This time, it’s a bit short.
Amelia Miyagawa, 16 years old
Occupation: High School Student
Magic Aptitude: 8 (General Class)
Position: Hero
I was faced with a shocking fact, but strangely, I remained calm, wondering if it would be a problem even if Mike was a ghost.
Rather, I thought it might be Mike.
Besides, this world is like a manga world, so it wouldn’t be strange to have a ghost or two.
“Hmm, if I believe those words, it means I have no physical body.”
“…Were you shocked?”
“No, it was one of the possibilities considered since I couldn’t perceive anything other than magic, including my five senses, and our conversation was limited to telepathic calls. Amī’s words are more for confirming the facts.”
Besides, the person in question was more composed, so I also became calm.
If anything, I was dissatisfied that they were calmer than I was, who should have been surprised.
But it was troublesome.
I had intended to help Mike and then escape…
But the coffins lined up behind me, which were not in my plan, disrupted it.
One, two, three, a total of seven.
That meant seven classmates were in there.
There was no choice but to save them.
But reality is harsh.
Since becoming a hero, my strength has increased, and I can carry one person alone, but I have no way to transport seven people at once.
Furthermore…
“Mmm, it would be dangerous to remove this, wouldn’t it?”
“About these magic devices? They are probably designed not to come off easily. And this magic stone is of such high purity that it’s not something that breaks easily.”
Both the coffins and the magic stone containing Mike were things that took courage to touch.
There were so many incomprehensible characters written on them, and they kept flashing one after another, so I had no idea how they worked.
I suppose hitting them would break them, as is universal… but I didn’t want anything bad to happen if I broke them.
“What should I do?”
“I would honestly recommend calling for help from outside. There’s nothing I can do to help you, no matter how hard you try.”
“Can’t we just blow them up like before?”
“If you ask whether brute force is possible, it is possible. However, with your magic power, destruction is impossible. If I were to use my magic power, it would have the destructive power to create a new lake, but can you control it?”
“I can’t.”
I couldn’t use the option of simply blowing them away like before.
For a moment, I thought it might have been better to escape quickly, but I shook my head and banished the thought.
I made my own decision, so I have to see it through to the end.
Hmph, I mustered my resolve and considered what to do.
“Hmm, are you ever told that you’re quite stubborn?”
“N-no!”
“It seems so. Now, Amī, it’s not a bad thing to say you can’t do something. In fact, claiming you can do what you can’t is sometimes considered harmful. We don’t need to be saved right now. I am, after all, dead. So the necessity of saving me is low. And the boys in those coffins also have some leeway. They’re not in immediate danger. The situation may change, but for now, it’s best to regroup and then attempt a rescue.”
“Okay.”
Mike chided my enthusiasm and spoke gently, like a teacher.
Indeed, I am stubborn.
I think I have a personality where I can’t rest until I’ve done whatever I’ve decided to do.
As Mike said, it would be better to escape once, prepare, and then come back.
But what if the location changed, and my classmates and Mike were in trouble?
There was no guarantee that I could come back here again if I ran away.
And above all, I couldn’t ignore it.
“But, you know, I’m a hero, so I’m meddlesome! I can’t just postpone helping people who are in trouble or need to be saved.”
“…A hero, huh. I don’t have a very good impression of that title. The hero you speak of, however, is strangely acceptable. Shall I present a secondary plan, then?”
“There’s a secondary plan?”
“I always prepare multiple plans. That’s how I save myself. So, retreating and attempting rescue again is the best plan, considering safety and certainty. Anything else would involve an element of gambling, even if there are slight differences. Hence, it’s a secondary plan. Normally, one aims for the best, but if you call yourself a hero, perhaps it might be worth considering seizing the future you desire.”
I say I’m a hero, but that’s just an excuse; it’s really my selfishness.
Perhaps sensing this, Mike sent me words as if he had no choice.
However, contrary to his words, the emotion that he sounded like he was enjoying himself was transmitted.
And then, he showed emotions like a child plotting mischief, as if eager to see what he could do, like in the explosion incident earlier.
“Sometimes taking a detour leads to the best outcome. I don’t know if this is the case now, but I will present a plan to break through the current situation, even if it means a detour for the girl named Amī, who calls herself a hero. Are your heart’s preparations complete? We’re going to do something much bigger than that explosion earlier.”
“…Okay!”
“A spirited response is very welcome.”
If my future self saw me at this moment, she would recall that this response was a turning point.
“Time is short. Let’s do this quickly.”
“Yeah! What should I do?”
“It’s simple. You will absorb and incorporate my soul.”
“Huh?”
What did Mike just say?
Absorb a soul?
“Rest assured, if you can absorb me successfully, I will become your guardian spirit. If you fail, I will possess your body, but that’s a gamble. Don’t worry, I will resist as little as possible. So, try it without overthinking it.”
“No, no, no, I can’t not worry!”
“But this is the fastest way to awaken you and get through this situation? I will be released from here and inhabit your vessel. In return, I will give you my knowledge and magic power. And with that power, we will escort the boys here outside. It makes sense.”
Indeed, if what Mike says is true, I think it’s possible.
What makes me uneasy is that I don’t have enough knowledge to judge whether this is good or bad.
Normally, absorbing a ghost into one’s body seems like it would have negative consequences.
But the Mike in the magic stone before me possesses immense magic power.
If I could absorb it, I would surely gain immense magic power.
Wait, isn’t this thinking more like a Demon Lord than a hero?
Don’t heroes awaken by drawing a legendary sword?
There are disadvantages, but there are also clear advantages.
If that’s the case…
“A woman’s courage! Mike!”
“You’re really bold. Are women today this strong? Even though I’m proposing it, it’s a plan that most people wouldn’t do. This is what happens when you get greedy in a situation like this.”
When my head gets confused, I go back to the beginning.
If I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it.
I’ll believe I can and push forward!
Mike might be saying it’s out of necessity, but I can feel his excitement, so I know he’s enjoying it!
“No thank you to the lecture! Tell me how to do it quickly!”
“Yes, yes. First, touch the magic stone with both hands. I’ll handle the magic formula, so just feel my presence and absorb my magic power. Yes, that’s it, you’re doing great.”
As instructed, I placed my palms on the magic stone. Besides the cool touch of the stone, I could feel its magic power.
Slowly drawing it in without tearing it, something entered me.
This is Mike.
I could clearly feel his presence.
“Imagine a partition to keep you and me separate. Imagine creating an empty room inside you. Then I’ll move into that room.”
The influence of what was entering me gradually became stronger.
As Mike said, I tried to create a separate room and take it in, but still, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was trying to mix.
“Don’t panic. If you panic, my magic power will blend into yours. Take deep breaths, slowly.”
Inhaling and exhaling, I focused on correcting the flow of magic power that was entering me, breathing deeply.
After a minute, ten minutes, or an hour, as my sense of time began to fade, the magic power within the magic stone finally ran out.
And my body knelt down.
“This feels awful, Mike!”
“No, I’m surprised that you’re just calling it ‘awful’, Amī. Is it really just awful? When you knelt down, I thought maybe it was too much, but are you really alright? Is there any memory impairment?”
“? I’m fine?”
“Hahaha, you’re a bigger deal than I thought.”
I raised my head with a gasp and complained about the heartburn-like nausea, and Mike worriedly asked, with a mixture of exasperation and surprise. I touched my body, but there was no pain, no dizziness, no forgetfulness of my own name.
It felt somewhat similar to eating too many sweets.
I was full and had sufficient energy, but I felt sluggish from overeating.
“Alright, then.”
However, that was just a feeling, and with the increase in magic power, my body actually felt better than before.
As I stood up and took a step, my legs moved with agility.
“Whoa!”
“Congratulations, it seems the gamble paid off. Now that you have two kinds of magic power within you, it’s about time we escaped.”
“Yeah, for now, should I just create a path to the outside with this magic power?”
“I’d like to teleport, but that requires precise magic manipulation. Let’s go with brute force this time. Shall we save the boys in those coffins too?”
“Yeah!”
Then, Mike’s knowledge was presented in my mind, and I nodded in understanding, feeling as if I had gained a library in my head, and raised my hand.
“Dispel!”
I think I used it quite cleanly, considering I was reading from a textbook.
A sound like a lock being forced open echoed, and the previously glowing objects went silent.
“You forcefully severed the magic formula. Try to be a bit cleaner next time.”
“Okay.”
To Mike, my magic was a failing grade, but since I wanted to save my classmates quickly, I put aside his scolding.
Putting strength into it, I opened the heavy lid with my magic power and saw my classmates dressed in clothes like hospital gowns.
“This is terrible.”
“Hmm, well, if you sustain life solely on magic power without food, this is what happens.”
They were emaciated and unhealthy.
Seeing my classmates, who were so thin they looked like mummies, I clenched my fists.
“They’re not in immediate danger. It’s more dangerous to stay here. We took a detour, but let’s escape.”
“…Okay.”
I understood that any more time spent here would be dangerous.
This time, I directed my magic towards the ceiling.
But Mike, can I vent some of this emotion?
“Amī, the power is a bit…”
“GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”
It seemed like I really powered up.
An extremely large flash became a large cylinder, and after it subsided, a tunnel to the outside was cleanly carved out.
“Yeah, that feels refreshing. Mike, did you say something?”
“No, nothing. More importantly, we’ve been noticed from outside with that. Let’s escape using levitation magic.”
“OK!”
Thanks to using magic, the heartburn-like nausea disappeared, which was good.
Mike said something, but it must not have been important if he let me put it off.
Someone seems to have entered from outside, so I have to heal my classmates quickly.
I floated them up with magic, and I floated myself.
As we ascended, I saw the sun.
“Amelia? What are you doing?”
“Ah, Jirou-san!”
Under the sun stood Jirou, holding a large sword while wearing a suit.
He looked at me with a bewildered gaze, his cigarette smoke wafting from his mouth.
Why is that?
Mike, do you know?
“I don’t know about that, but I can tell he’s in trouble.”
When our long yet short underground life ended, Jirou was surrounded.
It seems I need to try a little harder.
Amelia Miyagawa, 16 years old
Occupation: High School Student
Magic Aptitude: 8 (General Class)
Position: Hero
Quote of the Day:
What’s the situation? (Who knows?)
That’s all for this issue.
From the next issue, we plan to return to Jirou’s perspective.
As I was writing this, I thought, “Being a hero is difficult.” I will continue to do my best to make her act like a hero!
Thank you for continuing to support this work!
