Here’s the translation:
**What Happened So Far in Nekoneko**
The world of Nekoneko was supposed to be at peace after the Demon Lord’s defeat, but the resurrection of “Evil God Diz-Aster,” a foe never even implemented in the game, has begun.
While investigating the Evil God, Soma realized that the “Priestess of Sealing” was actually Sazhan, a chuunibyou Magician with a mask, who harbored a Fragment of the Evil God within her. After understanding her circumstances and resolve, Soma devised a plan: he dropped the Fragment of the Evil God from atop the Sky City, successfully crushing it with a splat!
The clan’s long-cherished wish was fulfilled, and Sazhan broke down in tears.
Though the Evil God subjugation had started smoothly, it was immediately followed by the Author’s sudden disappearance, leaving the story unfinished! What fate awaits Soma and the others…?!!
I’m truly sorry!
With this consecutive update, we’ll be going as far as we can, so please rest assured!
Also, Sazhan’s ceaseless crying was quite troublesome, but I discovered that her personality changed depending on whether she was wearing the mask or not. By rapidly putting on and taking off the mask, I induced emotional instability and administered a shock therapy(?) to make her forget about the Fragment of the Evil God, finally managing to stop her tears.
Honestly, if the sealed Fragment of the Evil God is dead, the mask shouldn’t have the effect of switching personalities. However, it seems that after wearing it for so long, she had become conditioned to adopt a Sazhan-like personality when wearing it. Personally, I feel more affinity for the overbearing Sazhan than for Mitia, who acted more ladylike as the “Priestess of Sealing.” In fact, I rather encourage it.
In any case, having successfully swept the incident of the Fragment of the Evil God’s “death by falling” under the rug, I immediately proposed landing on the Southern Isolated Island, Sazhan’s hometown, to further distract from the matter. Yes, as I spoke, I felt the gazes of my companions turn cold, as if they were looking at a common Nyoraimbus by the roadside. But it was probably just my imagination. …And besides, it happens fairly often lately, so it’s fine!
With a strong mental fortitude forged through long days of battle and intense fights against formidable enemies, I pressed on, undeterred by my companions’ chilled stares, descending from the Sky City to the ground. Yes, I had finally arrived at the Southern Isolated Island, the dwelling place of the sealing clan that had guarded the Fragment of the Evil God for generations.
Upon descending from the Sky City, we were met with a fervent welcome from many of the island’s inhabitants.
“D-Don’t move! Drop your weapons!”
“D-Don’t come any closer! Any further and we’ll consider it hostile action!”
Even now, several burly islanders surround us, pointing the tips of their spears towards us as a sign of greeting.
…Yep.
Let’s stop avoiding reality. They’re incredibly wary of us, aren’t they? I feel it’s quite harsh to treat someone who, in a way, achieved their clan’s lifelong wish – essentially, a benefactor – like this. However, I can understand their feelings to some extent.
Let’s try to put ourselves in their shoes. If a suspicious island suddenly appeared in the sky above, anyone would be curious, right? And if the very Fragment of the Evil God that caused them to live on this island fell and went *whoosh-splat*, well, it’s understandable that they’d be a little surprised, wouldn’t they?
“T-That’s not just surprise! It was far beyond surprise! You! Do you understand the consequences of your actions…?”
Sazhan, still agitated, reacted to my unintended muttering and started to exclaim, which surprisingly helped to improve the situation.
“You… are you Mitia…?”
A man with a stern face like a rock spoke, his eyes wide. It was the clan leader, whom I’d seen in Sazhan’s memories.
—He was Sazhan’s father, the “Priestess of Sealing, Mitia.”
From there, Sazhan and her father, Shudo, acted as intermediaries, and somehow the situation was resolved. Well, Sazhan is, after all, the Priestess who is the island’s reason for existence, and the mask she wears is a treasure passed down on this island. Once her true identity was revealed, things proceeded smoothly.
Still, hearing murmurs from the islanders like “That mask…” and “Her mind is possessed…” and “Poor thing…” as they watched Sazhan speak authoritatively with the mask on, I decided to pretend I hadn’t heard. It was unclear which was the more cruel truth: that it was due to a curse, or that she had become her true self.
However, the Village Chief and former Priestess Nadia, true to their roles as Sazhan’s parents, looked at Sazhan with pity, albeit for different reasons than the other islanders, whenever she struck a pose and chuckled “Hmph.” At the same time, they seemed genuinely happy that Sazhan had returned to the island.
Furthermore, when they learned that Sazhan had defeated the sealed Fragment of the Evil God, the islanders erupted in cheers. However, I couldn’t help but wonder why they were vague about how the Fragment was defeated. After all, some people had seen it fall, so they could have just told the story as it was. Although it was a bit unsettling, their explanation transformed us from suspicious intruders into guests who deserved warm hospitality.
…All except for one person: Sazhan’s father, Shudo, who was also the island’s chief.
“………”
“Uh, um…?”
Shudo remained sulky and refused to speak. I worried that he might have realized his daughter had been made to cry. But my worries were misplaced.
“I thank you for saving my daughter. However…”
It wasn’t that. Or rather, it was even more serious.
“…However, the legends passed down on this island strongly warn us, ‘Never challenge the Evil God.’ I can’t shake the feeling that this warning carries a deeper meaning than simply fearing the Evil God’s strength.”
“A deeper meaning…”
In response to my words, Shudo’s already stern face became even more so.
“When ‘that’ fell from the sky, I was there. And I saw it. When it turned into particles of light, those lights flowed towards the north.”
“Towards the north, you mean…?”
Shudo nodded gravely.
“It is likely as the Hero is thinking.”
“The remaining… fragment…”
To the north lies the Evil God’s other fragments, and the bog where the Evil God’s true body is sealed. If the light from the Fragment of the Evil God flew in that direction, it’s highly probable that the remaining Evil God has grown even stronger. It was just as written in the book. And if that’s true, the Evil God’s revival…
“Hero, you have indeed accomplished our clan’s deepest wish. But this isn’t the end…?”
“I am!”
Though it was rude, I interrupted Shudo’s words. I looked him straight in the eye and declared, “I intend to completely defeat the Evil God.”
Shudo’s eyes widened for a moment at my sudden statement, but then he broke into a joyous smile. “…I see. I thought my daughter had poor judgment, but my choice of person was accurate.” He then straightened himself and bowed his head to me. “Hero. Please continue to look after my daughter.”
“Uh, yes. Leave it to me.”
Now that the ultimate objective—defeating the fragment sealed in my right arm—has been accomplished, I don’t know what she’ll choose to do, but she is now my precious companion. I nodded naturally.
“F-Father!”
Sazhan, flustered, immediately snapped at her father, forgetting even her masked persona, and the conversation was smoothly glossed over.
And so… We decided to stay on the island for a while. It was partly to give Sazhan time with her parents, as she had decided to continue traveling with us to defeat the Evil God, and partly because Mituki, who suffers from acrophobia, said with her cat ears trembling, “I don’t feel like going home today (meaning implied).” But in truth, there was another reason…
“YahoOOOOOOO! A new map, yeeeeah!”
I wanted to thoroughly explore the unimplemented area known as the “Southern Isolated Island”! It was a new map, a new Field, that I couldn’t visit in the game! I had to explore and map every corner! Therefore, for this exploration, I wouldn’t be going alone; I would be accompanied by a reliable assistant.
“Mituki! Ringo! Are the maps ready?!”
“N-No, there’s nothing special to prepare, so there’s no problem. But you don’t need to be so hyped up…”
“…Mm. P-Perfect!”
As I turned and called out to them, I received contrasting replies. The two I had enlisted as my mapping team were Mituki, who possesses the special ability to pinpoint character locations and intuitively gauge distances between maps thanks to the power of the “Explorer’s Ring,” and Ringo, who has learned “Order,” a technology from her world, giving her an advantage in drawing maps. Mituki, needing no tools other than the ring, came empty-handed, while Ringo brandished the manual mapping graph paper she obtained from the item shop, clenching her other fist in a show of determination.
…They said they were ready, but both have their quirks and are rather ignorant of common sense, so I’m a little anxious. I should probably give them a heads-up.
“Ah. This exploration is about investigating the island, and of course, people live here, so we can’t cause trouble. First, Mituki. You must not challenge anyone you don’t know, even if you see someone unfamiliar.”
“How rude. Even I wouldn’t initiate a fight with a stranger.”
Mituki twitched her cat ears, feigning displeasure, but she should recall our first meeting. Then, I turned to Ringo, who was showing her eagerness by clutching the graph paper so tightly it was about to bend.
“And, Ringo, there are a few things to be cautious about as a mapper.”
Although she has been acting more reasonably lately, her incredibly limited life experience of only a few months is still a problem. As someone older, I must give her proper advice.
“First, you must not rummage through drawers in houses or break pots. Entering locked houses is also NG! Only investigate houses that are unlocked!”
“…Mm. Understood.”
It felt a bit too strict, but her surprisingly obedient reply put me at ease.
“That’s right. If you’re really bothered by gaps on the map, I can use the Illusionary Mirage to…”
Encouraged by her prompt response, I opened my mouth to continue, when…
“No, no, wait a minute! You! You can’t just enter a house without permission, even if it’s unlocked!”
“Eh?”
Sazhan suddenly cut in, saying something I didn’t quite understand. …Ah, right. She’s just as eccentric as Mituki and Ringo, if not more so. I gently lectured Sazhan, who lacked common sense.
“You see, Sazhan, the ‘trespassing’ penalty only occurs when you enter a locked building without permission. So, if the door is unlocked, it means it’s okay to enter… no, it’s recommended that you explore!”
I explained with a power that seemed to produce a sound effect from behind, but for some reason, Sazhan slumped and muttered to herself, “He’s hopeless… we have to do something about him soon…” Seeing this, her parents, who were watching from a distance, let out laughter.
“Haha. My daughter has always been withdrawn, worrying us by staying home and writing strange things, but she acts like this in front of him.”
“Hehe. I’ve never seen Mitia act so flustered or so emotionally expressive before.”
I, with my strong image of Sazhan, wasn’t particularly surprised, but it seemed different to her parents, who only knew Sazhan as the Priestess. Also, her father just casually revealed something; he seems to know about Sazhan’s embarrassing notebook, doesn’t he?
“Uh, ugh… D-That’s why, I… I’m different…!”
Instead of Sazhan, who was completely flustered by the double embarrassment, Ringo surprisingly stepped forward in front of Sazhan’s parents.
“…Mm. Sazhan is strange. But…”
Then, with a subtle proud glint in her usually expressionless eyes, she puffed out her chest and said,
“Compared to Soma’s weirdness, she’s insignificantly so!”
“No, wait! That logic is flawed!”
I’m the most normal among you!
And so, we spent about half of our stay on the island exploring it. While the enemies were weak enough that even Ena, who had the lowest stats among us, could easily defeat them, there were no challenging battles in terms of combat. However, we did encounter variants of Nyoraimbus we’d never seen before (many with spots and some with mechanical bodies, which I named Spotted Nyoraimbus and Nyoraimbus Borg), which was quite fun. There were also unexplored Dungeons deeper into the island, allowing us to experience a true “adventure!” after a long time.
While we were enjoying our time on the island, it seems some of the inhabitants were surprised by certain members of my party, who are, after all, quite unique. According to Sazhan’s father, there were a few complaints.
“Even though we know she’s the Priestess-sama, seeing a person in black with a mask makes us jump.”
“A suspicious man with a mask was hugging a strange glove and chuckling. Please do something about it.”
“When I was cooking dinner, an unfamiliar man appeared right in front of me. He mumbled, ‘Ah, wrong place,’ and then vanished like a mirage. What was that? Am I going mad?”
“Recently, I’ve seen a mysterious shadow moving at terrifying speed outside. That abnormal speed, it’s definitely not of this island’s creatures. What is it?”
“I saw someone running outside. No, but that’s not human movement! That must be an avatar of the Evil God! The Evil God isn’t truly dead after all!”
“When I looked out the window, I was shocked. A giant cockroach, *that* thing, was moving outside. No, but that’s impossible. There shouldn’t be such a giant cockroach. What was that…? Ah! On the window! On the window!”
Although some parts are difficult to decipher, the frequent mention of “mask” and “black attire” leads me to believe these complaints are mostly about Sazhan. It’s quite interesting that among our large group, Sazhan, who should be a resident, is the one frightening people the most. On top of that, what was Sazhan even doing to be described as moving with inhuman speed? We should probably caution her soon.
However, the island exploration, and indeed the island stay, was merely a bonus. Our true objective lay elsewhere, no matter where we were, as long as time passed.
— The video record of the Evil God War.
It’s a record that depicts everything about the battle between the past Hero and the Evil God, the Evil God’s sealing, and the truth of the Evil God. Since a “rewind” occurred just before watching the final episode, this Slate has reverted to its initial state. Our immediate goal is to watch this record, which can only be viewed once a day, and see the final episode, which should contain the most crucial information. Fortunately, now that the Sky City is completely under our control, we can transfer to the Monolith at the city’s entrance. In essence, we now have a mobile transfer point. Using this, I summoned Layla, who had been on guard duty at the mansion, and we all began rewatching this video record from the beginning.
Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye with exploration and watching the video record. Then, the time finally came.
“I-It’s finally here.”
“Ah, yeah, but still.”
Despite always being late, Sazhan rushed to the meeting spot first. And for some reason, she was wearing the Priestess’s formal attire.
“W-What are you wearing…?”
“Hmph. It’s to show respect when witnessing such a historic moment from the past. Ah, don’t worry! I’ve bathed, so there are no oversights… *hechoo!*”
As she spoke, Sazhan sneezed and shivered. However, her eyes sparkled brightly.
“J-Just watching a video and you’re this hyped? And wipe your hair already…”
Seeing her shiver, I couldn’t help but rub her hair dry. My companions then began to arrive one after another. Maki, perhaps displeased with my recent overprotectiveness toward Sazhan, let out a low grumble of “Hmm, hmph,” but there was something more concerning at the moment.
“…Hey, Maki. You were the only one who saw the final episode before the ‘rewind,’ right? How was the battle with the Evil God, actually?”
The moment I asked the question, all expression vanished from Maki’s face.
“…I don’t know what you mean by ‘how’.”
She replied with a blank, mask-like expression. It was a face that seemed to be suppressing something, hiding emotions that should not be shown.
“Oh, come on! It’s faster to just watch it, here!”
With an unnaturally cheerful voice, Maki then forcefully took my finger and guided it towards the Slate.
“O-Okay! Okay, so stop rushing me!”
Though I found it slightly unsettling, it would be bad to proceed in this state. I gave up on pursuing the matter and looked around at my companions.
“Alright, everyone, are you ready?”
Everyone present nodded at my words. Confirming this, I brought my finger closer to the switch for the final episode of the video record. And just before my finger touched the text on the Slate…
“—Soma. Please, don’t fall into despair.”
Maki’s whispered words reached my ears, and then…
—We came face to face with the truth of the Evil God.
Spoiler: The Evil God’s true identity is neither Ringo nor a little girl!!!
Next update tomorrow!
…Actually, I started this without thinking about the new book release, so there are still parts of the story I haven’t written yet, but it’s okay for now! It’s fine!
