Kays Translations

Chapter 12: Witch’s Training ④

Day 5.

“……”

The dining room had been cleaned up.
On the fine dining table lay an elegant, gold-edged tablecloth.

Seated there were the witch, me, Shiro, and Chive.
And then, Munieka kept lining up dish after dish she had prepared.

“……”

It was the fifth day—no, because it was the fifth day, I found myself thinking again. What is this lineup?

Every single one of them is a First-Class Explorer. And all of them breathtakingly beautiful.
Not just “pretty”—we’re talking about women worthy of titles like nation-toppling beauty or peerless beauty.

“……”
“Ohoh—this brown bread bean thing is delicious! The sweet filling inside—could it be anko?”
“Yes, I made it myself.”
“No way? Ohoh, this stuff would sell—sell like crazy!”
“I won’t sell it.”
“This milk rice… I like it. Such a nice whiteness.”
“Thank you.”
“But the flavor isn’t very gentle.”
“That comment isn’t very gentle either.”
“Nom nom… nom nom… this frikadelle, Kon likes it. Wants more.”
“As you wish. Would a hundred servings suffice?”
“Mm. Mmm. Even Kon can’t eat that much. Why are you so surprised?”
“……”
“Master, you don’t seem to have much of an appetite.”

At the moment Munieka called me “Master,” the other three twitched noticeably.
They didn’t say anything, didn’t react beyond that.

But even though they didn’t speak, the air seemed to tighten each time.
It wasn’t exactly a good atmosphere. And each of them glanced at me—only to quickly look away.

“…The soup is delicious.”

Ahh, it’s a mild, salty soup, but somehow it makes my stomach hurt.

Strange. This is strange. How did things end up like this?

This is only the third day of training, but I feel like I’ll collapse for reasons unrelated to the actual lessons.

I mean, why are such extraordinary women—inside and out—gathered around me?

Sure, I have relics. Rare and powerful ones.
But I am just a normal kid. An ordinary brat.
At thirteen, my actions are clumsy, sloppy, and embarrassing.

Even the countless memories of past lives inside me are nothing more than just that—memories.
They might influence my behavior and personality sometimes, but I am no adult.

But they are. They’re older, grown women.
And not just older—they overflow with charm, in body and spirit.

I am surrounded by impossibly beautiful women.
Is it really okay for me to have such happiness? Why are they here with me?
And why does my stomach hurt so much?

No. I have to focus.

Think only of beating Alweld.

That’s why I’ll complete this training and gain strength.
After breakfast comes the morning lecture on acquiring [Auto Move].

① Drink some strange fluid called “Sensory Amplification Liquid.”
② Defeat a Minos Doll using [Silent Move].

Repeat step ②.
Then after lunch, do it all over again.

The witch once again left early, saying she had business.
It’s the fifth day in a row. A witch who goes out this much is rare.

Shiro sipped the witch’s herbal tea as she began reading another romance novel.
Chive sat there, for reasons unknown, quietly watching my training again.

Somehow, she seems… different? Also, yesterday we ended up in the bath together.
Of course, nothing happened. Nothing at all.

“—Hahh, hahh, hahh—”

As always, I was the one lying collapsed after the fight.
Sometimes with bruises and cuts on my arms and legs.
At the very least, I want to remain standing after a battle.

And now, the opponent I’d just defeated was—Shardina.
I’ve fought her several times in these past three days, so I’ve gotten used to her.

(Next… must win… this time…)

Eh?

“Eh?”

Was that just—? A mysterious voice in my head I hadn’t heard in a while.

And I realized—I’d been using [Silencer].

Judging by the words, I have a hunch… but it’s just a hunch.

“Something wrong?”
“Ah, no… Do Minos Dolls, by any chance, have personalities?”
“No. They do not. There are no pseudo-personalities installed. While they are based on myself, their original base bodies are Minos Units. Those only have identification codes and a single directive: hostile action. We simply rewrote the identification to respond to your and my voice commands, turning them into Minos Dolls.”
“…I see.”

Alright. No more hunches. None. Absolutely none!

Munieka swirled her skirt grandly as she spoke:

“Now then, twenty bouts a day. Master, that was your ninety-ninth.”
“That many already?”

And yet, I didn’t feel like I’d improved at all.
Will I really acquire [Auto Move] this way?

“For the commemorative hundredth, your opponent will be me.”
“Uh, but if I can’t win against you, it won’t activate.”
“Do not worry. I will simply adjust myself so that you can barely manage to activate it.”
“…When you say defeat, you mean kill…”
“Do not worry. I will adjust myself so that at most you will only be able to knock me down.”
“Adjust…?”
“Master, I am an Auto Doll. Dolls are made to be adjusted.”

…Huh. Oddly convincing. I nodded.

“Then why use Minos Dolls in the first place?”
“That was to adjust both you and the Minos Dolls simultaneously. If it can be done together, it is more efficient than separately.”

Adjusted…? Me too? My eyes widened, though I said nothing.
Munieka calmly closed her eyes, rotating her wrist, rolling her shoulders, cracking her neck.

For now, I input my actions into [Silent Move].
R-right. It really only allows me to knock her down. Anything else is impossible. My nerves are on edge.

By “adjust,” she must mean something about auto-type relics.
Or… maybe my body itself? I don’t know. But apparently she can do it.

“Now then, Master. Let us dance. [Auto Dance].”

The light flickered out of Munieka’s eyes.
At the same time, I activated [Silent Move].

Like always… wait. No. Something’s off.
My body—my vision—it feels different.

Unlike before.

I saw Munieka-san throw a spinning back kick.

Even though it was such a big move, there wasn’t an ounce of waste in it. I dodged at the very last moment, and her outstretched leg bent as it passed.

“!?”

No way. She took a step forward and aimed a kick at my face. I managed, miraculously, to block it with my arm.
But the recoil nearly knocked me off my feet. Wait—how the heck am I supposed to push her down like this?

I mean, what kind of victory condition is “push her down”?
I only just realized it. Damn it!

But seriously, how am I supposed to push her down when her movements and attacks flow so smoothly, with zero waste?

“……”

Still, this is a weird feeling.
It’s like my body moves on its own, and I can only watch. I can’t do a thing by myself.

But it’s a learning experience. I’m watching and learning from my own movements—fighting in a way that doesn’t even feel like me.
Whoa, dodging that? Ugh, ow, that hurts. Wait—you’re still going on the offensive after that!?

When Munieka lifted her leg, my body grabbed hold and pinned it, then drove her down.
Her doll-like face was suddenly right in front of mine.

She’s taller than me, but since I’d taken her down while her leg was raised, her face was now very close.
More than that, I could feel her body—soft and warm—pressing against me.

“Splendidly done, Husband-sama.”
“…Could you please just stick to ‘Master.’”

My arms and legs throbbed in pain. I managed to stand, and noticed my relic had changed.

[Silent Auto Move (Half): Guarantees success for exactly one quick, precise, high-difficulty action. User retains consciousness during the action.]

“How did it go?”
“Did it change?”
“What’s the result?”

Chive and Shiro asked.

“…Half? Uh, it says it became Silent Auto Move (Half).”
“Silent Auto Move? Sounds like a mix of things. But hey, Munieka—you were calling him Husband-sama, right? What’s that about?”
“And it’s a ‘Half,’ too. Munieka, what does that mean? Also, what’s with calling him ‘Husband-sama’?”
“Relics are all unique. They can vary from person to person.”
“And ‘Half’ means what?”
“It means it hasn’t matured yet.”
“So my relic isn’t fully developed.”
“Correct. Which means its effect is incomplete, as you see.”
“Yeah… definitely incomplete.”
“More importantly—what’s with ‘Husband-sama’?”
“Munieka. Explain.”

Why are the two of them fixated on that part?

I mean, I also think the title is a bit much, but still.

Munieka-san declared firmly:

“As for addressing him as ‘Husband-sama,’ I shall offer no comment whatsoever.”
“You—iron mask! Fine, in that case, I’ll…”
“Yes, in that case, I will too.”

Ah, this is bad.

Both of them, cheeks flushed and looking heated, made me feel a real sense of danger.
I was certain—this was heading in a very dangerous direction.

“W-wait a second! If you do that, the witch will definitely get the wrong idea!”

The two of them froze, then glared at Munieka.

“…Understood. I shall switch to ‘Master.’”
“Even so—that ‘Master’ thing is weird too!”
“Shiro doesn’t like it either, but I’ll agree with Chive on this one.”
“I am a maid. It is only natural.”

Munieka brushed it off smoothly.

Why is everyone more focused on this than my relic?

Still… I could feel myself growing closer with them. It was fun. I was happy.

But… is this really okay?

It feels like everything’s heading in a wildly different direction.
I don’t really get it, but…

The Adventurers’ Guild Headquarters.

The Grand Guild “Hridskjalf.”

Egg King Division — Grand Guildmaster’s Office.

“Abramelin-sama, it is about time for your departure.”

“Indeed. Yes, yes. Fufufufufufu.”

“What are you looking at?”

“This arrived this morning. It’s the preference sheet from the attendant knights, the Tsukaeshi—including those who are eligible for promotion this time.”

“The Tsukaeshi’s… preferences, you say? But it’s the same every time. Almost all of them just list subordinates, friends, disciples, or relatives. Anything else usually gets handled by guild staff.”

“This time is different. Amusing, even.”

“Amusing?”

“You’ll see if you look.”

“……W–what!? Wh-what is this!?”

“I reacted the same way at first. I haven’t been this shocked since the dungeon cities collapsed. It’s been decades.”

“What on earth is this? This is impossible. How—how could something like this happen!?”

“Ahahahahahahahaha! Even Victorilla is surprised? I’ve no idea. But come now—don’t you agree? It’s fascinating.”

“This isn’t just fascinating—it’s abnormal.”

“Unprecedented, in fact. And that’s exactly what makes it so interesting. To think it would turn out like this. Truly, they’ve outdone themselves. I can’t wait to meet them.”

Alhazard Abramelin looked utterly delighted.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter