Chapter 144 The Rift
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I felt a slight tremble run through me as I held the flower crown (hanakanmuri)—a simple object, yet strikingly beautiful in its woven colors and craftsmanship.
In the game era, items that increased Luck (Un) certainly existed. While a character’s base status (sutētasu) was capped at 100, there were Equipment (ekipu) items that could add to it, and some could even be bought at stores. However, the increase from those items was a mere five points, or a maximum of thirty at best.
Yet, this simple flower crown gave me an increase of +100, the exact value of the cap itself. What kind of stat inflation is this?
Furthermore, the Special Ability (Supesharu Abiritī) Growth Promotion felt incredibly dangerous. I hadn’t been able to check the details, but anything with the word Growth attached to it couldn’t possibly be weak. Even the Earth Mother Series—my equipment set—that we used had Growth Correction Enhancement and Growth Assistance abilities attached. It was absolutely necessary to verify what Growth Promotion actually did, even though I had a strong feeling I wouldn’t get a second one to compare it with.
* * *
”…Tatara, it seems you have received something quite extraordinary, noja?” Yohira observed.
”Yeah, seriously. The Luck increase is one thing, but what the heck is Growth Promotion?” I asked.
”Even Tatara-dono does not know?” Tatia inquired, tilting her head.
”I’m (Ore) not some kind of genius or expert, you know. There are plenty of things I don’t know about the world.”
Perhaps I should check with the Archangel—high-ranking celestial being—later… not that I could just summon one, though. Should I try that old Chef’s joke and shout “I love you!” up at the sky just in case the Archangel was listening?
Anyway, I put that joke aside and suggested we continue our exploration—dungeon traversal.
”Still, the enemy race (rēsu*) that should appear on this floor from the game era hasn’t shown up yet,” I noted. “It should normally be Dryads or Alraunes—plant monsters—or other Plant-types (*Shokubutsu-kei), but they’re completely absent. Defeating them is the only way to gather materials for the Earth Mother Series. Could it be that they won’t appear if the party already possesses a certain amount?”
From that point on, our exploration took a peculiar turn. The enemies we fought didn’t change drastically, but for some reason, our encounters with the blue Muumin and the presumed cream-colored female Muumin increased. They weren’t engaged in territorial disputes; instead, many Muumin were gathered in the rooms, and they spotted me instantly.
Rather than fleeing, all the Muumin would gather around, offer me bags and boxes, and then rush off. The contents were always a massive number of status-up items (sutētasu appu aitemu). I had no idea what was happening.
”…Tatara, you’re very popular, aren’t you?” Ethelena giggled.
”That flower crown seems to be something utterly incredible to those hippo creatures, noja?” Yohira muttered.
”Every fairy is offering their thanks…” Tatia added in a puzzled voice.
It seemed the Muumin found some kind of profound meaning in the flower crown I’d received, which was leading to this tributary state. Seriously, what in the world is this flower crown?
”I can’t even test the effect of the Equipment’s Growth Promotion because I’m not fighting any enemies, but I hesitate to take it off.”
A +100 to Luck was too ridiculously overpowered to easily dismiss. Besides, I felt a genuine sense of reluctance to ignore the affection (afekushon) the presumed female Muumin had shown when she placed it on my head.
* * *
”…Everyone, duck!”
The instant we entered a new room, Ethelena shouted a warning. My body hit the ground on instinct before my mind could even process the command, and something whizzed over my head. Was that a plant vine?
”I’m sorry, I couldn’t tell because they were camouflaged against the surrounding trees,” Ethelena apologized quickly. “This looks like the nest of the monster that just attacked us.”
”I see. It’s probably safer to assume that all the surrounding trees are actually monsters,” I summarized.
You mention the devil, and he shall appear, as the saying goes—or perhaps it was just nasty luck that they showed up the moment I thought of them. The surprise attack was dangerous, but when I was on guard, I could clearly see the whip even as it was swung at me.
So, when the next vine whip (muchi) flew in, I was able to catch it.
The vine whip struck and wrapped around the arm I held up beside my head, but I easily absorbed the damage with my defense. I immediately grabbed the whip and yanked hard. I won the test of strength, and the enemy became visible at the end of the vine. It was a wrinkled old woman with bark for skin; one of the vines and branches that formed the hair on her head was wrapped around my arm. An Ancient Alraune—a Rare species (Rea-shu) of Plant-type monster.
”Tatara!” Ethelena cried out in worry.
”I’m fine!” I answered with a quick shout.
I activated the Magic Bombardment on my right arm, setting the Fire-attributed artillery to maximum output, and fired. The Magic Bombardment struck directly, and the Ancient burst into flames. However, even with the critical hit, it wasn’t enough for an instant kill.
Ethelena and Yohira closed in and slashed their swords, their attacks overlapping. The Ancient finally fell. The vine wrapped around my arm burned and turned to ash, confirming its death.
”There are still more! Stay alert!” Tatia yelled.
Right after Tatia’s warning, I heard a distinctive cracking sound—the sound of a whip breaking the sound barrier—followed by the clang of metal. I looked back and saw that Tatia had protected my blind spot by blocking a whip with her shield.
”Thanks!” I called out.
”I will protect you! I am your Knight!” Tatia declared firmly.
I moved past the grateful Tatia and raised my hammer toward a new Ancient. I activated the Combo Attack skill and slammed it down onto the monster. The hammer struck the Ancient’s body, scarring it. The charred, blackened body shattered into wood fragments, its life force utterly extinguished and reduced to ash.
I scooped up the remaining drop item and looked up. Just as expected, more Ancients were appearing one after another.
”Come on, you spinsters! I’ll save you the trouble of trying to get pregnant!” I taunted.
According to an art book I’d bought in my previous life, these Ancient Alraune were the tragic result of Alraunes who lived for a thousand years without finding a suitable partner and conceiving a child, unable even to wilt and die naturally. Their resentment and bitterness supposedly caused them to age horribly, losing the beautiful, youthful appearance (apiaransu) that would attract a male. In contrast, an Alraune who found love would either quickly wilt and die after conceiving the next generation, or if they became an Ancient, they would appear as a gentle-looking old woman. The comparison images in the book showed a brutal difference in appearances.
Therefore, players nicknamed them “Spinsters” (Ikireokure). Any player who encountered them considered it their mission to put the creatures out of their misery and end their thousand-year-long, fruitless quest for a family by sending them to the Netherworld (Nezāwārudo). Of course, they weren’t weak enough to be easily dismissed.
Perhaps my insult hit a nerve, because the hidden Ancients began emerging in droves. Their eyes were filled with rage over my comment and a desperate resentment, clearly intending to devour me. I figured a woman’s hatred was a scary thing, but I still moved to intercept the Ancients.
In the end, I managed to defeat about ten Ancients. It only ended there because Tatia provided support, but clearly over twenty had sprung out. That was an excessive amount. And the drop items we gathered from defeating them were, in a way, just as bad.
”Tatara, the drop items Shine of the Great Earth and Smile of the Benevolent Mother… I feel like I’ve heard those names (nēmu) before, noja?”
Yohira asked me, her expression somewhat strained. Ethelena and Tatia looked confused. Well, that was to be expected, as I’d only ever told Yohira about these.
”That’s right. They’re the crucial materials needed for our Smile of the Earth Mother and Prayer of the Earth Mother equipment, respectively.”
”I knew it!” she exclaimed.
I had previously shared the materials list with Yohira when I taught her the crafting method for the Earth Mother Series. These materials, dropped by the Alraune type monsters, were necessary to create the Earth Mother Goddess Equipment—some of the most cheating (chīto*) items in the game. I could actually mine Crystals of the Great Earth, but so far I’d only been getting Magic Metal (*Majikku Metaru). Judging by the amount gathered from this battle, I could probably craft twenty sets. Hearing my words, the other party members immediately started shoving the drop items at me. I suppose once they knew the value, they didn’t want to hold onto them.
* * *
”Putting that aside, Tatara-dono, even if you were certain the attack wouldn’t pierce your defense, deliberately taking enemy attacks is not wise.” Tatia’s voice was filled with concern, bordering on a reprimand.
”Yeah, well… I couldn’t draw the enemies out any other way.”
”Even so, I’m (Watashi) the shield of this party. I must be allowed to speak my mind.”
Her words were less of a complaint and more a warning, heavily tinged with worry. She had truly worked to defend me, blocking the whip aimed at my back. I knew I had to sincerely apologize for causing her distress.
”You’re right. That was an action that disregarded your oath (ōsu). I’m sorry,” I admitted.
”…No, I spoke too harshly out of worry myself.”
Tatia managed to calm down, and we apologized to each other, ending the matter. She was prone to worrying, but it made sense; I had previously mentioned that enemies with the Pierce ability would appear, so she was naturally on edge. Not knowing which enemy possessed it was probably the greatest source of her anxiety. I wondered if I should have Tatia and Ethelena learn Appraisal as we continued our exploration.
* * *
We continued to advance, still receiving gifts from the Muumin and defeating other monsters. I leveled up twice, reaching Level 57. It was purely a gut feeling, but I suspected that Growth Promotion might be providing an experience point bonus (Keikenchi Bōnasu). The speed of my leveling was too fast, even considering the large number of enemies. Moreover, probably because I used the tactic of taking hits and drawing out the Ancients a few more times, the level of my Physical Defense skill increased and even managed to rank up. It seemed the presumed experience point bonus from Growth Promotion applied to skill experience as well. This is seriously insane.
”We’ve finally reached the 55th Floor! It feels like it took a little while to get here.” Ethelena sighed as we approached the stairs from the 54th Floor.
”We took longer because of the sheer number of enemies,” I agreed. “Though, I guess we could just stop annihilating everything.”
We only cleared out every room because we had plenty of resources for the exploration, but normally, the basic method is to find the stairs and descend as quickly as possible.
”However, what we need right now, noja, are experience points to grow stronger. My Tsubame-gaeshi—swallow counter—is close to ranking up, too,” Yohira noted.
”My Charge is also on the verge of ranking up, and my Full Power is leveling up smoothly as well,” Tatia added.
”Honestly, watching you use Full Power aggressively on the last enemy is terrifying, though,” I admitted.
Tatia typically leveled up her Full Power by using it in a safe situation, mindful of the one minute she’d be immobilized afterward. I’d seen the combination of Charge and Full Power obliterate enemies, but the skill itself still scared me. If she was counterattacked, her defense would be zero, guaranteeing a critical hit. I didn’t want to see Tatia suddenly die.
”Now, what awaits us ahead, noja?” Yohira asked.
”Don’t ask me. I only have knowledge up to the 50th Floor, you know.”
The truth was, based on my knowledge from my previous life, I knew the enemy distribution all the way down to the deepest level. But no one would believe me, so I wasn’t going to say anything. Since neither the old defense captain nor my father had ever spoken about anything past the 50th Floor, there was no way I could explain having such accurate information. If I did, I didn’t know what they would think of me. Besides, if the enemies appearing from here on were the same as in the game, there wouldn’t be any “first-time player kills.”
* * *
The 55th Floor was a slight change from the tropical rainforest; it had shifted to a temperate forest. It felt closer in atmosphere to the 41st Floor, with pleasant, cool breezes and the scent of flowers filling the air.
”Well, this is quite the change, nō,” Yohira murmured.
”There’s barely any humidity,” Tatia observed. “Compared to the sticky air of the last floor, this is quite comfortable.”
Yohira and Tatia spontaneously voiced their impressions.
From the 55th Floor onward, the dungeon took on the flavor of a deep forest. With its rich nature, these next few floors felt like they had some of the most comfortable atmospheres in the whole exploration. In the game era, this map contained flower fields and springs, and it was even the setting for some Special Ability (Supesharu Abiritī) heroine events (hiroin ibento). However, since reaching this floor was quite difficult, most people never saw them.
The enemies here were of the Fairy-type (Yōsei-shu). This lush, green forest was meant to be an ideal environment for Fairies (yōsei). The common types included Fairies and Pixies, and fallen Elves and Dwarves also appeared in this domain. The Rare species, however, belonged to the Fairy category.
”Alright, Ethelena, go on ahead,” I instructed.
”Yes, I understand,” she replied.
As always, Ethelena took the lead, and we followed behind. I noticed the sound of my movement was gradually disappearing. *Is the Stealth Step skill rapidly increasing in level because of Growth Promotion?*
I decided it might be a good idea to quickly round out my combat and exploration skills and then acquire Crafting skills like Sewing or Pharmacology. The Crafting skill I currently had was applied to generalized production, so I hadn’t focused on specialized skills, but acquiring them might significantly expand what I could do. *Though, the current Crafting is probably enough.*
As I pondered this, a telepathic message (nenwa) arrived from Ethelena, who was scouting ahead. She had apparently spotted a new enemy for this floor, so Yohira and I moved next to her to use Appraisal.
There stood a lone woman, but she wasn’t human. She had lush, pale green hair, with various colorful flowers blooming from it, a lily-of-the-valley staff in her right hand, and butterfly wings on her back. Most striking was her size; she was only about sixty centimeters tall—quite small by human standards. This was the Rare enemy (Rea enemī) of the Fairy-type on this floor: the Fairy Queen Titanomachia. The name was likely a combination of the Fairy Queen Titania from the play and Machia—the Greek word for war—also nodding to the Titanomachy—the war of the Titans.
In the game of my past life, she was a versatile character with a leaning toward Magic (majikku) but strong in melee combat as well. Her small size and high speed made her hard to hit, and with 300 HP, she was incredibly troublesome.
* * *
‘…A Fairy, perhaps?’ Yohira wondered in our shared thought-link.
‘Well, that’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the Fairy race,’ I agreed.
‘She’s beautiful… but she feels cold somehow,’ Ethelena mused.
While I affirmed Yohira’s question, I thought about Ethelena’s observation. Cold, indeed. Her expression was so stiff that she seemed devoid of life. She looked quite doll-like, and I could somewhat agree with the assessment.
‘Let’s try Appraisal first,’ I thought.
‘Yes, I shall do so as well, kanō,’ Yohira agreed.
We both used Appraisal simultaneously.
| Fairy Race: Queen Titanomachia | |
| :* * * | :* * * |
| HP | 300/300 |
| Mana | 350/350 |
| Skill Power | 150/150 |
| Physical Attack | 80 + 15 |
| Physical Defense | 60 + 12 |
| Magic Attack | 98 + 15 |
| Magic Defense | 108 + 17 |
| Speed | 88 |
| Luck | 30 |
| Movement | 6 |
| Special Ability | Four-Element Enhancement, Fairy Magic, Wind Element |
| Equipment | Staff of Lily-of-the-Valley, Fairy Royal Robe |
She had quite a problematic status (sutētasu). Although primarily Wind-element (Kaze Zokusei*), she possessed Four-Element Enhancement—an enemy-exclusive (*teki sen’yō) Special Ability that allowed her to use all elemental magic with increased power. Her actual firepower should be considered 20% higher than her listed Magic Attack stat.
* * *
‘Ethelena, any other presences?’
‘I wouldn’t know if they were cleverly hidden, but I only sense that one for now,’ she replied.
‘Got it. Thanks,’ I sent back.
Assuming the target was only one, I would charge in first and try to take her down. If I succeeded, great. If not, Ethelena would back me up. If more were still hidden, Yohira and Tatia would move in to destroy them. They agreed to this plan, and I immediately charged forward.
The Titanomachia noticed me and tried to cast a magic spell, but my hammer reached her first. The hammer struck the Titanomachia squarely, sending her flying with the force of a baseball hit by a full-swing bat, where she smashed into a nearby tree and shattered.
As I tracked her with my eyes, multiple magic spells flew toward me from the surroundings simultaneously. They were of various elements—precisely all four, suggesting they were aiming for my weakness. However, I managed to evade all the surrounding magic by slipping through the narrow gaps. Since a large-area magic spell would have resulted in mutual cancellation (sōsai), they must have surrounded me with single-target spells (tantai majikku). I evaded them all perfectly. Even if they had hit, my elemental magic absorption would have made it a non-issue.
Four new Titanomachias appeared, and the three waiting behind me dashed toward them. I confirmed their destinations and charged toward the only free (furī) one. The Titanomachia raised the lily-of-the-valley staff in her hand, intending to counterattack. Too naive.
Ignoring the Titanomachia’s resolve to land a final blow, I swung my hammer with full force, and this time, she shattered right where she stood. Her broken limbs and wings vanished into the wind. All that remained was a single jewel shaped like a flower seed. This was the Titanomachia’s drop item, Fragment of a Dream—a material (sozai*). It was likely a name based on the famous play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I tried to ignore the dirty thoughts I almost remembered (*memorī) thanks to a certain fencing instructor.
* * *
”To think they could slip past Ethelena’s detection…” Yohira muttered.
”I’m sorry, I truly couldn’t sense them until they showed themselves,” Ethelena apologized.
”I believe it’s unavoidable,” Tatia interjected. “It didn’t seem like a simple concealment either.”
Tatia was correct this time. “I think this was unavoidable. Based on what I saw in Appraisal, their Fairy Magic probably played a role. I read a research document that suggested the ‘spirit away’ incidents often mentioned in fairy mischief were actually caused by magic that moves them to Fairyland, where they live. If the world phase is different, detection is impossible.”
There was a magic spell for concealment, but Ethelena’s Search III should have been able to find it. This was more likely a surprise attack using a higher-tier teleportation magic (terepotēshon majikku): setting a marker in the room, then using a single companion as a decoy to lure in the invaders, and finally launching a coordinated magic barrage (artillery) to wipe out even a stronger opponent. That was quite brutal.
From then on, the Titanomachia continued to use their decoy strategy, and I continued to use my tactic of going ahead to trigger their magic attack. My own level continued to rise, reaching the cap of 60. Stealth Step and Mobility Boost ranked up. Concealment was one level away from ranking up, but Surprise Attack and Ambush hadn’t leveled up at all since I was only fighting face-to-face. The reason this wasn’t a problem was the massive increase in Luck from the Blessed Flower Crown. Since I was practically guaranteed a critical hit, it wasn’t a major issue.
We stood before the 60th Floor boss room.
* * *
”Now, the boss here is an unknown enemy,” I said, converting my past-life knowledge into a prediction based on trends. “Based on the types here, it’s probably a Fairy type, but I think it’s unlikely to be the same Janus from the 50th Floor.”
After hearing my words, Yohira paused, then asked with a hint of suspicion, “I’ve refrained from asking, Tatara, but do you possess information about the boss that resides here?”
Well, that was bound to happen. While predicting it would be a Fairy-type was reasonable, suggesting it might be an entirely different entity was a bit much. They had accepted that I had explored the dungeon once before, but this might be overdoing it.
”Actually, I’m a reincarnated person (tensei-sha). I have knowledge from my previous life.”
”Tatara, you always make that joke,” Ethelena said dismissively.
I spoke the truth, and it was taken as a joke. That was why I didn’t want to say it anymore. If it was just going to be treated as a joke, there was no need to speak the truth.
But Yohira carefully examined my words. She placed a hand to her mouth, furrowed her brow, and thought deeply.
”…Then, Tatara,” she asked, her voice slow, “how far did you dive (daibu) into this dungeon in your previous life?”
I disclosed the truth in a fit of half-reckless abandon. “To the bottom floor. I even know the truth about the knight who became a demon—how he lost his beloved dragon (ryū), stole Mana (mana) from the corpse of the Demon Lord (Dēmon Rōdo) he once defeated for her resurrection, and continues to research resurrection sorcery (sosei sōserī).”
Ethelena looked at me suspiciously. This information wasn’t available on the surface; there were no records of it anywhere. I only knew it because the master of the dungeon had explained it in great detail before our final fight in the game. This knight and his beloved dragon were lovers—or rather, a married couple. The genesis of the Cavern of Eternal Night was the dungeon’s creation to resurrect the dragon who had died fighting the Demon Lord.
He was a formidable fighter, but I still couldn’t understand why the Archangel only sealed him away. That’s why I suspected there was something of particular importance in the Demon Lord’s remains past the demon knight.
Yohira stared at me, nodded once, and spoke.
”It is a difficult thing to believe, but let us proceed with this as a fact. Based on that knowledge, what is the enemy here?”
”The enemy here is the Jewel Tree—a spirit (seirei) in the form of a tree that bears eggs from which Fairies are born. Its weak point is Fire-elemental, but it’s a surprisingly tenacious boss because both its Physical and Magic Defense are high.”
I opened up the information and watched for their reactions. Ethelena and Tatia looked astonished at my seamless answer, but Yohira nodded after hearing my information.
”Understood. We will formulate a strategy based on Tatara’s information.”
”…Are you sure? It could be a lie, you know.”
”It is better than having no information at all, noja. At least, Tatara has never given us false information about the dungeon, has he?”
I gave a bitter smile at Yohira’s words. Being believed so directly was, well, awkward.
”In that case, here’s an additional piece of information. Since this enemy is the mother of the Fairies, it excels at Magic Attack, but its Physical Attack isn’t low either. Be fully on guard against its attacks.”
”Understood. Thank you for the information, ja.” Yohira smiled brightly, listening to my words, which made me feel slightly relieved.
Now, I should inform the other two as well.
”Tatia, plan on using your maximum power attack right from the start. Even with its elemental weakness, its high defense and HP make it hard to chip away at.”
”…Understood. I will refrain from using Full Power but will adjust to deliver maximum power with Charge.” Tatia considered it for a moment but accepted my words as a knight, pushing her questions aside. Her eyes showed that she was suppressing her doubt and focusing only on believing me. I was truly grateful for her sincerity.
Then, I turned back to Ethelena. She had never fully accepted the truth about me, and now seemed confused that Yohira had believed me before her. There was something she was clearly contemplating: jealousy toward Yohira, possessiveness toward me, or indignation at her own confidence that I hadn’t been telling the truth.
”…Tatara. About the reincarnated person thing just now…”
”You don’t have to believe me. I’m used to it,” I interrupted.
The words were out before I realized I’d messed up the delivery. Ethelena’s face looked like she was about to cry.
”It’s just that I have more information than other people. That’s all. Don’t worry about it.”
I sensed the conversation would only go in a bad direction if I continued, so I cut it short. As I turned to walk toward the door, Ethelena gently grabbed my sleeve, making her presence known. I stopped and turned back, meeting her downcast gaze. In a voice so quiet it was barely there, she questioned me.
”…Tatara, did you know about me or my father and mother?”
”No, I didn’t,” I replied without hesitation. “All I know is about the dungeon, Crafting materials, and skill combinations. I barely know anything about people’s lives or certain incidents.”
The Whirlwind I knew was limited to what the original protagonist, Smith, and a few created characters could find out, and anything beyond that was only part of the world setting that had been shared within the company. Ethelena, Yohira, and Tatia were all factors that didn’t exist in my original knowledge. That was precisely why, despite any subtle intentions, I had simply reached out to Ethelena because I wanted to help her, and why I genuinely got angry at Tatia’s inhuman thoughts.
Besides, if I had known about that incident, I would have put all my effort into saving my parents first. I would have exerted my power as a Crafter more skillfully to ensure they absolutely wouldn’t die. Even with knowledge from a past life, there are fates that cannot be changed. Reincarnated people are not omnipotent.
”Then, just tell me this one last thing,” she pleaded.
What is she going to ask? Ethelena took a deep breath, and then with a determined look, she asked me the question.
”Tatara’s past life… was he a virgin (dōtei)!?”
”I-I-I’m not a virgin!” I shouted.
”He is a virgin, noja.” Yohira confirmed.
”He is a virgin, desu ne.” Tatia agreed.
I denied the ridiculous question, only to have my lie exposed by Yohira and Tatia. Seriously, I put up a front, but can they tell that quickly!?
Ethelena looked at my reaction and let out a sigh of relief.
”Thank goodness. I’m glad Tatara’s first time will be with me.”
”What are you talking about, Ethelena-san? I was not a virgin in my past life!” I protested.
”He is a virgin, noja.” Yohira repeated.
”He is a virgin, desu ne.” Tatia stated.
”Hey, I said I’m not!”
It was true that I was terrible at forming human relationships in my past life and never had a deep relationship with the opposite sex. I had more male friends and found them easier to deal with, so I actively avoided romantic entanglements because they were too much trouble. My personality hadn’t changed between my past life and this one, but life was incredibly difficult. Every time I spoke, I got some strange reaction, and in this life, being called a player or a womanizer was truly baffling.
”It seems Tatara’s personality is not generally well received, nō ja. The more troubled a woman is, the more likely she is to be drawn to him.” Yohira analyzed.
”Indeed, we—who are quite troubled—starting with Ethelena-dono, have been drawn to him,” Tatia calmly added.
Don’t analyze me so calmly, you two! Why are you starting to psychoanalyze me, you damn beasts!
”Yeah, if Tatara was a virgin in his past life, I don’t have anything to say,” Ethelena decided.
”I said, I am not a virgin…”
”The way you deny it sounds like a virgin, Tatara,” Ethelena gently observed.
Can I cry now? My glass heart is seriously about to shatter.
”That’s enough. I hate Ethelena.” I pouted.
”Oh-oh, he’s sulking, noja.” Yohira chuckled.
”This is serious, desu ne,” Tatia replied.
”I hate all of you!”
Should I just stop my Sublimation of Existence (sonzai no saburimēshon) and slowly die here? Living is too painful.
”Ahaha… I’m sorry, Tatara,” Ethelena said, trying to smooth things over.
”It’s fine. I’m going to kill the boss here and just die without doing the Sublimation of Existence.”
Why was I born, and what am I living for? It’s certainly not to be mocked for being a virgin, is it? I hate that kind of life.
”He is genuinely sulking, nō. You need to cheer up soon.” Yohira said.
”Shut up. I’ll probably just die from some illness in a few months anyway, so just leave it,” I retorted bitterly.
”Mū, this is seriously bad…” Yohira mumbled.
What is so bad? Tell me.
”Um, Tatara-dono…” Tatia began hesitantly.
”What do you want, from an idiot who was constantly harassed by weird women in his past life and got hung up on being a virgin?”
”Y-You’re being difficult…” Tatia stammered.
Difficult? Good. I was perfectly normal, and then I was suddenly labeled as being in a relationship and screamed at in the middle of the office, which was meaningless and led to me being forced to resign! They apologized later, saying it was a mistake, but I told them to pay me severance if they were going to apologize. They asked me to come back, but who would return to a place that had destroyed their reputation? You were the ones who threw me away, you nerve!
”Ah, I’m sorry, Tatara,” Ethelena apologized again.
”It’s fine. You just wanted to laugh at me, Ethelena.”
”Different. I was…”
”You’re just like the people who looked down on Ethelena, trying to look down on others because it puts you in a position of superiority.”
”Ah,” Ethelena gasped.
I really hate this. I remembered those awful junior colleagues who would ask me to make operation manuals because they couldn’t do the work, only to start bullying the next batch of newcomers once they became competent enough, driving them to resign. The ones who got a little better and started looking down on me, then cried “power harassment” when I assigned them a third of my workload. My former boss was no better, singling me out for reprimands and threatening pay cuts. I was glad I quit when I did after they dumped all their problems on me. I wondered what happened to that company. The president was a decent guy; I hoped it was still running. I figured the last junior I taught would probably keep things going since she was capable of inheriting my abilities (abiritī)… but my boss and colleagues probably apologized just because they had nowhere else to dump their work. Did they quit, too?
”Tatara, stop it now,” Yohira warned me.
Stop what?
”We are also sorry for saying such thoughtless things, nō. We did not consider your feelings and said hurtful things. However, is that not also a reason for you to stop swinging your blade of words?”
”That’s the logic of the aggressor. Don’t take the victim’s feelings lightly.”
”…Then, what do you think of Ethelena, who is crying now because of your words?”
I looked toward Ethelena as instructed. She was downcast, wiping her eyes, hurt by my words. Tatia, who was next to her, looked confused, unsure how to comfort her, and gave me a pleading look.
”Nothing,” I answered flatly.
”Nothing, ja to!?” Yohira was aghast.
”Conversely, I ask you: did any of you feel nothing when the three of you ganged up to make fun of me?”
Yohira’s breath caught at my question.
”It’s not okay for you to be mocked, but it’s okay for you to mock others? Isn’t that a bit too much of a double standard (daburu sutan dādo)?”
”That is…” Yohira started.
”There’s a popular story in Whirlwind that goes like this: ‘The only ones who should shoot are those who are prepared to be shot.’ If you don’t want to be mocked, don’t start it in the first place!”
I truly believed that line—originally from a private detective but made famous by that rebellious robot anime (anime)—was the absolute truth. If you’re going to be the aggressor, you have to be prepared for the retaliation. It might be true that I subconsciously looked down on Crafters who couldn’t match my skills, but at the same time, I was waiting for someone to surpass me and look down on me as a relic of the past. I wanted to see the progress of technology and the evolution of technicians (gijutsusha).
”Do you understand how painful it is to be called a joke every time you speak the truth?”
I remembered telling Ethelena I was reincarnated and being treated like a joke, deciding to keep quiet about it afterward.
”I stopped telling you because I said it so many times and you never believed me. I told you again this time only because Yohira believed me, even if it was just a formality. And this is what happens. I will never tell you my truth again. I don’t even care about avoiding death anymore. I will only live for the child (chairudo) in Ichika’s stomach. But I’m not going to think about wanting a child with any of you anymore. Go wherever you want.”
Yohira’s face crumpled in pain, and Tatia bit her lip.
”It’s fine if you don’t believe me; I’m used to it. But I won’t forgive anyone who mocks someone over it.”
My words echoed emptily. The only sounds in the room were the reverberation of my voice and Ethelena’s quiet sobbing.
”Hey, Yohira. Answer me,” I pressed.
”…W-What is it, ja?”
”Did it feel good to gang up on one person and make fun of them?”
At my question, Yohira lost all strength and fell to her knees. What is she thinking? I couldn’t read her heart before, but now it was even more pronounced.
”I’m human, too. I bottle up my anger. I try to be careful not to take it out on people, so I release it during Crafting or by aiming it at enemies during exploration.”
I was starting to calm down a little. My stomach was churning with rage, but it was enough. These people weren’t even worth directing my feelings toward anymore.
”But even humans have limits. So don’t be complacent about the kindness of others.”
”…I’m sorry,” Yohira whispered.
”What are you apologizing for?”
”…”
”I see. So, you’re staying silent… Even words you don’t mean, if they’re only a reflex, they still feel empty, don’t they?”
I had hurt the person I loved this much, yet my heart wasn’t moved. Was it possible that I no longer had those kinds of feelings? I didn’t know. I thought they were important to me, but now I couldn’t tell anymore. Am I broken?
”Anyway, I’m going to go kill the boss here. Do whatever you want.”
I reached for the door and opened it. I didn’t look back.
Notes:
• Yohira – Torakuma’s first name. Oni warrior.
• Ichika – The fox girl. Kunoichi. Virgincest⚠️, becomes pregnant immediately.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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