Translated: Sei, MTL-sensei-tachi
Edited: Sei, Grammarly no Danna
Source: Syosetu

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Chapter 240


　The other Kannagi, so said the girl who also identified herself as Kannagi.
　We were dubious about her words, but she did not lose her serious expression.

『To put it simply, the person who contacted you in the form of a dream is a fake copying my appearance.』
"...Is that so"

　Normally I should be suspicious, but what Kannagi has just told me seems to fit.
　This was because the girl in the dream was somewhat staged and out of place.
　But the Kannagi in front of me now is natural and has unmistakable human traits.

『And it was the fake one that lured Keira, a child of the demon tribe, to these ruins by making her anxious. I really wanted to stop it, but ...... I was sealed so that I could hardly move.』
"So you're saying that the dense magic floating around these ruins is gone, and you can move now?"
『Yeah, that's right.』

　Then was it the work of that fake Kannagi that made Usato and the others transfer to another place?

"And what's this fake one you're talking about?"
『He is ... No, her identity is ——— the hero's sword.』

　The hero's sword?
　Wondering why it is not even a living being in the first place, Leona, who is closely associated with the hero's weapon, poses a question to Kannagi.

"...Does it mean that inorganic objects have come to life?"
『She wasn't even alive originally. The weapon was just made from a piece of the body of the divine dragon Falga. It was supposed to be just that, but...』

　There, Kannagi hesitates, but soon continues.

『Influenced by another sword thrust into the heart of the evil dragon, the ego as a fragment of the power of the divine dragon Falga was awakened.』
"Evil dragon!? ...Then...!"

　In order to seal the evil dragon's soul, the previous hero thrust a small sword into its heart.
　Now Usato has it as a gauntlet———if she was influenced by the evil dragon from that small sword, it must not be a good thing...!

『No, it seems her mentality was that of a child when she woke up.』
"Eh?"
『But she wakes up in my consciousness, which is sealed. She cannot speak to anyone or see anything. The only thing she could do was to remember some of the memories of the divine dragon Falga that were engraved in her own soul, and my memories because I was asleep... And the only memories she had were as a sword before her ego was awakened...』
"..."
『But that wouldn't be enough to distract her from hundreds of years of loneliness. She was forced to endure a long loneliness without even being able to break.』

　Hundreds of years of loneliness.
　Also, since gaining a sense of self, she has only seen the memories of others and knows nothing else.

『That's why when she first saw a person called Usato, she was quite shocked.』
"...Why is Usato mentioned here?"
『Because he was the one who pulled the small sword of the hero from the heart of the evil dragon. From that moment on, the two swords were connected.』
"Connected?"

　Kannagi replies to my mutterings.

『Through the small sword that Usato picked up, the gauntlet, she was finally able to see outside of my memories. ... In addition, though, the seal has been loosened and she can now interfere with the outside world...』

　Until now, she had only seen Kannagi's memories and Falga's memories, but now she had a chance to learn about the outside world through Usato.

『From that moment on, she has been watching you guys all the time. Samarial, Mialak, Hinomoto, Lingle, the battles against the Demon King's Army ——— and the path to come to these ruins.』
"She saw us, eh? Also our interactions up until now?”
『Yeah. And by the way, I was watching too. A-A~h! Don't draw back! No, I thought it was bad, but frankly I was lonely too...! I never got tired of watching your journey...!』

　Kannagi gets glared at by Nea and is instantly flustered.
　I feel slightly uncomfortable that they've seen what we've been doing, but not enough to blame them.

"When did you wake up?"
『As for me, it was when Usato pulled out the sword of the evil dragon's heart. Until that moment, I didn't even know that the hero's sword had awakened its own ego. I was really surprised when I found out...』

　That means up until that point is...
　I feel a little bit sorry for that one I talked to in my dream.

"So, in the end, is it correct to say that the identity of the fake is someone who has developed an ego on a hero's sword?"

　Nea puts her hand on her forehead as if she has a headache.
　To her, Kannagi's story must have sounded absurd.
　Certainly, even if there was such a thing as magic, it would be absurd.

『———The identity of my fake is ...... Falga, me, someone who is nobody. Her aim was ...... to get an existence called Usato to save her.』
""...""
『That girl has been watching you guys on your journey for so long. Somewhere along the way, she started to want to be saved from her loneliness.』

　Maybe Nea and I feel the same way.
　I understood it, but I think that Usato has a tendency to attract really strange people.

"If so, she could have just asked for help in a normal way, rather than doing this muddled thing.”
"Right. He's simple, and if you ask for help, he'll do it right away. He's that simple."

　Ferrum, I nodded to Nea's remarks.
　Basically, Usato...or rather, Suzune and Kazuki fall into the category of good-natured people.
　If you ask them for help, they will help you without hesitation.
　However, Kannagi's expression remained gloomy.

『...She's twisted.』
"Twisted? What do you mean?"
『A duty as a made weapon. Resentment towards the Demon King. Hatred of the demon race, which has been cutting and sucking blood with its own body. Even after gaining feelings, these had not disappeared. That is why, instead of honestly asking for help, she chose the means of forcing you to become stronger in order to defeat the Demon King.』
"Could it be that Usato and the others were sucked into the vortex for..."
『Amako, it's just as you imagined.』

　Usato, Suzune and Kazuki were sucked in because she wanted them to do something to make them stronger to fight the Demon King?
　Then, that golem was also prepared by a fake.
　W-What a hassle.

『She is trying to make Usato and the heroes stronger with good intentions. But there is no heart in the way she does it ... For Usato...』
"Is she trying to do something to Usato?"
『She is trying to give him the hero's sword, which is herself, and in addition to that ... the hero's light magic.』

　Nea was the first to react to those words.
　She held her head in her hands, looking upset, and her face turned very pale.
　
"...Lies, healing magic is bad enough, but light magic? What's that, you're gonna make a monster more monster...?"

　Nea seems to be in a huge shock, but I'm ignoring it for now.

"And what's more, there's something else, right?"
『She has mixed her wish for Usato to use her as a weapon with her wish to destroy the Demon King and the Demon Race. She's mixed up so many different wishes that she doesn't even realize that they're falling apart.』
"What will happen if Usato accepts light magic?"

　Kannagi replies to Nea's question.

『The original magic will be overwritten and changed into something else.』
"Wait, something else... Usato's healing magic will..."
『Yes, it will be overwritten by light magic and disappear.』
""!?""

　Usato will no longer be ... a healing wizard?
　When I was too shocked to make a sound, Kannagi in front of me folded her arms.

『But what I'm worried about is something else.』
"Is there anything more to it than this?"
『The unclean power of the evil dragon, transmitted through the small sword, has a strong influence on that girl's mind. Of course, in a bad way.』

　Other than the fact that Usato's magic might be lost, what else is there?
　I listen to her words, understanding that things are worse than I had imagined.

『She is now barely holding on to her ego, supported by her strong desire to be saved by Usato. If she realizes that this wish will not be fulfilled...』
"You mean her ego will collapse?"
『No, it will be worse. By losing her strongest desire, all that is left is a murderous impulse against the demon tribe ...... that is also more vicious, influenced by the evil dragon.』

　Is the incident of the evil dragon going to come back to haunt us here?
　Even after being released from the seal, I still don't know how much of an impact it will have on our journey...

『To be honest, I don't know what will happen if that happens. So you have to join up with Usato and the others as soon as possible.』
"Do you know where they are?"
『Yup. But I think it's time they got in this room———』

　At that moment, the wall on our side was broken and someone burst in with an electric shock.
　I didn't need to foresee it, I understood who had come, and I couldn't help but hold my forehead when I saw the weirdo ——— Suzune, who spread his arms wide and jumped at Kannagi.

"Youuu, Kemonomimi! I won't let you escape!!" (Note: animal ears)
『Uwaaaah!?』

　Suzune runs into Kannagi, who lets out a real scream that is not an act, but she just passes through.
　She clicks her tongue as she lands on the floor, and finally notices our presence and tilts her head.

"...This means we were able to meet up safely!"
"In my opinion, Suzune deserves a little pain."
"Harsh at the start of the encounter?"
"Senpai! What's wrong? You suddenly started running..."

　Kazuki comes after Suzune.
　Seeing this, Kannagi regained her composure and called out to us, placing her hand on her chest as if to control her heart palpitations.

『N-Now that we've met up with Suzune and Kazuki, let's head for Usato's place!』

　What should I do, I'm starting to feel uneasy when I look at her.
　Is Usato really okay?

●
——— seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———

　The power that flows from the hero's sword.
　I had a sharp chill as it ran up my arm, and immediately tried to let go of the sword, but for some reason the gauntlet gripping it wouldn't budge.
　They're stuck together like magnets!? No, I'm being kept unmoved!?
　I have a feeling that something irreversible will happen -- if I continue like this!

"Then! Hmph!"

　I swing my left fist and slam it into my own right shoulder.
　The fist hits the joint area, which causes the arm to weaken and forces the hand to open.
　Aiming for that moment, I pull the sword out of Kannagi at once and throw the hero's sword to the ground.
　When I see it pierced into the ground, I pat my chest in relief.

"———Phew, that was dangerous."

　I didn't want to believe it, but I guess she was setting something up after all.

"Why did this person suddenly hit his own body...?"
"Maybe it's that. His hand wouldn't open, so he hit the joint and forced it to loosen up."
"How do you understand it?"

　I switch my mind back to the battle and look back to Kannagi, who has the sword pulled out.
　She had been sleeping while sealed until a moment ago, but now she has raised her upper body.

"...This is the human body."

　Staring at her own hands in amazement, she gently touched her cheeks and body.
　And as soon as she noticed her left eye, which did not reflect light, she tore the sleeve of the kimono she was wearing and covered her eye with it like a bandage.
　Perhaps noticing my gaze, she turned the same azure eyes as Amako's towards me and gave me a smile befitting her age.

"Thank you Usato! I was finally able to wake up!"
"..."
"...Usato?"

　What kind of face do I look like now?
　I guess I should really be suspicious of this person, but I feel hesitant to do so.
　She tilts her head in response to my reaction, looks enlightened when she sees the sword stuck in the ground, and gets out of the stone coffin.
　Then, with unsteady steps, she pulls the sword out of the ground and offers it to me.

"Here!"
"...No, this is..."
"This is yours!"

　But if I touch it, the same thing will happen again...?
　The gauntlet resonance is still going on.

"Kannagi"
"Hmm? What?"
"Tell me the truth. What will happen to me if I accept this?"

　When I asked her that question, her expression became blatantly distorted.
　However, her face immediately became apologetic and she explained to me the side effects ———or rather, something like compensation for receiving the "Spark of Light" little by little.
　Apparently, when I receive this sword, I will acquire light magic and in return lose my healing magic.

"B-But you see, you will lose your healing magic, but you will get more powerful magic...?"
"..."
"Indeed, healing magic is an important magic for you. But if you have light magic and a hero's sword, you can even fight the Demon King. And the demon tribe won't even be a threat."
"..."
"Y-You're angry, aren't you? I-I'm sorry... Trying to make you do it without saying anything..."

　Kannagi suddenly becomes weak at my silence.
　Perhaps because she was looking down, her azure eyes seemed to become dark and sullen.
　When I am concerned about this change, Kannagi, whose shoulders trembled greatly, suddenly changes.

"I-If you take me with you, you can defeat the Demon King!"
"...!"
"That person couldn't kill the Demon King because he left me behind! If he had taken me with him instead of leaving me behind, he would have been able to kill him for sure and even destroy the demon tribe!"
"Kannagi, you..."
"So, this time, take me with you! As a hero, to kill the Demon King! Take me!"

　Something's wrong.
　Hearing her emotionally unstable words, not only me but Koga and the others sensed that something was wrong.
　She even looks pained, and I hesitantly ask her a question that could be decisive in a way.

"You're not the real Kannagi, are you?"
"... Eh? You're wrong, I'm Kannagi, okay?"
"You don't have to lie."
"It's not a lie. I have memories. I also have memories of the hero."

　Her words could not have been more chilling.
　The doubts were there from the beginning.
　Looking at her past words and actions and her current reaction, I could predict her true identity.
　I extend my left hand to Kannagi, who is desperately trying to offer me the sword in the scabbard. Seeing my left hand, she brightens her expression and my heart aches ——— and I push back the sword as if rejecting it.

"I can't accept that sword."
"———Eh?"
"I need healing magic. So I don't need that power."

　If Kannagi's words are true, if I receive this sword I will have light magic and will have two hero's armaments like the previous hero.
　Frankly, losing healing magic is not that important.
　More than that, I felt a strong sense of rejection at the word "destroying the demons.''
　There are people like Gref-san and the others who live peacefully in the demon tribe, and there are children like Keira who are experiencing a difficult childhood and are trying desperately to survive.
　It seemed wrong to just try to destroy it without understanding them.

"I can't replace the hero. That's why I can't use you as a weapon."

　This girl was overlapping me with the previous hero.
　She wanted me to have light magic, to have the sword of the hero, which was probably herself, and to defeat the Demon King.
　But that's impossible.
　At my words, Kannagi stepped back as if dazed and looked down, still clutching the sword.

"Yeah... yeah, I'm sorry. I understand. Right, that's what you would do. I knew it from the beginning."
"...Sorry"
"You don't have to apologize to me. Thinking about it, I'm already saved. And this way, I'm finally in human form... Areh?"

　Kannagi looked down and held her head.
　I wondered what was wrong and when I tried to approach her, I found that she had started muttering something.

"What does it mean to be saved? Am I already saved?"
"...Kannagi?"
"———What is my true wish?"

　Just as Kannagi's right eye shifted to purple ——— she jumped out with tremendous speed and passed by me.
　Then, she smoothly pulled out the sword and stabbed Koga who was behind me.

"...Gofu...!?"
"———Areh?"

　...Hah?
　Even Kannagi, the person in question, looked at the hand she had thrust to Koga with a shocked expression on her face.
　Completely caught by surprise, Koga vomits blood and falls backwards.
　Looking down at him, Kannagi smiles a distorted smile, a mixture of confusion and anguish.

"Y-You..."
"Ah, etto, sorry? But you're a demon, so it's okay for you to die, right? You guys over there too."
"Keira-chan!"

　Kannagi tries to swing the sword stained with Koga's blood at Keira.
　Seeing this, Ciel-san immediately hugged her as if to protect her.
　When I saw that, I didn't hesitate and delivered a roundhouse kick with all my might to Kannagi, but she dodged it as if she knew what I was doing.

"...Kuh!"

　That way of dodging, did she predict my movements?!
　After making sure she distances herself from us, I approach Koga.

"I was wondering if I should help you, Koga, but is it okay?"
"No, please help me properly..."
"T-Thank you very much……"

　Although Koga and I are enemies, I can't help but heal him...!
　In a panic, Ciel-san rushed over and spoke to Koga while applying pressure to Koga's relatively seriously injured wound.

"Koga-san! Aren't you embarrassed to be saved by your enemy, the healing wizard!! Please comment on that!!"
"You're so lively...! This is bad..."

　While receiving healing, Koga looks at his own hands and is astonished.

"My magic was taken away...!"
"What did you say...?"

　As I try to heal the wound by pouring healing magic into it, Kannagi looks at me in surprise.
　Her eyes remain purple, almost black.

"———Usato, why are you attacking me!? I don't understand what that means!"
"What are you talking about...?"

　There is no sign of change in Kannagi, who makes this complaint without even looking at the blood-soaked sword.
　Does she really not know why she was attacked...?

"Do you know what you've done!? Koga may be okay, but Keira is an innocent child!?"
"Hey, don't whip the injured person..."
"Koga-san, are you the type of person who gets depressed when you feel weak...?"

　I ignore people in the back!!
　Kannagi looks extremely confused at my shout.

"But getting rid of demons shouldn't be a bad thing... anyway, sorry. I apologize."
"You really don't understand...?"
"I understand? Myself (ware), for that reason... myself? No, it's me (watashi), right? Yes, I was created to destroy the demon tribe and kill the Demon King. That's why I have to kill the demons in front of me."

　After saying those words, the color of her eyes changed from purple to azure.

"Hmm? I don't have to do that anymore? But the Demon King is still alive, and there are demons too. Areh? No, that's not what I'm wishing for. I don't want to do something like this...?"

　She holds her head with a sad expression on her face.
　Normally I would have run up to her, but it's too dangerous to go near her now.

"I just wanted you to help me..."
"...Me?"
"Because you were the first real person I ever saw. I wanted you to help me like Eva, Leona, Karon, Amako, Kanoko, Kazuki, Suzune, and Keira."

　The colour of her eyes flickers between azure and purple.
　She brushes the blood off the sword while completely changing her behavior and emotions, as if her personality has changed.

"But I must destroy the demon tribe. I must kill the demon king. I wanted him to use me as a weapon until the end. But that wish will not come true. So, it can't be helped, right?"

　Her eyes have changed to dark, stagnant, purple ——— a pair of evil eyes reminiscent of an evil dragon and she points the tip of her sword at Keira and Ciel-san, who are behind me.

"I have Kannagi's body, so I have no choice but to do it myself, right? Because you refuse to do it."

　Black magic power similar to Koga's dark magic overflows from the blade.
　As it overflowed, it ran down Kannagi's arms and blackened her clothes.

"I'll kill the Demon King. I'll destroy the demons. I'll erase all human-shaped monsters from this world. That's the reason I was born."

　I made the wrong choice.
　I brushed off her hand as she called for help.
　I was devastated by this fact, but I held my fists up to protect Keira and the others behind me.

——— seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———

Author's Note:
Kannagi (fake): Anthropomorphic evil fallen animal ears eyepatch shrine maiden

Someone who is Falga, someone who is Kannagi, and someone who is nothing.
Its true identity is the will that has sprouted in the hero's sword.
Since it is a life with an imperfect will, its mind is young and severely twisted.
The fact that it was left behind by the hero is strongly imprinted in its memory as a trauma that will not disappear even after it gains an ego.
She is a child who just wanted Usato, who was always saving someone in trouble, to save her as well.

Due to the impurity of the evil dragon, the hatred towards the demon king and the demon tribe has been intensified, and she has become a dangerous existence that could bare her fangs even against ordinary humans.