Today, we have safely reached our one-year anniversary.
Thanks to all of you for your readership, we have been able to achieve this level of ratings and bookmarks. I cannot express my gratitude enough.
I will continue to do my best, so I ask for your continued readership.
Amelia Miyagawa, 16 years old
Occupation: High School Student
Magic Aptitude: 8 (General Class)
Role: Hero
Shit, I never thought I’d actually be made to help with the cleaning.
I was forced to change into a nun’s outfit they’d slipped into the cleaning supplies I was handed, and now I’m covering my mouth with cloth and waving a duster to get rid of dust.
“Next is this one.”
“Roger!”
Because of how I’m dressed, my classmates don’t seem to realize it’s me, and they walk past saying “Good work.”
Mentally, I’m conflicted, feeling both shocked that my classmates didn’t notice me and that it’s effective because the person I’m supposed to be watching hasn’t noticed me either.
Following Ann’s instructions, I clean the furniture and windows in the hallway.
It’s not wrong to be cleaning as a student, but it feels wrong as the Hero, yet I carry it out earnestly for the sake of what’s to come.
Cleaning like this makes me realize that while living here normally, I never paid mind to the fact that there are people who clean buildings and rooms like this.
Ann, to make her work easier, seems to be teaching me how to clean like a teacher has been lately… I won’t mind.
Ultimately, since my presence hasn’t raised any suspicion, I have no complaints.
Ah.
“…That’s all for the cleaning here. Let’s move.”
“Yes.”
But that’s also over here.
Finally, it’s time for my heroic activities!
Leaving the lodging late, with my cleaning supplies in hand, I set out to chase after the imposter who has separated from my other classmates.
From here on, I’ll pursue them like a hero.
“Well then, next is this candlestick. There are many, so please do it quickly.”
“Okay.”
I wanted to, but this is different from the pursuit I imagined.
I had imagined hiding in the shadows, holding my breath, and stealthily following them.
But I’m doing the same thing as before.
There are so many candlesticks that Ann is helping me this time, but…
“Ann, are you alright?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re falling further behind!”
There’s naturally a difference in speed between cleaning and walking normally.
Unlike him, who walks off somewhere, I move as slowly as a turtle.
Even though we’re next to each other, I complain in a small voice, but Ann sighs as if to say, “What is this person talking about?”
“If I were to follow you normally in a place with so few people, wouldn’t that be suspicious? What’s the point of the disguise?”
“Ugh.”
Come to think of it, that’s true.
If I saw someone peeking from a corner of the hallway, I’d wonder if something was going on.
Back in school, I might wonder if that girl likes this person, but doing that here would get me stopped by a knight.
“Don’t worry. By focusing on cleaning, confirming the direction, predicting the destination, and listening to their footsteps, I won’t lose them.”
“You’re saying something difficult, aren’t you?”
“Please do it.”
That’s not something you should ask a novice to do, is it?
I’ve never done anything like this detective work.
I’m doing something like being a Hero now, but I was originally a student who was good at dancing, you know?
Yet Ann, who nonchalantly says, “If you can do that, you’ll know their general location,” is truly a spy, I thought.
I try to do what I see, but it’s impossible.
“Ugh, there are too many footsteps, I can’t tell.”
“Each sound is different. Try to find the ones that are a little heavier and have a short, ground-scraping sensation.”
Since coming here, I’ve been able to do various things in terms of exercise, but I’ve never used them like this.
If I concentrate on my ears, I can indeed pick up various footsteps, but they get mixed up, and I can’t tell which is which.
If you tell me to do it, it means I can do it.
My hands, which were wiping the candlesticks, become careless as I try to concentrate a little.
What should I do? If it keeps going like this, I won’t be able to do anything.
Anxiety that I might be labeled useless starts to creep in, when I notice.
Maybe I can manage if I use my skill.
“Ah, maybe it’s this footstep.”
“…I can’t believe you can do it.”
“Were you forcing me to do something impossible?!”
“…You’re quite a prodigy. If you’re interested, would you like to work with us? We can discuss the salary.”
“No thanks!”
It wasn’t the type of sound, but the rhythm that allowed me to notice.
Among the various sounds, it was difficult to distinguish them, but by listening to the rhythm of the steps with the sensibility I’d honed through dancing, I was able to find one within each tempo.
I never thought they’d ask me to do something impossible.
It’s fine because I could do it, but what would Ann have done if I couldn’t?
It’s something I’m curious about, but for now, I’ll focus on the pursuit.
And of course, I’ll refuse the offer!
Still, there’s a Japanese proverb, “Mocha from the shelf” (a stroke of luck), I wonder if this is what it means.
I’ve been following the footsteps that stop and start as they walk around, using my hearing, but I never thought I had such a talent.
The imposter seems to be heading straight somewhere, so I can continue to my destination while polishing candlesticks like this.
“…You can do it more accurately than I can. Won’t you team up with me? With you, reaching the top of the underworld is not just a dream.”
“No.”
What is Ann saying to me, a maiden in bloom?
I’m the Hero, for goodness sake.
Still, most people wouldn’t notice such a talent.
Even Ann, the professional, has acknowledged it… but it’s a talent most people don’t use.
And we are moving further towards the outskirts of the Cathedral.
“What’s that up ahead?”
“Is there something?”
“It’s a place rumored to have something. I’ve only been there once, but I recall nothing but wine being stored there.”
“Suspicious, isn’t it?”
“As a result, if your testimony is correct, then it is indeed suspicious.”
Ann tells me what’s there from the direction.
Certainly, a building that suspicious individuals approach makes one suspect something is there.
And as expected, the footsteps we were chasing entered the building and disappeared.
“They’re not coming out.”
“…Considering the structure of this building, it must be underground.”
“Ann, aren’t you going in?”
“It’s more accurate to say I can’t.”
“Why?”
We wait for a while, but the imposter doesn’t come out.
It’s common sense in our world that high school students don’t drink alcohol.
Some do drink, but most don’t.
At this point, I thought it was suspicious enough.
Even though I think we should see it through to the end now that we’ve come this far, Ann says she can go no further.
“From here on, it’s likely the domain of mages. If we carelessly step in to investigate, it’s like dancing on a trap, and we’ll be found immediately. It’s a different story if you have a way to search inside or a spell to deceive magic, but I don’t.”
“I do?”
“You do? Then…?”
“Yes, I think I can. It’s enough if I can tell what it’s like inside, right?”
I thought something else was needed, but if that’s the case, there’s something I can do.
I look around to make sure no one is around, then gently press my ear against the wall.
“Yes, that’s right… but can you really hear with that?”
“Yes, if I make a sound like this.”
I channel magic into my hand and lightly knock on the wall.
Then, sound waves that only I can see are emitted, and I can tell where the sound is obstructed and what the building’s structure is like.
I can’t tell what’s hollow or what’s wall, or what’s inside, but a diagram appears in my head, allowing me to understand the general structure.
My skill, Acoustics.
It’s a bat-like ability that can only resonate sound and pick up the returning sound, but with enough magic power, it can detect quite a wide range.
It’s not an offensive ability, so I usually use it to anticipate the opponent’s movements by listening to them.
However, this skill isn’t very heroic, and it requires concentration to know the details, and it picks up various sounds, giving me a headache, so I consider it an inconvenient skill.
Also, classmates who knew about it called me “super hearing” and I didn’t have a good impression of it.
“Yeah, I can get the general shape.”
“…By the way, from the entrance, how many shelves can you see on the right?”
“Three tiers, right? There are seven in total.”
“…You’re a genius. You’re the ace our guild has been hoping for. We’d love to recruit you.”
“Honestly, Ann, you keep saying that… Hmm, there’s a large space spreading out underground… Ah, those are the footsteps from earlier.”
“What kind of structure is it? Details.”
“Um, the stairs are in the back right corner…”
Ann, who had been skeptical, is surprised and praises me when she realizes my answer is accurate.
If I can be useful like this, maybe I should reconsider.
By repeatedly knocking and sending out sound waves, I begin to understand the underground structure more and more.
There, I pick up the footsteps I was chasing earlier, and focus on them, listening intently.
Ann, behind me, is taking notes of what I perceive.
I’m following the footsteps as they move, so I don’t have all of it, but it seems to be worth recording.
“Huh? Did they stop?”
“It seems to be the destination. Do you know what’s there?”
“Wait a minute.”
It seems they’ve reached their destination and the imposter has stopped as they entered the room.
I close my eyes and concentrate even more on the sound.
As I repeatedly send out sound waves by knocking, I can tell that the imposter is standing in front of something and touching it.
It’s a little larger than a person, and it’s shaped like a stone tablet?
But it’s slightly bulging, and its shape is complex, making it a little difficult to discern.
Several of them are lined up, and the magic power is strong, making it difficult for the sound waves to pass through.
“Um, there are a lot of things like stone tablets lined up, and they seem to be touching them.”
“Stone tablets? It must be some kind of magic tool, but that alone isn’t enough to identify it. Are there any other characteristics?”
“Um, the surface is slightly bulging? Also, a lot of magic is flowing.”
“…It seems we have no choice but to infiltrate to find out more. Let’s start over. The risk is too great from here on, let’s retreat.”
“Understood.”
It might be bad if someone sees me with my ear against the wall.
I gently move my ear away from the wall and turn around, opening my eyes.
*Pecha*
Suddenly, something warm and moist touches my cheek.
“…I let my guard down.”
“Ann?”
“Rats are everywhere, but I haven’t seen such a foolish rat in a long time.”
“Church, Knights’ Order, Chō!”
“Ann!?”
“Don’t move, or this one dies.”
For a moment, I couldn’t comprehend the scene before me.
Ann, who had been cheerfully trying to recruit me just moments ago, had an iron sword, one I’d seen often recently, sticking out of her abdomen.
No, she was stabbed.
She was stabbed by a man in white armor who hadn’t been there a moment ago.
After understanding, I tried to stand up to rush over, but I couldn’t move due to a weight I’d never felt before.
The figure visible from Ann’s shadow resembles the knights I often see in the Cathedral, but more ornate and sturdier.
He’s holding Ann up in the state he stabbed her, so I can’t see his face.
However, his presence exudes a power that makes me almost forget I’m the Hero.
I felt a sense of powerlessness where I could do nothing, and thought I would remain immobilized like this.
“Gof… run, na—”
“B-but!”
“Hmph, how can you even make a sound like that?”
“Aguu! Please, I’m fine…”
“If you run, this one’s life is forfeit. Stay put.”
“As you say— “You don’t need to!”
“What?”
“Run!”
“Eh?”
“…Suicide. It’s the right thing for a spy to do, but you should have disposed of your source of information before dying.”
What happened?
Ann, who was stabbed, told me to run, but I couldn’t escape and leave her behind. Then, she let out a pained groan as she was stabbed deeper…
“Pathetic. As a spy, you couldn’t bring back information, nor could you succeed your superior’s will. To waste your life and stand there in a daze. Your companion must also be filled with regret. Even though she committed suicide to let you escape, this is the result. To have your death rendered meaningless.”
Ann is dead?
With a *zurl*, as if drawing a sword from its scabbard, he dropped Ann to the ground, pulling the sword from her body.
Ann, left on the ground, didn’t move a muscle. A dagger she had hidden was stuck in her chest.
The man’s face, visible for the first time, looked at me with contempt, as if I were filth.
I couldn’t care about that gaze.
I couldn’t save her.
Ann, who might have become a friend in this world, had died.
She died, she died.
“Allowing such an amateur to infiltrate shows negligence on the part of the guards. This unit needs some retraining. However, before that, I shall apprehend you.”
I don’t understand what this man is saying.
I don’t want to understand what this man has done.
But, I realized.
This man killed Ann.
The moment I realized it, something in me switched.
“Ah.”
“Hm?”
“!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“What is this!? You… don’t tell me you’re the Hero!!”
Something surged from within me.
I’m shouting something, but this overflowing surge masks it all.
I can’t hear it, can’t hear it, can’t hear it, can’t hear it.
It’s hot, hot, hot, HOT.
But, I understand.
I have to unleash this.
Yes, passionately, intensely, like dancing.
“If that’s the case, this is a Holy Emblem rampage.”
To the rhythm of my beating heart.
“However.”
I…
“Are still immature.”
Amelia’s Side – END
Another Side
The girl, punched by the man and slammed against the wall, collapsed feebly onto the ground.
“Knight Commander! What in the world is this?”
“It’s a Holy Emblem rampage. Don’t worry, I’ve suppressed it now.”
The mages who were in the basement of the building were the first to respond to the sudden surge of powerful magic.
Perhaps sensing the abnormal magic, they came out with their staffs in hand.
“Confine this person in the basement. It seems this girl was incited by the spy there and fell into heresy.”
“What do you say!?”
The man glanced at the group and immediately issued instructions, then began to handle the aftermath.
For some reason, it was the Hero who made contact with a spy.
Perhaps he thought he could obtain some information.
“Just in case, proceed with the preparation of the Sacred Ark as well. If anything happens, seal it with that.”
However, even if it was easily suppressed, she’s the Hero.
To avoid unnecessary confusion, the man judged it best to take precautions and issued further instructions.
“Yes! Understood! By the way, Knight Commander, what about this woman?”
“Do you have a hobby of messing with dead bodies?”
“No! Absolutely not!”
“Then, after identifying her status, bury her in the common grave.”
“Yes!”
“I’m going to report this to the Bishop. You all clean up the rest. Hmph, the Bishop. Calling me after an heretic has come, and this is the result.”
During this process, when asked about the disposal of the abandoned spy Ann, the man glared at the mage man as if asking an obvious question, then gave instructions and left the scene.
The remaining mages, along with the knights who arrived later, divided into groups to repair the wall, secure Amelia’s custody, and handle Ann’s disposal.
The troublesome work was over, and only the cleanup remained. The operation proceeded smoothly without any major issues.
The students who felt the powerful magic were explained as an accident during a magic experiment, and the day ended with a few remaining doubts.
Time passed, and it was midnight. A cloudy sky shrouded the dim earth, and the common cemetery, a place where the dead sleep in silent repose, undisturbed by anyone at this hour.
Suddenly, an abnormal sound echoed.
“Bwha, if they had dug a little deeper, I would have been buried alive.”
A sound like digging through soil echoed, and like a horror movie, an arm emerged from the ground. Ann, clad in simple clothing, emerged from the earth, widening the gap.
“Ack, did I injure myself too deeply?”
Her appearance was not that of a zombie, nor a ghost that had returned because of lingering attachments to this world.
She was simply a severely injured woman.
Pressing on her wounds, enduring the pain, Ann covered the hole with her own feet and destroyed the evidence.
She left the cemetery on foot.
If someone saw her, they would think she was an undead wandering about.
Ann, who belongs to the Behind Guild, her codename is Undead. Her skill as a penetration expert is suspended animation. She maintained her fatal wound and faked her death.
No one expected a person thought to be dead to be alive, and she succeeded in her escape by staying alive with her skill, walking to bring back information.
Among that information was the scene of Amelia, whom she saw last, trying to save her.
Another Side – END
Today’s word:
The more a hidden secret is, the more it becomes numerous as the organization grows larger.
That’s all for this installment.
When one thinks of a Hero, rampage, awakening, pinch, and comeback are the standard four elements, so I created a plot like this.
This time it’s a rampage, and I plan to introduce the remaining three in the future.
Please continue to support this work.
