Chapter 67
Hello, hello, I will live here .
“Are you really not going?”
Honoknii turned toward me and asked . Compared to me in my pyjamas, wearing clothes which were arguably mismatched for a common household was laughable . Or so I would think, but it is barely acceptable according to the standards of the other world .
But, it’s just, a little too, umm, flashy .
“Don’t worry about me . More than that, what’s up with your outfit . I’m sure you said you were going as an adventurer, but whose[1] hero are you?”
He did wear a long mantle and some light equipment, but there were several extravagant silver ornaments as well . And the most conspicuous item: a great sword which was previously hidden who-knows-where and is now hanging from his back . If you walk outside dressed like this, you’ll definitely be called in and questioned by the police for breaking the swords and firearm control law, but I was surprised to see that the real figure of the hero is the same as those in the plays I watched . I thought the play was over-dramatized to please the audience, but to think it was actually such a gaudy outfit, how unpleasant .
While striking a so-called cool pose, Honoknii kept babbling: ‘It was a good idea to keep all these momentos!’
“Alright, now let’s go!”
“What!?”
Grabbing my arm tightly, he opened up a small book and began to chant something . It was cool . But also not cool .
—Not . Hold up! Why me too!? I told you I wasn’t going!
I tried to shake his hand off, but the strong light being quickly released from the book enveloped us, and my vision went white . It was similar to the light that took Touka and his friends were taken so I tried to block it, but this time without the headache, a gentle Spring sun shone on me and strength left my body . Honoknii noticed that my legs could not muster any strength and came over to pull me up and support body . Even though something so unrealistic just happened, the appearance of my elder brother casually standing while staring at the book was a Honoknii that I didn’t know .
Shwaa, the wind blew, and the light disappeared . My eyes which closed after something bright shone slowly opened to find a fantasy world— is what some bad story beginning would sound like, but I was captivated by the scenery that suddenly appeared before my eyes .
“Here, where?”
The feeling of soft grass and the warmth of the soil were transmitted to the soles of my feet, instead of the usual floor . There was a large tree deeply rooted in the ground of the fresh verdure before me . As I slowly shifted my gaze upward, I was able to take in the full view of this overwhelming sight . Much higher above, between the branches, light gently poured down, as if creating a stairway for angels to descend to the ground . A gentle aroma and clean, clear air surrounded the area as if there were spring flowers sprouting, creating a calm and comforting atmosphere .
“Hey, it’s been a long time . Great Tree, no, Yggdrasil . ”
For a moment I didn’t know who he was talking to, but Honoknii was looking up at the Great Tree just like I was . He was trying to speak to the Great Tree .
However, there was no reply even after a while .
“…So, you are sleeping again”
He sighed disappointedly . I’m the one that should be sighing!
“O-Oniichan, I said I wasn’t going to come! Where is this? A Great Tree? What exactly did you do?”
From being supported by him, I somehow managed to stand on my own . Even though my legs are still trembling, just standing was possible .
“If the place where we lived is Earth, this place is a different world from Earth . The world on the other side . I wanted to introduce my beloved little sister to Yggdrasil”
“You don’t need to introduce me, just send me back!”
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An introduction is preposterous! Speaking of the Great Tree, it’s the one that dragged me here after my brother! Perhaps, I thought, this is the giant tree Rau was trying to tell me about: ‘I am the one who watched over all that is living . Using the logic and truths of this world, I will interfere in order to prevent the destruction of the world . ’ I haven’t determined if the existence called the Great Tree is the one in front of my eyes or not, but what Rau told me was really real . ‘I will interfere in order to prevent the destruction of the world’ . If, the resurrection of the demons was a scenario that would destroy the world, there’s no way the Great Tree would ignore it . To interfere, it would definitely take some sort of action . What if, just what if, that was me? What if it was Honoknii? We are still fine, it’s something that’s already over . But, what if Touka was brought over? There must have been some sort of anomaly that caused the world to go onto the path of destruction, and Touka and the rest were summoned to prevent that . It’s not unbelievable .
“I’ll bring you back even if you don’t rush . This place is called another world, but coming from home is like fitting through a gap . You can come and go if you want, as long as you have a little bit of magic power . ”
“Magic power? I don’t have something like that . ”
Less than magic, I am not even from this world . I don’t have some spirit’s protection, just a normal human .
“What are you saying! You’re my younger sister, so you don’t need to worry! The owner of greater magic power is not Touka but me… . ! Hmm?”
I see, Honoknii has magic power huh . But I don’t have such a thing . I want to believe that I don’t .
Honoknii continued to focus his sight on me, scanning me from the toes to the top of my head and back down again . And then, he gasped .
“Itoka, you can’t use magic?”
What are you so surprised about?
“No way, it’s not like you don’t believe in magic”
“That’s exactly what I think . ”
Something like magic, it only exists in dreams, only kids believe in it . Well, at first I was also excited to be in a world with magic, but since it’s something I can’t actually use, it’s the same as being something that doesn’t exist .
“Magic is something that can be used and displayed only if you believe in it . Are you saying that… . You really can’t feel anything?”
“Is that so? I didn’t know . ”
“As an Earth Dragon that ate magic power to live, you didn’t believe in magic at all?”
In the first place, I heard that only humans have magic power, and only those who have received the strongest protection from spirits can become Magicians . That would mean that to me who was just an animal, it was something unrelated . Is what I would like to say, but as brother said, magic power was an important resource for me who survived on it .
But that’s already in the past . I want to assert that the me of now has none, zero, zilch, despairingly nothing, devastatingly no relation to magic power at all . That’s why there’s no way I’d believe in it . I am different from before .
“Besides, even if I could use it, I mostly used physical attacks, so I didn’t need it . ”
“Phy, physical attacks! What a valiant child…! That is frightful even for my little sister!! But that’s what I like!”
Anyway, I don’t believe in magic . My brother smiled bitterly as I repeated so .
“Hmm, rejecting magic even with so much of it around . That’s some stubbornness . I want to say, as expected of my sister but ”
Huu, his gaze changed .
“You, you’re scared . ”
“Scared? Of what?”
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I was on guard and felt my heart tighten . I wonder if it’s because he hit the bullseye .
“Of believing . That’s true for magic, but you are still trying to deny this world itself, aren’t you?”
“…That’s, none of your concern, onii-chan . ”
“Yes, it is . ”
“Even if that experience is caused by onii-chan, please don’t involve yourself with my feelings . Doing such a thing, it’s a real nuisance”
I’m still confused . Having a dragon’s and human’s memories mixed up should normally be impossible . Getting confused, going crazy, and in the end, dying is what Lord Cleric said would happen . Then why am I alive right now? If what Lord Cleric said is true, the moment my memories return to me I should have died . Or maybe, some mysterious power, which onii-chan calls magic or what not, had activated, and kept me alive .
— Either way .
“You wouldn’t understand, my feelings of becoming a human-eating dragon . ”
To become a dragon that eats humans . Who would think about it? Who would think of becoming one?
Saying nothing, my brother just continued to stare at me seriously . I couldn’t withstand that gaze, and turned away to look at the floor . But then, Hana came and rubbed her head against my leg while going ‘nyaa’ . Speaking of which, Hana also an Earth Dragon like me . Bending down, I gently pet Hana’s neck and narrowed my eyes comfortably . Seeing her naturally cute reactions, a smile crept onto my face .
“Itoka, please forgive my master . He was being an honest idiot, but he didn’t mean any harm . ”
“Sure, if Hana says so—– wait, what?”
The voice that suddenly spoke into my head was not Honoknii’s, it sounded like that of an unfamiliar young man . Surprised, I take a look around me, to see that there’s no one besides me and my brother here . And our cat, Hana . No way, I stare at Hana in disbelief, who quietly sat on the ground and looked up at me . Hana’s tail gently swayed around .
“I was never human, so I cannot fully understand Itoka’s feelings either . But as an Earth Dragon, we are the same . That you have comrades, people like you, please remember at least this much . ”
What a cat . He’s such a gentlemen .
Towards my brother, I who was in shock laughed a little and said .
“This guy, he looks like this but he’s a guy”
“… A, guy?”
Now that I think about it, we never cared about gender so we forgot to check it too . The first time we met, Hana was far too adorable that we named him ‘Hana’ without even checking . Crap . He has the same intelligence as people, it might have been painful for him too .
“I’m, I’m sorry . I didn’t want to choose the name ‘Hana’!”
“That’s not the problem!”
Usually, you’d be surprised about a cat talking! Is what my brother retorted but, as someone who knows Saus, Shiro and Rau, animals talking is completely normal, it wasn’t weird at all . To so easily accept the same memories that I tried to reject, it’s scary .
“No, I am quite fond of this name . ”
Cutely going ‘nyaa’ again, Hana’s body suddenly glowed white, and gradually grew bigger . Unconsciously, I took a step back after standing, as that silhouette became larger than me . It became a figure slightly taller than my brother before the light finally faded .
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A young man appeared .
Rather than pink, pale reddish purple short hair and similar coloured eyes looked at me, brightly smiling .
“It’s my first time meeting you in this form, Itoka”
The voice of the young man who spoke in my head earlier, is now coming from the mouth of the young man before my eyes .
Does that mean, this young man, is Hana?
I did hear that Hana is an Earth Dragon, but I can’t help but be surprised when he actually changed his appearance .
“Is that, someone that you ate?”
“No, This is something I made, the one and only ‘me’ in the world . ”
Somehow, I felt that it looked similar to Honoknii . Not in how he looks, but the atmosphere around him .
“I could, do that too…”
Honestly, I was surprised that it’s possible to create my own figure, instead of copying a human or animal that I ate . At the same time, I was reminded that I didn’t know anything about Earth Dragons . Even regarding contracts, it’s something I learnt only when Lord Cleric taught me . I knew it, I was just a human after all . A weak human that was wearing a Dragon’s skin .
It’s not that I didn’t think of creating my own figure like Hana did, but I could only change to an appearance I knew in detail . After all, I must have just been an incomplete Earth Dragon too . Compared to me, Hana is… mm? Wait a minute . I used to frequently take baths with Hana though?
Not just baths, we also slept together on cold days . That and also skinship, where Hana often licked my hands and face . I continued to spoil the cute Hana without caring, actually full-on doting and embracing Hana, rubbing our cheeks together because I was happy that Hana was attached to me . Yup, I did .
I, I want to hide in a hole!! No, I want to disappear! Disappear right now! I wasn’t to erase myself from this place!! You can see if you just think about it! Whether Hana is at the age to be embarrassed by such things is something I’m not sure of, but to have a young man be the one I rubbed my cheek against! To have taken a bath with! I’m so embarrassed that my face is burning up!! Not just that, I feel like I could even breath fire now!
“Itoka? What happened?”
“I’m sure you remember all the time I spent with you, grinning . ”
A grinning Honoknii!!
I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t . Hana nodded with an ‘ah’ and smiled as he seemed to have realised the state I was in .
“It’s fine . Because to me, Itoka is family, skinship is just another expression of affection . I don’t have lust or want for the opposite gender, so please do not worry . ”
Thanks for being family! Not! That’s not the problem! Wha, what’s lust!? Company!?[2] Is that a healthy relationship between a man and woman!? Oh, I don’t know anymore!
“If there is someone else with such lust towards Itoka, I will dish out judgement on them . ”
Your smile is scary! And your eyes! Your eyes! They turned into reptilian eyes! As expected of an Earth Dragon!
“Well said Hana! That’s my partner!”
” It’s an honour, Master . ”
“It’s not an honor!! What are you two hitting it off for!”
“Hana, I’m begging you so please forget !”
“Kyaa!”
When I suddenly sat up, a quiet scream of a cute girl could be heard from beside me .
“Hey, what’s up so suddenly? Don’t startle me!”
Large navy blue eyes stared at me from beside the bed . Wearing Touka’s apron and with a ladle in hand, is this some kind of romance game? It isn’t . Let’s try to sort out the current situation .
That was… not a dream . It’s the conversation I had with Honoknii and Hana last night . After that, I somehow got them to return me, but I couldn’t sleep that night . The one that I thought was a cat as I doted on him, was actually an Earth Dragon with human intellect, and a guy at that . After thinking about it, I want to take back the days where I spent time with Hana . Hana being Hana just said ‘Please do not mind it . In fact, I wouldn’t mind if we had even more skinship’ with an ambiguous smile, but, nope . Definitely, impossible .
“Hey . ”
What do you want me to do from here . If Honoknii brings back Touka and the rest back, Hana would also be coming back, but there’s no way I can act the same way as before . What to do, me .
“I said, hey!”
“Eh, oh, sorry . ”
I seemed to be thinking too much . Maribelle whose is cute even when angry was outside the window pointing the ladle at me .
“Stop lying around and hurry get up! Mr Sun’s[3] already risen!”
Looking at the clock, I realised it’s way past morning and was almost lunch . It seems I overslept again . As expected of me .
But besides that, saying ‘Mr Sun’ has already risen, what a cute way of saying so .
For a while, let’s just be healed by this angel .
Ok I’m sorry, I apologized again with a bitter smile, and got up from my bed .
Translation Notes:
[1] Or where’s hero? To ask which country’s hero are you?
[2] Company, friendship, social interaction, acquaintance . The relationship/
[3] Maribelle says ‘ohi-sama’ which is like saying Mr Sun instead of just ‘hi’ which is Sun .