Everybody, please check the FAQ first before asking me questions.
If it’s not on there, please feel free and ask. I only get annoyed at questions when the same one has been asked 10+ times, and by then I’ll have updated the FAQ.
Thank you for your consideration, guys!

---

Chapter 19 – Jessica, and a Decision

Uu, my head hurts.

How long have I been out for?

My head is all fuzzy, and I can’t tell. I think, I had just discovered some ominous and enormous mana, when I suddenly lost consciousness.

And then…

When I woke up, I was being carried on Tilea-san’s back and she rushed through town.

She seems to be headed somewhere, at incredible speeds as always. Considering the direction we’re headed in, she’s going to the Headquarters?

At any rate, I should ask.

“Tilea-san, just what are you doing?”

“Aah, Jessica-chan, you’re awake. Thank goodness. Honestly, you scared me, you know. Detecting for mana, and then suddenly fainting like that.”

“I see. The reason I fainted was probably because I felt that enormous mana.”

“Enormous mana?”

“Yes. With mana like that, I believe an important demon has appeared.”

“Ueh! That’s troublesome. If it’s the boss of the vampires, then that’s the true ancestor.”

“Truwan Cester? I’ve never heard of him. But considering how sinister the mana was, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was one of the direct subordinates of the Demon King.”

“Y-, You’re kidding, right. The direct subordinate of… Please don’t say something scary like how they’re like the Chimera Ants Royal Guard or something.”

“Tilea-san, this isn’t a joke. This truly is an incredibly dangerous enemy. I’m inexperienced, but even I can tell just how dangerous they are.”

“Abababa! Kukanomi definitely won’t work on monster like that. W-, What do we do? We have to call somebody, like the head of the Hunter Association or something.”

Tilea-san became panicked at my words. She really is mistaken about her strength.

Even though she alone would be plenty strong enough…

But actually, between that monster and Tilea-san, which one is stronger?

They’re both so high above me, that I can’t tell. All I can say is that nobody besides Tilea-san can take care of that monster.

“Tilea-san, I have a question but, just how high do you think your mana is?”

“Eh-? Why are you suddenly…”

“Please just answer.”

“Mm~mm, well, I do work my body a lot during cooking, and I’ve even fought with delinquents, and if I recall correctly, Remilia-san was 20,000? So I guess maybe 500?”

She really is mistaken.

And 500…?

That’s even lower than me. Just how much does she underestimate herself.

“What? Did I overestimate a little?”

“Hahhh~ Tilea-san, it’s the opposite. Honestly, even misunderstandings should have their limit. You’re wrong, and by whole levels too. From what I can tell, over 2 digits wrong.”

“GUWAAAN! I knew it. You know, I didn’t think I actually had 500 either. I just wanted to say it a bit as a test. But still, I was wrong by two digits…? Yeah. There’s no way a normal towngirl would be stronger than an old guy with a gun.”

“It’s the opposite I said, Tilea-san!”

It’s impossible. She’s not listening. She’s in her own little world.

Aahh, geez, I’ve been going about this the wrong way. My head is still dizzy and faint. I should have known that she wouldn’t understand unless I said it clearly. Honestly, I think her mana is definitely over 50,000.

“Tilea-san, please listen to me. This is important.”

“What’s wrong, Jessica-chan? You’re looking so serious.”

“Tilea-san, your power is――”

……
…………
………………

Huh!? What was I talking about again…?

Ummm, we were talking about that demon boss… and then… m-, my memory is gone.
Is all the weariness catching up to me?

To think I suddenly lost consciousness… no, but, something feels wrong…

“Jessica-chan!”

“Y-, Yes? Tilea-san, what’s wrong?”

Tilea-san suddenly called out to me, cutting off my thought process.

“Geez, you’re spacing out too much. Are you tired? In that case, should we rest?”

“No, there isn’t time to rest. Let’s hurry!”

Yeah. What am I spacing out for. Right now we need to hurry up and contact headquarters.

Yeah. I’m just having trouble remembering because I’m so tired. I fainted while I was talking. Mn, I don’t know why I’m having trouble accepting it, but I’ll have to.

“Um, Jessica-chan, I’m on the way to the Headquarters right now, but can you feel any huge manas in the way? Would it be fine if I just kept going straight? I’d hate it if some boss suddenly popped out.”

“Well, I’ll have a look, but…”

“Aahh~ Right. Sorry. If you try again, you’ll just faint, right?”

“No, if I keep my detection weak, it should be fine. Earlier, I fainted because I pried too deeply out of curiosity.”

“I see. Then please do, and be careful.”

At Tilea-san’s request, I began using mana detection.

Because I was only doing a light probe, I only had a detection radius of about a hundred metres, but for now it looks fine. There aren’t any demons around. Even though there used to be so many former-humans vampires around, they’re almost all gone now.

Could it be that Remilia-sama led the Public Safety Force to exterminate them? Or could it be that it was the Decarabia[Demon Destroying Pentagram] members, after all?

“So, how is it?”

“There doesn’t seem to be any demons around.”

“I see. Thank goodness. Then I’ll just go straight, okay?”

“Yes. Only, my detection range is quite limited, so please don’t hope for so much. And leaving demons aside, there are still former-human vampires wandering about head.”

“Well, leave small-fry like them to me, the kukanomi, and the cross.”

“Yes. I can rest easy knowing you’re here, Tilea-san. By the way, why are you heading to the Headquarters, anyway? Wasn’t Timu-chan headed to the evacuation areas…?”

Well, the truth is that I’m actually leading her towards areas with demons though.

“Aah~ Well, I’ve already met up with Timu, technically. Only, at the time I found this heavily injured servant of the crown, so I’m heading to call for help.”

“Is that how it was.”

According to Tilea-san, the injured person was apparently a member of Decarabia[Demon Destroying Pentagram]. Although that group is filled with incredible fighters, apparently the demons are even more incredible.

“Ah-, also I met Edim at that time. It seems that she’s gotten really close to Timu now.”

“Eh-!? Edim did? That’s unbelievable.”

She became more obedient after being done in by Tilea-san but…
Even though she hated us so much… How come?

“I can understand that you find it hard to believe, Jessica-chan. Edim seemed to be shocked by the things she did as well. But you know, Edim is back now. With Timu’s support, she’s already decided to look to the future and live.”

R-, Really?

Mm~mm, but since it’s Tilea-san, that doesn’t sound really reliable. For now, I’ll put off my decision until I can meet her and ask myself.

“Anyway, you’re worried about that injured man, right? Let’s hurry.”

While I searched the surroundings, Tilea-san rushed forth.

Then, just as we had moved about three blocks, I sensed a large mana. Mana definitely on another level from the grunts. But they still weren’t comparable to the sinister mana from that time.

This guy isn’t a boss.

“Tilea-san, I’ve detected a mana signature about three-hundred metres ahead of us. It’s definitely a demon.”

“R-, Roger.”

Tilea-san slowed her feet.

And then, the two of us hid in some greenery to the side, and waited. She had a nervous expression as well.

“Tilea-san, I think it’ll become a battle again. Are you ready?”

Huh? There’s no response. Tilea-san, what are you spacing out about. Did something happen outside the bushes? I leaned forward to have a look.

…And then, my eyes met with a scene that sent me trembling.

So cruel!

When I looked about, I just saw people, people, people, collapsed on the floor. Men, women, young and old, anything it could get its hands on, it drained of blood.

“Fwo fwo fwoh, I have finally revived. Honestly, what a fool to explode herself. Even I thought I would die. But thankfully I was in the Capital, filled with prey.”

The man who was responsible for this atrocity was immersed in joy.

H-, How ghastly…

Although the demon had the appearance of a small, old man, his eyes were different. Twin holes of shadow, muddy with the colour of darkness. If I stared into them, would my soul be taken away?

I unconsciously looked away.

Repulsive.

The feeling of the cold sweat on my back felt more unpleasant than usual. And that grotesque monster was still drinking blood, building his mountain of corpses even now. It felt like I would scream in terror, but I desperately suppressed it.

“YA THINK I’LL LET YOU, DO ANYMOREEEEEEEEEEEEE!?”

Together with a cry of grief, a massive hammer swung down at the monster with a roar. But the grotesque monster immediately evaded, and struck its assailant with magic bullets.

“GUHAH-!”

A cry escaped her mouth.

“Wha-!? Lyris-chan.”

The one whose greathammer was repelled, and whose face was twisted in agony, was none other than my treasured friend.

“Fwo fwo, human. You’ve gotten ahead of yourself, for a livestock species.”

“I-, I’ll kill you, fucker. I’ll definitely fucking kill you… And I’ll smash your fucking arrogance with you!”

“Fwo fwoh, as usual, Decarabia[Demon Destroying Pentagram] members are all bloodlust, and no skill. Did I do something so terrible?”

“How dare you. How dare you kill Vera, and continue these atrocities as Chief of the Demons for a thousand years, AND THEN ASK A QUESTION LIKE THAT!”

“Fwo fwo fwoh, a tragedy like this is simply the opening act to the true hell that is about to follow.”

“DON’T FUCK WITH MEEE!”

“Fwo fwoh, I am being serious. We are entering the age of the demons. I look forward to seeing you humans wallow in despair, and finding out just what expressions you’ll make.”

“Hmph, acting arrogant now. Even though just a while ago you were trembling before your cheeky boss, Camilla.”

“S-SILENCE! R-, Right. I shall not lose her esteemed trust any longer. I will kill you, destroy this nation, and then reclaim my place!”

The fierce battle between Lyris-chan and the grotesque monster continued.

Amazing. There’s no room for someone like me to even help. Lyris-chan’s battle power was far above a student’s. But it looked like the monster was even stronger. Her injuries slowed increased. Her blood loss seemed especially bad. I could see the blood even from here.

Won’t Lyris-chan die at this rate!?

“Tilea-san, at this rate Lyris-chan will be in danger. P-, Please hurry and help her…”

“J-, Jessica-chan, did she just say that h-, he’s the chief of the demons?”

“I-, I’m sorry, I didn’t hear it very clearly.”

“N-, No, she definitely said it. W-, What do I do? It’s the true ancestor, you know, it’s the big boss, you know. W-, Would kukanomi even work?”

Aahh, geez, even though we don’t have time to waste. He’s not a boss demon. At best, he’s a little higher than Arcune and the others.

Even though it would be an easy win with Tilea-san’s strength…

Can’t be helped. I guess I’ll have to make sure she knows the truth about her power.

“Tilea-sa――”

Wait, hang on a moment. Thinking carefully, would it actually be okay to tell her about it?

I think her power is comparable to a Hero’s, or even a god’s. What if after knowing the truth, Tilea-san went back to heaven or something? It often happens that in legends, a god returns to their sacred land once their identity is revealed.

Can I bear that risk right now?

At the very least, we need her power until this crisis is resolved.

Alright. Let’s hide the truth. I suppose I’ll just have to guide the conversation until she ends up exterminating the vampire.

---

“Yeah. There’s no way a normal towngirl would be stronger than an old guy with a gun.”
http://dragonball.wikia.com/wiki/Farmer

---

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Everybody, please check the FAQ first before asking me questions.
If it’s not on there, please feel free and ask. I only get annoyed at questions when the same one has been asked 10+ times, and by then I’ll have updated the FAQ.
Thank you for your consideration, guys!

---

Little known fact: Edim’s toothless dialogue, I had to stick my fingers into my mouth to translate.

---

Chapter 18 – “Timu made a friend.”

After asking Myuu for directions, I prepared to depart.

He asked me “Shall this one accompany you?” but I told him to prioritise Timu’s safety. The truth is that I would feel a lot safer with his protection, but that’s exactly why I have to keep him by Timu’s side.

Just as I was about to set off, Timu and Edim came back. Even though Edim had been so restless before, she was totally calm now. I’ll bet it’s because their friendship deepened.

“Timu, have you finished talking to Edim?”

“Yes. It seems that she finally knows her place.”

Mumu, damned Timu. What are you acting all arrogant for.

Isn’t Edim mad?

I glanced at Edim. But contrary to my expectations, Edim was just gazing at Timu, entranced. Umu, no problems it seems. I didn’t see even a little hostility. Rather, you could even as she was intoxicated with Timu.

To think that Timu would gain this much affection in just that little time…

Timu really gets the job done, huh. I wonder what on earth they talked about. Maybe some shounen-esque words of passion and friendship?

But if that was the case, Timu’s attitude is much too cold. Unlike Edim, Timu has been looking at Edim with a cool and scornful gaze. I guess Timu is still nervous.

“Timu, did you properly talk to her? You look a bit dissatisfied, but…”

“No, she is a present from my Oneesama. I would not be dissatisfied. I was actually in the middle of training her to be worthy of her position.”

Chuuni as always. If a normal person heard this, they’d be astounded. Can’t be helped. Since Timu finally found a friend, I’ll have to follow-up so that things aren’t ruined.

“Edim, um, Timu speaks like this, but don’t misunderstand, okay? She’s actually a gentle and reliable girl.”

“What bizarre things are you… I am prepared to offer my heart and body to Esteemed True Ancestor. You may be her older sister, but you’re just a temporary one, right? What disrespect you show to her! To begin with, what ‘Timu’? Esteemed True Ance――”

“YOUU ABSOLUTEE FOOOOLLLLL――――! Is my training still lacking? When did I tell you to act so disrespectfully towards Oneesama!”

“Eh? Eh? B-, But Esteemed True Ancestor is, the number one existence in the world. And despite that, a human like this…”

“Edim. Were you not a gift from Oneesama, those insolent words of yours would be reason to execute you a hundred times over. Any further outrages will――”

“Aah, stop, stop! I’m happy that you’re angry for my sake, but you’re going too far, Timu. Stop that.”

Timu looked like she was going to attack Edim at any moment, so I stepped in, in a panic.

Phew. Looks like I managed to avoid a fight for now. Both Timu and Edim are too relaxed considering the emergency we’re in. Normally I’d want them to have a peaceful talk with each other, but now isn’t the time for fighting.

Maybe because she thought I was scolding her, Timu turned despondent. As for Edim, she was depressed because she almost got into a fight with Timu.

Hmmmm. What’s going on here?

I still don’t quite understand the relationship they have. The argument just now was because Timu thought that Edim was making fun of me, and she got mad. That much I understand. Timu loves her sister, after all.

The one I don’t get is Edim. Even though Timu looked down on her so much, she didn’t get mad. Far from it, she even looked a little happy. And she’s spouting lines that aren’t any less chuunibyou than Timu.

Why? What’s happening here?

I desperately used my mind.

-click click click… ching!-

I’ve got it!

Edim is probably infected with Timu’s chuunibyou. That’s definitely it. Timu’s charisma is something else, huh. There’s already five hundred people in the Praetorian Guard, and Timu’s acting skills just make things worse.

Edim is around a middle schooler’s age, so it makes sense that she’d be influenced. As for why Edim respects Timu so much, I’ve pretty much got an idea.

Even though she’s a vampire, Timu treated her normally, so she was moved by her. And that’s why she’s fine being treated like a servant! And well, honestly speaking, I’m pretty sure this Edim is kind of a masochist. Being treated by Timu this way is probably just a reward to her.

And if she loves Timu, then that means the reason she was treating me that way was because she saw how close I was with Timu, and ended up getting jealous.

Honestly, what a cute girl. Even though friendship and familial love is totally different…

Now that I know this, I shouldn’t get in their way. I’ll let them have a nice, slow talk together, to deepen their friendship.

As for me, it’s time――or rather, if I don’t hurry up soon, Lepes-san is going to be in serious trouble.

“Timu, get along with Edim, and try not to fight, okay?”

“Yes. I will train her thoroughly, so that she will never disrespect Oneesama again.”

Mn!? Timu, do you really understand?

Hmm~ If I use my chuunibyou translator…

“I’ll ask Edim not to badmouth my beloved Oneechan.” is it? Geez, Timu’s suuch a cutie too.

“Very well. Well then, Oneechan is going to the Headquarters for a bit. Thinking about it, I really don’t have the time to be loitering like this.”

“I understand. Then Oneesama, do you need no accompaniment? If it pleases you, I could clear the way, but…”

“I’ll be fine alone. You and Edim wait here. Myuu, I’ll be leaving their protection to you.”

“Yes, Milady. Please leave it to this one.”

Alright. With Myuu here, I have nothing to worry about. All that’s left is to tell Headquarters about Lepes-san and… Ah-, somebody had better tend to him until help arrives. If he suddenly takes a turn for the worst, it’d be terrible.

“Myuu, Timu, I forgot to mention, but there’s actually a heavily injured man in that hut. Please take care of him for me.”

“A man in the hut… (He was) in a place like this…”

“Mn? What’s wrong? If there’s some problem――”

“No, as expected of you, Oneesama. You truly work fast.”

Work fast? As in, dealing with this emergency? I don’t think I ever did anything that amazing, but…

“It’s nothing to praise me about. Anyway, I’ll be off for a bit.”

After running for a while,

“UOH, YOU BASTAAAARDS――!!!”

I think I heard a yell come from far behind me. In the direction of the hut, actually.

Could Lepes-san have woken up?

Maybe he saw Myuu’s face and got scared.

It’s quite possible. Myuu is always cleaning up after people, so he’s got a pretty scary face. And if you woke up, and all these strange people were there, you’d definitely be surprised. I should have told Lepes-san not to worry, before I left.

---

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Everybody, please check the FAQ first before asking me questions.
If it’s not on there, please feel free and ask. I only get annoyed at questions when the same one has been asked 10+ times, and by then I’ll have updated the FAQ.
Thank you for your consideration, guys!

---

Chapter 17 – Edim’s True Master

“D-, Dammihh! Lehh go!”

“Edim, was it? Honestly, what an insolent fellow you are. Were you not a gift from Oneesama, I would scrap you on the spot. No, that kind of thinking is unacceptable. You are a gift from Oneesama. Even a rock, I must treasure.”

W-, What the heck. What the heck, what the heck!? What’s with you people!? I’m a goddamn demon, you know!?
Even though I was supposed to have ascended to a demon, to a being above humans…
Why is it that you two can just grab me and do whatever you want to me?

“Curshh youu! I ham a dhee-mhonn, you knhoww!”

“Heh. First is healing that disgraceful chipped tooth of yours. Edim, you have the glory of being a present from Oneesama. As a gift from Oneesama, you must look worthy of the part.”

“W-, whah are hyou…?”

“Enough, be silent!”

Timu, the younger sister of Arcune-sama’s killer, was gripping my face without mercy.

Kuh-! Let go!

I struggled and rampaged, but that vice-grip wouldn’t budge at all. Even though my strength was supposed to be equal to ten grown men…

Why? Just why? I don’t understand what’s happening.

Then, Timu started chanting some kind of spell, and mana flowed into me like a muddy stream.

UWAHHH! W-, What pitch dark power. My body is being filled with strength.

“Hahh, hahh, just what are you… H-, Huh? My tooth is healed!?”

“Hmph. I, your True Ancestor, granted you mana. Healing a tooth is but child’s play.”

“Eh-!? No way. Are you really my True Ancestor… -sama?”

“So you still cannot tell! Try concentrating on the source of your mana.”

“B-, But, my master is Arcune-sama and…”

“THIS INSUFFERABLE DUNCEEE! This Arwhatever? He is no more than kin created by my failed creation. By all rights, I would normally be disposing of the kin of that kin immediately.”

“T-, That can’t be…”

It’s true that Timu, no, that this Esteemed True Ancestor is the real thing. When I calmed down and checked the mana inside me, it was telling me that my mana came from the personage before me, and that she was a demon of so high a ranking that Arcune-sama couldn’t compare.

Aahh, what on earth have I…! To think that I did something so rude to this personage…

When I remembered how I bit her, cursed her, behaved with ultimate rudeness, my face sank with regret.

“However, Edim, you have been uplifted from the status of being garbage formed from garbage, to the glorious position of ‘gift from Oneesama’. Feel proud. I shall turn you into one of my direct kin.”

With that, Esteemed True Ancestor painted the surroundings in jet-black mana.

Aahh, amazing…

In an instant, I was enveloped in her mana. I immediately prostrated at her feet, and made to apologise for my previous misdeeds.

”Aahh, lofty and esteemed True Ancestor… Please forgive my foolish behaviour.”

“Hmph, so you finally understand. Indeed. You shall sing praise and worship of Oneesama and I.”

“Yes, Milady. I shall engrave it on my heart.”

“And also. Edim, come here.”

“Yes.”

I did as she commanded, and moved to her side.

Aahh, why didn’t I notice?

Now that I realised that the personage before me was my lofty and august True Ancestor, I was charmed by not only her mana, but her exceptionally beautiful countenance.

While I watched her, enraptured, she placed her indescribably beautiful hand on my head.

“For one of my kin, you are much too frail. Even considering the fact that you were once a human, you are still unacceptably weak.”

“M-My deepest apologies. Please forgive me.”

“Well, your appearance is not bad, at least. As long as I properly bring out your latent potential later, perhaps even you will be of some use.”

A surge of incredible mana came from her hand.

“HYAAAAAAN!”

A voice leaked out, despite myself.

Hahh, hahh, what numbing and sweet mana!
Sweet, so very sweet…
AAhh, my mana is getting used to it! IT’S GETTING TOO USED TO ITTTT――――!

She truly is the source. My blood as a kin sought for her mana endlessly.
Hahh, hahh, so this is the power of the Esteemed True Ancestor…

My true Master…

Hahh, hahh, it’s just too amazing. This ecstasy that I’ve never felt before… Why is this ecstasy, why is this mana…

Hahh, hahh, hahh, I can’t. I can’t think about it. Before I can, my brain is going to boil. Because of this mana, I can’t think for the pleasure.

Incredible…!

WHAT INCREDIBLE MANA I’VE BEEN GIVENNN!

Before this power, Arcune is nothing by trash.

“Hahh, hahh… haaa~n. S-, Sho amashingg, E-, Esteemed True Ancestor.”

As saliva flowed from my mouth, I clung to Esteemed True Ancestor.

Aahh, my magnificent True Ancestor. That dignified bearing, and that impossibly beautiful profile. I want to form stronger, and stronger bonds with her.

Hahh, hahh, I can’t stand it anymore. In the end I did something as shocking and bold as trying to kiss the Esteemed True Ancestor…

“Mu!? This fool!”

“GAHAH-!”

Evaded by Esteemed True Ancestor, I ended up suffering a kick.

“To dare kiss me… You shall know your place!”

“Hahh, hahh… m-, my deepest… a-, apologies. B-, But, you were j-, just s-so beautiful… t-, that I couldn’t, can’t――”

“Hmph, mad from the pleasure, huh! I suppose it can’t be helped. Here. I’ll allow you a foot.”

Esteemed True Ancestor gave me permission.

Aahh, what fortune!

I began to kiss that august foot of unparalleled beauty.

Hahh, hahh, I’m so unbelievably lucky!

Entranced, I nestled against up against her foot.

I shall serve you for eternity, True Ancestor Camilla-sama!

---

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Everybody, please check the FAQ first before asking me questions.
If it’s not on there, please feel free and ask. I only get annoyed at questions when the same one has been asked 10+ times, and by then I’ll have updated the FAQ.
Thank you for your consideration, guys!

---

Chapter 16 – “It’s my present to Timu!”

Jessica-chan suddenly fainted after using mana detection. Apparently she found a particularly crazy demon.

But to faint… Did she accidentally come into contact with their En(Bloodthirst)?

Thanks to Jessica-chan checking for a safe route to the evacuation zone, we found out about its existence. It doesn’t hurt to be extra careful.

Only, because my guide is now unconscious, I actually don’t know which direction to head in. The wisest plan would be to wait until she wakes up. If I move about carelessly, I’ll get lost, after all.

…So why didn’t I realise this earlier? It’s too late to regret now.

After Jessica-chan fainted, I piggybacked her and began walking about in confusion and I ended up lost. This sounds like making excuses, but I couldn’t stand staying in a place with the corpses of all those demons.

Hahh. Where is this? Jessica-chan, won’t you wake up soon?

With her on my back, I was wandering aimlessly when…

Mn? I think I saw a light up above.

What was that? I started staring into the sky.

Wow, I think something’s falling- wai-, A PERSONNN!!

That was shocking. For some reason a dude with a greatsword suddenly fell from the sky.

Could he be another demon?

I gripped a kukanomi in one hand as I watched the man vigilantly. As I did, the man told me who he was.

Apparently his name is Lepes, and he works for the Royal Family.

He was attacked by demons, and he wants to get in contact with his allies but… unfortunately I have no idea where we are right now. I’m lost.

Rather, it’s me that wants to get in contact with someone. And also, Lepes-san is all bloody, with painful looking wounds… I want to find somebody to heal him. It’s impossible for me, so I need to get someone else.

“Wai-, Lepes-san! Hang in there!”

Perhaps his wounds were deep because his consciousness was faint.

Would it be better to staunch his wounds? Or would it be better to keep him still?

I don’t know anything about medicine, so I couldn’t decide.

While I was worrying about what to do, Lepes-san suddenly shouted “Pursuers are coming! Lend me a hand!”

EEHH!? The pursuers are coming!?

Is this going to be another battle? While I prepared the kukanomi in a panic, at Lepes-san’s urging, I brought him into a nearby ruin to hide.

“Lepes-san, what should we――hm? Oh, you’ve fainted.”

Perhaps the relief of reaching the ruined house caused him to relax. Can’t be helped, I guess. His condition looked serious, after all. For now, I guess our only choice is to hide here and wait for them to pass.

After laying Jessica-chan and Lepes-san down, I hid myself and waited stock still by the entrance.

Not soon after, I heard the sound of footsteps. And voices too.

Could they be the pursuers?

A-, Alright. If they come here, I’ll surprise them with a knuckle sandwich!

Gripping the crucifix like a knuckle duster, I clenched my fist in preparation.

If you’re going to come, then COMEEEE!

…But if possible, please don’t come~

After waiting for a few minutes…

-creak-

rang the door, as somebody tried to enter.

Victory goes to the one who attacks first. In desperation, I was about to throw a punch.

“GROWLL! CENTRELINE CONSECUTI――Wha-!? Per-, I mean, Nielsen?”

“Oohh! Tilea-sama!”

Just as I was about to strike the enemy, I realised it wasn’t a demon, but a Pervert(Nielsen) so in a panic I stopped myself.

“Phew. That was close, huh.”

“My sincere apologies. Not even in my dreams would I have imagined that you would be in a ruin like this.”

“Yeah, same here. You suddenly rushed in, so I almost killed you!”

“My, my. It seems that I just barely escaped death.”

Hahh, this isn’t a laughing matter, Pervert(Nielsen)! After all, I thought it was a demon, so I had punched with all my might. Somebody frail like you might have even died. I almost became a murderer.

But well, no point fussing about the past. Anyway, if Pervert(Nielsen) is here, then there probably aren’t any demon pursuers close-by. Lepes-san was being really dramatic about how the pursuers were right here, but since he was on the verge of fainting, I guess he just made a mistake?

After coming to that decision, I left the ruins in relief. And what entered my view was not just Pervert(Nielsen), but everybody else in the Praetorian Guard.

“So why are you guys all standing there stupidly?”

“Milady. We were in pursuit of the enemy. We believe that they are concealed in the vicinity.”

Enemy!?

Aahh, right, the vampires huh. I told them about the secret behind stakes, so I guess they’ve been getting carried away, and killing all the vampires they see. As expected of chuunibyou. I have to say that they have guts. I mean, even if they know the weak points, the enemy are still demons, you know…? Idiots really don’t know fear.

“Huu~ I get the situation now. More importantly, did you guys not meet with Timu?”

“Milady, we indeed met with Camilla-sama. It was on that occasion that by her orders, we of the Household Guard left to pursue and exterminate the enemy.”

“I see. Then Timu is also exterminating the vampires?”

“It is as you say. Camilla-sama’s magic bullets have destroyed quite the number of Fake Demons.”

“I-, I see.”

“While we were advancing, we very nearly annihilated their forces, and I believe that by nightfall, the Capital should be free of enemies to the Evil God Army.”

Chuunibyou as always, huh. They’re probably exaggerating, but the point is that they were cooperating with Timu and killed a number of vampires. Well, it’s true that this area has mostly been free of them. But rather than these guys, I’ll bet it was the hard work of everybody at the Public Safety Force, right?

As expected of Remilia-san. Even in a crazy situation like this, she still managed to take prompt measures.

But still, to think that Timu would be exterminating vampires instead of evacuating.

Even though it’s so dangerous… If a kid is about to do something dangerous, it’s common sense to stop them, right!

Wait, hang on. Myuu was there, and I can’t understand why he let her. Leaving Pervert(Nielsen) aside, this doesn’t sound like Myuu. Again, I could understand if this was Pervert(Nielsen). I bet he’s using this crisis as an excuse to have fun. Now that I’ve taught him how to kill vampires, I can understand that he’d be getting carried away, thinking that killing demons is easy.

But why did Myuu, a real adult, allow this as well?

And of all things, getting Timu wrapped up in…

Ha-!? I see. So Timu saw kids her age from the Magic Academy, desperately fighting to protect the town, and she was inspired by them to help! Kids her age were trying their best too. Of course she’d want to do something as well.

And that’s why she cooperated with Myuu and the others to protect everybody.

Such a splendid way of…

Oneechan is so proud. Someone like me only thought about how to run away with Timu.

Yeah. Timu only just transferred, so she isn’t a proper student yet, but she’s still a student at the Magic Academy. She’s trying her best for the sake of protecting everybody in the Capital, isn’t she. And that’s why Myuu respected her decision, and didn’t stop her.

I see. I see now. If that’s how it is, then I can’t be hiding here. I need to be an older sister that Timu can be proud of.

“Everybody, you’ve all done well in defeating the vampires!”

“Milady, your words are the greatest honour. All our efforts are for the sake of you, and Camilla-sama!”

Yep, yep, I knew Pervert(Nielsen) would say that. Playing master and servant while having fun killing demons, is it? Well, I won’t ruin things for him right now. It’s true that it’s helping the Capital, after all.

“Well then, I’ll be leaving the rest of the extermination to you. Make sure not to stretch yourself too thin. If it ever gets dangerous, run!”

“By your will.”

“Also, where’s Timu right now?”

“We of the Household Guard left before her in order to pursue the enemy, and as such I believe she will be arriving shortly.”

“Ah, I see.”

Then in that case I’ll leave Timu’s protection to Myuu, while I head to the headquarters of the Public Safety Force. I need to let them know about Lepes-san ASAP. He’s heavily wounded, so it’s a race against time.

“I have business in the Public Safety Force Headquarters, so you guys make sure to tell Timu what I said. Myuu, I’ll be leaving Timu’s guard to you.”

“Milady. Please leave it to this one.”

“Then we shall continue the pursuit and extermination.”

With those words, the members of the Praetorian Guard scattered in all directions. When I returned to the ruins, I placed Jessica-chan on my back, and headed for the Safety Force Headquarters.

Ummm~ The headquarters is――hey! I don’t even know!

Speaking of which, I was in the middle of being lost, wasn’t I. Pervert(Nielsen) suddenly appeared, so I forgot about my own problems.

What do I do? Should I ask Myuu?

“My-…”

“Oneesama!”

I heard Timu calling for me. She’s here.

“Timu, thank goodness. So you were safe.”

“Huhu, Oneesama. I would not fall behind enemies of that level.”

Honestly, look at her acting tough. She’s a chuunibyou, so I understand wanting to act that way. But even if she can use magic, they’re still those infamous demons. Even though I’ll bet that her first meeting with them was unimaginably terrifying, she’s…

“Timu, you don’t have to act tough when it’s just Oneechan, okay? If you’re scared, you should just say you’re scared.”

“Uu, Oneesama, I’m offended. Do I truly seem so unreliable to you?”

Ah-, she’s sulking a little? I guess just now it was a bit like a cheeky kid bragging to their family.

“Sorry, sorry. It’s not that I don’t believe in you. I know just how reliable you are. But you know, Timu, for an older sister, no matter how much their little sister grows, they still can’t help but worry, you know?”

After saying that, I rubbed Timu’s head with one hand, before bringing her into a one-handed embrace.

“Ah-, O-, Oneesama ♪”

There, there~ I decided to hug her close until I was satisfied. My other arm was still busy with Jessica-chan though. After hugging Timu for a while longer, Timu suddenly looked up.

“Ah-, Oneesama.”

“Ye~s?”

“Um, Oneesama, why is it that you are carrying that human around? To begin with, that human is…”

Aahh, this is a good chance. Given the good progress the Public Safety Force is making, the school will probably reopen soon, so this is a good chance to introduce Timu to some friends.

“Timu, the truth is Oneechan has a present for you.”

“For me?”

“Yep, to celebrate your entry into the Magic Academy… tah tah tahh♪ I’m introducing you to a ‘school friend’. This is Jessica-chan, who’s going to be in the same class as you.”

“A school friend?”

“Yep. To be honest, I wanted Jessica-chan to introduce herself, but she’s unconscious right now so that’s impossible. I’m introducing you to her so that you school life is even better. Well? How about it? Are you happy?”

“Yes, extremely. She is a present from you. Thank you very much! Huhu, and looking carefully, her appearance isn’t half bad. I think she’ll make a great toy.”

Mn!? Toy?

Ahaa~ Too shy to call her a friend, huh. Honestly, this is why chuunibyou are hopeless. I might understand, but what if Jessica-chan was offended because of that. I don’t think Jessica-chan would be able to understand chuunibyou, so if she takes Timu’s words at face value, their relationship will definitely go sour.

“Timu! Calling Jessica-chan a toy is… Are you seriously going to treasure this(your friendship)?”

“Of course. It is a boon bestowed upon me by none other than Oneesama. I will not allow it(the toy) to simply be destroyed.”

“Yeah, yeah, you definitely can’t break it(the friendship). There are some things in this world that you can’t mend after breaking.”

“Yes. I shall treat it with care.”

Mn, thank goodness. No matter how talented she is, Timu is a chuunibyou, and there’s a good chance she was going to be isolated in class. If that was the case, even her school life wouldn’t be fun, right? But with a gentle girl like Jessica-chan as a friend, I’m sure things will be fine.

“I’b finuhly founh youb. Hau hhare youb hhuu hhat.”

Ooh, just as I was wondering who was talking with a numb mouth, it turned out to be Edim! What good timing.

“Timu, the truth is that Jessica-chan isn’t the only school friend I’ve prepared. Edim over there is another one.”

“Oneesama, I’m so happy. To think that you would bestow me two of them(toys)!”

“Wha hhuh hec are you hawking abouhh, youu… Hhake hhiss!”

Edim started frolicking with me again.

Hmm~ What on earth is this girl trying to do? Could it be that her vampire instincts are left behind, even if she’s turned back into a human? That’s quite possible. She only just turned back into a human. It might take a while for her whole body to revert.

“Aahh, Edim, please stop playing around for a moment. Could it be that you’re feeling bad? In that case, you should rest.”

“Jush as you shayy. I’b feeling lik SHIHHH!”

“Edim, calm down. First, let me introduce my sister to you. Her name is Timu, and she’s transferring into the Magic Academy. Get along, okay?”

“Hahh, hahh, harhh as yushuall. Huhu, can’h he helphh. I shall ek-hach mai venheance uphon your shis-hah!”

“Sorry, Edim. I’m finding it a bit hard to understand, so could you maybe say again?”

“Huhu, hruly a hiss-off! Hhake hhiss!”

This time it was Timu that she tried clinging to. But Timu immediately evaded her, and grabbed her face in a vice grip.

H-, Hey, Timu. Isn’t going for an eagle claw a little too much?

“Oneesama, from what I can tell, this girl looks like a half(-baked reject) but…”

“As expected of you, Timu. That’s right. Edim is a former vampire. But that doesn’t mean you can discriminate against her, okay?”

“Oneesama, this girl is not ‘former’. Although she has lost her fangs, she is still technically a vampire.”

“Heh? Really?”

“Yes.”

As expected of Timu. She’s only just transferred in, but she’s already so knowledgeable. I see. So even if she’s lost her fangs, it doesn’t mean that she can go back to being a human. I guess life isn’t that convenient.

But what that means is that Edim is a girl with the powers of a vampire, but the heart of a human. Aahh, at this rate Edim is going to be alienated by her class too.

“I see. Then that’s even more reason to take care of her.”

“Yes. A thin relationship though it may be, she is still technically one of my kin. More important than anything is that she was a gift from my Oneesama. I shall take good care of her.”

“I see. Please do.”

“Hamn it, efen hhiss guhl ish a monstah? Leh-leh-leh go of me!”

“Fumu. Oneesama, may I train this girl a little? She has been terribly insolent.”

“Timu, talking things out is important, but you can’t get into a fight, okay?”

“Please leave it to me.”

It looks like Timu and Edim are working out their friendship already. I know that Edim’s heart has been wounded, but I’m hoping that the two of them can work together to make it in class.

---

“But to faint… Did she accidentally come into contact with their En(Bloodthirst)?”
Quite likely to be the En from Hunter X Hunter.

“GROWLL! CENTRELINE CONSECUTI――Wha-!? Per-, I mean, Nielsen?”
The first part, growl, or ‘unare’ is just what chuunibyous say to their fists. The latter half might be a reference to Orochi Katsumi’s technique from Grappler Baki, where he launches consecutive punches to an enemy’s centreline.

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<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

 

Everybody, please check the FAQ first before asking me questions.
If it’s not on there, please feel free and ask. I only get annoyed at questions when the same one has been asked 10+ times, and by then I’ll have updated the FAQ.
Thank you for your consideration, guys!

---

Chapter 15 – Lepes’ Decision (Finale)

What do I do?

At this rate, even if I beat Bebe, I’ll still be dancing on the palm of Camilla’s hand. While I was groping for a way to turn this situation around,

“Thunder Sky![True Sky Lightning Greathammer!]

“Fire Land![Earth Fire Greatspear!]”

A maelstrom of lightning and flame surged, completely destroying the vampires surrounding Bebe.

This power, and technique…

“You guys…”

They were rebels and revolters, but at the moment there was nobody I wanted more as reinforcements. Standing there before my eyes were the Decarabia[Demon Destroying Pentagram] members Vera and Lyris.

“We noticed some huuge mana so we came running, but to think that you’d be here, Lepes. Why couldn’t you just die…”

“Vera, stop. I hate ‘im, but work comes first. Lepes. That mountain of demon corpses. Is it that thing’s work?”

“Yeah. Exactly that. Apparently the legendary demon Camilla has revived.”

“Serious!?”

“Y-, You have to be joking.”

Lyris and Vera were stunned. From their expressions it seems that they were having trouble believing it, but before Camilla’s pressure and gargantuan mana, there was nothing to do except believe it.

“You two are just in time. It irks me, but I don’t mind withdrawing the inquiry on your earlier conduct.”

“Hahh~ Even though we came to save you, look at that tone of yours. You reaaally piss me off, you know.”

“Vera, we know his personality. I hate ‘im too, but for now, we need to work with him.”

“I know that already. Leaving his personality aside, his strength is the real deal, after all.”

“Hmph. Are you two done talking? If you are, then I’ll have you follow my instructions.”

“So Lepes, mind explaining this to us?”

“At Camilla’s word, I fought with the demons. She gave the fantastic idea, ‘You lot kill each other in this ring. I’ll accept the survivors as subordinates.'”

“Tsk. She’s playing with us. Annoying.”

“Lepes, you deffs aren’t just going to listen to her, right?”

“Of course I’ve been looking for a way to escape.”

“Yeah, thought so. Even if we fought with her, we’d just diee right? I think running is the best choice too.”

“Alright. Then the plan is to escape to where Alec is. You two, prepare yourselves.”

“Roger. Annoying that we have to run. But no choice, huh.”

“But you knoww, I don’t think that little miss demon over there is going to let us run.”

Camilla watched the newcomers with great interest. It was as though the number of funny toys had increased.

“Ohh? They might have been lower ranked demons, but that was still quite an attack. Members of Decarabia[Demon Destroying Pentagram]. You have come just in time. You will join in as well.”

Camilla was forcing these two into this stupid battle royale as well. There was no way to describe her expression except entertained. Alright, she’s definitely got her guard down. As long as Lyris and Vera are here, we can turn this around.

“Vera, Lyris, we’re breaking through.”

“”Roger.””

“Then let’s go. One, two――THREE!”

At my signal, Lyris, Vera and I threw technique after technique at Camilla and Bebe at full power.

“UOHHHHHH! Greatest Chained Sea Blizzard![Great Ocean Water Sword!]”

“Greatest Chained Thunder Sky![True Sky Lightning Greathammer!]”

“Greatest Chained Fire Land![Earth Fire Greatspear!]”

The three of us continued to fire ultimate skills with all our strength. Along it way it felt like I was going to collapse, but I single-mindedly fired them. Aftershocks from the techniques caused dust clouds to rise into the air.

And then, the clouds dispersed――Heh. Was I too wishful in thinking that we might have beat them?
Standing there where the clouds cleared was the monster, looking the same as ever.

“Hahh, hahh, hahh. W-, What a monster…”

“Human. I can’t say much about the strength, but your willpower was quite something!”

Apparently all of my attacks had been stopped by Camilla’s barrier. What an incredibly strong Shield[Defensive Magic]. I was painfully aware just how thick the mana around her was. I can’t even imagine an attack that could break through it.

Did I at least get that damned Bebe?

He was in the same direction as Camilla.

“Hahh, hahh, hahh. You’re craazy, you stupid human!”

Apparently Bebe had been using a Shield with all his might.

Tsk, so he’s still alive…

But unlike Camilla, he received some serious damage. It looks like using my skill repeatedly was enough to break through his Shield.

But even after trying our best, there are still two demons here. There won’t be any way for us to escape like this.

I’m at a loss. No, wait, if I use that on Lyris and Vera, then perhaps I alone might be able to escape… For the sake of exterminating the demons, I need to survive. I’m resolved to sacrifice my team if need be.

“AGAH-!”

Suddenly, I heard Vera’s agonised voice.

What happened?

I looked in the direction of her cry.

“Wha-!? Newcomers!?”

Standing there was a gentlemanly old man, his fist stabbed right into Vera’s stomach.

“Camilla-sama, we have kept you waiting!”

“Oohh, Nielsen. Then, Oneesama is…”

“Milady. By Tilea-sama’s request, we have come to rendezvous with you. Tilea-sama was busy, and so she will be coming at a later point.”

“I see. By the way, Nielsen, why are you holding stakes?”

“This too, was by Tilea-sama’s command. ‘Use this handicap(stake) and destroy the enemy!’ she said. Thanks to that, we’ve managed to find quite the training out of this.”

“As expected of Oneesama. To think that even in a situation like this, she was still thinking about how to comprehensively level up all the members of our Household Guard.”

Some stake-holding group suddenly appeared…

They looked ridiculous, but every one of them possessed incredible power. From what I heard, they were apparently Camilla’s subordinates. As expected of her direct subordinates. Every one of them was incomparable to Bebe.

In particular, the man who pierced Vera with his fist was on another level. If I carelessly approach them, I’ll end up just like Vera. That was what my warrior’s intuition calmly told me.

There’s no time anymore. I’ll use that.

I quietly began chanting in Vera’s direction.

“Uu, w-, what is this?”

The magic equation I had hidden inside her activated, and Vera’s whole body began to shine.

“This is Megamega[Suicide Bombing Magic]!? Vera, why are you being so rash!?”

Lyris was raising a fuss, but it was too late. Megamega[Suicide Bombing Magic] is a spell that serves as the final resort for any Decarabia[Demon Destroying Pentagram] member. It causes their mana to run wild, and results in a massive explosion. Megamega[Suicide Bombing Magic] is the final solution for cases when we run into enemies above our ability to handle, and its strength goes beyond the natural magical abilities of the user.

Normally, it’s something you activate yourself. But I secretly remodelled them so that I can activate them as well. I had done so in order to guard against revolt, because of their discontent and grumbling.

Hmph. It became unexpectedly useful.

“Fuck! Vera, don’t die on me.”

“Lyris, with her injuries, she can’t fight. For the sake of the organisation, Vera is prepared to die. Don’t waste her death.”

“B-, But…!”

“I-, It’s fine, Lyris… Can’t be helped.”

“Why, Vera!?”

“…Hahh, hahh, Lepes. You…”

“What?”

Damned Vera. So she noticed it was me. If it gets out, I’ll bet that Lyris will make a fuss. If things look like they’ll get annoying, I’ll have to activate Lyris’ as well. But I’d prefer to keep her alive as a distraction while I escape.

“No. It doesn’t, matter now. Hahh, hahh, a-, at any rate… somebody needed to sac… sacrifice themselves. While there’s a chance… run, Lyris.”

It’s impossible to stop it once the magic equation is activated. It’s impossible to save Vera anymore. In that case, it’s her duty as a warrior to survive, and not put Vera’s sacrifice to waste. Lyris understands this as well. Although she looked reluctant, it seems that she had made up her mind.

“Be careful, Nielsen. It looks like that girl is going to explode herself.”

“Yes, Milady. Then I shall immediately――”

“I-, I won’t, let you. A-, At least let me struggle… uselessly, a bit, more.”

“Kuh-! This girl!”

“I-, I won’t let… go, a-, and, I’m taking you, with… me.”

“Tsk. Everyone, protect Camilla-samaaa!”

Nielsen hugged Vera to try and contain the blast. The other members moved to form a wall around Camilla.

But they were too slow. The blast would get to Camilla first.

“Good… bye… Lyris…”

Vera’s mana rampaged to the limit, and a massive explosion engulfed the area. The roar shook the earth, and it felt like the shock wave would blow everything away. With this, even those monsters wouldn’t get away unscathed.

Wha-!?

Even though she took such an explosion directly, Camilla was standing there looking unruffled as usual. Even Nielsen in the centre of the explosion had been wounded.

“Hmph, surprising me like that. Camilla-sama, are you all right!?”

“No problems. An attack of that level would not even pass my barrier.”

So even Megamega[Suicide Bombing Magic] won’t work huh… What an insane bunch!

As you’d expect, I was shaken.

But calm down, me. I need to somehow get away. I bought some time with Megamega[Suicide Bombing Magic]. I activated the teleportation magic that I had created during that time.

“Trans![Teleportation Magic!]”

The magic equation was one that I had forcefully created in little time. I was about to collapse due to the side effects of the drug, as well as the repeated battles. But I can’t rest here. Apparently Camilla sent pursuers. I don’t know if she read my equation, or if she remembered the wavelength of my mana, but pursuers were definitely arriving.

Should I, teleport again?

No, my mana is completely dry. Trying to form another spell would send me unconscious. At worst, I’d die on the spot.

Where is this?

My teleportation spell had been random, so I haven’t the faintest idea. Considering how little mana I had left, it can’t have sent me very far but…

I need to report to Alec immediately!

Hahh, hahh, I can’t. The pursuers are already…

Can’t be helped. One more teleport. While bearing with a pain that felt like my blood was running backwards, I activated another teleportation magic.

“Trans![Teleportation Magic!]”

“UWAHHH! That was scary. Why did a person fall out of nowhere?”

The moment I teleported, I heard the voice of a hysteric woman.

Hahh, hahh, it looks like this isn’t enemy ground.

A girl’s voice?

Did I make it to one of the evacuation spots? Thank god.

“I’m a subordinate of the royal family. Hahh, hahh, I wish to immediately contact headquarters.”

“I see――wha-, uwah! Looking carefully, you’re completely covered in blood! Are you okay?”

“Forget about me. Hahh, hahh, m-, more importantly, please tell them I’m here.”

“E-, Even if you tell me that… Aahh, and it looks like Jessica-chan is unconscious, so I don’t even know where we are.”

Wha-!? This wasn’t an evacuation spot?

I see. So these two were late evacuees. The one in front of my eyes seemed to be a student of the Magic Academy, while the one carrying her was a blonde girl.

“Hahh, hahh, y-, you two, didn’t you follow the Public Safety Force’s instructions to evacuate?”

“Well, I really wanted to, but there were some circumstances, you see. I was actually trying to head there now, but it looks like I got lost.”

What absolute fools.

Fools who destroy the order like this make me want to cut them down myself. In particular, fainting even though she’s a student at the Magic Academy? Unforgivable! Just having weaklings in the country causes it to rot.

I unconsciously moved my hand to the sword… No, wait. Right now, there’s something that affects the whole world. This isn’t the time for that. I need to quickly let headquarters know about the threat, Camilla.

“W-, Woman, please call some official.”

“I-, I understand. We need to quickly find you help, right? I’ll go see if anybody is around. Umm~ I wonder how I can find the main street?”

Kuh-! Can I really leave this to such a stupid-looking woman? But there’s nobody else I can rely on.

“Hahh, hahh, hurry. The Public Safety Force, the defence squad, anybody will do. Hahh, hahh, and tell somebody as high up as possible.”

After saying that, I handed over the Decarabia[Demon Destroying Pentagram] proof of identity that the King granted me. Since she’s a commoner, there’s the chance that the higher ups will be suspicious of her, and won’t let her act. What I gave her was a confidential document, but it’s written in the letters of the royal palace. Considering how stupid she seems, she won’t be able to read it. I instructed her to give it to somebody high up.

“I’ll go find somebody to save you. Umm~ Let’s see. So you’re Lepes-san of ‘Decarabia’ is it. Hm? I think I’ve heard that somewhere before.”

Wha-!? She can read the letters of the palace? I looked down on her too much because she was a commoner. I let a commoner see a confidential document. I don’t think a commoner would be able to do much, but for the sake of the organisation, I may need to erase her.

“W-, Woman, hahh, hahh, what is your name, and residence?”

“Eh-!? I’m Tilea but, my residence…? Ah-!? I don’t need a medal or anything. We should help each other in times of need. I can’t accept your thanks for something so small.”

When she heard me ask for her address, apparently she thought it was to give her a medal later. Is she an idiot! As a citizen of this country, it should be obvious to serve the country. And not only that, it’s suspicious that she’s heard of Decarabia[Demon Destroying Pengagram]. When in doubt, kill the accused. I can’t let her live.

“Hahh, hahh, enough, just tell me… Mu-!?”

So I couldn’t shake them off.

I felt the presence of demons. There won’t be time to wait for help.
They’re coming. It’s no good. I can’t use teleport again. I can’t run stably either. It feels like I’m grasping at straws. I’ll have this stupid-looking woman help me escape.

“Hahh, hahh, girl, forget about help. R-, Right now, demons are pursuing me. Hahh, hahh, I-, I cannot be killed. L-, Lend me a hand!”

“Eehh? Seriously!? W-, What should I do? It’s going to turn into a battle again. G-, Gotta prepare the kukanomi.”

“Hahh, hahh, hahh. W-, What are you ranting about――It’s no good. The pursuers are fast. They’ll be here any minute, girl. Lend me a hand. We’ll let them pass.”

At my urging, the girl brought me into a ruin, and at that point, I lost consciousness.

---

<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

 

Everybody, please check the FAQ first before asking me questions.
If it’s not on there, please feel free and ask. I only get annoyed at questions when the same one has been asked 10+ times, and by then I’ll have updated the FAQ.
Thank you for your consideration, guys!

---

For a lot of these sort of side-character chapters, usually it starts with a third person narration, before settling into the thoughts of the character in question. It should really be one line in normal text, and the rest of the chapter in italics, but that looks a bit odd, so I’ve just left it all normal-looking.

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Chapter 14 – Lepes’ Decision (Opening)

Lepes was trembling.

Just as I was about to go all out against the vampires, a silver-haired brat suddenly appeared.
At first, I was irritated because some other civilian had gotten mixed up in the teleportation, clearly disobeying orders and leaving the queue. I had no mercy for those who broke the rules, brat or not.

But in fact…

What an enormous and sinister mana. This girl isn’t a human. I don’t know of anybody else, with such a wicked and overpowering mana. Even though she looks just like some young girl, her sense of presence is on another level.

As I was analysing the situation with a cold sweat, the girl called Camilla met my gaze――and a chill ran down my spine.

I-, I’ll be killed…

The premonition of death that assaulted me, threatened to bring me to my knees. The instinct as a warrior that I had cultivated over many years, was now telling me to run. But I forcefully repressed it, and brandished my greatsword.
If I don’t bring this thing down somehow, she’ll become humanity’s most fearsome enemy.

With every ounce of might in my body, I attacked the monster.

“Sea Blizzard![Great Ocean Water Sword!]”

A skill that clad my greatsword in the chill of absolute zero. An ultimate technique that could bring down even S-class monsters.

My secret technique flashed against Camilla.

But the result was a metalic clang, and Camilla’s hand stopped it with ease.

“I-, Impossible. With one hand…”

“Ohh? Your swordsmanship isn’t half bad for a human! And you have used your mana well too.”

My prided greatsword was being stopped with Camilla’s single hand. And naturally, Camilla was both unharmed, and completely at ease.

To think that Camilla was this much of a monster…

Wary of a counterattack, I promptly back-pedalled. Camilla simply watched me with an amused smirk. Likely proof that she could toy with me as she pleased. The sweat wouldn’t stop running.

Given the situation, how do I proceed?

The sworn enemies of Decarabia[Demon Destroying Pentagram] are the vampires, but Camilla is a threat that they can’t even compare with. A matter of utmost priority.

Camilla…

The demon who was the progenitor of the magic system. Her strength is as great as the legends say.

Kuh-! When the hell did this kind of monster revive?

And how is it even possible that we overlooked a monster of this level? When it comes to mana detection, I’m counted as one of the better users, even in Decarabia[Demon Destroying Pengagram], and yet I didn’t notice a thing. This legendary monster must also be skilled in operating undetected.

Honestly, this is something I can’t handle alone. It would be best to temporarily withdraw. Also, there’s the problem of Bebe, but it looks like he’s trembling because of Camilla as well.

Spurred on by fear, Bebe urged his subordinates to attack. But the great majority of them were terrified by Camilla’s mana, and were in no shape to be fighting anything. It was lucky to even be conscious; most of the weaker members had already fainted. The pressure from Camilla was indescribable. Even I would lose consciousness if I relaxed even a little.

As for the members of the Public Safety Force, they were as good as wiped out. A few of the officers were barely holding onto their consciousness, but their legs were trembling, and they were a step away from collapsing.

“EEI! What are you hesitating about! Go! Use your numbers, and press forth!”

Bebe screamed desperately to spur the vampires into action.

It’s pointless. Anybody could see their cold feet.

“Hmph, fools down to the core.”

With a mutter, Camilla released magic bullets into the air. In an instant, dozens of people around her turned to dust.

“Wha-!? E-, Even our Safety Force members are getting…?”

“What sleeptalk is that. Why must I, take the side of you humans!”

Immediately, the expressions of the Public Saftey Force members turned unsightly. Camilla’s appearance was that of an innocent girl, and she looked more like a human than a demon. Somewhere in their hearts, they must have considered her as being on their side.

“T-, Then that means you are on the side of the demons then… Could it be that you have forgiven us?”

“Drivel! Listen well, and do not misunderstand; none of the fools present here are anything more than offerings to Oneesama!”

I could feel her mana increase as she roared at us. The mana that clad her rose in scope again.

This is bad. She’s going to fire an even crazier round of magic bullets!

I began creating the strongest defensive magic I had. It’s not an area of magic that I’m skilled in, but this isn’t the time for excuses. I could feel the violent movements of that ridiculous mana whirlpool.

It’s coming!

Just as I readied myself, hundreds of magic bullets rained down from Camilla’s hand.

“GUHAH-!”

“Hiiii! I-It’s breaking through the Shield[Defensive Magic]!?”

“M-MY ARMM HURRDDS! ID’s ALL SHREEDDEDDD!”

The magic bullets mercilessly penetrated the Shields. Even those who had created Shields had their lives unceremoniously reaped, to say nothing of those already unconscious.

“S-, So this is the legendary ultimate magic, the Star Freya[Super Demonic Star Magic Bullet]…”

“What are you prattling about. You believe I would use my ultimate skill on the likes of you? This was nothing more than continually firing magic bullets.”

Wha-!? T-, These were just normal magic bullets…? Our levels are just too different!

Those ‘normal’ magic bullets had easily broken through Decarabia[Demon Destroying Pengagram]’s prided Shield[Defensive Magic] and caused me to sustain significant injury. Although it’s true that Shielding wasn’t my strong point, your average attack spell wouldn’t even budge it. And despite that…

But on the other hand, if I hadn’t used it then I would definitely have been killed.

Hahh, hahh, my wounds are hurting.

Shit. How is everybody else?

I looked around. Even though there were so many demons before, not a trace of them was left. The army that had been here was apparently exterminated without a trace.

As for those who barely managed to survive, they comprised me, Bebe, and a few other demons. The Public Safety Force members were all gone. Well, they were the scum of the Public Safety Force though. I suppose I should be grateful that she cleaned them up.

“With this, I suppose at least the most unsightly small fry are gone.”

“E-, Esteemed True Ancestor, I offer my most humble apologies!”

That damned Bebe. Begging for his life after all this time, huh. Terrified by her power, he was prostrated at her feet and pleaded for forgiveness.

“…Honestly. Was I not an imposter? And now after all this time, you call me your Esteemed True Ancestor!?”

“I-I-I would not dare. AAhh, aahhh, please forgive me! I must have been mad, before. With such mana, mana that exceeds even the lofty power you had in the ancient times, truly, you are none other than the Esteemed True Ancestor…”

“Hmph. I release my mana for just a little, and look what has become of you. Both you and the kin you created are the dregs of the land!”

“Yes, milady. Before your profound power, we are nothing more than worms. Please, please find it in your heart to be merciful, and allow me to once more serve you!”

…How incredibly pathetic.

Doesn’t he have any pride as a warrior? Look at him grovelling, just because he wants to live.

This is the enemy that I, no, that all of Decarabia[Demon Destroying Pengagram] have been risking our lives to battle all these years!? The great enemy that Decarabia[Demon Destroying Pengagram] battled with for millenia was actually this prideless worm…?

Perhaps Camilla felt the same way as me, because she looked at Bebe coldly.

“What garbage are you spewing! The Evil God Army that Oneesama leads has no need for cowardly garbage. Those who died to the likes of my earlier magic bullets are out of the question, but even those who survived are nowhere near good enough. The idiocy that you have spewed is more than enough reason to eliminate you.”

“HIIIII! P-, PLEASE, MERCY!”

Bebe frantically ran away. But still, I have a few misgivings about what she said just now.

Oneesama? Evil God Army? Wasn’t Camilla with the Demon King Army?

And more importantly, from what I gathered just now, there’s still somebody out there, with an even more ridiculous power than Camilla’s. The existence of an enemy beyond Camilla makes this vampire invasion look like a joke. It would threaten the very existence of the capital, no, of all of humanity. I need to escape from here as soon as possible, and think of a countermeasure.

“Oh yes. Human. So you still live as well? If you join me, I do not mind forgiving you.”

“Hmph! You think I would wag my tail for you demons!? No matter what flaws I have, I am still a member of Decarabia[Demon Destroying Pentagram]!”

“Fumu. A feeble human though you may be, your earlier attack was not bad. A decent amount of power, and some backbone as well. Interesting!”

A flash of light released from her fingertips, and cut into the ground. She had suddenly formed a few-hundred-metres ring around us.

What is this? What is she thinking?

“You lot. You shall fight each other to the death in this ring.”

“Esteemed True Ancestor, what do you mean?”

“Bebe. I shall give you one final chance. I will not clean you up for now.”

“T-Thank you very much. I, Bebe, shall risk my life to serve――”

“Do not misunderstand. The Evil God Army has no use for weaklings. When you have killed everybody else here, and remain the last one in the ring, you may join the bottom rungs of our army”

“I-It can’t be. I’m your kin…”

“What’s the matter. Is he not your long hated enemy? Wanting to join us without killing him is asking for more than you should. Or what? Would you prefer that I send you off, this very moment?”

“I-I would not dare. I shall do it. Please allow me to do it.”

“Hmph. You should have just been obedient from the start.”

With that as the signal, Bebe bore his fighting spirit and rushed to attack me.

“I will kill you, and then return to my place by my Esteemed True Ancestor’s side!”

His motivation was actually incredible.

This wasn’t the time to hold any of my strength back. I drank Decarabia’s Doping[Momentary Forceful Elevation Drug]. This drug has the effect of temporarily bringing a vast increase to your mana and physical ability. Although it comes with terrible side effects, it is still better than dying here.

“UOHHHH! Chained Sea Blizzard![Great Ocean Water Sword!]”

I chained strike after strike of my ultimate technique, and cut down towards Bebe and his army. Before the might of my enhanced skill, even Bebe was forced onto the defensive, and the other vampires were all defeated.

“Kuh-! So sneaky!”

“Hii! I’ve had enough! Somebody save mee!”

One of the vampires was frightened by my skills, and tried to leave the circle. But Camilla did not overlook it, and she destroyed him without hesitation.

“It seems I forgot to mention. Those who leave the circle shall be dealt by me, personally. Proceed with that in mind.”

Kuh-! I was thinking of looking for a chance to escape, but with Camilla watching us, that seems impossible.

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Everybody, please check the FAQ first before asking me questions.
If it’s not on there, please feel free and ask. I only get annoyed at questions when the same one has been asked 10+ times, and by then I’ll have updated the FAQ.
Thank you for your consideration, guys!

---

Chapter 13 – “I shall punish Bebe.”

The fight began between the Decarabia[Demon Destroying Pentagram] Knight, Lepes, and the failure(False Kin), Bebe. From their raw fighting spirit, it seems both sides had a history with each other. Lepes’ expression was particularly bloodcurdling. I could tell that he placed his everything on the line, in order to destroy demons. On the other hand, Bebe faced him with a dismissive sneer.

Damned Bebe. You dare to act insolent? Showing such an attitude despite your measly mana? No wonder the humans make light of you.

Lepes roared before attacking Bebe with a slash. Bebe responded by firing magic bullets to keep Lepes in check, while black flames appeared at his fingertips, one after another. Any trees that touched those flames disappeared in an instant, but despite the shield and sword in hand, Lepes avoided the flames with inhuman speed.

“You only know how to run! How insolent.”

“Shut up! I’ll send you lot to the grave!”

Lepes and Bebe continued their battle as they jeered at each other. However, perhaps due to the difference in experience, Lepes became cornered as the fight prolonged. And eventually, Bebe’s darkness magic caught up with him.

“GUHUH-!”

The magic destroyed his balance. Unwilling to lose this opening, Bebe began to chant a high level magic.

“Fwo fwo, take this. Fire Shout[Roar of Hellfire]!

The whole area was enveloped in flame. Even Lepes was forced onto the defensive, so he tried to protect himself from the flames.

“W-, T-This is the power of d-demons…? It’s on a totally different level to us!”

“I-, I can’t believe it… T-That man’s power is even higher than Remilia-sama’s.”

The Public Safety Force all commented as they watched the battle.

Haahhhh~ That they have mistaken something of this level to be the power of demons brings me endless vexation. However, going out of my way to correct them would bring needless suspicion, and runs counter to Oneesama’s goal.

Now then, what shall I do…

It is not yet time to openly reveal my identity to the humans. But it would not do if I did not punish these failures(False Kin) for their transgressions. Should I separate just this lot from the area? Speaking of which, the human named Lepes had prepared a teleportion spell, had he not.

Fumu. Though the magic equation is not yet complete, it has reached a stage where completing the remainder is simple.

Well then, shall I use you?

I overrode it with my own magic equation and activated it.

“Teleport!”

The moment I activated the spell, a magic circle appeared on the spot.

“Wha-!? Who activated the fucking spell!?”

“Fwo fwo, it seems that a third party has intervened.”

“W-What the? What the? This magic circle has suddenly… S-Shit! E-EVERYONE RETREAAAAAAAATTT!”

The teleportation magic activated…

And then we appeared at Bebe’s garrison.

Hmph, bingo. Just by meddling with it a little, the destination was changed from an evacuation spot, to a place with a strong density of souls with mana similar to Bebe’s.

Fumu fumu, there they are. A gathering of failures! Beneath my eyes were hundreds of small fry, swarming about.

It appears that all of them are Bebe’s kin. I have never seen such sorry things before.

Honestly, that damned Bebe. How dare he pollute the world with all this garbage!

“Tsk, I don’t know who, but somebody messed with the magic equation.”

“W-WHAT THE! What the fuck is going on! W-We’re right in the middle of enemy territory now…!”

Even needless extras had tagged along. How strange. I only intended to teleport Bebe and whatnot. The teleportation array should have stayed well clear of the evacuees…

Why?

I looked at them.

From their expressions… I saw weakness, naturally, but also lowliness and vulgarity of character.

I see.

In other words, they abandoned their duty. The Public Safety Force had been in formation to protect the evacuees. But they simply wished to be the first to escape. So even though the array stayed clear of them, they jumped in of their own accord.

They tried to escape danger, but instead jumped in head-first. Such irony.
Some extras have gotten in the way of my spectating, but well, that is fine. They fall within the acceptable margin of error.

“V-Viceroy, w-what on earth is this?”

Bebe’s kin were visibly shocked by the sudden intrusive.

“Fwo fwo fwo, how lucky for me. You lot are to surround them and prevent their escape.”

“U-, Understood.”

Bebe’s army moved to surround us.

“Shit. Looks like I’m surrounded.”

“L-, Lepes-dono, what should we…?”

“What? You guys got wrapped up as well? You’re going to get in the way of our battle, so get the hell out of here.”

“H-, However, we cannot escape while trapped like this.”

“Like I care. You guys are still technically Public Safety Force, aren’t you. If you’re going to spout such pathetic bullshit, then I’ll cut you down on the spot.”

“N-, No way…”

Abandoned by Lepes, the Public Safety Force members all had looks of despair. Lepes paid these weaklings no heed, and raised his sword. It seemed that he was looking for a way to break past the blockade.

“F-, Fuck it all! Now that it’s come to this, it’s all or nothing. We’re going to look for a weak spot to break through from.”

“Yeah, as if we can deal with a fight between these monsters. We’d better run now.”

“Oi, one brat got mixed up in this. What do we do?”

“Like we have the time for that shit. We’re all nobles. The life of one brat can’t compare.”

“True. Actually, it’s a lucky break. While they’re busy beating this brat to death, we’ll have some time to escape.”

Saying that, the Public Safety members tried to escape before me.

Fumu, just perfect.

“How irritating. You shall move!”

“W-, What――GUHAH-!”

“O-Oi, brat! Don’t get in our――HEBUU-!”

After getting in their way and thrusting them back, I stood in front of Bebe.

“Fwo fwo fwo, and who might you be, little human missy? No need to hurry. After I’m done with this one, I’ll have plenty of time to play with you.”

“Hihihi, Viceroy, please let us have your leftovers!”

“Yeah, what he said. This one is quite the beauty. I’m going to eat her up!”

“Hahhh, hahhh, V-Viceroy, I-I c-can’t hold on any more. I have to have her.”

The moment I appeared, Bebe’s army stirred into action. What a vulgar bunch. However little it may be, once I consider that these things have anything to do with me, I start to feel depressed. Unless I immediately clean the world of these failures, I won’t rest at ease.

“Bebe, you have grown quite impudent in these few thousand years. It fills me with nostalgia to recall the days when you would tremble in fear of the enemy.”

“Fwo fwo fwo, what is this all of a sudden…? Human, after saying something like that, don’t think that you will get off easy. I assure you, you will not die at rest!”

“So you do not realise, if I suppress my mana? To forget your own master, even insolence has its limits!”

“Master, you say?”

“Hmph, so you have forgotten this face of mine!?”

“I-I-It can’t be!? That bearing, and that visage… Are you Camilla-sama!?”

“I-, Is that really her?”

“T-, That’s our True Ancestor?”

Bebe’s lot all looked confused. Well, none of them have actually met me, so I suppose that reaction is reasonable. I think they will at least listen to Bebe’s instructions, but…

“Y-, YOU LOOOOOOT! Y-Your heads are too high! Restrain yourselves! This is our esteemed True Ancestor. Our master and lady!”

Bebe’s expression suddenly changed as he screamed, silencing the lot of them into prostration.

“Hmph, so you finally remember your place! Honestly, you sure have grown impudent during the time I was sealed!”

“N-, No way… W-, We merely strove to rule the world as your kin, Camilla-sama…”

“And I am saying that, is being impudent. Ruling the world? The likes of you will? Jokes are supposed to be told, not acted out!”

“H-, However, for your sake, Camilla-sama, and for the sake of your eternal fame, and for the sake of spreading the Malferand[Greatest Demons] name through the world, we――”

“That. That is exactly what I speak of. When did I bestow the likes of you the permission to use my surname! Know your place! You shall apologise with your deaths!”

“…”

“What? What is that rebellion in your eyes? You used my surname without permission. As though that was not enough, you then encroached with your muddy shoes upon on our territory, the Capital. Bebe, that conduct is unforgivable. All of you will suicide, at once!”

“NUUU! W-, While you spent these millenia sealed away, I have steadily increased my power. I-I am d-different to you!”

“In the short time I have not seen you, it appears that you’ve grown quite an impertinent mouth.”

I approached to hand down punishment, when Bebe suddenly shouted,

“EEI! There is no way that Camilla-sama would appear in a place like this! T-, THIS THING IS A FAKEE! What an extremely rude thing they are! Kill them! Kill them, I say!”

“Hooh~ A fake, you say. Bebe, is that your answer?”

“B-, But Viceroy, to bare our fangs towards the esteemed True Ancestor is…”

“F-, Fool! Just look at their mana! How could someone so measly possibly be our True Ancestor! TIS A FAKE!”

“T-, That certainly makes sense… Alright. Everybody, this woman dared pretend to be our esteemed True Ancestor. It’s time for a festival of blood!”

“”YEAHH!””

Bebe’s army approached me, and began shrinking the encirclement. Counting from the left is seven-thousand mana, four-thousand mana, five thousand… Hmph. Even counting is a waste of time. They are all the very picture of small fry. I shall clean them up in one go.

They think to defeat me with this level of power? Are they half-asleep, or are they simply insane?

“Ku ku, my goodness. It appears that once you exceed a certain level of anger, your face begins to smile instead!”

I released my suppressed mana in full. Like an ocean erupting through a dam, the torrents of mana swept through everything in the surroundings.

---

<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

 

Everybody, please check the FAQ first before asking me questions.
If it’s not on there, please feel free and ask. I only get annoyed at questions when the same one has been asked 10+ times, and by then I’ll have updated the FAQ.
Thank you for your consideration, guys!

---

Usually I take the time to research stuff and leaves notes and whatnot, but I still don’t have any clue about Mahjong, so you’ll have to work that shit out yourselves, lol. I actually translated all this stuff with the help of my friends Yuushin(雄心), Bicky (kookiedreamer), and Steel.

But here’s a tsubamegaeshi video at least:

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Chapter 12 – Jessica and the Conclusion to the Final Game

According to Tilea-san, ‘Tsubamegaeshi’ is a cheating technique in ‘Marge’Ong’. It wasn’t a combat technique.

Tilea-san, if you want to win in games so badly that you’re cheating, I think you might be an addict.

But according to Tilea-san, as long as you succeed in using it, you can dominate the flow of the game.

Tsubaegaeshi――to prepare a winning hand within your ‘wall’, and then looking for a chance to swap your ‘hand’ with your ‘wall’.

If you succeed, it is possible to continue getting ‘yakuman’, and even turn your situation around.

From what I hear, it sounds high risk, but at the same time promises high return. I don’t think it would be impossible for Tilea-san.

But still, to even know a cheating technique like this… Even if she isn’t intelligent, her knowledge of this game is the real thing.

“Tilea-san, do you think you can do it?”

“Yeah, I definitely will! And you know, there’s actually something I wanted to ask of you, Jessica-chan…”

“Yes, what is it?”

“While I’m using the Tsubamegaeshi, please distract the demons.”

“It certainly sounds like a flashy technique. I guess they would notice without a distraction.”

“That’s right. So can I ask this of you?”

“I understand. But what should I do?”

“Let’s see~ For example, couldn’t you use your charms as a woman to distract them?”

“Eh-!? T-, That kind of seduction is impossible for me. And they’re demons, you know.”

“No, no, demons are still men. It’ll definitely work, I think.”

“N-, No way… That’s just impossible…”

“It’s fine, I said. This is also for the sake of defeating the demons, okay?”

“B-But… It-, It really is impossible for me!”

“I BELIEVE IN YOU JESSICA-CHAN!”

“Uuu, if you say that much, then why don’t you do it, Tilea-san!”

“That’s impossible. I’ll need to concentrate on the Tsubamegaeshi, and more importantly, they wouldn’t have any interest in me.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Yeah. That’s how it is. Those ‘Wisdom Unit’ guys all act like elites, so I bet they’re actually into lolis. It’s pretty much a given that elites are lolicons.”

“Lo-, lo… li?”

“Oh, lolicon, you see. It basically refers to the bunch that are into tiny girls with modest chests like yours, Jessica-chan.”

W-, What the heck is with this person. I-, Is she picking a fight or something?

“Muu, Tilea-san, even if I look like this I’ve grown since last year, okay!?”

“No, no, you’re definitely still a splendid loli, Jessica-chan. That loli face and your loli voice, and on top of that there’s your loli figure. You’re basically irresistable to those types.”

“…”

“And that’s how it is, so it’s impossible for me. I mean, look, my chest is huge, and I’ve got a great figure, so I’m totally outside their strike zones, right? Compared to me, you’re definitely the better choice.”

W-, What do I do?

I’m starting to want to kill her for real.

……
…………
………………

N-, No. I can’t. I can’t, I can’t. I have to control my anger. Tilea-san doesn’t mean anything bad by this. She’s like the personification of airheaded. She definitely never thinks anything, and just speaks whatever’s on her mind.

Also, the victims in town are increasing by the second right now. We don’t have the leisure to waste time here. We have to end this farce once and for all!

I very unwillingly consented to Tilea-san’s plan, and sat at the table where the demons were waiting. The game started again. With my hands shaking from nervousness, I piled up the ‘hai(tiles)’ while Tilea-san was building a winning ‘hand’ inside her ‘wall’.

Looking at her out of the corner of my eye…

Ooh, what nimble movements. She was stacking ‘hai(tiles)’ in the blink of an eye.

A few minutes later…

Tilea-san looked my way. Apparently she was done preparing.

C-, Can’t be helped. Abandon your pride, Jessica! In order to defeat the demons! In order to save the people!

After taking a deep breath, my eyes shot towards the demons.

And then…

“W-, Wow, my body is getting so hot～♪”

I brought attention to my chest as I fanned my shirt, twisting my body to draw their attention.

“Quite right, girly. This ‘Marge’Ong’ game is truly a strategic game. My heart is burning with excitement!”

“Just as you say, Horus-sama. Because of an idiot at the table, things are a little spoilt, but even so, this has still been an interesting game.”

“…”

“What’s the matter, girly? Did you not speak because you felt the same way?”

“Y-, Yes.”

Aahh… I think something important just broke inside me. I softly did my shirt back up, and fixed my collar.

Uuu, Tilea-san, look how much I’ve done for us! You’ve succeeded, right!?

I looked at Tilea-san with my teary eyes. Tilea-san’s mouth was curved into a smirk. Apparently she succeeded.

A-, Amazing. She did it in that little instant? To slip past the eyes of the demons, just what kind of super speed had she moved at? While I was feeling shocked at her fast work,

“The die says 4.”

“Then I guess I suppose it is me.”

“”AHH!?””

The two of us raised our voices in synchrony.

T-, That’s right. This cheat depends on the dice roll. The ‘hai(tiles)’ will be coming from Vice General Gilgant’s ‘wall’, so there was no meaning to the ‘Tsubamegaeshi’.

I whispered to Tilea-san.

“Tilea-san, can’t you do something about the die?”

“T-, That… it’s i-impossible even f-for me…”

She shook her head side to side.

So in the end, the game continued normally without ‘Tsubamegaeshi’ getting its chance to shine…

“‘Ron’!”

“G-, GYABON!”

The ‘hanchan’ just finished. Tilea-san’s second ‘Bust’ was determined. Before the ‘shaaba(West Round)’ began, I had another strategy meeting with Tilea-san.

“Tilea-san, the game is impossible to win already. Let’s do battle instead!”

“…I-, I can still-, I can still do it. Jessica-chan, I haven’t lost yet. This is where it begins. This is where my turnaround begins!”

Her eyes were bloodshot. Typical of a losing gambler.

“Tilea-san, it’s a shame, but we should admit defeat! The enemy is a cut above us. We have to think about cutting our losses!”

To be honest, it isn’t just one cut, but over ten cuts, but even I’m starting to feel bad for her. It’s been a crushing defeat for her every round till now, so I was careful to be a little gentler in my words.

“Y-, YOU’RE WRONGG! Jessica-chan, t-this is… Umm, yeah! I just haven’t got my sense for the game back yet. That’s all it is, okay!”

“Tilea-san…”

Yep. She’s grown stubborn. She’s got quite a stubborn part to her, after all. Can’t be helped. I don’t think it’s going to help to let the game continue, but I’ll just let her do what she wants.

“Hahhh~ I understand.”

“Jessica-chan, this time I’ll really teach them a lesson, okay!”

“Ah-, Tilea-san, just one bit of advice. Please stop talking to yourself.”

“Talking to myself?”

“So you really didn’t notice.”

“What do you…?”

“Tilea-san, whenever you’re about to reach ‘tenpai’, you get really excited, and start screaming weirdly to yourself.”

“EHH-!? REALLY?”

“Yes. Also, please stop screaming “I MESSED UPPPPPPP――――!” whenever your ‘hand’ isn’t going well.”

“I-, I even do something like…”

“Yes. Also, the worst is when you get a ‘haku(White Dragon)’ in your ‘hand’. Each and every time, you say “Hmph. There it is. A slip.”  and I just don’t know what to do with you anymore…”

“Haha… I just kinda…”

“It’s because of that that the demons all know your information, Tilea-san.”

“Y-, Yeah.”

“There are lots of other things that you’re doing wrong, but I don’t think you’d remember if I only told you once, so at least please stop with the talking to yourself!”

“Y-, Yes.”

Well, I’ve warned her about what I can. As for how effective it’ll be… Aahh, I’m so uneasy.

But the struggle ended fruitlessly.

In the end, it was Horus’ overwhelming victory. Second place was Gilgant. Third place was me. Along the way, I realised that fighting with the demons was reckless, so I instead changed my target to Tilea-san. While somehow avoiding direct hits, I snatched points from Tilea-san, and managed to get myself into the positives. Unlike Tilea-san, I’ll immediately die if my mana gets taken, so I steeled my heart and did that.

I’m sorry, Tilea-san. I-, It’s not because you called me a ‘loli’ or anything, okay?

And then far, far, faaaar at the bottom was Tilea-san, and as expected, she was below minus 120,000 points. Because along the way, she began being targetted by me as well. Four games with a ‘Bust’, and on top of that, a ‘Yakitori’ penalty.

“☆∋★◆……GYOPOON”

Tilea-san collapsed onto the table. Aahh, I think I can see her soul escaping from her mouth. It must have been a shock to her.

“But still, Horus-sama, in the end it seems this one was simply a huge idiot.”

“Indeed. It looks like she won the Element Predict not through strategy, but simply miraculous luck.”

“Honestly, when I consider that our subordinates were killed by such a massive idiot…! Simply draining her of mana is much too lenient. We should execute her in a much crueller way, Horus-sama.”

“You certainly have a point, Gilgant. But the rules are the rules. If we break those rules, it will affect the pride of our unit. And moreover, this girl introduced us to as fun a game as ‘Marge’Ong’. In light of that achievement, shall we not spare her the worst punishment?”

“As expected of you, Horus-sama. Your self-respect is the pride of our Wisdom Unit.”

“Umu. Well then, time to have this massive idiot take responsibility for losing.”

“Quite so. Hey, massive idiot. No, since she makes weird sounds and comes up with ridiculous strategies, I suppose we should be calling her a buffoon.”

“True. This girl is a buffoon. Well then, Gilgant. Attach the mana absorption tool to this buffoon.”

“Sir!”

Gilgant did as Horus ordered, grabbing Tilea-san by the head.

“Come now, buffoon! Raise your face! The tool does not hurt so much. We are allowing you to die comfortably, so be thankful to Horus-sama!”

“…”

“Oi, do you not hear me! Buffoon!”

“I-, I’ve been listening, BASTAAAAAAAAARDS!”

She suddenly raised her head as she produced a kukanomi from her pocket, smashing it into the demons.

“W-, What are――G- GUHAH-!”

“S-, She plans on――GUEGH-!”

“Hahh, hahh… LISTEN UP, GODDAMMIT! MAHJONG IS A GAME OF LUCKK! I-, IT’S NOT BECAUSE I’M DUMB OR ANYTHING, OKAYYY!? A-, And calling me buffoon and stuff… You know, I used to be praised in the neighbourhood as “Gosh, Sera-san’s daughter is such a bright child” you know! DO YOU GET ITTTT!?”

Tilea-san roared. She was understandably mad.

But it’s hardly their fault…

Well, to begin with, I wanted her to just beat them up without a game, so this is fine.

Aahh aaahh, even though Horus and the others are already dead, Tilea-san is shaking them by the collars. It’s like she’s not even paying attention. Tilea-san continued to roar. I suppose I’d better stop her now.

“Hahhh, hahhh, a-, alright! You lot, the next game is poker! This time for sure, I’ll――”

“Tilea-san.”

“Aah, Jessica-chan. Just wait a moment. This time for sure――”

“Tilea-san! They’re already dead.”

“EH-!?”

At my words, Tilea-san began to stare at the corpses of the demons. The kukanomi she had thrown unconsciously had hit all of them dead in the face. They took her amazing throws at close range, after all. Looks like these guys couldn’t handle it either.

“J-, Just as planned… Y-, You know, Jessica-chan, this was all one big plan.”

“I see…”

“Y-, Yeah, I made them think I was really into the game, so that when they let their guards down, I could really nail them, you know!?”

“I see…”

“J-, Jessica-chan, please don’t look at me with such distant eyes.””

“Anyway, Tilea-san, let’s get out of here for now.”

“Y-, Yeah. I’d better hurry to the shelter where Timu is waiting. If I recall, this was east, right?”

“No, that’s wrong. The location has actually changed and… Just follow me, please.”

“I see. Roger. I’ll be in your care, Jessica-chan.”

Sorry, Tilea-san. The location hasn’t actually changed at all. But I’m sure of it now. Without Tilea-san, we can’t defeat the demons. For now, we’ve defeated one of their four generals. I need Tilea-san to defeat the others.

I searched for mana in all directions.

Once I find large spots of mana, I’ll lead Tilea-san there. I feel bad about this, but I hope she’ll accompany me for just a little longer.

Eventually, I found something.

Huh? Why? W-Why does a mana like this exist?

---

“Hmph. There it is. A slip.”
A modification of Akagi’s catchphrase. Or I suppose, the exact catchphrase of ‘Akagin’.

Also, one more,

---

<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

 

Everybody, please check the FAQ first before asking me questions.
If it’s not on there, please feel free and ask. I only get annoyed at questions when the same one has been asked 10+ times, and by then I’ll have updated the FAQ.
Thank you for your consideration, guys!

---

Chapter 11 – Jessica and the Final Game

The demons were shuddering. After all, after assuming that it would be a dead set result, this kind of result was thrust before them.

On the other hand, Tilea-san was all smiles. She was getting ahead of herself. Her attitude was incredibly filled with confidence now.

“Tilea-san.”

“Jessica-chan. Huhu, these guys aren’t a big deal. They’re a bunch of simpletons. At first I was scared because I heard it was a death game, but if this is all, it looks like we’ll be fine.”

“I-, I see…”

“Mn, so relax. Right now, it’s like I’ve been possessed by the Gambling Warrior Akagin. I can see it. I can see through it all! Their thoughts are completely visible to me! FUHUHAAHAAHAAHAAHA!”

Or so she declared full of confidence, but what I suspected painted a different story. Anyway, let’s see if I’m right. While the demons were still stunned, I snuck into the Field(Battleground).

Uuu, it reeks of blood.

Inside, the corpses all showed expressions of disbelief. While ignoring the stench that assaulted my nose, I went to investigate the helmets worn by the demons, and the swords pierced through them.

Uu, this is so grossss~

But I want to know the truth.

While enduring the nausea, I checked them one by one. It felt like the corpses were staring at me with their widened eyes. I felt like I would faint if I looked back, so I just desperately endured as I checked.

The result――

First match. Tilea-san’s sword was fire, and the demon’s helmet was fire. Even though they should have neutralised as the same attribute… Tilea-san killed him in one strike.

Second match. Tilea-san’s helmet was fire. The demon’s sword was water. Even though it should have been a Critical Hit, Tilea-san neutralised it.
To have defended against a strengthened elemental attack, just how hard is she.

In the same way, I investigated the third, and fourth match…

I found that Tilea-san defended against three Critical Hits, while she attacked two No Damages. In terms of predicting the opponent, it was a crushing defeat for her.

Haha, in front of Tilea-san, rules don’t mean a thing, huh. Although I had guessed this, it really is too ridiculous.

What on earth is she?

She’s definitely no human. Then, a beastman, elf, or perhaps a dragonoid? But her physical characteristics don’t match either of them, and her completely extraordinary combat strength is closer to a demon’s.

Then, a demon?

Hm~mm, but the attribute I feel from her is closer to light than dark. So I guess she really is a Hero’s descendant? She herself denied it, but it’s the one that makes the most sense. Her intelligence is one thing, but the rest of her abilities are like the stuff of legends.

While thinking about the questions I’ve been having this whole time, I left the room to find Tilea-san provoking the demons.

“Well? Who’s my next opponent?”

“H-, How dare you! Then I, the second in command shall…”

“Wait, Gilgant. This is the first time in a while that an opponent has excited my heart. This girl is worthy of being my opponent!”

“Then Horus-sama, you yourself shall be participating?”

“Umu. I shall personally bring the hammer down on her.”

“I see. So the big boss himself has finally come out, huh.”

“Huhu, girly, may I ask your name?”

“It’s Tilea.”

“Then Tilea. Let’s play a game where we use a mana absorption tool.”

“A mana absorption tool?”

“Indeed. It’s exactly as it sounds; a machine that absorbs mana. Our next game will feature one. We shall use mana as chips to play our game!”

Mana as chips!?

There’s no doubt that no matter the game, having more chips gives you an advantage. Demons already begin with high mana. That makes it a handicap from the very start. My mana would be out of the question. It wouldn’t even be a game if your chips ran out right away. On the other hand, Tilea-san overwhelms them in the mana department.

But as for using her head…

Already, I can see in my mind, the scene of her mountain of chips disappearing in a blink.

“Tilea-san, we’re at a disadvantage here.”

“Y-, Yeah. Using mana as chips is just way too advantageous to them.”

“Fumu. You are correct in your discontent. Very well then, in exchange, you two shall choose the game. In that case, if you come up with the right rules, even you have a chance of winning.”

“Ohh~? Is it fine for me to choose? No matter what kind of game?”

“Indeed. As long as there are no overwhelming faults with it, any game is fine.”

“I see… Then it’s going to be a mahjong match!”

Marge’Ong!? What kind of game is that?

Tilea-san suddenly proposed the name of some game I’d never heard of. It’s not like I think I know of all the games in the world, but ‘Marge’Ong’ is just so alien sounding.

That’s fine in and of itself, but I’m just hoping that it’s not another one of Tilea-san running wild as usual…

“‘Marge’Ong’ you say? I am a man proficient in all fields, and yet I have never heard of this ‘Marge’Ong’. Interesting. So what kind of game is this? It is a game suggested by you, who has overwhelmed my Wisdom Unit. I am truly intrigued.”

At Horus’ prompt, Tilea-san began to explain the rules of ‘Marge’Ong’ to us.

From what she said, ‘Marge’Ong’ is a four-way competition. Four players sit around a table, and tiles called ‘hai’ are gathered from a total pool of 136 in order to form combinations called ‘yaku’. This is done numerous times, and points are gathered as it happens. The results of the game are determined at the end of the game, when the points are tallied.

A-, Amazing.

From what I heard, not only does ‘Marge’Ong’ have a well developed set of rules, you can tell that it’s a very strategic game. An interesting game that fits gambling perfectly. If ‘Marge’Ong’ spread in the capital, I’ll bet everybody would love it too.

But still, it was shocking that Tilea-san knew the rules of ‘Marge’Ong’ off by heart. Considering how bad she is with using her head, it’s quite a rare feat.

Could it be that Tilea-san was really into ‘Marge’Ong’ back in her hometown?

“Fumu, what a truly interesting game! Very well, the next game shall be this ‘Marge’Ong’.”

“But well, although I was the one who recommended it, what are we going to do about the mat and tiles?”

“It is but a simple matter for us to create them through magic.”

Horus created the ‘hai’, ‘riichi stick’ and other things that she mentioned were used in ‘Marge’Ong’. It was an incredibly high level use of creation magic. I thought so about the swords and helmets too, but demons really do use a level of magic that humans can’t compare to.

And then…

“They’re done. As ‘Marge’Ong’ is a four player game, this shall be a tag match.”

“Jessica-chan, I’ll help you out, so could you participate too?”

“Y-, Yes.”

“Thanks. Also, do you understand the rules to mahjong?”

“Yes, more or less. Only, I’m a little uneasy about the scoring for the ‘yaku’, so could I trouble you to write them on paper later?”

“Got it. Are you guys fine too?”

“Who do you think you are asking? Do not make light of the Wisdom General! Hearing just one explanation is enough for rules of this level.”

As expected of Wisdom General Horus. It seems he’s noticed the nature of ‘Marge’Ong’, and is already forming strategies too. I desperately tried to memorise the things written on Tilea-san’s memo.

“That reminds me, shall we not use mana as this ‘skoring bord’!”

“Yes, I’m fine with that.”

“Ku ku, your attitude is praiseworthy. But are you fine with that? The mana of a human will run out in no time. Once you run out of mana, it begins to take your vitality, and once you run out of that as well there awaits only death, you know.”

“I’m completely fine, I said!”

“W-W-, Tilea-san, please think this through! If you get too ahead of yourself, things will end in disaster!”

“Huhu, Jessica-chan, if this were any other game, you might be right, but I never lose in mahjong. I may look like this, but I used to be famous at the game centre under the name ‘Shioda the Stripper’ you know.”

Shiyodah Thess Rippah? Geme Sentah? What the heck is she on about? Tilea-san is talking about stuff I don’t understand again.

“Tilea-san, it looks like you’re confident but the opponent is on a different level this time. Even if they’re beginners at ‘Marge’Ong’, it doesn’t mean…”

“Jessica-chan, your worries are needless. From the earlier game, I’m already sure of it. There’s actually nothing to fear about demons. Even if I don’t have much mana, as long as I keep winning, there’s no problem.”

Aahh, it’s no good. Because she thinks she won all the matches earlier, Tilea-san is on an unstoppable rampage.

What do I do? Should I just let her play?

Hmmmm… Well, I guess that’s fine. Tilea-san’s chip(mana) is way beyond the norm. She seems confident in ‘Marge’Ong’ too, and as long as she doesn’t lose too badly, it should be fine. And also, this time it’s a tag match so I’ll be playing as well. If anything happens, I’ll follow up for her.

And so, the match began at the table with Wisdom General Horus, and Vice-General Gilgant. We shuffled the ‘hai(tiles)’ as we began forming strategies. Tilea-san began as ‘ton(East)’ or the dealer.

Tilea-san, staying as the first dealer is really important, you know.

But my wishes came to nothing, because she immediately lost the dealership.

Right now, Horus in the ‘shaa(West)’ corner was dealer.

But still, in just these few turns, I really felt the depth of this game. I already had a hint from listening to the rules, but after playing it myself, I became keenly aware of it. When the opponent is a ‘hai(tile)’ away from completion, it’s standard to cut your losses, but it’s also important to decide how aggressively you go about things. And it’s difficult to determine when somebody will be ‘tenpai’, or waiting for their winning ‘hai(tile)’.

I looked at ‘shaake(West Player)’ Horus’ ‘sutehai(discarded tiles)’. In ‘Marge’Ong’, the ‘sutehai’ are an important source of information on the states of the other players. You observe their discarded tiles, the ‘hand’ you guess they’re building, and their facial expressions. In the 5th round, it was hard to tell if he was ‘tenpai’ from his ‘sutehai’. Even if I assume that he’s ‘tenpai’, I think that ‘tanyao’ is the best that he can do, but…

Uuu, it’s impossible. It’s too hard to tell with confidence. Horus is combining his wiliness into his plots and running circles around us. Not just that, the Vice General Gilgant is more intelligent than I am. The way he’s handling the ‘hai’ is efficient to the extreme.

Their hands are fast, and they have no openings.

I frantically tried to read their ‘hands’ while hiding my own information, but they were steps ahead of me.

Uu, we’re stuck in their pace for this game as well.

Just as I was lamenting,

“It’s here, here, heeeeere! Hell yeah!”

I heard Tilea-san talking to herself. I-, It’s no good. She’s an open book. She’s definitely in ‘tenpai’. Looking at her ‘sutehai’… She’s probably waiting for a ‘ryanman(20,000)’ or an ‘uuman(50,000)’.

Aahh aahh, Tilea-san arranges all her tiles from highest to lowest, so you can completely read her ‘hand’. At first, Horus and the others all thought that Tilea-san was a sage, so they assumed that it was all an act.

But… they know now, don’t they?

Maybe they thought that she won in Elemental Predict due to pure luck. The true is different though.

“Hmph, this situation is too good not to riichi.”

As expected, Tilea-san declared ‘riichi’. But only a little later, Tilea-san received a direct hit from Horus.

“‘Ron’, ‘Pinfu, Tanyao, Iipeikou…’ It’s ‘Mangan’!”

“GAHAH-!”

Tilea-san screamed, before dropping her shoulders in defeat. I drew my mouth to her ears.

“T-, Tilea-san, are you okay?”

“Ha ha, I-, I’m fine, fine. Huhu, geez, w-, with this handicap, the game is finally worth playing. Ahaha, hahah…”

Tilea-san’s eyes have become dots.

Even since Horus became the dealer, he’s been sniping Tilea-san. Most of her ‘skoring stik’ is gone now, so I have to try my best or else!

Then, in the next game…

After a few rounds, Horus placed the ‘riichi stick’ on the table.

“‘Riichi’!”

A ‘riichi’ from the dealer. I don’t want to take this direct. I looked carefully at Horus’ ‘hand’. I get the feeling that something big is coming. A ‘mangan’, no, a ‘haneman’-class ‘yaku’ I expect.

It’s vexing, but we’d better fold.

I just hope Tilea-san follows…

“Kan!”

Eh-!? I doubted my ears. Tilea-san suddenly shouted ‘kan’.

Tilea-san, do you understand the situation? Horus just declared ‘riichi’.

Speaking of which, Tilea-san has been meaninglessly declaring ‘kan’ for a while now…

“Another kan!”

Eh? Eh? What the heck is this woman doing? I have no clue anymore. This is bad. At this rate, Horus is going to raise.

And then, just as I expected…

“I see. ‘Ron’, ‘Riichi, Tanyao, Pinfu… 2 Dora’ and then… Ohh. ‘Uradora’ as well. It’s a ‘Baiman’.”

“GAHAH-!”

Not “GAHAH”!

I couldn’t bear it, so I declared a time-out, and pulled Tilea-san away from the table to talk.

“Tilea-san, please cut it out already. You need to think properly!”

“U-, Umm… Y-, Yeah, I am, sort of.”

“Then why did you ‘kan’! He had already declared ‘riichi’. Why did you go out of your way to ‘kan’ when it had no strategic value, and only increased the risk? Or could it be that you actually had some reason to use ‘kan’ each time?”

“U-, Umm, well, as a rinshan user, I just kinda…”

“Hahh? Rinshan user, as in the ‘yaku’ ‘Rinshan Kaihou’? Why did you do something risky just for the sake of such a cheap yaku!”

“J-, Jessica-chan, your eyes are a little scary.”

“Do you really understand the situation? Tilea-san, at this rate, we’re going to ‘Bust’, you know.”

“I-, Is it that bad…?”

“…Tilea-san, the situation is extremely bad. At the moment, we’re definitely minus 30,000 points. In other words, we’ve lost 30,000 units of mana.”

“T-, Then… could it be that we’ve lost an active adventurer’s worth of mana?”

“Tilea-san, your thinking is too naive. The number of adventurers whose mana exceeds 10,000 in this world, can be counted with your fingers.”

“Eh? Really?”

“Yes. The S-ranked Remilia-sama is roughly 20,000 mana.”

“T-, That can’t be… W-, W-W-What do we do?”

“Well you see, at this rate, we’ll be at least minus 100,000 by the end of this game. Do you understand what minus 100,000 means?”

“W-, What does it mean?”

“It means that the mana we’ll have lost is equal to the legendary founder of magic, Camilla! Also, Tilea-san, this is a little hard to say, but Horus’ pride has been hurt because his subordinates lost. If you consider how motivated he is to win this, it won’t stop anywhere near 100,000 mana!”

“ABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABA!”

Ah-, uh oh. I may have threatened her a little much. Tilea-san just broke. But, just how much mana does Tilea-san actually have? Definitely over 10,000. I get the feeling that she might even have 100,000. I’m a beginner myself, so anything above 10,000 is just too powerful for me to measure. Perhaps even if we lose the game, Tilea-san will be totally fine. But games really are impossible for Tilea-san. I should try and convince her to change strategies.

“Tilea-san, there’s no point in continuing this game any more. Let’s give up!”

“Awawawa, I-, I guess you’re right. It’s just like you say, Jessica-chan. At this rate, it’s obvious that we won’t win normally.”

“Yes, that’s why battle should be our――”

“I-I’ll do it.  It’s time to do it. It’s down to my final plan, the Tsubamegaeshi!”

‘Tsubamegaeshi’? Apparently it’s a technique of some sort. Anyway, I wonder if I succeeded in getting her to battle.

---

<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

 

Everybody, please check the FAQ first before asking me questions.
If it’s not on there, please feel free and ask. I only get annoyed at questions when the same one has been asked 10+ times, and by then I’ll have updated the FAQ.
Thank you for your consideration, guys!

---

Chapter 10 – Jessica and the Extraordinary

“Honestly, you can’t even remember the rules?”

“G-, Got a problem? I’ll remember it any minute now, so just you wait.”

“Then you’re an idiot! Comparing wits with an idiot like this would damage my pride as the Wisdom Unit’s Blitzkreig Unit Captain. Horus-sama, this blonde girl lacks the qualifications to participate in our game. Let us kill her immediately!”

“W-Wait a m-momenttt――! I-, Isn’t it too much to associate intelligence with memory! I’m actually really smart, okay? T-, To kill me is… PLEEASE LET ME PLAY THE GAMEEEE!”

“Enough, Gesu. We possess the advantage either way. And the girl from the academy seems to be a little smarter. You can enjoy your game with her. As for the blonde girl, you can simply consider her a way to get the other used to the game.”

“I-, I understand. If you say so, then I have no complaints and… w-, will endure.”

Aahh geez, they’re really saying whatever they want about her. Tilea-san, you can’t get sulky now. They might realise you aren’t all that smart. Well, perhaps they’ve already realised though…

It looks like this Gesu is proud to be Captain of the Horus Blitzkreig Unit. To play with an idi-… Ahem. To play with a pure person like Tilea-san must be quite a humiliation. Gesu was visibly dissatisfied with Horus’ decision, and glared reproachfully at Tilea-san.

“Hahh~ Why do I need to have a match with an idiot like you. An idiot like you is just going to die from a critical this very instant, so just prepare yourself!”

“…Y-, You guys, for a while now you’ve just been saying idiot idiot as much as you like, huh! So I’m having a teeny bit of trouble remembering the rules. So what! Hmph, games where you read each other’s thoughts are more about overall intelligence rather than simple memory strength!”

“Hmph. A girl with no merits except her big mouth. More importantly, are you still staring at that memo!? Hurry up!”

“Y-, You’re so noisy. Alright already. Ummm, so fire and water are opposites, and so are wood and wind… and wind and earth have good compatibility… mumble mumble…”

“…Oi, enough already. How long are you going to have me wait. Enough. I don’t care if you use your memo, so let’s enter the Field(Battleground) already.”

Tilea-san and Gesu headed into the special room prepared for their match. The game is going to played 1 vs 1, so third parties can’t enter. Additionally, the room was built so that Trace(Investigation) Magic can’t be used. After all, Trace Magic would allow you to tell what attributes everything had, so there would be no point in playing. The game was designed as a pure contest of reading the opponent. The armours and helmets all look alike, so the key is to predict what your opponent is going to do.

After the two of them entered, they apparently sat at a table. I couldn’t see inside, but I could hear Tilea-san’s voice.

Tilea-san, try your best! I gazed at the room in prayer.

“Come. You can begin the match. Show me the final struggles of an idiot!”

I could hear the pride in his voice. He’s probably got a good idea of her actual brain power. His tone was incredibly haughty.

“Well then, here I come. Umm, which should I start with… Okay, this one!”

“So you’re fine with that sword, I presume. Then come. Strike my helmet.”

“H-, Here we gooo! The first match! TORYAHHH!”

“Heh! Your scheme is as clear as day! I’ll be taking the No Dam――GUHUH-!”

“O-, Owah! What an incredible spray of blood… This sword is way too sharp. D-, Don’t blame me, okay?”

There went Tilea-san’s words of victory. Yes! As expected of Tilea-san. A single strike victory even with a demon as the opponent! It looks like she was lucky enough to chose the right element too.

“I-, Impossible!? Gesu of all people was defeated by that stupid-looking…?”

“Aye. And by a Critical Hit, no less!”

The demons were shocked and panicked.

“Then I am next! It appears that that idiot, Gesu, let his guard down. He is the shame of our Horus Unit!”

Another demon rose to the occasion. A more careful-looking man than Gesu, moved into the room.

“Listen up, girly! My brain power is three times that of Gesu’s. I am here to show you just how powerless you truly are!”

“C-, Come at me!”

“Well then, this time is my turn to attack. Quickly choose a helmet!”

“Eh-!? I thought I was…”

“Did you not only just attack Gesu? The next attack belongs to the demon team.”

“T-, That can’t be… Wait a moment!”

“Hurry up and choose! Or would you prefer to take my attack without a helmet?”

“O-, Okay. Just wait a moment. U-, Ummm, which should I… Okay, this one!”

“Ku ku, you dance in the palm of my hand. I’ll be taking a Critical Hit.”

“U-, UWAH! Whoa, my h-heart w-wasn’t rea-… Huh? It doesn’t hurt. Huhu, looks like it’s a No Damage.”

“I-, IMPOSSIBLE!? This is strange. My prediction was flawless. Show me your helmet!”

“Heh, what a sore loser. You simply made a mistake. Now then, hurry up and choose a helmet. Or would you prefer to take my strike without one?”

“R-, RIDICULOUS! Very well. A fluke never occurs twice. Now come. If you are going to strike me, then strike!”

“O-, Okay. Well then, TORYAHHH!”

“Fool. I have already seen through your fire――GUHAH-!”

“O-, Oohhh. If he’s down in one strike, I guess that makes it another Critical Hit, huh. Huhu, it looks like I’m actually a genius at this game. Truly the Akagin of the Fantasy World.”

Mn. The sounds coming from the room are almost like a comedy skit.

Considering Tilea-san’s words so far… T-, Tilea-san, are you actually getting Critical Hits?

Could it be that rather than elemental affinities, it’s just raw arm strength…?

Ahh, I’m supposed to be happy, I guess, but… Still, what an extraordinary person she is.

“I-, It can’t be. The elites of our Wisdom Unit are suffering consecutive defeats…?”

“What’s wrong? Who’s my next opponent? Hey, find me a guy who was three times smarter than the last guy.”

“Kuh-! Getting ahead of yourself… I-, I shall be next.”

“Fine by me. Come at me. Shall I, the second coming of Akagin, find a worthy opponent in you?”

Responding to Tilea-san’s provocations, another challenger entered the Field(Battleground).

“Next is my turn. TORYAAAA!”

“Fool, I already know you are using wood. My defence is――GUHAH-!”

…After that, a number of demons entered the room to challenge her, but all of them ended the same way as their predecessors.

“I-, Impossible. For the prided elites of our Wisdom Unit to… And of all things, consecutive losses…”

“Five Critical Hits in a row is unbelievable! T-, This must be trickery. YOU! I bet you’re cheating!”

The demons, finally losing their patience, began pressing Tilea-san for answers. And if my guess was correct, just as the demons were claiming, Tilea-san was as good as cheating.

“Now where is this coming from…? You know, in my world, we have a saying. Cheating isn’t cheating if nobody can prove it! If you’re going to accuse me of cheating, then show me your proof. But well, this time I’m really not cheating, though. It’s simply the difference in our ability.”

“I-, It can’t be. Kuh-! Is this true?”

“W-, What cunning words…”

Their faces were warped in disgrace.

“Huhu, your backs are dirty with soot!”

Aahh, geez. And now Tilea-san is getting as carried away as physically possible. She defeated five of these proud demons in a row, so she was incredibly merry now.

This is bad. This pattern again? My stomach is starting to hurt. And demons, please don’t let Tilea-san get so ahead of herself.

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“O-, Oohhh. If he’s down in one strike, I guess that makes it another Critical Hit, huh. Huhu, it looks like I’m a genius at this game. Truly the Fantasy World’s Akagin.”
Obviously a reference to Akagi.

“Your backs are dirty with soot!” is a famous quote said by the protagonist of Naki no Ryuu, usually after winning in some ridiculous/incredible way.
As for what it means, even most Japanese have no idea, so don’t ask me, LOL.
The best guess would be that the opponent is so easily read (i.e. they’re so easy to see through that physical body transparent) that the protagonist can see the soot on their backs.
As for why it’s soot, that part remains a mystery.
But then allegedly the manga is filled with nonsensical phrases, so let’s not think about it too much, and focus instead on how ridiculous Tilea is.

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