Kays Translations

Chapter 8: Peaceful Hydrangea ⑦– Knife Magic

A mysterious, pure white mist hung over a mysterious white space.

“……………”

I stood frozen in that space.

I knew this place. I had come here countless times whenever I slept.

Whenever I sleep… ah, that’s it. I collapsed.

I collapsed. Ah… I lost. I lost to Alweld von Rutvelt.

That man—he surpassed me in everything.
I couldn’t lift a hand or foot against his overwhelming power. It’s frustrating. Frustrating. Frustrating.

Never before have I felt this powerless, this seething with hatred, this consumed by resentment.
Everything was crushed under that unreasonable power.

Frustrating. Frustrating. Frustrating. Frustrating.
No good. Don’t cry. But… but…

“Wof.”

The woman appeared—an otherworldly, peerless beauty, with the glimmer of a blade in her aura.

She approached and, seeing the tears brimming in my eyes, gasped softly.

“What’s wrong—kyah?”

Before I knew it, I had clung to her. To the Goddess of Knives.

And I cried. From frustration, from shame, from weakness, from sorrow.

I buried my face in her full bosom and wept, wept until nothing was left.
I sobbed out my grievances, shouted my despair, laid bare the contents of my heart.
Ugly, pathetic, filthy, wretched—I spilled all of it to the goddess.

She said nothing, only stroked my head gently, waiting silently until I finished crying.

At last, exhausted, I stopped. Slowly, I pulled away from her.

“Do you feel better now, Wof?”

“Y-yes… I-I’m sorry… for that disgraceful display…”

I had broken down, clinging to the Goddess of Knives and sobbing uncontrollably.
And on top of that… all those other things I did…!
So embarrassing. My face flushed red.

“No. It’s fine. That’s how boys become strong.”

The goddess smiled—an archaic smile, timeless.

That smile… I had to say something.

“…Um, why am I here?”

“Well. I didn’t summon you just to comfort you. But your heart’s resolve has been made clear. Wof, do you wish to become strong?”

“Yes. I want to be strong.”

“Do you want to defeat Alweld von Rutvelt?”

“I want to defeat him!”

“As you are now, you can’t even stand on the same stage as him.”

“…Yes, that’s true.”

“More than strength or weakness, Wof—you are ignorant of too much.”

The Goddess of Knives held something in her hand.
It was her talismanic knife.

“Goddess?”

“Take the same kind of knife. From now, you will acquire a Relic.”

“A… Relic?”

“This Relic is Knife Magic.”

“Acquire it…?”

“There are three generally known ways to acquire Relics: to be born with them, to use a Relic Plate, or to resonate with an OOPArt. But in truth, there is another way—by practicing and mastering an action that has already become a Relic. That is how it can be obtained.”

“There’s a way like that…!?”

“It is not known to the public, and it never should be. Spread it carelessly, and your life will be endangered.”

The goddess warned me.

“U-understood.”

“Now, you will acquire the Relic Knife Magic through live combat training. Worry not—the Goddess of Illusions has helped compress time in this dream world. One minute outside is about one hour here.”

“Eh?”

One minute… equals one hour?

“And since this is a dream, no matter how badly you are wounded, you will not die. You won’t hunger or thirst either. But—you will still feel pain and fatigue.”

“…When you say combat… do you mean my opponent is you, Goddess?”

“Yes. Do you object?”

“N-no…”

“I am the Goddess of Knives. Knives are what I have mastered. I will make sure you acquire it.”

She spun the knife elegantly across her fingers, flipping it in midair before catching it again.

It was impressive—but it reminded me of a showy trick thugs do when flashing a blade.

“P-please go easy on me.”

I raised my knife.
And in that instant, invisible blades tore into me.

I wanted to be strong. For the first time, I truly desired strength.

I opened my eyes. Darkness. Nighttime.

I couldn’t believe it.
I had spent months in that space, but now I realized—it was all a dream.

And yet, even though it was a dream, I had truly acquired the Relic Knife Magic.

After I finally managed to acquire it—nearly dying in the process—the goddess explained.

Apparently, we had done something quite reckless.
She had intended for me to obtain Knife Magic after I had broken thirty knives.

But because of Alweld’s sudden assault, she had accelerated the process.

I still barely understood it.

She also said I’d see her again once I reached the twentieth broken knife.
That it would be soon. But I refused to let it come to that.

Though… I had already broken two knives in a row. One of them brand new, too.
Damn you, Alweld.

“…Hm?”

Something was strange. Odd.

I recognized this ceiling. Too familiar.

The sheets, the feather duvet. No way…

“This is… my house…?”

Wasn’t I supposed to be captured?
I lost to Alweld, I should’ve been kidnapped.

So I thought I’d wake in some unfamiliar dungeon.

“Well, well, finally awake, are we?”

“Eh?”

A voice. I looked up.

A woman sat on the edge of my bed, half-turned.

Long beast-like ears, silver hair that glimmered dully, and three tails swaying behind her.

Though dressed in black, her silhouette was unmistakably sensual.
Wait… I can see that much through the clothes? She is wearing them, right?

She smiled at me gently in the dim light.

“…Witch?”

Ah—it was the witch.

“Mhm. No fever, it seems.”

She touched my forehead softly, then stroked my hair.

For some reason, the witch felt closer than ever.

Not just physically—but emotionally.

Her three tails swayed gently.

“Witch… I… I lost. To Alweld von Rutvelt…”

“Oh-ho. So you fought him, did you.”

“It wasn’t even a fight. I couldn’t even call it that…”

“I see, I see. Well, that one… that one is a true powerhouse. A First-Class Explorer, known as the Breaker of Destruction, and also the clan master of Coon Hunt. A genuine strongman, that one.”

“Wha… really…?”

So he was the boss of Coon Hunt.

The enemy’s leader. Him.

“And even so—Wof, do you still want to defeat him?”

The witch asked softly.

Then she shifted, climbing onto the bed.
She gently took hold of my head… and laid it on her lap.

“Witch, what are you doing?”

“Hehe, hehe… just once in a while, you know.”

She stroked my head, touched my cheek.
Her hand was cool, small, and smooth.

The sudden lap pillow made my heart race in surprise.
But somehow, letting her notice that embarrassed me.
So I answered her question.

“I want to win. No, next time I will win… I’ll defeat him. That’s why, Witch, I have a request. Please… make me stronger. I want to be strong. No matter what, I want to beat him. I want to take him down. This time for sure.”

I clung not to the chest above me, but to the Witch’s face peeking through the gap.
For the first time in my life, I so desperately wanted strength.
Why hadn’t I ever tried to become strong until now?

I knew the reason.
Deep down, I had been conceited—believing I was already strong.

And worse, that so-called strength came from a Relic I despised.
How foolish. Alweld had forced me to realize that.

The Witch looked down at me from the side.
Her cheeks were faintly flushed, her breath sweet.

“Good, good. Wof boy never cared about strength before. Normally, of course, losing is only natural. After all, that’s Alweld von Rutvelt. But now you burn with the will to win, to fight him again. Finally, I can see your true nature, Wof boy.”

“My true nature… maybe you’re right.”

I spoke with resolve.
The Witch caressed my cheek, gently cupping it in one hand. It felt good.

“Hehehe, hehe, that gallant attitude is most delightful. Of course, of course. As your master, Kon won’t hold back her help.”

“Thank you very much. Ah, um, by the way—why am I here? Alweld said he was hired to kidnap me, so I thought for sure—”

I thought I’d been dragged away and thrown into some dungeon, but it turned out to be my own home.

“That’s thanks, thanks to the ‘Sword of Swords.’”

“The Sword of Swords…?”

I was stunned by such an unexpected name.
Why would a First-Class Explorer like the Sword of Swords be involved?

“Remember, remember, Wof boy helped find that dog, right?”

“Yes. I helped Celeste-san and found it.”

“Actually, actually, she’s the Sword of Swords’ disciple, you know.”

“R-Really…?”

I wasn’t sure whether to feel surprised or convinced.

“And then, then, maybe as repayment, the Sword of Swords took you back from Alweld. Even he thinks twice about fighting the Sword of Swords seriously—it’s too risky. Then while the Sword of Swords was carrying you, Mineha and the others found you. And well, that’s how it went.”

“I see…”

I owed everyone thanks. Especially the Sword of Swords.

The Witch pressed a finger to my lips, squishing them.

“Well, well, truth is, just the other day, Kon stormed into the main headquarters of Coon Hunt.”

“…You stormed in?”

“But of course. They tried to kidnap my beloved disciple. Unforgivable. Together with Shiro and the others, we half-destroyed their headquarters, but neither that high executive Forcutt nor he were there.”

Half-destroyed… I see. So Alweld wasn’t there.
A relief… and a disappointment.

“Honestly, honestly, with the Great of Rounds so close, what are they thinking? I thought I’d give Alweld his punishment myself, but since Wof boy wants revenge, Kon will just watch.”

“Thank you… oh, that reminds me. He said something about Narcissus…”

As my consciousness faded, he had clearly been complaining.
The Witch grinned. Ah, that witch’s smile.
So reassuring it was unsettling.

“Well, well, Wof boy, that’s a huge find. Narcissus. Narcissus Utopia is the ‘Second Coming of Generous.’”

“What… then… the one who ordered my kidnapping was the Second Coming of Generous…?”

That meant he knew I could become Generous.
I didn’t know how he knew, but he did.

The Witch narrowed her eyes, gazing at me.

“Oh my, oh my, this year’s festival looks like it’ll be quite a storm.”

“Witch, I’m sorry.”

“No, no, Wof boy has nothing to apologize for. Now, just relax and rest more.”

“…Yes. But… my gauntlet… the one you made me… Alweld shattered it into pieces.”

It was destroyed beyond repair. My regret was immeasurable. But the Witch only blinked.

“Hm? Hm? The gauntlet’s right there, you know.”

“Eh… ah, it really is… huh?”

Beside my pillow lay the Silent Saint’s Gauntlet, completely undamaged.
Not a scratch on it. How?

“Did you maybe fix it and bring it back?”

“No, no. When Kon first saw you sleeping here, it was already sitting there like that.”

“What?”

“So Kon thought you’d just forgotten it.”

“No, I definitely wore it… it was shattered into pieces, wasn’t it?”

Wait… I did wear it. It was broken apart.
So why was it here, like nothing happened?

“Ah, ah, that might be it. Maybe its self-repair and tracking instincts activated.”

“What?”

“Truth is, just in case, I used materials with self-repair and owner-tracking properties. So even if smashed to bits, it could restore itself and return to you. Seems it worked perfectly.”

“S-Seriously…?”

Convenient… but terrifying.

“Well, well, Wof boy, if you want strength, then it’s training time.”

“Y-Yes…”

“You never know when another attack will come. And this place is dangerous with the lab around.”

“Y-Yes.”

“That’s why, why… for the time being, Wof boy will live at Kon’s house. For your safety.”

“O-Oh… I see.”

The Witch teased my eyelids with her finger, pressing from the corner down to my nose. She found it amusing, apparently.
Her green eyes glimmered like mysterious jade.

“Well then, anyway, just relax for today.”

“I’m exhausted too. My body… feels completely worn out.”

Even though they’d said dreams don’t affect the body, my body felt strangely heavy.
An overwhelming fatigue weighed me down.

“Of course, of course. After all, you’ve been sleeping for four whole days.”

“…Huh? …Four days?”

“Yes, yes. You were asleep that long.”

As I sat in shock, the Witch flicked my forehead lightly with her finger.
No wonder my body felt so weak, so immovable.

…Ahh. I want to become strong.

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