Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku (LN) - Volume 20 - Chapter SS1

EX-2: Coach Hikaru and the Homunculi Sisters

Hearing the word coach always reminds me of a famous sports anime I used to watch reruns of on TV, I think? I always admired the idea a little bit, because my middle and high school sports teams only had advisers, not coaches. (Mitsuko Takatsuki)

“Ooh, so this is a teleport point?”

“Yes, Hikaru. You insert a core in this slot to activate it, I declare.”

“You need this authorization item in order to pass through the teleport gate, I advise.”

“Ah-ha-ha, typical Ichirou. He always loved his retro games.”

The fifth of the eight sisters, Fünf, and the sixth, Seis, showed me how to use the teleport gate.

“Master said he wishes to open their use to the public sometime this year.”

“Yeah, he mentioned that to me, too.”

I nodded at the eldest, Adin.

He asked me to handle it when the viceroy and the guildmaster found out about the gates.

“Adin, we have returned with Karina, I report.”

The youngest sister, Huit, waved at us as she approached.

She was riding a runosaur, despite this being a labyrinth. The second-eldest sister, Ithnani, was riding with her, too. The third sister Tria, the gorgeous, mega-busty Karina, and the modest but pretty Zena followed on foot. Karina’s guardian maids Erina and Newbie were with them as well.

“Is Zena joining us today, too?”

“Yes, Hikaru. We happened to see her when we went to get Karina, so we brought her along. Master already gave his permission.”

“Miss Mito! I thought you were in the royal capital?”

“I only just got here. I’m picking up some kids from the orphanage.”

I didn’t mention that I’d flown here, of course. I used my Flying Shoes outside the royal capital, then caught a ride partway through with my new friend Verny the wyvern.

“How do you do, Lady Mito?”

“Ah-ha-ha…same to you, Karina. You’re looking lovely as always.”

I had zero doubts that Arisa was the one who taught Karina such a classic rich-girl phrase.

“Mito is Hikaru, I correct.”

“…Huh?”

“Whatever do you mean?”

I explained to the confused Zena and Karina that I also went by the name “Hikaru.”

“Well, then, which would you prefer that I call you, pray tell?”

“Either is fine.”

The two considered for a while, then decided to call me “Hikaru” like the sisters.

“Come to think of it, are you alone today, Zena? What about John’s girlfriend and your other pals?”

“Lilio and the others are in the usual place, training with our troops.”

It was another hunting ground that Ichirou made for Zena and her fellow soldiers to train on.

That’s my Ichirou for you—well, not my Ichirou. I guess he’s a thoughtful guy in every world.

“Are you playing hooky, Zena? I inquire.”

“No, no. I was planning on practicing a new chant today.”

“Is it more powerful than the Blade Storm you demonstrated recently? I inquire.”

“Well, Blade Storm is the strongest intermediate spell. I can’t use advanced spells just yet.”

Just being able to use a high-end intermediate spell like Blade Storm at her level was plenty impressive, although Zena seemed ashamed that she couldn’t do more.

“You use Wind Magic, right, Zena?”

“Yes, since that is what runs in my family.”

“Gotcha. I bet you’d pack an even bigger punch against monsters if you learned a little Fire Magic or Lightning Magic on the side, y’know.”

Wind could fan flames or carry lightning to be extra effective against large groups of enemies.

“Since Arisa’s got Fire Magic on lock, I guess I’d recommend Lightning Magic if you wanna work alongside Satou and his party, maybe?”

“Lightning Magic, you say…?” Zena looked a little worried. “Do you think I’d be able to learn such a thing when I can only use Wind Magic up to the intermediate level?”

“Oh, for sure. Once you know one kind of magic, it’s a lot easier to learn the rest.”

It costs less skill points that way, too.

With that in mind, I gave Zena an introductory guide to Lightning Magic.

“If it’ll help me support Satou, then I’ll do my best to learn.”

She clutched her hands to her chest, the very picture of a lovestruck young maiden.

Since she was clearly in earnest, without a shred of calculation, I couldn’t help wanting to root for her.

“Yeah, you got this! Hit me up if you get stuck on something. I’ll help you out anytime.”

I have to admit, I did feel a little bit jealous, even though I know this Satou isn’t really my beloved Ichirou.

But I encouraged her anyway, ’cause you’ve gotta root for a girl in love.

“We have arrived, I declare,” Huit reported.

We passed through the teleport mirror and arrived somewhere inside the labyrinth. The area looked faintly familiar.

“Ooh, this place, huh?”

“Have you been here before? I inquire.”

“Yeah, a long time ago. I think it took about three days to get here.”

The terrain here was a perfect fit for magic soldiers or mages to level up.

Again, typical Ichirou. He’s got a sharp eye for detail.

“Three days? It’s amazing we were able to travel here instantly.”

“Indeed. Very impressive.”

Zena and Karina were both in awe.

“The world is truly in a Great Labyrinth era.”

“““Great Labyrinth era…?”””

Huit and the others all tilted their heads.

Okay, I knew they weren’t going to understand the reference, but having all these identical sisters stare at me blankly was still a bit embarrassing.

Ah, if only Arisa or Ichirou were here, they would’ve gotten the joke.

Feeling just a little lonely, I explained myself nonetheless. “I meant, now everyone will be able to go deeper into the labyrinth.”

“Still, it’s quite an amazing invention.”

“Yes, this is a huge breakthrough.”

Karina and Zena admired the teleport mirror.

“Wonder if we could get some prize money for it, huh?”

“Erina, I think it’s up to the viscount to decide how and when to make this information public.”

Newbie scolded Erina, whose eyes were starting to turn into dollar signs.

Apparently, everyone called her “Newbie” or “Miss Newbie” because her real name, Riena, sounded too similar to Erina. I felt bad for her when I first heard about this, and worried that it was workplace harassment; however, she assured me that she “actually rather likes it,” so I refrained from sticking my nose into it.

“Enemy spotted!”

“I’m on it.”

While we were chatting, a war mantis appeared from the shadows.

Since the others didn’t seem to be ready for battle yet, I took it down with a chantless Remote Arrow.

While I was at it, I used “Body Strengthening” to drop-kick a goblin assassin that was trying to sneak up on us.

“…G-goodness, that was incredible.”

“Using a spell like that without a chant…you’re like the legendary Ancestral King Yamato!”

“Ah-ha-ha, thanks.”

It really makes you blush when someone calls you “legendary.”

“How did you become so strong? I inquire.”

“I suppose you were trained like Nana and the others?”

Huit and Adin looked at me hopefully.

“Hmm, it wasn’t just training. I didn’t have any natural abilities to start with, either. A lot of amazing people taught me their secrets before I was finally able to fight on my own.”

When I was first summoned to the Saga Empire, I was considered a failed hero who couldn’t even fight.

“I wonder if we could ever be anywhere near as powerful if you teach us, dear Hikaru?”

“Yeah, ’course you can!”

Especially since this world has a level system that rewards effort in a calculable way.

“Now, let’s get this HBC started—Hikaru Boot Camp, that is!”

Since everyone asked me to give them a lecture, I cleared out the monsters near the teleport mirror with the Practical Magic spell Remote Arrow, then started an impromptu crash course. (I picked the name on pure impulse.)

“First, fill your body with magic power.”

Everyone was with me so far.

“Next, try circulating the magic through you. If you’ve got the ‘Magic Manipulation’ skill, it should be a piece of cake!”

“This is difficult in a different way from using one magic spell while maintaining another.”

“Ah-ha-ha, if you can manage that, you should get the hang of this in no time.”

Evidently, Arisa and Mia had previously trained Zena in maintaining a continuous effect spell while using another at the same time.

“I dunno if I even get it enough to know if it’s hard or not.”

“It’s like charging a magic item, just with your body instead.”

“That’s still rather difficult.”

Huit and Seis were having a bit of a difficult time. Erina and Newbie were worse off; they would probably need their own individual lessons later, since they didn’t have the “Magic Manipulation” skill.

“Like this, perhaps?”

“Exactly, Lady Karina. If you focus on that discomfort, you should be able to use it yourself soon enough.”

“I shall do my best!”

Although Karina didn’t have the “Magic Manipulation” skill either, apparently, her Intelligent Artifact Raka was helping her enough to manage.

“I did it! Huit did it, too, I declare.”

“Danger to dignity as an elder sister detected. Shifting into serious mode, I declare.”

Once she saw that Huit had beaten her to it, Seis got all fired up and soon mastered it as well.

The sisters all have very different personalities, even though they look identical, except for their hairstyles.

“That just leaves you, Erina. Don’t give up.”

“Don’t mock me, Newbie… Ah, did I get it? Is it working?”

“Ooh, very nice. Yeah, that’s the stuff! The magic is flowing!”

Erina and Newbie managed to get the hang of it, too, once I held their hands and gave them a demonstration.

Now that they all had the hang of it, the next step was maintaining it.

“Huit, it’s not getting all the way through your feet. Make sure you send the flow all the way to the tips of your toes!”

When you’re first starting out, your magic won’t flow to your extremities if you lose focus even a little bit.

“Got it? Yeah, looking good! Okay, next step!”

Young kids sure learn fast.

“This time, make the magic flow through your weapons and armor, too.”

This step is harder than it sounds.

The armor part is especially tough. Most people can’t do it as easily as with a weapon or shield that’s held in their hands, although it’s certainly easier if you have mithril alloy armor.

“Not easy, right? But I know you guys can do this! Keep at it!”

Everyone looked intently focused on their efforts.

They were clearly struggling, like when you can’t get the last detail of something just right.

“Oh-ho! Now there’s a talented eldest sister! Adin’s got it. The rest of you, follow her example!”

Once one of them figured it out, the rest redoubled their efforts and began mastering it one by one.

The second to manage it was Karina, with help from Raka. Just as I suspected, Raka totally had to be custom-made from the magic AI parts that controlled the moving armor machines back in the Flue Empire era.

The rest of the girls eventually figured it out, albeit not as fast as the first two.

“Very nice. That was a little tough, but you all got it.”

I praised their efforts and had them take a short break.

Since it was easy to lose a lot of magic during circulation for a beginner, they might have run out of magic if I didn’t give them MP recovery potions.

“This is just the baseline!”

“Baseline? I inquire.”

The ever-curious Tria shot her hand up in the air before asking her question.

“Yep, the goal is to be able to maintain this all day long!”

“““All day?””” the sisters exclaimed in chorus.

“If you can manage that, you’ll be able to sharpen the magic around your sword to create ‘Spellblade,’ harden the magic around your armor and body to make ‘Magic Power Armor,’ and all kinds of fun stuff!”

“‘Spellblade’!”

“‘Magic Armor’!”

That got a big reaction.

Plenty of people could do it back in the day, but these days I guess it’s like a secret technique that only experts can use.

Maybe it’s because there were a lot of magic metal weapons back then, what with the wars all over the continent and all.

Putting that ancient history aside, I went on teaching the girls as their eyes sparkled eagerly.

“Fill your weapon with magic all the way to the tip. Mages, circulate it to the very end of your staves, too.”

“Hikaru, that is impossible, I protest.”

“Magic that has left the body cannot be returned, I insist.”

“Just think of your weapon as an extension of your body, and it’ll be fine. Like this, see?”

I produced a staff from my Inventory and demonstrated.

“Okay, now it’s your turn. Just give it one last push, and then we can take a break for lunch!”

As much as I tried to encourage and challenge the increasingly unhappy class, it turned out to be too much to ask for them to be able to circulate magic through their weapons and armor in just one day. I guess I should’ve seen that coming.

“I brought sandwiches for everyone!”

The head chef of my Mitsukuni Manor in the royal capital made a lavish sandwich set in advance for our lunch.

That crafty chef even included cutlery and drinks. I brought out extra supplies from my Inventory as well.

“““Thanks for the food!”””

The sisters and even Zena and Karina pressed their hands together before the meal. They even washed their hands first. Arisa taught them well.

“Tria selects an egg salad sandwich!”

“Huit will eat a katsu sandwich, I declare.”

I smacked the sisters’ hands as they happily reached for the sandwiches.

“Hikaru, please do not bully us, I request.”

“Tria too! Tria thinks bullying is bad, too!”

The girls protested, as I knew they would.

“It’s not bullying. You can’t stop circulating your magic during lunch, either, that’s all.”

“Even during a meal? I inquire.”

Huit looked shocked.

“Yep, you got it. I said ‘all day,’ didn’t I?”

“Tria objects! Tria wishes to focus purely on food while eating, I protest.”

“I mean, that’s fine, if you don’t mind falling behind your sisters. Is that cool with you?”

“Nngh, Tria… Tria will do her best.”

I patted Tria’s head as she feigned dramatic tears. “You can do it.”

“This is delicious, I declare!”

“The eggs are so fluffy-soft! Tria is curious about the cooking methods!”

“The pork cutlet is meaty and perfectly paired with the sauce, I praise.”

“What sophisticated depth of flavor! The hint of mustard makes it especially delicious.”

“Yes, it’s quite delectable. This cheese and ham sandwich is divine.”

“’Sjust as good as the sandwiches Lulu and the viscount make.”

“Erina, I know they’re really good, but you probably shouldn’t be eating one in each hand…”

Everyone seemed to love the sandwiches.

“Did you really make these, Hikaru? I inquire.”

“Nah, I brought it from home. The chef makes them so delicious that I requested a big set so that all of you could try them, too.”

“That explains it, I report. It has the taste of a true chef’s cooking, I praise.”

“Oof…that one hurt, Huit.”

I guess I brought that on myself, though. They did see me burn my cooking plenty of times when we worked at a restaurant together for a while.

“Now, time for the second half!”

During the afternoon, I figured they could practice what they learned in actual combat.

“Homunculi sisters, your goal is to gain five levels! Zena and Karina, you can shoot for three!”

Since there were lots of monsters here, we should have been able to hunt them at a pretty good pace with help from my overpowered “Superhero Strength” skill.

It’d still be less intense than Ichirou’s crazy level grinding that Pochi and the other kids told me about.

“Miss Hikaru, isn’t that taking it a bit too far?”

“It is dangerous to push past one’s limits.”

The only way forward was to keep moving, despite the cautious Zena and Adin pleading for me to reconsider.

“Don’t worry, just do your best! I’ll bail you out if things get dicey.”

Worst-case scenario, I could always just handle things with Remote Arrow and Claidheamh Soluis.

“Very well, Miss Hikaru. I shall give it my all!”

Man, I love how proactive Karina is, even though she seems like a sheltered princess at first.

“All right, let’s do this thing!”

“No, Hikaru.” “Request to reconsider.”

“Ah-ha-ha, come on. It’s party time!”

As the sisters cried out in protest, I used my Practical Magic to attract some monsters.

“Hikaru! Enemies! There are too many enemies, I report!”

“Adin, use ‘Taunt’! We must form a wall, I declare.”

“Miss Karina! You mustn’t charge in blindly! Coordinate with your allies!”

“Good luck, you guys!”

I cheered for the panicked-looking group of girls.

Let the record show that they all hit their level-up goals by that evening.

Yeah, they all flopped down on the floor looking dead inside once it was over, but I’d say it worked out just fine.

I’m sure they’ll all be delighted when I make plans for boot camp part two.

I bet it’d be fun to train them all in secret and give Ichirou a big surprise!