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

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TL Notes:
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Chapter 326: Diary Episode


This time, it’s a combination of a diary entry and the main story from El’s perspective.

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

　After today’s training... or rather, after he finished observing us, we were each handed a notebook.
　According to him, it’s supposed to be a diary for recording our training starting tomorrow, some baffling concept meant to stabilize our minds by objectively observing ourselves and writing down our frustrations, grievances, and irritations regarding the training.

　The usual me would have said, “Who would do something like this?” and thrown it away, but I came up with a good idea.
　Since I don’t have to show it to anyone, I decided to use it not as a training log, but as a record of that guy’s... that healing mage’s weaknesses and habits.

"Kukuku, a diary to ‘stabilize my mind,’ my foot...!! On the contrary, I’m going to use this thing to write down your weaknesses and make you eat your words...!!"

　In my private room at the dorm, I can’t help but let out a wicked laugh.
　Well then, starting tomorrow, I’ll begin by exposing his habits and any potential weaknesses!!

"Ah, well, since today is day one, I'll start writing from day two..."

　I tend to get hung up on these little details later on, so I need to make sure I get them right from the start.

●

Day 2

This

　is

　　　bad

Day 3

D*mn it! D*mn it! D*mn it!
What the hell is wrong with that guy!?
So frustrating, so frustrating, so frustrating!
Running all day long? Is he out of his mind?!
Why is he carrying a bear on his back!?
Why is he running like it’s nothing!?
Why does he look like he’s having fun the whole time!?
Why didn’t he use healing magic on us today?!
It’s not fun at all!? Every single moment is torture!!
Aaaaaaah! I can't scream because it hurts my muscles!

———

No, I need to calm down.
I wasted an entire page, but my initial idea hasn't changed.
The fact that he isn’t human isn’t something to be surprised by at this point.

Tomorrow.
Tomorrow, I absolutely have to find some kind of weakness.
I’m El, formerly the fastest in the Second Corps.
I’m a woman who handles everything with coolness and speed.
Let's stay calm and approach tomorrow's training with determination.



Day 4

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?
A-A-A-A-A-Amira-onee-sama!! Why are you being so friendly with him!?
I’m happy you came to watch my training, but whyyyy!?
I’m so jealous, so jealous, so jealous!!
I’ll never forgive that healing mage!!
That smile should be directed at me!!
You’ve got Koga, don’t you, d*mmit!!

But even if I channel this resentment into my attacks, it’ll just make him happy!!
Why does he get happy when I rebel against him?!
He even told me to “bring it on”!!
He criticized me too, I don’t get it!!
What exactly would it take to inflict damage on that guy!?


———

Looking back at it calmly, I realized it was pretty creepy, even to me.
Anyway, I’m planning to get rid of it once this training period is over, so I guess it doesn’t really matter.

I’ve ruined another whole page, but when I think about it rationally, the fact that Amira-onee-sama is coming to see me means I’m getting noticed, right?
Which means if I successfully complete this training, she’ll start to think highly of me, won’t she?
I suddenly feel very motivated.

And I’m going to defeat Usato.
Without a doubt.

Day 5

Today, I was ordered to undergo independent training.
Apparently, Usato and Koga were summoned by the Demon King-sama for some important business, so I found myself with some free time.

Seeing this as a good opportunity, I managed to gather information about him from Nea, a black-haired woman who claims to be Usato’s familiar, and Ururu, a healing mage who happened to be there and introduced herself as a colleague.
To be honest, I’m surprised at how much information I’ve managed to gather, far more than I expected.

1. [Usato is a human who came from another world.]
This seems to have become fairly well-known recently, so there’s no point in mentioning it.

2. [There was no such thing as magic in the world he came from.]
At first I thought, “Is a world without magic even possible?” but apparently, that’s not a lie either.
In other words, that makes him a complete novice who’s been using magic for less than a year.

3. [In that world, the two heroes and Usato were ordinary people with hardly any combat experience.]
On top of that, they’ve had less than a year of combat experience.
It’s a strange world where they don’t even hunt animals.
How do they survive without fighting?

4. [Usato’s magic consists solely of genuine healing magic.]
His devilish appearance apparently resulted from fusing with that Black Knight using dark magic.
The Black Knight isn’t coming on this mission.

To sum it up, it’s nothing special at all.
He’s just an amateur with less than a year of experience in both magic and combat.

———





Wait a minute.

He came from a world like that, and it’s been less than a year, yet he’s ended up like that...?

Could he have switched places with someone else somewhere...?



Day 6

Today, Usato brought someone to train me in magic!!
It seems he remembered what I said two days ago about being a wind mage!
He’s even more observant than Koga, it’s almost annoying!!
I was surprised that, just for today, my training routine was different from Kevin and Wal’s!!


But I just don’t get why he brought Nero-sama here, though!


What on earth is up with those mysterious connections of his!? Didn’t that guy almost get killed by Nero-sama?!
Sure, he’s the absolute best person to train me as a wind mage, but that idiot in the white coat has absolutely no sense of restraint!!

Has his brain been absorbed by his muscles or something?!
I mean, once he brought him here, there’s no way I could refuse!!
He’s the strongest swordsman in the history of the Demon King’s Army, you know!? He’s Amira-onee-sama’s master, and both his combat prowess and magical skills are on a whole different level!!
If my wind magic is a gentle breeze, his is like a massive tornado, so why did you bring him here?!

And Nero-sama, why are you wasting your precious day off in a place like this...?
Is it because I got cocky about being the Second Corps' fastest?
Your instruction relied too much on intuition, so I only understood about 10% of it.
I'm sorry, but you were asking too much of me, Usato's instructions were actually easier to follow.

Why is that guy even talking to Nero-sama so casually, like they're friends?
Isn't it crazy that he's doing mock battles with Nero-sama before our early morning training?

———

I don't want to

be at the mercy of

that Healing Mage anymore.


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


　Seven days have passed since training began.
　While life for the city’s residents continues as usual, for us, who have experienced enough shock in this past week to last a lifetime, every day feels like uncharted territory.
　Of course, I mean that in a bad way.
　The three of us gathered at the training grounds early in the morning, and there was Usato, wearing his white uniform, and... unusually, Koga, who showed up early in the morning.

"Ooh, you guys are early!"
"""..."""
"Hmm?"

　Koga tilts his head in confusion because he hasn't received a reply.
　However, shortly after, Usato, walking with his arms behind his back, stood in front of us.

"Good morning, everyone."
""Good morning!!""
"...Good morning."
"...Eh?"

　I reply with a slight delay after the two deliver their spirited greetings.
　Koga, who has been glancing back and forth between the two standing at attention and Usato, is silenced by a hand gesture, and the one who gave the signal steps forward.

"Today marks the seventh day of training. It’s impressive that everyone has kept up this far without a single person dropping out."
"Captain, what kind of training are we doing today?!"
"No, I'm the captain, not Usato! Kevin, you weren't always such a hot-blooded character, were you!?"

　Kevin's personality seemed to have changed, and he became completely absorbed in his training.
　His eyes look somewhat vacant, but there's nothing to worry about.

"A transformation of the body. A true revolution."
"What?!"

　Wal threw himself into training as if possessed by his muscles.
　I guess I shouldn’t worry about this guy either.
　I have a feeling they’ve always been like this.

"Oi, Usato, what the hell did you do?"
"Eh? I didn't do anything?"

　Koga, looking utterly bewildered, grabbed Usato by the shoulder.

"Then why the hell are Kevin and Wal acting like that!?"
"The Rescue Squad training has a tendency to change your heart..."
"Changing your heart? More like their personalities are changing..."

　Usato composed himself and turned back toward us.
　I feel like I've gotten quite used to his unpredictable behavior over the past few days.
　That's right, all I needed to do was get used to it.

"Well then, starting tomorrow, the people we recruited will be joining us. You guys should try to set a good example for them."
""Yes!""

　It's probably too late for Kevin and Wal, but I'm barely managing to hold on.
　If the group keeps growing like this, my mental burden will lighten, so I just have to hang in there for one more day...!

"Oi, are you alright?"

　Then Koga called out to me.
　I gave him a bitter smile in return.

"Haha..."
"Y-You’re looking pretty down in the dumps yourself..."
"It’s all because of what’s happened these past few days, though."

　Training all day long until I reached my mental limit, and on top of that, the actions and connections of that guy put even more strain on my mind.
　However, I would say that I have now overcome that challenge.

"Haha, nothing surprises me anymore, Captain Koga..."
"No way, there’s no way you’re not surprised by that guy’s antics, seriously."
"Eh?"

　I tilted my head at Koga’s slightly taken-aback remark, and just then, another person arrived on the scene.
　With a shudder and a bad feeling, I looked over———and immediately regretted it.

"I came to see you, Usato."
"No, I really didn’t expect you to come. Aren’t you busy?"

　Silver hair and majestic horns.
　And there stood the Demon King, a large man clad in a black robe, with a somewhat amused smile on his face.
　Next to him is Ciel, a maid who is famous in a certain sense.

"Of course I'm here because I have some free time. I'm the Demon King, after all!"
"Waah, are you already at it this early in the morning?"

　...
　...Areh, is this a hallucination?
　For some reason, even Demon King-sama has come to the training grounds.

"While I'm at it, I thought I'd give you that thing you asked for earlier."
"The thing I asked for?"
"This one."

　What on earth is that thing?
　What kind of bad joke is it that this was considered normal in his original world...?

"This is...?"
"It’s a scroll imbued with a gravity spell. I prepared several of them, but don’t go using them in any weird ways, okay?"
"Thank you so much...! If I use two of these together, will the effect double or something!?"
"Were you even listening to what I was saying?"

　Next, I’m presented with the bizarre sight of Usato chatting casually with the Demon King, and my head starts spinning.
　I might be under some kind of illusion magic.
　Or rather, hoping that’s the case, I start to collapse, only to be caught by Koga, who supports me from behind.

"O-Oi, El! Are you alright!? Your eyes look vacant!"
"I'm fine."
"You don’t look fine at all, though!"

　I'll get used to it, I just need to get used to it.
　Only by adapting to this whirlwind of events will I be able to move forward...!!

"Koga-san, who’s that? Don’t tell me... you’re cheating...?"
"Whoa!? Now a troublesome person has shown up here too!?"
"Ah, I invited her."
"Are you a real devil!?"

　Usato again...
　Why does this guy always bring nothing but chaos?

"Since the Demon King is coming, I thought I’d introduce the two of you."
"Don’t you dare try to casually present me and Senri to the Demon King-sama!! I haven’t approved of this yeeeet!!"
"Ah, wait a minute! Koga-saaan!"

　After Koga ran away at full speed, the woman from Nirvarna gave chase with agile movements, keeping up with him effortlessly.
　Watching them off, the Demon King spoke to Usato with a cheerful expression.

"I suppose he’ll be overwhelmed eventually."
"I think so. It's only a matter of time."
""...Kukuku""

　He's smiling wickedly right alongside the Demon King-sama...!?
　Even we, just watching, are trembling with fear, but even amidst all this, only the maid, Ciel, is just smiling awkwardly.

"Wah, they both have such wicked expressions!"

　... Just as I thought, this famous maid is quite a character.
　Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to serve as the Demon King-sama’s personal maid, and I have to admit I genuinely respect her.

"Anyway, back to the topic at hand, let’s talk about tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? Didn’t we just finish talking about that a moment ago?"

　"The recruited group will be participating, so I want you to do your best as those who have already received training..." or something like that?
　Usato shook his head at those words.

"Starting tomorrow, we'll be doing some serious training to weed out the weak, so you guys better give it your all."
"""...Ha?"""

　Serious training...?
　As we stood there dumbfounded, Usato pointed at himself.

"Also, well, when I get really into training, I become like a completely different person, but I don't have a split personality or anything, so don't worry about it."
"No way, you can’t just tell us not to worry about it! Wait, if this is ‘serious,’ then what was all the training up until today?!"
"It was just a sort of preparation period."

　I don’t get it, how is running around nonstop and wearing yourself out mentally and physically supposed to be a “preparation period”?
　What does it even mean to become like a completely different person?!

"...Well, part of the reason is that I took some advice from the villainous duo of Nea and Hannah-san, and toned it down a bit so we could attract more recruits to the squad..."
"...Did you just say something?"
"No, it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

　I was sure he said something, but he dodged the question.
　I wonder what it was, I have a feeling it was a mutter I shouldn’t have missed.

"Demon King-sama, didn’t Usato-san just mutter something terrifying under his breath?"
"I see. I did think his training plan was a bit lenient for him, but so that’s what it was... Kukuku."

　The Demon King-sama is just laughing cheerfully at Usato, who muttered something.
　What on earth is going to happen tomorrow...!?
　I’m scared... I’m just absolutely terrified...!!

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

Author’s Notes:
Usato was carefully breaking down the walls around El’s heart.
And so, it was decided that the damage would only escalate due to the villainous duo...