Translated: Sei, MTL-sensei-tachi
Edited: Sei, Grammarly no Danna
Source: Syosetu
TL Notes:
My family is facing an unexpected financial challenge. If you are in generous mood. Please support us.
We would be forever grateful for any contribution, big or small, to help us overcome this difficult time. Thank you
Chapter 348
The first half is from El's perspective.
The perspective switches to Usato's from the second half onward.
——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———
Vina's true identity was that of a Devil.
To be honest, that hardly mattered.
I was a little surprised that Devils actually existed, but the one who led all of us was none other than the Demon King, a being beyond comparison with a Devil.
If anything, Usato, who starts behaving like a Devil in his normal form, could even be called more devilish than Vina, whose appearance and form are those of a Devil.
The real problem was that Usato, the Healing Mage who was beyond common sense in everything he did, had imposed yet another new training regimen on us.
"......!"
The training involved running several laps around the city as part of our usual warm-up.
By now, we had grown accustomed to it and should have been able to complete it with hardly any fatigue. However, the training had changed drastically due to the Devil's magic power released by Vina.
"I want to take it easy."
"I want to quit this ridiculous training."
"Isn't it about time I stopped putting myself through all this?"
Sweet temptations endlessly bubbled up inside us.
These feelings were drawn out and amplified by the Devil's magic power, and we had to keep training while being tormented by them.
That's the kind of thing that guy would come up with.
He's probably making this mental training as well, on top of helping us understand the power of Devils and all that.
"Ghh, like hell I’ll lose!"
Tormented by the feeling that my mental strength was constantly being worn away, I kept looking ahead and moving my legs.
My fellow trainees were doing the same.
Kevin and the others were trying to shake off distracting thoughts... no, they were running at such a fast pace that they barely had any room to think at all.
"It's because we have distracting thoughts that we can't focus on the training!"
"Clear your mind...!"
"Just don't think about anything."
I definitely don't want to end up in the same place as these guys.
For now, I'm doing fine, too.
That's because I absolutely refuse to let my spirit break over something like this and have Usato and Koga laugh at me.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. E-Ehehe!"
"Vina, stop getting excited by your own guilt...!"
I quietly shouted at Vina, who was releasing her magic power in a way that affected only those of us running together as a group.
One reason I wasn't all that surprised that this woman was a Devil was that, compared to her true identity as a Devil, her perverted nature was on a whole other level of dangerous.
What truly frightened me was that, on that night at the dormitory where Usato was staying, everything about the truth behind her prostrating herself before him had been correct, except for her confession that she was a Devil.
"I find everyone's suffering delicious, and at the same time, I feel guilty about being the only one enjoying myself, which is just the best."
"Drop dead"
"Thank you for the meal."
Kuh, insults only made her stronger.
Devils are seriously disgusting creatures, aren't they!
"But I think everyone is adapting quite well. You haven't developed resistance through brute force like Usato-san did, but you're strong enough to overcome simple temptations."
It's not like we made it through hellish training for nothing.
...But judging by the way Vina spoke, Usato's mental fortitude was on a whole other level.
"But Nono-san isn't affected at all, you know"
"Jolt!"
"...Eh, really?"
At Vina's muttered remark, Nono, who had been participating in the training with few words over the past three days, flinched.
I'd thought the mental strain was so severe that she'd gone silent... but had this girl not been affected by Vina's magic power at all?
Nono looked down awkwardly and forced a strained smile.
"E-Ehto, no matter how much I tried, the magic power had no effect on me. S-so I thought I might be able to take it easy if I kept quiet."
"Can I report this to Usato?"
"Please don't try to send me straight to hell with a smile on your face!?"
But what does that mean?
Did that mean Vina's magic power had no effect on Nono?
When I asked her while running, Nono, for some reason, put on a smug expression right then.
"Hmph, I'm always thinking about how much I want to run away. No matter how much you subtract from something that's already at rock bottom, nothing changes."
"Apparently, my magic power has a harder time affecting Nono-san because she's incredibly stu... simple-minded."
"Did you almost call me stupid just now? Uhm? Vina-san?"
"So the simpler someone is, the less effective it is..."
"Is it okay for me to be angry now?"
Could Nono unexpectedly become a trump card against Devils?
Come to think of it, those training maniacs currently sprinting ahead with single-minded determination were practically running with their minds blank, too.
"...Well, I don't want to be put in the same category as those guys and Nono."
"I think you have a pretty strange level of mental fortitude yourself, El-san."
"Shut up, you pig!"
After hurling that crude insult at Vina, I turned my attention back to the training.
As usual, my thoughts were being pulled toward the desire to take it easy, but... once I got used to this, it would soon stop being a problem.
●
——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———
Training using Vina-san's magic power.
At first glance, it didn't seem like the kind of thing that would have any effect, but it appeared to be working little by little.
Even under mental strain, my subordinates weren't running away from the training. On the contrary, they were tackling it with even greater determination.
Having realized over these past three days that the training was progressing smoothly, I was having a brief discussion with Koga, who was watching the training just as I was.
Besides Koga, Keira was also there, floating gently in her cloak while practicing Magic Power Circulation, along with Senri-sama, who had come along with Koga.
"When are we leaving for the Monster Territory?"
"In a week. Apparently, the Demon King-sama will take care of all the necessary preparations."
A week, huh?
I wanted a little more time, but I couldn't afford to be too demanding.
"Will the person we called over from Hinomoto make it in time?"
"I got a reply yesterday. It'll be a close call, but I think they will arrive before we leave."
A letter arrived the other day informing us that Nagi-san and Amako had set out to come here.
I was surprised that Amako was coming, though not so much by Nagi-san, but having her here would be reassuring for me as well.
"It makes me so sad that I have to be separated from Koga-san again."
Senri-sama put on a sorrowful act while sneaking glances at Koga to check his reaction.
Koga, on the other hand, smiled without seeming particularly bothered by it.
"Yeah, I'm sad too."
"Koga, if you're that sad about being separated from Senri-sama, I wouldn't be opposed to leaving you out of this expedition, you know?"
"I'm the captain, you know?!"
Then try to act a little more like a captain.
"I'm joking. We need you for your combat strength, too."
"You're always making these nasty jokes."
"The only people I make jokes like this with are the Demon King, Nero-san, and you."
"That's not something to be happy about at all!? Why am I grouped together with the Demon King-sama and that old man!? And what the hell are you doing making jokes like that to those guys?!"
Koga fired back with a barrage of retorts.
The Demon King would laugh and fire back, Nero-san would innocently let my jokes go over his head, and Koga would respond with a retort.
It was actually pretty fun seeing how differently each of them reacted.
"Eh~to, does this mean I have to defeat Usato-san before Koga-san?"
"What's wrong...?"
Senri-sama, who had been watching the exchange between me and Koga, suddenly started saying some rather ominous things.
W-what does that mean?
Did I do something to displease Senri-sama?
"But well, it's only one more month until Senri goes home. Heh heh heh."
Rather than looking sad at Koga's silly grin, Senri-sama silently developed a throbbing blue vein on her forehead and began putting strength into her tightly clenched fist.
This guy has no tact whatsoever.
In situations like this, I have to step in and mediate...!!
"Senri-sama, I was thinking that Koga's presence or absence hardly makes any difference, so wouldn't it be fine to just take him back to your country."
"That's it!"
"Don't ‘That's it!’ me!"
Good, the ice-cold atmosphere had returned to normal in an instant.
I had absolutely no idea why someone as good at reading the room as me was being called oblivious...!
"That was a joke, too. But I'm pretty sure the Demon King would agree to it with a smile."
"I've been meaning to keep this to myself until now, but your personality is exactly like the Demon King-sama's."
...Hn?
"What was that? You wanna fight? Wanna be the test subject for my experimental technique? Hm?" (Usato)
"Isn't your temper a little messed up...?" (Koga)
"Eh, a fight?!" (Senri)
"Are there nothing but barbarians here?!" (Koga)
There's no way my personality is anything like the Demon King's.
That man has the worst personality imaginable. He takes great delight in messing with people while wearing a huge grin.
"...Usato-san, you'll be leaving in another month?"
Keira, who had been quietly practicing Magic Power Circulation beside me, murmured that in a dejected tone.
I can only stay here for two months.
Once another month passes, I'll have to return to the Kingdom of Lingle, after all.
"You should come visit the Kingdom of Lingle once things have settled down a bit."
"...Your disciple is in the Kingdom of Lingle too, right, Usato-san? What kind of person is he?"
Maybe she's interested because they're around the same age?
I doubt she'd go so far as to join the Rescue Squad, but I might as well tell her about Nack.
"Nack? Well, he's a good kid."
"..."
"He's a Healing Mage like me, and he has a promising future ahead of him."
"...He~e"
『He's probably the only guy who could step on a landmine in front of a Dark Mage and come out unscathed.』
『He really is an amusing person, isn't he?』
Koga and Senri-sama seemed to be whispering about something.
I wonder if Nack is working hard over at Olga-san's place, too.
No, there's no need for me to worry. I'm sure he's doing just fine.
"I'll introduce you to him when you come to the Kingdom of Lingle."
"I've come up with something I'd like to discuss with your disciple, too. Yes, that's right."
? Well, I'm glad she's looking forward to it.
...Now then.
"Hmm? You gonna do something?"
"I thought I'd show you how System Enhancement and System Degradation work."
I'd already shown Nea and gotten an earful from her, but I might as well show Koga while I'm at it.
I created System Enhancement and System Degradation in each of my hands.
"When you bring System Enhancement and System Degradation together..."
As I brought the fingers on which I'd manifested them closer, the Healing Magic burst apart with a loud BANG!
"For some reason, they repel each other."
"No, seriously, why?"
If System Enhancement is a technique that improves the quality of magic power, then System Degradation is a technique that lowers it.
Although both are extensions of magic power, they could be considered polar opposites.
Simply put, Nea and I theorized that plus and minus don't cancel each other out to become zero. They're fundamentally different things, so they repel each other.
"I haven't been able to find a way to apply System Enhancement until now, so I thought I'd see if I could put it to practical use."
"He~e, what are you planning to do?"
There might be times when System Enhancement is necessary, like when Karon-san was on the verge of being consumed by the Dragon's power and went berserk.
In the worst-case scenario, it's not entirely impossible that Shia could be consumed by Hisago-san's memories and lose control of her Light Magic.
"...Honestly, it'd be best if I never had to use it."
But I had no idea what might happen from here on out.
The Demon King's power, Shia carrying the Hero's memories, the Devils operating behind the scenes... There were still plenty of problems to deal with.
If all this effort ended up being for nothing, then so be it.
I'm the one who decided to live in this world alongside demons and humans... so I wanted to do everything I could.
Having gathered my thoughts once more, I turned to Senri-sama and spoke.
"Senri-sama, could you use magic to make something like a wall for me?"
"Of course, I don't mind."
Using her wind magic to solidify the air, Senri-sama created a rectangular wall and drove it into the ground.
It seemed she'd made it quite sturdy, as the wall was thick as well.
"For now, I'll fire a Healing Elastic Bullet at it, making it less elastic and stickier."
"You just casually mentioned a technique I've never heard of..."
I attach the Healing Elastic Bullet, whose properties I've weakened using the System Degradation floating in my left hand, to the wall of air.
If System Enhancement and System Degradation repel each other and cause an impact when they come into contact, then what would happen if I slammed System Enhancement into the System Degradation attached to the target...?
"Stand back...!"
With my right arm covered by a gauntlet, I slam my palm heel, imbued with System Enhancement like a hammer driving in a nail, into the System Degradation magic power.
"Hmph!!"
In an instant, a loud bang and a flash of light erupted, and the recoil sent my right arm flying backward.
As green smoke streamed from the palm of my gauntlet, I looked at the spot I'd hit———,
"...Uwaah"
"You've come up with another crazy technique."
"I thought I'd made it pretty sturdy, though..."
The force was so great that it forcibly dismantled the wall of air that had been created.
Could its shock wave alone be even more powerful than a Healing Explosive Bullet?
On top of that, the Healing Magic enhanced by System Enhancement spread out in all directions along with the flash of light, so it seemed like I could apply Healing Magic over a wide area.
"Well, if I'm going to use this, a rapid series of punches and Explosive Bullets should be more than enough. I probably won't have any reason to use it unless something really serious happens. ...Hm?"
A familiar black owl shot out of the dormitory window and came hurtling toward me.
Nea, who'd been engrossed in reading in her room, landed forcefully on my shoulder and thrust her wing at me in a tone that brooked no argument.
"The loud noise from earlier was your Healing Magic, wasn’t it!! Confess! What did you do this time?!"
『Oi, Senri, that’s amazing. Just from hearing that loud noise, she figured out it was his Healing Magic』
『Fufufu, how heartwarming』
『No, what part of that is heartwarming?』
I couldn’t understand why she’d immediately seen through it and figured out I was responsible, but since the opportunity had presented itself, I decided we might as well discuss the strange phenomenon involving System Enhancement and System Degradation again.
...After all, Welshy-san from the Kingdom of Lingle had asked me to look into it, too.
——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———
Author's Notes:
As for Usato's new technique, I think picturing it as a bomb activated by System Enhancement fits quite well.
Since it uses System Enhancement, its healing power is also greatly increased, of course.
Also, after showing off the technique, he can put pressure on his opponent just by attaching several doses of System Degradation magic to them.
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