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

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TL Notes:
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Chapter 336


　The story Shia told me after she woke up far exceeded my expectations.
　The tragedy that had befallen her, a resident of a remote village in Calm Helio.
　It seems that, unable to resist the will of a past phantom known as Hisago-san, she came all the way to this Demon King territory.

"Nice to meet you! I’m Keira, Usato-san’s number one disciple!!" (TL Note: Ichiban deshi (一番弟子) can mean both "first disciple" and " number one disciple")
"M-Mm? I’m Shia Garmio. ...N-nice to meet you, too?"

　She herself was exchanging introductions with Keira, and she seemed to have calmed down for the time being.
　However, first disciple, huh...?

"Keira, unfortunately, you are not my first disciple."
"...Eh..."

　Well, I never expected to see such a despairing look on her face.

"I wasn’t the first...?"
"There’s a boy named Nack. He’s about your age too."
"...Mumumu"

　Keira was trembling, biting her lower lip, staring intently at the campfire.
　I wonder if that is it? Did she want to be the first disciple?
　As I was feeling somewhat warmed by Keira showing a childlike side, I heard the sound of someone’s stomach growling.
　Looking toward the sound, I saw Shia, her face bright red, holding her stomach.

"...I'm sorry, I haven't eaten anything since yesterday... Uwh."
"No, don't worry about it. Keira, let's get dinner ready."
"Yes...!"

　After a battle like that, it couldn’t be helped.
　I was hungry as well, so I could just ask for the details after we made dinner.

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

　By the time the surroundings had become completely dark, we were eating the simple dinner we had made.
　Even though I call it simple, it was a stew made by seasoning the meat, fish, and wild herbs that Keira had brought in her cloak. We hadn't planned to make anything this lavish, but... considering Shia's state of mind, Keira and I made it so she could feel at least a little better.

"Is it good, Shia-san?"
"Thank you, Keira. ...It's been a long time since I've had a warm meal."

　Now that she had calmed down, Shia was quietly eating the stew served in her bowl with a thoughtful expression.
　Right after she woke up, she wouldn't leave my side, and I didn't know what to do... but now she had calmed down a lot.

"So, you were here because you were chasing a Devil?"
"...Mm. For some reason, I could somehow tell where the Devil was."

　... So that means the Devil came here to obtain the Demon King's power.
　The moment the Devil tried to retrieve the Demon King's power, the moment Shia tried to defeat the Devil, and the moment I arrived there all happened to overlap by pure coincidence, creating that situation.
　... You could say it was a close call in more ways than one.

"How did you get through this poisonous mist? You couldn't have endured it all the way here, could you?"
"I wrapped myself in Light Magic to cancel out the poison. But while I was fighting the Devil, I almost ran out of magic, and then I..."
"And that's when I showed up..."

　That was a really close call.

"Did you defeat that Devil?"
"No. I beat it up badly and drove it away for now, but he might come back."
"It was amazing. Usato-san was more of a Devil than the Devil-san."

　I was secretly hurt by Keira's voice, which sounded incredibly cheerful.
　Unlike Nea and Ferum, she didn't mean anything bad by it, which somehow made it hit even harder...!!

"He was so strong..."
"Ah... I'm used to dealing with opponents like that. Abilities that affect the mind basically don't work on me."
"He~e... ...Eh, no, why?"
"A lot of things happened."

　More specifically, it was the result of being trained by the Rescue Squad and then enduring hundreds of top-class mental attacks in Samarial.
　Because of that, I've gotten used to those kinds of attacks, so unless it's something on the level of the Demon King, they probably won't have much effect on me.

"... I've killed two Devils before. The first was a woman, and the other was Mialak..."

　... Mialak?

"I see. So you were the one who destroyed Rapdo back then. And perhaps you were also the one whose system enhancement went out of control?"
"...I have to use System Enhancement to kill the Devils..."

　So the injuries I healed back then were because she had already erased one Devil by that point.
　From everything she's told me so far, it sounds like she wasn't using System Enhancement of her own will, but was forced to use it in order to kill the Devils.
　... I got used to it after doing it over and over, but for Shia, who had been an ordinary girl, it must have been painful.

"Usato, you were the one who left it for me, right?"
"?"
"The Healing Magic... the slime-like thing."

　...Ah.
　The Healing Magic bullet wrapped in Elasticity Granting.

"So you used it..."
"Thanks to that, I was able to heal my wounds... Thank you so much."

　So I had ended up healing her injuries without even intending to.
　I never expected anyone to use it, but I guess it all worked out in the end.

"Usato-san, what's this Healing Magic slime?"
"Hmm? Ah, this is it."

　Tilting her head in curiosity, Keira accepted the elastic Healing Magic bullet I created in my palm.
　The Healing Magic wrapped in Elasticity Granting was soft like jelly and continuously released its healing effect.

"Usato-san, can you make a bigger version of this?"
"I'll ask just in case, but why?"
"I'm going to use it as a body pillow."

　Is that going to be a new product?
　I think there would be a huge demand for a body pillow with healing magic effects, but the problem is how long the elasticity effect lasts.

"That would be a little difficult."
"Then if Usato-san sleeps beside me, wouldn't it have the same effect...?"
"Keira? You're not being influenced by Senpai from a distance, are you?"

　There was something about those words that reminded me of Senpai in a very dangerous way.
　She was joking, right? ...No, wait. For a child who had never received her parents' love, maybe those words were completely sincere?
　Not knowing what to say to her, I ended up trapped in a spiral of thoughts.
　Meanwhile, Keira was simply playing with the elastic Healing Magic bullet, squishing it around like mochi.

"... When I'm near Usato, the Hero-sama's voice becomes quieter."
"...Why?"
"I don't know for sure... but I think it's because you defeated the Demon King."

　Defeated the Demon King, huh?
　If she has his memories, then it's only natural that she's also affected by his emotions.

"So, does that mean you're okay for now?"
"...Mm. I don't know what will happen after this, though."

　...I see.
　The problem now is what to do about her while she's still being affected by Hisago-san's memories.

"The quickest solution would be to leave it to the Demon King... but that's probably not an option, right?"
"If I stand face to face with the Demon King, I might try to kill him."
"Yeah. I figured as much."

　Even if the impulse had faded, there was no way she wouldn't be affected if she actually came face to face with the Demon King.
　Besides, even though he's mellowed out now, before he was sealed away, he had committed every kind of atrocity imaginable.

"Then I guess Falga-sama is our best option."
"Falga-sama? ...Ah, that huge dragon is still alive?!"
"...Come to think of it, that hasn't been made public yet, has it?"

　Although the important people of each kingdom knew about it, Falga-sama's existence was still being kept hidden from the general public.
　But if it's that person, I'm sure they'll find a way to do something about Hisago-san's memories.

"My connections may be a little unusual, but I can introduce you to a person(?)... a person who can do something about your situation."
"...I don't even know what to say..."
"You were just caught up in all of this. As far as this whole situation goes, it's one hundred percent... no, one hundred and twenty percent Hisago-san's fault."

　I know what he went through.
　I know what kind of treatment he suffered.
　I can barely accept the conclusion he reached because of it, as well as the trial imposed on this era.
　But forcing the consequences of his own actions onto a girl who had been living a peaceful life with no connection to any of it is simply wrong.

"...No"

　Did he regret his actions in his later years and leave behind his memories and Light Magic to kill the Demon King, and eventually the Devils...?
　Was his resolve really that weak?
　At the very least, the determination he showed in the memories the Demon King had shown me was beyond anything ordinary.

"Usato-san?"
"Usato?"
"...Once morning comes, we'll leave this place and regroup with Koga and the others."

　Hisago-san's memories and magic are real.
　But something doesn't add up.
　I just can't believe that he... that Hisago-san would do something this half-hearted.
　The only way to confirm it is to ask the Demon King and Nagi-san, the two people who knew Hisago-san well.

"We're cutting the training short and going to report this to the Demon King. Shia, I want you to come with us."
"...O-Okay."
"Good"

　Setting down my bowl, I stood up and put on my Rescue Squad uniform.

"Keira, stay with Shia for a while."
"What about you, Usato-san?"
"I'm going to check the depths of the ruins."

　The fragment of the Demon King's power is probably in there.
　Now that I know the Devils are after it, I want to make sure to recover it first.

"I-I'm coming with you too."
"Eh?"
"I'd be too anxious if I stayed behind. I've always been alone, so I'm worried I won't be able to protect Keira-chan."

　For a moment, I wondered whether it was really okay to let her see the fragment of the Demon King's power, but considering Shia's situation, it was only natural that she would feel uneasy.

"All right. Then let's go together. ...Keira."
"Yes!"

　Keira slipped into her Dark Magic cloak and climbed onto my shoulder.
　In any case, the inside of the ruins had been pitch-black even during the day, so it didn't really matter that we were going in at night.

"I-I have Light Magic, so I can hel———"
"Elastic Healing Magic Bullet"

　I tossed the elastic Healing Magic Bullet I had created in my hand.
　Up until now, I'd only used it as a simple flash to blind enemies, but Healing Magic actually gives off physical light.
　After confirming that it illuminated the ground at our feet, I created another elastic Healing Magic orb in my palm and turned back to Shia.

"With this, we can light up our path and use it as a marker. I call it Healing Guide."
"...W-Was Healing Magic supposed to work like that?"

　She looked a little taken aback.
　Well, I'm the only one who uses Healing Magic like this, so I'll clear up the misunderstanding later.
　Right now, I need to head deeper into these ruins ——— and find the fragment of the Demon King's power.

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

Author's Notes:
Keira had wanted to be the number one disciple.
She might be seeing Nack as a rival... perhaps?