章 73: 73. Connections and Beyond.
Omniscient POV
"Haa... haa."
The scene is haunting: a young girl, barefoot and exhausted, gasping for breath as she sprints aimlessly through the woods. Her legs are bloodied and blistered, a testament to the hardships she's endured. She also had injuries all over her body.
In just a year, her entire world has crumbled. The happy family she believed in, one she thought would last forever, fell apart. Her father, once her hero, never came to her aid in time.
Instead, her own relatives brutally murdered her mother before her eyes, all because her mother had fallen in love with a fallen angel. Branded as tainted due to her half-fallen heritage, she and her mother were cast out, and treated like monsters.
But she didn't choose her lineage. Where does the fault lie? Why is she seen as a monster? All she ever wanted was a happy family life.
Instead, she's constantly pursued by her relatives who want her dead. What did she do to deserve this fate? At an age when she should be carefree, playing with friends and attending school, she's fighting for survival.
If her mother hadn't sacrificed herself that day, she wouldn't have made it this far. For a year now, she's been on the run, searching for safety and sustenance. This shouldn't be the concern of a girl her age.
But circumstances have left her no choice. To survive, she's resorted to odd jobs to eat. The world isn't so kind; it doesn't offer handouts to people like her.
Her mother had taught her exorcism rituals, skills she now uses to earn money by banishing evil spirits and youkais. It was working, until her relatives, the Himejima Clan, tracked her down. Where is her father in all this?
She once believed him to be her hero, but he never came to her aid when her mother was killed, nor did he help her navigate this cruel world afterward.
She blames her father as much as her relatives for her mother's death. If only he had been there that day, none of this would have happened.
Despite it all, she will never forgive him, even in death. She will fight until her last breath, just as her mother had wanted. She will fight to survive.
So she continues running, despite the pain and numbness in her legs, hoping to escape her pursuers in the woods, in this hopeless journey.
But after a while, she stumbled on her feet and fell face-first onto the hard ground. Her legs were swollen, refusing to move, and blood poured from her forehead.
Her throat was parched, craving water desperately. She felt so thirsty that she thought she might die right there. Her entire body was overheating, with sweat drenching her body.
Her mind was hazy, and her vision blurred. She felt like she might lose consciousness at any moment. But she refused to give in, refusing to give up.
If she died here, what would be the point of her mother's efforts for her to escape? Wouldn't it all be meaningless? Wouldn't it have been better to die alongside her mother, in her warm bosom, without facing the hardships of the world?
She wanted to give up, but her mind replayed the scene of her mother urging her to live, to survive, no matter what.
She mustered all her remaining energy to pull herself up, striving to stand on her feet. But she failed. Despite this, she didn't give up.
She dragged her limp body forward, enduring excruciating pain. After a while, she could barely make out a well in front of her, her oasis.
She tried her best to reach it, but her body wouldn't cooperate. Even though her spirit persisted, her body had reached and gone beyond its limits.
She desperately needed water to survive, but she might be already beyond saving. For the past three days, she had been running without food or nourishment.
Her body was consuming its own reserves, leaving her pale and weak. She experienced pain, hunger, thirst, and dizziness all at once.
As her consciousness faded, she saw silhouettes—likely her pursuers—leaving her in profound grief.
She couldn't fulfill the promise she made to her mother; her sacrifice now felt meaningless. All she could do was apologize to her mother and await their reunion.
Finding solace in the thought of seeing her mother again, tears streamed down her malnourished face as she slipped into unconsciousness, seeing nothing but white before losing all awareness.
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Kouske's POV
It's been a few days since that incident. I suggested to Cleria and her peerage that they could stay inside the Demiplane for now.
They were utterly amazed when I showed them around the limited space, especially when they saw the unique trees bearing fruits and food that we sell on the website. The trees looked unlike any normal trees, so it's no wonder they were surprised.
They also marveled at other features like the massive Water Trees that create entire oceans and the Healing Hub Trees with large flower platforms that encase people in flower petals and pour healing liquids, working as effectively as Phenex Tears. These were in reality quite new additions.
Meanwhile, my organization is thriving with around 500 members who are being trained in magic and all things supernatural. I delegated this responsibility to Uncle Leon and Aunt Arene, and they are doing an excellent job.
The magic books are actually mostly stolen copies or bought from the Shop using the points. I finally gained the confidence to infiltrate some of the top magical organizations by using my various tamed insects to trace and copy the magical books in their libraries.
The Golden Dawn had the biggest collection, especially on alchemy books, which will be incredibly helpful for me. The Sabnock bloodline specializes in both alchemy and blacksmithing, so I can finally advance my alchemy skills beyond what they were previously.
Every member is diligently earning exelia and leveling up in the dungeons. I've kept a constant portal open to different dungeons for authorized access, monitored by guards to prevent abuse. It's essential to maintain control over this resource.
I've also used a lot of my points to buy sacred gears for members and assigned some to excavate ores and minerals inside the Demiplane, storing magical materials for future use by blacksmiths.
We even have unique trees bearing jewelry-like items that are sent off for polishing and crafting into fine jewelry. Soon, I'll be selling ores and jewelry on the website since I have near-infinite resources. So, it's not all that surprising. I also made black robes with Vritra's Magic Circle as the emblem on the backside of the robe as outfits for everyone, without any masks.
During this time, I shared a bit about my real identity with Cleria and the others. They were shocked, particularly Cleria, who seemed to be contemplating her life choices for a while.
Rangiku, on the other hand, was unchanged, still teasing me, now about my age. Mark took the news in stride, maintaining our friendship. He was pretty chill about it. Unfortunately, he couldn't contain his laughter at Cleria's reaction, which landed him in some "disciplinary" trouble.
Juvia and Maria are buried in books in the library, while I asked Hiroshi and Navirose to help teach the members about swordsmanship, to which they agreed. Additionally, I made a contract with the Belial Clan similar to the ones I made with the Nakiris and Grigori; I will be selling them some of the higher-ranked potions.
But the most surprising news for me was learning about Lucifer's wife. That guy has certainly fulfilled his wet dreams.
I also got to meet Tsubaki Shinra recently when Sona brought her to our regular chess games at Momo's place. Tsubaki is well-reserved and speaks less for now.
Additionally, I heard that Sona asked Momo to join her peerage as she will be receiving her Evil Pieces very soon. But surprisingly, Momo politely refused the offer, which made Sona a bit sad.
To be honest, I was a bit happy about this, although I wouldn't have forced Momo not to join Sona's peerage. I granted Momo full access to the library in the Demiplane. She, Lavinia, and Dia can always be seen studying there together.
Sometimes, Esri also comes to the place and studies alongside them. She might not be as talented as them, but she is still trying to prepare herself for the supernatural because her family, Dia, has already become involved with it. I think I will give her a good Sacred Gear sometime in the future.
I am also speed-reading all the magical books that I have stolen or bought using my skills. Now I can actually beat Sona in chess because I have many advantages over her. My mind works faster than hers, and winning against her is not hard at all now.
However, I haven't defeated her yet. I will continue to show continuous improvement and aim to defeat her in the future. It might cause more trouble if I were to defeat her suddenly, especially since I was visibly struggling so much against her not long ago, particularly given that she's the type who thinks too hard for her own good.
I also bought two new skills during this time frame.
Psychic Ward (B): Implies a protective barrier against psychic intrusions and manipulations.
Sexual Calibration (C): Enhances the user's fertility and reproductive health. It provides increased energy and stamina, along with various benefits for sexual performance. Users and partners may experience improved endurance and heightened sensations during intimacy. The skill can also influence the taste and smell of bodily fluids based on the partner's preferences, fostering a more enjoyable experience. Additionally, it enhances the ability to conceive and offers protection against unwanted pregnancies.
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Lately, Irina-chan has been more clingy and subdued in spirits, perhaps sensing the somber atmosphere at her house. Her arguments with Asagi-chan lack their usual vigor, and even Asagi-chan has noticed it. So she's refraining from troubling Irina-chan too much.
It's likely that Uncle Touji hasn't yet disclosed their plan to leave the town to Irina-chan. However, she can sense his sadness over the recent loss of his comrades and the corrupted state of the church. Despite this, Uncle Touji still wants to initiate change within the church himself.
I know, their flight tickets have already been confirmed, and I too feel sadness thinking about Irina-chan being away for so many years. But I'm certain we will meet again.
One day, I, Asagi, Irina, Saki, Rin, Momo, and a nameless pervert were all at the playground when suddenly we heard a commotion from the other side where there was a big tall tree.
Yui was urgently calling for help for a cat stuck in the tree. I noticed Rito and Mikan nearby, with Rito appearing eager to climb the tree and rescue the cat.
I recall that incident where Yui later remembered Rito as the person who got hurt while rescuing the cat from the tree that day in their childhood.
The girls, especially Irina and Asagi, were eager to help the cat. Those two were getting ready to climb the tree. So to prevent anyone from getting hurt, I quickly climbed the tree and brought the cat safely to the ground.
Afterward, we had planned a stayover at my house, an idea previously suggested by Irina-chan. We spent the whole day playing various games and chatting happily. Elle, Lavinia, and Sakuya joined in too, with Elle being the "big sister" of the group, despite being busy with her video games.
Elle had actually become a professional gamer known by the pseudonym "Princess" and was quite skilled. However, she was frustrated about tying with another player named "Queen."
Both of them were becoming equally popular and talked about in the gaming community not only for their skills but also for their unique names, which highlighted their gender and attracted attention, especially from the perverted nerdy gamers.
Elle's frustration over not defeating the other gamer drove her to practice even harder. It was impressive how quickly she became a gaming enthusiast, rising to become one of the top-ranked players in Japan. I had initially thought she would be more outgoing, but her dedication to gaming was undeniable.
That night during our stayover was indeed long and filled with joy. After everyone had fallen asleep, I sensed Irina-chan coming to my and Lavinia's room. Her presence reminded me of Issei and her departure incident during the last stayover, as depicted in Canon.
Two days later, Irina-chan was deeply upset as they prepared to leave for England for her exorcist training. She even asked me to join her in becoming an exorcist, but I declined, promising to reunite with her in the future.
I enchanted the pendant I had given her with protective wards and additional functions, including communication and position tracing. I instructed her to hold the pendant and call my name if she ever faced danger, assuring her that we would stay in touch regularly.
The other girls also came to say goodbye to Irina-chan. Even today, Irina and Asagi were bickering about weird things like "progress," "winning," and "not losing."
However, Asagi-chan ultimately cried and gave Irina a heartfelt hug before she left. With Irina-chan gone, Asagi-chan would now only have Saki to quarrel with. The rest of us, especially Lavinia, looked sad, shedding tears as we hugged Irina goodbye.
Uncle and Aunt were quite sentimental during the farewell. They had always been kind to me and the others. I gave them both bracelets with strong protective wards, which caused them to raise eyebrows in response.
I simply smiled in response, aware that Uncle Touji and Aunt were probably already used to my peculiar behavior. They likely wanted to ask something but hesitated, not wanting to make things awkward before leaving.
So, they refrained from asking anything personal. After seeing the protective wards on the bracelets, Uncle Touji asked Sakuya to take better care of me, and Aunt expressed a similar sentiment.
They somehow took the crying mess, Irina-chan, to England with them, and it felt strange not seeing her around the neighborhood afterward.
Nevertheless, we continued talking through the pendant's communication ability. Irina-chan would share stories of her new experiences and training at the church over the years. I planned to visit her in England occasionally with the others.
It seems our last connection to the pervert was severed, along with our connection to the pervert.
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