Book 1 Epilogue & Prologue 2 Part 3

EPILOGUE & PROLOGUE 2 – IS THIS A HAPPY ENDING?

PART 03

——

…In the end, I learned that this whole fiasco was not only my own fault, but R’s as well.

“Erm, remember how I told you at the start that the ‘All of War’ was started by all the ‘heroines’ you saved? Well, actually, not all the ‘heroines’ are involved in that scenario. Some of them were alright with parting ways with you after you saved them, while others decided to leave you of their own accord. So only about eighty percent of all the ‘heroines’ you saved are involved in the ‘All of War’… However, since I’ve arrived from the future and met up with you, you’ve actually been dragged into my ‘story’, which will be resolved by you choosing one of the ‘heroines’ you’ll save and preventing the war. In short, you are the protagonist of my ‘story’ as well, the ‘heroines’ you meet are all ‘characters’, and all their stories are just events which you are going through in order to resolve my story. That’s the reason why the ‘heroines’ won’t leave you, and will slowly accumulate by your side.”

“…What!?”

“Hmm? You don’t get it? *sigh* Oh dear, guess I have no choice then. I’ll repeat all of that in simpler terms, so Rekka-san’s poor brain can understand me,” R sighed as she shook her head, before stabbing a finger in my face.

“Rekka-san, say goodbye to your miserable, insignificant, unpopular, grey youth, and hello to a debaunched harem world of love, desire, and bittersweet fragrances… Does that make sense?”

“Not really…”

I clutched at my head as I laid back down onto my desk.

“I don’t really get all the details, but as long as I don’t pick a ‘heroine’, the girls will just keep coming?”

“You got it, Rekka-san. Having a harem sure is every man’s dream, huh?”

“You’re so annoying!”

…And everyone in class stared at me, their gazes boring painfully onto my skin. Nobody could see R, which meant I must have looked like I was shouting at noone. Shit…!

The exhaustion from yesterday caught up with me again.

Satsuki, Iris, Harissa… and R. A harem? There’s only four of them, and I’m already so tired. Any more, and my stomach would burst from all the stress!

“If only I can have one ordinary person to fall in love with!”

“Yes, so hurry up and decide on that one person.”

“You make it sound so easy…”

We were having a short break time. Having just finished physical education, I still had some time to spare before the next lesson, as the girls were still in the changing room. For a short while, I could finally be alone. Now would be the time to rest…

Just as I was closing my eyes, the classroom door swung open with a bang.

“Rekka-sama! I got a little lost, but a kind person pointed me in the right direction, and I managed to find my way here to deliver your lunchbox!”

There was Harissa, speaking energetically and waving a lunchbox in her hand, when she should have been at home.

While I was glad that she hadn’t got truly lost… I was less enthusiastic about the fact that she’d turned up in school still wearing pajamas. Stop looking all innocent like that…

Then, Satsuki and Iris appeared.

“Harissa-chan, what are you doing here?”

Satsuki asked calmly, yet her eyes narrowed at the lunchbox in Harissa’s hands. By the way, if I remembered correctly, I’d seen Satsuki preparing two lunchboxes this morning in the kitchen.

“Rekka, I’m hungry after all that exercise. Let’s go for lunch!”

That was Iris, totally unaware of this situation. Anyway, this was only fourth period.

The otherworldly girl and the alien started arguing about who I should eat lunch with, while Satsuki stepped in as well, refusing to let either of them have their way. I just wanted to eat lunch alone…

Soon, I would be forced to make a decision on who I should eat with…

Unable to make such a choice, I made my escape from the classroom.

“Wait!”

I heard all three girls shout as they started giving chase.

“Wow, you’re like a real-life romantic comedy protagonist,” R commented.

“And whose fault is that!?”

This was not the ordinary day I had pictured for myself!

But this would probably be my life from now on.

“Someone, anyone, please save me!”

Dashing down the corridor, I sent an SOS to a super hunky prince hero who must surely exist somewhere out there.

Or not. Gyaaaa!

Book 1 Epilogue & Prologue 2 Part 2

EPILOGUE & PROLOGUE 2 – IS THIS A HAPPY ENDING?

PART 02

——

After going through such a crazy day, I couldn’t help but feel slightly sleepy the next day. When I first woke up, I couldn’t stop myself from falling back asleep again, which meant I would be late for school… Whatever, good night.

“Hey! Rekka!”

“Uwaaah!?”

Suddenly, someone yanked my blanket off my body, and I tumbled out of bed.

Wait, R is unable to touch any physical object, and Harissa doesn’t know my reporting time for school… So who had woken me up? The answer stood before me as I opened my eyes.

“S-Satsuki?”

“Please get up. You’ll be late, you know?”

There was Satsuki, looking as if she had every right to be in my bedroom. She was already dressed in her high school uniform, for the first time since she missed yesterday’s ceremony. It made her look mature and adult-like.

“Huh? Erm, anyway, why are you in my room, Satsuki…? Did I forget to lock the door?”

“I received the keys from uncle Jigen. He told me to make sure that his son won’t fall into his lazy habits now that he is living alone.”

“That shitty old man…!”

Why didn’t he inform me earlier! What if I’d gotten used to the idea of living alone, then she barges into my room and sees those types of secret books scattered all over the place!?

Fortunately, she had come in before that had a chance to happen… But I needed to be much more careful from now on. It would be devastating if my family and childhood friend found out that I owned those books.

“…I see that Harissa-chan is sleeping in a different room.”

“Of course.”

“That’s good. I was ready to use magic to tackle that problem.”

I wondered what kind of magic Satsuki would have used against me if Harissa and I had indeed slept in the same room…

This whole situation might prove even more tricky than when I lived with my parents.

*sigh…*

“Don’t sigh so early in the morning.”

“Now whose fault would that be…? Anyway, have your parents returned safely?”

“Yes, they are alright now, and happier than I expected to find them.”

“I see. That’s great.”

“Yes. Oh, that’s right. I’ve made breakfast, so get Harissa up and we’ll eat together.”

“Oh, thanks.”

I quickly got dressed, then met Harissa along the corridor before we both proceeded downstairs. Since Harissa’s robes were still in the wash, she was dressed in my mum’s pajamas which she had borrowed last night. The clothes were really too big for her, though.

“We’ll need to bring you shopping for clothes, Harissa.”

“Alri- *yawn*…”

Harissa’s reply was cut off by a massive yawn.

We washed up together at the bathroom sink, standing side-by-side, before heading to take our seats at the dining table. Bowls of rice accompanied by grilled fish and miso soup were laid out on the table. It was the example of a perfect Japanese breakfast.

“Itadakimasu,” we chimed, putting our hands together, before picking up the chopsticks and digging in.

“Wow! As expected of Satsuki, even the rice is delicious.”

“This is really tasty! I’m so glad I’ve come to this world!”

“Thank you,” Satsuki replied with a smile. “I’ll be coming every day to make breakfast, so just let me know if you have any requests.”

“Huh? Every day…?” Harissa and I asked at the same time.

Satsuki’s eyes narrowed.

“Is there a problem?”

“No,” we answered obediently.

But why was she doing this…? And I somehow had a feeling that this was only the start of a day full of surprises.

And the next one came after Satsuki and I reached school and started our first period of homeroom.

“Well, this is sudden, but a transfer student has just joined our class.”

“Hi! I am Iris-chan!”

The girl who appeared right behind our homeroom teacher was none other than Iris, with a brilliant smile on her face.

“So, Iris-san will sit-”

“Teacher, I’d like to sit beside Rekka!”

“…Oh, alright then.”

Hey, teacher! Don’t let that happen!

Iris was humming happily as she took a seat to my left. By the way, the seat to my right was occupied by Satsuki… Her expression was even scarier than what I’d seen this morning, and it made me want to run away.

“Do look after me, Rekka.”

“O-OK…”

“Satsuki, please look after me too.”

“…Of course.”

Oi oi, don’t get into a fight with me trapped in the middle. Anyway, why are the two of you on such bad terms? Sparks are even flying between your eyes.

“Oi, Iris. Why are you back here on Earth? Didn’t you return to Phenerita?”

“I went back to beg Papa to arrange some things for me~ Since you did us such a big favor by defeating the Satamonian king, it was easy for me to convince him to let me come to Earth as a transfer student.”

The frightening, stoic face of Iris’ father surfaced in my mind…

“But why did you decide to come to Earth?”

Iris’ cheeks reddened.

“Well~ Isn’t it obvious? I’m here to train to become a bride. B-R-I-D-E.”

“Bride? Whose bride-…hey! Uwah, don’t hug me!”

“Of course I’m your bride, Rekka! You said it was love at first sight when you first laid eyes on me, right~?”

“That was just to provoke the Satamonian king…and your chest is pressing against me, please let go!”

“No~ I won’t let go~”

“Please!”

Everyone in class is staring at me! I hate being the centre of attention!

Beside me, Satsuki wore a terrifying expression on her face. Wait, all the other boys in class looked really angry too.

“…Iris-san. Please let go of Rekka.”

“No,” Iris rejected Satsuki’s request bluntly as she pushed her squishies against me again…

Erm, everyone, please understand that I can’t just shove a girl away, which means that I’ll be defeated by these soft objects of desire.

But of course nobody would understand.

“…Just forgive me already.”

A girl whom I’m obliged to let stay in my house indefinitely, a childhood friend who insists on being a part of my life from morning till night every single day, and a beauty whom I’d just met yesterday becoming a new transfer student in class… Just how did I end up in such a severe situation?

Someone, please save me…

Book 1 Epilogue & Prologue 2 Part 1

EPILOGUE & PROLOGUE 2 – IS THIS A HAPPY ENDING?

PART 01

——

“So, what are you going to do?” R asked.

“…I don’t know,” I huffed in annoyance as I laid my head on the desk.

After that crazy day, I should have returned to my life as an ordinary high school student… But now, another problem had presented itself.

It happened right after Iris sent everyone back to Earth on her spaceship…

~~~~~

“Aaaahh! Oh no, how do I return to Abraham!?” Harissa screamed.

“Can’t you use the spell that allowed you to travel here in the first place…?”

“I only know how to open a unidirectional portal from Abraham to Earth, but not the other way around.”

“W-Whaaat!?”

I didn’t really understand why, but it seemed like travelling in different directions between worlds required different spells.

Now that was a real problem.

“I’ve already used up the Red String… Do you happen to have any more?”

“I do, but it can’t be used if it has not been tagged to a specific person…”

“I see…”

What should we do? At this rate, Harissa wouldn’t be able to return home.

“Poor Harissa-san. She doesn’t have any place to stay in this world, nor does she have any money. She’ll probably die homeless at this rate.”

R whispered these ominous words quietly in my ear.

We needed to find a way to solve this problem, but R was right… Guess I didn’t have a choice.

“Harissa, if you don’t mind, you can stay at my place while you search for a way to return to Abraham?”

Harissa, who had looked utterly despondent, suddenly glanced up at me.

“Huh? I-Is zat really alright?” She asked, reverting to her hometown accent.

“Hey!”

“Rekka…!”

For some reason, both Iris and Satsuki were glaring at me as they protested, yet Harissa paid them no heed. Grabbing the front of my shirt and shaking me back and forth, she asked again,

“It won’t be too much trouble!?”

The material of my shirt was stretching…

“Well, I was the one who asked you to come to Earth, so I guess I have to take responsibility for my actions.”

“R-responsibility…!”

Harissa’s face instantly turned beet-red. I had no idea why she was blushing so hard like a tomato, even her ears were red, but it didn’t seem like she was against the idea.

But why were the other two girls behind me so agitated?

“What is this!? I won’t accept it!” Iris shouted.

“Me neither. I won’t let my childhood friend sink into lolicon,” Satsuki added.

“Who’s a lolicon!?” I protested.

“Harissa-chan is so young.”

“I’m already thirteen! I can get married if I want to!” Harissa announced with a smile.

I guessed thirteen was considered an appropriate age for someone to get married in Abraham. Hey, that’s not the point!

“…I know! Harissa-chan can stay at my place instead,” Satsuki offered.

“Sounds good!” I agreed excitedly.

However,

“No! I want to live together with Rekka-sama!” Harissa protested vehemently.

Things were starting to look bad.

“Then I will live with Rekka as well!”

“What are you saying!?”

I couldn’t understand the reason behind Iris’ unexpected decision.

“…But there’s no other option. Harissa has nowhere to go. Satsuki, you’re still living with your parents, and since I live alone, it’s best for her to stay with me instead.”

“Yes!”

“……”

Harissa was the only one who accepted my reasoning, while the other two glared at me like I was a pile of dirt.

“…Promise that you won’t do anything funny,” Satsuki demanded.

“Why must I make such a strange promise?”

The whole situation was really pushing me to tears.

“Be warned that I know you well enough to tell when you’ve done something you shouldn’t have,” Satsuki added, further wounding my pride.

“Alright…” I agreed, no longer possessing the energy to argue.

With that, Harissa’s problem was resolved, and we said goodbye to Iris.

“…Yep. See you soon!”

With that cheery greeting, she returned to her spaceship and soon disappeared up into the sky.

“?”

Now that I thought about it, Iris had suddenly gone quiet during our discussion just now. It was as if she had something on her mind…

However, I was just too tired to think much about it.

“…Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then, Satsuki… I mean, later today at school.”

“Yes. Please get some rest.”

Satsuki and I said our goodbyes and parted ways.

I was exhausted, but I tidied up my parents’ bedroom for Harissa to sleep in, before returning to my room and diving onto the bed.

Ahh, this is it! I’ll be asleep immediately. Within the next five seconds.

“Rekka-san, Rekka-san.”

“Please, just… let… me… sleep.”

I heard R calling out to me, but I waved her away and closed my eyes.

Book 1 Chapter 6 Part 4

CHAPTER 6 – STILL A WAYS TO BECOMING THE PROTAGONIST

PART 04

——

When I opened my eyes, I was face-to-face with the dumbfounded council president of Phenerita.

“…So you really can teleport with this device,” Iris’ father mused as he stared closely at Satsuki’s mobile phone. I didn’t really have the time to explain how this worked nothing like a warp watch, but because the phone was imbued with magic.

“Mr. President.”

“Yes, let us open a direct line of communication with Satamonia now.”

After briefly explaining my plan to the president, he led us out of the room and we headed down the corridor.

In order to prevent the Satamonian king from backing out of this lost duel, we had chosen to return to Phenerita via magic rather than using Iris’ spaceship. I didn’t know if the Satamonian king would create a mess now that things were not going in his favor. In the worst case scenario, he might fire another meteor at Earth, or even involve Phenerita in the duel as well.

“Have you really collected all the relevant information?” The president asked as we travelled up the elevator without walls to the highest level of “Owaria” tower.

“Of course. I won’t be here if I didn’t.”

“You’re right. You are indeed more trustworthy and competent than you look. If you weren’t, I doubt you’d have made it back to Phenerita alive.”

“…That was a compliment, right?”

I felt that I had been insulted in some way.

Just then, the president cast a quick glance behind me.

“I see that you have gotten another girl to tag along…?”

Erm, why did his expression suddenly look thrice as scary compared to a moment ago?

“Well, I needed them to help me.”

“I was shocked when Satsuki-kun first appeared, but it seems like you really are popular with the ladies, not just Iris.”

“Umm. Well, Harissa has been going on about wanting to repay me, and I’ve said countless times that Satsuki is just a childhood friend. And about being Iris’ lover, it was purely because she initially wanted me to help her out. I’m definitely not popular with girls.”

“……Hmm.”

For some reason, the president’s frown deepened.

“Of all people my daughter had to pick…” I heard him mumble under his breath.

“Rekka-san, your level of thickheadedness is powerful enough to start a war.”

R nodded as she mimicked the president’s expression.

……Just what were they all talking about?

Then, we reached the highest level of the tower, and arrived at the round table of “Owaria”.

The lights around the round table had been dimmed, and the monitor on the wall showed the disgusting face of the Satamonian king. His dull eyes fixed upon me the moment I entered the room, as two or three veins popped up on his toad-like face.

[You brat! How dare you—]

“Kyaaaaaaahhh! I-I-It’s a frog-pig hybrid demon!”

Harissa screamed and sank to the ground the moment she spotted the Satamonian king’s face.

Thanks to her outburst, the Satamonian king’s rant was cut off, and for a moment, he could only open and close his mouth in silent fury.

It was all we could do to contain ourselves. Iris looked like she was seconds from bursting out in laughter, while Satsuki had a hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her giggling.

“Great King of Satamonia, I am sorry to have kept you waiting.”

The president, the only calm person amongst us, greeted the king as he signalled for the girls to take a seat.

I alone remained standing, taking up the best position to glare at the Satamonian king.

As usual, the skinny chief officer by the king’s side worked to calm him down. The skin-and-bones guy seemed really proficient at controlling the king’s bad temper. I also remembered how he was the one who suggested launching a meteor at Earth.

I wouldn’t lose to them again, and I would ensure that we settle this issue right now.

I decided to deliver the first blow.

“King, I’m sure you are aware that I have won this duel. You should quietly give Iris up.”

[……]

As expected, the Satamonian king refused to admit defeat, glaring at me silently. Even with the odds against him, his obstinate attitude didn’t budge. His reaction was really typical of a politician.

However, the fact was that he’d lost. His face slowly turned reddish-purple, though he still made no move to deny the fact.

Just then, Skin-and-bones stepped forward.

[There are no written terms and conditions regarding the duel. Since everything was decided upon verbally, we see no need to comply with you.]

“Oh?” I turned to face off against my real enemy, the skinny chief officer, “then it just goes to show how useless galactic kings are, since they can’t even keep a promise like a man.”

[It is fact that our king was the first to seek Miss Iris’ hand in marriage. You then butted in with your strange duel, and our king chose to humor you by playing along in your little game. The outcome of the duel will have no effect on the marriage between our king and Miss Iris.]

[T-That’s right!]

The Satamonian king bellowed, backing up his chief officer, but I refused to look at the pig-toad.

I needed to win this verbal war against Skin-and-bones, not the king.

“Does that mean you won’t give up on Iris?”

[Of course not. The king sees no reason to do so.]

“No reason…?”

Which meant that with the right reasons, he could be persuaded otherwise.

If the Satamonian king was really in love with Iris, then no amount of reasons would be able to make him give her up. Not that I had any experience in the matter…but any love that could be swayed by reason must not be true love at all. It was nothing but pure desire.

I wouldn’t let such a man have Iris.

“Satsuki, pass me the list.”

“Here. I’ve summarized it so that even Rekka will be able to understand it.”

“Thanks…and no thanks for the subtle insult.”

I knew that Satsuki wasn’t unwilling to help Iris…but it didn’t mean she would be eager to lend her aid. Did she have a thing against horses?

“Dooooom,” R declared, effectively summarizing the tense mood.

Well, that wasn’t the important thing now. I took the bundle of papers from Satsuki’s hand and shook it out, revealing a long list which I started to read off.

“Great Galaxial Almanac, Year 707 of the Gregory Cycle. Satamonia dispatched their 7th armada fleet to the unknown 3rd planet in the Auroll System located in unregistered galaxy number 305748.”

[What…!?]

Skin-and-bones’ eyes widened as his eyes fixed upon the scroll in my hands.

I continued to present the information written on the list. In short, it was a full record of numerous evil deeds carried out by order of the Satamonian king behind closed doors. Satsuki had returned with all this information after searching through history with the Great Magic of Creation, and Iris had helped to pick out the most incriminating pieces.

Unfortunately, I didn’t understand more than half of what I was saying, but it was easy to tell that these aliens were engaged in shady dealings.

“Great King… You bastard…!”

Iris’ father, who had been respectful to the Satamonian king all this while, swore in anger as he thumped his fist upon the round table.

Both the Satamonian king and his chief officer’s faces had turned bluish-purple. It was expected, since all their evil doings were laid out in the open.

[You brat…]

Skin-and-bones’ face twisted as he glared at me.

“You understand where all this is going, right? Give up on Iris.”

[…Do you have evidence to support all those things you said?]

“I have no solid evidence, but with this list, investigations can be launched to probe into the matter.”

Since the information had been collected by Satsuki, it was all truth, and I didn’t think it would be impossible to gather the proof we needed.

However, I was careful not to push the issue. Satamonia was a powerful militant planet in the Great Galaxy Commonwealth, afterall. The plan might backfire if I threatened them too much.

I just needed them to agree to a compromise. Even without evidence, Satamonia’s standing in the Commonwealth would definitely be jeopardized if this information was made known to everyone, especially to those planets whom the Satamonians regarded as enemies. In addition, they had no idea how I’d managed to compile this list, and that would help to sow more seeds of doubt in their minds.

“From now on, you will leave Iris and Phenerita, and of course Earth, alone. If you can promise that, I’ll promise to keep the contents of this list secret from the Great Galaxy Commonwealth.”

Now, it was up to Skin-and-bones. Would he choose to place his planet’s political position in peril, or dissuade the king from his selfish marriage demands?

[……Great King, let us accede to their request for now.]

[W-WHAAT!? But chief!]

The king turned to Skin-and-bones, adamant, but the latter just shook his head.

[If that list goes public, our kingdom will be doomed. So please, let us retreat while we still can. Show these people how gracious and generous you are.]

[U-Uuh… Well, I guess you’re right.]

With a few carefully placed words of praise, Skin-and-bones managed to placate the king, who then turned back to us with a deprecating smile.

[Brat, considering how much you’ve gone through to prove yourself today, I will let you off this time. Be grateful. Geb geb geb geb geb.]

With that jarring laughter, the monitor screen turned black, and the lights in the room brightened.

“…………………………………Phew!”

I sank bonelessly into an empty chair, all energy sapped from my body. That’s right, I was still injured from the battle with Messiah. Damn, I probably can’t stand anymore…

To think that all this had happened in the span of one day.

Beings from the future, wizards, aliens, otherworldly people… Just how many strange creatures had I met in this short time? It was just too extraordinary.

Then, R, who had been tagging along with me throughout the entire day, dropped before my face again. She was hanging upside down, just like how she did when I first met her, as she saluted me.

“You did a good job at not dying.”

Stop speaking as if you really expected me to die…

Oh well, it no longer mattered now. I just wanted to sleep. Right now. I had school tomorrow, but if I managed to get to bed now, I could still squeeze in seven hours’ worth of sleep. That’s right, sleep sounded good. Let us all master the art of sleeping…

“REEEEEEEKKA!”

“Oof!?”

And my dreams were shattered.

Overcome with emotion, a red-faced Iris climbed into my lap and embraced me in a bone-shattering hug.

“Rekka, Rekka, Rekka! Thank you, Rekka! I’m free now. I can be with Rekka as much as I like.”

Erm, well… My spine was groaning with pain as it was crushed with arms numerous times stronger than a normal Earthling’s. It wasn’t even funny anymore… Ah, I can see a flower field…

“Hey! Let go of Rekka!”

Satsuki interjected as she grabbed the collar of my shirt, trying to drag me away from Iris. Hey, now you’re choking me. I’m going to die, I’m really going to die!

“T-That’s right! Rekka-sama is my hero-sama!”

And why was Harissa tugging on my leg now!? I felt myself being pulled in opposite directions. Was my upper body going to say goodbye to my lower body just like that!?

But…shit, my consciousness was really…

“Oh dear.”

The last thing I saw before I blacked out was the side profile of R’s utterly defeated look.

Book 1 Chapter 6 Part 3

CHAPTER 6 – STILL A WAYS TO BECOMING THE PROTAGONIST

PART 03

——

The lightning attack scorched everything in sight like an inescapable nightmare. The plains around the cherry blossom tree were burned away, and the air filled with smoke and a burning stench.

I lost all control of my body, and it was hard to tell if I was even still alive or not. My thoughts were thick, clouding up my brain with a strange floating feeling.

Just what had happened to me… Had I failed?

“There, now nobody in the world can stand in the way of our marriage, so come to me. And hand me the knowledge to unlock the Great Magic of Creation!”

It was Messiah’s voice.

He sounded as pompous as always, like he was an actor in a drama… The fact that he was still alive shook my mind, and my consciousness wavered.

“……”

Yet no matter how much Messiah called, I didn’t hear any reply from Satsuki.

No, there was no need for her to reply him… Wait, I’ll be up in just a second…!

Despite my mind’s impatient urging, my body refused to respond. Why? Shit… Could it be that I’d really died?

The feeling of emptiness within me continued.

“No one will be able to break the Contract now. If you disobey me, your body will be torn apart from the inside. Would you want that to happen?”

The only thing I could do was listen to Messiah’s voice.

“Just give up, daughter of Creation.”

Her name isn’t “daughter of Creation”, it’s Satsuki.

“You have no choice but to become my bride.”

How dare you. Satsuki is my childhood friend.

“If it really hurts that badly to come with me, then shall I use magic to steal your consciousness and make you into a living doll? It doesn’t matter to me, as long as we seal the Contract and I gain access to the Great Magic of Creation.”

…I’ll send you flying if you keep talking that way!!

Marriage is about two people bringing happiness to each other. That’s normal. Yet you see Satsuki as nothing more than a tool. As her childhood friend, I’ll never forgive you for doing that!

My boiling rage served to stir my body back into consciousness.

Clenching my fists, I stood up amidst the smoke.

“Was that your marriage proposal? That was totally unromantic.”

“What!?”

As Messiah exclaimed in bewilderment, I patted my clothes free of dust. Aside from being coated in soot, my body was more or less intact. I guess it was only my consciousness which had received a momentary blow.

“B-But how!?”

For the first time today, Messiah’s expression showed a hint of panic.

“That’s the least of your worries now, I think?”

I ignored his question as I pointed up at the sky once again.

Just then, the world, previously bathed in moonlight, was suddenly shrouded in darkness… Then brightness returned again. Yet it was not the gentle light of the moon and stars. This glow was intense, seemingly burning up the entire sky… It was the glow of crimson fire, as the meteor sent to destroy Earth fell through the atmosphere.

“This is my greatest magic.”

“——!?”

Alright, the rest is up to you, most powerful wizard.

Live up to your famed namesake and save the Earth for me.

“Shit! What is this magic!?”

Messiah was in a foul mood, which triggered him to act fast. In an instant, he had summoned more than ten lightning cannonballs of “God’s Judgement”.

“Don’t underestimate Messiah Candystraps!”

The scarlet burning meteor collided head-on with the numerous lightning balls.

As the lightning, like destructive torrents, and the scalding meteor crashed into each other, the dark dome of sky above us lit up for a moment. The wizard’s lightning attack had decimated the overwhelming military might the aliens were so proud of.

It was truly an awesome sight, worthy of a manga or light novel climax.

In a few minutes, it was over.

“As if you can ever win against a powerful wizard like me!”

Messiah hollered as he smashed the final piece of the meteor into dust.

*pant, pant, pant…gulp!*

Messiah caught his breath as he drifted back down to the ground. He didn’t fall to his knees, but I could tell that he was a mere shadow of his former self.

The pieces of broken meteor would probably catch fire from friction with the atmosphere and burn away. Any remaining pieces would then be destroyed by the weapons equipped on Iris’ spaceship.

The Meteor Destruction Plan was a success.

Now, I just had to defeat the era’s most powerful wizard.

“WAAAAAARRRHHHH!!”

I bellowed as I dashed out of the smoke.

“What!?”

Messiah turned towards me, a surprised look on his face. I guess he didn’t manage to sense my presence.

This was my only chance to get close to Messiah, as the destruction of the meteor probably sapped most of his magic and focus.

I was close enough that he had no time nor space to fend off my attack.

My attack should hit home.

Normally, the outcome of the battle should have been decided then.

But Messiah just let out a small smirk.

It seemed like the Defense Barrier which surrounded the wizard was still intact.

Satsuki had said that even a hundred wizards wouldn’t be able to break through it.

That was also the reason why Messiah was the most powerful wizard.

And the reason for that composed smile.

But then, I sliced the invisible “Hero’s Sword” horizontally, cutting through Messiah’s Defense Barrier.

“What!?”

“——!!”

Hearing his cry of dismay, I immediately twisted my wrist backwards.

To explain things, I basically had Harissa cast an invisibility spell over the “Hero’s Sword”, then stuck it into the roots at the base of the large cherry blossom tree. It was fitting that this Sword, so famed for being able to slice through magic, was really being utilized in a fight against a wizard. I would have used it right from the start, but if Messiah were to realize its power and modify his defenses accordingly, then it would have all been for naught. Thus, I had been waiting all this while for the perfect life-or-death situation to deal the ultimate blow.

This was the final piece of my plan.

With Messiah’s “God’s Judgement” attack and Defense Barrier gone, the battle was over!

“Let’s end this now!”

Twisting my wrist, I took another swing at Messiah with the “Hero’s Sword”.

“Uwaaaarrgggh!”

Messiah’s scream echoed through the air, and was soon cut off.

The storm, which had been whipping through the plains, died down, and silence returned to the place.

But there was noone around to ring the bell and announce the outcome.

So I remained vigilant in battle-mode, gripping the handle of the sword tight.

“……”

Someone, anyone, hurry and put an end to this situation…!

As if my mind had been read,

“……Why?”

Messiah, with a trickle of blood flowing from where the invisible blade rested against his neck, whispered.

“I don’t know how…but my Defense Barrier has been destroyed, I can feel it. So why haven’t you killed me yet?”

“That’s my style…unless you refuse to admit defeat.”

Wasn’t it normal for people to refrain from murdering someone else?

Keeping up my tough act, I glared down at Messiah.

“…Alright. I admit defeat.”

As decided upon by the Contract before the battle, Messiah would never come to lay a hand on Satsuki ever again. Her parents would be returned safely as well. This calls for a celebration.

Finally, I relaxed my grip on the handle. I wanted to sink to the ground with relief, but I couldn’t do that right now.

There was still one last thing to do.

Book 1 Chapter 6 Part 2

CHAPTER 6 – STILL A WAYS TO BECOMING THE PROTAGONIST

PART 02

——

In order to prevent Satsuki from being caught up in our fight, I urged her to leave.

“Rekka, please don’t die,” Satsuki pleaded tearfully before she left.

I smiled back at her.

“Hey hey, didn’t you say you believe I’ll win? So don’t worry.”

“…You’re right. Good luck, Rekka.”

“Yeah.”

Satsuki moved to a spot about 50 meters away, where she would be watching the battle.

Messiah and I squared off against each other, with the cherry blossom tree between us.

“I can tell from a glance that you’re new to magic. I don’t know what you’re planning, but I’ll show you how your ordinary shallow wit is not going to work against me.”

“Heh! I’ll look forward to that…as well as your tearful face when you bow down before me.”

As I let out a disdainful laugh, I subtly checked the time on my watch.

Five minutes to midnight. It was about time to set the plan in motion.

“Let’s do this!”

I kicked off the ground and dashed in a clockwise direction around the tree.

As I ran, I pulled the laser gun from my belt. I’d gotten Harissa to cast an invisibility spell over it after Iris had adjusted the power settings to suit my purpose.

I pulled the trigger, and the gun sent out continuous bullets of light towards Messiah.

“Oh?”

However, the lasers bounced off the Defense Barrier around him and disintegrated.

I had expected this, but it proved once again how strong the Barrier was.

“I had thought you were a novice, but I guess that is not the case?” Messiah whispered, slightly shocked.

He was probably surprised not by the attack, but by the fact that I had seemingly used magic against him. He was totally fooled.

Then, he raised an arm.

“Now it’s my turn.”

“……!”

I dashed away, desperate to avoid the attack issuing from Messiah’s fingertips.

“It’s no use, unless you can run as fast as light.”

Pale sparks crackled around the wizard, before it grew into a tiny lightning bolt and coiled around his arm like a snake.

“…This is your end,” Messiah announced as he fired the lightning magic towards me.

No matter how swift, no human could have outrun a real lightning bolt.

That was why I had prepared a few tricks up my sleeve.

The lightning bolt swerved before it hit me and disappeared into the ground.

“Urrgh!?”

Though I’d avoided the direct hit, the force of the bolt hitting the ground sent up dirt and pebbles which pelted me. I raised my arms to protect myself as best I could, but the pain from being rained on by rocks was still intense. I knew I wouldn’t be able to survive too many hits like that…but I would be able pull through a few.

“…Did I miss?”

Messiah appeared bewildered. He had probably expected to defeat me with that one hit.

“Hah! You suck!” I yelled boldly, blood dripping from my cheek and down both arms through my ripped clothing.

“……!”

In response to my taunting, he fired a few more lightning blasts.

However, each bolt swerved to the sides instead of hitting me.

The trick behind this was simple.

After learning from Satsuki that lightning magic was Messiah’s specialty, we had planted a few space-tech lightning rods which Iris had gotten for us around the area.

Regardless of magic, lightning was still lightning, and it would be attracted to lightning rods more than towards humans.

In order to prevent Messiah from discovering this trick, I had Harissa cast invisibility spells over the rods as well. Paired with the laser gun blasts, it would truly appear to Messiah that I was using magic. Now, he would be thinking that I was using magic to deflect his lightning bolts.

Of course, it would all be over should Messiah choose to utilize another kind of magic, but the difference in our abilities was evident. While my attacks didn’t work against him, his attacks were slowly weakening me. The outcome of the battle was obvious, so Messiah would probably choose to feed his ego and continue using his specialty magic…

Though he would eventually see through my plan.

But as long as I held on till then, it would be enough!

30 seconds before midnight…!

“Messiah!”

I screamed at my enemy in a harsh voice as I pointed up at the sky.

“……What?”

Messiah stopped in his tracks as his gaze followed my finger.

My battle plan was simple. I would lie that I had used my magic to summon the meteor that the Satamonian king had fired at Earth. Then, in order to trump my “magic”, the proud Messiah would intercept and destroy the meteor.

Come on, wizard, work for me!

“Can you stop my magic!?”

I yelled as I dropped my finger in a downward motion, as if drawing the meteor down towards Messiah!

Then we would find out if he was really the strongest wizard of this era.

It was ironic, but I had to trust that my enemy was really as powerful as he claimed to be.

But…nothing happened. Messiah returned his gaze to me.

“…So, where is your magic?”

“……Huh?”

I glanced up at the sky in panic.

And saw a full moon, shining stars…and nothing else.

There wasn’t a single trace of the meteor.

‘What is happening!?’

I stopped myself before I yelled out, and looked to R for help, but she just shook her head. Why was she so useless now, of all times! Couldn’t you provide me with a little good service!?

Messiah laughed, as if I had just performed the stupidest trick of the century.

“I know you humans so well, trying to bluff your way through up till the end. Putting on airs, directing your own play. It’s all good, but deep down, you are all too weak.”

“……”

He was absolutely right.

I clenched my trembling fists.

“Enough of this, young man.”

The wizard, who had been firing blasts at me, now raised his palm towards the sky.

A stream of lightning started to whirl like a tornado from his palm. The lightning bolts then merged together, growing fatter and larger until it became a sphere.

This was the same attack he had fired at me back at the abandoned factory…!

However, the sphere this time was several times larger.

The lightning Sun -it wasn’t exaggerated to describe it as such- looked like it carried billions of volts of electricity, and I could just imagine myself burning to a crisp after being hit by it. Even the lightning rods wouldn’t be able to divert this attack away.

This was the true power of the strongest wizard of this era.

Having displayed this overwhelming power, Messiah looked down his nose at me.

“You’ve done well, for someone so powerless… Do feel proud to tell everyone in the next world how you were brave enough to stand up against me.”

“…Powerless?”

Even without him saying it, I knew it in my heart.

I was just a fake, nothing like a true protagonist, with no special reason for existence. Aside from coming up with crazy battle plans, I was nothing more than a powerless brat.

But my clenched fists refused to slacken.

These fists were nothing but a bluff, I had never been in a real fight in my life. It was to be expected, since I’d always aimed to live an inconspicuous, ordinary life.

But I could always clench my fists.

When humans wanted to protect something, we would always clench our fists.

With the determination to protect, we would grasp our fists tightly…and it didn’t matter if our opponent was a wizard, a meteor, or an otherworldly Demon King, we would fight.

It didn’t matter that I wasn’t a protagonist*.

I would fight.

“……!”

Tossing the invisible laser gun aside, I dashed out with clenched fists.

However, my target was not Messiah.

“Haha! It’s too late to run away now!”

Messiah’s loud laughter reached my ears, but I ignored him as I headed towards my destination.

It was impossible that the Satamonian king was just bluffing about dropping a meteor on Earth. His battle spaceship was parked just nearby, afterall. So why hadn’t the meteor arrived? Could it be that he had meant the meteor would be fired at midnight, rather than the meteor would arrive on Earth at midnight?

Then there was still a chance that Messiah’s attack could be utilized!

“Rekka!”

“Don’t come over!” I screamed at Satsuki and the invisible Harissa, just as they were about to dash over.

If I didn’t defeat Messiah single-handedly in this duel, then the Contract would lose its effect. All the plans we had put in place would go to waste once a third party intercepted the duel.

“I thank you for not involving the Daughter of Creation in this battle. It won’t be nice if she loses her life here. Young man, you really are a brave one. Stupid, but brave.”

Messiah smiled as he lowered his arm.

“It was nice to see you performing your tricks… Now die.”

“Uwaaaahhhhh!”

I screamed as I slid into the shadow of the cherry blossom tree.

“Haha! This isn’t natural lightning, you can’t escape my ‘God’s Judgement’ by hiding under a tree!”

Then, the lightning hammer struck.

Like divine punishment raining down from the heavens upon a sinner.

A blinding light swallowed everything in sight.

——

Note:
When Rekka said “It didn’t matter that I wasn’t a protagonist.”, an alternate reading for the sentence was also provided as, “It didn’t matter that I wasn’t extraordinary.”

Book 1 Chapter 6 Part 1

CHAPTER 6 – STILL A WAYS TO BECOMING THE PROTAGONIST

PART 01

——

Through Harissa’s teleportation magic, we returned to Iris’ world and warped through her spaceship to Earth. It was already past 11 p.m., but we still had a little time before the meteor struck.

I’d gotten Satsuki to find out how the Satamonian king was going to drop the meteor onto our planet. According to her, they had converted an asteroid into a meteor projectile, which they loaded onto a battle spaceship equipped with a firing cannon. They would then shoot the meteor into space at high speed, and use teleportation technology to make it appear next to Earth.

The battle spaceship was parked about a million kilometers away from Earth, which meant that the meteor would take a mere four to five minutes to be teleported here. In truth, it was a horrifying weapon capable of destroying planets, as there was virtually no time for anyone to react once a meteor had been fired. It spoke volumes of the Satamonians’ evil nature.

Satsuki had also found out that the meteor they were preparing to launch at us was about 15 kilometers in width, roughly the same size as the meteor which had eradicated the dinosaurs.

We navigated our spaceship towards the air space where the meteor would fall. Then, we were lowered to the ground the same way how movies depicted aliens came to Earth to do their cattle mutilations.

I was bad at Geography, so I had no idea where we were, but we were on a vast plain, with cherry blossom trees dotted about the landscape. As the moon was just rising, we were probably in a different time zone from Japan.

Iris had not descended with us. After dropping us off, she navigated the spaceship high into the sky such that it was no longer visible from the ground. She would be playing her role in our plan from there.

The three of us on the ground set about getting the place ready for the Meteor Destruction Battle. Once we were done, Satsuki and I selected a large cherry blossom tree and settled beneath it, while Harissa made herself invisble with her magic. Now, having beckoned to Messiah with some magic, we just had to wait for his arrival.

My throat felt constricted, as feelings of anxiety about the battle ahead ran through my mind. And the silence that had descended upon us was suffocating.

“How about saying something witty?” R asked as she glanced over at Satsuki.

“……”

Satsuki was silent as she stared at the ground.

That’s right… I wasn’t the only one who was nervous.

Determined to break the silence, I looked up at the cherry blossoms as I spoke up.

“Guess cherry blossoms aren’t really found only in Japan.”

At this, Satsuki lifted her head to look at the blossoms too.

“They can be found in the warm belt of the Earth’s Northern Hemisphere. This one seems to be of the same variety as those in Japan.”

“…By the way, the trees in our high school’s yard are in full bloom too. Since you didn’t come to school today, you probably haven’t seen them yet, right?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go see them together tomorrow.”

“…Yes.”

A small smile came to Satsuki’s face.

The heavy mood had also lifted slightly.

“We’ve come all this way, so let’s just give it our best shot,” I declared with determination as I clenched my fists.

“I’ll protect you, Satsuki.”

“…Thank you, Rekka.”

And then, the “story”‘s climax came upon us silently.

Ten minutes before midnight, a man appeared in the sky and landed quietly before us.

Messiah Candystraps, the most powerful wizard of this era. It had been eleven hours since our last meeting, but his pompous smirk had not changed.

The wizard glanced at me with a slightly puzzled look.

“Are you the young man from this afternoon? I was sure you had run away, never to return.”

“Haha…”

That was how it must have looked back at the abandoned factory, that I had abandoned Satsuki and disappeared on my own…

“Why would I run away from someone like you?” I said with a bold smile.

Messiah’s brow lifted at my mocking tone.

“…Someone like me?”

“Yeah. Why should I run away from an idiot who mistakenly thinks he’s the most powerful wizard?”

“Oh, and who are you to prattle on like this?”

“Don’t you know? I am the one who is the most powerful wizard of this era.”

“What…?”

My words were a direct challenge to Messiah.

Besides, it had been my idea for Satsuki to use her magic to lure Messiah here. In truth, all this was part of a trap.

I knew this man would not turn down a challenge.

It didn’t matter if this was a trap, or who was challenging him, Messiah was confident in his own abilities… In fact, he was so sure of his status as the era’s strongest wizard that he had appeared before us so willingly.

“And what are you planning?” Messiah asked, laughing scornfully.

I twisted my lip into what I hoped was an evil smirk.

“I challenge you to a duel under a Contract. The loser would swear to never lay a hand on Satsuki ever again. And you would release Satsuki’s parents as well.”

I’d heard from Satsuki about the Devil’s Contract, which was used among magicians since its bonds were strong enough to withstand even the strongest magic. If I could win in a Contract bound with Messiah, we wouldn’t have to worry about him coming after Satsuki anymore.

“I accept, young man. But…”

Messiah raised a single finger, as if to indicate that he had one condition.

“Since the daughter of Creation would follow the victor, why don’t we bind her in the Contract as well?”

“What!? You bastard…”

Just as I was about to protest, Satsuki spoke up.

“No problem. I believe Rekka will win, so it’s alright,” she said as she smiled gently at me.

…It would be totally uncool if I were to protest now.

“Leave it to me.”

I wouldn’t lose.

“Then let us summon the Contract.”

Satsuki stood between Messiah and I, and proceeded with the Contract ritual.

“I agree,” I said.

“I agree, naturally,” Messiah added.

The both of us nodded, and Satsuki chanted a spell to seal the Contract. Then, translucent black chains surrounded us, and I felt them wind tight around “something” within me..

If anyone broke the Contract, I could imagine the chains tearing their soul to shreds.

The stage for our battle had been set.

Book 1 Chapter 5 Part 3

CHAPTER 5 – A STORY THAT’S STARTING TO CHANGE

PART 03

——

By the time we returned from the Demon King’s fortress, Harissa’s execution was already underway.

Weighed down by cuffs on her wrists and neck, Harissa knelt on a platform before the masses, a haggard expression on her face. An executioner stood wordlessly behind her.

The plaza was absolutely crowded with people, eager to witness the public execution.

The crowd was so thick that it seemed impossible for me to push through, until I saw Iris pick up one person at a time and toss them aside, effectively clearing a way for us to make our way to the execution platform.

On a balcony of the palace behind the platform, a courtier unfurled what looked like a scroll. He was probably about to start pronouncing Harissa’s crimes…and when he finished, the axe would land on Harissa’s neck.

I’d never let that happen!

Hadn’t I already put an end to Harissa’s “story” and her misery!? Happiness was just waiting for her around the corner!

I wouldn’t let it all end this way!

The courtier rolled up the scroll again, before signalling to the executioner on the platform.

Lifting up a huge axe, the executioner made his way to stand beside Harissa. The blade was dull and chipped, but the axe looked heavy enough to cut through her slim neck with its massive weight alone.

“Stop right there!” I shouted in fury, but my voice was lost amidst the jeering crowd before it could reach Harissa.

The executioner lifted his axe.

I yelled out again, but my voice was once again drowned out.

Shit! This couldn’t be happening!

Harissa, can’t you put up a bit of a fight!? Why are you kneeling there so silently!?

She had said that she was a crybaby, but she wasn’t crying now.

There was no expression on her face.

It was clear that she had given up on everything. As if welcoming death, Harissa closed her eyes.

…Hey, don’t be such a fool!

“I told you not to give up, didn’t I!?”

*CRASH!*

Whoa, heavy! The axe was so heavy! But I managed to stop it. This was truly the “Hero’s Sword” I held in my hands.

“……”

However, the executioner, his face obscured by a mask, calmly pulled his axe away and raised it again.

Then, Iris lunged at him.

“What are you doing to my Rekka!?”

In a flash, she kicked out!

Thanks to the kick with a force several times that of an ordinary Earthling’s, the executioner flew off the platform.

“Hero-sama…?”

Harissa had opened her eyes, and was staring at me disbelievingly.

Before we could exchange more words, soldiers started to surround us, probably to capture us for interrupting the execution. I needed to do something about them first.

I looked up at the palace balcony, where the King and his courtiers were gathered to watch Harissa’s execution.

“Your Majesty! You recognize this Sword, don’t you!!?”

I raised up the “Hero’s Sword”, which I had used to fend off the executioner’s axe, and a commotion rose up from the group on the balcony as well as the masses. It seemed like the “Hero’s Sword”, together with the legend, was well-known amongst the people of this kingdom.

But I couldn’t rely on that. Rather than try to convince the King, it would be more effective to rouse up the public first.

“I am the true hero, chosen by the ‘Hero’s Sword’! I was summoned by the great mage Harissa Hope from another world to save this ailing kingdom from the Demon King, and I have just returned from his fortress!”

The commotion rose to a roar.

A hero had appeared, had been to the Demon King’s fortress, had returned… The anticipation in the masses’ eyes grew.

“Everyone, do not be fooled!”

Just then, a courtier yelled from the balcony.

It was the old man who had doubted the fact that I was a hero when I was first summoned to this world. I recognized him right away from his bald head and tiny moustache.

“This child was summoned just this morning! Even if he is the hero, it is impossible that he had travelled to the Demon King’s island and back again in such a short time!”

It was a justified accusation, based on common sense.

“Shut up, tiny moustache! I am the hero! Nothing is impossible for me!” I yelled back disdainfully.

I would have loved to explain the wonders of scientific advancements, but since time was tight, I had to do it another way.

That was why I had to produce undeniable proof right now.

“Iris, show them what we got.”

“No problem!”

Iris unclasped her pouch and opened it behind her, shielding its contents from everyone’s eyes.

Then, a large impact shook the plaza.

From the worm hole of her pouch, Iris pulled out…a roasted dragon head.

The sight of the dragon head, standing taller than a full grown man, was impressive enough. It would definitely convince everyone, who had never seen the Demon King before, that this was really its head. All the people in the plaza stared at the head, as if they had forgotten to panic.

And I was the man who had brought it here, the one who had retrieved the “Hero’s Sword”. There was no way that anyone could not believe that the dragon was the Demon King.

Even if that tiny moustache courtier were to create more trouble, I just had to cut through the barrier surrounding the Demon King’s fortress with the “Hero’s Sword”. With the barrier down, anyone would be able to enter the fortress and see the charred corpse of the Demon King. Nobody would dare to call Harissa a liar then.

I raised the Sword high again, so that it caught the light from the Sun.

“I’ve defeated the Demon King! You don’t have to live in fear of the Demon Army anymore!”

It was several seconds before deafening cheers filled the plaza.

Before the cheering masses could swarm over us, we escaped from the plaza. Harissa’s legs were too weak to run, so I swept her up in my arms.

We moved to a relatively empty location, where we met up with the waitress woman.

“Harissa-chan… I’m so glad.”

“Madam…”

Harissa and the sobbing woman embraced happily.

I let out a relieved sigh, finally certain that I had rescued her.

“I’m sorry to have doubted hero-zama,” the woman apologized between sobs.

“It’s alright, don’t worry about it. I’m just glad that Harissa is alright.”

“T-T-Thank you, hero-sama~” Harissa gushed, with tears streaming down her face, and soon her thin prisoner’s garb was stained dark with her tears.

“Hey hey, you’re crying too much,” I joked.

“Uuuuh~ But my tears and sweat just won’t stop coming when I’m with hero-zama…” Harissa mumbled as she wiped away her tears with her sleeve. “Hero-sama has saved my life once again.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“B-but! I said that I wanted to help hero-sama, but~”

“Harissa… If you really want to repay me, will you come to Earth for a little while?”

“Earth?”

“It’s the world where I’m from. Something really bad is going to happen to it soon, and I’d like Harissa to help me save it.”

I disliked sounding so weak, but I really needed Harissa’s help.

“You really need me…?”

“Yes, please!”

“…Alright!”

Wiping at her eyes once more with her sleeve, an energetic smile bloomed on Harissa’s red face.

“I’ll do anything to be useful to Rekka-sama! Please let me help to save Earth, Rekka-sama’s homeland!”

“Thank you… First, let us go get your clothes and staff, Harissa.”

With this, all my characters and cards were in place.

It was time for the battle of the era.

Book 1 Chapter 5 Part 2

CHAPTER 5 – A STORY THAT’S STARTING TO CHANGE

PART 02

——

The “Hero’s Sword” was sealed in a tiny room, no more than two-by-two meters in length and width. Part of the stone floor in the middle of the room had been carved into a sort of pedestal, into which a two-handed sword was buried.

“Is this the ‘Hero’s Sword’?”

“Yes. It’s ze legendary sword zat zousands had tried to retrieve, zough none of zem had succeeded so far.”

That was probably the reason why no guards had been posted outside the door; the sword could not be stolen. It had been easy to break through the door’s lock with a single toned-down blast from the laser gun.

Now, I just had to retrieve the Sword and travel to the Demon King’s fortress.

Grabbing the Sword’s hilt, I pulled…and nothing happened?

“Huh?”

I took the hilt in both hands and tried again.

“Uurrgh!”

The Sword shifted with a grinding noise, but I couldn’t pull it out.

………Oh dear. What was going on here?

“S-So you really are a fake hero,” the woman sobbed.

Wait a minute. I might be an ordinary human, but I was definitely the one who saved this world. So why couldn’t I retrieve the Sword?

Just as I had done everytime I couldn’t understand something, I turned to R for help.

“I don’t know. I can’t think of an exact reason why, but maybe it’s an adverse effect from you becoming the protagonist of too many ‘stories’?”

What did that mean…? So I didn’t have the right to retrieve the Sword because I wasn’t a protagonist loyal to this one “story”!? Or could it be that I wasn’t the protagonist after all, and had only taken the real protagonist’s place!?

I hadn’t anticipated this at all. Things were looking bad.

At the worst, maybe I should just proceed to the execution grounds with proof that I had defeated the Demon King?

No, if they accused me of producing false evidence, it would all be over. Ever since its revival, the Demon King had never left its fortress, so nobody in Abraham had really seen it before… In truth, that dragon’s majestic appearance would have convinced anyone, but in its current dead state, there was a high chance that noone would believe me.

Seems like producing proof that I was a hero was the only way to convince the King and his subjects.

“Madam! Do you remember when and how this Sword was sealed, and by whom?”

I needed more information to resolve this issue.

“Of course it was sealed by ze legendary hero-zama for use when ze Demon King revived itself,” the woman answer between sobs, her face a mess of tears and snot.

“Then why was it stuck into stone, instead of being placed into a treasure room or armory?”

“I don’t know. Maybe to prevent it from being used for evil purposes?”

I didn’t seem to be getting anything out of the woman’s answers.

Was I going to be stuck here…!? But I really needed the “Hero’s Sword” in my Meteor Interception Battle Plan…! Shit, why did the legendary hero have to seal the Sword in this manner? …Wait. Sealed?

“Hey, you said the Sword is sealed. Does that mean some magic is preventing me from retrieving it?”

“Zat’s right. If it was physically sealed, zen any strong man would have been able to remove it.”

I was unable to remove the Sword because I was the protagonist of numerous “stories”. Thus, the Sword’s magical seal had revoked my right to retrieve it.

However, I recalled the one most important thing; my only advantage in this situation.

I didn’t have to retrieve the magically-sealed Sword by force.

I just needed to bring the “Hero’s Sword” out of this place, and I had a scientific tool, manufactured in Phenerita, that Iris had thoughtfully brought along.

Retrieving… Moving… Transporting… And the tool I needed was…

“Iris! Pass me the warp watch!”

“OK!”

I put on the warp watch and grasped the “Hero’s Sword” in my free hand.

“Please help me key in the coordinates. I just need to shift about one meter away from this spot.”

“Understood.”

In less than a second, Iris had keyed in the coordinates.

[Checking coordinates. Warp commencing in 10, 9, 8, 7…]

An electronic voice started the countdown, as I impatiently kicked at the floor.

The warp took just ten seconds to complete. As I had moved only one meter from my original spot, I hadn’t even left the room’s confines.

However, the “Hero’s Sword” was still grasped tightly in my hand.

“Alright!”

Back in the spaceship, Iris had told me that the warp watch was capable of transporting small items together with my person. As the pedestal was carved out of stone rising from the floor, only the “Hero’s Sword” had been transported together with me.

“W-w-what just happened!?”

The woman appeared hysterical, but I had no time for explanations.

“Iris, I’d like to go to the Demon King’s fortress next.”

“I can calculate the coordinates once I have a map of this world.”

“Then it’s to the resource room. Let’s hurry!”

Carrying the “Hero’s Sword”, I left the room together with Iris, but before that,

“Madam! I’ll definitely rescue Harissa!”

I called over my shoulder as we dashed towards the top of the Western tower where the resource room was located.

Book 1 Chapter 5 Part 1

CHAPTER 5 – A STORY THAT’S STARTING TO CHANGE

PART 01

——

While Satsuki gathered the essential information to carry out our battle plan, there was a place I needed to visit.

“Who would have thought I’d be heading back there again so soon,” I mumbled as I stared at the bracelet, the Red String, around my wrist.

With this, I just had to wish really hard, and I would be transported to the other world where Harissa lived.

The needles on my watch showed that it was just past 6 p.m.

I had six more hours until the meteor struck Earth… Six more hours to travel to Abraham to retrieve the item I needed.

Iris guided me to a courtyard, where I would be free to utilize the Red String.

“Alright, I’m heading off.”

“OK, let’s go!” Iris replied determinedly as she wrapped her hands around my arm.

“…Iris, you’ll be teleported to the other world as well if you hang on to me like that.”

“That’s why I said, let’s go.”

“No. It’s too dangerous.”

With a fashionable pouch slung over her shoulder, Iris looked ready for travel. When I tried to explain the dangers of her following again, she grew angry,

“You’ve already defeated the Demon King, right? So it’ll be safe there. Besides, Papa has given me back my teleportation device. And the other world sounds so interesting! I won’t forgive you if you abandon me again!”

She insisted as she pressed herself closer to me. Her b-breasts…!

Even with her two soft mounds pressed uncomfortably against my arm, I was glad that Iris was back to her energetic self again. I guessed it was true that there was no longer any dangerous element present in that world, and it probably wouldn’t be an issue taking her along.

“Alright. You can come along, but let go of me.”

“You loser,” R commented.

‘Shut up, you flat-chested girl,’ I almost quipped back.

Ignoring the floating R, I grabbed Iris’ hand and wished hard upon the Red String.

‘Please bring me to Harissa.’

The Red String started to glow with a bright light.

Then, a single red thread rose into the air and formed a circle about 1 meter across in radius. A flaming red space opened up on the other side of the circle, and before I could blink, Iris and I were sucked into the round, scarlet portal.

When I opened my eyes, I was standing inside Abraham’s palace.

The Red String disintegrated and fell off my wrist. I guessed it was a one-time-use item.

“Wow… That felt totally different from warping,” I heard Iris comment from beside me. Her eyes, sparkling with curiosity, were roving around the room along the stone walls.

“H-hero-zama?”

Just then, a voice called out from behind me.

“…Mdm Waitress?”

Turning around, I saw the waitress woman from earlier, who had been so worried about Harissa.

She was blinking rapidly, as if still comprehending the fact that we had just appeared right before her eyes.

“Huh?”

I was sure that we would appear by Harissa’s side… Oh well, I just had to ask the waitress to find out where she was.

“Sorry, where is Harissa?”

“…Not here.”

Her reply wasn’t anything I’d expected.

“Huh? Why not?”

The woman’s eyes narrowed at me in anger.

“Because of you!”

“Me?”

“Because you weren’t ze true hero-zama! Harissa-chan has been accused of being a liar, and is going to be executed soon!”

The woman yelled at me in fury as her shoulders shook, but then her expression scrunched up in sorrow as she buried her face in her hands and started sobbing.

“I-It’s all your fault…”

“Please, tell me! Why was Harissa accused of lying?”

I clearly remembered defeating the Demon King with Harissa.

This “story” should have been resolved.

However, as I listened to the woman tell her story, I realized what a fool I had been.

“…So they won’t recognize me as a hero because I didn’t retrieve the ‘Hero’s Sword’?” I summarized the problem in one sentence.

As we had used the warp watch to teleport into the Demon King’s fortress, there was nothing to prove that we had been there and defeated the King. And to get everyone to believe that we had accomplished it in only two hours… If one really thought about it, the whole thing truly seemed unbelievable.

To add fuel to the fire, I hadn’t even retrieved the “Hero’s Sword”, which would have proven that I really was the hero.

To the others, it must have seemed suspicious that Harissa had summoned an ordinary looking teenager, who had then disappeared from the palace after two hours, leaving the “Hero’s Sword” untouched.

And then?

“Zey assumed that you lost your nerve and ran away.”

It was natural for them to arrive at the conclusion that the woman had just uttered.

Then, having deemed Harissa’s summoning a failure, she had been subjected to her original fate of being executed…

“She insisted right up till ze end zat you were ze real hero-zama. But because noone believed her, she passed zis Red String to me before she was brought away to ze execution grounds.”

“Shit!”

It was all my fault. I had been so hasty to leave this place that I hadn’t even thought of explaining the situation to the King!

“Hey, Rekka! Where are you going?”

“Of course it’s to save Harissa!” I yelled as I tore my jacket sleeve from Iris’ grasp.

“But Rekka, it’s true that you had run away. Even if you go to explain to the King now, they would still think you’re a liar, right?”

“Urgh…!”

I froze, feeling as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over my head.

Iris had a point.

I had already been labelled as a liar. I would need to produce some proof in order to let everyone believe me.

Calm down…! Think of what I should do now.

I’d have to prove that I was the true hero.

Then, I’d also have to prove that I’d defeated the Demon King.

The latter was more important right now, and I needed to travel to the Demon King’s fortress to…

“Damn it! I didn’t bring the warp watch along!”

It had been confiscated by the police guards when I entered “Owaria”.

Just as I was about to descend into real panic, Iris tapped lightly on my shoulder.

“I have the warp watch.”

“Huh? Really!?”

I glanced at her wrist, but saw no sign of the watch…?

“All my devices are inside here,” Iris explained as she retrieved the warp watch from the pouch slung across her shoulder.

“This pouch contains a worm hole, so I can store anything inside it. I’ve even prepared laser guns for Rekka and myself. I’ve also got sweets and juice and a change of clothes and shampoo and-”

Was she really talking about a worm hole, a portal that connects two separate spaces? Which meant that whatever she’d put inside the pouch would be transported to another dimension, and could be retrieved anytime she wanted them. The aliens’ technological advancements were really limitless.

I took the warp watch and thanked Iris.

Alright! Now I could travel to the Demon King’s fortress.

“Alright, let’s go retrieve the ‘Hero’s Sword’ first! Madam, could you please lead us to the basement where the Sword is sealed?”

“Huh? A-Alright,” the woman nodded quickly, acceding to my request.

“Thank you. Let’s hurry!”

With the woman leading the way, Iris and I hurried down to the palace’s basement level.