Grimoire x Reverse ~Reincarnated Demon Romance Tale~

Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

Volume 3 Chapter 3

Narcissus Harbor II [The Beginning of Crazy Circ.u.mstances]

(3rd Person POV)

The girl jumped over a puddle in order to not be bogged down by dirty water.

This older section of town was under construction, as miscellaneous renovations were added for a residential area. Something like the back doors of shops were here and there, as well as a few piles of bags and boxes not yet unloaded scattered along the narrow street.

She didn’t know where it would connect to. But whether or not it went back to the road where she started, she had to concentrate on gaining distance from her pursuers and her small, still-growing body.

“It’s over there!!”

“It’s running around to the other side!!”

She didn’t turn around at the yelling voices.

She knew it was disadvantageous if they were to see and remember her face clearly.

Originally, she had been proud of her hair color. But now she was easy to pick out because she had hidden as much of her features as possible with black cloth.

Running down the narrow back alley, sandwiched between high walls, she looked up. It was because there was such narrow maze-like roads that the little girl could keep escaping. She knew that, but like a fool she had looked up at the clear blue sky. Confronted with that narrow line of sky she began to feel insignificant, leaving her with only a sense of loneliness as she was one who lived in the shadows.

Running along a road like this reminded her body of the feeling of entrapment, which gave rise to the illusion that she was something like a rat in a maze. No, a “rat” is indeed what she was.

Kicking off the wall of a building, she managed a height that allowed her to clear the wall right in front of her.

“This *^&$% brat…!!”

“I have laid a Warning Web (警戒網) surrounding this alley! Do not be hasty!”

To those words the girl unconsciously clicked her tongue.

Warning Web.

Perhaps the Princ.i.p.ality had notified them. Or perhaps the people of the Princ.i.p.ality were still partic.i.p.ating in the chase.

In any case, the concern that she had been trapped in this town flitted across her mind, although she shook it out of her head instantly. She could not give up her dream in such a place.

For the relief of her homeland, and for the sake of revenge for the deaths of her family, it absolutely could not end like this. It would not end like this.

Grabbing some hanging laundry from a corner of the alley, she changed clothes while running. Although it was better than nothing, it was still not much of a disguise. Here it may be a meaningless act, but would be a great advantage if she managed to step into a crowd be confused for someone else. It was a plain white blouse and a red fur jumper skirt like the average town girl.Hiding her black cloak in her pocket she continued to run. And run.

This was also a sign of her determination to outrun the enemy.

“This annoying brat!”

“!!” (Girl)

“Oi, this is the end…!!”

She had been watching ahead. Then when the shadow of two men leaped out, without a moment of hesitation she somersaulted over them. At the same time as one man came out face-forward and with a leg outstretched for her capture, something black pierced his instep.

“Agyaaaaaaaaaa!!”

“I told you to pay attention to where it was jumping…”

“…!” (Girl)

She transferred her gaze from the man in pain to the man next to him who spoke.

Both of them were wearing the same guards’ uniform that the girl

knew as belonging to the local force. In the moment of recognition, she threw a sharp object that glinted black towards the man who spoke.

But.

“Ottto” (sfx for being caught off balance)

“!!” (Girl)

A circular crest appeared in front of the man and deflected her weapon.

She knew that the man whose hand was outstretched had cast the magic spell, but as it was the first time she had seen this kind of magic, for a moment the girl’s eyes widened.

“Is this your first time seeing the Magic Law of the Professor Country? I think there were opportunities to see it in the Princ.i.p.ality though …Now then, shall I show you my Magic Law, the pride of the Professor Country?”

“Isn’t that from the Empire…!!” (Girl)

“Oh, you finally spoke. Since you seemed to be an immature spirit I am relieved…Now, shall I show you my great country’s magic techniques?”

“Tsu…!” (Girl)

The biggest threat to mankind is the unknown.

As the man said, she had never seen this country’s Magic Law.

There was only one path left to take.

“It’s been a fun chase…but, the other pursuers are coming around. You’d better give up!”

“Shut up…!” (Girl)

The girl easily twisted her body and fled in the direction she had come. There were quite a few connecting streets to this alley. If she turned the next corner, there should be another road. With that thought she tried to get far away from the man. However.

“The Professor Country’s Magic Law is roughly divided into three sections. Enchant, Instant, Artifact. The barrier from just now is Enchant…It is simply that I added the “guardian” attribute to my hand. Let’s try an Instant type on you next.”

Although she thought he was talking too much, she did not say so. There was no point as even if she didn’t want to she could not help but hear his loud voice.

Though her feet had acc.u.mulated fatigue from her continued attempts to flee and she worried that she would be captured, she still had to try and escape.

It was then.

“Wha…!!” (Girl)

The moment the man touched the wall of the alley, the road right before her was blocked.

She skidded to a stop right before crashing into the wall that had dangerously appeared before her very eyes. It was then that she was robbed of words, being faced with the mysterious sight as if the buildings on both sides had grown inwards.

“Using the Instant Law is a technique that requires touch, but it cannot be helped because you must be caught.”

“Wh-at?” (Girl)

“Instant Law alters objects on the spot, but you can only use what is already there in the s.p.a.ce around you, so I borrowed some things like gravel and the bricks around here to create that wall in front of you. Though it’s generally prohibited since it changes the layout of the surroundings and in some cases causes a collapse…now then.”

“…!” (Girl)

A dead end.

It was situation that would make anyone think it was over, if they had been just a normal girl, that is.

She kicked off of the walls on either side and leapt over the wall created by the man. Then she began to run back.

She heard something collapsing behind her.

“No well, it would have been disappointing if you were stopped by that, but this is a bit of overkill.”

“…” (Girl)

‘Do not mock a Ninja of the Republic.’ She wanted to say, but she held her tongue and focused on putting more distance between them. It seemed like the man did not care enough to continuously repeat the Instant technique, and so he just chased her while seeming to magically accelerate occasionally.

And so, she had been slightly careless.

“!!!” (Ninja Girl)

“Good job Bulk.” (バルク)

“Well, your timing was perfect.”

She was surrounded. Though it was a bit too late to notice.

Nearly 20 people include her had gathered in the narrow three-way alleyway. As far as she could see, these guys were all wearing the same uniform and probably were capable of the same Magic Law skills as the first man.

While being circled by the walls like the one formed before, it was likely that her location had been magically reported. After gaining time for his comrades, the capture net had been able to shrink and enclose her.

“What were they thinking, creating a strategy requiring twenty people just for a child like this?”

“Come on. Didn’t you want to step on the Adventurer’s a.s.sociation of Braves enough to scatter them?”

The men casually shrugged their shoulders. Were they so confident that if they surrounded her they could capture her? Perceiving it as an opportunity the girl threw a weapon into the gap of attention.

“Ottto. This is, could it be a Kunai?…Is this person from j.a.ppon, or the Republic, or perhaps even an adventurer from the Princ.i.p.ality? In any case she is not a human from the Empire.”

“Ugh…!!” (Ninja Girl)

Just like from the man before, her attack had been prevented by the same magic.

Unable to comprehend, her reaction to the man approaching in front of her was delayed and came too late.

“A sniveling brat declaring war means nothing.” (開戦をテメエの方から宣言してくれるとはな)

“Gafu…!?” (Ninja Girl)

Some kind of stick was driven strongly into her abdomen, knocking the air out of her, while at the same time, an electric shock ran through her entire body.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!” (Ninja Girl)

“Artifact – it is a Law that attaches attributes to things.” (TL: so, they made a taser?)

Only the sharp pain kept her distracted from a spreading numbness.

Her vision flickered with black and white spots. At the same time the severe pain stopped, something like chains were released from the multiple men surrounding her.

“Gya!!” (Ninja Girl)

“Well kid, you have quickly been captured.”

“It couldn’t escape after being bottlenecked.”

Now captured and bound by the numerous chains tight enough to squeeze her bones, she was held up in the air.

She felt like she understood what it was like to be captured like livestock for the slaughter.

Thinking herself pathetic, a surprising pain spread through her body.

Inspecting the substance that was constructing this chain, it seemed to be made of magical energy. Against a chain knitted with with magical power, the girl desperately sought a way to break away.

“And there we go, should we hand it over to the Princ.i.p.ality now?”

“Even if it’s a pretty girl, she’s still a kid.”

The men were quickly distracted as soon as their job was finished.

Her current circ.u.mstance of being easily captured was unbearably bad. But the girl had not given up. Even with both arms tied against her back, she managed to pull a Kunai from her waist.

Focusing on her spirit, she filtered magical power into the Kunai, and then swung upward with vigorous momentum.

With a shattering noise and the magic chains fell away.

“No way!!”

“…shoot…!!”

Ignoring the surprised faces of the men who didn’t thing that the chains could be cut off, she aimed at their legs and released some Kunai. A few men prevented it, but the majority of them had their movement slowed down considerably. At that time, she put strength into her legs to jump across the wall and break through the surrounding net.

“Do not let it go!!”

One of the men shouted as he ran after the girl.

While she clicked her tongue at the speed of his reaction, she managed to enter another back-alley and disappear from their sight. After that, it all mattered if she could escape. However, the chains chased after her as if they had some kind of tracking mechanism. She did not know why, but perhaps it remembered her magic aura from when she had been captured previously.

While suffering the brunt of humiliation, she kept running as hard as she could to avoid as many of the ten chains as possible.

The sound of the men’s footsteps followed behind her. Perhaps they were following the chain, but if things continued like this then it would gradually get worse.

It was when she was thinking that.

She felt someone grab her by the collar of her neck the moment she turned the corner.

At the same time, she felt herself floating in the air for a moment as she was roughly thrown before crumpling into something like a wooden box.

Hitting her back, she became trapped in the crate.

In a panic, she tried to open the lid and leave, while enduring the pain in her back that made it difficult to breathe.

“Stay still for a while.” (?)

Those words were whispered to her.

It seemed to be the one who had thrown her into the crate, but she couldn’t even tell the color of his hair from gaps between the planks. Was it a man about the age of a young adult?

However, she quickly realized that the aura surrounding him was extraordinary.

Just by lightly swinging the Naginata, the chains that had been persistently pursuing her became extinct and easily dissipated into something like mist of smoke.

She thought perhaps it was the aura wrapped around his Naginata that caused the chain constructed of magical power to break down. If so, for those with magical power, that blade is a huge threat. Humans would be cut up like fruits, and even magicians would be drained upon being touched. That much power was living in that large Naginata.

Who in the world was he? (TL: who could it be~ but our foul-mouthed researcher)

She didn’t know, but the girl had no choice but to become silent upon hearing the approaching sound of multiple footsteps.

“…!? Where did it…Hey you! Did you see a brat over here!?”

Peering through the gaps in the crate, the young man was surrounded. From the sound of the footsteps, there should be around ten people. Even with that large powerful blade, was it possible for ten Law magicians of the Professor Country to be at a disadvantage?

She didn’t know why, but the young man seemed to be protecting her.

However, the situation quickly escalates beyond the girl’s thoughts.

“Aa…? Hey you, is randomly insulting and attacking a human with &$%^# chains what pa.s.ses for law in the Professor Country?” (Desiree)

“Um…”

“Perceiving some kind of magic reaction in this dirty back alley I came to see what it was about, and found not only an attacking chain but a mob of thugs led by a ringleader yelling out whatever he wanted, ah…Oi.” (Desiree)

The girl instinctively felt fear as his spiraling magic increased.

The amount of power drifting out of him was beyond the dimension that most people can emit.

An overwhelmingly strong man.

Someone like that could not even be compared to these Law magicians of the Professor Country.

The young man before them was extraordinary enough to leave them dumbfounded. As she watching, it seemed the pursuing men stiffened to a point where they were unable to move. The cramped small girl could do nothing but stare at him as cold sweat mixed with blood.

In this situation, the young man who was the cause of all this just stared at the men.

“Hiii…”

“That’s not a bad response. Apologize you &$%^$. Don’t go attacking humans with those weird magical chains again. Or is this just a normal greeting in the Professor Country? Good Morning/ h.e.l.lo/ Chain. Though that doesn’t mean that I’m not gonna %&*#$*& kill you.” (Desiree)

“Y-you are from the Empire…”

“What about it? Rather than trying to apologize, this $##@$% is trying to start introductions with the opponent? How %$*^$ amusing…or rather not.” (Desiree)

“…”

“Whatever. Get outta my sight. It’s unpleasant. If not, then I can end it myself…what will you do?” (Desiree)

The young man spoke with something like an expression of disgust.

Knowing they were not as strong as himself, this could be said to be the complaint of a strong man. His aura of intimidation did not stop but continued to increase.

A moment of silence, then realizing their opportunity, they scrambled noisily on the gravel.

“R-run away!”

“$&%#…!”

The ten Law magicians stumbled over themselves and fled like rabbits.

The girl didn’t know if he was threatening the nation’s soldiers seriously, but when she looked back he had rested the naginata over his shoulder and began to leave like nothing had happened.

In a hurry, the girl opened the lid of the wooden box and jumped out.

“Wait, wait!” (Ninja Girl)

“Huh? You better not be another beggar or pickpocket…though I will admit that even the desperate deserve to live.” (Desiree)

“Th-that’s not it!! Is that how you thought of me!?” (Ninja Girl)

“Hm? Was I wrong?” (Desiree)

Fortunately she caught up to him before he turned the corner. The girl seemed have been mistaken for a thief being chased after from trying to survive. While thinking that it was a terrible misunderstanding, she looked up at the young man.

A tall and slender person in formal wear. A monocle and sharp eyes peering through it still give of an intimidating pressure. The blue hair was slicked back and all together created a scholarly appearance.

“So I misunderstood. But…I recognized those kind of eyes. When I was a kid I was desperate to live, so I am conscientious of brats like you.” (Desiree)

“Ah, no…thank you. I really was almost in the desperate situation of being captured. B-but it is different!? It was not desperation to sustain myself, but desperate to rescue my homeland!” (Ninja Girl)

“…Rescue?” (Desiree)

As the young man rose an eyebrow, the little girl hurriedly bowed. Then, she decided to open her heart to the young man.

“Thank you for helping me. I’m Justa. Justa Welsea. A ninja of the Republic, and the only daughter of Department Head (州首長) Gorson. I am fighting in order to regain the country invaded by the Empire and the Demon King’s Army.” (Justa) (TL: uh, girl, were you not paying attention? And shouldn’t a ninja be a little more secretive about their goals?)

The girl who seemed to only be about 10 years old or so seemed to be embarra.s.sed as her cheeks reddened. Meanwhile, the young man narrowed his eyes.

‘Oh really?’ is the only thing his expression seemed to say.

“Who are you, Onii-san?” (Justa) (TL: I wondered about just using ‘big brother’ but it just seems…kind of lacking)

To the innocent question of that girl,

“Desiree McRein. Imperial Book Agency Magic Librarian Fifth Seat and Honorary Director of the Research Inst.i.tute. Although I am your hated enemy, will you come with me?” (Desiree) (かかってくるか？)

At that moment, Justa stiffened.

They had crashed face-to-face.

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