The True Identity Of The Shadow And Sun Mask Girls 2
We infiltrated into the castle.
A single long corridor that’s laid with a vermillion carpet. There are many doors to the left and right; the only path for us to advance is straight ahead.
And then there’s nobody walking on the corridor. It was really quiet.
“Fiー, where are those two?”
Fiー, who carried the White Rabbit, Elizabeth, points forward.
“Straight down here. They’re in the room on the fifth floor of this castle. However, I saw from Elizabeth’s eyes that the people who live here are in their room so be careful”
“……I got it. We’re going to aim for the top without making too much noise”
We search for the stairs that lead upwards.
We then climbed the stairs and arrived at the intended fifth floor.
“……over here”
We followed Fiー’s lead and ended up at the intended room.
An ordinary room is there. I guess it’s probably the room of the ones who live in this castle.
I exhale and concentrate.
“We’re going in”
I placed my hand on the door knobーーand opened the door vigorously.
A spacious room. There’s only a bed, a table, and a chair.
And then my eyes met with the eyes of the girl who sits on top of the bed. However, it’s not the intended person.
And that girl, I know her.
“How very rough, Egil・Voltz”
“Why are you here, Levia”
It was the light purple hair Levia, who’s sitting cross-legged on top of the bed with a grin, who welcomed us.
The Sun and Moon Mask young girls aren’t around.
Levia is the only one around, and then Fiー let out a surprised voice.
“……they were around, until just now”
“If it’s Shirona and Kurona, they were here until just now”
“……how, did you know?”
“It’s because my power is the same as you. I found the rabbit that’s loitering in the castle”
“……I failed. Sorry, Egil”
Fiー who becomes despondent.
I gently pat her head.
“Don’t worry about it. More importantly, what are you here for? Are you here to fight us?”
“I won’t do such a thing. I just, wanted to have a talk with you for a bit”
“Egil-han……is that child, an enemy?”
Setsuna asks me while keeping her guard up.
Is she an enemy? I don’t know about that either.
However, she’s surely not an enemy for now; because if she’s trying to kill me, she would’ve left monsters by her side.
“……no, she’s not an enemy for now so don’t worry. So, what is it that you want to talk about?”
“Uh-huh, I want to have you lend a hand for a bit”
“We aren’t enemies only for now; I have no intention to lend a hand to you, who’s affiliated with the Dark Guild”
“……well, I thought you would say that. But, if you listen to what I have to say, you will lend a hand to me”
“What?”
Levia doesn’t look like she’s lying.
It’s my intuition, but she certainly has no need to lie here.
“……we’re in a hurry, make it short”
“To return to your original continent huh. But, does the fact that you came here before that means that, you’re here to kill Shirona and Kurona?”
“It’s because they’re targetting Setsuna; if I can’t resolve it with a conversation, then there’s the possibility that I’ll kill them. ーーAre you going to stop me?”
“No, I won’t stop you. ーーIt’s just that, if you kill them before you hear what I have to say, you’ll surely regret it”
“……I got it, let me hear what you have to say”
I place my back against the wall.
I convey to the two of them with my eyes, ‘make sure you can move at any time’.
“First, the two whom you guys met; the one who wore the Sun Mask is Shirona, and the one who wore the Moon Mask is Kurona, the two of them are genuine sisters. It’s a short while back from now that they entered the Dark Guild”
The Sun Mask who possesses a blade that creates an explosion on contact is Shirona, and the Moon Mask who possesses a short blade that included poison is Kurona huh.
“Both of them emotionally conveyed,『There’s a person we want to save』『There’s a fellow we want to kill』, when they knocked on the door of the Dark Guild, but our Guild Leader decided not to let them join the guild. After all, both of them are neither Adventurers nor have they killed anybody before, so the Guild Leader thought that it’s difficult for the two of them. However, the two of them didn’t give up; we then proposed a certain condition and made them our comrades”
“Condition?”
“Uh-huh, one of our guild members is, an individual with the bizarre occupation called Marionette, and the condition is to assist that individual”
“Marionette……it’s the first time I’ve heard of it. Is that fellow also an S Rank?”
“Uh-huh, that individual is quite an abnormal fellow and is a troublemaker even in our guild. That’s why our Guild Leader was worried upon hearing that condition, but it seems that worry hit the mark”
“Is it that those Sun and Moon Mask are unique, and it’s a way to control the target?”
“That’s right. It seems it amplifies the target’s occupation’s ability, and Shirona and Kurona, who were completely powerless, acquired powerful abilities before we know it. ーーIt’s just that, the price of obtaining that power, is tormenting the two of them”
There are several occupations that strengthen a target.
However, that ability is on a different level. I had thought that the two of them are considerably powerful variants of their respectively different occupations, but if they’re strengthened by the ability of an S Rank occupation that I don’t know of then it’s understandable.
“Is that ‘price’, their life span or something?”
“No, that’s not it. Shirona ended up being able to only stay awake for an hour a day, and Kurona ended up being able to only sleep for an hour a day. That’s why the two of them can’t recover from their exhaustion, and I can tell that they’re weakening day by day”
“……what a curse”
“Uh-huh, it still sounds good if I say it’s the price of power, but it’s merely a dangerous curse to the two young girls who are puppets. And then their sensations as humans are, slowly fading. It’s likely that in just a bit more, they’ll cease to be humans and end up becoming mere puppets”
“……what a deplorable power”
Setsuna is also cursed. But, with me alleviating it, I’m sure it’ll work out somehow.
“You, want to help them?”
I don’t understand the reason that she told me about it.
My assumption that Levia wants to help that Shirona and Kurona should be correct.
However, Levia shook her head.
“The two of them are my comrades, but the Marionette is also my comrade. If I take into consideration who to prioritise, and who would be dangerous to make an enemy out of, I am unable to help those two”
“I see. Then why did you tell me about it?”
“It’s because you probably wish to save these two, that I told you about it”
“Me? Why would I save my enemies; I’m not softhearted to that extent, you know”
I sympathise with those two from the story that I hear, but it doesn’t concern me; those who target Setsuna are all my enemies.
“……Serina・Maverick”
Levia let out those words.
“Why, did Serina’s name come out there……?”
“I’m not mistaken that she’s an important existence to you, right?”
“……aah. Don’t tell me, you didn’t lay your hands on her, did you? If that’s the caseーー”
“Don’t give out so much killing intent. I won’t do such a thing. It’s just that, you know……if you don’t help those two, I think that person called Serina will probably be sad”
“Why will Serina beーー”
『I wanted to be with those girls forever, my two younger sisters whom I got separated with, is what I think』
Why did I recall Serina’s words at that time, here…….
It’s a mistake.
No, it’s not a mistake.
No, I want it to be a mistake.
But I couldn’t be confident that I’m mistaken.
That’s why while wishing that I’m mistaken, I asked Levia.
“……Are Shirona and Kurona, perhaps……Serina’s two younger sisters?”
I asked and, with a serious expression,
“That’s right”
Levia answered.
“No, way……”
“Both of them said it. 『We want to save our Onee-chan who was captured by the slave trader』, 『We were helped by Onee-chan, so we want to help her this time around, we want the strength to do that』……”
I’d heard from Serina that she has two younger sisters. However, I didn’t think that I’d actually encounter them at a place like this.
Furthermore, they’re affiliated with the Dark Guild and are in possession of cursed powers…….
Although it’s just a handful of times, we talked. However, it felt heartless. That’s the curse…….
“……what should I say, to Serina”
I found your sisters. However, they’ve become heartless puppets.
There’s no way I can say something like that to the elder sister who had been wanting to meet them the whole time. Besides, they’re cursed even now; what should I do.
ーーno, it’s obvious.
“How can I heal them from the puppet’s state? Do I just have to remove those masks? The way to help them, you know it, right?”
“A barrage of questions all of a sudden, huh……as I thought, you want to help them huh”
“Of course. I promised Serina that I’d locate her younger sisters……”
In order to make her blissful, the only way is to regain what she lost.
To give Serina blissーーis to let her reunite with her younger sisters.
Levia then said, ‘There are ways to help them’
“The ways to dispel this curse are, to have the Marionette who cast it cancel it andーー”
“Ask somebody who’s able to dispel curses……huh”
Fiー, who had been quiet the whole time, opened her mouth.
In response to that reaction, Levia opened her eyes widely in surprise.
“You know about it huh”
“Un. Egil, do you remember? What happened when you first met me”
“If I’m not wrong……it was in front of the lake of the Goliath Fortress Invasion Battle huh”
“Yeah. I said it over there, didn’t I, that I can remove the Slave Tool regardless of the owner.1 I think if we ask the person who removed my Slave Tool, they’ll surely be able to remove it”
“Really?”
If I’m not wrong, a Slave Tool was worn on Fiー’s neck. She then removed the Slave Tool before my eyes for me to see.2
Slave Tools are also things that derive from Magic, then by some chance, what that Marionette is using can perhaps also be remedied.
“Fiー, do you know that person who can dispel the curse?”
“Un. I can lead the way”
“I see. In that caseーー”
“I’m sorry for interrupting, but before you dispel the curse, you have no choice but to bring the two of them back. How are you going to do that?”
“I’ll talk to them about Serinaーー”
“That’s impossible. Both of them currently are heartless. Even when it comes to their precious elder sister, it’s probably a vague memory now”
“……is there no other way, than to do it by force?”
I asked that and, Levia shook her head.
“If you dispel the curse, you’ll be able to release them from the curse completely. But it’s difficult to do it right awayーーin that case, I know of a way to dispel only half of the curse”
“……really? What will happen if we do that”
“I suppose they’ll probably regain their souls as humans. The curse of being unable to sleep, and wanting to sleep, remains though. But, you ought to be able to leave this place together and safely head to where the person who can dispel the curse is”
I can help them without using force if we do that.
I want to quickly let Serina meet them; I want to quickly make Serina happy.
I had walked to the front of Levia’s eyes as I was thinking of that.
“Please, teach me. What should I do”
“I can teach you, but make the promise withーー”
“I got it. I’ll make that promise with you”
Levia squinted her eyes while sitting.
“……I still haven’t explained it to you though?”
“It’s for Serina’s sake. And?”
“Really, you’re a strange person. Hmm, well then, I’ll have you listen to my request later. Well then, let’s go, shall we”
Levia stands up and walks towards the door.
“You’re not going to tell me about it now?”
“It’s not particularly something that I want you to fulfil right away. It’s fine to do it after we return to our original continent”
“What if I ran away……?”
Levia, who turned around, grinned.
“You are not the kind of man who runs away. I don’t really like the word ‘Trust’, but I suppose you’re a man who keeps his promise so it’s alright. ーーBesides, time is of the essence”
“You are a strange person. Did you mean to Shirona and Kurona’s location when you say ‘Let’s go’?”
“That’s right. We’ll dispel just half of the curse thereーーand regain the souls the two of them originally have”
- In the original text, it writes ‘I removed the Slave Tool regardless of the owner’, but I slightly changed it so that it flows better.
- In the original text, it writes ‘Indeed, a Slave Tool isn’t worn on Fiー’s neck. And then she removed the Slave Tool before my eyes for me to see’, but I slightly changed it so that it flows better.
I felt that both of these sentences didn’t flow quite well, so I tweaked them slightly.
