Chapter 89: In Search of a Glorious Future
A few days after the night when Ran and Sayaka were reunited. He still hadn’t found the right answer for himself.
Ran knows exactly how Sayaka feels. She understands how vulgar and outrageous what Ran is doing - what he is forcing her to do.
Of course, there is also the desire to do everything for Sayaka. For the sake of the girl who loved him with all her heart, Ran would risk everything to love her as much as he could.
Realistically, however, this is not possible.
Seeing Sayaka and only Sayaka loving him, supports her as Sayaka’s only boyfriend, and is dedicated to eliminating her load and stress.
If he had been forced to make such a choice immediately after the transfer, Ran would not have had much hesitation.
At that time, Ran was in love with Misuzu, but it was a one-sided love, like a stalker.
Immediately after the transfer, or if the relationship within the class continues as it was at the time of the transfer, Nekoyama Misuzu’s stronghold was Shigenobu Torao, and Shigenobu Torao’s support was Nekoyama Misuzu, and they were able to love each other.
In other words, no one will be hurt if Ran only cared for Sayaka.
This is the very reason why Ran is having trouble reaching the obvious and easy answer that everyone should be able to reach immediately if they apply the common sense of the world.
To cherish only Sayaka - to become Sayaka’s only man is impossible as it is now.
He would work hard for Sayaka, make love to her every night, and consolidate his time with her as an irreplaceable treasure in his memory.
What one person cannot overcome, two people may be able to. It would be a mistake to expect Ran to develop such a pure relationship, to think of each other first and foremost, and to support each other in life.
-ideologically speaking, it was the right way to go.
Twenty-one otherworldly people who have lost their families, their positions, their places in the world, and even their hearts. If they don’t find something or someone to support each other, they may soon be doomed to be crushed and broken both physically and mentally.
In fact, the loss of his one lover and three friends, Misuzu, Saki and Kanami, has left Shigenobu Torao with a deep emotional scar.
It’s just like the others. If Ran hadn’t been hacked out of his class, he would be in a different situation right now - no doubt about it.
It’s safe to say that the future of Torao and Misuzu’s relationship is a foregone conclusion.
Then who will be next? Well, they are all adolescent high school students. It won’t take much time for them to start looking to the opposite sex to fill the loss that they couldn’t fill through same-sex relationships alone.
A closed world with no family, no entertainment and no guarantee of safety tomorrow. That’s just Ran’s imagination from here. In order to get rid of the mental load that has accumulated, they instinctively seek love and become dependent on each other.
God only knows who would have ended up with whom, now that the rebels in the name of [Underling Training-Sexual Lunatic] have stirred things up.
At the time, Ran couldn’t even support himself, so he took a step back and said, “Oh, here we go again.” Now he and that girl have scored a goal. “How do you do it?”
and “I’m trying to drown my sorrows and me, having sex with you like a monkey.” If he becomes like that, Ran is finished as a human being. “You have to be strong enough to live on your own, just like me,” Ran is sure Sayaka was looking at it from a cold, bird’s eye view.
It’s embarrassing, but if Ran hadn’t grown up just after the transition, it’s very likely that he would have. Ran got a strange sense of pride, and he’s used to being on his own (in many ways), and he thinks he’s the real hero. Ran doesn’t like the idea that he’s going to be lecturing about being spoiled with a serious face.
Even so, if Sayaka made a pass at him, He’d be the first to jump at it. Sayaka could see that, although Ran is a messy and proud person, he’s not a selfless person who can miss a set meal.
Then again, The first thing Ran did when he was summoned to the other world was to burn his eyes on Misuzu’s ass.
While practicing the repetition of the magic to manifest the earthen wall to protect himself, Ran let out a sigh for the second time today.
Ran was eager to make up for the delay, but the buzzing sound was taking over his head and his whole body, thus making unable to concentrate at all.
He wipes the sweat from his forehead and looks up to the sky as if seeking virtue.
“I can’t be the Kirishima Ran of Sayaka alone now.”
If Ran does what she wants, and does it for Sayaka - she will be happy. At any rate, Ran should also be dependent on Sayaka.
But he can’t do that now.
Ran has Misuzu, Kanami, Aya, Saki, Sakuya, Hibiki, Yuri, Emi, -And of course, there is Sayaka.
He can’t just devote his body and soul to one person and become dependent on them.
The idea of making Sayaka into the third level of the skill came to his mind.
But when Ran thought of Sayaka the other day - when she was released from the skill and faced Ran with a pure heart - it was not so easy to do.
He could not let Sayaka fall prey to his skills again after she had been so happy to seek him out.
“I can’t afford to worry forever …”
For the past few days, Ran has not visited anyone’s bedroom. He has been absent from the bathroom paradise where he and Aya used to visit every day although he refrained from doing so on dangerous days or when he was unwell.
Fortunately, Ran has been able to meet and talk with Aya during training breaks, so he is not too worried that Aya may think he doesn’t like her.
“Thank you for your hard work, Ran-kun.”
Ran, who had been looking at the blue sky with a gloomy look in his eyes, looked at the cheerful and loving voice, which was perfect for the current weather, which was very warm and sunny, contrary to the cloudy sky all day.
Ran sees her smiling with a flowery smile and waving her hand to signal to him. Ran felt like a fool for worrying about it.
Misuzu Nekoyama, a young and naive girl, came running with her arms outstretched. She made a sweet sound and jumped into Ran’s chest. She hugged him tightly.
“Ran is in the sunshine. You smell so good, I’m so happynyaa.”
He was hugged by Misuzu, who was dressed in her training uniform, and a soft expression appeared on her face.
“Good work Misuzu. What’s wrong? It’s still a bit early for lunch, isn’t it?”
When Ran strokes her under the chin, she relaxes her mouth in a pleasant way. Ran really thinks that she might have been a cat in her previous life.
“Fnyaaa…Ran’s touch is so ticklish and nice…you know…I was told by the knight to go and get Ran-kun.”
As Ran plays with her puffy cheeks, Misuzu’s brown eyes narrow with a smile.
Before coming to this world, one of the boys had once described Misuzu as a “healer,” and Ran thought that was exactly what she was.
“A knight of the Kingsguard, is it?”
“Yes. He had a big mouth and eyes like this, and he looked like a foxnyaa.”
As a child expresses a fox, Misuzu pulls her eyes upwards to show her large, round eyes. Ran smiled serenely at the sight of her deliberately narrow eyes and the way she opened her mouth wide. As if he had suddenly realized something, Ran frowned thoughtfully with a puzzled look on his face.
“…… A knight of the guard with a big mouth and narrow eyes?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a face like that befornyaa……”
She puts her index finger on her cheek and tilts her head in a cute way. Ran would love to be able to admire her ever-changing face, but he can’t.
“Where is this knight?”
“Let’s see…… Oh, speak of the devilnyaa.”
When Misuzu turned around, she waved her arms in the air as if to announce her whereabouts, saying something like, “Over here!.”
In the distance, Ran sees a knight of the Kingsguard, a familiar figure to him, shaking his shoulders as he walks forward.
“It’s been a long time, Saint Kirishima Ran.”
“…… Hello. It’s been a while, really.”
“Huh? Are you acquainted with this knight, Ran-nyaa?”
Misuzu, who was the only one who could not comprehend the situation, looked at them alternately with a question mark on her head.
Seeing Misuzu still have the question mark face. The knight of the Kingsguard smiles broadly. He then quickly returned to his serious expression and stared at Ran’s face as if to say, “You know why I am here.”
“Mr. Walkins wants to see you. He needs you in the office as soon as possible.”
In front of the knight of the Kingsguard, who folded his back reverently, Ran steeled himself.
The way Misuzu described him, Ran could almost predict what he would look like. It is no wonder that Misuzu does not know his face.
He was a knight of the First Chamber’s Kingsguard, a knight who had been his constant companion during his secret training in the SM playground.
◇◇◇
The knight, who looked like the child of a fox and a hippopotamus, left the office as soon as he had finished escorting Ran.
Ran and Walkins are the only two people in the office at the moment.
Against the backdrop of the bright sunshine streaming in through the large windows, Walkins struggles with a difficult look on his face as he wrestles with the messy steps of papers on his writing desk.
It’s a magical sight. The document, which had flown up without any help from anyone else, came to a halt in Walkins’ hand, and with a flick of the finger, it soars through the air and then descends gently to the ground.
At a loss for words at the unreal spectacle, Walkins looked at Ran with the face of a magician who has successfully performed a magic trick, carefully arranging the papers without touching them.
“Isn’t it unusual? In your homeland, they don’t do this kind of thing? It’s a very inconvenient world to live in, where you can’t throw away a single document without leaving your seat.”
Leaning back in the soft chair, Walkins throws his shoeless feet onto the desk. He looks down at the stack of papers floating in the air, counting them as he scatters the mud and mouldy dust from the soles onto the polished desk.
It’s a very bad way to behave, but Ran had no intention of making any complaints.
The reason for the call is known to Ran as well.
Ran took Subaru and Reika up on their offer and had a chance encounter with his comrades. He also took the liberty of blowing down the walls of the royal palace. The queen’s people find out that he’s alive, and then he tries to fight with the knights.-After all he’s been through, Ran doesn’t expect to be sent off with a smile on his face.
“In your world, did you have to walk to the corner of the room every time you wanted to throw away your rubbish?”
“In our world, there was a way of throwing away the rubbish while sitting on a chair.
“Oh.”
Sitting in his chair with his legs propped up on the desk, Walkins opened a drawer in the wall cabinet and put away a stack of papers.
“And how do you do that?”
“By snapping the wrist and elbow, like this”
Ran grabbed a piece that had just fallen to the floor and threw it into the corner of the room with the gesture of a basketball player taking a shot.
As he picked up the half-broken globe, Walkins’ mouth seemed to lift up for a moment, or was it Ran’s imagination? The sphere was thrown in a beautiful arc, and with a swoop, it landed in the wastebasket in the corner.
“I’d like to commend you on your brilliance, but…… I’m not sure if the thing was heavier than I expected, or if I saw that it didn’t have enough distance, I would have pushed it from behind with magic just before throwing it.”
“Did they find out?”
As he tucks his leg under his desk, Walkins shrugs.
He used his wind magic to scrape up the muck from the soles of his shoes and put it in the waste basket as well. Once the desk was clean, he propped himself up on his elbows, supporting his chin with the backs of his hands, and looked at Ran.
“It was you, of all people.”
Something other than laughter welled up in Ran at the cliché, but he managed to stifle it.
“This time - you know, the one about the saints, like the feline beast Ketsey. Here’s what I’ve learned about it.”
“Yes, yes —— what?”
Ran was ready to let it go, nodding quietly as he turned his head to the side, but he looked up when he heard the unexpected words.
Ran thought he was joking but the look on Walkins’ face as he looked at Ran from his desk was serious.
He was not joking or playing a joke.
“The other night, you may have noticed something suspicious about the Saints, like that feline beast Ketsey. …… It’s not as if you didn’t notice.”
Walkins frowns as he runs his fingers over his temples, as if to say, “You know who?”
Is it possible that the cat-like beastly saint is referring to Misuzu?
Ran can’t believe that even the inhabitants of this world actually have cat-eared girls and monogamous beasties would say that Misuzu looks like a feline beastie.
It’s not just universal, it’s otherworldly. Ran’s heart burned with misplaced worry that she might actually turn into a cat.
“Do you mean Misuzu’s - the Saints Nekoyama Misuzu?”
“Yes - about the saint Nekoyama Misuzu. Did you ever have any doubts about her?”
“I have my doubts - yes, I have my doubts about her.”
“In the middle of the night, Misuzu, who was supposed to have been ordered not to play the charm with other boys - or even with male creatures - took her other friends to meet with the boys. And she herself said she had no memory of that time.”
“…She said that when she had no memory.”
“Yes, that’s what I heard from her own lips. But I don’t think we can take her word for it, because she may be telling a falsehood.”
Ran doesn’t believe for a minute that Misuzu would lie, but in front of Walkins, it would be better to pretend to be suspicious.
“No, she must be right. We must be on our guard, but there’s no need to be so paranoid.”
“A-…I see…”
“I’ve been thinking about something. I’ve actually been keeping a close eye on her for the past few days. -”
“Hm?”
He was stalking that pure and innocent angelic Misuzu? Without even telling Ran, on his own?
In a moment, Ran’s expression almost turned into that of a rakshasa.
The hatred that arose from his reflexes was contained deep within him.
Fortunately, Walkins didn’t seem to notice the mixture of jealousy and possessiveness in Ran’s heart, and continued on with his story without seeming to care.
“We found out that there was something magical going on with the saints. That’s how this whole thing started.”
“…… Witchcraft?”
What is Walkins trying to tell him about surveillance and witchcraft?
“Witchcraft is a tentative name for the sake of clarity. In concrete terms, yes… If you only point out the most accurate results, it’s easy to say that it’s like partially and temporarily canceling the skill ability of the underling training-sexual lunatic, and that’s what happened that night.”
“How is that even possible?!”
At this sudden bombshell, Ran leans forward and shouts.
“To be honest, I can’t hide my surprise. I don’t even know if I’m still here…It is not surprising that a person with a deep knowledge of native magic would be familiar with this area.”
“Can’t be…… Misuzu, Misuzu is ……”
Did Misuzu escape from Ran’s skill at that time?
Unfortunately, by the time Ran found Misuzu that night, she had already collapsed and lost consciousness.
Ran has no idea how she was behaving before she lost consciousness.
“I’ve heard from knights that if you forcibly remove one of your harem who has been corrupted to the third level, there would be a backlash. Do you think that could have happened this time, too, if you had made a mistake?”
Walkins meditates and nods his head silently.
However, if this is the case, there is a possibility of a fatal breakdown in the current situation of Ran.
“If only there was a way to get rid of the underling training-sexual lunatic in this world. And this situation that I’m in. Does that mean it’s not perfect ……?”
Suppose that one of his harem members. What if she was being manipulated by the spell that Walkins had told him? What if she’s in Ran’s bed at the time?
Someone with a clear intent to kill, or some similar emotion, is standing right next to the defenceless Ran.
Just the thought of it sends chills down his spine. The story was so shocking and unexpected that Ran was afraid to mention the proper name, even metaphorically.
“……Inside the palace, my men promised to protect you at the cost of their own lives. Outside the palace, you will have to protect your own life.”
Walkins’ serpentine eyes glinted as he spoke in a solemn voice.
“I’ve been observing you for the past few months. Your homeland must have been a very peaceful place compared to this country - this world. The fact that you are willing to answer my calls, even though you are doing so without permission - your habitual common sense says it all!”
They could have been tortured and murdered, but they weren’t.
“You come from a peaceful world, and it would be unfair to expect you to know what to expect - but once you step outside the palace, anything can happen. There is always the possibility that your friends will die. Of course, there is also the possibility that you will witness the moment when your precious love is crushed by the dignity of womanhood.”
Ran gritted his teeth at the worst possible outcome that had occurred to him.
He’s angry at the situation. He wanted to punch himself in the face for thinking that he was lucky to have such understanding classmates, or that it was convenient that they wanted to help him.
They had realised this a long time ago.
There is no time for rivalry. They knew that if they didn’t join forces and help each other, they would not be able to save their lives.
“It is not yet known who the ringleader and the person who had a hand in it is. But there is no doubt that someone from the Queen’s side is involved.”
The feeling of regret that had been rising in him dissipated, and instead a strange feeling of discomfort rose up in his head.
He heard the alarm bells ringing in his head.
Why does the queen’s name come up?
However, Ran did not pursue the matter and pretended not to notice the discomfort.
“Are the Queen’s people involved in this affair?””
“Oh, no doubt about it. I’m going to look into that myself. Why does the Queen’s side know about the existence of the saints who have been affected by the skill of underling training? And we must also find out how to unlock it.”
Walkins smiled wickedly, his serpentine eyes twinkling.
“Beware of those on the Queen’s side. And pretend to be unaware of anything - stay alert. The underling training sexual lunatic is a unique magic skill that retains an evil ability, but be careful not to get carried away.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
◇◇◇
With a bit of suspicion, Ran left the office and quickly returned to the training ground.
He gave various warnings to be careful when dealing with people from the Queen’s side and with those he met in the outside world. It went on for a long time after that but Ran didn’t hear most of it.
There are only three things that Ran can take away from this encounter.
The first is that it is dangerous to take Walkins’ word for it.
Second, once he is outside the palace, he has to be more vigilant and alert than ever before.
Third, that it is better to love and be in touch with his harem members.
It is a dangerous act to create a mental distance between him and his harem members.
This is assuming that the spell that was cast on Misuzu actually exists. It’s important to notice changes in the girls as soon as possible, because it’s the most important thing.
If he doesn’t want them to be stolen, Ran keeps them within sight all the time.
“For that reason, I have to take care of all nine of them equally, to the best of my ability.”
Ran scolded himself for running away and made up his mind once again.
◇◇◇
A few moments had passed since Ran Kirishima had left the office.
Standing up with a languid air and slow movements, Walkins walked over to a dustbin in the corner of the room and plunged his hand into the rubbish.
As he rummages through the bins, Walkins’ serpentine eyes twinkle emotionlessly.
Even Walkins didn’t expect to be so poisoned by serenity.
He thought he was taking a rather risky step to see how much insight and suspicion the saint Ran Kirishima had - only to find out how stupid he was.
“To touch such a dangerous object with your bare hands and then throw it without question is …… His ability to think is so childish it’s beyond belief.”
Walkins took out of the trash the “something” that looked like a spherical part that Ran had just thrown in front of him.
What is the object? In a few words, it is a so-called magic tool, and to explain it in more detail, it is a kind of a variant of the magic tool that was used to capture the saints, temporarily restoring the creatures affected by the inherent magic.
He burns it in his hand with a sizzle, the shape of a half-chipped globe. In an instant, the globe turns to ashes, fizzes into thin air, and disappears completely.
“I did what I could to make him wary, but……It seems to have been a pointless exercise for the foolish man.”
He only gets one chance. It is too great a risk to be taken again and again.
For the sake of a glorious future, the name of Walkins’ own sister, Pearl, the first wife, must not be damaged.
The seeds have been sown. It’s just a matter of getting the summoner to come to him, and then he can clean up the mess. If he doesn’t end up needing the help of the saints, he won’t even need to use that - he’ll just have to be cautious and prepare for all the possible outcomes.
If possible, Walkins would have liked to keep saint Kirishima Ran with him. But it’s impossible.
He will only be a hindrance to Walkins’ plans for the future.
A child with an inflated sense of justice and a poor understanding of the situation is not a good thing to have wandering around the palace, especially when he is about to do something far from being right.
“Without him, there will be no problem in carrying out the plan. The more prepared I am, the better. With the inherent magic of the Underling training, even if he messes up at the last minute, he’ll be able to get back on track.”
It’s best to keep it safe, and Walkins rings the bell in the corner of the desk.
Shortly after, there is a knock at the door of the office. The door opens and a strange, elderly woman enters the office. The trusted maid, who is attached to the first concubine, bends over modestly.
“You wanted to see me, sir? Mr. Walkins.”
“How is my sister Pearl? The continent is much warmer than her native land, and I fear for her health.”
“She said he’d gotten used to it, but…you look tired. Is there anything I can do for you,……?”
“No, I don’t need a massage.”
Walkins and his biological father were almost purely human. His sister, Pearl, was not.
His grandmother was a genuine snowman, and she was more like a snowman than her mother, who was half human and half snowman.
For the Snow People, who can live in extreme cold, the continent of the ordinary people is a natural hell.
Nevertheless, in order to fulfil the ambitions of her late father, she has worked literally to the death to achieve the position of first chambermaid in a world where the climate and diet are incompatible.
“My heart breaks for the inconvenience she has to endure.”
His face contorted as if to say he was in pain, Walkins put his hand to his chest.
And yet, despite such a hard life. Pearl was given a son who was eligible to be the heir.
The maid, perhaps sensing his intensity, wiped the corners of her eyes with a piece of cloth as well.
“We must make sure that the plan is carried out as far as possible and that Pearl lives a healthy life……Now that our wise father has passed away, it is up to me to take on the dirty work, since we come from a lowly noble family and he has given us this status. Even if my body decays, I will not let the blood of Pearl and the Prince be destroyed.”
The maid nodded reverently and meditated on the strong words.
“I have to protect the future queen and the king at all costs.”
With a determined look in his eyes, Walkins reflected the blue sky through the window. Coincidentally, it was at about the same time that Kirishima Ran had made his decision earlier.
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