In the sky, two floating lights appeared.
Within each light, one could see human figures.
They had familiar wings on their backs, so there was no doubt they were angels.
They were girls with the upper half of their faces hidden by helmets, clad in white armor, and holding golden spears that differed between left and right.
Their appearances were so similar I thought they were twins.
“Shiik, Miik.”
“Are they acquaintances?”
“Ah, they’re my sisters.”
And if they were Himik’s sisters, they would undoubtedly be Seraphim, the highest-ranking angels.
“Are they strong?”
“Individually, they’re about mid-tier among sisters. But when the two of them are together, they’re not to be trifled with.”
“They’re that type, huh?”
So, they were mediocre individually, but troublesome when they coordinated.
Such beings had appeared.
Honestly, this situation wasn’t good.
Amelia, whose body was controlled by the Demon Lord’s soul from the front, and twin Seraphim from behind.
Now, what to do?
“Haa, Himik.”
Even so.
“What is it, Master?”
There was only one thing I could do.
It wasn’t over yet; I was in check, but not checkmated.
“Can you win?”
“Heh, Master, you ask strange things.”
“?”
The situation was trending for the worse.
Despite such circumstances, Himik’s expression behind her helmet was surely a smile.
Her voice was so calm, so out of place, that it felt that way.
“Tell me to win, and I shall offer victory to Master.”
The next words she spoke carried more spirit than anyone else present.
There was no trace of hesitation in fighting her sister, nor any hint of recklessness.
“I see. Then, will you win and return safely?”
Precisely because it was her, I didn’t just ask her to win, but added a condition, making it a deliberately difficult request.
Did she find my request difficult, or perhaps, leaving no room for me to doubt?
“Yes, leave it to me.”
She answered so clearly.
Seeing her nod firmly.
“Yes, I entrust it to you.”
If that’s the case, then I, who asked her for this favor, couldn’t possibly give up.
I braced myself again and faced Amelia.
She had been gazing at the angels floating in the sky, but when Himik flew up, she smoothly shifted her gaze to me.
It seemed they intended to deal with the easier opponent first.
Well, that’s fine.
If so, it’s convenient for me.
I glanced back, and as if sensing what I intended to do, all three gave me a firm thumbs-up.
Thinking of them as reliable friends, the corners of my mouth curled up.
“Kaha, well then, shall we get this started!”
Connecting with the Ore Tree.
Roots grew from the hilt, entwining around my arm.
The circulation of magic power began.
The roots of the pulsing Ore Tree and my heart beat in unison.
From here on, it was a genuine all-out battle.
I wouldn’t think about the aftermath.
“Here I go!!”
I roared from the depths of my belly, took a forward stance with my fighting spirit, and kicked off the ground at once.
Then, creating a gust of wind behind me, I dashed forward.
Now, this is the crucial part!!
Another side
Dark, heavy, suffocating.
And noisy.
These were the sensations I felt as my consciousness began to faintly awaken.
As I gradually started to wake up, my consciousness wasn’t clearing.
I was trying to remember something, but couldn’t recall anything.
I felt like something was suppressing me, like I wasn’t myself.
I wanted to wake up but couldn’t.
I wasn’t sleepy, but it felt like I was being forced to sleep.
Somehow, I knew something was wrong and tried to struggle, but I couldn’t move.
I wanted to reach out, but I didn’t even know if I was reaching.
It felt like I was sinking into something thick and watery.
I tried to open my mouth, but I couldn’t.
What was happening to me?
A solitary question, like a drop of water, gradually solidified my sense of self.
But still, my body wouldn’t function properly.
I couldn’t even open my eyes, and my ears, which usually caught musical rhythms perfectly, couldn’t hear anything.
Moreover, they couldn’t even pick up noise.
It was quiet, so quiet I had never heard before.
As the pressure felt like it was crushing my body, a sense of dread began to well up within me.
At any rate, I struggled, wanting to escape this place.
Though I felt no sensation of movement, I desperately tried to move.
Even if I didn’t know if I was moving, I desperately tried to move.
I struggled aimlessly, without knowing up, down, or sideways.
Then, I reached out into the surroundings.
Someone.
Someone.
“Helpme!”
I don’t know how long it took to utter just this one word.
In a brief moment when my breathing lightened, I expelled it with all my might.
And then, I reached out in the direction of the voice I had desperately made.
No one was there.
I knew that, but still.
“Yes, I understand.”
Just as I was about to give up, someone softly held my hand.
And that hand pulled me up tightly.
“Hey, Amī. I’m glad you’re safe.”
“That voice, Mike?”
“Yes, it is. It’s Mike, who was staying inside you.”
At first, I didn’t understand.
After all, when I was pulled up and could see clearly, a humanoid, or rather, a white being with only an outline, stood before me.
Though I vaguely recognized it as Mike from the voice, he had a different aura than usual.
“Now, while I’d like to chat during this emotional reunion, Amī, frankly, we don’t have time. So, listen carefully to what I have to say?”
Mike, who always seemed relaxed, was anxious.
That made me tense.
“Where is this, and what’s the situation? I imagine that’s what Amī is most curious about.”
He’s explaining it in order, isn’t he?
Mike gestured with his index finger, pointing at the water’s surface and then shaking his finger back and forth.
It’s true, the last thing I remember is suddenly hearing a frightening voice and asking Jiro-san for help, and then… I don’t know.
Looking up, it was dark, and looking down, I saw a dark water surface.
I had never been to or seen a place like this.
“Simply put, this is inside you. More specifically, I suppose you could call it your mind.”
And Mike said this dark space was inside me.
Ugh, I don’t think I’m that dark of a person, but was I really like this?
What a shock.
“That said, it’s been quite altered by the Demon Lord’s soul, so it’s considerably different from the usual world. So don’t be discouraged, okay?”
“The Demon Lord, is that you, Mike? Then, is this because of Mike?”
“That question… it’s partly yes, and partly no.”
Did he smile? His ambiguous answer made me urge him to be direct.
“I’m not being evasive. To explain that, I’ll tell you my true identity now.”
Mike, who continued to smile at my attitude, slowly opened his mouth.
“I told Amī and the others that I was the Demon Lord’s persona, but that’s not true. The true Demon Lord’s persona is this black water surface you’re standing on.”
As he gestured to the water below, I looked down to see a vast expanse of black water.
“And I am the key to sealing that Demon Lord. Now, I am the remnants of a Sage whom you, Amī, named Mike. And long ago, I was a fool forced to clean up after a Hero and became a human sacrifice.”
Mike began to describe his existence plainly and concisely.
His demeanor suggested that his initial claim of not knowing who he was was false.
“I’m sorry, Amī. My memory loss that I told you about was actually a lie. I knew you were summoned as a Hero candidate. The truth is, I didn’t want the Sun God followers to get their hands on the Demon Lord’s soul, and for that, I apologize for causing you trouble.”
Mike’s words seemed to affirm my feelings. I was so bewildered by the sudden turn of events that I couldn’t grasp what was happening. Mike wasn’t the Demon Lord, but a Sage, and he used me because he didn’t want to hand over the Demon Lord’s soul? I thought we had been getting along well, but was it all a lie?
“Initially, I intended to purify and eliminate the Demon Lord’s soul within your body. But seeing you inside you, I changed my mind. As an apology for disturbing you with the Demon Lord’s soul, I intended to purify its magic power over a long period and transfer it to you. But something unexpected happened. After being exposed to the Holy Sword’s light, the Demon Lord’s resentment suddenly became active, and I couldn’t control it. As a result, the barrier broke, and it expanded to the point of swallowing your soul.”
According to his story, he had intended to eliminate the Demon Lord’s soul over many years, and for that, he had been using a Sage’s secret technique on me.
“As a result, your soul was on the verge of disappearing. I managed to find and pull it out, but in trying to calm the Demon Lord’s soul even a little and search for you, my magic power was completely depleted. I can no longer contain this soul.”
Mike threw up his hands in defeat, indicating there were no more options, and I couldn’t say anything. I just somehow knew that I was going to disappear like this. Strange. Normally, I’d cry or scream, but I didn’t even have the energy for that. Perhaps it was because I had just been drowning in the Demon Lord’s soul, and I had deeply understood that I couldn’t resist it.
“I’m going to disappear.”
“Yes, if nothing is done.”
As I was about to give up, Mike gently shone a ray of hope upon me.
“Fortunately, there are still options left. No, it’s better to say options have been created for me.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s someone currently fighting this soul. I can’t see from here, but the Demon Lord’s soul’s consciousness is directed there. Thanks to that, I can move around freely like this. However, that doesn’t mean *I* can do anything.”
Isn’t that the same as being unable to do anything?
As if sensing my thought, Mike wagged a finger back and forth at me.
“That’s right, I can’t do anything. But I am a Sage. There’s no one better at teaching things. It’s not me who will do something here. It’s you, Amī.”
As if guiding a poorly performing student, Mike nodded. That’s when I remembered the first time I met Mike. Looking back, Mike always had a suspicious aura about him from the start. But, strangely, I never thought he was a bad person.
“Now, let me teach you. The Sage’s secret technique. From this moment on, you are a Sage’s disciple. My disciple, are you prepared? The wisdom of another world is a little difficult, you know?”
Perhaps that’s why, even when he provokes me with his suspicious demeanor.
“OK! No problem! I’ll do my best!”
I rallied my spirits, just like when I motivated myself to start practicing dance.
“Let’s challenge!!”
Another side END
Today’s saying:
Unexpected events are often seen in a negative light, but sometimes they can be good.
That’s all for now.
If you found this interesting, please leave a review, rating, bookmark, etc.
*The first volume has been decided to be published by Hayakawa Bunko JA. It was released on October 18, 2018. The e-book version was also released on October 31 of the same year. The second volume will be released on December 19. The content includes revisions and additions to the content posted on Shousetsuka ni Narou, with an unpublished interlude included. Please check out the new releases as well!!
Furthermore, a comic adaptation has also been decided for Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.”
