c17 (1/2)

CHAPTER 17: UNPLEASANT MEMORY

—The girl had once had a dream

A very normal, very ordinary dream: to protect the place where she’d been born as well as the people who had raised her

For people born to this world, particularly those ere living proper lives, this was more or less a desire they all held in common

This girl lived as those na her

There was, however, a distinct difference between that girl and the others who shared her drea but a normal human Instead, she was born the scion of an ancient line of spirits, apostles of the Goddess Arshuna It was her duty to repel the invasions of the Varied Races, and so she had come to be known as the Miko (TN: The characters here are “神子”, an alternative to the more commonly used “巫女” These characters literally translate to “God’s child”)

As the girl tirelessly developed her swordsmanshi+p, she’d often hear, “Spirits are the Goddess Arshuna’s gift to huainst the Varied Races”

And so defeat was not an option

To protect the peaceful lives of the people, this was a power that could not be allowed to disappear

And so the girl continued to live, praying constantly to the Goddess Arshuna even as she ceaselessly practiced her swordsmanshi+p On occasion, she’d make her way north to repel the invasions of the Varied Races, laying their raiding parties to waste And so the days passed, the girl continually able to realize her dream

Even though it left her without even the possibility of realizing the happiness of being born a woave up on her dream

But dreams come to an end

When the new Maou ascended to the throne, her drea of a bubble

By the time the news reached the capital, it was already far too late A swar of the Varied Races swept through the north Cities and villages disappeared in their wake, sed by this ferocious threat

Overwhel numbers Moreover, each individualhuering numbers left humanity in complete and utter despair

That notwithstanding, the girl fought to keep hope alive, infinitesiht be To protect her ho that sharp blade for as long as there was yet breath in her body

Before her power as a Spirit and her divine swordsmanshi+p, countless members of the Varied Races were transformed into a mountain of corpses

The girl was strong Stronger even than any of the North’s th, however, availed theht of the enemy

Beneath the force of crushi+ng irl’s ho force, and the lives of those whoically short

That overwhelirl

The girl suffered defeat at the hands of a leader of the Varied Races’ arh evil itself had been made manifest Worse still, after her loss, she had been made the victim of a shameful and vile curse

Perhaps this isherself to the fate her companions hadplace She had fought that wretched eneeneral to her very last and dealt him injuries from which he would never recover

Sadly, even this sole resolution of hers was to be broken – her people told her to live

Indeed, the power the girl wielded was invaluable It was a gift from the heavens, the Goddess of Justice made manifest, the power of the spirits bestowed by the Goddess Arshuna herself A rare and precious power that was antithetical to the Varied Races, orshi+ped at the altar of a wicked God

She was a hope that uished And so she could not be allowed to die there No, she would have to live on in shae the sword of retribution straight into the heart of the Mazoku

…Once, the girl had a dream Now, she didn’t even have a choice

And so it was that, once irl – Lefille Gurakis Noshi+as – wept silent tears alone

☆

Several days after his visit to the guild, Sui his sword in practice

“Sei! Ha!”

Repeatedly, he swung his sword in a verticalsteady and undisturbed

This was a practicedthat he had learned fro he had learned at the dojo near where he lived

Although his father, a ician, was also an expert at close combat, he had decided this matter was still best left to the professionals, and had taken his son to the nearby dojo

These chained motions were a part of the swordsmanshi+p he had learned there

Swords that would inevitably deteriorate without consistent and steady effort With the exception of a few exceptionally talented individuals, a week’s tirade one’s swordsmanshi+p