CH 6

6 - Lulurun's Kowtow

The spell used by Lulurun was decomposition magic, one of the ultimate spells that would turn the components of anything into dust.

Only the witch kindred riding in it wasn’t disassembled and rolled to the ground with the same momentum.

“Ah?” the pilot said.

“What a waste…” Lulurun muttered.

“Huh?”

“I erased the robot because of you, I wanted to know how it works, for goodness’ sake,” Lulurun grumbled.

“Ah?????” the magic machine pilot went, so confused his mouth flaps wordlessly.

“Say it again, you’re just a cookie-cutter villain, come on, say it,” Lulurun said.

“Huh? Ah, I think, we’ll remember this? Huh? Why?” the pilot said.

The other thugs grab the confused pilot and flee.

“Should I have gone as far as ultimate magic?” Lulurun asked herself, thinking back to her capabilities and the magic machine that attacked her. “I should have at least kept the arms…”

She regretted she’d had to erase the magical mobile knight she’d so dreamed of, what this world called magic machines. However, she’d confirmed it exists, which means that giant robots can be manufactured in this world. It was a valuable harvest of information for Lulurun to realize her dream.

“And now…”

So, in order to proceed to the next step, Lulurun approached the still-restrained Reines.

“What is it?” Reines asked.

Lulurun stares at her, ready to start a conversation. “I want to talk about various things so that there is no misunderstanding,” she said.

“I’ll never talk to you! Hurry up and kill me!” Reines cried.

“I won’t kill you, you know why? Because there’s no reason to kill you,” Lulurun said.

“Can you expect me to believe that!?” Reines snapped.

“If that’s what you think, can you explain why I haven’t killed you and why we’re talking like this?” Lulurun asked.

“That’s,” Reines started before she choked, unable to make a rebuttal.

“I don’t think you’re a fool, you’re a reasonable woman…” Lulurun said. “Which is why I want you to know that I’m not a threat to you all.”

“No, you are,” Reines said.

“I don’t know how I’m going to get you to believe it, but I’m not a witch, I’m a magical girl,” Lulurun said.

She didn’t want to keep repeating it but she needs to make it clear to Reines.

“Magical girls aren’t the ‘witches’ you say, they can use magic but they’re not enemies or such troublesome beings, in fact, I’m not thinking of killing you, but rather wanting to have a dialogue, believe me,” Lulurun said.

She calmly arranges the facts and continues the dialogue, albeit one-sidedly.

“Can’t you see it’s harder for me to believe you when you’ve got me restrained like this?” Reines asked.

“Dispa,” Lulurun said, snapping her fingers.

Reines’s restraints disappear. “Huh? What the hell did you just do?!”

Now free, Reines quickly regained her posture and pointed her sword at Lulurun… or so she tried.

For some reason, Lulurun’s thrown herself on the floor, and Reines is caught off-guard.

“What is that? What are you planning!?” Reines said.

The woman who’d been restraining Reines now had her head pressed on the ground in a splendid kowtow. Reines is upset by the bizarre appearance.

“I want you to believe me,” Lulurun said.

“Huh?”

Lulurun speaks the full truth:

“I’m not planning anything! I’m not even going to restrain you! I ask you as an equal!”

“As an equal?”

“This is the kowtow!1 As far as I know, it’s the strongest show of humility in the world!!” Lulurun cried.

Reines was just confused.

“I know I’m 100’s of times shady, but I want you to believe me, I’m not a witch, and I want you to tell me about this world.”

“Who… what are you?” Reines asked.

“If I answer that, can you tell me?” Lulurun said.

“Huh, no, that’s not why I’m here.”

“You know so many things, so please! I’m truly begging you here!” Lulurun cried.

“Wait a minute, wait a minute?” Reines said.

The most powerful swordsman in the world was intrigued and put off-guard by the terrifying of this witch, a magician with terrible power who seemed to call herself a “magical girl.”