Book 6: Chapter 1: Part 2

Here’s the chapter, enjoy~

Chapter 1 Part 2

After the fight with the Fist Saint, Master Usagi had completely recovered from his wounds, partly thanks to Akatsuki’s [Sanctuary] skill. However, the physical strength he had lost could not be easily regained, so he took a break from training with me and went somewhere for rest.

Even so, I couldn’t skip my regular training, so I continued my own training with the help of Yuti and Night.

If I had to, I could have asked Ouma-san to help me. Still, since there was too much of a difference in skills between him and I, it wouldn’t have been helpful in my training. More importantly, Ouma-san wasn’t very interested in helping me to begin with.

I’m not saying he should be my sparring partner, but it would have been nice if he could at least give me some advice on where I might be lacking… but forcing him to help is not a good idea either.

So, after the fight with the Fist Saint, I gradually regained my composure and was living a balanced life with school. After a long time, Master Usagi visited me.

(It’s been a while.)

“Ah, Master Usagi! It’s been a while. How have you been?”

(No problem. My wounds were already healed in the first place. All I needed was some rest to regain my strength.)

“If that’s the case, it’s good then, but…”

As I was worried about whether his strength would return so easily, Yuti came out into the garden of the other world’s house.

“Don’t worry. A Holy is not that weak. Above all, they have a gift from the planet.”

“G-gift from the planet?”

[T/n: I’m not sure if I should translate it as a planet or a star, the kanji is Hoshi (星)]

I’ve been involved with the Holy and the Evil for some time now, but having reached this point, I could tell from what Yuti had said that there were still some abilities that I wasn’t aware of. But for me, I’d rather live in peace without getting involved.

I remembered that when I first met Master Usagi, he explained to me that the title of “Holy” was granted by the planet.

Master Usagi nodded in response to Yuti’s words.

(Yeah. I had briefly mentioned it when I met you. We “Holy” are chosen by the planet and given the title. And being chosen as a Holy comes with an obligation to raise a successor. By letting that successor inherit the title, the Holy will continue… Well, some of them did not find a successor and disappeared in the past. Just like Gilbert who you dealt with recently… he has no disciples.)

“S-so there won’t be a next Fist Saint?”

(No. The disappeared Fist Saint will be selected by the planet again, and the title will be given to that person. I don’t know if one will be selected right now, though.)

“I-I see…”

As I nodded at Master Usagi’s words, he continued.

(As you can guess from what I’ve said so far, there is a close relationship between us, the Holy, and the planet. For example, we receive support from the planet, or rather, special benefits… One of these benefits is that we recover our strength faster than other living beings. This is because the planet needs us, the Holy, to defeat the Evil. So, don’t worry about my strength – it’s back to normal.)

“I see…”

I was relieved to hear Master Usagi’s words, but then I suddenly realized something.

“…Huh? In that case, what kind of existence does the Fist Saint and Yuti who attacked us have? Although Yuti has not yet become the Bow Saint, she still has the power of Evil. And as for the Fist Saint, he has both the power of Holy and Evil, right? Isn’t this a bad situation for the planet?”

Master Usagi gave a bitter expression to my pure question.

(…Your point is correct. This situation is dangerous for the planet. The Holy, which were supposed to counter the Evil, are now turning on the planet and humanity.)

“If that’s the case, won’t the title of Holy be taken back by the planet?”

(That’s impossible. The planet can give the titles, but it can’t take it away. I told you before, didn’t I? We, the Holy, are like the cleaners of this planet. And examples like the Fist Saint are the so-called outbursts of that function. It’s uncontrollable.)

“Eeh…?”

What an inconvenient existence.

A Holy bearer is a powerful force when on your side but a nuisance as an enemy, and you can’t even strip them of their title.

“…Also, I was wondering about one more thing, when the Holy fight against the Evil, their stats are doubled, right? When you fought the Fist Saint, did your stats increase?”

At my question, Master Usagi let out a tired sigh.

(I wish that was the case…)

“Eh?”

(…In other words, my status remained halved.)

“Eeehhhh?”

I was surprised to hear Master Usagi’s unexpected remark.

Then, Yuti tilted her head in wonder.

“Question. Is that also the same as when you fought me?”

(Yes, that’s right. We, the Holy, will only have our status unlocked when we fight against the Evil. In other words, if our opponent is a Holy, or if they have acquired just part of the Evil’s power, our status will not be unlocked. The only time it can be unlocked is when I’m fighting the real Evil.)

“…..”

I couldn’t say anything else. Although it is possible to gain power from the planet, it is still very difficult, isn’t it…?

No, without this kind of restriction, when a person like the Fist Saint comes out with their status unlocked, there is no way to reach their level.

The reason why Master Usagi was defeated by the Fist Saint was probably that Master Usagi’s status was halved, while the Fist Saint was able to borrow the power of Evil.

Master Usagi looked at me with serious eyes as I was thinking that it would be bad if there were more and more situations where a Holy being like the Fist Saint gained the Evil’s power.

(And also, Yuuya)

“Y-yes.”

(──So you’ve obtained the power of the real Evil.)

“Huh?”

I was surprised by the unexpected statement. Yuti was also astonished by Master Usagi’s words.

“Denial. That’s not right. The Evil power inside Yuuya was originally mine. In other words, it’s only a part of the power of Evil.”

(…I thought so too. However, the power that drifted from Yuuya at that time was so dense and powerful that it could not be described as just a borrowed part of the Evil. It can be said that the power of Evil had completely assimilated with him.)

“Umm…”

(In other words, it’s a power with the same quality as the Evil that I once faced. At the time with Yuti, it was like the power of Evil was mixed in. But in your case, your whole body was filled with the power of Evil.)

I had heard about what happened from Yuti and Master Usagi when the Fist Saint attacked.

It’s hard to believe, but it seems that I, with the power of Evil running rampant inside of me, defeated the Fist Saint. Even though they told me the situation, I don’t remember anything from that time…

And that rampant power was the power of Evil itself. And it seems that the power of Evil that I took from Yuti had become stronger. Even though this was explained to me, it didn’t make sense to me.

Then I suddenly heard the voice of the Evil inside me, which I hadn’t heard since the fight with the Fist Saint.

“Fuwahh… I slept well…”

“Ah!”

“?”

(What’s wrong?)

As I raised my voice, Yuti and Master Usagi looked at me curiously.

I told them that the Evil inside me had just woken up, and Master Usagi suggested that I ask it about my fight with the Fist Saint.

“Um, good morning.”

“Ah? Ohh. I thought you would be more exhausted! Hahaha. So, what’s up? Now that I look more closely, I can see that the Kicking Saint and even my previous host are here.”

“No, the other day, the Fist Saint attacked me, right? It seems that my power that manifested at that time was not the same as it was with Yuti; it was more like the power of Evil itself rather than your power. Do you know anything about that?”

“Ah, so that’s what this is about… It’s simple. The reason is that your heart was too white.”

“Huh?”

This is the first time I’ve ever heard of such a thing.

“W-what do you mean by ‘too white’…?”

“Didn’t I say it before? I tried to take over you, but your heart was too white for me to take over. But then you saw that bastard Kicking Saint there getting beaten up by the Fist Saint, and you got mad.”

“I got mad? That was unforgivable at the time, so…”

“The anger that you felt at that time was so black that it far surpassed even Yuti’s desire for revenge. That black heart even bottled me up and had certainly created the power of Evil in you. In other words, you are the cause. However, an ordinary person could never create the power of Evil with just anger alone. That’s where my existence comes in as the catalyst.”

“Eeh?”

“And it’s also great that you have this aptitude for Evil. It’s uncommon for a person to generate such emotions and be compatible with the Evil, you know? In most cases, you would end up having your heart swallowed by the Evil as it is.”

“S-seriously…?”

Apparently, the power from the Evil residing inside of me and my anger caused a chemical reaction that resulted in a complete manifestation of the Evil. Also, it seems that I was able to adapt to the Evil.

But why was I compatible with the Evil?

When I was thinking about it, I suddenly remembered the [Endurance] skill that I originally had. I wondered if this was an effect of this skill?

When Master Usagi heard my explanation, he furrowed his face.

(…Things have gotten complicated, haven’t they?)

“Then… what am I supposed to do?”

(You have no choice but to master that power. If not, you’ll become a target for us, the Holy, to defeat.)

“Eeh? That would be a problem!”

It’s not funny to be involved in this conflict, and then be defeated.

Master Usagi let out a big sigh at my panicked reaction.

(Sigh… The training from now on will be for you to master this power. One of the tasks is to interact with the Evil inside you… but it seems that you can handle that, apparently.)

“Well, yes, I guess so. Right?”

“Keh… you’ve been talking all the time to me on your own, haven’t you?”

The Evil power, which was called out by me, answered in an indifferent manner. Master Usagi and the others are watching the conversation between me and the Evil power. Well, I’m the only one who can hear the voice of the Evil power, though.

“Hmm… but Master Usagi is right, if I’m going to communicate with you, I need a name for you too, right?”

“Oh? A name?”

“Yes. Well, it’s not right to call you the Evil power every time, is it?”

As an entity, it is a piece of the Evil power inside me, but as long as we can communicate like this, I think it’s better to have a name.

It will make it easier to communicate…

“So, do you mind if I give you a name?”

“…Keh. It’s up to you.”

It continues to be nonchalant, but it doesn’t reject me, so maybe it doesn’t hate me that much.

Now, when it comes to giving a name… it will be that.

I had a strong image of it when I first saw it. I was troubled by various things, but I still couldn’t get the first image out of my head.

“Hmm… how about Kuro?”

“Huh? Kuro?”

“Yes. Because when I first met you, you were a black version of Yuti.”

When I said that, both Yuti and Master Usagi looked at me in surprise. H-huh?

“Surprise. It’s too simple.”

(…As expected, that’s outrageous.)

“T-that’s just it!”

…No, their reaction is normal. It’s too simple, and it’s just a color.

“Sorry, I guess it’s──.”

“That’s fine. Kuro, huh? It’s easy to understand.”

“Eeh? Are you sure?”

“…It’s your decision, not mine.”

No way, I didn’t think that the Evil power──Kuro, would accept it in such a straightforward manner.

Then, Kuro said with a dumbfounded look.

“It’s better than being given an ostentatious name. It makes me sick.”

“I-is that so?”

As I tilted my head in confusion, Yuti and Master Usagi opened their mouths.

“Suggestion. The name should be “Toto Schwarzer.” That’s settled.”

(Huh. You don’t know what you’re talking about, do you, little girl? Of course, I prefer Jiromaru.”

“…Kuro is a perfect choice,” said Kuro immediately.

“R-really?”

It seems that Kuro did not like the names that Yuti and Master Usagi proposed. I think they’re both more elaborate than mine, though. I’m not sure what’s the meaning of the name that Yuti gave, though.

(Hmm. I’m a little dissatisfied, but it looks like a name has been decided.)

“Ah, yes.”

(Then, let’s start training right away. Unleash the power of Evil.)

“Huh?”

I made a dumb voice at the unexpected remark from Master Usagi. When I looked closely, I saw that Yuti was also surprised.

“Warning. Yuuya’s power is dangerous. If you release it carelessly, it will…”

(That’s why you have to get used to it regularly. It’s not just me now; you’re here too. The situation is also different from time when the Fist Saint attacked, so it won’t go as far as a complete release like that time.)

“I-is that so?”

As I tilted my neck, Kuro complimented me languidly.

“Don’t worry. Unlike that time when you accepted me, you should be able to use some of the Evil power to some extent now. At that time, I was the catalyst, and it was as if you had created the Evil yourself. If it’s a power that you have created yourself, your body will naturally know how to release it.”

“I-is that so…?”

“And even if you unleash it, you don’t have any negative emotions in you right now that could be used as energy for the Evil. It will not go out of control.”

In addition to releasing the power of Evil at will, there seems to be no need to worry about it going out of control.

“In that case, please help me with my training.”

(Hmm. Leave it to me. I’ll go harder than before.)

“Please just go easy on me…”

With the help of the motivated Master Usagi and Yuti, I began to train in earnest to master the power of Evil.