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

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Chapter 323


　Though there was a bit of a commotion with Senri-sama and Koga, Senri-sama calmed down afterward, and the situation was brought under control.
　Honestly, if I just offered up Koga, who was completely unconscious from the illusion magic, as is, he'd probably resent me for the rest of his life. So I decided I'd be the one to persuade Senri-sama.

"Senri-sama, you haven't forgotten our mission, have you?"
"No, of course not. While I came here on a whim, I am fully aware of my own responsibilities."

　Well, it seems she does think things through properly.
　Though her actions toward Koga and me were way over the top, she doesn't seem to harbor prejudice against demons either. As someone dispatched here, she should be perfectly capable of fulfilling her mission.

"I pledge my life to achieving both harmony with the demon race and securing a betrothed."
"...That's impressive."
"Oi, don't just give up on thinking...!!"

　Koga regained his senses and grabbed my shoulders from behind.
　No, but... It's not like she did anything bad.

"But I admit I got a little too carried away. It seems I caused trouble for the townspeople, and I'm truly sorry."
"What about the trouble you caused me?"
"I believe a married couple should share their hardships together."
"Usato, I'm scared of this woman."

　That Koga is genuinely scared and hiding behind me.
　To be honest, I'm scared too... but from an outsider's perspective, I think it's kind of cute.

"I'm sure Helena-san is looking for you, too. Why don't you head back to the dorms for now?"
"You're right... Well then, Koga-san, see you another time."
"O-Oh..."

　With a little smile, Senri-sama turned and walked back the way she came. Watching her retreating back, I let out a sigh of relief.

"Koga, looks like we managed to pull through this time."
"That's strange. It just seems like the situation has gotten worse...!"
"???"
"Why the puzzled look right now...?!"

　I was joking when I tilted my head, but you're the one who dragged me into this.

"You know Senri-sama isn't a bad person, right?"
"That's beside the point!? That girl's crazy!! She challenges me the moment we meet and won't listen to a word I say!? Plus, she's seriously strong!"

　If I had a mirror right now, I'd show it to you.
　Those exact words were what I wanted to say to Koga during the war.

"Hannah-san, what do you think about this?"
"Putting aside the jokes, I think they look pretty good together."

　I whispered to Hannah-san, who was standing nearby, and that was the answer I got.
　Seeing him get exactly what he gave me back... kinda funny, I guess.

"Haa, enough about that. I need to talk to you about something else."
"I've already been scolded for fighting Nero-san this morning, okay?"
"You got scolded? Well, I’m kinda interested in that too, but this is about something else."

　Something else?
　For now, I listened to Koga’s story as we walked through town.

"It's about the members of my squad."
"Ah, you mean the people I'll be training?"

　Physical training is absolutely necessary to venture into the monsters' domain, so I've been put in charge of training the demons.

"Anyway, recruitment starts today. So tomorrow, I’ll introduce you to the guys in my squad."
"I see… When you say your subordinates, you mean the ones from your legion commander days?"
"That's right."

　So they’re all elite, then.
　They’ll be worth training. …Though, come to think of it, they might already be strong enough without me training them.

"I'm sure you've fought them before, haven't you? They're too stubborn to acknowledge you in the normal way."
"Good. That rebellious spirit is really great."

　When I muttered to myself in response to Koga's words, Hannah-san gave me an exasperated look.

"No, why...? Troublemakers who disrupt discipline aren't needed in the unit, right."
"Because in the Rescue Squad's training, not breaking mentally is crucial. When I first joined the Rescue Squad, I was determined to punch the team leader! “I couldn't let myself lose!” That's how I got through the training."
"... Isn't that just your place being weird?"

　......

"Anyway, I have high expectations."
"What's with the silence just now...?"

　It's fair to say that mental strength is more important than physical strength.
　After all, the body can be healed with healing magic, but the heart cannot.
　First and foremost, we should focus on building an unbreakable spirit.

"So how are we gonna start this off?"
"I think we'll wait and see for now. I'll see how your subordinates react and then decide how much training they should receive."
"Well, I'll leave that up to you. I'm kinda interested in that Rescue Squad training style myself."

　From the looks of it, Koga seems like he'd do it too.
　I don't really mind, and I'm sure Koga would be able to keep up just fine.
　...Well, depending on how things go tomorrow, I might train them as rigorously as I did with Nack.

●
——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———

　In the afternoon, I spent time touring the city with Hannah-san.
　Perhaps because it was a newly built city, the movements of the demons still working there seemed somewhat awkward, but seeing them helping each other out for the sake of their lives gave me a lot to think about.
　During that time, I had opportunities to interact with others. Being with Hannah-san, who is also a demon, made it surprisingly easy to talk to them.
　... It seems the soldiers who encountered me hold a strong impression of me as a devil.
　After touring the city, I decided to meet up with Keira again at the training grounds near the lodgings to see her magic.

"Areh, Usato. Where'd Hannah go?"
"She said she had other work to do and had to head back for a bit."
"Hmm."

　Nea arrived at my place just as Hannah-san left, perched on my shoulder while nodding along to my response.
　It's a shame Ferum isn't here, but for now, Nea and I will watch Keira's magic.

"Keira, how much more can you do with your magic now?"
"Eh~to, a lot!"
"A lot...?"

　Eh, that much?
　I expected it to be more than just a vehicle for flying, but is it really that multifunctional?
　Keira conjured her own cloak-like magic from the shadow at her feet and draped it over her shoulders.

"First of all..."

　Closing her eyes and concentrating, the cloak's edges began to move.
　It stretched and swelled, then struck the wooden target nearby with a powerful blow, knocking it over.

"Now I can stretch it and control it like this!!"
"It does resemble Ferum's dark magic transformation..."

　A strike that flexes like a whip.
　It packs power, and I suppose we can consider this a self-defense option for Keira?

"Keira, how much transformation can you manage?"
"It can't transform into complex shapes yet, but it can slam into opponents and grab things."
"Is there anything else you can do?"

　Keira tilted her head at Nea, who seemed slightly troubled, then nodded.

"The rest is, um... ah, this should work..."
"Stone...?"

　Keira picked up a stone lying on the ground.
　Then, as if struck by an idea, she spread her dark magic cloak.

"Ei!"

　She threw a stone at the cloak?
　The stone that was thrown sank into the cloak with a loud thud ——— and disappeared without penetrating through.
　...Hmm!?

"I can now put things inside the cloak!!"
"That's amazing...!!"
"Yes, this is amazing...!!"
"E-Ehehe, is that so? Koga-san said it was plain, though."

　Well, it's no surprise Koga says that since he's never traveled, but for us who've been on letter-delivery journeys, magic that lets you pack luggage is revolutionary.

"I wonder how it handles weight?"
"It's not any different. I don't really understand the principle, though."
"Can you put living things in it?"
"No, it seems you can't put living things in it."

　Keira answered Nea's slightly impatient questions.
　She must be intrigued too, being a researcher at heart.

"How much stuff can it hold?"
"Hmm, I don't know. Oh, but if you undo the magic, everything inside will come spilling out, so that’s something to watch out for."

　So Keira had awakened abilities useful in that area because she was traveling with Gref-san and the others?

"Ah, and there's one more thing!!"
"One more?"

　Her dark magic is just as versatile as Ferum's...

"Though this is my first time doing it now..."
"Is this your first time?"
"Yes. My magic won't attach to anyone but me and Usato-san, so I can finally try it now that Usato-san is here!!"

　Because I'm here, you can try it?
　In the first place, can Keira's magic only be used on herself and me...?
　Eh, why...?

"So, Usato-san!! Can you use my magic for me!!"
"I don't mind. I used it yesterday."
"Thank you so much!"

　Then the magic draped over Keira's shoulders shot straight up, changed direction midair, and fell onto my shoulders.
　Unlike yesterday, it seemed she could control it properly now.

"So, what do we do from here?"
"Please don't move for a moment..."

　I stood still, not moving as Keira had instructed. She drew close enough to be right before my eyes, then grabbed the edge of her dark magic cloak and pulled it open inward———and just like that, she slipped inside, as if passing through a shop curtain.

"...Keira?"
"She’s slipped inside...?"

　I looked behind me, and under the cloak, but she wasn't there.

『I-I really did it...』

　While I was startled by her complete disappearance, a voice like that reached me from around the collar of the cloak.

"Keira, could this possibly be..."
『Yes! I can enter inside the cloak now!』

　Is it similar to Ferum's assimilation?
　The difference is that instead of assimilating, she simply entered the cloak.

"But didn't you say living things couldn't enter?"
『Yes, but it seems I'm the only one who can enter.』
"Only you...?"

　And that means no other living creature besides Keira, the user, can enter the cloak, huh?

『It's not a problem since I can control it even while inside the cloak, but I still wanted to try if I could enter while Usato-san was using it...』
"What's it like inside?"
『It's fluffy!』

　A zero-gravity space? ... The same mysterious space that Ferum and the others are in while assimilating?
　I don't really understand it though.

"When you put it all together, it really is amazing magic."
『Ehehe, thank you.』
"Well then, you can come out now, okay?"
『Eh?』
"Eh?"

　Why did you respond with a question just now?
　I was actually surprised by the straightforward reply.

『Maybe there are even more things you can do now. Why don't you try using my magic?』
"Hmm, that's true."

　Previously, I could do things like Auto Guard, but now it seems I can fly too.
　I should probably check how much control I have in my current state.

"This is definitely Ferum's influence..."
"Hmm? What is it? Nea."
"Nothing, really. Besides, I'm also interested in Keira's magic, so come on, do something weird."
"No, I won't...?"

　Isn't it weird that you're already assuming I'll do something weird?
　With a twitch of my cheek at Nea's words as she flew beside me, I concentrated my awareness on manipulating the cloak of dark magic.

——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———

Author's Notes:
Keira's magic was profoundly influenced by Ferum's assimilation.
Unlike assimilation, however, only Keira herself can enter it.
Since it can store objects, it's actually quite a valuable magic.