s their Princess after all.

I left those guys to it and looked around for Saul, but found old man Walter instead.

It seemed that the rest of the mercenaries had caught up to this place.

“Hello there, old man. You’re faster than I thought.”

“So you’ve returned with the young lady, Reiji… Good work out there.”

We bumped our fists in celebration.

To be honest, I was glad to be praised by a great warrior such as him… but confirming our situation took higher priority.

“It seems that everything has been taken care of. Any casualties on our side?”

“Nothing serious at all. That prince kept most of the enemies at bay… though it caused another problem later on.”

“Problem? What happened?”

“Don’t worry, he isn’t injured or anything. Think about it, when a guy with such an appearance single-handedly protected the entire town, you know the ladies aren’t gonna leave him alone.”

“Ah…”

Looks like he was in a great predicament. Too bad, ladies, he’s actually Ayame-chan on the inside.

“I have something important to discuss with him, so can you get Lenny-san and Philias-san to take care of Iris?”

“No problem. I’ll call them over…”

Old man Walter’s words trailed off mid-sentence.

His gaze was fixed behind my back.

I turned around to see the grandpa from before, who had apparently finished giving instructions to the knights, looking at old man Walter with eyes as if he were watching his grown son.

“…What are you doing here, Master?”

“Long time no see, young Walter. And didn’t I tell you to stop calling me Master? I have nothing more to teach you, so you should regard me as an equal.”

So that grandpa and old man Walter were master and pupil?

“……Leaving that aside, we’re here to expel the rats that have become active recently. We’ve destroyed the nest, but we can’t let our guard down for a while yet.”

“It shouldn’t be a problem if you’re here, sir. Since you’ve brought the knights with you, I have a favor to ask.”

“Hmm… You wish to divert my knights away from the mission entrusted to us by His Majesty? You’d better have a good reason.”

“If this isn’t good enough, I don’t know what else. A ‘Wound’ has occurred in this town’s vicinity. I’m sure this is a matter of the highest priority for you as well.”

“…Tell me more about it, in details.”

I bowed my head and excused myself when those two started having a heavy discussion, then resumed my search for Saul.

I darted my eyes around and saw a certain pair of siblings coming toward me… Zeltis-san and Philias-san.

“Hey, Zeltis, nice save with the sword. Thanks.”

I took the long sword from my belt and returned it to its owner. This thing really did save my life.

…Though, I must find a replacement weapon soon enough. Using “Form is Emptiness” in extended combat was practically impossible.

“Good to see you again, Reiji-kun. It seems that both you and the Princess have safely returned.”

“She’ll have to stay in bed for a few days because of poor health, though.”

“Oh, no… Why does misfortune have to befall the Princess again…”

I let out a chuckle at the crestfallen Zeltis. This guy’s such a weirdo, but he’s good at heart.

For now, I left him alone in his own fantasy world and talked to Philias-san next to him, who was stunned speechless by the news.

“So, Philias-san, can I leave Iris in your care for a little while? I have an urgent matter to discuss with Saul. She’s supposed to be at Aini-san’s clinic.”

“Got it. I’ll get Lenny and go there as soon as possible.”

“Thanks.”

As for Saul, well, it didn’t take long for me to find him.

He was completely trapped by the women surrounding him from all sides, from whom he wanted to break free but couldn’t do anything rough.

“Where’re you from?”

“Do you have any lover?”

He answered their questions with a smile, but I’m sure he’s pretty fed up by now. His facial expression hadn’t moved at all since a while ago.

It sure is a good thing that no one finds out he’s a prince…

In contrast, the jealousy of the men around me was like a volcano about to erupt. Yikes.

Back in the game days, I used to have a fan club, perhaps because I was accompanying Iris all the time. Guess this is how it feels from an outsider’s perspective…

When I was thinking about such things, my eyes met Saul’s.

“Hey, Reiji, you’re back at last!”

“Yeah, Iris’ safe now. Can I talk to you for a bit-”

“I’ll be there in a sec! You hear him, ladies, I’m sorry but I have to go with him! It’s important!”

As soon as he got himself a legit excuse to leave, he pushed past everybody and broke through the “encirclement” with lightning speed.

“…Thank goodness, you saved me.”

“It was rough, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah… I’d rather tank five Frost Panthers at once than deal with that.”

“…If I may start from the conclusion, I think the book that appeared during the reincarnation event was indeed the ‘White Book’.”

We then moved to the outer wall of the east gate from which I had just returned and discussed what I had heard so far.

Saul was listening intently with a serious expression on his face all the while, and said such a thing when I finally finished.

“You seem really certain.”

“Yes, everything’s finally come together. I don’t blame Reiji-san for not knowing, though, because you’ve never met him.”

“Who?”

Little by little, Saul… Ayame-chan recounted her story.

“…Twenty-five years ago. I wasn’t born at that time, and neither did you nor Onii-chan until a year later. I can only think of one event from that year that might be relevant.”

“And? I’m wondering about that myself, but I can’t seem to remember anything…”

“That’s understandable. He didn’t come into spotlight until a few years after his arrival.”

Ayame-chan gave a small cough and began speaking again.

“On that year… the unparalleled genius of unknown origins… Mr. ‘Aureo Uber’ came out to the world. You may know him better as the creator of the game we played.”

“Huh…?”

According to Ayame-chan, he was the one who introduced a new VR technology that he built himself from the ground up, which was so groundbreaking that it was indistinguishable from magic.

But twenty-five years ago, he was just a nobody who just submitted his thesis on the basic theory.

At that time, most people thought of his idea as “mere fairytale”, but a complete prototype was finished just a few years later.

“Sometimes, I wonder how he somewhat resembles the King of Nordglacier in the game, but I think I finally have an answer.”

The White Book we thought of as only an object in “Worldgate Online”.

The previous king of Nordglacier disappeared around the same time as the book.

“Hey, don’t tell me that Aureo guy is…”

“This is still purely my speculation… but I can’t think of any other possibility… We now have another thing to confirm once we meet up with Higami-san.”

After a short pause, Ayame-chan firmly spoke.

“Aureo Uber is the same person as this world’s ‘Aureolus Nordglacier’.”

(Author’s Note)

The protagonists’ side finally connected the dots.

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Reiji

“All illegal immigrants have been purged from Nordglacier soil. We shall now proceed with our duty as Her Highness’ guards.”

When the elderly knight sternly gave his command, the knights around him, who had been kneeling before Iris, all stood up and returned a salute in an orderly fashion.

As I watched them moving about in amazement… I suddenly felt someone’s gaze on me.

I turned around and see the elderly knight staring at me.

His pure-white hair and moustache tells me he’s already in old age, but his lean and sturdy physique showed no signs of decline.

His eyes were so sharp and all-seeing that I could feel the sheer pressure from just his gaze alone.

Did I just land myself in hot water?

Come to think of it, I’d been carrying the princess of this country in my arm the entire time… Yikes, I don’t know how aristocratic society works, but what they saw me doing that as a sign of disrespect to royalty?

Cold sweat broke out all over my body.

“Mmm… It’s just like he said, you seem to be a fine youngster. Don’t be so nervous, I can see that you mean no harm.”

His stern expression was replaced by a broad smile, as if he were just a simple old gentleman. I finally relaxed my shoulder.

“…Couldn’t you have said that sooner? I think I just lost a few years off my life…”

“I beg your pardon. For all your effort in rescuing and protecting the Princess up until this point, you have my gratitude, young swordsman.”

“Do you already know me or something?”

“I’ve been in touch with young Walter recently, and I have a general idea of what’s going on, so be at ease. Though, I still can’t believe that the prince and princess traveling with you have lost their memories…”

So that old man Walter was still “young” in the eyes of this even older man.

Somehow I wasn’t even surprised that he was acquainted with such a big shot.

“…Long ago, the Princess lived with me for a while, and with all due respect, I did think of her as my own granddaughter… I really appreciate you protecting her all this time.”

“O-Oh come on, you don’t have to make it such a big deal… There’s no way I can abandon her, that’s all.”

Scratching my head, I asked him to look up.

We’re just best friends, and best friends are supposed to look out for each other, right? To be honest, I don’t feel comfortable being treated like a knight saving a princess.

In my distress, help came from behind.

“It’s been a while, Ashley-sama.”

“If it isn’t Lady Aini. I’m glad to see you still alive and well. Nevertheless, I’ve heard about you acting as a secret agent. You must be carrying out an extremely important mission in this remote region.”

The elderly former Knight Commander bowed his head and spoke to Aini-san with reverence.

Just who’s this woman? With her good luck, I expected her to be another noblewoman or something.

“Uh… You two know each other?”

“Well, let’s just say he’s an acquaintance of my family…”

“Lady Aini is the granddaughter of the king two generations ago’s consort’s sister… In short, she’s the previous king’s niece.”

“…Excuse me?!”

She’s royalty?!

“Even if you call it that, my connection to the royal family is very distant. I myself identify as neither royalty nor aristocrat.”

“Still… that’s an amazing family tree you’ve got there.”

At this rate, my head’s gonna burst with just how over the top things have been today.

It’s not even a full day since that mayor called us in this morning… Seriously, what an intense day it’s been.

“In any case… we can’t let the Princess exposed to the night wind any further. You must be exhausted by now, so make use of that wagon, by all means. One of my men will take the reins.”

“Thanks for the offer, but…”

To be honest, I’m dead tired from all that running and using “Form is Emptiness”.

“Leaving Hayato, who’s passed out, and Aini-san, who’s female, aside, is it fine for a commoner like me to sit in the same wagon as your royal Princess?”

“I agree that it’s not the most ideal… but since Lady Aini is here, we’ll pretend that we didn’t see anything, that a wandering healer is traveling with you, and the Princess is still missing.”

“That’s very generous of you.”

I thought a former Knight Commander to be a disciplined and rigid man, but he’s surprisingly broad-minded, despite his appearance.

“I’m a bit ashamed to say this, but it seems she’ll be safer with you around, so it can’t be helped…”

He put his hand on my shoulder.

“I can entrust her to you, right? Yes, I’ll be counting on you in the future as well.”

“Yes, I understand, I’ll do my best, ahahaha…”

I somehow managed to blurt out a few words while in pain from having my shoulder gripped.

Forget everything I said about him before, this old man is frighteningly overprotective to his precious granddaughter.

Let’s not do anything rash in front of him, lest his sword cuts me into mincemeat.

In the end, the mayor had “gracefully” lent us his escape wagon since he wasn’t in any condition to use it, and we were going to make full use of that.

“Good grief… Ashley-ojisama is a bit much, isn’t he?”

Aini-san, who boarded the wagon while grumbling and complaining, immediately began to check on Iris’ condition.

Her expression darkened. Iris’ condition must have worsened.

“When we get back, she must absolutely stay in bed for a few days.”

“Sorry for troubling you again…”

I brushed away my hair that’s stuck to my forehead from sweat and looked at Aini-san again, with Hayato on her lap.

“You sure get along well with Hayato.”

“I know right? We’ve been together for only a month, but I can’t imagine life without him anymore.”

Aini-san gazed at the sleeping Hayato with the expression of a gentle older sister watching over her younger brother, who is a handful. The way she wiped his wound with a damp handkerchief was so gentle…

“…You have taste like that?”

The temperature seemed to drop several degrees.

Shit, my tongue slipped.

“My, it’s actually kind of funny when you of all people say that.”

…Ah. I just stepped on a minefield.

While she didn’t tell me “Shut up, lolicon” or anything like that outright, I couldn’t stop shaking when I looked at her supposed-to-be-smiling face. What a scary woman.

“You know, Reiji-san… When you fought earlier, you were so passionate that I got a little envious of you.”

“Huh? What do you mean-”

“Um… ‘She’s mine’, was it?”

“D-Did I really say that?!”

“What about ‘keep your dirty hand out of my woman you son of a bitch’?”

“W-W-Wait a minute! It was just a spur of the moment thing!”

“No need to be so shy… I, for one, would love to be told something like that too.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Please forgive me for what I said earlier!”

Oh my god, I might need a deep hole to jump in if Iris was awake to hear all of that crap!

“I beg you, please don’t tell Iris about this…”

“Hehe, she might be pleased if I do, though.”

“Give me a break already…”

Just imagine how she would feel when her best friend, with whom she used to be the same sex, said that to her… I’m afraid our relationship would change irreversibly.

“Well, I can promise that ‘I won’t tell her’.”

“What did you just say?”

“Nevermind then. More importantly…”

Aini-san suddenly straightened her posture. I felt something important was about to be discussed, so I followed suit.

“Let me ask you something… Is this girl unmistakably a child of the Lightwing race?”

“…?! How did you-”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Apparently, she was already convinced of this and was just asking me for confirmation.

Seemingly unfazed by my answer, she continued.

“Then I have another question. Have you ever seen a book with a splendid cover but has absolutely no writing inside?”

“What?!”

“…It seems that you know about it.”

“Well, no, but actually kind of…”

I remembered now. I’d indeed seen it exactly once.

Back in “Worldgate Online”… during the reincarnation event.

At that time, I only thought of it as “a part of the game’s graphic”. But what if it wasn’t?

“…Actually, that was probably my imagination. Is the book really important?”

“Yes, it’s the entire reason why I left the village where I was born to partake in this secret agent business.”

She seemed hesitant to speak… was she worried about being eavesdropped upon?

“Its name is simply the ‘White Book’. But the thing is, it’s been stolen from where it was tightly sealed in our village, twenty-five years ago. Not to mention… the previous king, His Majesty Aureolus the ‘Sorcerer King’ mysteriously disappeared a few days after.”

Twenty-five years ago.

That was the year before I, no Iris… Yanagi was born.

It’d be fine if it’s simply a coincidence, but something felt off about all this. The year before we were born, there must have been some big event, but I couldn’t remember what it was.

The next words she said blew away any likelihood of a coincidence.

“It’s said that the soul of the last ‘Sacred Daughter’, who’s the final surviving bloodline of the Lightwing, is sealed within the book… and the book itself is a magical device used to recreate the Lightwing race.”   

(TL: The reverse shall be clarified…)

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Hayato

“Goddamned brat!”

A man swung his sword down before my very eyes. But I focused my attention on the phantom behind him instead.

My perspective switched.

I swapped places with my phantom, the man from before was now exposing his back in front of me as he only managed to cut the phantom where I used to be.

“Raaah!”

I leapt up like a spring and slammed my heel into the side of his head, knocking him out instantly.

I then reached into my waist pouch for my paper dolls in order to replenish my phantoms…

There was nothing inside.

“…Shit!”

Those paper dolls were catalysts made from expensive paper and ink, so I didn’t bring enough of them, dammit!

Someone came slashing at me from behind, but I dove under him and slammed my elbow into his stomach.

“Ack! Accursed brat!”

For a moment, I grunted and nearly collapsed from the recoil, but I quickly recovered and hurriedly avoided the sword that was now swinging at me again.

“Not so fast now, eh?!”

“Just shut up already!”

While cursing at him, I pulled out a stick shuriken from my scarf and threw it along with a talisman taken from my pocket.

“’Hono-Ikazuchi’!”

The shuriken struck the man’s armor, sending spark flying, then…

“Gyaaaaaaah?! It burns!!”

He rolled around in a pillar of fire and the unpleasant smell of burning hair and skin.

“What the hell are you doing?! He’s just a single brat!”

“Surround him, quickly!”

The band of thugs regrouped and started to swarm around me. A quick look at them showed that they’d sealed off all the openings that I could use to escape.

Despite their crude appearance and demeanor, this was a reminder that they were real-deal mercenaries who were more disciplined than I had expected.

As the enemies closed in all at once, my consciousness flew to the last of my phantoms that was holding up the rear… While doing so, I activated the mechanism engraved in the paper doll that served as the phantom’s core.

“’Return to Dust!’”

The men stabbed the phantom… The next moment, with a flash of light, the phantom burst into flames and spewed shock, engulfing everyone in its vicinity. The surrounding area was enveloped in a cloud of dust and smoke that took away visibility.

Good, now I can use the dust cloud to escape… that’s what I thought.

“Got you at last, brat!”

“Gah?!”

A kick flew at me from the side of the road, and I was helplessly blown away.

My light body bounced a few times on the ground from the kick of the large man, and finally stopped when my back collided with a tree on the side of the road.

“…(coughs, hacks)”

As I coughed heavily from the impact, a man whose face was flushed red with rage grabbed me by the collar and hung me in midair.

But grabbing me by the clothes is a bad move, you know?

Stifling the pain of being kicked, I activated the seal hidden in my clothes with my finger.

“Don’t even think you’ll get any mercy because you’re a kid… Woah?!”

In front of his eyes, my outer robes exploded, and he unintentionally let go of me.

Crouching at his feet, I used the skill that I was thinking about.

Assassin’s unique skill, “Cloak”.

It could be used even in combat if my opponent was turning his attention away for any reason. While being unseen, I went behind the man who was confused by my sudden disappearance…

A process repeated countless times, to the point I could do it almost unconsciously.

“Huh? Where are you, brat…”

Out of fear, I involuntarily released the skill that had been sealed during the fight until now, as my instincts from the game days took over…

I used “Assassinate” on the man’s defenseless back.

It was already too late when I realized it, and from a low stance, I thrust my dagger into the man’s side, sliced through his spine, and passed between his shoulder and neck.

The trajectory of the blade, illuminated azure by the moonlight, drew a half-moon, and a large amount of blood danced in the darkness before turning into a rain of blood.

“…?!”

The man collapsed, his final expression being that of confusion, splattering fresh blood and entrails everywhere.

“Ah… Ahhh…”

My hands trembled at the feel of the sticky blood on my cheeks.

I messed up.

I was trying to avoid taking as much life as possible, but I messed up!

“Urk! (vomits)”

The feeling of a human body cut open that lingered in my hands, and the smell of blood and guts that filled the air, made me dump the contents of my stomach on the spot.

Coughing, I wiped my mouth and looked up, only to find that I was already surrounded by the dead man’s comrades.

I guess this is the end for a half-baked Assassin like me.

I’d always known something like this is going to happen as long as I can’t wrap my mind up around the idea of taking someone’s life.

“Nee-chan, did you manage to escape…?”

I mumbled a few words and gazed blankly at the blade that was being swung down.

Am I going to die too…?

“Like I’d let you!”

There was a sound of blades clashing.

“…Reiji-niichan?”

“Sorry, I’m late!”

Reiji-niichan suddenly appeared, holding the Princess in his arm.

Was he seriously going to fight while carrying another person like that?

In the blink of an eye, he took out all the remaining thugs around us.

Wow, he’s so strong and badass…

It’s not just because of his frontliner class. It’s not even a difference in experience.

That Nii-chan simply cared that much about the Princess, and that’s why he’s willing to go in without hesitation for her sake.

So this is the difference between a half-baked like me and a serious combatant. I knew it. From the beginning. I knew I was no match for him.

But… can I become badass like him someday?

“…Hayato-kun!”

“Nee-chan?!”

Nee-chan ran up to me the moment our eyes met… When I came to, I found myself in a hug. My tired body was softly enveloped in a good smell that seems to make the fatigue melt away.

“Oh no, you’re injured all over… Didn’t you promise me to run away when you’re in danger, dummy?!”

It just felt too nice… if only she wasn’t holding me so tightly that I’m having a hard time breathing… Hold on a second. What are those soft things burying my face that’s blocking my breathing…?

“…Waaaaaaah?!”

The moment I realized the situation, I pulled myself away from Nee-chan in a panic.

My face was hot, as if all the blood in my body had gathered in it.

First the Princess, and now Nee-chan, why do you guys have to hug a guy with all your might like that?! Are you idiots?!

Oh, crap, I think I’m going to faint…

“…Hayato-kun…?! Hayato-kun…!”

Dammit, I’m so uncool…

Reiji

Man, he really fainted.

I’d been keeping an eye on those two, so I knew what’s going on.

“Hayato-kun?! Can you hear me, Hayato-kun?!”

The unconscious Hayato was being shaken by the tearful Aini-san, who was utterly confused by what happened.

Well, yeah.

I painfully admit that I’d faint too if I were in his shoes.

“…Ah, that was certainly an unhealthy dose for such a young boy. Don’t worry, Aini-san, he’ll get better after waking up.”

“I-I see, that’s good to hear…”

Truth be told, it’s every man’s dream to bury his face and suffocate in those melons at least once in his life. I don’t have the words to express it, but frankly, I envy you, Hayato.

But such a powerful surprise attack must be too much for you to handle. Namusan.

In any case, Aini-san seemed to care about Hayato more than the boy himself was aware.

I couldn’t imagine the distraught look on Aini-san’s face, who seemed so worried earlier, from her normal demeanor.

In any case…

“Well then…”

There’s still some leftover trash that needs cleaning.

Sitting on his butt in the mud was the pig mayor, along with another man in a foreign outfit.

“W-Wait! Damn you, how dare you run away without me?!”

The foreign man turned tail and ran into the forest when he saw me approaching with my sword at the ready.

In panic, the pig bastard staggered to his feet and desperately chased after the foreign man.

Before I could break into a run and chase after them myself, I found someone already there waiting for them.

He was wearing a green surcoat with the hood tightly pulled down, and probably chainmail underneath. Like a knight from a Western movie if you ask me.

When I saw his shadow flickering, the next moment, it was already behind the fleeing man. Then the sound of a sword being sheathed echoed through the forest… Wait what?! When did he pull his sword out in the first place?!

Immediately after, the man who was supposed to be running away rapidly slowed down and fell to the ground, unmoving, after two or three steps. Then I realized the frontal side of his head was already cut off from his body and fell near the knightly man.

“…Holy shit… Is this guy for real…?”

Cold sweat ran down my back.

I couldn’t see anything. At all. Not even at the moment he drew his sword.

If I were still at the peak of my strength when my secondary class was maxed out just before the reincarnation, it could be possible to me to see what happened. But the current me was incapable of doing that.

…Is he equal, or even stronger than Captain Walter?

“E-Eek!”

The mayor slumped over when his “companion” was easily cut down.

Behind a knightly person, a few more people showed up. I could tell by the way they behave that they were all highly trained soldiers.

All of them wore the same crest on their clothing.

Judging from said crest, it seemed that my assistance was no longer needed, so I withdrew my sword and shifted my attention to the sleeping Iris in my arm.

“…Mayor of Diamant Valley, Jorgen-dono.”

The knightly man, who seemed to be the leader, opened his mouth to speak. His voice was slightly hoarse, suggesting that he was quite elderly, but still powerful, nonetheless.

“You’re charged with trading contraband goods and slaves, unjust tax collection, and many others…”

The air around him seemed to get colder as he listed the mayor’s various crimes.

“In this particular case, you’ve also attracted foreign threats… and severely humiliated a member of this country’s royalty. If you resist arrest, you’ll be executed on the spot, but if you submit, you’ll be guaranteed a chance to explain in court… but I think you’ll never see the light of day again as you spend the rest of your life behind bars.”

“R-Royalty?! H-How… No, I was tricked! They fooled me into doing that! It wasn’t my fault!”

The elderly knight sighed deeply.

“Whatever the truth is, it no longer matters. You’ve lost the right to excuse yourself the moment you laid your hand on such a sacred and inviolable being. Men, take him away!”

The pig mayor was then dragged away screaming by the elderly knight’s companions… Oh shit, I still have to get rid of the collar on Iris’ neck!

“Hold on a second! Search his body, he must have the key!”

I called out to the knights while pointing at the collar.

The moment they saw it, I felt a tremendous killing intent emanating from every single one of them, but I’m going to pretend I didn’t notice…

When they were done searching the pig mayor’s body, he was already unconscious and foaming at his mouth. As expected, he was hiding a small key on his body.

Finally… Aini-san told me it was a pretty nasty thing, so the sooner we get rid of it, the better.

“Please excuse me…”

The elderly knight, representing everyone, reverently touched Iris’ collar with utmost care, gently inserted the key and snapped it into place.

I breathed a sigh of relief when the collar finally came off with a clatter.

“Well then…”

He took his hood off and kneeled to me… no, to the sleeping Iris in my arm. The knights standing behind him did the same.

I was taken aback by the sudden occurrence, but when I saw the face of the elderly knight, everything clicked into place.

I know this old man.

No, it’s more like every single player who belonged to Nordglacier in the game days knew about him.

“You’re… the former Commander of Nordglacier Knight Order… Ashley Rolandia…?!”

Basically, he was supposed to be in the royal capital. What was he doing all the way out here?

Long story short, when Iris was selected to become a semi-official character in the game, he was a major supporting NPC during the event that followed.

He was also the father of Count Roland… whose territory was our next destination.

It’s said that when his son took up his current position, he stepped down himself, for fear of power concentrating in a single family, and since then he had been working as an advisor.

He was the best magic swordsman in this kingdom, and unlike me, who only had the class title back in the game to my name…

…That old man’s a bona-fide Sword Saint.

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Reiji

Following the marks left by Hayato, I frantically ran through the forest.

Even though it was nighttime, the visibility wasn’t too bad, thanks to the innate night vision this body possesses, combined with the fact that this world has two moons instead of one… Still, I have to hurry and catch up with Hayato as soon as possible.

After running like that for a while, I spotted two humanoid figures from across the road, whose golden and silver hair shone brightly in the darkness… Wait, aren’t they…?!

“Aini-san! Iris!”

It was Aini-san, who was supposed to be kidnapped, came walking with Iris on her back. When she noticed me, her tense face broke into a smile.

“Reiji-san, thank goodness… I didn’t know you were this close by.”

“It’s Hayato who led me here… You can leave Iris to me now.”

Iris’ body was small and light, but still a heavy load for the average woman to carry. I thanked Aini-san for bringing her here and held Iris in my left arm.

Her body temperature, which I could feel through the fabric of her thin nightgown, had risen even higher than before. Her feverish face was constantly sweating, and her breathing sounded labored.

And… that heavy collar around her neck. I bit my lip in frustration when I saw such an uncomfortable and immoral object on her delicate body.

“…Rei…ji…san?”

“……”

Iris opened her eyes before I knew it and turned toward me.

“…Reiji-san… Reiji-san… Reiji-san…!”

Immediately, she began crying and clung onto me for dear life. The look on her face was awfully similar to that traumatic day. Despite my trembling hands, I managed to hug her closely.

“Yeah, it’s me… You’re gonna be alright, because I’m here.”

“…Thank you… I had… a terrifying dream… but yes… Reiji-san’s here…”

With glazed eyes, she spoke to me as if she was in a trance or something. Whatever happened back there must have really messed her up.

“It was just a bad dream, yes… now, sleep well, okay?”

“O…kay…”

She quickly fell asleep again, perhaps reaching the limits of her physical strength.

Even in her sleep, tears were still dripping from the corners of her eyes… but at least her expression was peaceful, which is a slight relief for me.

“Um, can I ask something? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but that was clearly the symptoms of some kind of psychological trauma. Just what happened to her?”

“…Right, I suppose I should tell you. She was captured by bandits. While we managed to save her before something irreversible happened, well, that sure left some huge mental scars on her.”

“I see… It must be painful for all of you…”

“Of course… I thought she’d get better once she gets to know and interact with more people, but now she’s like this again… Shit!”

I was concerned that she might go back to square one. After all, the current situation was similar to that time, whether we liked it or not.

“…I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have let my patient become like this…”

“I don’t blame you, Aini-san. We’re at fault for dragging you into this mess… By the way, where’s Hayato?”

Despite Hayato being the one who led me here, he was still nowhere to be seen. Neither was the mayor’s private army, who should be pursuing the escaped hostages.

The stealth-class Hayato had unparalleled striking power under special circumstances, but in face-to-face combat in an exposed position, he was no better than Saul or me. What if he had to fight the mayor’s goons all by himself…?

“He remained behind so that both of us could escape… Please, save him as well…”

“Damn… Gotcha, I’ll be on my way now-”

No wonder Saul was concerned about him so much, that boy had a much bigger backbone than I gave him credit for.

It was because of him that I was able to save Iris, so I could obviously never leave him behind.

As I was about to run back the way Aini-san came, I felt a chill.

“Watch out!”

“Kyah?!”

I jumped back with Iris in tow and grabbed Aini-san with my right arm, which was still free.

A throwing knife was stuck on the ground nearby. It was clearly aimed at me.

“I missed… Such good instincts you have. I was hoping this job’s not too much of a trouble.”

One by one, black-clad figures appeared from the shadows of the trees.

There were seven of them as far as I could see. But I sensed more of them lurking nearby.

All of them wore black robes to blend into the night, complete with an unadorned black mask to hide their faces except the eyes. Armed with claws, daggers, chain scythes and other weapons, apparently those people were out for my blood.

Assassins after my ass? Great.

“Who the hell are you?”

“…Leave that girl behind. Our employers wish to see her one way or another.”

A voice came from somewhere. It sounded as if perhaps their leader or some other person was speaking on behalf of them, but, I couldn’t tell which of the black-clad people is speaking.

But more than such trivial matters… he said something that I couldn’t ignore.

“Your employers?”

“Correct. That lowly mayor is nothing compared to them. If you don’t comply, consider your life forfeit… right here.”

I felt Aini-san pulling on my sleeve. When I glanced at her, she was staring daggers into those men.

“They seem to be from the ‘Black Cheshire’, the largest underground organization of the Trade Federation on the western continent… I heard that there was a recent complication with their personnel and that many of their executives had changed…”

“Wow, how nice of them to cross continents just to see us. So they’re the real culprits enabling that pig mayor’s scheme?”

But why would they target Iris?

The way they were talking now, it was as if their employers had already known about her existence.

That brings the question of how they managed to obtain such knowledge.

“…If you still can’t make up your mind because of your pride or whatever getting in your way, perhaps this will help.”

A leather bag fell with a heavy thud to the ground in front of me.

“…What the hell are you on about?”

“There’s enough money in it for a traveler like you to live for a few years. If you still want to live, take it, leave the girl here, and get lost.”

“…Heh.”

I stooped down and picked up the leather bag.

“R-Reiji-san?”

I could hear Aini-san raising her voice in confusion. However, I repeated the action of lightly releasing the leather bag in my hand and then catching it.

“…You’re being awfully generous, you know?”

“That’s simply how much the girl’s worth. A clueless vagabond like you has no right to carry such a treasure around while knowing nothing about her true values.”

“So, what if I take the money and you guys still kill me anyway?”

“I can assure you that we’ll keep our words. Or perhaps you want even more money…?”

I’d had enough of his prattling, which was getting more and more annoying every word he spoke.

“Keh, haha… hahahahaha!”

I guess people have to laugh when things become so ridiculous that it’s beyond their tolerance.

The weight I felt in my hand made me understand that it is definitely full of gold coins.

Does it even matter, though?

“DON’T FUCK WITH ME, YOU PIECES OF SHIT!!!”

Without warning, I tossed the leather bag into the air and slashed at it in anger.

My sword caught fire the moment it came out of the scabbard, instantly turning the leather bag to ash and scattering the golden mass of its contents into a red-hot mess on the ground.

The sheer firepower caused the men in black to be alert, but it’s too late for those fuckers now, for they had poked the hornet’s nest!

“…Hey, assholes… Was that supposed to be a joke? Because that’s the shittiest joke I’d ever had the displeasure to hear!!”

Too unfunny. One hundred percent unfunny.

Every single one of these assholes would gladly hunt down and trample on Iris’ life for such a pathetic reason like money or power.

And I’m so fucking sick and tired of this shit!!

“Aini-san.”

“Y-Yes?!”

My voice came out colder than expected.

I felt bad for Aini-san behind me, whose face turned pale… but I couldn’t seem to contain this simmering feeling in my gut. I’m really sorry for scaring you, Aini-san.

“Did those guys put the collar on Iris?”

“…It was the mayor. But I’m sure they were the ones who brought him the collar in the first place.”

“So that’s how it is.”

I regulated my breathing.

Not to calm myself down, I had no intention of doing so.

I wanted to reforge my blade and sharpen my will to kill with my anger.

“Sword Saint’s special skill, ‘Form is Emptiness’.”

I raised my hand into the sky and mumbled the name of the skill and had been pouring into my mind.

Twelve translucent, shining swords manifested out of thin air.

They then swooped down and formed a circle around me and Aini-san to protect us.

“…Sorry to ask you this, Aini-san… but do not leave this circle of swords at all costs. I’m not sure if I can avoid inadvertently cutting you if you step outside.”

“O-Okay, I won’t…”

After confirming that she remained close by, I re-held Iris in my arm and prepared for battle.

“……Fool. We’ve heard about your bravery, but you’re no match for us…”

“Stop the pointless chatter and come at me already.”

I wondered which one is the bastard who spewed out that pile of crap on behalf of these assholes… Whatever, I’ll just cut them down all the same.

Each of them was quite skilled in their movements. And there were a lot of them. I’m sure they saw us fighting back in the town and brought as many as they needed… but!

“Die!”

“Fuck off!”

One claw wielder jumped in ahead of the others. I simply grabbed one of the floating “swords” and swung it at him.

As he tried to block it with his claws…

“…?!”

The “sword” cut through his defense like hot knife through butter before vertically bisecting him from head to crotch and disintegrating.

Drat, this one’s a decoy. I sense in the air more of them coming from other directions.

“Compared to Hayato, your skills is nowhere near his!”

Back in that tunnel, Hayato didn’t give the slightest sign of his presence until just before striking with “Assassinate”, which was much more deadlier!

Turning around, I grabbed another “sword” and swung it at the seemingly empty space.

Crimson blood spread out in a fan shape, and two halves of a human body fell down into the mud.

These “swords” are similar in nature to Iris’ “Solid Ray”, I thought coldly despite still seething with anger.

The difference is that instead of being used for defense, it’s specialized in sharpness and killing power.

Monomolecular cutter. I was reminded of such a thing from my old world.

It’s not a physical blade, but rather a force field formed by my fighting spirit and stretched as close to zero as possible. Therefore, it had the instantaneous and absolute strength that could enter the gap between the molecules of any material and cut them apart without pain.

Twelve swords of absolute cutting ability, each of which would fatally sever anything once before expiring.

And I still had ten of them left. That’s more than enough.

My enemies were growing agitated. Perhaps they had been expecting an easy fight because of their advantage in number, but it’s too late for them to realize their miscalculation now.

If I let even a single one get away, they’d surely come back for Iris!

One of them gave a signal for his comrade behind him, who then turned back, likely to retreat.

The sword that had received my will ran through the air, piercing his back and heart before it collapsed and disappeared, leaving only a stardust-like gleam. Nine more swords to go.

So this is another way to use these swords without having to hold it in my hand.

“Hraaah!”

One of them, sensing the danger, threw something like a dagger at me and Aini-san. It appeared to be wet with some kind of liquid, poison without a doubt.

However, it was intercepted by one of my “swords”, destroying both of them in the process.

Seven left… no, six left. Another sword took off on its own and chopped the head of the man who just threw the dagger right off.

The last thing I wanted in this fight was to burden Iris any further. To do that, I had to kill all of them as fast as possible with minimal movement.

It was a strangely straightforward objective now that I think about it.

In the extreme concentration of my thoughts, color faded from my vision and a monochrome world unfolded.

Amidst the black and white color, stitch-like red lines ran across my field of view, forming a path to my position.

I could tell that the men in black were coming at me from three directions at the same time. The timing of the attacks made it tricky for me to avoid them normally.

I pulled the sword I borrowed from Zeltis out of its sheath and threw it at the man on the right, who would be the slowest to reach me. The sword hit him squarely in the shoulder, and he reeled back in shock.

He would probably get back up and try again, but I could leave him for last.

These assholes think they can do whatever they please, and for what? Money? Power?

By now, one assailant had gotten close enough to lunge at me with his katars, I believe that’s what they’re called.

I grabbed a floating “sword” and cut him off by cleaving haphazardly from right to left. As soon as it got destroyed, I immediately held onto another “sword” that had slipped into my hand in a reverse grip, and promptly thrust it into my opponent’s now-defenseless heart.

Four swords left.

Screw you all… No one will ever take her from me… No one!

Before the splattered blood could even get to me, I kicked the body away and retreated to keep a distance from the man approaching me from the left.

Then, with my entire body, I swung a “sword” that I grabbed from behind, just a bit above Aini-san’s head, who was crouching down for cover, and slashed the claw-wielding man from his right shoulder to his left waist. The top half of his body split off and fell onto the mud while the lower half was still standing.

Without a moment of pause, I let go of the shattered “sword” and pointed my hand toward the man aiming at me with his bow from the shadow. Two “swords” floating behind me took off in pursuit.

One of them shattered the arrow he fired in a panic and disappeared into the void, while the other pierced his head, went straight through his brain and lodged itself into the tree he was hiding in.

This is the last sword…!

I’ll beat the stuffing out of anyone who dares to take her away from me!

I slammed the last remaining “sword” into the enemy on the right side, who had regained his posture after I threw Zeltis’ sword at him earlier. He was cut down without any resistance and the halves of his body slowly went their separate way.

Suddenly, I had a bad feeling running down my back.

I quickly pulled out Zeltis’ sword from the corpse’s shoulder and thrust it into the space behind me.

There was a dull, flesh piercing sensation as it connected with someone’s body.

“Ugh… who on earth are you…?”

I know this one. He was the loudmouth from earlier!

“You ain’t taking Iris anywhere… SHE’S MINE!!!”

I let go of the sword, turned around 180 degrees and grabbed it again.

“SO KEEP YOUR DIRTY HAND OUT OF MY WOMAN YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!”

With as much force as I could muster, I swung the sword across his torso, cutting it in half.

As the last enemy collapsed into the mud, the only living, breathing souls around here were me, Iris in my arm, and Aini-san, who had been following behind me the whole time.

“Is that… all of them?”

Color returned to the world. My overclocked brain became dizzy from the influx of information that ran through it.

My fighting spirit was also all but drained. I felt nauseous from fatigue and dizziness, but I held it in with my strength because I still had to hold Iris in my arms.

“Form is Emptiness”, formidable as it is, was really taxing to use, and not something I could use regularly.

I finally breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that not a drop of blood had been spilled on Iris in my arms.

“Uh, Aini-san? Sorry, I shouldn’t have shown such a gruesome sight to a woman…”

“Eh?! I don’t really mind! It was kind of a surprise, that’s all.”

Pardon?

I thought she should be really taken aback by what I just did, but for some reason her face was slightly red, and she seemed to look at me and Iris with a warm gaze.

Okay, okay, now’s not the time to think about such a thing.

“By the way…”

“I know! We still have to save Hayato! Hurry!”

With that, I started running into the darkness of the night again.

(Author’s Note)

Reiji-san’s kicking some serious ass this chapter. That last part was him yelling his desire out loud because he was carried away by the flow of combat.

About “Form is Emptiness”: It was originally meant to replicate the Sword Saint Shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiteru’s technique (TL: I don’t get this reference), but since he only had one free arm throughout the entire fight, this is how it was used instead.

About the opponents: They were by no means weak, to the extent that  Reiji-san would have to abandon Aini-san and adopt a hit-and-run tactics to pick them off one by one.

Using group tactics, some of them would hold Reiji-san back while the rest finish him off… but they wouldn’t get a chance to do that because each of them got one-shot by Reiji-san, bypassing all kinds of defense.

“Form is Emptiness” is a terrific skill indeed.

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Diamant Valley Mayor

(TL: Contains really uncomfortable topics, feel free to skip this guy’s section if it isn’t for you)

Inside a rattling wagon running on the rugged forest path

“Keh, keheh, kehahahaha!”

I did it. I really did it. Now there’s no going back for me.

I only became mayor because I took over the post from my father, and I had no desire to be stuck in this snowy hole forever… but that’s all behind me now.

Now that I was no longer able to use the mine, which was occupied by some strange creatures, little by little, I made my plan to abandon my post and ran away… Though it’s a shame I had to leave most of the ores behind.

At first, that made me hesitant, but things had changed in the past few days.

Some youngsters entered the town with those mercenaries, who were not ordinary travelers by any stretch of the imagination.

The sheer gut of that young man when he dared to talk back to me in my mansion.

He said he was the Count’s guest, but I’m sure that he’s actually his inspector, who finally came to investigate this area at last.

As I lamented my bad luck, the devil’s whisper suddenly came to me.

Some men from the black market, who had come from the western continent to conduct business, brought a plan to have monsters attack the town and take advantage of the commotion to rob it of anything of value and make my escape.

As the arrangements for me to cross the continent were made, I was determined to follow through with this plan at all costs… and here I am. The plan went off without a hitch, and now all I have to do is to escape to the port town south of here!

Part of the reason why I so desperately wanted to escape was because of the inspection.

This northern country was very difficult to do business with, and some of the business deals I had handled so far have been against the law, such as smuggling and human trafficking, and I could easily lose my head if caught.

But above all… the girls in this haul would be more than enough to pay for every trouble I’d gone through in that town. As they laid shivering in the wagon, I chuckled at the money I’m going to earn from this.

One of them was a beautiful alchemist with a good reputation in town. I had approached her several times to marry her because of her beauty, but each time she had brushed it off.

In addition to that beauty, she was also skilled with medicine. That alone would probably fetch a pretty good price if sold as a slave. Enough for me to live on for a few years.

But she couldn’t hold a candle to that silver-haired girl who was with the youngsters accompanying the mercenaries.

When I found her in that clinic, she was lying in bed because she was sick or something, but she resisted really violently at first. Well, until I attached “that thing” I bought from the black market on her anyway. She was as docile as a lamb now.

Since I first saw her in the western gate, I’d had an intense urge.

She must be mine.

Though she was still immature, she was so dainty that one cannot imagine how large a flower she will blossom when she grows up, and her healing arts was so powerful that outclassed even a Saint, who the Church so coveted.

At first, I intended to find the best buyer for this girl.

She had such a beautiful appearance that one would not embarrass themself putting her anywhere, and her demeanor was neat and tidy.

She had an extremely rare talent for healing arts, one that the Church hadn’t claimed.

For the aristocrats in particular, she must be a gem that they would want no matter how much money they have to pay for… just imagine how prosperous she would make their bloodline become once she bore their children.

Such a young bud, still untouched and can still be dyed in any way the owner wishes, would grant me enough money to live on for the rest of my life… that’s just how worth this girl is.

And yet… it’s still a shame to let her go from my grasp.

If I could train her with my hands and make her obedient to me, how much wealth would I create?

There is no need to be a mayor of a small town in such a remote area, and it is surely not impossible to make a name for myself and become a lord of a castle in the western continent, where money throughout the world comes and goes.

If anything… should she produce a child who inherits her talents and good looks, I might be able to get in contact with the nobility, or even a royal family.

The gift of healing arts was highly prized everywhere in this world.

No, no, no, I should leave such afterthoughts for later. For now, I simply desire that girl. If I could make love with that dainty little girl, how much would it feel me up… It is no exaggeration to say that the desire that welled up was mesmerizing.

That girl, under me, with my hands, her gorgeous face contorted in shame, fear, and eventually pleasure.

How delightful it would be to break such a dainty bud with my own hand and pluck her future away. It’d be the ecstasy of a lifetime.

As I pondered about such things… the wagon suddenly slowed down.

Soon, a man whose expression and thoughts were hard to read, claiming to be a guide introduced by the black marketeer, entered.

“…Apologies, but the wagon got stuck in the mud.”

“Then what the hell are you doing here, fool?! Get out!”

Useless piece of garbage! How dare he call himself a guide when he’s so sloppy?!

If I was too slow, they would surely send pursuers after me once the commotion in that town had been quelled.

“Tch… Screw the luggage! I only need the girls anyway, bring them to me!”

Losing the cargo was a blow to my profit, but still, as long as those girls were secured, it’s nothing to worry about.

“I’ll never have to stay in this shithole again, I’ll surely escape with my money! My power…!”

Little did the mayor know, somebody was watching his every movement with a cold stare.

Aini

Inside the wagon, hidden from the outside in the shadows of the rest of the cargo, was a metal cage that looks like it could be used to keep some kind of animal.

“…Ugh…Aaagh…!! No, please…!!”

“We’re gonna be alright, okay? Someone’s going to rescue us, I’m sure of it.”

Despite my wrists being tied, I still managed to hold the little girl close to my chest and patted her back to calm down her trembling body.

The girl who was brought here with me, Iris-chan, seemed to be tormented by nightmare even though she was asleep.

It was only thanks to the sedative effect of the cold medicine that the situation was under control, if only for the moment. When she was awake earlier, things were really bad.

We had been kidnapped… At first, she resisted violently, but as soon as those men fitted a collar-like object on her, her face, which should have been feverish from the cold, turned pale. As if she had regressed to being an infant, she deliriously and incessantly muttered “I’m sorry” and “Forgive me” in a hollow voice.

I wonder if those symptoms were the result of a flashback to some traumatic event she experienced. She soon fell into a coma due to the high fever, but her condition was anything but normal.

With both my arms and legs restrained, all I could do for her was hug her to calm her down, how little it might be.

A thick, heavy metal collar fitted around her slender neck. When I crawled my fingers along it, I felt intense discomfort at my fingertips, as if my strength was being drained away.

…What a nasty contraption. Not only was it designed to seal the use of magic, but it also scrambled the flow of magic in the body like crazy… To take away the power and will to resist, I assume.

As someone whose magical power wasn’t that high, I couldn’t imagine how much of a burden it would be for this child, who was gifted with exceptional healing arts. Combined with her already existing illness, it must be torture for her to wear that collar.

And as someone who practices alchemy, I couldn’t tolerate this kind of maliciousness that is only meant to ensnare people and cause them pain. If I had the necessary equipment at hand, I would smash it into a million pieces.

I sensed the presence of highly refined magic nullification stones within this collar, even though their distribution in this country were heavily restricted by law because they could be used in this way…

Such items like this is a huge threat to the Magical Kingdom of Nordglacier. As a matter of fact, numerous secret agents keep a close watch on each town, so they could not have been produced domestically.

A foreign force must be behind this. Perhaps it’s the underground organization of the Trade Federation in the west. While that country has strong merchant power and a very free market, it is also home to a huge criminal organization.

If that’s the case, we must escape as soon as possible. If this girl is really who I think she is, then the last thing we want is for her to fall prey to their hideous scheme.

I remembered how uncomfortable I felt when I talked to her companions.

Despite such a huge anomaly occurred near human settlements, they were still living and acting normally as if nothing happened.

It’s as if they possessed a means to erase that “Wound” in the mine. If it were that easy to do so, the sphere of human life in this world would not be so small.

Throughout recorded history, until this day, only one race of people had been able to accomplish this.

I don’t know what on earth happened to her, but if this girl is really who I think she is, the things that should have been on her back were now gone… I shuddered at how heavy a burden was placed on the back of such a small girl.

No matter what, I must bring this girl to safety, that’s my determination.

Suddenly, the wagon carrying us stopped.

Hayato

I ripped off another stick shuriken at the back of my muffler, threw it in a conspicuous place, and followed the two carriages as they tried to drive away again.

It is frightening that I can weave through the trees at a speed that parallels that of horse-drawn wagons skipping along the plains, but even more frightening to lose sight of those two wagons.

I moved as if flying, frantically judging where to place my next foot on a foothold where even the slightest slip would cause me to fall.

I could never forget the image of that girl who was also sent here like me.

She was always so soft, but she was also very kind and concerned about other’s wellbeing. When I was in danger, she would not hesitate to protect me even if it puts her in danger herself.

When she was captured by those men, I couldn’t get the sound of her crying out in grief out of my ears.

And Aini-neechan. She was an older sister who picked me up and saved me when I collapsed after wandering around, unable to trust anyone.

She gave me a normal life when I was at my wit’s end. Without her kindness and guidance, I’m sure I would have…

Okay, I admit it! I think I have a crush on them! Possibly both!

That feeling is like admiring the prettiest girl in my grade, or a kind and beautiful older sister, it’s just natural.

But when I talked to them, I tended to act shy and cocky, despite my heart thumping so hard inside.

Right now, if things continued as they were, both of them would become the property of who-knows-what.

Slaves.

That word is as unfamiliar to me as it was in the original world.

I felt nauseous. Disgusted. This cannot stand.

My heart was filled with dark emotions.

I must rescue them before it’s too late.

Besides, I don’t want to betray that Nii-chan’s expectations this time, who put his trust in me despite what happened.

Just a bit more. This particular route, originally used to transport ores to a nearby port town, was deeply rutted due to the frequent passage of heavily laden wagons, and would be muddy all the way through due to melting snow at this time of year, as Aini-neechan once told me when we gathered medicinal herbs together.

Those tightly packed wagons, clearly carrying more than their capacity, if they drove them through the mud with those skinny wheels…

My time has come.

As predicted, one of the wheels on a wagon came off because of the muddy road.

I approached the wagons as close as possible while holding my breath.

Hiding in the bushes, just a stone’s throw away… I saw the men arguing for a while, and then a few private soldiers went to the wagon and rummaged around in it for something.

Coming out of the wagons were Aini-neechan, whose hands were tied, being pulled around roughly and… carried like a sack of potatoes, fitted with a crude metal collar disproportionate to such a little girl, the Princess.

Curses!

Both the situation and my own emotions didn’t allow me to just sit back and watch any longer!

“She’s not feeling well, treat her more respectfully, please!”

“Silence!”

The Princess’ complexion was clearly deteriorating. Aini-neechan, despite being a prisoner herself, stood up and argued with her captors for a better treatment.

The man dragging Nee-chan swung his hand down on her face.

Nee-chan reflexively shielded her face with her hands.

My consciousness concentrated on the back of that private army guy, which, from my point of view, was exposed and unprotected.

“Ack?!”

I quickly inserted a dagger into the side of his stomach.

It was not as formidable as I had anticipated. For a moment I thought I had missed. But the liquid gurgling out of the man’s mouth proved the opposite.

The blade in my hand was sharp… because it was designed to take lives.

Desperately, I pried and pulled out the blade of the dagger that had been dug into the man’s stomach. I felt a weird sensation of something shredding in my hand.

“Dam, mit…”

The man fell to the ground helplessly. Slowly, something other than mud spread on the ground.

“Hah… hah…”

I had stabbed someone… with clear intent to kill.

I thought I would be more distraught, but I was surprisingly level-headed. But… the moon was dazzling tonight. I could see the surroundings too well, even the expression on the face of the man who had collapsed.

Surprisingly, I was unfazed by it.

Aini-neechan stared at me in shock.

Another person was stunned and unaware of the situation… the man carrying the Princess.

I charged at him with all my might.

“AAAAARGH!!”

I could hear a scream nearby, who the hell? Oh wait, that’s me.

In this world that feels unreal, lightning converged on my right hand, which wasn’t holding the dagger… and I slammed it into the man’s stomach, with all the momentum of my rush.

SQUICK

Feeling a warm, wet sensation on my fingertips, I took the Princess from the man who crumpled down in agony after a thunderbolt was thrust into his body, and stepped back.

She’s so light.

My sense of reality rapidly returned as I felt the feverishly high body temperature and feathery weight I felt through that thin nightgown.

The Princess, who was just a little taller than me, was so light that I could hold her with one arm.

Since she traveled with such powerful people with her, I thought that the Princess would be pretty strong herself… I’m so stupid!

Of course I’d be stronger than someone in a pure support build… why hadn’t I realized that sooner?!

“Hayato-kun…?”

“Nee-chan!”

I cut away Nee-chan’s restraints to free her, and shoved the unconscious Princess into her arms.

“Take the Princess and go! I’m sure that Nii-chan and his friend must be on their way here by now!”

“B-But what about you…?”

“Just do it! I’ll stay here and buy you as much time as possible, so hurry-”

As I was shouting, I slid my small body under the arm of another man who tried to grab me and struck him with my elbow.

“If I’m in danger, I’ll just run away! It’s a promise!”

Hesitantly, Nee-chan ran off… Please be safe, both of you.

“What the hell?! Stop standing around and recapture the girls, dammit! Don’t let them get away!”

Behind me, the pig bastard started foaming and screaming.

I quickly kicked my opponent in the back of his head, knocking him out instantly.

As I stood in the path of the men chasing after those two, they pulled out their weapons, as if they saw how I felt.

Surrounding me was a gleaming array of tools used to take lives. One hit by any of them, and I’d probably die.

“Ha, haha…”

A laugh escaped my mouth.

Dammit, this isn’t funny! I’m scared as hell here!

They were mercenaries who were also accustomed to killing people, meanwhile I was just a student until a month ago, of course I’d be scared!

But I must do this! Because… I made a promise to protect them!

“Accursed brat… you’re just some stray kid who wandered into my town! How dare you forget who lets you live here in the first place?!”

“Huh?! I owe you nothing, piggy!”

I got a bit pissed off at the pig bastard’s cursing. But it distracted me from my fear a little bit, so I suppose it’s a good thing?

From the pouch at my waist, I took out a bunch of human-shaped paper dolls and scattered them around. They turned into phantoms looking exactly like me and rose up… just like in that old ninja manga I read before.

I took a deep breath, desperately quieting my heart, which feels like it is about to burst at any moment.

Oh, right! I’m a hero from a manga too! This much is nothing for a hero, I’m not scared at all!

“Come at me, you lowlifes! Ninja Grandmaster Hayato-sama is going to kick all of your asses!!”

It didn’t matter if it was a bluff or not, I yelled, desperately, to inspire myself.

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Saul

“Monsters, you say?!”

The meeting room burst into chaos. Of course, this happened just as we were about to discuss how to deal with the looming monster threat in the town, after we had finally made the decision to silence the mayor who was about to interfere. What convenient timing.

“By any chance, are there any crystals or mutations anywhere on the monsters’ bodies?!”

I asked, praying that I am wrong. If it’s them, don’t tell me I’d misjudged when they’d start the assault…?

Whether fighting or evacuating, we were unprepared for the current situation… Reiji was now only equipped with a spare, unsuitable weapon for the time being.

“Eh? N-No, they’re just normal monsters we see in this area…”

His words almost brought a sense of relief to the meeting room, but soon everyone changed their mind, thinking that they should prioritize dealing with the current situation first, and left the meeting room in a flurry. We too, followed them outside.

“So, where did those monsters come from, the west or the east?”

“T-They’re everywhere! On both sides!”

“What?!”

“The scouts reported that a pack of White Fang was in the west side, while several Frost Panthers were seen in the east!”

Both are animal-type monsters, but the “Frost Panthers” in particular, were demonic beasts capable of using ice and snow-based magic. As for the “White Fangs”, they are generally the same as normal wolves except that their fur is slightly more resistant to ice and snow systems, but their coordination cannot be underestimated when there are many of them.

Nevertheless, there was no way such wild monsters could have come at such convenient timing. If so, were they led here on purpose…?

“…Reiji and I will take the east side and assist any soldier stationed there.”

“Would it be enough with just you two?”

“I see… Then please send some of the mercenaries, including Miriam, to cover us-”

Walking at a brisk pace, while hastily discussing battle plans with Philias-san, I was following the guards who were running out like bees whose hive has been poked when…

“Hey, that thing’s on fire!”

The sky in the east was awfully red and bright.

But both monster types attacking us were ice and snow type. Either someone screwed up in putting out the fire, or…

“…Huh?”

Feeling an uncomfortable gaze, I turned to see one of the guards looking toward the town with an extremely uneasy look on his face.

“You, over there, you don’t look so good. What’s wrong?”

“Ack?!”

As soon as we called out to him, he backed away and looked at us with frightened eyes… The frightened look seemed to be directed not at the monsters but at those of us who had come out of the meeting room…

“Hey, don’t tell me… that you know this would happen in advance?”

I knew it, someone was leading those monsters into town!

Animal-type monsters were relatively easy to lure, using food as bait or drug… There are more than a few people who use monsters for a living, even in the game, a beast taming class certainly existed.

“N-No, that wasn’t my intention, I mean, I didn’t expect them to go this far either!”

“Elaborate, now.”

“I-I didn’t do it because I wanted to… My family… they said they’d harm my family if I don’t do what they say!”

The officer continued with the questioning.

According to the guard, he was born in this town and lived with his wife, who’s currently pregnant, and his elderly parents to take care of them.

So the mayor’s goons held his family hostage and forced him to cooperate… Scumbags, all of them.

“I wish I could tell you more, but they only told me to signal them when you come here, that’s all…!”

“…You don’t seem to be lying.”

“I see… Now go back to the camp and do not leave! We’ll deal with your offense later!”

The guard walked back into the entrance from which we came out, looking exhausted. From the look of it, it doesn’t look like he’s going to run away.

“Those bastards… they must be the ones bringing monsters into this town and set it on fire.”

“It’s just speculation, but it’s very likely.”

“But that means he can’t stay in this town anymore, right?”

Who would support a mayor who would put his town in danger?

If he remained in this town, the previously oppressed people would surely revolt.

“…No, we’re looking at this the wrong way. He’s planning to ditch this town and run before the next goblin raid… So that’s why he caused this chaos! He wants to take his prize before he leaves!”

In the document I was just shown suggested the possibility of several secret deals with the western continent, using sea routes from a port town just to the south.   

Unlike this country, where the slave trade is inherently prohibited, that side of the world, which is a country of merchants, has a thriving slave trade. If he’s setting out to kidnap someone to sell, then the most likely target is…

“Fuck! He’s going for Iris!”

“Let’s go, Reiji!”

I had expected that Aini-san’s clinic, which was located on a main street and highly visible, and where several patients were hospitalized, would not be conspicuous enough to be broken into by a well-known figure of this town.

But I clearly underestimated how low this scumbag could stoop.

Just as we were about to rush out…

“Reiji-kun!”

A voiced behind us called out, and when Reiji and I turned around, Reiji quickly caught the long, thin object in mid-air as it came flying at us at a fairly high speed.

“…A sword? Zeltis, isn’t this your beloved equipment?”

The man throwing the sword was one of everyone who was rushing toward us… Zeltis-san. He had already drawn one of the long swords he always wore at his waist, but the other was now in Reiji’s hand.

“But you already lost yours, didn’t you?! Take it with you, and hope you don’t mind that it’s not a size you’re used to, but I assure you it’s a work of art in its own right!”

“…I’ll take it, thanks!”

“Of course, I’ll only accept it back once you return it along with my princess!”

“Hey, who the hell are you calling ‘yours’?!”

I see those two are getting along as always, I thought so, but I didn’t speak up.

I just told them I was ahead of them and ran out as fast as I could.

The Frost Panther’s body crumbled to the ground.

Amidst the town with fire going up in several places… we approached the east district, just a few steps away from the vicinity of Aini’s store in the middle of the main street built along the stream.

But we encountered a monster that was closing in our destination, apparently following the scent of blood from the evacuated wounded.

Reiji pulled his sword, which had pierced the monster’s heart, out of its white body. The Panther’s white fur turned bright red with blood. There’s no sign that it would get up again.

“Saul, another one! It’s chanting magic!”

Apparently, while one Panther remained in the frontline and engaged us, the other had already fallen back.

On the roof of a one-story house, about 50 meters away from the other Frost Panther, a magic circle glowing blue, almost white, indicating that the magic was an ice-attribute, was deployed at the feet of the dead Frost Panther.

“Like I’d let you!”

“GAWR?!”

A lightning bolt from my sword pierced the Frost Panther and fizzled out the magic that was about to be activated.

These things could cast powerful spells such as “Blizzard”, an attack spell with a large area of effect.

In order to neutralize it as fast as possible while not damaging the surrounding, I fired a “Stun Piercer” to interrupt its chanting and immobilize it. The enemy rolled down the roof and hit the ground.

“Two down!”

Reiji quickly closed the distance and swung his sword at the helpless Panther’s neck. Its body jumped up, then never moved again.

After slaying several monsters on the way, we finally arrived at Aini-san’s clinic…

“Dammit, are we too late?!”

A kicked-over planter in a trampled garden. The yard had been so trashed that one could tell at a glance that there had been some kind of commotion.

Reiji approached the crowd of people sitting stunned at the entrance, who appeared to be evacuees and hospitalized patients.

“What the hell happened here?!”

“S-Swordsman-sama, the mayor… the mayor led his thugs here and…”

It was hard to get a coherent story from the crowd of frightened people, but in summary, amidst the chaos caused by the attacking monsters…

“They barged in here, took the patients hostage and escaped with Iris and Aini-san in tow…?!”

“That motherfucker…!”

“Hold on, Reiji! Excuse me, were the boy Aini-san picked up… were Hayato-kun here when it happened?”

Before Reiji could jump out right away and chase after the mayor, I asked the crowd about what I wanted to hear the most in the current situation… the third person who wasn’t present, other than Iris and Aini-san, who were taken away.

“Eh? No… It just came to my mind that he just kind of disappeared…”

“Thanks for the information, it’s very helpful.”

The corner of my mouth relaxed. As far as that boy’s concerned, it’s a good thing if he just looked like he disappeared.

“Hey, Saul, we must hurry…!”

“No, it’s no good chasing them when we don’t know where they’re headed… Found it.”

After a quick search of the surroundings, I found a single, unnatural piece of metal stuck in the road.

I pulled it out and took a look at it. It looked like a pair of black bare metal chopsticks, long, thin, and unadorned, with a small red piece of string tied to it… it’s the same color as Hayato’s scarf, isn’t it?

Suddenly, even at a time like this, a laugh escaped me.

I knew I could trust him after all. To come up with such a plan in a short amount of time, he truly is a reliable guy.

I must gather more and more allies.

On that fateful night, when I was ready to die fighting that crystal monster, I told Iris to “gather a group of people you can trust”. That thought had not changed even now that we made it through that night without incident.

That boy, while rough around the edges, had shown me glimpses that fully meet those expectations. That’s why I want him.

…Oops, now’s not the time to dwell on such thoughts. I tossed the metal rods in my hand to Reiji.

“…These must be his stick shurikens, without a doubt. Don’t worry Reiji, I had an excellent tracker following those two. Just follow the marks he left behind.”

“Tracker, huh… No wonder I couldn’t see him anywhere.”     

“Leave the town’s defense to me. Go, and rescue those two.”

Fortunately, we had killed several Frost Panthers before we got here. I think there were about two or three more, at least in terms of the scale of the noise, and that would be enough for me, alone, to draw their attention, if not defeat them by myself.

…I let out a chuckle at how absurd things have been compared to my old world.

“Sure thing! That damn mayor won’t get away with this!”

He immediately ran off, his back vanishing in the blink of an eye.

…Let’s not stay here any longer, I still have work to do.

I then caught a guard running nearby.

“This area’s secure! You guys go back and help putting out the fire, but be sure to tell me if a monster appears!”

“R-Roger!”

And so I returned to the town, still in utter chaos.

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Reiji

“…Asleep already?”

Iris was lying in bed, delirious from the heat and breathing heavily. She was still awake and groggy until a few minutes ago, but as soon as she took the medicine Aini-san prepared for her, she fell asleep.

Reluctantly, I shook off the little hand I had been holding the whole time… which was an unusually sweet request on her part to hold my hand until she falls asleep… and gently put it back under the covers.

It was a very simple request, to be honest. But the soft, smooth feeling in my hands kept me tense the whole time, and I felt awfully tired when it’s all over.

It can’t be helped, this is the longest I’ve ever touched a girl’s hand in more than 20 years of my entire life!

Deciding that it would be no use continuing that train of thought, I left the room after confirming that Iris was sound asleep…

“To think that just holding hands makes you so flustered, you’re even more of a virgin than I expected, Reiji.”

“Woah?!”

I thought my heart would jump out of my chest when I heard a voice calling me from the side just as I left.

“So, how does it feel to give Iris a piggyback ride all the way back to town? She’s so soft, right?”

“Hey, stop bringing that up.”

With a mischievous expression on his face, Saul… no, only Ayame would have such a stupid grin, came forward and asked me.

I’m getting really fed up with this.

At the moment, I was still desperately trying to forget the warm, soft feeling of Iris being so close to my back, so give me a damn break, please.

“Right back at you, Saul. I swear you would never pass up a chance to do such a thing to Iris yourself. Why the sudden change of heart?”

She used to be so reluctant to allow anyone but herself to touch Iris, but lately she had been wanting to leave Iris in my hands for some reason.

“It’s nothing, really… I admit that I would never have left ‘Iris, my masterpiece’ with anyone else. But the ‘current’ Iris is her own person now.”

…I’m not sure what she meant, but I guess she’s saying that she doesn’t want to constrain Iris’ activities as much as she did in the game days.

It’s a good thing that she can be independent from her older brother… or in this case, younger sister, from now on, right?

“Well, if it’s you, Reiji-san… I’m sure she’ll be in good hands.”

“Huh…? What are you talking-”

“Figure it out for yourself, I won’t tell you a thing anymore.”

Then Saul quickly walked away, probably to see Aini-san.

…What was that all about?

Saul

I sighed.

You really are dense, Reiji-san… No, both of you are so dense that it hurts.

It’s obvious to literally everybody except those two that they both have feelings for each other.

I have no objection to that. I know Reiji-san well because he has been our childhood friend for all our lives, so if he and Iris end up together, I’m sure he’ll take good care of her.

But why?! Why are those two still so dense?! Are they children?!

I forced myself to keep the urge to scream out in my chest.

They are both five years older than me. I feel like it would be better if I just told them everything, but that would be frustrating.

I came down from the second floor, where the sick bay was.

When I went behind the curtains leading to the room behind the pharmacy counter on the first floor, I found the person I was looking for leisurely doing something that looked like mixing medicine.

“Ah, it’s you. My apologies, but there’s a lot of work for me to do at the moment, you know, I was out of the store for the whole day and the requests kept piling up, so please excuse me… How’s your sister?”

“Yes, the medicine you gave her seems to be working, and she’s sleeping well now… Thank you so much for lending her a place to sleep even though you’re so busy.”

“No need to thank me. It’s just part of my job.”

Aini-san gave me a kind, motherly smile. Is this what they call “Ara ara energy”?

I see her reputation from the game days has translated well into reality in this world.

But anyway, compared to my old world, there’re fewer doctors who received higher, specialized education in this world.

To begin with, the number of institutions for this purpose was limited, and even more limited was the number of people willing to study at them, because of high tuition and strong connections required to become a student… In other words, they’re schools for the upper class aristocrats and the wealthy only.

Likewise, those doctors would generally only receive clients from the upper class… It’s the kind of profession where the job itself is a status on its own.

Some people believe that recovery magic and magic potions, in exchange for their superior effectiveness, shorten life spans because they accelerate recovery to an excessive degree, and there is currently no evidence to contradict this theory. Therefore, those doctors are in demand among aristocrats who care about such things and want to live longer if possible.

On the other hand, the private clinics in cities are run by the direct apprentices of other medical practitioners, who eventually start calling themselves such… To put it bluntly, they’re self-appointed doctors without any qualifications.

Their skills varied greatly from one place to another. And in a world where recovery magic and magic potions exist, whose population was neither as large nor long-lived as my original world, their status wasn’t very high.

In rural areas like this town, well, the closest to a doctor you can find is an alchemist like Aini-san here.

But I digress.

“…I’m sorry that you have to go through all this trouble for us.”

“This is but a small price to pay. The soldiers giving their lives to protect the town deserve to know about it. You’ll help me deliver these materials to them, won’t you?”

What I was entrusted with was a document that summarized the mayor’s wrongdoings, personally sealed by Aini-san, who was an official inspector. With this, it’d be possible to detain and temporarily suspend the authority of that mayor, who until now could not be touched without permission, even if we couldn’t punish him until we receive further instructions from the Count.

The nature of her work meant that she was unable to act on her own and had to deliver her report by untraceable means, and this time we will be doing it for her.

“…I have to ask, though, why did you give up your true identity to us so easily?”

Yes, I’d always wondered about that. She was supposed to be a secret agent, right?

“Yeah, about that…”

Gently, she put her mouth to my ear.

“Actually, I’ve only heard rumors about two siblings who resemble certain aristocrats who went missing a long time ago, that’s all.”

The words were whispered to my ears in such a bewitching way that they made my hair stand on end.

“…Ha, hahahaha, who could those siblings be, hahahahaha…”

I was dripping with cold sweats inside. Was she trying to blackmail me so that we keep each other’s secret?

What a scary person.

“Sorry, I was just teasing you. The actual truth is… the Count has instructed me to look for you and explain the situation in case we meet.”

“Phew…”

Then all of a sudden, she was back to her “gentle” self.

So she was just teasing me all along? Damn, is this the difference in life experience?

“Are you saying that the Count… Count Roland, knows about us from the beginning?”

“Yes, he looks forward to meeting you all in person.”

Looks like the bluff I made when we met that mayor turned out to be true. But how did he know about us? Could there be a “secret agent” was hiding in the previous town?

Well, let’s just leave it at that.

I regained my composure and tapped the shoulder of the boy Hayato, who was unable to follow the conversation and sat by with a question mark on his face.

“Hayato, I have somewhere to go, so I’m leaving Aini-san and Iris’ protection to you, okay?”

“…Why me?”

He seemed to still be bothered by his earlier blunder.

“I’ll say it again, you were doing the best job you could with the information you had at the time. Have confidence in yourself, okay?”

I only knew that he was a stealth class, but he stubbornly refused to disclose any more information than that, though I suspected him to have an “unique class” like the rest of us, which meant he had some tricks up his sleeve that we didn’t know.

But he was able to reach the top at such a young age, in such a popular class as stealth even. He must have something more than just playing time and luck. The same could be said for all the other unique class holders.

“You may be too ‘timid’, but you aren’t a ‘coward’ by any means. I’m going to trust you with this important matter, so man up, my boy.”

“Don’t patronize me, I’m not a kid.”

Lightly, the boy brushed off my hand patting his head and stared right back at me.

“…Okay, I get it, I’ll look after your precious princess… Take care of yourself too, Nii-chan.”

“Yeah, I’ll be counting on you, then.”

I gave a small nod to the boy, who had regained some of his cockiness, and left the clinic.

In the meeting room inside the guards’ encampment, the atmosphere was grim.

The people here were, first of all, me and Reiji. This was to hear from those of us who had seen the site firsthand.

Reiji originally wanted to stay with Iris, but he and Iris were the only one who saw the scene of the illegal mining, and Iris obviously couldn’t come here. I was in the same camp too, but I had to be here to report about the crystalized monsters. It couldn’t be helped.

Then, with Philias-san as the representative of the mercenary company, and the representatives of the guards in one place, the document that had been entrusted to me was unsealed.

“This is…”

I could see that the officer’s face, who had been flipping through the materials, had grown tense.

“…What do you think? Is this going to be enough to shut that mayor up?”

“Yes, this should be enough. Let’s prepare immediately and take him into custody. Since we expect to engage his private army, I would like to formally request the mercenaries to do the same, if possible.”

“Don’t worry, we’re always available, and as the squad leader, we’ll take care of that request.”

The officer affirmed Reiji’s question, and Philias-san agreed without a pause. I heard that they had anticipated this development and made preparations for it since we left.

“…Very well then, operation commence-”

At that moment when the officer was about to speak…

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

A bell rang, signaling an anomaly.

“This is an emergency! Monsters are attacking!”

A guard suddenly entered the room in a hurry.

Looks like this is going to be a long night…