「A bond? What do you an I've lost that?」
It's a little hard to understand.
「The miracles of gods always co at a price. Magic power in the form of prayers and faith, material goods or flesh and blood, certain phenona such as a specific weather or ti of year, or having a particular bloodline.
Normally, those would be enough.
However, for the miracle of cleansing a curse, those aren't enough. No, rather than being insufficient, they're inappropriate. Because the power of curses is so different in nature, the price one pays for the other miracles is incompatible」
The night breeze should have been quite cold, but sweat trickled down my neck.
「Souya, what do you think curses are?」
What imdiately ca to my mind was a werewolf haunted by delusion.
The queen and her subjects of a ruined country that had beco a nightmare.
The knights of the kingdom that harbored beasts that oppressed beasts.
「Grudges and resentnts, obsessions, delusions, and passions. Are they masses of people's negative emotions?」
「Close. However, human grudges and resentnts are short-lived. Feelings that are like an inextinguishable fla are not the work of humans」
「Then what are curses?」
To tell the truth, I'm beginning to realize her true identity.
I just don't have the necessary facts to be certain.
「I don't know. And it's because I don't know that I was unable to eradicate the very root of the curse. Are they the legacy of forgotten gods, the magic of those who are not human, or the grievances of the old beasts?」
「………………」
Did my adventures offer any hints to help unravel that?
………No, it's arrogant of to think that I could accomplish what she had spent thousands of years trying to.
「But I did find the price to pay. Thus, I gained the ability to cleanse the ancient curse of abominable blood」
I have a bad feeling about this.
This slls like a taboo subject that must not be uncovered.
「And what's the na of the price?」
「It’s oblivion(completely forgotten by others)」
「Oblivion?」
「Many followers have contracted with and slain many beasts. But you're the only one who rembers now」
The mory of a dream I had a long ti ago ca back to .
Could it be that she had also contracted with Misuranika-sama?
「Oblivion is, simply put, the power gained from burning up the contract between and my followers. Like the forbidden dark fla, it’s a power not of this world. It generates enormous power for a ti. Concealing itself from the protection of the supre god, it creates a limited but infinite power that can alter even cause and effect. It's a power that repels curses and burns up even those beasts」
「Misuranika-sama! Isn’t there a risk that you could perish in the worst-case scenario?!」
A certain god said that gods are the dreams of people.
Then it's only because of the thoughts and faith of those they're contracted with that they're able to exist. The power gained by breaking the contract may be good for the person, but it is a sacrifice for the god.
A god who sacrifices for the sake of their followers is going against everything that being a god is all about.
「Yes, with all of my contracts broken, I was no more than a useless cat. If I hadn't t you, I would have rotted away in that back alley for sure」
Certainly, Misuranika-sama was very weak when I first t her.
After I fed her and gave her a place to sleep, she beca remarkably energetic. After that, she even ca back from the dead to appear before . Was that because of the bond created by our encounter?
「Please wait a minute. I rember you. Our bond hasn't been reduced to ashes, not even by a little bit」
「That's the thing, Souya. That's where the problem lies」
Misuranika-sama's voice was grim and pained.
Is she wearing the form of a cat today to hide her expression?
「When you fought the hero nad Varner, you took the curse of death within yourself and fed it to the curse of the Endguards to gain power. I was surprised. Sothing as foolish as compounding poison upon poison……there's a limit to how reckless with one's life one can be.
And sure enough, you ended up on the verge of death.
I saved your life by taking the curse of death into my body. The problem ca after that, with the magic created by that device called Izora」
「Are you talking about Wild Hunt?」
「That's magic that compounds curse upon curse. No, perhaps it would be better to call it a curse spell. That warped miracle also compounds my power upon itself, resulting in the birth of an abnormal power. By rights, the contract between you and should have disappeared at that ti.
But the contract did not disappear.
But the power was born.
But miracles do not co without a price.
The power to slay that beast definitely entailed so kind of sacrifice. I could think of only one possibility. When I heard that you had forgotten Rana, I beca sure of it. ………………It's ironic, but that power to hunt heroes is generated by burning up the bonds you have」
「Wha?!」
Wait, wait, wait just a minute.
I've used Wild Hunt twice. Does that an that, at a minimum, I've forgotten two people who are as important to as Rana is?
「Urghh」
An intense urge to vomit hit .
There was a horrific feeling of loss, as if a part of my brain had been cut out and I hadn't even noticed it until now.
I felt like my will, my entire personality, had been denied.
「Mi, Misuranika-sama, who have I forgotten?」
「I do not know. If I had a bond with that person as well, I should rember them as an exception. But Souya, they’re your bonds. I have no way of knowing」
「Urh」
I sank to the ground.
The weight of it all made it impossible for to stay on my feet.
「Give a mont please」
I used the communication function of the glasses to call Makina.
『Yes, yes~, Souya-san. What can Makina do for you?』
「Call up my personal data. I want everyone in my family tree up to second-degree relatives」
『Apologies, Souya-san. Your personal data is currently corrupted and cannot be viewed』
「Wha?! Restore it right away!」
『Apologies. Makina has made about six trillion and two hundred million attempts to restore it, but with no success』
That's absurd.
My personal data is neither large nor complicated. For it to be unrestorable is just abnormal.
「When was it corrupted?」
『Around the ti Yukikaze-chan was born. The exact ti is unknown』
「………………I see」
If the curse affects even electronics, then it's hopeless.
There's no way to verify anything.
『Is there anything else Makina can help you with?』
「No, thank you. That's all」
『Alright then, if you need anything else, let Makina know right away』
I cut the communication.
My fingertips are trembling from the unfathomable fear.
I've co this far by taking on the opponents that had stood in my way, no matter who they were. Even if I was inches from death, I was never afraid. That's the one thing I've always been proud of. But how am I supposed to fight this? I don't even know what I've lost. There's no way to fight it.
「Souya, are you in pain?」
「………………」
Of course I'm in pain
「Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?」
「I do」
For just one instant, I looked at Misuranika-sama as if I was facing an enemy.
「You got away with temporary amnesia as the earlier curse was relatively mild. But never use Wild Hunt again. The next ti you do, you will lose the most important bond you have right now. In other words, you will lose the bond you have with Rana. A bond is more than just mories. It's the connection between people. Needless to say, Rana will also forget all about you.
But it doesn't end there. You will lose all the bonds that stemd from Rana. You will lose everyone you now consider your family」
「No way………………」
It's heavy.
The darkness of the night weighs so heavily on .
「Souya, there's one last piece of bad news that I must tell you」
「I’m listening」
Misfortunes never co alone.
I'm in so much despair that I even don't care what cos anymore.
「My power is weakening. Maybe that's why your amnesia lasted so long」
「Wait a minute. But that ans!」
No way, is she going to disappear?
If Misuranika-sama were to cease to exist, then I'd have no way to fight beasts.
「Don't worry. I won't be disappearing anyti soon. But I will likely not last long enough to see another winter. I've existed for far too long. I've given up on my own dreams a long ti ago, but I still wish for you to have a good life」
I could feel her long fur on my arm.
When I reached for her, the cat slipped through my arms.
I heard her voice co from so distance away.
「Souya, run away. Run away and flee to so corner of the world where no one knows you, have children, and lead a quiet life. That's all I have to say」
Her presence disappeared.
I stared into the empty dark night.
There was nothing there, but I stared at it for the longest ti.
『Team mber Souya』
Suddenly, a communication ca in.
『Team mber Souya』
「Y, yeah」
It was Yukikaze.
『Yukikaze has heard everything, indeed』
「………I see」
『Yukikaze has a brilliant plan for defeating the hero』
「A way to defeat Khius?」
Now that I can't use Wild Hunt, I have to rely on that.
『However, it violates the A.I.s' ethical code. Yukikaze requests that the restriction be lifted』
Static ca through the line.
『Excuse for cutting in, Souya-san. With regards to lifting the restriction, it's very dangerous. If you do that, Yukikaze-chan will beco an existence outside of Makina's control and managent. Not only will Yukikaze-chan no longer be able to use the backup function, but it will also be impossible to restore Makina in the event of a malfunction』
『Makina, please don't worry. Using the surplus parts, Yukikaze has developed a pseudo-A.I. designed to only provide backup functions』
『What?! Yukikaze-chan, that's already against regulations, you know?!』
『As such, team mber Souya, Yukikaze is counting on you to deal with everything, including the regulations and the lifting of the restriction』
「Got it. I'll permit it」
『Souya-san! This is really, really dangerous! What are you going to do from here on out if you can't use all of Makina's functions?!』
「That's certainly―――――」
『Makina, you've been getting full of yourself lately, indeed』
Yukikaze interrupted .
『It seems to Yukikaze that you've forgotten the true purpose of a tool. You're protecting your position in an ugly way, indeed』
『Yukikaze-chan, please and your opinion. Makina has Souya-san's best interests at heart. That's linked to keeping my functions going――――――』
『Not at all. That's not the case at all, indeed』
『Wha?!』
Yukikaze cracked down on Makina, silencing her.
『Team mber Souya no longer needs us. To begin with, A.I.s are tools designed to help people beco self-sufficient. Causing people to beco over-dependent through excessive interference will hinder their growth』
『That's not true! Makina is still very useful to Souya-san in a lot of ways!』
『Those are things done on team mber Souya's behalf that can also be done by others. It's one thing in the modern world, but in this alternate world where parts and access to data are very limited, it's better to leave the things that can be done by people to people』
『Yukikaze-chan, what are you――――――』
『Team mber Souya, the incident with the magistrate has convinced Yukikaze. That it's better for us A.I.s to not exist in this world at all. No matter how hard we try to adjust ourselves to this world, we A.I. are an alien existence. Please consider disposing of us at the earliest opportunity』
「Hey, Yukikaze, that won’t do」
『Yukikaze's purpose is to let team mber Souya know that this is one of the available options, indeed. In any case, we're destined to be blown up after the target floor is cleared』
「Wha?!」
What do you an "blown up"?!
「Makina! What's going on?! Am I the only one who forgot about this?!」
『Th, that's……… Certainly, we have orders to destroy our data by self-destructing after the project is completed』
「Revoke that order. It's my order」
『Makina is very sorry. That’s a top-level order from the manufacturer, so even if it's your order, Souya-san………』
『Team mber Souya, lifting the restriction on Yukikaze has the side effect of lifting the self-destruct order as well』
What did you say?
There's no reason to hesitate then.
「Understood. In that case, Yukikaze―――――」
『Souya-san! It's really very dangerous!』
I'm well aware that free will is dangerous.
That's the reason why people bind themselves with all sorts of laws after all. However……
「Makina, Yukikaze, you guys are important to . I feel an affection for you two that I probably wouldn't have felt if I were living in the modern world. I don't know what's going to happen from here on out. If you guys end up getting blown up because sothing went south, I won't be able to die in peace. That's why I’m doing this」
I recalled the password.
If I do say so myself, I was really horrible the last ti I used this.
「Code break, code break. Ergency command code」
『Understood. Password will be authenticated through voice recognition. Go ahead』
The dual chanical voices of Makina and Yukikaze overlapped.
「Each outcry of the hunted hare, a fiber from the brain does tear. A skylark wounded in the wing, a cherubim does cease to sing」
『The ergency command code has been acknowledged. The Makina Program’s personality is suspended』
『The ergency command code has been acknowledged. The Izora Program DC・Yukikaze’s personality is suspended』
I shouldn't be making a mistake this ti.
『Will accept all orders up to level 3』
「Revoke command authority via code break. And lift the restrictions on Makina and Yukikaze. From now on, act of your own free will. There's no need to follow my orders. But I will permit you to ask for my opinion. Follow your own justice. Make decisions based on your own reasonings. And never forget that responsibility will fall upon you and everyone involved with you. That's all」
That's about it, I guess?
I could hear the sounds of them rebooting.
『Yukikaze understands, indeed. Yukikaze will now tell you the way to defeat the hero, indeed』
『Souya-san! What have you done?!』
「Makina, Yukikaze and I have sothing important to discuss, so shut up」
『Makina won't shut up~! Makina won't do anything Souya-san says anymore~!』
「Yukikaze, can you cut only Makina's communications?」
『That'll be pretty difficult, indeed』
『Now that the restriction has been lifted, Makina has a lot to say! First and foremost, Souya-san, you have a problem with won!』
I took off my glasses and set them down on top of the grass. I turned the volu down to the lowest level, but Makina's berating continued.
After leaving it there for about an hour, Makina went silent, and then, for so reason, she began to sob.
After ignoring her so more, she fell completely silent, so Yukikaze told her brilliant plan for defeating the hero.
『――――――And there you have it, indeed』
「Then, it can’t be helped」[1]
『In the worst-case scenario, the number of deaths is―――――』
「You don't have to say it」
It has nothing to do with .
『No, Yukikaze will say it. At best, it's 610,000. At worst, it's total annihilation, which is over 1.2 million』
She was quick to exercise her free will.
So that's the extent of the sacrifice. I suppose she's telling to resolve myself.
『So, will you call it off?』
「I'll do it. Yukikaze, I'll go with your plan. Let's the two of us go defeat a hero again」
『No, it'll take more than our combined efforts this ti』
Yeah, and that's why it lies so heavily on my mind.
And the fact that I'm so weak that I have no other choice pisses off.
[1] I don’t know how many of you still rember this line, but it’s purportedly Nobunaga’s catchphrase, which the giant wolf Souya t on the left continent uses.
Terrible. The way Souya treats Makina is so terrible. And yet, why is it so funny? There is much I must reflect on.
That said, the scale just went off the charts there at the end. What on earth has Yukikaze co up with?! And it’s been a while since we’ve seen Souya’s cold side, hasn’t it? What kind of person can think, “It has nothing to do with ,” when talking about the number of deaths when there’s a chance that what he’s about to do could cause over a million deaths?!
And was that ending enough to distract you from all the important stuff Misuranika-sama revealed? There are so many hints there. And you really should have an inkling of what her true identity is by now. The hints to that have been so plentiful. And for every one of her followers to forget her the mont they use her power, how sad is that? And her words to Souya at the end of volu 2 take on a new aning now, don’t they? She had thought that the bond was going to disappear, so those were actually words of goodbye…
Also, as you can probably surmise from the very specific use of words(feeling of loss) in this chapter and the previous one, the Demon King was also soone who had contracted with Misuranika-sama in the past.
To clarify what Misuranika-sama ant about it not ending with Rana, the mont Souya loses his bond with Rana, it will be as if he had never t her. And since he never t her, there would have been no reason for him to have t Ea as well. And he wouldn’t have had to save Rana, so he wouldn’t have defeated Lanseal and gotten to know her. Frey and Lazarissa as well. And without the crest of the Brave, everyone on the left continent. And so on. Yeah, as you can imagine, the erasure of just one bond may have incredibly far-reaching effects. Simply losing mories sounds so much better now, doesn't it?
Well, that was a pretty hefty chapter in terms of plot, wasn’t it? Well, this arc has only just started and this isn’t even the last arc in this volu! There’s so much more to co, so stay tuned!
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