Isekai Mahou wa Okureteru! (LN) - Volume 7 - Chapter Pr

Prologue: The Possessed Woman 

Presently, there was a slight tension filling the air in the alleyway where the Yakagi residence was located in the Nelferian Empire. However, it wasn’t the kind of tension that preceded a fight or heralded some ominous turn of events. To draw a comparison, it was more like the moment during a summoning spell where the summoner confronts the summoned devil. It was the tension of two powerful forces sizing each other up. 

And those two powerful forces in this case happened to be Yakagi Suimei and the girl standing before him. She wore fingerless gloves and a red muffler over top of her school uniform. Fashion-wise, it certainly gave off a strong impression. She also had long, glossy black hair, and a charming face with large, round eyes. This was Suimei’s good friend, Anou Mizuki. Or at least, she was supposed to be. The tension between the two of them suggested something was amiss. But that wasn’t all. 

Mizuki had black eyes, but this girl stared down Suimei with her odd eyes—one black and one gold. Mizuki always wore a gentle smile, but this girl wore the provoking smile of a fiend. Indeed, something had come over her. She was different. Yes, right now, she was Io Kuzami—or so she called herself. 

Just how long had they been standing there like this? Suimei and Io Kuzami’s gazes simply collided in silence. Eventually, she made an exasperated expression like she’d grown tired of waiting. 

“So, isn’t it about time that you let me through?” 

“...Frankly, I don’t want to let some weirdo like you into my house.” 

“Hmph!” 

At Suimei’s declaration, Io Kuzami’s face became stern. It wasn’t all that surprising, really. She was a being whose true nature was completely unknown, so Suimei’s grievances with her were quite understandable. However, it was also understandable that she’d be somewhat irked over it. And she was just about to say something about it when... 

“But... it’s not like I can just turn you away.” 

As if implying that he would allow her inside after all, Suimei turned to go into the house himself. It certainly didn’t sit right with him to let such a suspicious being into his home, but nothing would come of continuing this stalemate. And if he drove her away here, he would lose the chance to learn anything about her. That wasn’t a price he was willing to pay. 

Suimei wanted to know just what she was and ascertain whether or not she would cause any harm. In order to come to such conclusions, he’d have to observe her. He’d have to analyze everything she said and did. And to that end, things would just be simpler if he let her inside. But Io Kuzami broke out in mocking laughter at his behavior. 

“You’re quite a conundrum for a human, aren’t you, bastard? Despite wanting to live a simplistic life, you can’t help but be drawn in by the darkness of theory and mystery. Aren’t you just going to get yourself in trouble that way?” 

“Shut it. What kind of magician doesn’t entrench himself in theory and mystery? Puzzling over every little thing to arrive at your own conclusion... That’s where magicka first takes shape, right? Consider curiosity an occupational disease. Denying me that would be like denying me food.” 

Suimei spoke somewhat bluntly out of irritation, but Io Kuzami was unchanged. She continued speaking in her own frivolous way and narrowed her eyes at him. 

“So? Will you let me inside or not?” 

“...Is it true that you mean no harm?” 

“I hate idle chatter.” 

“That’s rich, coming from someone who spouts meaningless crap all they want.” 

“Hmph. If I meant you harm, I would have taken action while you were all none the wiser. Don’t you understand that much without me having to explain every little detail?” 

“I’m just making sure. If you’re not going to tell me everything, I at least want to hear you say you’re not going to do anything.” 

“Do you really think I would lie?” 

“That’s why I’m saying I want to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.” 

The reason Suimei was being so persistent was to keep Io Kuzami in check. In this kind of uneven exchange, she didn’t even have to lie to have him at a disadvantage. All she had to do was keep silent. That’s why Suimei had to pin her down and make her say that she meant no harm. If she were a pure spirit, lying should be beneath her. And eventually, she shrunk back like she was relenting. 

“I have no intention of bringing harm upon you bastards. If I did, I wouldn’t have saved them.” 

“Then let me ask you: what are you getting out of all this?” 

“To accept my kindness so ungraciously... You’re quite a pill, aren’t you?” 

“That’s my job. Reiji and Mizuki are good people, so I have to be the one who’s distrusting.” 

“My, even the parts of you that aren’t softhearted are naive.” 

With that, Io Kuzami let out a delighted laugh as Suimei bitterly clenched his jaw and turned away. He then raised his hand and beckoned her over with a single finger. Seeing this gesture, she declared him insolent, but complied nonetheless. He really couldn’t get a read on her. 

“...” 

Suimei casually peeked out of the corner of his eye at the cats loitering in the alleyway. They were naturally sensitive to the presence of evil spirits, and would react to any threat that Io Kuzami posed. But they simply continued lounging, playing, and meowing as she approached. At the very least, that had to mean that Mizuki wasn’t possessed by the devil. That alleviated one of Suimei’s worries, but there were still other dark possibilities, so he had to keep his guard up. As Suimei walked with Io Kuzami inside and showed her to the living room, he realized everyone was there but Liliana. 

“Menia, where’s Liliana?” 

“Lily is in the middle of getting her cat refresher. It seems she took several of them to her room to play with.” 

“I see.” 

After being away from her feline friends for so long, Liliana wanted to play and cuddle with them as much as she could. 

“Well, even if everyone is not gathered, I do not particularly mind.” 

“Why are you suddenly acting so damn self-important?” 

After being let in, Io Kuzami was acting excessively haughty again. Suimei was simply unable to hold in his astonishment in her wake. He looked at her questioningly, as if to ask what the hell she was talking about. But that ignited a smirk on her face. One that was perhaps the first flash of a very dangerous fire. 

“You hear me, my worthy rival? I am greatness incarnate. I surpass any and all, even in the extremities of this universe. You shall show me the respect one would show their master. Rather, I will deign to allow you the privilege of doing so once every ten days. I won’t ask you to lick my buttocks, but I will at least allow you to lick the dirt off the soles of my shoes.” 

“Who’s going to lick what now? Listen, if you want people groveling for you, go found a new religion or something. You’d get much better results.” 

“Ooh! That is also a grand idea. Behold, bastards. You stand on the cusp, the eve of a new religion. The organization’s name will be the Cult of the Dark Mother... No, Children of the Third Law of—” 

“Hey, enough! Just stop! There’s so much wrong with this!” 

“What are you saying? Were you not the one who told me to do so?” 

“I didn’t mean to actually go out and do it, damn it.” 

Even as Suimei yelled, Io Kuzami indulged in spinning her nonsense with alarming fluency. Suimei gave her all manner of looks—imploring ones, dirty ones, judgmental ones. But all she did was continue to smirk in dark satisfaction like she was toying with him. 

“Are you listening? When I addressed you, it was as a worthy opponent. In other words, a rival. Do you honestly believe that I would simply bend to a rival’s wishes?” 

“AAAAAH! Talking to you feels like beating my head against a wall, daaamn iiiiit!” 

Even Suimei was at his wits’ end trying to have a conversation with Io Kuzami. And the fact that she was making it difficult on purpose only made it worse. Witnessing this exchange between them, Felmenia and Lefille were both staring in agape wonderment. 

“It’s something, isn’t it?” 

“It certainly is...” 

They had never seen anyone play Suimei so. Gaius and Rumeya had been able to get the better of him from time to time, but this was something else altogether. In the middle of observing it, Felmenia posed a puzzled question to the frustrated Suimei. 

“Um, Suimei-dono... Just what was it that caused Mizuki-dono to end up like this?” 

“That’s... I don’t really know myself, but she’ll probably stay this way until she goes back to normal.” 

“I-I see...” 

Suimei’s somewhat defeated answer was quite out of character for him. It sounded like he was just throwing his hands up in the air. Felmenia didn’t quite know how to respond and simply gave an acquiescing reply. 

Meanwhile, Reiji was scratching his head and muttering, “What did she call it? My dark history? My dark history... Hahaha...” 

Suimei understood his pain all too well, but the girls—Titania included—barely knew what to make of all this. 

“Anyway... Shall we talk in detail about what went on after we split up?” 

“Yeah, let’s. I also think that’s what we should be prioritizing here.” 

“Indeed. Then let us begin, bastards.” 

“That’s enough from you already! Just take a damn seat!” 

Io Kuzami took her seat at Suimei’s shouting, and he began to tell the story of what had happened since they’d seen each other last.