It had been a year since I met Cid. We had both turned ten. It seemed that we were the same age, as expected.
Being of lower nobility, we had no trouble conversing, and I had managed to build a reasonably friendly relationship with Cid. It was significant that he was the only other reincarnated individual in this world like myself. It was a relief to be able to be my true self, which I couldn't show to my family.
If there were any problems...
"Hyaaahhhh!!"
...it was something like this.
"Business seems good, huh? You're a thief, right? How about... giving me some money?"
The guy who had been talking behind the scenes about the story was now engaging in a flashy robbery against thieves. It bothered me because if I stood next to him, I would be seen as the same kind of person. Just listening to Cid's words, it seemed like I was the villain here.
"What the hell are you guys!?"
"You little brats dare to come at us!?"
"They seem eager to die, don't they!?"
No, these guys are definitely the villains. They attacked a merchant's carriage, and everyone is dead. In that case... I'll kill you mercilessly too.
"Takumi, I'll take care of these guys. I want to test the performance of the new weapon."
As soon as I grabbed two swords, Cid said that to me. Well, it doesn't matter who does it if those trash end up dead.
"Understood. I'll dig graves for those people."
"Sure, leave it to me."
Cid had created a new weapon, the 'Slime Sword,' and the 'Slime Suit.' Unlike the weaklings in a certain RPG, Slime in this world was a very capable magical creature. It had the ability to change shape through magic power, and Cid had created weapons and equipment that could take any form.
He made mine as well, and it was indeed lightweight and easy to use. It felt more like conjuring weapons rather than unsheathing them, so it complemented my dual-wielding style. I couldn't help but feel that I could never surpass Cid in terms of this kind of thinking. Not that I wanted to.
"Oh, oh, you're doing it!"
With the screams of the thieves as background music, I transformed the Slime Suit into a shovel and dug a hole. Four people seemed to be dead, and they looked like a family. I hope they can rest in peace, at least.
"Well, I have to say, I made quite a good thing! Looks like you're done too."
"Yeah, I guess so... Haa, are you going to bring it again?"
"I've taken revenge for the merchants. Let's make good use of their belongings as a memento for us."
"You mean to gather funds to become the hidden power, right? I won't stop you, but it's troublesome."
Ideally, we should return these items to their owners, but there are no surviving merchants. Even if there were other people to return them to, we wouldn't know who they are. There's no need to bother investigating, so I'll let Cid do as he pleases. After all, I'm not inherently a 'good person.'
"Well, shall we call it a day? See you tomorrow, takumi."
"Yeah... wait."
"Huh, what are you doing?"
Cid was about to leave, carrying a bag that seemed to be five times the size of his body. I grabbed him by the collar, preventing him from going home. I sensed something intriguing. Cid seemed to be completely absorbed in the acquired treasure and hadn't noticed it.
"Look, there it is. Let's go."
"Hmm? What could it be?"
When Cid dropped the bag, the ground shook with a thud. How much did he stuff in there? It's not some sort of pocket dimension.
"...Are those corpses?"
What caught my attention was the magical energy. It was a reaction I had never felt before, so I couldn't figure it out until I approached. I could clearly sense the magical energy emanating from the mass of flesh trapped inside. It's horrifying to see at night.
"No, they're alive. This might be a case of 'demonic possession.'"
"You mean the one where the body suddenly starts rotting and dies?"
"Yeah, I've heard rumors that the church takes them in, only to secretly massacre them."
"...That's unlucky."
There's nothing I can do about the illness. Although I couldn't imagine how they were alive in this state, they must be experiencing unimaginable pain. So, at the very least, I want to let them die peacefully.
"takumi, you don't have to kill them."
"What? Why not?"
"I'm familiar with this aura. It's a magical power outburst."
"...A magical power outburst?"
"Well, just leave it to me. Let's take them to our hideout."
He seemed confident. But I had learned something in this past year. Whenever Cid had that expression on his face, he was definitely up to no good.
"What are you... planning?"
"Huh!? W-Why do you ask that...?"
I had also learned that he was bad at lying.
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
"...You're kidding, right?"
After bringing the mass of flesh to our hideout and Cid tampering with it for a month, today I witnessed a true fantasy world phenomenon.
"A blonde, beautiful Elven girl...!!"
It was a mind-blowing miracle that would leave even the most skilled magician astounded. The rotten and ugly mass of flesh transformed into a young Elven girl, judging by the shape of her ears. She seemed unconscious and collapsed onto my arm as I stood nearby. Wait, she's completely naked. Um, her skin is so fair.
"To think it could return to its original state after being so decayed."
Why is he so calm about this? Did he leave behind desires and the heart of a young boy in his past life? Or is this his default setting? If that's the case, then he's completely hopeless as a man.
"...Anyway, what should we do?"
"Well, let's see. Since she's no longer a mass of flesh, we can't conduct any experiments. Maybe we should send her back to her homeland."
"So you were doing experiments after all."
"Well... I mean, since it's not my own body, I thought I could do whatever I wanted."
Cid honestly confessed, while giving me a slightly distant look. Well, thanks to his experiments, this girl seems to have returned to her original form. It's a win-win situation.
"Wait! She's waking up!"
"Huh!? W-What should we do...? I know!"
"Hey, what are you planning?"
"This will be the first stage for the hidden power."
Cid suddenly distanced himself and knelt on one knee on top of a wooden box. It was his chuunibyou posture, insisting that I sit the same way because it looked cool. I had a feeling he was about to do something stupid again, but before I could intercept, the awakened Elven girl caught my attention.
"...Huh?"
"...Oh, hello there."
Our eyes met perfectly. Beautiful blue eyes that harmonized with her golden hair. In short, she was incredibly cute. If my heart were still in its past life state, I would have fallen in love in an instant. Well, I almost did, even now.
"Are you alright?"
"...My body... has returned."
She asked if I had saved her, so I pointed to the chuuni idiot who was foolishly laughing behind me.
"He's the one who restored your body."
"He...?"
When she looked at the Elven girl, Cid deliberately spoke in a lower voice than usual.
"The curse that was eating away at you has been lifted. You are finally free."
Oh, he's surprisingly not asking for anything in return... Well, maybe because she can't be used for experiments anymore, he's like, "Well, you can go home now~." He's trying to end the conversation amicably. At least he's showing some growth.
As I was starting to reassess Cid a little, the Elven girl threw a bombshell at us.
"...'Curse'? What do you mean?"
This was a chance to explain the setting. Cid Kageno was bad at lying. However, when it came to playing the role of a hidden power who would risk his life for it, his head worked way too well. Despite being a dumbass or an idiot, it's truly troublesome in situations like this.
I tried to cover Cid's mouth in an instant, based on our year-long acquaintance, but before I could, the idiot opened his mouth first.
"Oh, the curse... It's the curse placed on you 'descendants of heroes.'"
...Hmm?
"It's not surprising that you're shocked. But you do know, right? The tale recorded in the scriptures about the three heroes who defeated the 'Demon Lord Diablo' and saved the world... That was a true story."
...Huh?
"The Demon Lord cast a curse on you in his dying moments... That's what turned you into that rotten mass of flesh. However, someone twisted history, and you 'descendants of heroes' came to be called 'possessed by demons' and were scorned."
...What is this guy talking about? That doesn't make sense—
"Hah...!"
Huh? Is this girl not believing him? She looks like she's just discovered the truth of the world.
"The true identity of the mastermind... Well, I can't tell you that yet. If you knew, it would put you in danger."
There you go, the limits of his setting. He can't come up with anything, his eyes are darting all over the place.
(Sigh, should I throw him a lifeline? After all, I'm his right-hand man in a sense—)
"I don't mind hearing it!!"
(Huh?)
Wow, she's really taking the bait. Even Cid looks surprised. It's the first time I've seen him make that kind of face.
"Who on earth are you!?"
"W-Well, then... I shall tell you."
Stop it. Don't look at me. I can't do anything anymore. This is the story you started.
It seemed that Cid realized he couldn't do it without my help, as he began stalling for time by fiddling with his bangs. Then, after a few seconds of silence, he seemed to come up with something and opened his mouth.
"...The 'Diablo Cult.'"
"...He's saying more incomprehensible things."
He probably just made up some random evil organization. I've never seen or heard of such an organization before.
"It's an organization plotting the resurrection of the 'Demon Lord Diablo.' They never show themselves on the surface."
Clearly, it's a fictional organization made up by Cid. It's too deceiving for kids. Who would believe such a story—?
"Kuh...!!"
Huh? She actually believes it, doesn't she? She's gritting her teeth so hard. She looks like a female knight ready to kill.
"Hey, Cid..."
I had a bad feeling about this, so I spoke to him in a low voice, but for some reason, Cid stopped me. This guy, I was trying to be gentle and put on the brakes for him.
"Our mission is to secretly thwart their ambitions... I guess."
Wait a minute, did he say "our mission"? Is he including me in this? And he casually added "I guess" at the end. It's way too arbitrary.
"I am... 'Shadow.' ...The one who lurks in the shadows and hunts them."
He went all the way with it. I don't want to hear anymore. And what's with the name 'Shadow'? I was startled when he introduced himself like that.
Well, forget about it. I'll secretly go home and ask Cid about the situation later. He's activating the Shyoro Suit and transforming into a black-coated figure, wasting his magic on dramatic effects. It shouldn't be noticed now. Let's go home, let's go.
"...Shadow... Who's that person?"
"Oh, he's my right-hand man."
It's over. The Elven girl is sharp. She noticed our presence even though we moved silently.
"Right-hand man...?"
"Yes, the man who supports me... His name is 'Takumi.'"
He gave me a name without asking. Takumi"Light" because it's Takumi Gavin? Or is it Takumi"Right" because I'm his right-hand man? I'll punch him.
...No, knowing him, he'd probably come up with an even more chuunibyou-inspired name... It's too embarrassing, so I'll stop thinking about it.
"Descendant of the heroes. Are you prepared to walk with us?"
"On the day I was afflicted... No, cursed... I lost everything. The one who saved me from being ugly and rotten was you."
"It was Takumi who found you. Without him, I wouldn't have noticed you."
"Thank you, Takumi."
She's incredibly cute. Not just her face, but her voice too. I feel good about doing something nice even though all I did was find her. I can't really look at her since she's naked.
"If you desire it, I will dedicate my life to this cause... And bring judgment to the sinners."
She's really fired up. Well, I can't blame her for believing what her savior said, but... What are we supposed to do?
"Takumi, get her some clothes."
"Huh? Oh, uh, okay."
As Cid's words reminded me that she was naked, I hurriedly activated the Shyoro Suit and provided her with clothing to cover her skin. I've been taught about manipulating magic by Cid over the past year, so my skills have improved significantly.
"We won't show mercy to those who stand in our way."
"That's right! Just like that!"
(He's really enjoying this, isn't he?)
He probably thinks we've become playmates in a pretend game, but she genuinely believes in Cid's made-up setting. This misunderstanding is definitely going to be a major headache.
Before I could warn Cid, she stood up and directed her words at us.
"We also need to find and protect the other 'descendants of heroes,' right?"
" "...Huh?"
"We need to establish a base along with expanding the organization."
" "...Uh, sure."
"We also need to gather funds for that."
"Just... Just enough, okay?"
(Oh no. This girl is incredibly capable.)
Cid is also overwhelmed by her enthusiasm. Well, of course, he's never experienced someone responding so passionately to the arbitrary setting he came up with.
"What should we do, Cid?"
"She's really getting into it. We found a good one."
No, this won't do. He doesn't understand the gravity of the situation. He just ignited an Elven girl with exceptional intelligence and an extraordinary amount of magic power, and she genuinely believes in what her benefactor said. I can't imagine what will happen.
"Then... our organization shall be called... 'Shadow Garden.'"
I've heard this story before. It seems that Cid's surname in his previous life was Kageno. He probably got the inspiration for the organization name from there. I've been wondering for a while now, does he have naming sense or not?
"And you shall call yourself 'Alpha.'"
Retract my previous statement, this guy definitely doesn't have naming sense.
"Hey, isn't that too arbitrary?"
"I actually thought about calling you 'Subordinate A' or something. But I thought this would be better."
"Either way, it's still arbitrary! And she—"
I couldn't continue my sentence.
I looked at her—Alpha—with a tremendously happy expression.
"Alpha... hehe, Alpha."
(It's fine. I like it.)
"Hey... Takumi, can you call me Alpha?"
"What? Sure, Alpha. Nice to meet you."
"Yes, nice to meet you too."
Alpha, not a bad name at all. Cid occasionally does a good job. I thought it was great becoming his right-hand man for the first time. Hail to the Shadow Master.
"Takumi... it's so simple."
"Don't say that to me."
No, seriously.
A few days later, Alpha called me and I came to the hideout alone.
I was called by a level of beauty that I had never seen before. ...It should have been an event that gets me excited, but for some reason, I had a bad feeling.
And that bad feeling... turned out to be right.
"What Shadow said was true... the 'Diablo Cult' actually exists."
"...Huh?"
"There are descriptions in ancient documents that are believed to be related to them. I apologize for doubting your mission and acting... I'm sorry."
Alpha apologized with her well-shaped eyebrows twisted, but I don't have time to worry about that. What did she say? The 'Diablo Cult' actually exists?
There's no way that's true. That was just a random setting by Cid... Wait a minute.
Alpha is intelligent. Definitely more so than me or Cid. She searched through books and confirmed that the 'Diablo Cult' actually exists. In that case, could it be true?
(Cid was definitely improvising.)
It's an unbelievable story... but if... if that's the case...
(...That's too much of a coincidence.)
It seems I have been caught up in a tremendous trouble. Should I tell Cid about this fact? No, he probably won't believe it unless it's something extreme. He's foolish, but he understands that what he's trying to do is absurd.
If I bring up this matter, he'll either laugh it off or recognize me as one of his kind and develop a sense of camaraderie. I absolutely don't want that.
"Once again, I entrust my life to all of you."
"Huh? Oh, uh, sure."
It's scary no matter what I say. For now... I'll stop thinking. The complicated things will be taken care of by the future me somehow. Let's just enjoy the conversation with the blonde beauty Elven girl, the object of my admiration from my previous life.
This is definitely not... an escape from reality.