Shini Yasui Kōshaku Reijō to Nana-ri no Kikōshi

Today is the fateful day.

Well, the fateful day for me, Dolores Wynt, is as common as rainy days in the morning.

Tragedy is like rain.

And the signs of tragedy are like rain clouds.

Irresistible rain clouds that shed tears and blood.

You understand, Dolores?

That is why the Wynt are acting as winds that drive away such fate by interfering with fate.

My grandfather, who died long before I was born, repeatedly said that through the mirror.

The Wynt’s way of causal interference is very simple.

For example, it is placed in the context of a story that was repeatedly read since they were young.

For example, a small piece of paper between the books that they pulled out which contains a warning to never turn right at the corner that day.

Repeat the message repeatedly for the person we want to mobilize, for the sake of the future.

That is all.

However, seemingly insignificant interference is hard to ignore if it is repeated like a paranoia for generations.

Eventually, it twists the natural principle behavior of the human being who was interfered with.

Suspicious deaths, suicides, deaths by madness, assassinations, uncertain whereabouts.

Murdering allies, regicide, mariticide, uxoricide, parricide, filicide.

If one turns the pages of the history book properly, now and then one will find inexplicable and unnatural cases.

Those are the tragedies the Wynt family took part in to get rid of the greater tragedies.

Notwithstanding the deeds of my ancestors, they are all artistic and disgustingly accurate.

Now then, the story goes back to present time.

This morning, an old magic book fell in front of the thirteen-year-old me.

At a very unnatural timing.

A piece of paper emerged from a gap in the cover of the book that had fallen and hit the floor.

It was a scribble of an ancestor from 150 years ago, describing the name and conditions of the person I had to kill today.

Eléonore Ignitia.

The princess I had to serve.

My single decent best friend, and a confidant since childhood.

Again, huh.

That is what I truly think.

I’ve seen the same note five times.

The first note I received was when Eléonore and I were eight years old.

The role to assassinate the young princess originally belonged to my father, who was the head of the Wynt family, but he rejected it.

I understand his desire to refuse.

Because, well, killing the young princess of the suzerain state is unacceptable be it from the standpoint of emotions, morals, ethics, or position.

Three days later, instead of my father, I was the one who started receiving messages from my ancestors repeatedly.

Eventually, even my late great-grandfather and grandfather persuaded me through the mirror endlessly.

It seems that the fate of that princess is so devastating that direct descendants of the immediate family of Wynt, who have received repeated interference, have to take direct actions.

At that time, as an eight-year-old, it was a role that made me feel hopeless.

I didn’t want to kill that precious child just to escape rain.

Even if she would end up being the vessel of Cain, the most detestable Lunatic King in history.

As a result, I never managed to kill Eléonore until now.

But I will probably never forget the lonely suffering of the five times I had to prepare magic for assassination.

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☆

By the way, today is the day we celebrate the Advent Festival at the royal castle of Ignitia, our suzerain state.

I was watching the night sky on the balcony; a place where I can lure out and be alone with my target.

The night sky is covered with dark grey clouds, and no stars can be seen, even now, on the day of the new moon.

It is an incredibly lackluster and depressing sky, just like my life.

“And that is how it went this morning, Eléonore.”

With the name of the assassination target hidden, I told her about this morning as if it was a funny story.

“That is troubling indeed. But, as your confidant, I’ll keep this to myself, Dolores. Even if you kill, we will always be friends.”

‘We will always be friends’… it was such a sickly-sweet, childish attachment.

The princess, who doesn’t even know that she is the target, was very carefree. It was honestly enviable.

Aah, I want to steal magical power from the magic tower and disperse the clouds with massive weather magic, but this is Ignitia.

No convenient magic tower has been built nearby.

I can’t do anything because my magical power has almost been exhausted while preparing the assassination magic for the princess.

“But, your ancestors are really serious, huh. They sound like delicate drama writers.”

“It is difficult.”

The easygoing princess quipped.

But I want this child to be comfortable.

If possible, I don’t want her to know the hardships of others any more than this.

“Of course, that is understandable. Because your first assassination plan’s target is me, correct?”

Hearing Eléonore’s words, I doubted my ears.

This person, what did she say just now?

Perhaps she knew that I was feeling shaken, she repeated her words afterwards as if giving an additional blow.

“Once more then. It’s me, right?”

“…No way, did you read my mind?”

Suppressing the urge to hyperventilate, I asked back.

Ignorant of other people’s feelings, Eléonore stared at me meaningfully.

This person’s doll-like beauty at times like this is seriously annoying.

“No, but it was written on your face.”

“Liar. I haven’t changed my expression at all.”

“You didn’t change your expression, but did you notice that you’re holding your left arm with your right hand? It’s a habit when you have to make a hard choice, right? Poor you, Dolores!”

Eléonore made an expression as if saying she had me figured out.

It was a provoking smile full of mischief.

Eléonore asked while I was looking for words to respond with.

“So, what are the conditions for today? And can you tell me why I must die?”

“A girl will appear before you. If you can’t be friends with that girl, I will have to kill you immediately.”

When I saw this order, I thought that my ancestors must have known that this princess is shy. They are truly hateful.

“Oh my, how scary!”

“That is why, no matter how much of a liar or a coward the girl is, or even if she is the worst person on the planet, you must be friends with her. No matter what.”

“Eeh~!”

Eleonore raised a disgustingly happy voice.

Aah, this person, she doesn’t care to hear what I say.

“…You. Do you even understand what I’m saying?”

“A person’s mind should not be desecrated by anyone, Dolores.”

Then Eléonore’s assertion began.

She is a powerful person, but she doesn’t use that power on humans.

Because she has been unconsciously overwriting the mind of the people around her since she was a child.

By the time she understood what’s going on around her, she realized that her mother was no longer the mother who kneaded cocoa.

It is said that her mind was shut for a while because of the shock of having unconsciously overwritten her own mother’s mind.

“So, I will absolutely refuse to change another person’s mind.”

I don’t really get it, but unfortunately, I don’t have time to think it over.

“Still, that kind of fate is unfortunate, isn’t it? Don’t you understand how important this is?”

I persuaded her earnestly.

The gears will be thrown out of joint if you don’t meet the conditions, and then you will become the Vampire Queen.

Someone with the incomparably powerful telepathy ability being taken over by the Vampire King, can you imagine?

The height of the mountain of the dead built by the Vampire Queen would be unprecedented.

“That is why, if you still value your life, please follow what I said.”

Eléonore didn’t seem to budge, even when I revealed my hand and persuaded her.

“But, as long as I’m alive, you can’t escape the duty of watching me, right? Then, wouldn’t that be as if you were born to be my guard? Being tied down all the time like that must be unpleasant, right?”

Yes, of course it’s unpleasant.

But that is the reason why there is nothing that I can do.

I am the guardian of the tragic princess, and I am set to be someone working behind-the-scenes of history.

“I’d rather be killed by you for the peace of lots of people somewhere, Dolores.”

Eléonore ruthlessly told me to be someone who kills her best friend.

What a terrible thing to say.

“Rather than dying for someone somewhere, live for me!”

When I shouted hysterically, Eléonore, for some reason, laughed.

As she laughed, she pointed at the hall while rubbing her eye.

“That said, there’s no one approaching us. All the adults seem to be busy, and all the kids are terrified by me and you.”

“That’s entirely your fault…”

“Oh my, that won’t do, Dolores!”

Both of us are practically misanthrope and unsociable.

We look and behave differently like day and night, but we are of the same nature.

While we were waiting for a worthless person on an unpopular balcony in this way, a strange person appeared.

A young boy walked in from being surrounded by girls of the same age.

He said goodbye to each one carefully and came over here.

“Hey, that guy is coming over, Eléonore.”

“A boy with a beautiful face…?”

“No. Looks like it’s a girl dressed as a man.”

For some reason her clothes are luxurious, but the size doesn’t fit her.

Judging from her dark blonde hair and facial features, she seems to be from a family of alchemists in the West.

“How weird. I have a feeling that something interesting is about to happen!”

“You should be suspicious first before feeling excited, Eléonore.”

The crossdressing girl on the balcony bowed deeply and smiled at us.

That smile somehow feels false.

Give me a break, did a fraudster’s egg come instead?

“Best regards, Your Highness Eléonore, I hope you find yourself in excellent spirits. My name is Frederica, the youngest child of the Bort family.”

Bort.

That is a name I had read somewhere a while ago.

The name of the student who died a mysterious death after publishing a paper called the Aaru Hypothesis.

His theory that the Lunatic King is still alive is right on the money, so he was probably killed by someone.

“You are a beautiful person, as the rumors say. I really thought that an angel had descended.”

“Oh my, I’ve heard rumors that I look like the devil though?”

“This is my first time hearing such heartless rumors…but, if it’s a pretty devil like you, I would even give my soul away.”

Flowery words that make one’s skin crawl.

What the heck is wrong with this person?

Everything about her is unpleasant.

Eléonore seemed to be having fun, but in fact, she was like a kitten playing with her toy.

“I don’t need your soul, but for you to make a contract with the devil, what is it that you desire?”

“Right. It is unfortunate, but my beauty and talent will decline soon. I need resources, so to speak.”

“Oh my, you don’t need my heart?”

“For that, I will use my true ability to win over.”

The girl smiled mischievously.

So she is a snob who is seeking after money using connection, huh.

I guess she is in a fix because she is on the brink of ruin and the close relative who was supposed to be the heir was dead.

Well, not that I’m interested in this girl’s situation.

Being honest is not bad, but I just don’t like her type.

First of all, everything about her is false.

“I don’t hate people like you. Then, let’s see…”

Eléonore pretended to be thinking it over.

“If a star dashes through this night sky tonight, I’ll be your patron.”

Pointing at the cloudy sky, Eleonore smiled.

With a seemingly innocent face, she forced an extremely unreasonable demand.

First of all, this proposal is out of the question unless she disperses the clouds.

If she only clears up a part of the clouds covering the island, we will still not be able to see the shooting star.

What she needs is large-scale weather magic.

Even if she is able to disperse the clouds, that doesn’t solve the problem of the shooting star itself.

Now is not the time for a meteor shower.

She is completely out of luck, and it is very unlikely for her to win this.

Eléonore’s request may be a test of both ability and luck.

“Aah, splendid. Then I might be able to show that to you.”

In response to the princess’ unreasonable demand, the crossdressing girl smiled confidently.

“What kind of star would you like, Princess?”

“One that traces a tail of light and falls across the sky into the sea, just like a beautiful meteor.”

“Understood. Even if I have to put this life on the line, I shall grant the wish of the beautiful princess.”

While saying a dramatic line, she floated to the sky.

For any kind of large-scale magic, alchemists would depend on their wands.

First of all, let’s see how she would clear away the thick clouds covering the entire Island of Messenger.

As I waited, I began to hear a song coming from somewhere high.

It reminded me of an old lullaby in my hometown, somehow it felt nostalgic.

“By the way, Dolores.”

“What is it, Eléonore?”

Eléonore began to speak as if gossiping while listening to the alchemist’s song.

“Did you know that the alchemists of Aurelia have a secret art that can make stars fall?”

“It’s the legend of the Visitor’s Clan, right? I’ve read about it in an old book.”

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Legend has it that on the day the Visitor’s Clan arrived on the continent, they dropped enough meteors to change the terrain.

There might be better ways for them to show off their power though.

I wonder if being a spendthrift fool is hereditary.

“It seems that 97 out of 100 of those who used the wand with the spell to drop a star will die.”

“Hmm, then?”

“And in order to use that wand, one must sing a song.”

“…Ha…?”

After about seven beats, I asked Eléonore.

“Haa~~~!? And that girl is trying to do that right now~~~!?”

“If the story I heard from my father is true, that should be the case.”

“That means, if we leave this be, in 8 or 9 cases out of ten, a dead body will fall from the sky!?”

“As I said, rather than 80 or 90 percent, it’s 97 percent.”

During the feast of the Advent Festival of the Federal Kingdom.

On the balcony within a stone’s throw of Lion Hall in the royal palace.

The miserable figure of the corpse of a young girl had fallen from a high altitude.

The first discoverers were the rumored misanthropic princess and the misanthropic daughter of an Earl.

Don’t joke around!

I don’t need another scandal!

“How ridiculous! Is she going to take such a risk for some whimsical princess’ entertainment, no, just for money!?”

I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

But, I understood that she wasn’t in a position to refuse.

Even trouble has its limits.

Just how much do you think I’m breaking my heart so I don’t have to kill Eléonore, huh?

All will be ruined if the key friend candidate dies.

Even if she wasn’t the girl the condition referred to, no one would ever approach again if such a suspicious death occurs.

I looked up at the sky.

On my Glam Sight, I saw a string of magical light extending.

Unanalyzable magical threads were entangled, tied, and knitted to form an orderly pattern.

It’s like some kind of an unrefined magic circle, similar to the ancient magic Pattern.

Even I, who is magic savvy, have no knowledge of this.

What is this?

At the very least, I can see that both the wand and the song are the real deal.

I must drag that alchemist out of the sky before the song ends.

“Tch! I’ll stop that fool before she waves the wand!”

“Can I go with you?”

“Aah, whatever, there’s no time!”

After a quick spell of Levitation, Eléonore and I headed to the alchemist floating in the sky.

When we finally reached her after a little while, a strong wind blew.

I nestled close to Eléonore to support her, who was new to flying magic.

The wind instantly cleared up the thick dark clouds that had covered the sky.

A starlit sky spread over the jet-black moonless night sky.

Weather magic…?

No, that was merely Gust.

However, the spell has been extended to a tremendous range to cover the sky over the Island of Messenger.

For such a massive-scale magic to be prepared while deploying the spell to drop stars at the same time, that should be impossible.

Did she prepare it in advance? Did she just so happen to have a wand with extended range?

No way, there is no such coincidence.

That means that was a meta-magic called wand alteration then.

—This girl!

At that time, I was a little appreciative of the alchemist’s ability.

A rain of light was pouring down.

The true identity of that light was shooting stars.

Tails of light were drawn from the heaven to the junction between the sea and the sky.

Countless stars were falling.

Many, many stars.

It was as if all the stars covering the sky were falling.

The trails of the stars were reflected on the surface of the calm sea, and both the sea and the sky were shining.

It’s as if we’ve lost our way into the place where the stars are born, at the end of the sea of stars where there is only an empty space.

It was my first time seeing something like this.

I forgot to breathe, as I admired the shooting stars.

When I returned to my senses, Eléonore was staring at the girl as though she was drawn.

“Haha, this is troubling. That was my last shot…”

I noticed the faint voice and turned my gaze.

The alchemist had a bewildered expression despite showing such a wonderful technique.

“The control should have been perfect. Where did I make the mistake…aah, this kind of wand, I should have just sold it off!”

That face was so different from the confident and arrogant impression—

It looked like the face of a child who had nowhere to go.

So, I became really curious about her situation, which I didn’t care to know before.

“Princess. I’m sorry, it should have been just one line of star…! What an unsightly failure!”

“Not at all! That was my first time seeing such a wonderful meteor shower!”

Eléonore, who was supposed to be next to me, was hugging the alchemist while raising an excited voice.

The princess, who was bad at socializing, seemed to take a liking to the alchemist.

In short, this fulfilled the conditions given by the Wynt ancestors.

Remembering that, I exhaled deeply from relief.

☆

It was destiny.

That day, without being able to kill Princess Eléonore, I gained yet another friend—the pitiable and incorrigible friend, Frederica Bort.