CH 33

33 Surprise attack

“I’m sorry desu …… Mineko doesn’t really trust humans……”

Shironeko was nursing the girl, but she explained Mineko’s behavior back then. I told her not to mind it and observed Mineko’s condition.

Despite the fact her coughing stopped, her breathing is rough and she looked pale.

“ …… Say, what if I told you I may be able to cure her illness…… what will you do?”

“-!?”

When I asked that, Shironeko turned her head with an earth-shattering look and grabbed me.

“You can do that desu!? I beg of you desu! Please help Mineko desu!”

The face she was making when she grabbed my clothes and petitioned was different from the warrior’s face of the brave beastman who fought me back then. Right now it’s the face of a pure girl who is thinking of her family…… I’ve seen a similar face just once before.

[Please Yuki-kun! Help me!]

“――――――Yeah, I’ll help you out……”

The childhood friend who once relied on me and requested my help and the current Shironeko are overlapping closely. I stroke her head in order to give her a peace of mind and then I stand beside Mineko.

I glide my hand on her beautiful skin that’s without even a single pimple, searching for the origin of the illness that is destroying her body.

“Oh light, expose the wicked existences――――――<Break Light>”

By having that aria, I unleash the magic that will examine the target’s health. It’s better to recite the aria if you have the extra time for it. It’s because you can expect more results from it than without an aria.

( …… Hm?)

The light is sinking into the bloodstream and the flow of magic power inside the body and it attempts to finally reach at the origin of the disease, but it couldn’t find anything. More like…… an entire body of black mist like thing exists as if corroding the whole body and I completely couldn’t see the fundamental root of it.

(This feeling is…… tch, are you serious)

That illness that’s destroying Mineko isn’t something simple. A more threatening black repulsive thing…… that Touma guy’s――――――

“――――――<Cursed magic>”

“Wai, wait a minute desu! Does that mean……”

“? What is that, this <Cursed magic> you’re saying.”

<Cursed magic> ――――――a unique magic that carries improper effects and is used by Touma as a Hero. Just by touching the target, the user would be able to give the other person a <Curse> he/she creates. The type of <Curse> can be anything, varied from movement restricting curses to something that eats the person’s body like an illness.

Because using it cost a lot of magic power due to its utility, using it consecutively being impossible is a relief, but with that demerit included, there is an excessive benefit from it.

If a curse is attached to you, there will be almost no way to undo it anymore. It may somehow be fine if you gather dozens of light magic specialists and have all of them continue casting purification magic, but……

“That bastard…… Ain’t he both the one who handed over the medicine and the source of this illness…… Shironeko, please show me Mineko’s medicine for a bit.”

“It’s, it’s this desu ……”

In the small bottle she handed to me are many black beads. When I took them out and smelled it, it has the same smell as the Sei〇gan that helped me out during my time in Japan.

“――――――Geh, you fucking kidding me, ain’t this totally Seiro〇!”

I threw the bottle in my hand outside. It flew out from the empty window and at the same time when the bottle disappears, the sound of glass breaking can be heard.

“Hol…… Is that fine!? Isn’t that Mineko’s medicine……”

“That thing’s a medicine that’s only effective on illness! It has zero effect on a <Curse>!”

The curse is dangerous, particularly only Touma’s curses are absolutely bad to get. Right after you receive it, your body that got stuck with it will be violated as he pleases.

Even Levia who was pointing her reproachful eyes to me went silent after hearing phrase <Curse>. It doesn’t look like she understood <Curse> well, but she understood the dangers when I got this upset with just that.

“That can’t be…… what did I accompany that person for up until now desu ……?”

“ ……”

There was nothing I could say to Shironeko.

She took actions she thought was right, but she understood there was no meaning even if she didn’t become an enemy. The medicine she went all the way to receive it was unnecessary. It’s because Mineko can’t be saved with the medicine she received……

Shironeko, who clearly understood that, held Mineko’s hand who is lying in bed.

Without looking at the girl who looks like she’s about to let out tears of regret, I faced Mineko once again.

“You can…… cure her……desu?”

With tears showing in her eyes, Shironeko turns her eyes towards me as if she’s relying on me.

I once again stroke her head and smiled at her so she could have a peace of mind.

“Yeah, leave that to me”

Separating my hands from her head, I held my hands out towards empty space.

“――――――<Gluttony>”

Suddenly, a space in the air cracked.

From the empty hole in the empty space, a sinister magic power blew out, filling the room.

“Uugh……”

Affected by the magic power, Levia and Shironeko’s body crumbled on the spot.

It means the magic power gushing out is too strong of a stimulus for the two.

If it was outside, the magic power would spread and shouldn’t result to this, but unfortunately the inside is easily filled with magic power.

The sinister magic power gushing out in large quantity filled the room and the face of the two of them became pale. If I don’t finish this swiftly then these guys will be in danger.

“Hey, come on out”

Suddenly, a sword grip appeared from the hole in the air. When I grip it and pul it out, the saved up magic power inside was dragged out along with the sword I’m pulling and it took form as the blade portion of the bladeless sword.  

The hoarded magic power held its form and becomes a slightly curved blade. Black magic power is coiling around it and covered the whole sword.

What is here is not wickedness, but simple <Craving>, wanting to indulge itself in exhausting simply everything, it’s the appetite of the <Heteromorph type> sacred sword <Hungry Fang>.

The person who haven’t gotten used to the frank desire recognizes the craving as irregular and will completely reject it unconsciously.

The current Levia and Shironeko is exactly like that, their body is unconsciously showing signs of separating themselves from the sword.  

If possible I want them to get used to the magic power from this lump of cravings, but even Levia who has seen it several times now is affected like this, so I’ll put off all of that for now.

“Now it’s――――――time to eat”

I stabbed Mineko’s body very deeply with <Gluttony>. There was not even a single sensation of going through flesh, my sword simply penetrated the girl’s body.

Shironeko opened her eyes wide and looked at me, but I kept eating the curse.

When Mineko’s curse is fading, <Gluttony>’s stomach swelled. The mouth went around until every corner in her body and ate until the curse runs out completely.

<Gluttony> …… Official name being <Hungry fang> is, I seem to have repeated a lot of times, but with its meaning as it is, eats everything.

From inorganic substances to organic matter, from gas to liquid, magic power or mental strength…… to life itself――――――

(It really doesn’t look like I’ll come to like this)

I thoroughly think so, looking at my sacred sword or demon sword crunching the strong curse as if it was nothing.

It’s too unreasonable. You can call this thing that eats up anything that comes in front of its eyes, a lump of unreasonableness.

This thing that eats without concerns of it being righteous or evil. Do I, who is more or less summoned as a Hero, have the right to use it I wonder……?

――――――Well, I’ll use it though.

Not using a useful item is being stupid, like pearls thrown before swine.

Eat shit to being Hero-like.

So I’m aware of the inhumanities.

[――――――You have unreasonable power that can carry out your will, what are you doing by not using it? You should wield it more freely.]

“ …… To think I actually recalled the words of the guy who placed the curse himself here……”

The face of the crossdressing bastard, who similarly has an unreasonable power like me, emerged in my mind.

In order to blow away that guy who shows a smile that’s inedible even for <Gluttony>, I ate up the entire curse at the very end, from the top of the head to the tip of the toes, without leaving a single trace of it――――――

◇　◇　◇

“Wow…… My body is light……”

“Is your condition fine?”

“It’s extremely fine. I feel full of strength all over my body!”

It’s several minutes since then. With the curse completely eaten up, the phenomenon of Mineko’s body being weakened stopped. Her decreased physical strength was regained to an extent by making her drink some recovery potion, now she’s recovered enough that she doesn’t feel pain from getting up and walking around.

“I’m glad for you desu …… Mineko …… I am really …… Uuu”

“Oh really! Don’t cry so much big sis!”

The now lively Mineko stroked Shironeko’s head who is sobbing with joy and began cuddling her.

Still, no matter how I look at it, I can only see them as older and younger sister in reverse, is it really not good if I retort to that at any cost?”

“Thank you for your hard work”

“Yeah……”

Levia lined up beside me and gave me words of appreciation.

She nonchalantly took my hand and half of her magic power she parted with was added to mine.

Warm magic power flowed into me, my slightly fatigued appearance flew somewhere far away by that comfort.

――――――This time, <Gluttony>’s stomach is somehow filled up to its sixth portions after it finished feeding on the curse. With that guy’s curse being that strong, I guess it meant it was firmly rooted.

It helped me a lot that the remaining portion could be supplemented with half of my magic power, but I may have to set up a countermeasure to the curse next time.

For <Gluttony> …… <Hungry Fang>, beside the compensation for not stopping until it has a full stomach, there is a loss of effectiveness when it becomes full.

It’s natural. No matter what you say, it’s stomach is full after all…… furthermore, you can’t stuff it in.

When you think about it from that weakness, it means that it can eat at most two curses of this scale.

It can become hungry again in a just a few minutes, but if, for example, the situation is in the middle of combat, you won’t have that extra time.

If there’s a method to allow us to avoid the curse somehow or another, it’’ll be settled…… well, it won’t go that smoothly.

“――――――Well, we can now think about the troublesome part I guess…… .  How about that, Shironeko. With this there’s no need for you to associate with that bastard Touma, you won’t attack us anymore right?”

“Yes desu …… *sniff*(gusu) …… Thank you very much desu ……”

“There there” Mineko said while she strokes Shironeko’s back, who was giving us her thanks while crying away.

With this they will spend their time peacefully again I guess. It’ll be nice if they won’t be used by strange groups again though……

In any case, we’ll be going back to beast king’s place. I’m a bit tired, so shall we go on a trip tomorrow―――――

“――――――Troubling isn’t it, getting this into this mood as if saying the issue is settled like this……”

“Ugh-! Big sis, watch out!”

“Eh?”

In the corner of my sight…… in just an instant, a shape of something flying was reflected.

There were several of this something which had a black luster. Those things rushed on towards Shironeko and Mineko by this form of perfected surprise attack.

It was fatally unexpected that even Levia and I couldn’t instantly react.

Even so, I reflexively swung my arm and knocked down several of these things. When it clashed onto the ground, the sound it carried was a metallic clank.

I turned my consciousness towards the remaining of those things that didn’t hit me rather than the sound.

Shironeko was in a blind spot and Mineko was in a place I could barely see.

Mineko pushed away Shironeko. The things that went towards the girls, at the same time Shironeko collapsed onto the floor……

――――――ran very deeply into Mineko’s chest.

“――――――ugh! Outside!”

I shout without thinking. I was trembling considerably from being unexpectedly hit by a complete surprise that was made possible from the distraction.

I jump out from the window from where those black something flew into.

I moved to prevent the second wave, but fortunately there was no second wave.

The time was still far from noon, on the ground that was illuminated by the sun that still hasn’t reached the peak, that person was there.

“Hey…… So it was you, the one who threw those dangerous things”

“That is true though? Ah, I wasn’t able to kill Shironeko…… even though I meant to take care of the useless……”

A black robed woman answered. Her hair that looked like it’s black piled on top of black was tied to the back and on her head there were dog ears. Her mouth was concealed by a black cloth, so her face can’t be seen.

“You are our master’s beloved person…… as for me, I hate you so much I may go mad from jealousy, but…… By my master’s order, I plan to constrain you and take you away.”

“Who is gonna get caught, you pitch black bitch. That guy you call master, I’m gonna smash his woman looking face ’till it’s warped, so look forward to that”

“ …… I shall take back my words, allow me take you back after I punish you until you don’t know that idea of yours anymore.”

The woman took off her robe and showed the whole picture.

A footwear similar to fishnet stockings from black clothes, the cloth concealing her mouth appeared to be tied on the back of her head with the remaining cloth floating to her back.

Isn’t that the well known japanese…… thingamajig?

“――――――<Kunoichi> Kuroinu …… here I go.”

Introduced in Japan, the type of people whose forte is assassination and espionage――――――the ninja.

T.N. The medicine called Seirogan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seirogan