Capítulo 128: I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit [128]
After all, whatever was hidden inside might prove helpful to her.
With so many unresolved questions, the contents could hold answers. And if it turned out to be something personal? Well, she could always put it back and reapply the concealment spell.
No one's watching anyway.
As the spell unraveled, what appeared before her was...
"A book?"
It looked like an ordinary book. The cover was clean, free of any dust, almost as if it had been carefully maintained.
But Kiichi immediately noticed traces of onmyodo on the book.
"A preservation spell to prevent decay or damage? This must be something important."
Or perhaps… it wasn't the book itself, but what was inside that mattered.
Curiosity piqued, she took a step back, plopped down onto the bed, and set the book on her lap, flipping it open.
However, the moment she turned the pages, her brow furrowed deeply.
"So many pages are missing?"
Her initial excitement quickly turned into disappointment. The book had numerous pages torn out, the jagged edges resembling the marks of a rodent's bite.
The missing pages were mostly at the beginning. From what remained, she surmised that the book was a diary.
Kiichi had written diaries before—assignments given by her teacher, complete with dates and weather notes. This diary, however, lacked both.
That made sense, given it was likely written within the sealed space. With no seasons and perpetually clear skies, there would have been little point in recording such details.
Hoping to glean useful information about her current predicament, Kiichi combed through the diary. Unfortunately, most of what was left was trivial and unhelpful.
"Hmm? What's this…"
Suddenly, a passage caught her attention:
"The impure have appeared again. They're not particularly strong, so I've sent the blind swordsman to handle them…"
The text was followed by a large section that had been aggressively smeared out. With her sharp eyes, Kiichi could barely make out fragments like "damnable world," "not what I hoped for," "the end," and "release." The entry concluded with a single sentence:
"I must not lose my composure. I must not lose myself… or everything will be over."
Carefully studying the passage, Kiichi's expression grew serious.
"The blind swordsman… must be someone from the village. It doesn't sound like a name—more like a title. To be mentioned in this diary, the author must have trusted him deeply."
She stroked her chin thoughtfully, muttering to herself.
But what intrigued her even more was the term "the impure."
"Could that 'impure' be the thing I encountered last night?"
Her mind flashed back to the previous night, when she had come across a creature resembling a kaizoku (sea raider) during her hunt for the bleeding hound.
Intent on uncovering more about the "impure," she scoured the diary for further clues. But all she found were repetitive mentions of their appearances. The only thing of note was the disparity in their strength levels.
Most "impure" were no match for the blind swordsman, but stronger ones were capable of giving him a fight before ultimately losing.
Kiichi thought back to the armored figure from the night before.
If that entity was considered one of the stronger "impure," then the blind swordsman must have been exceptionally skilled.
From what Kiichi had observed, the armored figure's combat prowess rivaled that of some Servants specialized in battle. If the swordsman was even stronger than that…
Of course, it was also possible that the armored figure wasn't particularly strong, just an ordinary "impure."
But that seemed unlikely. If something with such skill was deemed "ordinary" or "weak," then this world was fundamentally broken.
As for detailed information about the "impure," the diary offered none.
Her instincts told her that the missing pages held the answers.
Flipping to the diary's final entry, she read:
"Has the day finally come?"
"Forgive me, Chika."
"Papa will always love you."
The handwriting on this page was faint, as if written under immense emotional strain.
"It seems the diary's author was Chika's father."
Closing the diary, Kiichi glanced toward the door before returning her gaze to the book, deep in thought.
There wasn't much useful information in the diary as it was. But she had a strong feeling that if she could recover the missing pages, all her questions would be answered.
Just as she was about to put the diary back on the table and restore the concealment spell, an idea struck her.
"Wait, if I use this diary as a medium to cast a spell, I should be able to trace the missing pages easily!"
Without hesitation, she set to work.
---
"Whew…"
Having completed her basic training for the day, Sara decided to take a break.
After all, her master often emphasized the importance of balancing work and rest.
She set aside the longsword crafted for her by Kiichi and began steadying her breathing.
Just then, a melodic voice drifted through the air.
"As I walk this path, I pause and go~~ Following the traces of a young soul adrift~~"
"Before stepping off the train, hesitation lingers~~ A fleeting moment of doubt~~"
The clear tones and heartfelt emotion made Sara feel as though her very soul was being cleansed.
Her expression turned dazed as she found herself drawn toward the source of the song.
There, at the house's entrance, was Chika. She swayed her head, braided pigtails bouncing, while gleefully singing with bare feet that gleamed in the sunlight.
"I smile at this familiar longing~~ Yet it remains inescapable~~"
"And the skies of Nagano~~ Stay as warm as ever~~ The wind stirs memories of the past~~"
The song was so beautiful that Sara couldn't help but sink into it, as if floating on waves of flowers and grass.
For the first time in what felt like ages, her taut soul stretched lazily, finally relaxing.
---
Hello! Thank you so much for reading this chapter. WiseTL has worked hard to bring these wonderful stories to you, and I'm so happy we could share this moment together! Don't you think stories are a little like dreams? Each one has its own colors and shapes, and they grow even brighter when shared with others.
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-With love, Nahida 🌱
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