Kays Translations

‘Chapter 15: The Strongest Onmyouji Prepares to Return Home

The final match was decided with my victory.

After retrieving the mist demon, Kyle disappeared and the audience was in an uproar, but in the end, my words were accepted: “I erased him without a trace”. Perhaps it was a good thing that I had made a dye similar to blood with mercury and sulfur and carefully sprinkled it on the stage.

The awarding ceremony and closing ceremony that followed went off without a hitch.

Although the tournament was held in the imperial capital, the emperor was not present and I only received a necklace as a medal from a bald-headed middle-aged man who claimed to be the head of the steering committee.

I refused to be inducted into the Kings guard during the ceremony. I was impressed by the fact that he accepted my response as if it were a scheduled event, although he did embellish his words in consideration of the other party’s honor.

The only good thing about it was that I received a large amount of prize money.

And then…

Early in the morning of the next day.

Mabel and I were standing outside the walls of the Imperial City.

It was a long walk from the city gate, close to a forest.

We stood speechless and in front of us was a small moss-covered rock.

“……”

Under this rock, Kyle was laid.

I put Kyle’s dead body in the phase and took it away so that no one would know.

If I had left it as it was, the Lugrok Trading Company would have probably recovered it and disposed of it so that no trace of it would remain.

At the very least, I wanted to give him a proper burial.

I wanted to do that, not so much for Mabel’s sake, but for my own.

Even now, I can’t think of the right words to say to her.

“It’s okay…. I knew this would happen.”

Mabel said quietly, as if reading my thoughts.

“I had somehow expected such a curse to be placed on him. Products that have lost never come back. I also know that you were trying to help my brother. So don’t worry about it. I had given up on the idea of saying goodbye like this.”

“……”

I don’t regret not bringing Kyle back to life.

That spell is something I had refrained from using even in my previous life.

If it’s used, there will be no end to it, and eventually it will lead to a major collapse.

It was a mistake to forget the restraint that I had decided to exercise in my previous life and to try to use it in the heat of passion. It was too much, even if I had been lax.

Yuki is right, I don’t owe Kyle or Mabel that much.

There was no reason for me to perform the secret technique there that I hadn’t performed in my previous life, no matter how much I’d been begged to do so.

However.

I just couldn’t do it.

“…… Is this the right place for it? If you wanted to bury him in your hometown, I would have gone along with you.”

It was Mabel who chose this place.

She shook her head.

“We don’t have a home anymore.”

I ask  Mabel before another long silence falls.

“Is Mabel your real name.”

Mabel nodded curiously.

“Yes. Did you think it was an alias?”

“At first.”

“I don’t think people usually go out of their way to choose an old hero name for a fake hero’s name.”

“is that so? It’s too deliberate I guess.”

“But why?”

“Kyle called  your name a few times…….”

“Oh…… I see.”

I tell Mabel, who has a calm expression on her face.

“I’ve been asked by Kyle to tell you something.”

“…Eh.”

“I don’t really understand, but he said he’s sorry about the four-leaf clover.”

Mabel’s eyes widened as she gasped for air.

Then she began to talk.

“Just before the surgery….. my brother accidentally broke the four-leaf hair ornament that I treasured so much. We had a bit of a fight. I think that’s what happened. It was nothing serious like that…….”

I could hear her sobbing next to me.

I just kept quiet and waited for Mabel to stop crying.

A long time passed.

Mabel murmured quietly, 

“What’s going to happen to me now?”

“I told you. You’re going to go back to the academy and spend time as a student.”

“Really?”

Mabel looked at my face.

She had an anxious voice.

“I still can’t believe this. My brother was supposed to kill me, but I lost the match. I can’t believe I’m going to go back to that temporary status as an adopted child of a noble family and a student at a magic academy and go on living my life as it is. …… Hey, are you sure? Is it true? I’m ……”

“You’ll be fine.”

Saying this, I took Mabel’s hand.

“Let’s go. The carriage will be leaving soon. It’s our carriage.”

“……”

“Even… if it’s not alright.”

I pause for a bit and say.

“I’ll take care of it. So don’t worry.”

Just because I’m the strongest doesn’t mean I can do everything.

In fact, it’s amazingly helpless.

But still.

But even so, I have more options than ordinary people.

****

“Ah, you’re back at last.”

When we came back to the castle gate, Amiyu was standing in front of the carriage we were riding in.

Next to her, there was an anxious-looking Ifa. (TN: Might have translated ‘Ifa’ as ‘Eefa’ previously)

I had told them both roughly what had happened.

Kyle and Mabel were brother and sister, and had been raised by a trading company that surrounded themselves with mercenaries. That Kyle had been cursed to keep his mouth shut if he was defeated. That I had secretly removed his dead body. That Mabel and I had just buried him together.

The only thing I didn’t want to mention was the hero. Mabel was taken in by a nobleman because of fate, and it was a coincidence that they were able to meet again at the convention. That’s what we decided.

I was going to let Amiyu remain in the dark about what happened.

And what about Amiyu?

She was staring at Mabel and smiling fearlessly.

“Huh. I’m tired of waiting. I don’t blame you.”

“Hey  Amiyu-chan, are you sure you want to do this?”

“You’re an idiot. This is the time when you should grab the sword.”

The two of them were arguing.

What is it?

“Newbie.”

She said.

Amiyu held out a sword to Mabel.

It was a long, wide sword for a one-handed sword.

It looks like a cheap one.

Amiyu tells her.

“You should fight me.”

“I don’t want to. I’m not in the mood.”

“Just do it!”

She said, forcing Mabel to take the sword.

Then she pulled out her own mithril staff sword, which she had come to love so much.

“It’s not a mock sword, so if the weapon breaks or falls off, you lose.”

“…… What’s that? How about a quick stop?”

“No, it’s too dangerous.”

I tilted my head.

That’s a strange rule.

“Oh, yeah, you’re not allowed to use magic.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll use it.”

“What…..?”

Mabel raises an eyebrow.

“Are you kidding me?”

“It won’t do. You’ve already won once. Give me a handicap.”

You’re talking nonsense.

“Seika. Give me a signal.”

It’s kind of not very Amiyu-like.

She knows what’s going on with Mabel. I know she wasn’t insensitive enough to offer a rematch at a time like this…..

Whatever.

“I will, then….. begin.”

Amiyu kicked the ground.

She swings her staff sword and slashes at Mabel’s one-handed sword.

It’s just …… not as sharp as usual.

It’s strangely slow.

Mabel puts up her sword and tries to take it with a dubious expression.

But the moment each blade touches.

Mabel’s one-handed sword snapped in half with a loud sound.

“This is…….”

Mabel rolls her eyes.

Amiyu was like.

“Whoa!”

As if swept away by her own sword, she fell to the ground with a tantrum.

Surprisingly, the sword blade of the staff sword that had been thrust into the ground was buried about halfway into the ground.

Amiyu, who had fallen on her buttocks, smiled at Mabel.

“Haha, I win! What do you think, newbie? I can do this too!”

“Huh, that’s gravity magic….”

“Don’t underestimate the top passer of all attributes! But this is so hard! I don’t know how you can use this stuff in a real fight.”

“……”

Mabel looked at Amiyu with a cold stare.

“What? You just wanted to show off?”

“You …… really wanted to beat your brother yourself, didn’t you?”

“It’s …… nothing. It’s not about winning or losing. I just wanted to…..”

“You’re lying.”

“……”

“I can tell by your swordsmanship. You were never the quiet little sister who followed your brother around. You thought you’d get him side by side or …… overtake him if you had the chance. Didn’t you?”

“…….”

“Maybe the reason you went to the tournament was because the finals was your last chance to do that?”

“Don’t say it like you know what you’re talking about. What are you trying to say?”

“Next time, try to beat me.”

“What?”

“I’ve won one match and lost one match. You should try to beat me by the time you graduate. Don’t think it’s going to be easy.”

“You sound like an …… idiot. Why would you say that?”

“You’ve lost the person you were aiming for and you have nothing left to do. You don’t know what to do now, do you?”

“……”

“That’s fine. I was bored because I didn’t have anyone to practice with at school. You should hang out with me for a while. Just until you find something else you want to do.”

Amiyu, who had been talking while sitting on her butt, extended her hand to Mabel.

Mabel looked at it silently for a while….. and then said with a small sigh.

“……As I thought, you’re an idiot after all.”

And then she took her hand.

“It’s too easy to beat you. It’s not my goal. You can’t talk so high and mighty until you can handle my magic.”

“I couldn’t help it. I wasn’t used to it.”

“There is a trick to it. You have to break the magic faster. You can’t pull it back like you did before.”

“Hmmm…..? And while you’re at it, can’t you do something about the harsh recoil when you use it while swinging?”

“I only use it when I’m going to hit something. If you use it while swinging, you can’t help but feel the force…..”

“Oh, I see…”

Ifa who returned from the carriage said we should hurry.

“Guys, shouldn’t we be on our way? Gosha-san (the coachman) seemed kind of irritated…..”

I laughed a little.

I then addressed the two girl swordsmen.

“Let’s go home. We can continue our conversation in the carriage.”

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