by Okina Baba
Ms. Oka looked pointedly at Katia and me.
Katia, Fei—who wasn’t with us at the time—and I have certainly all had skills and excess skill points since we were born.
We’re living proof that these advantages can help us get stronger much more quickly than the people around us.
“And when one of us dies, the administrators steal all that power. The elves fear that, so they do not want the reincarnations to gain so much power. So we’ve been gathering the reincarnations and keeping them isolated so that they don’t train up their skills and stats.”
Why were the elves so desperate to keep the administrators from gaining power?
Desperate enough to gather reincarnations from all over the world…
“In that case, wouldn’t it be better to dispose of the lot of us before we get too powerful?”
Katia’s question made my breath catch in my throat.
It wouldn’t be too surprising for things to take that turn, from what we’d heard before. In fact, it would seem only natural.
From what our teacher had explained so far, the elves considered these “administrators” enemies.
If they were that concerned about reincarnations getting too powerful, simply getting rid of them before they got the chance would be much easier than quarantining and monitoring them.
But until Katia spoke up, that possibility hadn’t even occurred to me.
“Not to worry. Potimas, the elves’ chief, had the final say that the reincarnations should be kept alive. Although even I don’t know why he decided that.”
Sophia killed Potimas when we fled the capital.
He’d been staying in the kingdom as a friendship ambassador of the elves for a while, but I’d never heard until then that he was also their chief.
From what Ms. Oka said, I guessed that meant he had a lot of power.
He chose to keep the reincarnations alive, but since he was now dead, we’d never know his motives.
“I’m sure that Potimas had some plans of his own. He was a very analytical person, so I doubt he would have chosen to spare the reincarnations’ lives out of sheer kindness.”
It sounded like Ms. Oka must have known Potimas pretty well.
That would make sense. He was her father.
“Shun, please don’t make that face. Yes, Potimas was my father, but we hardly had a familial relationship. He and I were simply using each other and nothing more. So though it may sound heartless, I’m not too broken up about his death.”
I wondered what kind of face I was making.
Despite her tight smile, Ms. Oka looked upset to me.
“To return to the matter at hand, the elves’ aim is to overthrow the administrators. To that end, they intended to stop the war between humans and demons, then mediate a better relationship between the two races. Without war, people won’t fight, and they won’t need to raise their skills and stats. Which means that the power the administrators gain would also be weakened. That may sound like a drawn-out plan to humans, but since elves live much longer, they have the time and patience to carry it out. In fact, I’m told that they were able to stop the battle between the previous hero and Demon Lord in that way.”
But the story doesn’t end there.
“Eventually, however, both of them disappeared. The elves suspect it was the work of the administrators. And now, the current Demon Lord seems to be working with them. Otherwise, there would be no reason to instigate such a large-scale war.”
I’ll never forget Hyrince’s expression in that moment.
It was part anger, part suffering, part something that I couldn’t quite place.
Hyrince fought in that very war.
And all his comrades, including Julius, were slain before his eyes.
Learning that it was simply for some “administrators” to gain more power must have been hard to swallow.
Even I couldn’t accept that my brother was killed for such a futile reason.
I don’t want to believe that Ms. Oka’s story is true.
I mean, how could it be?
My older brother wished for world peace more than anyone.
But if what Ms. Oka says is true, then his role as the hero was to lead humanity into war.
He only took up his sword to put an end to the fighting.
But according to Ms. Oka, he did the exact opposite.
He was playing right into the hands of the administrators by taking part in the war.
I won’t forgive them.
I can’t.
They might as well exist just to trample on my brother’s beliefs.
If all this is true, then I can’t just let the administrators get away with it.
I’m sure Hyrince feels the exact same way.
That would explain his dark expression.
“When I wasn’t at the academy, I was away helping the elves try to avert the war. No matter what their reasons, I still owe them a great debt for protecting the reincarnations. But all those efforts were in vain, for the war has already started.”
“So that’s why you were gone so often…”
Ms. Oka rarely showed up in class at the academy.
And now we know why.
She wouldn’t tell us specifically what she was doing, but knowing her, it was because she didn’t want us to know what she’d been through.
“I believe that the administrators figured out what the elves were doing. They disposed of the demon that was secretly working with the elves. And most likely, their goal in recent events was to take out Potimas, as well as the humans who were allied with the elves, like Shun’s father and Leston.”
“Wait a minute! Wasn’t Hugo responsible for all that?!”
Ms. Oka’s phrasing seemed to indicate that the administrators were behind everything that happened recently.
Clearly, that was no mistake.
“This doesn’t change what Hugo did, but I think he’s most likely being used. The fact that Sophia was with him is proof of that.”
Sophia. The girl who outmatched us so easily.
Ms. Oka took a deep breath and revealed the truth:
“Her name is Sophia Keren. And in her previous life, she was Shouko Negishi. She is one of the reincarnations who has sided with the administrators.”
GOD’S HUNTING DOG
A beautiful young woman gazes at the ever-changing landscape outside the carriage with an expression steeped in melancholy.
Sitting directly across from me, Sophia Keren is so beautiful that even a fellow woman like me could be tempted to stare.
Although she’s still fairly young, something about her alluring visage makes her seem more mature.
She’s literally a femme fatale, and she looks the part, too.
It’s hard to believe that we’re the same age.
However, what most people don’t know is that she can actually be very childish.
Her personality is incredibly selfish, to the point where everything she does is solely for her own amusement.
Perhaps she inherited this trait from Master.
Even now, though she looks dramatic as she stares longingly out the window, I’m sure all she’s thinking about is how bored she is.
Sophia is selfish and freewheeling and never thinks things through.
However, she also happens to be incredibly powerful.
In a word, I think she can only be described as a menace.
As if reading my thoughts, Sophia turns to look at me.
“What is it?” I ask evenly.
“I’m bored.”
I guess she wasn’t reading my thoughts, then.
Still, what does she expect me to do about her boredom?
“Just be patient, please.”
“Ugh. If I knew it was going to take this long, I could’ve just run there myself.”
“Feel free to do so now, if you wish.”
Her face twists into an obvious grimace at my curt remark.
So childish.
The
idea that running would be faster than the carriage is childish in itself, too. Unbelievable.
Currently, we are traveling with the advance guard of Prince Hugo’s imperial army.
Though we are essentially honored guests, we are still commanders, progressing along with the troops.
Why in the world would she suggest that running would be faster? We must keep pace with the rest of the army.
Yes, I’m sure she could move faster on her own.
But even if she got there early, she would just be stuck waiting for the rest of the army to catch up, so she would still be bored.
Does she not even realize that?
“Hmm. You really hate me, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.”
Why ask such an obvious question?
Her face grows only more sullen at my response.
The fact that her childish personality prevents her from recognizing the position I’m in only frustrates me more.
Though I suppose I could still be doing a better job of controlling my emotions myself.
I do my best to keep things from showing on my face, but I can’t quite keep my bitter thoughts in check.
I must be diligent.
Perhaps that’s the reason Master put me in charge of supervising her?
No, I doubt even our master would make a major decision like this for such a trivial reason.
“Please make an effort to be more serious. This is not a game, you realize.”
“I knooow. But when I’m bored, I’m bored.”
So she doesn’t actually realize that, then.
“Well, you must keep such complaints to yourself. How do you think the brave soldiers marching outside feel?”
While we get to ride in a carriage, the soldiers traveling with us are on foot.
Some are riding on beast mounts, but most are foot soldiers, wearing heavy armor and carrying their weapons as they walk.
If they were to hear such a petty complaint from someone with the privilege of riding in a carriage, surely that would only foster resentment.
“Besides, Sir Wald is hard at work even as we speak. We cannot waste time trifling.”
Our comrade and mutual friend Sir Wald is stationed at Prince Hugo’s side.
His role is to keep watch on the prince in case he attempts anything that runs contrary to our plans.
“Oh, he’s just trying to make up for his little blunder however he can, that’s all. It’s cute how hard he’s trying, don’t you think?”
“Please don’t ever say that to his face.”
Wald is deeply concerned about that situation.
The “blunder” in question is that he was burned by the wyrm’s breath when the hero and his allies got away.
Of course, we intended to let them go from the start, so that isn’t a problem. However, since he was the only one of us to be wounded, he seems to have taken the incident as a personal failure.
All the more since it happened in front of the person he’s in love with, no doubt.
Personally, the way he scrambles like a faithful dog to do anything that might improve his value in her eyes, no matter how troublesome the task, only makes me think less of him.
And judging by her remark just now, it doesn’t seem like her opinion of him has gone up or down at all.
Does she even see him as a potential romantic interest?
Since I have no romantic experience myself, I can’t say either way.
“But that wyrm is a reincarnation, too. There’s no shame in losing that fight, if you ask me.”
The white wyrm that interrupted our battle with the hero and his compatriots.
According to Master, that creature is a reincarnation, too.
Sophia affirmed this when we saw it in person, so there is no doubt in my mind.
“Still, it must have been frustrating for him. And surely he didn’t want to look incompetent in front of the object of his affection, so try to be more considerate. Besides, you wouldn’t like to lose to a reincarnation yourself, would you?”
Certainly, reincarnations have the potential to become very powerful.
The proof of that is sitting right in front of me.
Sophia is a reincarnation, too, after all.
However, one cannot simply use that as an excuse for losing.
“Yeah, I guess not.”
Sophia herself hates to lose, so she makes no attempt to deny my point.
“D’you think you could’ve won if you fought the hero then and there?” she asks suddenly.
It’s a somewhat abrupt shift in subject, though not entirely unexpected.
However, I would have preferred to avoid it.
“I suppose I likely would have lost. All I did was slow him down from a distance. If we were to fight in a one-on-one battle, my odds of winning would be slim.”
When we fought the hero, I threw my chakram at him from a distance.
At the time, he was carrying an unconscious woman in one arm and was surrounded by soldiers, yet he still managed to ward off my attacks.
I wasn’t seriously attempting to kill him, of course, but I still must commend his ability to hold his own in that situation.
If I had to fight him head-on, without any such conditions, I can only assume that the odds would be against me.
Although I wouldn’t go so far as to say I wouldn’t stand a chance.
“Huh. So you admit you would lose?”
Sophia smiles nastily.
This is why I despise her.
“One must always be accurate in analyzing an opponent’s strength. It would be unwise to underestimate their strength or overestimate one’s own.”
“Doesn’t it bother you, though?”
“Is that so wrong?”
Yes, I’ll admit it.
It does bother me that the hero is stronger than I am.
However, the fact that this woman has to point it out is far more vexing.
“No, I didn’t say that. I mean, no one likes to lose, really.”
Her glossy lips curve into a smile as she continues.
“I just wanted to see that annoyed look on your face.”
“You hate me right back, don’t you?”
“Of course.”
Truly, what a frustrating person she is.
DEMON LORD ATTACK
The waves rock me gently as I float.
Scorching sun.
Blue sea.
It’s enough to make anyone want to swim, so I figured I’d give it a try.
Unfortunately, as it turns out, my spider body is structured in a way that it can only float on top of the water.
So since I can’t swim properly, I’m just floating on the surface.
Not exactly sure what I was expecting.
I mean, I might as well be sitting on a pool float.
If I really try, I can dive a little bit.
But as soon as I lose focus for a second, I pop right back up to the surface.
You can’t really call that swimming.
But in my old life, my incredible form in the water would’ve put mermaids to shame!
…Sorry, that was a blatant lie.
I could barely even pull off a dead man’s float.
Don’t underestimate my laziness!
I don’t even remember swimming properly in a pool, never mind the ocean!
Blue sky, blue sea.
And now my heart is blue, too.
No waaay.
On top of that, as I’m floating on the water, something attacks me.
It’s a water wyrm, which looks sort of like a huge shark.
I beat it at its own game, of course, so now the area around me is an ocean of blood.
And that blood must have attracted other sharks, because now there are a bunch of fins circling around me in the water.
Ugh, what a pain. I blow them all up with magic, making the ocean of blood even bigger.
Man, what am I doing?
I came here to relax a litt
le, to take my mind off the brutal attacks I’ve been launching on the spider army.
But now I’m just massacring water wyrms instead.
Am I bloodthirsty or what?
I mean, Spider vs Shark sounds like a B movie at best.
How did taking a nice beach break turn into another emotionally exhausting waste of time?
No, I guess I can’t say that. The sharks were pretty strong, so I got a delicious amount of EXP.
I even went up a level.
Still, at this point, going up a single level doesn’t mean much.
I can’t even come close to the puppet spider, never mind Mother.
In terms of magic alone, I could probably go head-to-head with the puppet spider, but in every other stat, it’s way stronger than I am.
The gap in our physical stats is particularly devastating, aside from maybe speed.
What should I do?
Finally, a signal!
Wha—?!
Geez, that scared me!
Sorry to interrupt, real me, but you’ve gotta run for it!
Huh?
It’s been a long time since I’ve heard from Parallel Mind former magic brain number one. And now it’s suddenly telling me to run?
I look around, but I don’t see Mother anywhere.
No sign of the puppet spider, either. In fact, I don’t see any monsters at all.
Do I really have to run? I’m not sensing any danger.
No time to explain! Okay, maybe just a little. Basically, the worst monstrosity ever is heading toward you right now!
Huh?! Mother?!
No! We got it all wrong. We thought Mother was the strongest, but she’s not. There’s something even worse than her!
Wait, what?
I don’t get it.
Something even stronger than Mother?
How could that possibly exist?
It does. And it’s heading your way right now!
It’s hard to believe this out of nowhere, but if I can communicate with my Parallel Minds again, that must mean Mother restored the link between us to figure out where I am.
She must have done that for a reason.
Besides, I’m the one giving myself this information.
If I can’t believe myself, who can I believe?
In any case, I’d better run for now.
But my decision comes too late.
Or perhaps it was impossible to run from the very beginning.
