Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 144

Academy Gumiho is a Magical Genius – Episode 144

Academy Gumiho is a Magical Genius Episode 144

My Heart Aches, and My Body Hurts (4)

—What right do you have to wield my remains?

As I drew the cursed sword from the scabbard at my waist, the spirit bound to the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi [a legendary Japanese sword] spoke to me.

A sword crafted from the tail of the great Yokai [a class of supernatural monsters in Japanese folklore], Yamata no Orochi.

It must be its spirit.

—Hey, aren’t you going to answer? If you don’t, I’ll start by slowly necrotizing your hand with poison, got it?

The ancient texts describing it were filled with depictions suggesting it was a first or second-tier monster, so I expected the spirit to be equally formidable or violent.

…Its voice is thinner than I thought.

Violent, yes, but.

Its tone is almost like that of a young girl.

“……”

—Ugh, have I ever seen such a blockhead? Not even a reaction, let alone an answer. You’re not so low-level that you can’t hear me, are you? Judging by the complete lack of change in your facial expression, I guess you are?

Scratch that.

Young girl, my foot.

It was a sassy reptile.

—Are you really mute? Why aren’t you saying anything?

“……To think there could be a sword as noisy as this in the world.”

In any case, it is bound to the sword.

Merely a spirit tied to the cursed sword made from its remains.

It would require a considerable offering, but if I performed an exorcism, I could bid it farewell from this world.

‘Should I just get rid of it?’

After all, what I need is a high-performance sword.

Not a noisy reptile.

Just as I was about to reach out.

I could feel myself hesitating.

‘What is it? Is it that I don’t want to kill it, even though it was born a monster and is now just a soul?’

It would be different if Orochi had directly or indirectly committed evil deeds against me.

Unless the potent venom that killed many attendants at the auction house doesn’t work on me.

The one tied to the cursed sword is just a bit noisy.

And I wondered if it was reasonable to perform an exorcism by force.

‘This is a bit ambiguous. I’m not sure if I should consider this tainted by Mana or not.’

Yokai is an old term used in Japan and other East Asian countries to refer to monsters.

Even older people still use the word Yokai rather than monster.

However, that doesn’t mean Yokai don’t emit magical energy, so Yokai also cause me a physiological aversion.

‘Should I give this a pass? It’s so subtle.’

Yamata no Orochi.

Commonly known as Orochi, the degree was too faint.

I can feel the Mana [magical energy].

But it’s only about half the level of the weakest F-class demon.

Even a magic sword, which is an inanimate object of the same type, isn’t this weak.

‘Rather, the eeriness felt from its main body, 「Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi」, is more severe. Is it because it’s a soul, a spirit from a dead body?’

This is ambiguous to kill.

I did harbor indiscriminate murderous intent towards those related to Mana, but this is the first time I’ve seen such an ambiguous case.

I feel like I could kill it if I wanted to.

Honestly, I’m a little hesitant.

—Ha! I’m noisy? My clear voice is much better to listen to than your mumbling, you incompetent fool who can’t even answer properly?!

“……”

—Look at that. You can’t even argue properly. You’re just a moron with nothing to praise except poison resistance~

—Um… are you perhaps angry, Contractor?

Angry?

There’s no way I’d get angry over something like this.

As the small snake kept crawling up, Tamamo, who read my mind, asked me with a worried expression.

‘I’m not angry over something like this. If I were going to get angry over something like this, I would have been angry a long time ago.’

The most minimal human element.

Unless it’s insults to my parents or disparaging remarks about dead comrades, I don’t feel anger, let alone any thoughts.

It’s just a little noisy.

The girl’s noisy voice keeps ringing in my ears, making me late to swing my sword and respond to Termier’s movements.

—How clumsy~ You drew my sword without permission, and you’re slow to react.

‘……Isn’t that because you’re noisily interfering?’

—Hehe, does that mean you’re clumsy for being bothered by this much?

…Should I kill it?

It’s already dead.

It would be more accurate to say I’m performing an exorcism rather than killing it, but the thought of wanting to kill it suddenly crossed my mind.

‘If it were just noisy, it would be one thing. But it’s constantly interfering, so I can’t fully concentrate on the sword.’

I want to perform an exorcism right away, or plug my ears.

However, the former requires considerable offerings and procedures, and the latter is a method of direct communication with my soul, so plugging my ears won’t solve the problem.

I have no choice.

‘I don’t like it very much, but I have no choice but to subdue it.’

—Is there even a way to silence it in a situation where every second counts?

‘Don’t worry.’

I said calmly and closed my eyes for a moment.

Closing your eyes during combat is tantamount to suicide, but this time will not be long.

However, the subjective feeling is quite different. The objective time seen through the clock flows the same.

However, this technique is established because time is subjective.

When I opened my eyes, what I saw was a vast plain.

There were only three people in the pitch-black mental world where nothing existed.

Me, Tamamo, and this little Yokai.

* * *

—Wh-what are you trying to do?

“What else? To subdue you so you won’t be noisy anymore.”

The world turned black.

The place I was in just before was not very bright because it was night, but thanks to the city being engulfed in flames, a huge light source illuminated all directions.

On the other hand, there is no fire, sun, or stars here.

All there is is empty darkness.

And just the three of us.

—Ha! Is this some kind of space magic? It’s certainly a rare ability, but do you really think you can subdue me with just this?!

“Of course.”

This place is not created with space magic.

And the way I will subdue you is very simple.

I am confident.

—Wa, wait a minute… where are you touching?! Hyaaang!

“Stay still. It’s hard to touch you.”

Tamamo looked at the two of us with a dumbfounded expression.

Unlike the conversation, I was lightly grooming the sword.

Instead of oil, I groomed the blade with magical power condensed in my hand.

—Ehehehe… to groom my remains so well… I might end up surrendering.

“……”

—…….

Clearly, the visible appearance was like that of a master carefully grooming the blade, but the sound heard was no different from that of a girl being violated.

Tamamo lost her mind at that fact.

Wondering what kind of reaction her contractor would show, she looked over there.

Ah, he frowned.

It seems like he’s really annoyed this time.

“Now, next is the handle.”

—Wa, wa, wait a minute! The bottom is a sensitive area, so if you take off the handle cloth…!!

“……I’m just replacing the old cloth on the handle. And grooming the inside of the cloth under the handle.”

—Hyaa, euuu! Eueeee……!!

“……Should I just exorcise it?”

To think that grooming a sword would unleash such a powerful mental attack.

I’ve handled quite a few Ego Swords, though not many.

Even including the mind-controlling magic swords among them, this cursed sword is the strongest.

The more I groom it, the more my mind fades.

‘To think there would be such a perverted cursed sword in the world.’

Should I just break it by mistake while grooming it?

And melt the remaining fragments to make a new sword?

It made me seriously consider such a thing.

‘……But if I did that, the myth associated with the current 「Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi」 would disappear. No matter how great a master I entrust it to, it would be nothing more or less than a high-quality sword.’

—Hyaaang!

‘……Damn it.’

I didn’t stop grooming with my hands.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

It was because I felt like I would suffer internal injuries and shed tears of blood if I continued like this.

Around the time I finished grooming to some extent in that way.

The little snake let out a panting breath.

The fact that I no longer felt any resistance meant that it had completely surrendered.

In return, my mental health was eroded.

But this is a cheap price to pay.

—Lo, Lord… I will serve you as my Lord from now on.

“Don’t call me Lord.”

—Really? Then O. Ni. I. Chan♥ [Japanese for older brother, often used with affection]

My facial expression slowly hardened at those words.

“Call me Lord instead.”

—You told me not to call Oniichan Lord.

“That doesn’t mean you should use strange words.”

……Should I exorcise it now?

It might not be too late yet.

I hurriedly gathered magical power in my right hand.

Skill, 「Essence Absorption」. If I use this, I can perform about half of the exorcism, even if it’s not perfect.

Just as I was about to quickly extend my right hand towards the snake.

—Ah, I understand! I won’t call you Oniichan anymore!!

“It would be better for your well-being if you don’t do what I tell you not to do.”

—Instead, I’ll call you Young Master. That’s okay, right?!

“……Yes, that’s better.”

I don’t have the taste of being treated like an older brother by a reptile who has lived thousands of years longer than me.

Being treated like a young master isn’t very good either, but considering the master-servant relationship, it wasn’t a wrong expression, so I let it go.

A comedy in itself.

Tamamo, in that appearance.

—I’m seeing things I shouldn’t be seeing.

She didn’t pay much attention.

Right now, she was more curious and inquisitive as a sorcerer than about those two.

This black space.

It was clearly a space in her memory, but this time it was very interesting that Seungwoo had created it alone.

—A mental image unfolded by a martial artist, not as a sorcerer… no, as a magician.

A martial artist who can unfold a mental world with such a broken body.

At least there was no such warrior among the warriors she knew.

Being able to unfold a mental world is the hallmark of a noble warrior.

However, even such people can only unfold a mental world after repeating considerable concentration and meditation for hours, so it is strange that her contractor opens it as lightly as opening a door.

—Even that, a man with about 100 days left to live unfolds it so lightly. Hehe, I guess it’s okay to ask about this much?

A technique that was different from what she had intentionally unfolded in the past.

Even the [Divine Realm] that appeared in the magic book she read with her contractor, when considering only the degree of completion, was clearly not even half as good as this mental world. Tamamo, whose curiosity and inquisitiveness as a sorcerer were aroused after a long time, smiled slightly, covering her mouth with her hand.

Perhaps the time spent here is inversely proportional to reality and will only be a fleeting moment.

How long can he maintain this space?

That is also an interesting subject of exploration.

—Do you know how to use a Japanese sword? Its shape and strengths and weaknesses are very different from ordinary swords.

“What do you take me for?”

—Hehe… well, a pervert who harasses little snakes?

While Tamamo was doing that.

I was suddenly being treated like a pervert.

No, it was none other than you who made strange noises.

Why are you trying to put the blame on me?

—You are a pervert, aren’t you?

“Nonsense.”

—Just kidding, just kidding. So, lighten up?

“……If you and I were not bound by a contract, I would have surely cut you down.”

—I’m only doing this because you’re my contractor, Young Master?

“……”

The impudence of the sword.

A short time is okay, but I can’t continue to be swayed by this in the future.

Clang.

I gripped the sword strongly.

—What are you trying to do now?

Orochi tilted her head, suddenly grabbing her sword.

The sight of a little snake tilting its head was quite cute.

My nerves were already directed beyond the pitch-black mental image.

Ssshhh.

I infused the sword with sword energy.

However, this sword energy is not ordinary sword energy.

Not filled with intention, not pure magical power, not evil Mana.

The skill of slaughtering dragons.

A technique to kill dragons that cannot be killed.

The dragon is the absolute species and the phantom species.

An absolute being that humans cannot dare to kill.

In other words, it means a useless skill and energy.

“I’ll show you.”

Even such a technique is different if it eventually falls into the hands of someone who can really kill a dragon.

The blade, stained with a fierce purple color.

The blade, which sparkled in the pitch-black and empty world, dug a hole deeper than the Dragon Swamp.

I struck down.

「Dragon Slaughtering Strike(屠龍斬)」

A swordsmanship that slaughters and kills dragons.

The sword strike wielded in the mental image crossed the darkness and reached reality.

Kwaaaang───!!!

I heard the sound of something hard blocking the strike.

At the same time, the mental world collapsed.

Beyond that, Termier, with an expression of not understanding the sudden attack, was blocking the strike with her whole body.

—Could it be a mental sword?

—……Hehe.

In the eyes of the two watching the scene, a look of interest flickered.

The sword strike wielded in the mental world affected reality.

A phenomenon that could never happen in the first place.

However, it is the ‘skill of slaughtering dragons’ because it caused something that could not happen.

An absurd skill.

Perhaps her contractor is an existence that should not exist in this land where God’s grace does not protect, an existence that has risen to the ranks of the absolute.

Tamamo and Orochi’s eyes sparkled at the sight of him boasting such divine power even with a weak body.