Kays Translations

Chapter 91: Scene of Carnage

You don’t show a kid the ugly, tangled mess of their parents’ drama.

I calmed Mokutan, who was trying to follow me out of loneliness, by stroking and brushing her flaming hair with fireproof gloves made from steel wool. Once she settled down, I told her to stay home. Then I rejoined Hiyori, who was fuming like a volcano at the front door.

“I’ll be right back after I give your mom a good smackdown. I won’t disappear for 80 years again. You can count on that.”

“You came. Let’s hurry to Shinagawa—wanna get on my back? Or do you wanna run together?”

“Back piggyback, obviously. You’re faster than a cheetah.”

There’s no way my legs could keep up with a woman who can casually hit 100 or 120 km/h. I shook my head, and Hiyori, while clearly irritated and trying to suppress her anger, explained:

“No, actually—an alternate chant for the vampiric self-enhancement magic was completed 70 years ago. Even a big guy like you can run at horse-speed with it.”

“For real? Teach me the chant.”

Vampiric self-enhancement magic is absurdly powerful compared to its tiny 1K mana cost.

The catch is that it contains unpronounceable syllables and consumes blood, leading to a risk of anemia, so it’s not something you can abuse. But even with those drawbacks, it’s strong. It’s a staple spell for transcendents.

Despite how useful it was said to be for ages, it was never completed in my lifetime. Apparently, it took ten more years after my death to finish the workaround chant—must’ve been one hell of a challenge.

Feels like I’ve time-warped into the near future. From the way things are going, tech must have progressed big time.

Since I already knew the original chant and had heard it tons of times, I picked up the workaround version with just a bit of instruction.

I immediately cast the self-enhancement spell. Hiyori didn’t need to cast it—she just ran.

“Whoa!? So fast!”

“Don’t go full speed right away. Gradually build up and get used to it. And slow down on the curves.”

Just as I nearly tripped and fell, Hiyori ran beside me, supporting me and giving advice.

It was like I’d become a superhuman. Just a little strength in my legs and I zoomed forward. At full speed, maybe around 60 km/h? But if I tried that right away, I’d totally wipe out. So I followed her advice and kept it around 40 km/h to acclimate.

“This is awesome. The wind! I am the wind!”

As I spread one hand out to feel the breeze, Hiyori smiled at me like I was some amusing kid.

Running beside her like this, I could tell she was holding back a ton to match my speed. Like an Olympic runner pacing with an elementary schooler. Kinda frustrating.

“We’re taking the highway to Shinagawa. If your enhancement spell wears off, tell me. I’ll use healing magic to fix the blood loss so you can recast.”

“Oh, you can combo it like that? What’s the highway?”

“A major road that follows the old railway. It’d be dangerous to run at this speed on narrow streets.”

“Yeah, fair.”

We gradually sped up as we talked. Once we left Okutama and entered Ome City, the scenery had completely changed. The aging buildings I remembered had disappeared, replaced by foggy forest. The deep forest scent told me this wasn’t the Ome I once knew.

Still, crumbling moss-covered walls and collapsing vine-entangled utility poles dotted the area, hinting at remnants of the old civilization.

I glanced at Hiyori’s expression, but she didn’t seem affected. Maybe she was too pissed off to get sentimental—or maybe, after 80 years, everything was just a memory to her.

Exiting the forested Ome, we entered the highway at Hiyori’s direction. A solid stone-paved road stretched ahead.

Brick and stone buildings—three to four stories high—lined the street, smoke rising from chimneys.

The delicious smell of fresh bread and what was probably curry spices drifted in the air, reminding me it was lunchtime.

Huh, so this is what the city looks like now. Doesn’t feel post-apocalyptic at all anymore. Feels more like a steampunk era.

…Or so I thought, until I looked up and saw a small dragon flying in formation with some swallows.

Looking down, I saw a giant humanoid golem standing guard outside a police box, tracking us with a single mono-eye—probably Gremlin-made.

Okay, not steampunk.

This is magicpunk.

Hiyori and I weren’t the only ones running down the highway. There were others too. I saw riders mounted on giant tigers—maybe monsters—with Gremlins on their foreheads.

But the blue witch carrying Kyanos stood out. Citizens whispered while looking at us, making me uneasy.

Don’t look at me. Just pretend I’m a rock or some roadside weed, please. Being stared at stresses me out.

This is why I hate walking through cities in broad daylight.

Still, I can’t act like I have nothing to do with the fire-related mess the flame witch caused.

If I want full custody of the fire lizards, I’ve got to attend this showdown.

“Hey, wanna take a shortcut? If we hop across the rooftops, we can go straight to Shinagawa.”

“We could, but it’s banned. Remember the drone flight restrictions from the old days? Same idea.”

“Ahh, yeah. Makes sense.”

One or two people might be fine, but if thousands started using rooftops, there’d be accidents galore—collisions, falls, the works. Plus, people would hate having strangers stomping on their roofs. What if someone broke roof tiles? Would you sue every passerby?

Times change, tech evolves, and so do laws and regulations. It’ll take some work to adjust to this world 80 years in the future… then again, I never really fit in 80 years ago either, so nothing new there.

Eventually, my enhancement spell wore off and I slowed down. Hiyori used healing magic to replenish my blood.

While basking in the warm glow, something caught my eye again.

A swallow—probably related to the pouch sparrow species—was stuffing letters into apartment mailboxes, pulling them from a belly pouch. It had a golden anklet that looked just like the metal Hiyori used to transform into a chair.

“Hey, that gold ring on the swallow’s leg—what is that?”

“Identification band. And it’s not gold. That’s Abyssal Gold—Abyssgold.”

“Whoa…!”

My whole body shivered at the cool-sounding, otherworldly name.

Okay, okay—no more distractions. If I keep asking questions, I’ll forget why we’re here. I can’t let shiny new tech distract me from Tsugibi’s situation.

After a few spell re-casts and breaks, we finally arrived at the Kazuhari estate in Shinagawa within an hour.

The estate was a massive mansion built right in the heart of Tokyo. It was surrounded by tall iron fencing and dense shrubbery that kept outsiders from peeking in.

Shinagawa itself had transformed into an industrial zone, with smoking exhaust towers and roaring factories. Yet, this estate took up a huge chunk of prime land. Clearly, the Kazuhari family was doing well.

While I was distracted analyzing the fancy gate design and mentally sketching my own, Hiyori spoke to the gate guard.

She pulled a silvery card from her coat. After checking the card, the guard nodded and rushed off to the mansion.

Wait, what was that? That looked interesting! That wasn’t a regular ID—what kind of material was that silver card made of?

“What was that? That card? It looked like ID, but that wasn’t normal material, right?”

“Vacuum Silver—Hollow Silver. I’ll explain later. I get that you’re curious, but can you focus on the flame witch right now?”

Saying that, Hiyori crossed the beautifully maintained garden and faced a young woman hurrying out the front door.

She looked to be in her twenties, Japanese through and through with black hair and eyes, but had the air of a Kazuhari witch. Judging by the staff in her hand, likely containing the flame witch sealed form, she had to be the current Kazuhari witch.

I quietly slipped behind Hiyori and erased my presence.

Hiyori, I’ll leave all the negotiations to you! Go get ’em.

I’m fine as long as I get to see the flame witch get her ass handed to her and gain custody over all the fire lizards.

“Welcome to our household, Blue Witch. I heard this was an urgent matter…?”

“It’s a family issue. A hidden child has been discovered—one born between me and the Flame Witch. I’m here to get an explanation. Release the seal on the Firekeeper’s Staff and bring her out.”

“…Pardon?”

The current Witch of Succession blinked, trying to process Hiyori’s words, failed to grasp their meaning, and asked again.

Understandably so.

“Um, excuse me, but it’s been passed down that our ancestor was a female witch. And Blue Witch, you are also female, correct? So… how exactly could there be a hidden child between you two…?”

“That’s what I’m here to find out. I want answers. I don’t know either. But somehow, the flame witch managed to… do it to me. I know no one wants to hear about their 80-year-old ancestor’s sex scandal, but she owes us an explanation. Release the seal.”

“I-I see…? And who is this man?”

“He’s the adoptive father of the flame witch’s children. He’s here to bear witness.”

Introduced like that, I shrank and hid behind Hiyori.

Hello. I’m the adoptive father.

I pretty much know what happened, but I believe it’s only right that the flame witch confesses it all herself.

“I don’t fully understand, but according to clan rules, the seal on this staff can only be undone if a method is found to resolve the ancestor’s physical ailment. Do you have such a method? If not, even if it’s the Blue Witch making the request, as the fourth Flame Witch, I cannot comply.”

“No problem. I’ve brought a way to heal Tsuguhi. What happens after the seal is lifted depends on her.”

Hiyori cracked her knuckles and had a vein bulging on her forehead—she didn’t look “no problem” at all.

Still, with the Blue Witch railroading the request by shouting, “It’s a family matter,” and “This involves the Flame Witch’s actual child,” the current Witch of Succession relented and agreed to unseal it.

Thus, the seal on the Firekeeper’s Staff, which had been sealed for over 80 years, was lifted.

From the double-layered stasis space created by monster-binding magic, the Flame Witch, Tsuguhi, emerged unchanged from the day she was sealed.

She was palm-sized, like a cute little fire fairy. Suddenly expelled and placed on the stone steps in front of the entrance, she blinked in surprise.

“Eh? Huh? Ao-chan?”

“Flame Witch. Do you have an explanation?”

“Eh—!?”

Seeing her beloved in front of her, the flame witch was surprised and happy, but upon noticing that embodiment of paradox—burning fury at absolute zero—she froze.

The current Flame Witch muttered “She’s so cute…” upon seeing her fairy-like appearance, which was ironic and sad. That mascot-looking thing has some seriously messed-up kinks.

“E-Explanation…? …! I-I have no idea what you’re talking about. Uh, how long have I been sealed, anyway? Have you found a way to fix my lifespan?”

Obviously realizing something, the flame witch shook her head in desperate denial, trying to dodge the topic. Hiyori poked her threateningly with the butt of Kyanos (her staff) to pressure her.

“Trying to play dumb? We have proof. A fire lizard monster that appeared right after you were sealed has just hatched today—eighty years later—and turned human. She’s the same height as you in your prime. And on top of that, she looks just like me.”

“Uweh!? Th-That means, Ao-chan and I…!? Yay! Even two girls can make a baby if they commit arson toge—I’M SORRY I’M SORRY the ‘yay’ was a lie I’m sorry I’m not happy at all I swear!!”

The Flame Witch’s accidental outburst earned her a hard jab with Kyanos, nearly crushing her as she screamed.

Yes, Hiyori, go for it! She laid hands on my girlfriend! My girlfriend won’t forgive this!

Okay, I did brush it off back then, thinking “two girls can’t make a kid anyway,” but still—the flame witch’s totally at fault here.

“If you don’t want to be crushed, start explaining. What did you do to me? Huh!?”

“U-uhm, well… it just kind of happened… I-I didn’t mean any harm. I swear I never intended to hurt Ao-chan. Honestly. All I had was… lust…”

With the worst possible start, she nervously began spilling the whole story.

Even the current flame witch, who had been unsure whether to intervene, recoiled in shock and backed away.

Understandably. Hiyori too stepped back, as if looking at a completely incomprehensible pervert.

“Y-You! You took advantage of my ignorance to… to make me do something that would let two women have a child!? You pretended to be serious, played the sympathy card, claimed you were dying, and tricked me!?”

“I’M SORRY! I’ve loved Ao-chan for so long! Even before becoming a witch! Ever since I saw her magazine debut, I’ve always, always loved her! So I just… wanted to make a memory before I died… I never thought a baby would actually be born! I’m so sorry!!”

The flame witch dropped into a full dogeza (prostrate apology), trembling as she apologized, while Hiyori screamed in horror, her entire body covered in goosebumps.

“You’ve been fantasizing about doing that kind of thing with me all this time!? Y-You pervert! Pervert, pervert, PERVERT!!”

The uproar at the entrance drew the gardener and stablehands from the yard, curious about the commotion. As the current flame witch tried to wave them away with a mortified expression, they returned to work looking bewildered.

Good thing this happened on a large estate. If this drama had gone down in a cramped apartment, the flame witch’s depravity would’ve echoed through every room.

Apparently, the flame witch is not a masochist—she totally crumbled when Hiyori verbally destroyed her. Her flames weakened, and even the fire outlining her body flickered uncertainly.

“Uuuu… I’m really sorry. There’s no excuse…”

“You utter degenerate…! How do you plan to take responsibility? Huh!? For what you did to me, for what I… Argh, you perverted witch! This is all your fault!”

“I’m sorry! I’ll take responsibility!”

“How!? The fire lizards are already adults! You just had your fun and left me to deal with the consequences! Do you have any idea what I went through!? I ought to kill you, you freak!”

“I’ll take responsibility by marrying you! I’ll marry Ao-chan! We’ll be a couple and I’ll spend my whole life making it up to you!”

That kick landed at the same time.

The Flame Witch, who was kneeling apologetically on the stone steps at the entrance, was crushed between Hiyori’s kick and mine, her body squished tightly as she fainted.

Standing beside Hiyori, I scolded the arsonist sex offender who clearly had the wrong idea about how to atone.

“‘Atonement,’ huh? You just want to marry Hiyori, that’s all!”

“Dairi is right. Don’t be ridiculous, flame witch. I already have a boyfriend.”

Hiyori took my hand, and I squeezed hers back.

The flame witch, swaying from the double-kick, suddenly froze at our words.

She stared hard at our joined hands, then looked at Hiyori’s face, then mine.

“Huh? Ao-chan? Craftsman…?”

Gradually, comprehension crept into her expression—and all the color drained from her face.

In an instant, the flame witch went completely pale, then broke down and started crying in despair.

“No waaaaay! No, no, no! Ao-chan would never marry a maaaaan!”

Crying as she ran, the tiny fire fairy darted between our feet and vanished beyond the gate in a flash.

Stunned, Hiyori took a moment before snapping back to reality and shouting:

“S-she ran away!”

“I-I’ll send people after her right away! We can’t let the family’s shame be made public…!”

The current Falme Witch hurriedly called for help, and the commotion that had started at the entrance quickly spread through the entire estate.

A pervert’s on the run! This is bad! After her—!

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