BXBX NOVEL The Hidden Village Oni Sisters 4: A Festival Dyed in Blood
The Hidden Village Oni Sisters Chapter 4: A Festival Dyed in Blood
──Rem was completely overwhelmed by the force of that overpowering crowd.
[Rem: Eh…ah…u……]
Rem gets pushed around left and right, overwhelmed by that scene.
The frail voice that leaked from her lips almost made it seem like she returned to the person she was back at the village. Although, if you were to ask if Rem’s true nature had changed from back then, the answer would be no.
She just became capable of doing a few things, and so she became good at misleading people. It was also something that quickly exposed her true colors in unexpected situations. That’s why her old self would show up suddenly, just like how it was now.
[Ram: Rem, you’ll get lost.]
[Rem: ──!?]
A familiar voice suddenly hits Rem’s ear drums while she was surrounded by the surging crowd. Rem’s name was called, which made her shoulders jump, and she turned around. She looks at the face of her beloved sister who worried about her.
[Ram: Are you okay? Is the abundance of people too much for you to handle? I guess it’s expected. After all, it is your first time being somewhere with this many people.]
[Rem: Er…mm……]
The way Ram gently caressed her cheek with her fingers allows her to calm down. Rem puts her hand on her sister’s hand to get a better feeling of it, and when she sighed, she said,
[Rem: ……Nee-sama, sorry for making you worried. I’m fine.]
[Ram: Are you sure? You don’t have to push yourself. If you can’t do it, then you can wait in the dragon carriage quietly……]
[Rem: No really, I’m fine. I can’t be disheartened from something like this.]
When she replied with a smile on her face, Ram pulled her hand back while still feeling a little worried. Rem, who was now more relaxed thanks to her sister, looks around at her surroundings again.
It was still the same. She saw a crowd of an enormous amount of people passing by. The noise and the abundance of presences of people made Rem feel like she was going to faint.
She couldn’t say that there were a lot of humans at the Oni village or at the Mathers residence. That was the only experience Rem had with villages, so to her, this amount of people defied common knowledge.
──The Royal Capital Lugnica, the center of the Dragon Kingdom Lugnica.
The biggest capital of the dragon kingdom , a diverse melting pot with a population of over 300,000.
That was the name and title of the land Rem and Ram were standing on.
[Roswaal: How’s your first time being at the royal capital? It’s preeeetty splendid, right?]
[Frederica: You two, please be very careful so that you don’t get lost. Finding a lost child in this city is no simple task. It’s very difficult.]
Then, the two people who spoke to the attached sisters in the surging crowd were Roswaal and Frederica.
Unlike Rem and Ram, they had plenty of experience with kingdoms and so there was no sign of them being nervous from the abundance of people. With how Rem was now, just that was enough for her to look up to them.
[Ram: It would still be difficult to search for us even when we look this conspicuous?]
[Roswaal: Maid clothes aren’t even unusual in the kingdooom. Innovators with foresight even run restaurants where the workers wear maid uniforms and serve customers. Weeeell, there aren’t really many young maids like you and Rem, so we win in that regard.]
[Ram: I don’t want to know why you feel like you’ve won.]
Ram, pinching the edge of her maid clothes she was now used to, says that in a bored manner.
Since the basement warehouse incident, her sister’s attitude towards Roswaal had been growing more and more bitter.
It seemed tying up a dangerous man, who was even their enemy, in the basement was enough for Ram to be more cautious of Roswaal. But on the other hand, Roswaal showed that he was intending on helping them with their revenge, so Ram felt quite conflicted inside.
[Rem: Sorry, Roswaal-sama. That’s not what Nee-sama truly feels. She just kinda has this lovely side of her that is dishonest.]
In contrast with Ram, Rem was obedient to Roswaal. Ram and Roswaal had opposite reactions to those words that were considerate towards both her master and her sister.
Ram pouted reluctantly, while Roswaal smiled.
[Roswaal: I know. Ram and I talk to each other enough. After all, we do spend sweet time together alone every night until we’re completely satisfied.]
[Ram: Sweet time? Apparently Roswaal-sama’s standard for tastes and my standard for tastes don’t match. Looks like this means the kitchen work you bothered to teach me was a waste.]
[Rem: But Nee-sama…hasn’t your treatment with Roswaal-sama been taking longer lately?]
[Ram: Hmph……]
Rem picks on Ram, who tried to respond sarcastically, with an objective fact.
In actuality, her treatment at night──lately it tended to take a long time. If there was no changes in the details of the treatment, then there had to be a change in their interactions.
[Rem: It would make me happy if Nee-sama and Roswaal-sama got along well.]
[Roswaal: So she saaaays.]
[Ram: ──. ────. ────. ──I’ll do my best.]
Rem nodded as she was satisfied with her sister’s answer, though it did take some time for her to say it.
[Frederica: Okay, let’s leave it at that. If this gets dragged out too long, we won’t be able to take care of our business, though it isn’t an awful lot. But I do agree that a master and his servant should get along well.]
[Rem: Oh, sorry. You’re right.]
Frederica claps her hands and moves the conversation forward. Rem apologies quietly in response to her and renews her consciousness, as she was getting carried away by being in the royal capital for the first time. It was her first time going far and her first time at a royal capital, but they weren’t there to fool around──
[Rem: Roswaal-sama’s relatives are having a baby. We are looking for gifts.]
[Roswaal: Yes. The Miload family will be the collateral descendants of the Mathers family. Grace, who will soon be a mother, is a close friend of mine. I want to celebrate her and her child graaaandly.]
[Ram: For you to go through the trouble going to the royal capital for that, you must have a lot of spare time.]
[Roswaal: I’m giving a gift to a close friend. Of course I’d find the time to choose one myself.]
[Ram: ────]
When Roswaal replied, Ram, who acted cynical again, was the one to stay silent. Even Rem thought that the odds were against her sister in this conversation.
Unwilling to let the mood stay like this, Rem points at the crowds of people.
[Rem: S─Still, that’s quite a lot of people. Is the royal capital always like this?]
[Roswaal: It’s not an unusual scene for the royal capital……is what I’d like to say. But today is just speciaaaaal. Today is the day of the “Tammuz Festival”, one of the moon festivals that happen once a month.]
[Rem: Tammuz……festival?]
Rem tilts her head upon hearing a word she was unfamiliar with. Seeing Rem do that, Frederica begins a lecture as she held up a finger.
[Frederica: Laguna history is divided into 12 months, right? The days in the middle of those months are the days when moon festivals are held, and people celebrate. This month is Tammuz month……in this area, ice season ends and it’s the time when it starts getting warm, so flowers and fruit and such are on sale a lot.]
[Roswaal: Anyhow, if there’s a moon festival, you’ll find rare stuff that usually doesn’t appear on the market. If you’re going to be giving a present, you might as well make it a special one. And that’s why I came to the capital on the day of a festivaaaaal.]
[Rem: I see, that’s good to know.]
Rem, who got informed about festivals, understood the flamboyant atmosphere of people passing by the capital. She sure was getting glimpses of faces that were more or less carefree. The Oni village also had customs for days of celebration. ──Although, they were mostly days where Ram’s birth was celebrated.
[Frederica: So, Master. What are you looking for today?]
[Ram: He doesn’t know, and I bet that’s why we’re in the capital crowded with people on festival day.]
[Frederica: Gr…….Even so, he should have an idea.]
Ram’s cold words anger Frederica, and she looks at Roswaal as if to confirm her conjecture. Then, Roswaal responds by saying “Of course” as he nodded delightfully.
[Roswaal: Frankly, what I’m looking for is something the baby will be happy with. If it satisfies that condition, then I don’t care what it iiiiiis.]
[Frederica: ……The gift isn’t for Grace-sama?]
[Roswaal: A gift for Grace would be a present for the Miload family. This is something I want to give to celebrate the baby. That’s the plan.]
He was probably saying that the gift would change depending on if it was for the family or if it was for a specific person. Rem and Frederica tug their chins in upon hearing Roswaal’s words, while Ram was the only one to knit her brows pensively.
[Rem: So you want to choose something the baby will like even though it hasn’t been born yet. You sure are asking for quite the feat.]
[Roswaal: Right? It is going to be veeeery difficult. After all, I am famous for not being able to understand feelings even with those whom I talk with face to faaaace.]
[Ram: That’s not something you should be proud of.]
Ram snorted slightly because of Roswaal’s modesty, or at the very least, because of Rem’s judgement. Seeing that girl’s reaction happily, Roswaal clapped his hands as he said “That’s where…”.
Roswaal gathers the attention of the three maids, and he continues while having his hands together.
[Roswaal: Today, starting now, I would like to find a gift with all your help. Since you guys would most likely be better at choosing something than I would beeeee.]
[Frederica: It is an honor to be counted on by Master. But still, what are we going to do?]
Roswaal reveals his intention, and Frederica asks him that with a look that appeared to be just a little nervous. It was an omen that could only be sensed between people who knew each other for a long time, one that Rem and Ram couldn’t understand.
It was her sense of smell reacting to Roswaal’s absurdity he spoke of. Although, even if her sense of smell grasped the omen, she couldn’t escape it, nor could she prevent it.
Then, sure enough, Roswaal’s smile deepened upon hearing Frederica’s question, and he spoke.
[Roswaal: ──We’ll decide on a time and place to meet, and we’ll split into two groups to find a present. A present suitable for a soon to be born child. There will be a prize for the one that does a good jooooob.]
2
[Frederica: Master sure has some troubling ideas……]
[Rem: It’s Roswaal-sama’s idea, so we’ll just have to do it. But what I’m unhappy with is how we were split. I wanted to be with Nee-sama……]
[Frederica: I know you don’t mean any harm, but it does kinda hurt when you say that.]
While walking around the capital’s shopping street together, Rem’s frank statement makes Frederica’s cheeks twitch. Seeing that reaction, Rem immediately bows her head as she said “Sorry”.
Roswaal’s idea──or rather, as a result of the “Birthday Celebration Selection” division, as you can see, Ram and Roswaal were paired together, while Rem and Frederica were grouped together.
It was inevitable for Roswaal and Frederica to be split, who were knowledgeable of the capital’s geography and were unlikely to get lost, and take care of Rem and Ram. Rem would be happy if the sisters were one group and Roswaal and Frederica were another, but then it would be difficult to get back together afterwards.
[Rem: If we can’t do that, as long as Roswaal-sama or Frederica-sama goes alone, we can be divided into a 3 man group, with me and Nee-sama, and a one man group……]
[Frederica: You’re being pretty absurd! I’ll be lonely if I have to go alone!]
[Rem: Frederica-sama really is so honest.]
When Rem smiled at the honest girl, Frederica sees it and she squinted her jade green eyes. Then, she murmured “Thank goodness” to catch her breath.
[Rem: Frederica-sama?]
[Frederica: It looks like this trip to the capital has allowed you to relax a bit. That makes me feel relieved. I was worried about your recent behavior.]
[Rem: ────]
[Frederica: I wasn’t sure how much the incident of the enemy sneaking into the basement warehouse scarred you.]
Rem couldn’t find the words to respond to Frederica, who cared for her in a gloomy voice.
As indicated by how Frederica put it as “an enemy sneaking in”, it appeared that she wasn’t aware of the details of the man that was tied to the basement warehouse. According to Roswaal, Clind was the only other person who knew about the man’s existence, and it seemed that the other servants were given an explanation that differed from the truth.
And the only three who knew about the man’s background were Roswaal, Rem, and Ram.
[Rem: Thank you for worrying about me. But I’m fine.]
[Frederica: I can’t just be convinced with that when I see those injuries. Ram’s face was burning red in anger……all of it it happened because Clind had bad timing……!]
[Rem: It’s true that Clind-sama had bad timing, but he is the one who found me worn-out. Besides, Roswaal is teaching me magic now, and so even if something like that happens again, I’ll be able to heal my wounds]
She decided to let Frederica falsely accuse Clind, who Frederica had a grudge against. Moreover, what Rem spoke of was the basic magic Roswaal was teaching her, as promised.
Although Rem know about it at the village, apparently she had an aptitude for “Water” magic, and her technique was improving steadily thanks to Roswaal’s teachings. She was still inexperienced, but soon enough, surely she’d put her attacks and healing techniques to use, and she’d even be able to hold her own in battle.
However──,
[Frederica: Please don’t say that it’ll happen again. There’s no need for an omen like that.]
Frederica did not accept Rem’s response.
[Frederica: I was doing some serious reflection. About that day when I left Rem alone at the mansion. If I was there, you would have never suffered injuries like that.]
[Rem: ……I appreciate your feelings.]
That honest affection makes Rem look away reflexively.
Frederica was truly a kind woman for how she spoke. The woman who was always worrying about her was so nice that she felt inferior for hiding something.
Still, the moment she thought like that, Rem said this to herself.
──Those feelings are too much for a girl for me.
[Rem: ……Oh! Frederica-sama, look. Doesn’t that look like a good place for gifts?]
Looking away from her, Rem finds a gorgeous store, and she gets attracted by it, thinking that she got lucky. It was a jewelry store. Frederica’s eyes widen upon seeing Rem moving quickly.
[Frederica: Dangit, wait, Rem! If you move by yourself, you’ll get lost!}
Then, she raised her voice, back to acting like the nagging teacher she usually was.
Even after that, Rem and Frederica’s “Present Searching” continued endlessly.
They walked around being fascinated by the full bloom flowers, felt the horror from the eye-popping prices at the jewelry store, and sat down and ate the food they bought at food stands since they figured eating while walking would be indecent──.
[Frederica: All right, now’s about time we should really narrow down our choices.]
After using about half of the 6 hours they had to search for a gift, the two of them had a strategy meeting while taking a break in front of a water fountain at a park.
In Frederica’s hand there was a note that had all the names of the stores they had visited and potential gifts written down. As they looked at that, in a friendly way, they thought deeply about what would be good choice.
[Rem: A gift, something it would be happy with……when I think about it like that, it feels really difficult.]
[Frederica: It really does, huh. Rem, if, for example, Ram was going to give a present to you, what would make you happy?]
[Rem: The fact that Nee-sama is willing to give me a gift would make me happy.]
[Frederica: That was a bad example. Hmm, let’s see……switching places, what would you give Ram? To your precious twin sister.]
Upon hearing that question, Rem feels a shock that was like getting hit by lighting, and it made her whole body tremble.
If Rem was going to give Ram a gift…what in the world would she give her? Rem had already given Ram things before. But all those things were given when they were at the village, and in that life that had nothing to do with money, Rem only gave her things like corollas and steamed potatoes──.
[Rem: But now that I’m being paid, I can give Nee-sama presents……!]
[Frederica: Rem? Hey, Rem. Are you listening to me? Reeemmm, I shouldn’t have aaasked.]
[Rem: Sorry, Frederica-sama. I have to find a present for Nee-sama now!]
[Frederica: I admit that it’s all my fault for asking! Sit down! Please sit down!]
Frederica stops Rem, who stood up and was about to run off as fast as she could at any moment.
Without her horn out, Rem couldn’t match her physical strength, so she gave in reluctantly. Frederica, who dealt with Rem’s unexpected resistance, felt relieved as she caressed her long blond hair.
[Frederica: You’re just like Ram with how you’re sometimes hard to deal with, and it sure does give the feeling that you’re both twins.]
[Rem: My……your praise is going to make me blush……]
[Frederica: Sorry for making you blush, but I’ll be moving on. By the way, seeing how you just acted, I’m guessing that you’ve never given a present to someone?]
[Rem: Umm……nope. Nobody besides Nee-sama. And Nee-sama never has either.]
Frederica’s question probably also meant to imply things like “gifts for babies and young people”, similar to what they were looking for now. Unfortunately, Rem never had opportunities like that.
[Rem: The Oni village never bore much children at all, and Nee-sama and I were the youngest there. There was no one near our age, and Nee-sama received special treatment……]
[Frederica: ……I said something insensitive again.]
[Rem: Oh! So, Frederica-sama, how about you? Has your little brother ever given you a present?]
Rem senses Frederica reflecting upon herself, so she panics and changes the subject.
[Rem: You did say that he is at “Sanctuary. And you did send him a letter.]
When Ram and Roswaal left to “Sanctuary” the other day, Frederica gave Ram a letter. That was also when she found out that she had a brother.
Frederica nods at Rem, who remembered the name Garfiel.
[Frederica: Uhh, I send him a letter and a present on his birthday. That said, he doesn’t respond, but I still continue to send him gifts.]
[Rem: What do you send him?]
[Frederica: When I talked with Master, he said that Garfiel likes to read books. He wants to become heroic, so I send him heroic tales of the past.]
Frederica, with eyes that looked kind but lonesome, reminisces about the past. However, when her eyes widened immediately after she spoke, almost in a whisper, she murmured “That’s true” as if she had been convinced.
[Frederica: I’m sure that would be fine. It is a gift for a baby whose face we haven’t even seen yet, after all. As long as we give something that tells it that we wish for it to have a future full of happiness, then it should be fine.]
[Rem: Frederica-sama?]
[Frederica: I found a solution thanks to Rem. It’’ll make Master tear up too.]
[Rem: That……makes me a bit excited.]
Although she wasn’t sure how her opinion helped, Frederica seemed to have found the answer to their test. If that was the case, then there shouldn’t be any problem if she went along with her idea.
Rem, being hurried by Frederica who said “Hurry hurry” as she was impatient, left the park with her, and they return to the shopping street. They were probably going to one of the shops decorated with several white stars.
[Rem: Frederica-sama, where are we headed?]
[Frederica: We’re going to find a gift that will let the baby know that we wish for it to grow up into a healthy and graceful woman.]
[Rem: But we don’t know for sure that it’s a girl, since it hasn’t been born yet.]
Rem, while Frederica gave her a wry smile and acted premature, chases after the tall girl who went ahead of her. Frederica enters the crowd, and she moves forward while pushing her way through the surging crowd. She heads toward the street with the shop they were going to while copying the way she walked and──
[Rem: ──!?]
In the middle of doing that, Rem smelled an unbearable stink that slipped into her nasal cavity, and she stopped moving.
[Rem: ────]
The chills go through Rem’s whole body, and she looks all around her as she stood still.
The crowd of people walking avoid the girl who stood still, as if they were annoyed. Without even minding those reactions, Rem sharpened her sense of smell as she looked for the source of the stink.
This feeling, this scent, it had to be the smell she came across in that basement. It was the scent she smelled on that fiery night when Rem and Ram’s village burned.
She didn’t have a reason nor any proof. However, this was the evil scent that deserved to be punished.
[Frederica: ──Rem, what’s wrong?]
Frederica notices that Rem stopped, and she calls out to her. However, Rem turned around without answering her, and the stink──she turned her attention towards the path that lead to the alley where that wafted.
[Frederica: Rem──!?]
Rem, following the smell, pushes her way through the crowd and rushes into the alley. Behind her, Frederica called Rem, almost sounding like she was screaming, but it didn’t make her slow down.
When she entered the alley, the capital’s main street lost its splendor, and she rushed into a dim space that blocked sunlight and sound. While Rem blotted out the noise that could be heard from afar with her footsteps and breathing, she looked in the narrow path with her eyes wide-open.
The smell was near. Rem gets closer at once while she stopped the rage in her throat from exploding. The path curves over and over. She starts running so fast that her footsteps were practically burning onto the ground, and she arrived at the deepest part of the alley.
But──,
[Rem: There’s no one here……!?]
Rem, hitting a dead end, growls that while grinding her teeth in anger.
She saw no one at the deepest part of the alley surrounded by the city’s outer wall. There truly was a stink in the space enveloped in darkness, but there was neither the shadow nor the form of the villain that caused it.
[Rem: Why…why why…why……!]
Rem’s vision turns red from the absurdity, and she stamps her feet to distract herself from her irritation. She was cracking the stone paving with her Oni leg power, but her anger wasn’t fading at all. She stomps, stomps, and stomps──
[Frederica: Rem, stop this now! This the capital, the territory of the highest nobles!]
Rem, taking her anger out on the alley, has her arm grabbed by Frederica, who had been chasing her from behind. While breathing lightly, Frederica frowns upon seeing Rem’s behavior.
[Frederica: What happened to you? You started running all of a sudden, and now this……]
[Rem: Nee-sama’s and my enemy was here.]
[Frederica: ────]
Hearing that firm answer, Frederica freezes, unable to speak. But when she swallowed her saliva, she immediately came back to her senses.
[Frederica: Nee-sama and your enemy……you mean the witch cult?]
[Rem: Yes. The witch cult. One of the remaining three was here.]
She was sure he was there. No doubt about it. Rem nods at Frederica over and over with confidence.
However, Frederica looked displeased with Rem’s assertion.
[Frederica: Why do you say that? The witch cultists can’t be found so easily……]
[Rem: ──! I can! I can tell! Their……I can sense their smell! The disgusting, awful smell of an evil person!]
Frederica gazes in wonderment at Rem, whose voice cracked as she pleaded with her.
Even Rem herself didn’t know why she could sense the witch cultists smell. If Rem had to give a reason for it, it would be that her Oni hunting instincts were commanding her. Her Oni blood granted her something necessary to carry out retribution for the Oni clan and so that she could be Ram’s horn.
There was nothing more to it. And there didn’t have to be.
[Rem: Why don’t you believe me!? If I noticed sooner, they wouldn’t have gotten away……! If it was Nee-sama…if it was Nee-sama, they definitely wouldn’t have gotten away……!]
They were in a capital with so many people. Even finding only three people would be impossible if they disappeared into this crowd. She missed a golden opportunity.
It was the worst failure. If it was Ram, this wouldn’t have happened. And yet──
[Rem: For…Nee-sama……I will……!]
[Frederica: ────]
Rem clenches her fist so tight that she starts bleeding, and she roars while feeling regret from the bottom of her heart. Frederica lowered her eyes, unable to bear looking at Rem acting like that, and then she raised her voice saying “Ah” as she noticed something.
[Frederica: Could that be……]
Frederica ran up close to the wall while she murmured. At her feet, there was something small that fell out, something Rem overlooked. Frederica picks it up carefully.
[Rem: Frederica-sama, what is that……?]
Rem, who tried to walk up to Frederica, grimaces from the sudden stink. The stink characteristic of the witch cult was coming from Frederica’s hand──from the small bag she picked up.
[Frederica: Rem, well done.]
[Rem: Huh……?]
[Frederica: Let’s meet back up with Master right away. We have to get rid of those who will disturb the moon festival.]
With a firm tone, Frederica says that to Rem, who was disturbed by the small bag. Then, without waiting for Rem’s reply, Frederica tightly closes the small bag.
[Frederica: ──The witch cultists were here for sure. I believe it now.]
That’s what she said with a nod to affirm Rem’s sense of smell.
3
[Roswaal: I seeeee. So this was kept in the alley. I’m surprised you found it.]
[Frederica: Rem found it. She chased after the witch cultists’ stink……or well, the miasma.]
Roswaal joined them earlier than he had planned. He figured there was something wrong with the two servants who had stiff and pale expressions, and he immediately sought an explanation for the situation at a deserted place.
The sensing of the stink, the empty alley, and the small bag with a stink that was left in the alley──Frederica quickly explains the situation, disregarding Rem, and Roswaal tugged his chin in upon hearing those details.
The master, leaning his back against the wall next to the street, ponders over the small bag in his hand. During this time when Roswaal stayed silent, Rem stood still with nothing to do, and someone pulled on her sleeve.
When she turned around, she saw Ram. But her appearance was completely different from how she looked like when she left to go shopping. That was because──
[Rem: Nee-sama, you have completely different clothes and hair ornaments.]
[Ram: ……Roswaal-sama had some fun and dressed me up in all kinds of clothes.]
She wore a pink dress as her maid clothes. She had a tiara with jewels as hair ornaments. Her whole outfit was new, and Ram looked pretty like a fairy.
But Ram was displeased with those clothes, and above all, that wasn’t what she was concerned with at this time.
[Ram: Putting that matter aside, Rem, nothing happened to you? Nothing dangerous happened?]
[Rem: I’m fine. But, I’m sorry, Nee-sama. I was sure I found one of the remaining three people, but I let them get away……]
[Ram: It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. Rem’s safety comes first. Retribution……should be carried out by the two of us together. Isn’t that right?]
[Rem: ……Yes.]
Ram starts to feel her face. Rem puts her hand over her fingers, and she nods to agree with her sister.
They were going to carry out retribution for the Oni clan together. That’s what Ram said. However, Rem was under a vow that was different from what her sister vowed with those words.
──Retribution was what Ram wished for. And so Rem had to grant that as her sister’s back up.
She was glad that Ram worried and cared for her, but she wanted to avoid exposing her sister to danger if possible.
While keeping that wish a secret, Rem responded to Rem’s sincere eyes with a lying smile. Then, before Ram could say something in response to Rem, Roswaal spoke.
[Roswaal: Rem, first of all, this is a glorious achievement. Had nobody noticed that this was left behind in the alley, a terrible disaster might have happened in the capital. Truuuuly a great feat.]
[Rem: Is it really that big of a deal?]
[Roswaal: This isn’t something that is dangerous by itself. But if it’s left alone for a long time, there’s a high chance for it to harm those around iiiiit.]
Roswaal shakes the small bag in his hand, and with one eye he looks at Rem, who had a virtual question mark above her head.
[Roswaal: Inside there is a magical stone soaked in miasma……they’re called magical miasma stones. If you swallow it, you might die instantly, so you shouldn’t it eat them no matter what.]
[Ram: There is no idiot out there that would swallow a stone.]
[Roswaal: Exactly. If it’s a human, they wouldn’t make that mistake. If they’re human.]
He responds to Ram with a statement that sounded like cynical banter, and she knits her brows dubiously.
[Ram: ……In other words, they’re going for non-humans? Like animals or something?]
[Roswaal: Only the criminals themselves know who the real targets are. Still, if the miasma slips by for too long, people will go mad. Animals are no exceptions either. Plus, there is a theory which says that they become mabeasts by taking in magical miasma stones. Surprisingly, they might actually be going for animals.]
[Rem: Animals eating magical miasma stones……that’s how mabeasts are born?]
Mabeasts are evil entities that are born and only have intentions to harm other life.
Every mabeast has a horn on their forehead, and they do not attack other life out of hunger, but because of their intent to murder and their malice. The many mysteries behind their ecology were even frequently observed near the Oni village, and they were dealt with accordingly.
[Rem: I’m pretty sure Nee-sama’s first prey was a mabeast too.]
[Ram: ……Yeah, it was a Guiltylowe. Even though it had a large body, it was stupid, so I had no trouble.]
[Roswaal: That story makes me wonder what you’ll be in the future. However, it doesn’t have to do with how mabeasts actually multiply. There are a lot of rumors related to magical miasma stones that sound fishy. ……Though, they all tend to say that they have adverse effects.]
While speaking, Roswaal puts the contents of the small bag into his palm. That’s when the suffocating stink came out, Rem frowned, and Ram looked at it with interest.
It was a dark, magical stone dyed deep black, and if you took a glimpse at it, your instincts would tell you that it was dangerous.
[Frederica: The minds and bodies of people and animals can be ruined if they’re affected by miasma. Regardless of whether or not it transforms animals into mabeasts, it is a wafting miasma that would infect the people in the capital.]
[Roswaal: This is a place that bustles with so many people everyday. If the miasma’s effect spreaded, there would have been significant damaaaage. So good job, Rem.]
With their explanation, Rem understood that she had prevented a disaster before anything happened. She was happy because of that in itself, but her regret about letting the enemy escape still wasn’t going to go away.
And what poured salt on Rem’s wound──
[Ram: ──Is that the only magical miasma stone set in the capital?]
Ram, sharpening her light pink eyes, glares at the magical stone in Roswaal’s palm.
[Ram: The witch cult’s goals……there’s no use in guessing what those low-lifes are thinking, but this is clearly a trap that indiscriminately aimed for an unspecified number of humans. I can’t bring myself to think that those low-lives would do this little when they’re people who do so much.]
[Roswaal: Hmmm. So what do you make out of this?]
[Ram: I figured it out with a map when I was walking around town. Considering how big the capital is and how many areas the magical miasma stone could affect……worst case scenario, there are 24 more places with traps. That’s what I would do.]
[Rem: ──Nee-sama!?]
Rem raised a startled voice when she heard Ram’s surprising statement. Next to her, Frederica also had her eyes open wide. Roswaal was the only one who had quiet admiration in his eyes.
And then, when Roswaal nodded at Ram as she looked at him, he said,
[Roswaal: I do pretty much agree with your conjecture……but do you have an idea of where they’re set up and how many?]
[Ram: If it was me, I wouldn’t choose a roundabout way like stones to hunt prey in the capital.]
[Roswaal: I see. ──You always exceed my expectaaaations.]
Rem felt like behind in this conversation where it seemed as if only Ram and Roswaal understood each other.
Without a pause, Roswaal cracks his knuckles, and Rem, who was puzzled, returns back to reality.
[Roswaal: Then I will now assign roles to each of you. There are people who have evil plans for the moon festival, so how about we smash their scheme into bits and pieceeees?]
[Frederica: All right, Master. ──So what are we going to do?]
Frederica pinches her skirt, and she bows elegantly. Roswaal nods approvingly Frederica, who accepted his orders without any qualms.
[Roswaal: I will go to the station right nearby with Ram. There are a lot of guards in the city during moon festivals, so let’s get them involved in the search for magical stones. Ram will pinpoint the locations. I can count on you, riiiiight?]
[Ram: I’m okay with that. ……But what are you going to make Rem do?]
Ram looks at Rem with concerned eyes while agreeing to Roswaal’s request. Her sister’s eyes were saying, “Don’t make her do anything dangerous”. However, when Roswaal’s smile disappeared from his face, he said,
[Roswaal: Rem and Frederica will carry out the search and destroy mission in the city. Rem’s ability to recognize the miasma’s smell, even while being far away from it, is valuable. She can tell where the magical stones are placed more accurately than you can guess where it is.]
[Ram: ──! But!]
[Roswaal: Aaaand there’s more. If she’s lucky, she might even run into the witch cultists going around that placed the magical stones. Am I wrooooong?]
Roswaal interrupts Ram as she objected, continues speaking up to that point, and finally looks at Rem.
Rem, who had been completely left behind with the topic, widens her eyes upon hearing those words. If the witch cultists were still setting up magical stones, they would appear at other places where they would do so. ──The enemies that deserved to be punished.
[Rem: ──I’ll do it. Let me do it.]
[Ram: Rem──]
Ram raised her voice when Rem took a step forward and replied. But Rem still shook her head at her sister.
[Rem: It’ll be fine, Nee-sama. Besides, I absolutely can’t miss this chance.]
[Ram: Wait, Rem. Please don’t rush by yourself. I……]
[Rem: I’m not rushing by myself. Nee-sama and I are always together. It’s always the two of us. So, the retribution will be carried out with the use of both of our powers too.]
Rem removes Ram’s fingers that were clinging onto her, and she says that with a smile. Rem didn’t back down, even after seeing Ram shocked from those words.
Then, taking the place of Ram who couldn’t stop her sister with her words or her strength,
[Frederica: Ram, it’ll be fine. Rem won’t have to fight alone, nothing like that. I’m someone who regrets not being at the basement on that day, after all.]
[Ram: Frederica……]
[Frederica: Have some faith in your senior maid. I may not look like it, but I am strong, you know?]
Frederica winks at Ram, and she quickly mumbled, unsure of how to respond. Roswaal taps her slender shoulder from behind as he smiled.
[Roswaal: Relax. Besides, Frederica is actually stronger than Rem. In the mansion, me or Clind are just about the only ones who are strooooonger.]
[Frederica: That irritates me since it’s the truth. Anyways, leave it up to me. Everything.]
Frederica sticks her chest out after giving a wry smile, and she confidently declared that she would help. After Ram stayed silent for a few moments upon hearing her answer she said,
[Ram: Listen, Rem. If you think you might get hurt, use Frederica as a shield and run away, okay?]
[Frederica: I do at least want to shield her, but I’m not sure how I feel about being told to do it!]
Frederica’s scream resounds throughout the crowd, and the matter was settled, at least for now.
Ram and Roswaal would ask for help from the guards and crush the places set with magical stones through sheer numbers. Meanwhile, Rem and Frederica would track down the magical stones and the criminals by following the stink.
[Frederica: Master, we’ll be careful to avoid being seen, so can I have your permission?]
[Roswaal: Sure thing. If you do your best to run carefully, you won’t be found anywaaaay.]
They have a confusing interaction at the end, and then Rem and Frederica break up with Roswaal and Ram. Ram worried about Rem until the very end, but Rem still responded by waving her small hand to say goodbye.
Rem and Frederica confirm that they could no longer see them, and they enter the back alley. Rem wanted to hurry, but Frederica beckoned her in the alley.
[Rem: Frederica-sama? I would like to move as soon as possible……]
[Frederica: I know how you feel. So, I want to help you as much as I can. ……Do not tell the others about this.]
[Rem: ──?]
When Rem tilted her head upon hearing an ambiguous reply, Frederica smiled wryly. Usually she would hide her mouth when smiling, but she had no intention of hiding her sharp fangs with this wry smile.
And so, Frederica sighed softly, and she put her hands around the back of her maid clothes. She removes the hook of her clothes, and the knot was coming off.
[Rem: ……U─Um, Frederica-sama? We’re outside, you know?]
[Frederica: I know. But I have to do this!]
Rem was disturbed by Frederica taking off her clothes all of a sudden, but she still didn’t stop, face flushed. Soon enough, Frederica’s apron dress was off, and she even put her hands on her daring underwear and took that off, placing it on top of the dress that she folded carefully.
Rem now saw Frederica standing with her white body exposed, and so she was utterly confused.
When Frederica simply looked down upon seeing Rem’s confusion,
[Frederica: ──! Rem, please don’t scream.]
Frederica says that and closes her eyes. The tall woman faced down glaring at the ground──that was what Rem was faced with, and she lost her breath as she sensed hints of the atmosphere suddenly becoming tense.
A sign of the air drying up, and a sense that hurt Rem’s whole body. Right after she understood that those reactions were concerning Frederica, Frederica’s appearance changed.
Frederica’s long, blond hair shrunk, and at the same time, golden hair on her body started to grow to cover her naked body. Frederica, standing up straight, stretches her limbs to the ground as that happened, and her build transforms with a creaking sound, enlarging.
Her characteristic fangs showing from her wide-open mouth were clearly bigger and sharper than usual, and even her looks no longer appeared to be human as she transformed into a wild cat.
In front of Rem, who was speechless, there wasn’t the Frederica she was used to. The entity that had just been Frederica was now a beautiful, huge cat covered in golden fur.
[Frederica: It’s my beast form, characteristic of half beasts.]
[Rem: Y─You can talk like normal!?]
[Frederica: I am still who I am, after all. That’s just natural.]
That was the only thing that didn’t change. She was still the Frederica with reason in her jade green eyes. Despite being shocked by her voice being the same even after transforming into a beast, Rem walked up to her.
[Frederica: Good job not screaming, Rem. ……wait, why are you patting my head?]
[Rem: Oh, my hand just kinda…moved on its own…..]
Rem was unconsciously caressing Frederica’s fur that she had as a large cat. Her fur was strangely soft and smooth, so it was refreshing.
[Frederica: Hey, don’t just tickle my neck like that! Plus, we don’t have time to fool around. Here, get on my back please.]
[Rem: ──!? I can grab onto you!?]
[Frederica: I wasn’t expecting you to be so interested……but yes, go ahead and grab onto me. You have to, since a girl as light as you will get blown away if you don’t.]
After nodding vigorously at Frederica, who was full of confidence, Rem got on her back. While holding tight onto her body, Rem said “Good to go” as she enjoyed her fur with her cheeks and body.
After that, when Frederica bent her light limbs──
[Frederica: Let’s go!]
Frederica’s body immediately jumped towards the capital’s sky when she yelled. Rem’s whole body feels the wind, and she was amazed by that speed while hushing her voice.
[Frederica: First we’ll be checking out the east shopping street in accordance with Ram’s instructions.]
Frederica was saying something inside the windstorm, but Rem wasn’t in the right state of mind to answer. When Frederica softly landed on the building’s roof, that’s when they dashed at an astonishing speed, and they were running through the capital, so fast that one would think they were the wind.
4
──The wind direction is unfavorable.
The man senses that bothersome matter with his intuition, something you could call a sixth sense, and he clicked his tongue.
One could say that the wind was the most important factor to the man. To know which direction the wind created by nature was blowing from the hardest, he always had to carefully determine the level of humidity and the temperature.
Otherwise, it would significantly affect his goals and actions. Even a large fire that burns everything starts as just a mere spark. A supporting wind is needed to burst it into big, intense flames. And that was his exact role.
Nevertheless, this was the moment when the unfavorability of the wind got in the way of the man’s goals.
[???: ────]
It was a sudden change. Just a little while ago, the man thought that the wind was truly favorable. But, the wind suddenly became alarming, and soon there’d be dark clouds.
The preparations were perfect for this day.
He’d been reading the climate and the weather for several days, and based off the capital’s terrain, he deduced which would be the ideal spots to set up. He loved the result so much that he was happy that there was going to be a festival soon.
He stuffed the magical miasma stones into small bags one by one diligently, and set them up at spots he decided on beforehand. Next, all he had to do was wait for the feast of blood and cries in the capital to start after the effect of the magical miasma stone spreaded.
──The wind’s direction ruined that plan.
[???: ……Oh…well.]
When the man saw how dangerous the wind was, he decided to abandon his whole plan. He gave up on it so quickly, but this decisiveness was also an ability that allowed the man to live up to this point.
Since he lived by the wind, it wouldn’t make sense to doubt it. It was a natural decision for the man to jump off the wind he had been on when he sensed the unfavorability of it.
The man let go of the magical stones that hadn’t been set yet, and he quickly decides to leave the capital. He also ensured a way out of the capital beforehand. Nothing was even happening at this time, anyway. There was nothing to stop the man. Still, he was careful.
Being so careful to the point of excessiveness was how the man managed to live up to this point. So──
[Rem: Found the second one.]
The moment he encountered the small Oni with eyes shining with Oni spirit on a ferocious, large cat the man understood it.
──That this was how the worst wind came about.
5
[Rem: ──Found the second one.]
They were at the capital’s slums, the section facing the outer wall──a large cat kicked the roof of the ruined house, and it landed as it raised a cloud of dust. The little Oni on its back looked right through the man standing before her with piercing eyes.
He was a sluggy, short, and somewhat fat man. His face and clothes weren’t unique at all; he was so ordinary that if he slipped into a crowd, you’d lose sight of him instantly. Even that was probably part of what the man wanted.
But that ulterior motive was pointless now that there was nothing he could do about this situation.
[Frederica: What a perfect spot for evil schemes.]
[Rem: ──It’s also a perfect place for a scoundrel to suffer a lonesome death.]
Rem, who said a cruel statement, smelled a stink that was stronger than anything she had smelled before. It was as strong as the smell of the man that was tied to the basement warehouse. In others words, he was a part of them.
──Rem and Ram’s enemy, an evil that had to be punished by the Onis.
Rem and Frederica followed Ram’s instructions and went all around the capital as they pleased, destroying the magical miasma stone traps one by one. The combination of Ram’s predictions and Rem’s sense of smell thwarted the witch cult’s plan perfectly, but it was all thanks to Rem that they were able to chase down the principal offender.
While Rem was ruining his plan, she had a realization. ──That the principal offender of setting up magical miasma stones was so hung up on predicting the wind’s direction in the capital and moving while hiding his traces.
[???: ……I sensed the unfavorability of the wind’s direction, but I didn’t notice the beast smell.]
[Frederica: Rem was right about the enemy being careful with the wind.]
The small man, who had an expressionless look on his face, stood face to face with the small Oni and large cat while they showed him hostility. He wasn’t expressionless because he gave up or because he wasn’t regretful; he was expressionless because emotions did not come out in waves for him.
[Rem: You look calm. Did you not notice the headwind with your wind reading skill that you’re so proud of?]
[???: ……Letting emotions come out in wind and waves is for second-rate wind readers. I won’t make a fool of myself like that.]
[Rem: You should probably go ahead and let it all out. Since, soon enough, you won’t even have that freedom anymore.]
Rem answers the man, and a white horn appears from her forehead with a sound. While the pure white horn shone faintly, it sucks in the mana in the atmosphere, and it fills her Oni body with energy.
The man’s facial expression changed for the first time when he saw Rem’s horn.
[???: ……A horn, huh. I see. A survivor from that day of the burning of the hot wind.]
[Rem: You will burn to death in the embers of the fire you guys created.]
[???: ……I’m a wind reader. Suffering a ridiculous death like that is the one thing that will never happen.]
[Rem: ──Well, we’ll see about that.]
Rem, who lost interest in the man’s replies and got off Frederica’s back, was holding onto an iron sphere with chains. After the fight in the basement warehouse, Roswaal instructed Clind to readjust it for Rem. It was Rem’s personal weapon──Rem’s fang for revenge.
[────]
Behind Rem, Frederica crouched down, and she was ready to jump out whenever she would choose to. She was someone who knew that this was Rem and Ram’s revenge, so she looked like she was set on not getting involved if possible, but if Rem lost the upper hand, she wouldn’t be able to do anything but reach out for her.
In other words, Rem had to completely beat him to death, a complete victory.
[────]
The man sees Rem take a step forward, and he keeps silent.
Thus, their clash surely would start like this in silence, with only the sound of chains to be heard.
[────]
Rem, with all the might she had put into her arms, releases the destructive power of the iron sphere tied with chains at the man. The chains wriggle, almost sounding like a beast raging, and the blow was shot at the man as it silenced the air.
The spinning iron sphere with thorns had more than enough power to crush the human body. If one were hit directly, their body would turn into meat; even if they had armor and a helmet on, they’d turn into meat from the impact; even if, say, they were a mabeast, they’d turn into meat. In any case, it had the power to turn things into meat.
Although the fight in the basement warehouse was mere child’s play where she just swung it around, she was now trained and so she could hit wherever she pleased. So, just like last time, she threw it to blow off the man’s legs.
However────
[Rem: Damn……!]
[???: ……Too cocky. You should have almost killed me with that first attack.]
Rem grinds her teeth, as her attack that aimed for his legs got dodged, and the man talks to her in an unconcerned voice while looking down on her. Frederica’s eyes widen, surprised that he had dodged it.
[Frederica: Is that flight magic!? There are people out there besides Master that could use it!?]
The man that got away from Rem’s attack jumped and was floating in the air. The man sighs at Frederica, who raised her voice upon seeing that unexpected scene.
[???: ……Sorry to disappoint, but this isn’t that sort of high-class magic. It’s wind riding that’s just for show.]
[Rem: Do you really think you can escape just by……]
[???: ……Of course, I don’t think that I can escape just by flying. However. I had a feeling that the wind’s direction was bad. It would only be natural for me to prepare wind protection, don’t you think?]
[Frederica: ──Rem!]
Frederica, sounding worried, calls out to Rem, who was glaring at the man floating in the sky. When Rem heard her, she turned her attention towards the ground, and that’s when her horn sensed countless signs.
Several shadows dressed in black appeared as they practically painted out her surroundings─the desolate scene of the slums. They were a vanguard with a stink that wasn’t easy to bear with, and they had swords that looked like crosses──they were a part of the beings that surrounded Ram and Setanta on the night the village burned down.
[Rem: Witch cultists……!]
[???: ……I’m someone who likes insurance. I do set the magical stones myself, but that doesn’t mean I ride solo. I can use others for guards. It’s the usual to prepare wind protection when reading the wind, too.]
The small man says that to Rem and Frederica, who grind their teeth, and he looked like he was going away from the battlefield. Rem gazes in wonderment at his actions, and Frederica also yelled with her mouth wide open.
[Frederica: You’re going to run away!?]
[???: ……It’s only natural if you think about it. I have no reason to fight here.]
[Rem: ──! Witch cultists──!]
[???: ……I don’t feel like being named, nor do I feel like hearing names. Now, perish by the wind, little Oni.]
The small man leaves behind just those words, gains altitude, and leaves the battlefield. While following the man escaping without regrets with her eyes, Rem raised her iron sphere over her head to throw it. But──
[Rem: Get out…of my way!!]
The black clothed beings get closer as if slithering, and she counterattacks the swords with the handle, smashing their heads like a fruits. Their skulls explode, and the enemy starts to rush in for Rem and Frederica when the witch cultists collapsed and scattered blood and spinal fluid.
To greedily protect the small man escaping and get in the way of Rem and Ram’s dearest wish.
[Rem: Why……!]
He’s getting away, I failed. That sort of weakness was stuck in Rem’s mind.
The enemy fading away, and the hindrances coming near. Rem’s self condemnation and her anger blot out her mind and──
[Frederica: Gaururururuu──!]
Right after a yell, blood splatters, and three witch cultists were blown away like spinning tops. The three black clothed beings thrown to the ground all had their heads gouged fatally.
[Frederica: We have no time to feel discouraged, Rem! We’ll finish them off quickly and chase after him!]
[Rem: Frederica-sama……]
[Frederica: I shouldn’t have any problem jumping after him! So……]
Frederica mowed down the black clothed beings rushing over with her forefeet, smashing their heads, and she motivated Rem with her words. Rem comes to her senses thanks to her voice, and she immediately nodded.
There was no time to be dejected. Chase after him as soon as possible like Frederica told me to.
Annihilate them so I can do that──
[Rem: But there’s so many of them……!]
Rem was determined to pull herself together thanks to Frederica, but the forces closing in on Rem and Frederica were cornering them.
The witch cultists appearing one after another as if swarming from the shadows─none of them were as strong as the two of them, but it seemed like they weren’t even disturbed by their comrades deaths, and it was the most insane thing to the two people facing each other.
Every second that went by, the enemy they found was getting farther; never mind that, at this rate, the enemy’s forces were going to crush them, and they were going to die halfway through getting revenge.
──She was going to make Ram worry again.
[Frederica: We can’t deal with this many……! Rem, grab onto me! We’re withdrawing!]
[Rem: But then……!]
[Frederica: We need to throw them off, so we can’t go after the guy that got away! But……]
As they fought with their backs against each other, Rem frantically shook her head in response to Frederica’s proposal. Still, deep inside, Rem also knew that they couldn’t turn their numerical disadvantage around.
She understood that following Frederica’s plan and escaping from this place was the best option. Even if they missed that man, they could still fight as long as they were breathing. And yet──
[Rem: ──If that man escapes now, he’ll never show up before us again!]
That belief was what Rem felt inside and it wasn’t going to change.
Rem understood it. In the short time she confronted that man, she understood his traits and mentality. That man who realized that he was being targeted would never show up before Rem again.
It was quite obvious that if he got away now, he would immediately try to flee out of the country.
[Rem: And yet……]
Rem didn’t have it in her. She didn’t have enough strength to capture that small man and make him atone for his sins.
Rem came here, had the enemy right before her own eyes, and she was stopped by none other than herself.
[Frederica: ──If you’re going to blame someone, blame me.]
Frederica, looking down for just a second, murmured to Rem, who grumbled imploringly. Then, she put Rem’s thin waist in her mouth and lifted her carefully with her fangs.
[Rem: Frederica-sama…..!]
[Frederica: ────]
It was silent. Frederica was ready to withdraw from the battlefield without even listening to Rem’s complaints. She would channel strength into her hind legs, give a battlecry, and try to break through the surrounding of the black clothed beings──.
It happened right before that.
[???: ──Stop right there.]
They were powerful words. It was a powerful entity. It was the very manifestation of power.
Something was coming down onto the ground from the gigantic outer wall that surrounded the capital. The moment its feet reached the ground, a producing shock wave travels through the ground, and the crowding black clothed beings went flying.
The shock wave blowing fiercely creates a gale. Rem and Frederica were shocked as they shook in the sudden gust because the wind that sent the black clothed beings flying weren’t affecting the two of them.
They didn’t understanding what was going on. Rem, who was released from Frederica’s mouth and sunk down to the ground, sees a shadow walking toward them from the shrouding cloud of dust.
──No, it wasn’t a shadow. It was a flame. A flame was walking towards them.
[???: You see, the guards were making a ruckus, and a large cat was jumping all around the sky. Even if it’s the day of the moon festival, I thought something was off.]
While the fire said those words, it came right before Rem and Frederica. That’s when Rem finally saw that the fire’s form, and on top of that, it looked like a child.
It was a boy with fire-red hair and blue eyes that looked like a clear sky. He was probably one or two years older than Rem. He had a smile on his face, and it may have looked young, but it looked good. Surely one day he would grow into a handsome man that would dazzle anyone.
However, the vision of the good-looking boy’s future wasn’t what took over her mind; a more straightforward and fundamental emotion did──that is, the absolute fear understood by Oni instincts.
[────]
What is it?
What was this entity that was standing right before her, smiling? Whether it was an adult or a child, it definitely wasn’t the same type of life as one.
The entity was that disparate. Only one person in Rem’s life has ever made her feel this sort of emotion.
[Rem: ──Nee-sama]
This was the feeling Rem had for her sister, the one that was admired as the reincarnation of an Oni god.
Rem was simply astonished to find out that there was a being in this world that could rival Ram, someone who had a power like no other, even among all the existences out there.
The boy shakes his head in a troubled manner in response to Rem’s words, who was dumbfounded.
[???: Sorry. Unfortunately, I’m not your sister. I do know that my face lacks manliness and toughness, but this is the first time I’ve been mistaken for a girl.]
[Rem: N─No……that’s…not what I meant……]
[???: ──?]
The aloof boy shook his head, smiling at Rem as she trembled.
Even that answer felt deviant for some reason, but what frightened her the most was how he kept his calm in this situation.
Although, with the power this boy had, that may have just been something natural.
[???: Alright, we can’t spare the time to talk right now. That’s how you guys feel, right?]
[────]
[???: If you don’t mind, I will handle these guys. I was already patrolling this area for my father, anyway. I’m the one who should fight them.]
[Frederica: ……Are you sure we can leave it up to you?]
[???: As long as you believe that I am capable of taking care of them.]
The boy nods at Rem and Frederica while keeping an eye on the black clothed beings glaring at them. Afterwards, Rem was unsure of how to respond, but Frederica moved quickly.
The large cat puts Rem, who was sitting, in her mouth again, and she jumps after placing her on her back. Frederica, landing on top of the deserted house, hung her head when she saw the boy below her.
[Frederica: I’m sorry. I pray for good fortune in your battle.]
[???: I hope all of that fortune shines upon you and not myself.]
He sees Frederica off with a smile, and she sped up at once, leaving the area. The boy and the battlefield behind them are left behind, and while Rem clinged onto the large, running cat
[Rem: Was it really okay for us to leave him behind!?]
[Frederica: Rem, you do realize it too, don’t you? There’s no need to be so worried about him! He’s this generation’s……actually, the strongest in history…]
[Rem: ──!]
When Frederica was mentioning the boy’s background, a shadow hidden in the sun appeared in the corner of Rem’s eye.
It was the receding figure of the small man that blended with the sunlight and escaped temporarily.
[Rem: Frederica-sama, towards the sun!]
[Frederica: ──I see him!]
Frederica notices the same thing Rem pointed out, and she speeds up, kicking the roof.
The small man riding the wind, practically swimming in the sky, was going as fast as the wind itself, but he could only move from the windward and the downwind. If he was going in a fixed direction, even if there was distance between them, he wouldn’t escape.
[Rem: We’ll catch up to him soon and……]
[Frederica: ──Actually, this is bad. At this rate, we’ll come out of the slums and will go towards the center of the city and then I will have no place to hide!]
[Rem: That’s……]
If Frederica showed herself in front of people as a beast, just that would be enough to make a commotion. And on top of that, guards were now looking out for witch cultists because of Roswaal’s report.
If she made a commotion, guards would come rushing right away. They would be accused as witch cultists.
[Rem: Frederica-sama! Please, go after him!]
[Frederica: ──]
Frederica listens to Rem’s begging, and she speeds up while grinding her teeth to suppress a growl. Still, the more people there were and the closer they came to the festival crowd, the more hesitant she became to run.
Soon enough, Frederica came to a complete stop. Below, there was a large water fountain park on the side of a noble street, and it would be impossible for Frederica to go through it without being seen with how big she was.
I know that. But still──
[Rem: ──But he’s right there!]
Rem glares at the faraway shadow that pretty much became as small as a black spot, and she raised a voice of regret.
She would never be able to catch him again once he escaped out of the capital. She wouldn’t be able to fulfill Ram’s dearest wish. Rem wouldn’t be able to accomplish her goal that she had to do.
[────]
The small man riding the wind turns around, looks at her, and says something. She didn’t know if they words that mocked her, or something else.
Still, the moment Rem saw that, the sense of defeat inside of her spreaded──
[Rem: ──Nee-sama?]
The will of her twin sister that shared her blood and flesh flowed into the horn on her head, as if shocking her.
Synesthesia─a rare transmission between twins and siblings where emotions went from one person to another. Rem gets struck by that lightning, and she looks up at the sky with wide eyes.
She felt like her sister told her to not take her eyes off of it──.
[Rem: ──Ah]
──The next moment, a wind slash going through the sky teared the small man’s limbs into shreds.
6
[Ram: Nice job keeping your eyes on it. Good job, Rem.]
A peach-haired girl kneeling down on one knee with her arms stretched out on the rooftop of the guard station in the capital shopping street murmured.
She was holding onto a staff with her delicate, white fingers, and it was shining white at the tip. The radiance was a swirling mana light. That enormous power warps the atmosphere, and it was burning the world with an overwhelming torrent.
[Ram: Thanks to you, I ‘saw’ exactly what I wanted.]
She drops the staff, and lets out a sigh of exhaustion. The moment she relaxed, the sweat that suddenly started trickling down wets her forehead, and she started to fall over because of her trembling knees. The man standing right next to her catches her hot body as she collapsed.
[Roswaal: Well done. Buuuut, you pushed yourself too far. For you to use sniping magic without any help when you’re this far away, have you forgotten that you are hornless?]
[Ram: Shut your annoying mouth. Also, take your unpleasant hands off of me.]
[Roswaal: You’re so exhausted that you’ll pass out if I let go, so it wouldn’t be smart to be stubborn, you know?]
[Ram: Leave me…alone.]
The girl──Ram pushed away the chest she was held in, and she escapes from Roswaal’s arms. Roswaal had one eye closed when he saw that stubborn attitude, but his open one was looking at her hand.
[Ram: What?]
[Roswaal: Oh it’s noooothing. You didn’t like the clothes, the jewels, the food, or the cosmetics, but it seems you at least like the staff present, and that makes me haaaappy.]
[Ram: ────]
Ram, eyes squinted, looks at the staff in her hand and grinds her teeth. She honestly wanted to smash the staff because of Roswaal’s attitude. But of course, even Ram couldn’t do that.
It was impossible to break this staff unless there were extreme circumstances and there was an exchange. The reason being──
[Roswaal: It’s a special staff. It took a lot of work and time to make iiiiit. After all, it is made out of the horn of the most outstanding being in the Oni clan.]
[Ram: Stop putting it in such an unnatural way. Be more direct about it. ──Just say that this staff is made of my broken horn.]
Roswaal nods delightfully because he made Ram say it herself. Ram, seeing that unpleasant reaction, hides the staff from his eyes.
[Ram: I can’t believe you found and picked up one broken horn from that village’s disastrous scene.]
[Roswaal: It’s your precious horn, you know? It’s a given to secure it even if it gets changed into something elseeee. Even if an Oni and its horn get separated, it should be kept somewhere.]
[Ram: I thought at that point Rem and I weren’t yours?]
[Roswaal: Whaaaat I’m saying is that I’ve been keeping an eye on you and Rem ever since. ──To be exact, it might be more correct to say I’ve been keeping an eye on just you, not you and Rem.]
Roswaal spoke carelessly at first, but he spoke solemnly for the latter half of his statement. When Ram looked embarrassed upon hearing that answer, the man dressed as a clown put his finger on her chin and he made her look up.
[Roswaal: The reincarnation of an Oni god, the Oni among Onis……I regret that I couldn’t make it in time when the Oni village was destroyed. That’s why I want to make it up to you now as much as I can.]
[Ram: ……So…selfish.]
[Roswaal: I will be selfish if I want to. That’s why I made a staff out of your horn, and why I act selfish by giving it to you calmly tooooo.]
[Ram: So foolish.]
Ram spat those words out, and once again she looks up at the sky where the enemy was shot down.
──The witch cultist Rem was pursuing that flew in the air by riding on the wind was shot down by Ram, who was far, far away from Rem and the man.
Of course, she wasn’t able to see the man from the rooftop of the guard station. Casting magic on an enemy that you couldn’t even see because of distance would classify as an impossible magic skill for any high class magic user.
[Roswaal: Buuuuut you accomplished that with your own ability. That was a surprising result. It shouldn’t be so convenient, you know? ──Your “Clairvoryance” power that uses other people’s eyes.]
[Ram: I just used what I could and achieved retribution. Like with this staff.]
“Clairvoyance” is like a secret skill that only Onis could use.
The person putting it into practice can see scenes far away by synchronizing with someone’s vision if they are within perception range and their mana wavelengths match. By synchronizing with another person in that field of vision and increasing the range over and over, it’s possible to literally see 1000 miles away.
Ram, who was left at the station out of necessity, used the secret skill to back up Rem, and through her persistence, she found the field of vision of her sister running all around the capital, and she synchronized with it.
Then, she perceived the figure of the enemy flying away in the sky, took over for Rem, who was expressing regret, and brought death upon him.
[Ram: It’s irritating, but if I didn’t have this staff, I probably wouldn’t have been able to do it.]
Putting it as “A staff that uses my own horn” would irritate her so much that she would want to die in a fit of anger. However, she could be sure that there was no other staff out there that her hand was this familiar with.
What irritated her even more than that was Roswaal’s attitude.
He seriously just casually gave this staff while she was doing her very best to cover Rem. It was despicable.
[Ram: You were happily waiting for a time when it’d be necessary to make staff for me, weren’t you?]
[Roswaal: You both vowed to get retribution as sisters. You doing it for Rem, and Rem doing it for you. That relationship is beautiful, but it is fragile and delicate. I will do anything and everything it takes so that you guys can go on without breaking, despite being delicate, and you can think of me what you will for it.]
[Ram: And your true feelings?]
[Roswaal: I wanted to see your long face and your pleased look when you feel like you’ve achieved something. That’s aaaaaalll.]
Ram snorts at the winking clown, and quickly goes from the station rooftop down to the stairs. Roswaal shrugs at that cold attitude, and he asks her a question from behind.
[Roswaal: That was the second person……now there are two left. You haven’t forgotten the contract, riiiiight?]
[Ram: ────]
Ram stops upon hearing his question, but she just started walking again without saying anything. However, Roswaal nodded approvingly understanding that the silence was her answer, and she follows behind her small back.
One small bag was left behind on the rooftop after they left. The magical stone brought into the station to prove the witch cult’s involvement broke, and the miasma disappears while scattering with the wind.
As if signifying a gentle end to the strife that happened on the other side of the festival.
7
When they followed the traces of blood into an alley, they saw a man lying down, breathing very feebly.
[???: ……paint, pant]
Every now and then, the sound of water was mixed with the sound of rough breathing. He was torn limb from limb, and he was bleeding out more than half of the blood that flowed through a human body──he was undoubtedly on the verge of death.
[Rem: As expected of Nee-sama.]
Rem, with a hoarse voice, praises the ability of her sister who shot down her village’s enemy, the small man on the verge of death.
After the synesthesia, Rem was positive that Ram did this.
That Ram somehow perceived the flying man and achieved retribution by using that magical skill.
Once Rem witnessed the man’s last breath, revenge would be achieved.
[Frederica: Rem, we don’t have much time. Make it quick and easy……]
[Rem: I want to ask ask him something.]
Frederica, still in her large cat form, asks for mercy for the dying man. But when Rem shook her head cruelly, she stepped up to the small man’s side.
[???: ……It…was a bad wind, eh.]
The man feels Rem come near, and his eyes that lost light blinked. The man with a slight smile on his face still behaved like he lost his mind as he talked about the wind. That irritated her so much.
[Rem: You were cut up by Nee-sama’s wind. It’s all over for you. Is it frustrating? Do have any regrets at all? That’s pay-back for everyone at the village……no, for Nee-sama.]
[???: ────]
[Rem: Come on, say it. “It hurts, I can’t take this, I regret it”. “ Help me, I don’t want to die”……say it. Say it. Say it!]
[???: ……I pity you, little Oni.]
The small man says that to Rem, who sought atonement, sounding like he felt pity from the bottom of his heart.
That moment, a horn appeared on Rem’s forehead again, and she grabs onto the small man and pulls him up with her Oni face on. Rem brings her face close to him without any resistance coming from him, and she grins at him.
[Rem: You’re going……you’re going to say that, of all people!?]
[???: All winds are destined to die out someday. My life also will end here simply because I failed to read the wind’s direction.]
[Rem: That doesn’t answer my question! What is your motive!?]
[Sade: …… Sade. Remember it, and forget it at once.]
The small man tells her that without caring to answer Rem’s question.
It sounded familiar. She couldn’t have forgotten. It was one of the three names she got out of Fogg, the man tied to the basement. Sade, Sergey, and Faust──.
He revealed that his name was Sade. Perhaps that was the sole bit of pity the man gave.
[Rem: Say something! Answer me!]
[Frederica: Rem, it’s no use. ……He’s dead now.]
Frederica, standing next to her, shakes her head at Rem, who shook the drained small man. Just like she said, the small man was already dead. He could no longer say anything.
And he never spoke of his motive behind what he did, the reason why they attacked the village, or where the remaining two enemies were.
[Frederica: The guards are going to be hurrying over shortly, too. The root of all evil has been destroyed, and their plan has been ruined. Isn’t this result good enough?]
[Rem: But……!]
[Frederica: Rem is safe, Ram and Master are safe. And I am safe. Is that not enough?]
Rem tried to respond by reflex, but she hesitated when she saw Frederica’s gentle look.
Nothing would come out of disregarding her care. Besides, even if they took revenge, Frederica helped them.
To keep track of things you can’t do more than what you have done. ──That was a bad habit of Rem.
[???: Looks like things ended safely here too.]
[Rem: ──!]
It happened right after Rem stopped acting up and sighed. Rem and Frederica got nervous when they suddenly heard a voice in the alley. Then, seeing their reactions, the owner of the voice gave a wry smile.
Standing at the entrance of the alley was a red haired and blue eyed boy──the person that saved them.
[Frederica: Sorry……for earlier. Are you hurt anywhere?]
[???: As you can see, I was apparently blessed with luck. Maybe it’s because you two prayed for me.]
The boy smiles refreshingly, and he opens his arms to show that he was fine.
He had nothing that looked like external injures──actually, that’s not what should be pointed out. Not even a scratch from the battle could be found on the boy, let alone any wounds. Even if he just ran away from the battle, there’s no way he should’ve been able to escape the situation that cleanly.
Truthfully, this boy literally had the embodiment of an abnormal result.
[???: First of all, I captured all the witch cultists that were there. I’m just not sure how cooperative they were with the investigation. I’m guessing they didn’t tell anything.]
The boy, paying no attention to Rem trembling, continues the conversation indifferently. The fact that the boy captured dozens of people alive by himself was no surprise at all when you considered that he was the one who did it.
[???: That body right there, is he the ringleader of all this?]
[Rem: ────]
[Frederica: He should be. As you can see, he was killed, so I figure their plan is ruined now.]
[???: A hint of miasma……No wonder the guards were running around the capital.]
Frederica took over for Rem, as words didn’t come out of her mouth, and he answers the boy’s question. When the boy was convinced with her answer, her serious look suddenly loosened up.
[???: But if that’s the case, then I guess my work here is done. I should go home soon, or else my dad will get mad at me.]
[Frederica: Your father scolds you?]
[???: Yes, of course. Dad is a serious worry-wart, so I can’t let him find out that I’m doing stuff like this. Please keep this a secret.]
The mood makes a complete 180 as the boy shows playfulness you’d expect with his age, and he asks them to tell the same story while facing them with one eye closed. Seeing him do that, Rem and Frederica widen their eyes.
Because they had the same level of surprise one would have when faced with some kind of disaster.
[???: By the way, Miss Half-beast. The guards will be running over here sooner or later. If you don’t want to shock them, I suggest taking off your fur.]
[Frederica: Hmph, that’s true. ……But to keep this place as is…]
[???: I can preserve this place. Once you’re done changing, you can tell the guards about this place.]
[Frederica: But, that’s…….not dangerous. Not a chance it will be for you.]
The boy, with a smile on his face, neither agrees nor denies it.
Frederica accepts that smile as an answer, and she pushes her head against Rem, who was beside her. That feeling calms down Rem, and she hurries onto the large cat’s back as they jumped again.
[Frederica: Thank you for your help. ──”Sword Saint” Reinhard-sama.]
[Reinhard: I’m apart of the “Sword Saint” family. I don’t have to bear the responsibility of that name yet.]
The boy answers the compliment that came from the rooftop with a slight smile on his face. It felt like that voice was the only thing that had a loneliness that didn’t show before, but they didn’t have the time to make sure of it as they were leaving.
Frederica moves her limbs, the scenery is put behind them within an instant, and they went as fast as the wind.
[Frederica: You’ve been quiet this whole time, Rem.]
While running, Frederica checks on Rem, who was on her back. Rem never spoke ever since that boy showed up. But, that wasn’t why Frederica was worried.
She would be lying if she said that she didn’t have regrets about that man’s death. They got no information about the remaining two enemies out of him. Retribution was coming along, but it might have been delayed.
However, it didn’t cloud her mind, nor did it stop her from moving forward.
So, when Rem heard Frederica’s voice, she closes her eyes tight just once and then answered.
[Rem: When we get back and Frederica-sama finishes changing…]
[Frederica: Yes?]
[Rem: We’ll definitely have to find a gift now.]
[Frederica: ────]
Frederica’s throat clogged just for a moment, perhaps because she had said something unexpected. But, when the golden, large cat quickly returned to herself, she purred cheerfully and said,
[Frederica: Yes, we do. I’m looking forward to getting Master’s gift, after all.]
[Rem: Yes, me too.]
Rem nods back at Frederica and grabs tightly onto the large cat’s nape fur.
It was true that there were plenty of problems before them that should be taken care of.
Still, one step…she really was one step closer. So, it was fine to just be happy, at least for now. Just for now, she’d forget about her grudge and be allowed to enjoy the large cat’s fur.
Yes, for now──.
[Rem: Two left…..]
For now, I’ll forget about the hatred burning my chest and enjoy the capital’s festival.
[Rem: Two left, I swear I’ll find them for Nee-sama……]
Rem, while having thoughts that were inconsistent with her words, makes a wish with a smile of hatred on her face.