Chapter 57 (1/2)
Chapter 57
Translator: Luk2048
Editor: Ghost Ape
“Alright! Since the spirit is here, let’s strike while the iron is hot! Rēko, for now try to frighten it into cooperation!”
“Got it . I’ll take responsibility for carelessly revealing your effort . ”
Rēko made a sinister aura akin to an Evil Dragon erupt from her whole body and pointed her dagger towards the mountain .
“Mountain’s spirit, do you value your life? If you don’t want to disappear, you’ll obediently…”
“Hey, Rēko!”
Pat, I lightly put my paw on Rēko’s head .
“What’s the matter, Evil Dragon Lord?”
“Suddenly threatening it right after an encounter is too excessive . Isn’t the other party already a victim whose house you set on fire? I don’t think it’s a good idea to go even further and make unreasonable requests . ”
“However, Evil Dragon Lord, doesn’t it look like it’s not really perturbed? I believe it’s worth giving it a try . ”
“… Erm, of course I can hear the spirit’s voice too, but could you interpret it so that Sheina can also understand?”
It was hard to tell the state of affairs solely through Rēko . After hearing my request, Rēko made the spirit’s voice she was hearing resound loudly through the use of sound magic, just like a speaker . It was only a brief comment in an extremely composed tone .
『The mountain is being erased . 』
“This one, it really likes to point out the obvious, doesn’t it?”
“I guess it’s a ‘my-pace’ kinda being, so it doesn’t really feel danger? Then Rēko, take it a step further and blow away part of the mountain!”
“Very well . ”
They wilfully proceeded with a violent strategy . Without giving me time to stop her, Rēko swung the dagger and gouged out an enormous claw-shaped scar in the mountainside .
“Now, how is it! Are you gonna say you still won’t hand over your strength to me!”
“This time I’m going to open a hole in it . ”
“You guys, stop it . I see you’re getting along great, but please, calm down . ”
The mountain’s spirit spoke after a while of silence,
『By three people . 』
“Aaand I also got mistaken as a perpetrator…”
“To think it wouldn’t budge in front of the Evil Dragon Lord’s coercion… This thing has a lot of guts . ”
“Could you not make me out to be the main offender?”
I was fl.u.s.tered, but the spirit’s calm att.i.tude still didn’t crumble, not really showing any signs of being moved . Although the rocks were actually crumbling from the mountainside Rēko destroyed .
“Also, Rēko . It’s not okay morally, but it’s bad practically, too . There’s gold buried in that mountain, it’ll be a heavy loss if you blow it up . ”
“Oh…”
“You really did forget about it . ”
“I see . So that’s why this guy can put up such a tough front…”
“I doubt that’s true . ”
I didn’t feel much intent to bargain from this spirit . Being simply indifferent even to one’s own path―― that was the impression I was getting .
“If pus.h.i.+ng doesn’t work I guess there’s no other way than ‘that’ . ”
“Rēko please, if you plan to do something you’ve got to consult me beforehand . Your arbitrary decisions are absolutely not allowed . ”
“Yes . I intend to offer a sacrifice . ”
“There you go again with these ideas of yours . ”
I let out a sigh . Rēko ignored me and started considering it carefully,
“Seeing that we request strength, there’s a necessity to show our sincerity . There’s no other way but to drag this girl’s father here and offer his gouged out heart as sacrifice . Shame, he was a good person…”
“Eee? Papa’s life in exchange…? That really turns me off…”
“You two, stop commenting on a sacrifice without first checking whether the other party even wants one . There are cases where a sacrifice suddenly comes and only baffles someone, you know?”
“No way, such things can’t happen often . ”
“It happened very recently though . ”
The sacrifice in question that caused the bafflement was nonchalantly feigning ignorance . I’d like her to learn that not everybody welcomes a sacrifice with open arms .
The sacrifice in question that caused the bafflement was nonchalantly feigning ignorance . I’d like her to learn that not everybody welcomes a sacrifice with open arms .
“In that case there’s no helping it . The last resort . Sheina, you need to become a sacrifice yourself . Once he acknowledges your sincerity, the possibility he’ll make you a kin like me is big . ”
“Umm… I think we don’t have any other options, but what if he’ll really try to eat me? I wouldn’t really like that…”
“It’s okay . If it looks like it, I’ll annihilate that spirit along with the mountain before he has a chance to eat you . After all there’s no problem with executing a blind spirit, who’d try to devour a person whose heart actually wasn’t prepared as a sacrifice . ”
“I wonder what sincerity is then . ”
How many people could exist that would hear this mess of an exchange and welcome Sheina, cheerfully calling herself a sacrifice . It effectively was saying: “I’ve no intention to become a sacrifice, and if you try to eat me I’ll counterattack, but please recognize my sincerity . ” Wasn’t that request the definition of selfishness itself?
Finally even the spirit was at a loss for words . Or perhaps I should say it originally was a taciturn being . It didn’t show any reaction to our movements . Or maybe it had no curiosity .
“… Should we temporarily return for the time being? After being so rude, even people who would borrow their strength wouldn’t want to borrow it . ”
“Eee?! But I definitely can’t return like this! Being thought of as a hard worker would be extremely embarra.s.sing!”
“―― Can’t be helped . I’ll make an exception this time and lend you my strength . You can then surprise everyone by making cracks in the ground or something in front of them . I’ll set the time restriction to one day, so you don’t mind right, Evil Dragon Lord?”
“No way . ”
It was already too late by the time I said that . The moment Rēko held her hand aloft, Sheina fainted and forcefully collapsed into the ground .
“Uwa! Sheina, you okay?!”
“… My apologies . It looks like the shock was too big for normal humans after all . Let’s give it up . ”
“I’m begging you here, please stop already . Ah, but now that we got the chance carry Sheina over here . ”
“Understood . ”
“Understood . ”
Rēko joyfully picked Sheina up and placed her on my back .
“Well then, sorry about that sir spirit . According to Rēko the flames should vanish after a few days, so I feel bad but hold on for a while . ”
『The mountain won’t disappear even if it becomes dust . 』
“… What could it mean?”
“Although presumptuous of me, if I were to guess it’d be:『I am myself, no matter what shape I may become . 』―― in other words, burning or collapsing the mountain is totally fine . ”
“Is that so? Isn’t that interpretation a bit too favourable?”
Having said that, the spirit didn’t particularly say anything else . In some sense it was difficult to reach a mutual understanding with Rēko . Anyway, I didn’t really feel any sense of danger, so it should be fine to leave it alone .
If we could’ve come to a mutual understanding I wanted to ask this spirit to lend me its strength though――
I let out a sigh . Let’s stop . Even if by some miracle the spirit would’ve lent me its strength, I didn’t know how to use magic power at all . Let’s move steadily . Even now, I felt quite a weight with both Sheina and Rēko on my back . If I walk like this, it’ll become a good muscle training――
“Well then, let us dash across the night sky . ”
Fwoomp, it was the sound of the Devil’s wings .