Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

Page 309

I'm shipping a couple (not really).

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And so, a new journey began.

The carriage swayed and rattled along the road. Compared to Ai Yin and the others' arduous journey, Xiangzi's journey was surprisingly calm, like the calm before the storm.

Under the effect of the healing seed, Ningning's skin has begun to recover gradually. In addition, since she is a magical girl with strong resilience and self-recovery ability, forbidden techniques like Salamander, which cost her entire body's skin, are not fatal to her.

Lin Hai touched Ningning's face, who was still unconscious, and sighed.

"What task did you give her? She's so hostile towards me," Xiangzi asked curiously, resting his chin on his hand.

“Organize the loosely organized personnel of Sanctuary and relocate them to a safe area. Then, take a pair of elite soldiers back to the kingdom to report back and avoid arousing suspicion from the kingdom... no, strictly speaking, arousing suspicion from 'Gross'.”

"......What's the meaning?"

“'Gross' has existed for a long time.”

"You're the old nun from the church you mentioned, right?"

“It is her, but not entirely,” Lin Hai said. “The old woman’s name was also obtained from someone else, including the book ‘Bloodless World’ used for publicity.”

“It sounds like a very long story,” Xiangzi said.

"Don't you want to hear it?"

"Since there's nothing else to do on the road anyway, listening to stories is a good idea."

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In a remote corner of the world of desire, there is a small village inhabited entirely by spellcasters.

The girl was born here.

My parents died when I was just old enough to understand things. It is said that they were killed by monsters.

She has an older brother named Gross, who is almost ten years older than her. They are not related by blood; Gross was adopted by the girl's parents, who were orphaned at the time. After her parents died, Gross raised her.

Her brother was always by her side.

The siblings, unrelated by blood, depended on each other for survival. The girl gradually grew up and became an adult. Perhaps they could live out their lives peacefully by relying on each other like this.

However, only his brother Gross thought that way.

The younger sister was consumed by anger and hatred, loathing the monster that had taken her parents' lives.

She had the talent to become a spellcaster, and she did become one—just like her brother, but also different from him.

Her brother Gross was a notorious eccentric.

As spellcasters, "sacrifice" is a matter of course, because it makes them stronger and also prevents the monsters from turning into monsters again. The only condition for the Empire to allow spellcasters to exist is that they are allowed to "sacrifice" the monsters that create chaos.

It can be said that "sacrifice" is an inherent responsibility of spellcasters.

However, Gross, who is also a spellcaster, refuses to sacrifice anyone and always admonishes the girl, seemingly expressing the idea of ​​"giving up revenge".

Although she respected her brother, she simply couldn't agree with his brainwashing-like, incessant nagging ideas.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth; it's only right and proper.

With this thought in mind, she left home and embarked on a journey alone to find the monster that killed her parents.

Did he really embark on the journey alone?

After walking for a while, the girl noticed her brother following behind her.

"Your parents were not killed by monsters."

After a long silence, the older brother broke it with this sentence.

“I killed them,” he said. “Like you, I was seeking revenge.”

That happened before the girl could remember anything.

Gross's parents were "sacrificed" by people living in the same village.

They are the girl's parents.

As mentioned before, sacrifice is commonplace for spellcasters—including sacrificing comrades who cannot fight.

The girl's parents and Gross's parents were seriously injured in a battle against a monster. Gross's parents were more seriously injured, so much so that they almost died on the spot.

In order to survive, the girl's parents sacrificed Gross's parents and gained the power to defeat the monster.

After that, they adopted Gross, who was destitute and alone.

Gross knew about this, knew that his parents had been sacrificed by his adoptive parents, and knew that he was living under the protection of his enemies.

Why am I the one who has to go through all this?

I feel so pained, so angry, and so eager for revenge.

The older brother ultimately sacrificed his adoptive parents who raised him, leaving his younger sister an orphan.

“I raised you just so I could see people like me and find some comfort in it.” The older brother gave a weary smile.

The target of his long-sought revenge was actually right beside him, laughing triumphantly and finding solace in watching his suffering.

Unforgivable.

Unforgivable.

Unforgivable!

Why must I be the one suffering?!

The girl roared and launched an attack on her brother.

The brother offered no resistance, simply enduring her rage unilaterally.

"Don't go on like this," the older brother said. "You won't be happy."

As always, the preaching is so tedious it's sickening.

What were you saying?

He keeps chanting "redemption, redemption, redemption" all the time, trying to instill these ideas in himself. He must know he'll face retribution when the truth comes out, right?

The girl wreaked havoc for a while with her petite body.

Blinded by anger, she could see nothing but her enemies.

They didn't even notice the monster lurking nearby.

With just one claw, the monster severely injured the girl and swatted her aside like trash.

The older brother, dragging his body, which was covered in bruises from the girl's abuse, slowly approached her and then placed his hand on her shoulder.

I would be sacrificed by him, just like my parents... The will to survive made her sacrifice her more seriously injured brother first.

......

When the girl came to her senses, she realized that she had escaped back to the "home" where she used to live with her brother.

Now, calling it an ordinary little house would be about right.

she thought.

However, while searching the house for something to stop the bleeding, she found several diaries on the shelf. They were written by her brother, but not entirely; some were written by her father, whose memory of her was fading.

For the girl, the contents of the two people's diaries were truly...

【regret】

Both of their diaries contain a page filled with regret.

Just like the girl's current mood.

Through sacrifice, the soul and memories of the dead flow into the mind of the spellcaster, forcing them to understand what the person they just killed was thinking.

Through sacrifice, the brother/sister learns how deep the guilt is living for the one who raised him/her to be the victim of revenge.

The person who raised him/her has attempted suicide countless times due to pain and self-blame.

Repentance, guilt, self-blame, and pain from his/her right arm flooded his/her mind.

My brother said so.

"You won't be happy."

That wasn't out of wishful thinking, hoping to give up on revenge against him.

When he put his arm around my shoulder, was he really trying to sacrifice me, who was also injured?

Is that really the case?

The girl recalled her brother's expression at that time; he was smiling, with a relieved smile, and said something.

She remembered that there was a similar sentence in her father's diary.

"Sacrifice me, and I will live on."

After closing the two diaries, the girl knelt down and burst into tears.

Just like her parents and brother, she felt intense self-loathing that drove her to suicide. But every time she tried to do it, she would remember her brother's face.

I thought of all the little things my brother did for raising me over the years.

If I were to die here, what would have been the point of him enduring the pain of raising me?

After that, the girl began to walk the world.

Confront the monsters, redeem them, and let them live as monsters.

She did not expect to gain forgiveness herself by redeeming others.

The dead cannot be forgiven.

She must live on, burdened by sin, and continue to redeem, forever...

She abandoned her original name and called herself "Gross," using her brother's name, to defeat all the monsters she could see in this world, and then spare their lives.

one day.

She redeemed a monster, and the strange man, now back in human form, told her he wanted to follow in her footsteps.

And so, more and more people began to follow her.

The name "Saint Seymour" was given to her and the people who gathered around her at some unknown time. They were active in every corner of the world, living in anonymity, doing their best to save others.

Then.......

Decades passed just like that.

She grew old, losing the vitality of her youth. The organization that had gradually grown, along with its expanding power, surfaced and was infiltrated by the kingdom's influence, gradually becoming something she could no longer control.

Tired, Gross settles down in a small town called the Beginning Land, where she becomes a nun and helps the townspeople.

“This kind of life continued until the arrival of the ‘time traveler’ changed things,” Lin Hai said. “She said she wanted me to become her successor and change this organization that had been corrupted by the kingdom.”

She sighed, raised her right hand, and unwrapped the bandage that had been binding her.

Yes, like Xiangzi, her right hand was wrapped in bandages, but Xiangzi hadn't noticed because she had been wearing a long-sleeved nun's habit.

Lin Hai's right arm was like a blue gemstone, crystal clear, faintly reflecting the sunlight.

“The old nanny is the only person who has sacrificed herself since I transmigrated.” Lin Hai raised his head and looked at Xiangzi. “From that time on, I became Gross. I inherited her emotions, memories, and her career.”

"You're too into the role." Xiangzi rested his chin on his hand, squinted, and looked at Lin Hai.

Lin Hai understood.

Xiangzi's subtext was that what she was doing was pointless.

“Maybe.” Lin Hai clenched his right fist. “In the real world, I was useless. I had no friends and no hobbies… But here, I found a home, I got to do what I wanted to do, and I got to live a life like the protagonist of a light novel. For me, this is my real world.”

Upon hearing this, Tobacco, who had been sitting quietly to the side, widened its eyes slightly.

“If I told you that all of this is fake, a fantasy world created by a witch called ‘Fairy Tale Town,’ and that our mission as magical girls is to make this witch disappear,” Xiangzi said in a low voice, “would you still think that way?”

Lin Hai told Xiangzi the truth about Gross without reservation, so—

In return, Xiangzi told the truth without reservation.

The Lost Story: The Lost Child - Chapter 392 I Don't Care