“Year Two of the New Calendar”
Up until this year, my “adventures” had been like a dream for me, a book lover.
Some “Demons” sought cooperation from Apostles, while others aimed to dominate the continent. The high-ranking “Demons” in each region were all unique, and no two stories were ever the same.
If there was one common point, it was just one.
It was that my Master, like a “Protagonist,” saved people suffering from tragedy. As the name of the “Savior” who performed miracles spread, my cheeks would naturally break into a smile.
Above all, I enjoyed growing my own skills with each adventure I overcame. Although it was gradual, I could also feel myself starting to resist the “Curse” of death.
Over these two years, I met and battled many “Demons.”
Along the way, if I heard of a village suffering from “Demonic Poison” in a remote area, I would go to provide support free of charge. Of course, even during these times, I never neglected the development of “Curse Techniques.” Master and I spared no time for sleep in every place we went, engaging in much trial and error.
And so, with Master’s knowledge of Another World, the quantification and formalization of abilities began to take shape—as Year Two of the New Calendar draws to a close.
That day, wanting to boast about my growth to Hidaki Sister, I headed alone to the garden of Fuziaze Castle.
Crossing the infamous lake of white “Threads,” I approached Hidaki Sister, who was sitting with her back against a tree, and spoke my usual greeting.
“—I’m home, Hidaki Sister.”
Called by my name, Hidaki Sister looked up. In her hands were a book and a quill pen. Lately, she’d been spending a lot of time writing a book compiling the knowledge from Another World necessary for Fuziaze.
There was no doubt that each and every character held some meaning. Hidaki Sister was now giving her all to push me into a corner.
“Welcome home, Tiara. You’re safe again, I see.”
“Yeah, somehow… Every time we embark on a journey as a pair, you prepare so much for me that it becomes quite a handful on my end.”
“I always prepare a romantic final page for you… but it seems you rarely approve of it.”
“No, the moment I approve, I die. Of course I refuse.”
“Even knowing that, I intended it to be something your hand would reach for instinctively. I did.”
“…That’s right. I’m always on the verge of death if I let my guard down, it’s truly difficult.”
“Heh heh. Still, you have survived.”
Master isn’t in the country of Fuziaze now, so I can speak quite frankly.
As I talked with Hidaki Sister, I visualized the conclusion of this “Adventure”—in the western country of Shurus—in my mind using the “Reading” Skill.
The “Shurus Arc” of this journey, originally, was supposed to be:
“The vampire race, harboring deep hatred for humanity, became extinct, leaving behind only the ‘Kuuneru Chronicle.’ However, the country of Shurus cannot yet be said to have been saved. To save the nation, devastated during these two dark years, more salvation than ever before will be needed. Therefore, Tiara Fuziaze proposes. For the sake of future battles, let us establish a major trading company with Fuziaze’s influence in this westernmost region—”
But I changed it to:
“The vampire race, harboring deep hatred for humanity, became extinct, leaving behind only the ‘Kuuneru Chronicle.’ However, the country of Shurus cannot yet be said to have been saved. To save the nation, devastated during these two dark years, more salvation than ever before will be needed. Therefore, Aikawa Uzunami proposes. Let us create a trading company in this land to protect a girl named Kuuneru, who bears the name of a vampire—”
In other words, I survived again by pushing the heroine of the “Shurus Arc” onto someone else.
If I had stayed there and participated in the creation of the two trading companies, I would have undoubtedly been killed by Kuuneru, who was backed by the “World.” She possessed that much power, having become a vessel for all vampires.
“—Tiara, you are truly wise. Your skill at guiding my Older Brother to become intimate with new girls in every place you visit is always commendable.”
“That’s the best way to alleviate Master’s ‘Curse’… Just like you, Hidaki Sister, I cleverly employ ‘Deception’ on the girls from behind the scenes.”
With each journey I complete, my skill in such guidance techniques improves.
Now, ensnaring a girl with a tragic background into becoming Master’s heroine is easier than deceiving Sis.
Hidaki Sister, the role model for this technique, smiled, sensing my growth.
“Tiara, you’ve truly leveled up in these two years… Compared to when we first met, you’re like a different person. It seems that environments where you’re constantly on the verge of death are what make people stronger.”
“… ‘Level’? Is ‘Level’ the thing Master has been trying to popularize? I’m not good with that quantification stuff.”
Recently, Master has been trying to replace “Total Magic Power” with the word “Level.”
He’s also attempting to change “Conversion Result” to “Status” and make all abilities easily “Display”-ed as numbers.
When traveling with Master, new terms appear one after another, and sometimes I can’t keep up with understanding them.
Hidaki Sister seemed annoyed by Master’s penchant for coining new words, and she sighed, shoulders slumping.
“Ah… no, that’s not what I meant. I used ‘level’ in its original sense just now. …Haa. Because of my Older Brother’s neologisms, I have to review my translation magic periodically.”
Immediately, Hidaki Sister stood up, approached me, and cast the casting of the curse technique, “Reading,” anew.
Extending further “Threads,” she peered into me with her dark eyes.
“I mean that Tiara’s overall ‘rank’ has risen. To put it in my brother’s style, your Skill values are more than ten times that of an ordinary person. The ones that stand out are likely Skills like ‘Reading,’ ‘Deception,’ ‘Speech,’ ‘Crafting,’ ‘Brainwashing,’ ‘Assassination,’ ‘Agitation,’ ‘Induction,’ and ‘Provocation’.”
Even though she stayed behind in Fuziaze, Hidaki Sister, as a matter of course, understood the rules Master had established during our travels.
Furthermore, she clearly explained my growth according to those rules.
“Your ‘Reading’ Skill is particularly astounding. In terms of numerical value, it’s around 4.00. It can be said to have been sublimated into something entirely new. …Tiara, if my brother finds this, he’ll surely give it a strange Skill name. I recommend you change it to a new Skill name yourself, as soon as possible.”
And she handled the quantification, which I was struggling with, with ease.
While feeling a sense of dread from her eyes that seemed to see through everything, I continued to speak as calmly as possible.
“Hmm, I think I’ll leave it as is? I’m attached to the name ‘Reading.’ So, I’ll try changing the Skill names of others! After all, I have more than ten times the Skills of an ordinary person! Ten times an ordinary person!”
“…Even so, I still have more. As I boasted before, I never lose to anyone in the number of innate Skills. Hehehe.”
“Yes, I know. Having gained so many Skills, I’ve come to understand how amazing you are, Hidaki Sister. There’s so much I understand now that I couldn’t two years ago…”
Compared to when I was first taught “Martial Arts” by Hidaki Sister, the world I see has truly changed dramatically.
It’s not just that the garden visually turned white.
Now, thanks to my Skills and leveling up, I can pick up a lot of information from Hidaki Sister’s gestures and glances. From the depth and subtlety of her breathing, I can discern the true state of her illness. By reading the hidden intentions in her words, I can understand how the meaning of our conversations can completely change.
I can now read Hidaki Sister’s inner thoughts, which I couldn’t before. Of course, this isn’t limited to just Hidaki Sister.
For example, Master.
My impressions upon seeing “Aikawa Uzunami” have also changed significantly. What I couldn’t see before, I can now see clearly.
“Hey, Hidaki Sister. Master isn’t burdened by just one ‘Curse,’ is he?”
To confirm this, I presented one answer to Hidaki Sister.
“Clearly, Master is scattering multiple ‘Curses.’ I’ve tried them on various girls in different regions… and sometimes, phenomena similar to the ‘Curses’ of Teeda and Arti have occurred. They are on a very small scale, so it seems no one has noticed.”
This was something I had suspected from the beginning, but until today, I hadn’t wanted to admit it.
“And to pay off Master’s ‘Curses,’ you came from Another World. Pretending to be summoned by the Apostles.”
The brother and sister “Foreigners” were not here to save this World—quite the opposite.
Hidaki Sister, perhaps judging that she could no longer deceive me, who had grown over these two years, readily admitted her malice.
This confirms Hidaki Sister as an enemy of this world.
After all, “Curses” that were not originally present in the world have been brought in. The more Master’s payments progress, the more our world will undoubtedly be distorted.
However, this is not a story that concerns me much.
It’s just a change from “someone who targets my life” to “someone who targets my world,” so there’s not much difference. Therefore, I continued to the next question with the same familiarity I had with a friend.
“Heheh, so that’s how it is… Then, I have a slight question. What does one have to do to be demanded by the world for such ‘Price’? What did Master do to cause such a ruckus in that world?”
“…I haven’t done anything particularly strange. I’ve simply converted it all into my Older Brother’s power.”
I thought she would evade the question, but she answered it readily.
However, I found it unbelievable.
From what I could confirm, Master had eight “Curses.” That’s enough for eight “Thieves of Principles,” roughly. If he converted all of them into power… wouldn’t Master be too weak? Even if the “Power of Dimensions” is special, the amount of power is too small compared to the “Price.”
I glanced at Hidaki Sister’s face, trying to ascertain the truth of her words. However, my Skills still couldn’t reach the depths of her heart.
“Oh, is that so… You just converted it into power… Does that mean your biggest goal is to make Master stronger?”
“Yes. Making my Older Brother stronger is my objective in this Another World.”
Perhaps because I had gotten a “Correct Answer” today, Hidaki Sister, as if in reward, answered my questions. Buoyed by this, I asked what had been a lingering question.
“…Is that because you like Master? Because you want to stand on the same eye level as him?”
“That is incorrect. I am making my Older Brother stronger because he wished it. I am simply keeping an old ‘Promise.’ As a sister, devotedly, continuously—”
Since I had a chance, I tried to make Hidaki Sister say “I like you,” but she casually brushed it aside. However, her denial contained unexpected information.
It seemed that “Aikawa Uzunami” was the origin of everything.
This fact did not surprise me much. What was more important was that the “Equal footing” human I was aiming for would be completed by Hidaki Sister’s own hands.
If this continues, it will lead to a final page that reads, “Under the hands of ‘Aikawa Hidaki,’ ‘Aikawa Uzunami’ reaches completion. Having finally paid off all the ‘Curses’ in Another World, the brother and sister become ‘Equal.’ However, as their ‘Price,’ they are compelled to aim for the next world. And the ‘Power of Dimensions’ that makes this possible rests with the siblings. Abandoning the world they drained for nourishment, the two move on to the next world—”
I just want to stop that.
Please don’t say something lonely like “just the two of us.”
Please, let me, the third person, come along too.
Wishing this, I declared defiantly, not wanting to be left behind.
“Wait for me, Hidaki Sister. I will also become as strong as Master. I will definitely become strong too…”
“………..Is that to say, Tiara, you will also become like my Older Brother?”
“…No, I won’t become a ‘Thief of Principles.’ I won’t bear ‘Curses’ either. If I have to trade with the world and sacrifice something, it will only be others. I will become the ‘First Place’ in this world, sacrificing everything in this world, and catch up to you, Hidaki Sister.”
I had a premonition that I wouldn’t reach her, and wouldn’t make it in time, unless I sacrificed at least one world.
Hearing my resolve, Hidaki Sister, as usual, muttered “Wise” and reached out a hand to me.
“Heh, heh heh—’Thief of Principles’ is rejected. …Yes, that is correct. That is the correct answer, Tiara.”
She petted my head and praised me. Having received two “Correct Answers” in one day, I narrowed my eyes with joy.
However, seeing my joy, Hidaki Sister suddenly made a mischievous face and tried to tease me.
“…However, while it’s admirable that you aim to be the ‘First Place’ in the world, when Tiara says it, it lacks a bit of impact. You’re just too cute.”
The situation, with Hidaki Sister’s hand on my head, clearly showed the difference in our heights. I made a bitter face at this harsh reality.
“Don’t say that, Hidaki Sister… I’m always conscious of the fact that I haven’t grown taller, no matter how much time passes…”
“As for me, I prefer Tiara to stay just like this. It’s easy and comfortable to pat your head.”
“I want to reach your height, Hidaki Sister… Haa, two years have passed, and I haven’t reached it at all. I’m in my growth spurt right now…”
“Heh, heh heh, heh heh—”
Hidaki Sister chuckled, a rare and hearty laugh. And amidst our chat, she casually stated.
“However, it truly has been two years. Two years have passed.”
“—!?”
At that moment, I felt a cold air brush against my cheek. Startled, I instinctively tensed my body. I was getting used to being touched by “Threads,” but not by “Ice Power.” More importantly, Hidaki Sister’s “Ice Power,” after two years, had increased in its chilling aura to an extent that couldn’t be compared to before.
“Two years… Thanks to that, I’ve become able to utilize the excess nerves I accumulated in the other world. I’ve had enough rest now.”
As if to say, Hidaki Sister freely manipulated the surrounding “Threads.” Furthermore, she infused the “Ice Power” leaking from her body into those “Threads,” mixing it.
Gradually, the “Threads” began to freeze, their wavering movements becoming progressively stiff. Then, they completely froze and, carried by the wind blowing through the castle garden, shattered.
Sparkling ice crystals danced. They were as natural as “Tiara Ray” falling on the continent, integrating seamlessly with the world.
“Tiara. Until today, I’ve been dealing with you casually… But that changes now.”
Hidaki Sister’s “Threads” were like extensions of her body, her nerves. For them to shatter must have entailed unimaginable excruciating pain, yet there was no change in Hidaki Sister’s expression.
Hidaki Sister, as always, in a casual chat between friends, very lightly—
“In your words—it means the final chapter of your book is finally being written. I will meticulously inscribe it into this world with ‘Threads,’ as if sewing. With the next Older Brother, you too would undoubtedly say ‘I like it.’ Please, look forward to the end.”
She had declared my death. A chilling dread, like ice crawling down my back, struck me.
“Y-yes…”
As I nodded, I sensed one “Incorrect Answer.” I had believed that for these past two years, Hidaki Sister had always been giving her all to corner me. But I realized that was wrong.
—Year Two of the New Calendar ended, and Year Three began.
In that third year, I would come to regret my own naivety, having only thought of surviving for two whole years.
