L.G.D.K! Sea Memory 02 – Highway to Hell?

Author’s Note: and here’s the second “Memory” in the series. It’s also the last one for Sea Green, the rest will be Coy’s as his backstory on becoming the Hero is a bit longer. This chapter also explains where I got the title for the novel. Anyway, I forgot to mention why Sea Green uses her given name last for her old identity. She is Japanese and most Asian cultures use their family name first and their given names second. Anywho, please enjoy?

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I was now at an alter, something that felt like it was from a fantasy game. Before me were a bold old man with a beard that was wearing robes and a… maid with glasses? No, she wasn’t just any normal maid. She was a night elf, complete with tanned skin, silvery hair, golden eyes, and the long ears. She was also taller than me, but not by much. Something about her just seemed familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. But all silence was broken when the old man spoke.

“Hello, my name is Maurice. Are you the one summoned by the Deity?” (Maurice)

“That’s right.”

“What is your name?” (Maurice)

I had to think about it for a moment. Just to make sure, I touched the back of my head. To my surprise, there was a ponytail. I touched the front of my head and brushed one of the bangs in front of my eyes. To my surprise this time, they were sea green. I now knew my answer.

“I’m Sea Green, a Magical Girl!”

I even said it with a wink. I couldn’t believe it, I was really a Magical Girl! And for once I could do my Magical Girl Sea Green pose in front of a stranger without feeling embarrassed. I was happy as could be.

“Alright, Sea Green. I need you to follow me.” (Maurice)

I followed him as instructed and the maid followed me. We went down a hallway, complete with torches lighting it. There were a few mirrors on the walls of the corridor, and I could only glance at them as we moved. It was true that I became Sea Green thanks to the changes in my hair and my one eye, but my clothing… was a disappointment. It was my school uniform, the last thing I thought it would be. Still, I didn’t have much time to worry about it as Maurice lead me to a balcony.

As I overlooked the crowd, I was amazed. There were all kinds of different people. From humans, to night elves, to goblins, to others that had black eyes and horns. The last one surprised me the most. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that they were demons.

“People of the realm, today is a joyous occasion! After all this time, our prayers to the Deity have been answered!” (Maurice)

I couldn’t believe the amount of cheers that were coming from the crowds. It made Comiket sound like a monastery. Before I could even feel the ‘awe’, Maurice signaled me to come up to the railing.

“My people, I present to you Sea Green! She is our new Devil King!” (Maurice)

Even though the crowd got rowdier, everything for me had stopped.

Devil King? Really? When the Deity told me it was something ‘similar’ to a Hero, that was the last thing that I expected. In all RPGs, the Devil King was the villain, the final boss. The Devil King was the one who caused strife for the people and the Hero was the one to save the world from him. I don’t want to believe it. No, I refuse to believe it!

Before I could even speak a word, Maurice and the maid had me follow them away. I was brought to a bedroom, and Maurice had explicitly told the maid to prepare me for my coronation before leaving. I just didn’t know what to do. It was too much.

“Yuki-chan, it will all be okay.” (Maid)

“How the hell will it all be okay!? The Deity said nothing about me becoming the damn Devil King! Just how… wait. How did you know my name?”

“That’s right, you never seen me like this before.” (Maid)

The maid then took off her glasses and let her silvery hair down. It was longer than I expected and it came down to her buttocks. But… she started to look more familiar. And then it hit me. Even though the skin was tanned, even though her hair was silver, even though her eyes were golden, even though she was shorter, and even though she had longer ears… the hair style and facial features were ones that I could never mistaken.

“Kimi-chan?”

“That’s right, Yuki-chan. It’s really me, Kurogane Kimiko. This is actually my true form.” (Kimiko)

“But… how?”

“Believe it or not, I wasn’t really a human to begin with. I may be seventeen years old in that ‘human’ body, but my real age is one hundred and seventeen years old.” (Kimiko)

“Wait.. huh?”

“I’m really a shrine maiden for the Deity. Seventeen years ago, I prayed really hard for a Devil King to come and save us. The Deity answered my prayers and sent me to your world as a human infant. The Kuroganes, they found me at the abandoned shrine and adopted me. But my real purpose was to find a candidate to be the new Devil King. Sadly, my memories of this world were locked away until you caught me and Ryoma behind the gym and you did your Magical Girl Sea Green pose.” (Kimiko)

“But why me?”

“It’s because you were true to yourself in the end. Even though you tried to cast away your chuunibyou, you learned to accept it as part of yourself. When I was collapsed after my fight with Ryoma and those other jackass’, you chose to come for me. That proved that you didn’t care, that you were willing to do what’s right. Sadly… I was hoping you wouldn’t come.” (Kimiko)

“But I had to, you were injured.”

“I know. But I also knew that by coming for me… that the Deity would choose you as the candidate. Yuki-chan… I’m so sorry.” (Kimiko)

I could see the sadness in her eyes as tears were starting to form. I just couldn’t let those tears fall.

“Kimi-chan, it’s alright. I chose to come for you and I chose to accept the Deity’s request. It may not be what I expected, but it will all be okay. When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. Now, lets make the best damn lemonade that we can.”

That calmed her down a lot. When I asked her what we should do next, she told me that I should just play the role of Devil King for now. She even prepared me for my coronation. It was a dress that reminded me of Victoria England, but we managed to squeeze me into it.

The coronation on the other hand, was more stressful than I thought. I had to meet a lot of officials, including the Demon Realm Prime Minister. I didn’t even know that a Demon Realm had one of those. However, it all went off without a hitch and I made it back to the room later that evening. It was there, that we concocted our plan.

“So from what I’ve gathered… I’m basically a figurehead and I am stuck in this castle until time to fight the Hero?”

“Basically… yes.” (Kimiko)

“That just sucks…”

“It does, but you will at least be allowed in the courtyard to train.” (Kimiko)

“But come on? I get transported to a new world and I can’t even explore it? How is that fair?”

“The Deity said nothing about being fair. However… it didn’t say that you can’t escape either.” (Kimiko)

“But how the hell am I supposed to escape this place? I can’t just go and beat up the guards.”

“No… but the Hero can.” (Kimiko)

“Wait… how is that supposed to work?”

“From what I remember from my time in your world… there were many fairytales, right?” (Kimiko)

“Right.”

“Simple, your situation is pretty much like that of a fairytale.” (Kimiko)

Despite my intelligence and imagination, I can’t believe that I didn’t think about it like that. Despite being the Devil King, I was nothing more than a maiden forced to stay in a castle against her will. All I needed was a knight in shining armor to save me.

“But… how am I going to convince the Hero to save me and not just slay me on the spot?”

“Don’t forget, I used to read manga and light novels as well. There was one with a female Devil King who became allies with the Hero. Remember, it was–” (Kimiko)

“Don’t even finish that sentence!”

“Fine, but the same idea might work?” (Kimiko)

“I’m not going to try to start things off with ‘be mine, hero’. No way would that happen in real life.”

“True. But you will never know unless you try, right?” (Kimiko)

“First of all, we don’t even know if the Hero is going to by a male. And if it’s a girl, she would have to be a lesbian to even consider those words. And for all we know… Hero might not even be my type?”

“You’re right, we first need to know who the Hero is.” (Kimiko)

“And how do you propose we do that?”

Kimiko then went for a trunk that was in the bed room. After opening and rummaging through it, she pulled out some kind of orb. She then set the orb on the table.

“A Crystal Ball.” (Kimiko)

“Wait… aren’t those things just props used by fortune tellers to swindle idiots out of their money?”

“In your world, yes. But in this world, they actually work.” (Kimiko)

“So with this… we will know who the Hero is?”

“Yeah. Now… how about we see the face of your future savior?” (Kimiko)

I sighed and allowed her to do it. I personally didn’t care anymore, this world was already giving me a headache. All I could really do now was look into the Crystal Ball.

After a bit of Kimiko waving her hands around it, the fog inside started to clear up. I could see it, but I couldn’t believe it. It was a young man, looked like he could be a third year in high school. His hair was long, but more like a darker shade of ginger. But there were two different details that caught my attention. First off, he had animal ears and a tail. As an otaku, meeting animal people had always been a dream. But the second detail bothered me.

“Is he wearing a blue zoot-suit?”

“I believe he is.” (Kimiko)

“Just hold the phone… what the hell is going on? Aren’t we in a fantasy world?”

“Just because we’re in a fantasy world, doesn’t mean that times don’t change?” (Kimiko)

She had me there. Even though the setting is normally like Europe in the middle ages in the vast majority of RPG and Adventure games, it was still reality. All I could do was keep watching. What I saw, I couldn’t believe. He was smoking a cigarette and standing in front of a Saloon Car. Was this America in the 1930’s? He even held something you don’t normally see in RPGs.

“Is he holding a Tommy Gun?”

“In this world, those are known as Gusenbergs. They were still in development when I originally came to your world.” (Kimiko)

“But… guns?”

“Believe it or not, firearms are available in this world. Ones like Gusenbergs are normally used by gangsters as they are not allowed for military use. Most the military in this world still use Muskets. Some even use bolt-action rifles.” (Kimiko)

I just couldn’t believe this. This was supposed to be the fantasy adventure that I always dreamed of, not some FPS title with fantasy elements. My dreams were already being torn apart by becoming the Devil King, now they are being shredded. And things got even more gloomy when I saw the animal person getting arrested by what looked like a cowboy sheriff.

“Really?”

“Wait… I know that sheriff.” (Kimiko)

“You do?”

“Yeah, that’s Rodney Dalton. He’s the Sheriff of Anthill Bay.” (Kimiko)

“And how do you know him?”

“I met him while on a pilgrimage years ago as a Shrine Maiden. He was a lot younger and more handsome back then. He didn’t have that handlebar mustache, ya know.” (Kimiko)

“It’s nice that you know the sheriff who’s arresting the so-called hero, but that’s the least of my worries.”

“Other than your fantasy adventure being ruined by firearms, what else is wrong?” (Kimiko)

“The Hero!”

“What? He’s not bad looking.” (Kimiko)

“That’s not the point.”

“Then what’s wrong?” (Kimiko)

“Where do I start… oh yeah. For starters, he’s a criminal. And by my analysis so far, he’s in the mafia or something. Not to mention he has no ‘heroic’ vibe about him. If we used him for the plan, he might just hold me for ransom or something?”

“Don’t judge a book by the cover, Yuki-chan.” (Kimiko)

“Yeah, but…”

“No buts. Don’t forget, I was a ‘yankee’ back in your world. However, I was still as normal as a girl could get. All we need is more information on this guy.” (Kimiko)

“Wait… how do we get that? Don’t forget, I can’t leave the palace.”

“But I can. As your personal maid, I’m allowed to get you anything from outside of the castle.” (Kimiko)

“I’ve been meaning to ask… why a maid? Aren’t you supposed to be a Shrine Maiden?”

“It was part of the deal with the Deity. After I found the Devil King candidate, I must serve them for the rest of my life.” (Kimiko)

“And you agreed to it?”

“I didn’t have much of a choice. We needed a Devil King. I’m just glad that Ryoma wasn’t the one chosen.” (Kimiko)

“You have a point, he would had made it his chance to have his own personal harem.”

“Yeah. Still, I didn’t mind having to serve the next Devil King if it meant that we could finally fix the wrongs in the world.” (Kimiko)

“Fix the wrongs?”

“I’ll tell you about it later. Right now, I’m going to see if we can get some information on this so-called Hero that the Crystal Ball showed us.” (Kimiko)

“And what am I supposed to do in the mean time?”

“Here.” (Kimiko)

What Kimiko handed me, I couldn’t believe. It was my school bag. As I looked inside it, I was surprised. It had some of my manga, some of my light novels, my sketchbook, and my school ID card.

“How did you?”

“If you remember correctly, I didn’t have a bag on me when I entered your bed room. When I left, I took yours. I also snatched your sketchbook while we were looking at the school social networking site. Besides, what kind of maid would I be if I didn’t remember to bring my mistress’ things?” (Kimiko)

I just couldn’t help but to hug her.

“Calm down, Yuki-chan. Don’t forget, we still have plenty of time before we can plan your escape. Besides, it’s getting late.” (Kimiko)

I listened to what she said and went to bed after dinner. I didn’t know the name of the meat that was on the menu, but it did taste like chicken. Also, the bed was very comfortable.

The following morning, I had to remember that I wasn’t in my old bedroom surrounded by manga. Also that Kimiko was now a night elf and only a little bit taller than me now. After breakfast, I was told my schedule. It was mostly more meetings with officials, the Prime Minister telling me about the war effort, giving already prepared speeches… the usual figurehead stuff. I didn’t know how long I had to bare with it, but I knew that it wouldn’t be forever.

My only solace I found within the next few months was training in the courtyard. I was given numerous scarecrows for target practice.

“Andiamo scottature frecce!”

Even though I said it in my own language, it turned into the mage’s language as it was a spell. What I really said was ‘Let’s Go Scalding Arrows’, it was one of my own original spells as Magical Girl Sea Green. And as the name implies, arrows made of scalding water fired at the scarecrows. Maurice, who was actually a priest and in charge of my magical training applauded as the steam from the scalding arrows was dispelling into the air. After they set up a new set of scarecrows, it was time for a more powerful spell.

“Andiamo cannone ad acqua!”

This one was called ‘Let’s go water cannon’, another original spell. This time, a giant blast of water destroyed all the scarecrows. Again, Maurice applauded at my handy work.

“Very good, Lady Sea. With powerful water-based spells like that, the Hero does not even stand a chance against you.” (Maurice)

“That’s noting. I actually have a stronger spell than that, but I can’t use it here.”

“Why not, Lady Sea?”(Maurice)

“Because it could destroy a mountain.”

Even though I said it with my usual wink, I could see the look on his face was a mix of amazement and terror.

“In that case Lady Sea… let’s hope that you never have to use that spell.” (Maurice)

I didn’t blame him. The attack I named ‘Let’s go water dragon of lightning’ was too strong. It creates a dragon made of water that is electrified. I know, it’s actually a lame sounding attack. It was actually meant to destroy a whole army and not a mountain, but I couldn’t tell that truth. It would put me out on the front lines, the last place I wanted to be if I were to ever escape this place. Only those in the Demon Realm knew of my identity as Devil King. If I were to escape this place, I wouldn’t want to be attacked by the other side.

As I decided to take the usual break with tea and cakes, a messenger raven flew into the courtyard. Kimiko had her falconry glove on and received it. After removing the small message from the tube tied to it’s leg, it flew away.

“What does it say?” (Maurice)

“I’m sorry Maurice, but this is a message for Lady Sea.” (Kimiko)

After hearing that, Maurice left the courtyard. When she was sure the coast was clear, she finally told me the contents.

“The Hero has officially been chosen. The Crystal Ball was right, it was the gangster.” (Kimiko)

“Do we have any other information?”

“I received his file yesterday, it’s currently hidden in the study.” (Kimiko)

That’s right, we had to keep our investigation as covert as possible. Maurice may had been a priest, but it’s also his job to report my actions to the Prime Minister. We couldn’t let that happen, not if I were to ever leave this stony cage.

“Maid, I believe I shall retire to the study for now.”

With that said, I made my way back inside of the castle and headed there. It was located next to the throne room, so it was convenient for me to get there after meetings. But after I got there, I had to wait for Kimiko as she was the one who hid the file. After waiting a while, she finally made it with a cart that had a tray of snacks. We did have to keep suspicion to a minimum. Once the door was closed, she headed to a bookshelf and removed a large book. And what was inside that book once she set it down on the table, a file folder.

“It was hard to smuggle this in here, Yuki-chan.” (Kimiko)

“I know, but the Prime Minister is already suspicious of my power. If he knew of our plan, I would be locked in the dungeon of this place and not on the throne.”

Even Kimiko knew that this was true. The Prime Minister needs his figurehead to keep the morale of the military up. As I skimmed through the file, I couldn’t believe some of the things that I read. This guy really was my age. It said he was a coyote ‘half-man’, a term that seemed derogatory in my opinion. Still, I never expected a coyote. If he had been a wolf, it might had been more romantic? I chuckled when I read that his name was Coy, it seemed too cute. As for his criminal record… I couldn’t believe a guy like him could be the Hero. A few accounts of possession of illegal firearms, two of reckless discharge of a firearm, a few of assault with a deadly weapon, one of arson, a few accounts of being intoxicated in public, and at least once he was charged with indecent exposure. That last one made me blush a little.

As I kept on reading, I was surprised that he hadn’t been indicted for murder. Better yet, that he didn’t get arrested for breaking the law of gravity. This coyote man named Coy was definitely a character. I then made the mistake of sipping tea as I read through some notes that were made. I couldn’t believe that this was in there, it caused me to spit it out.

“Was does it say virgin?”

“That was something I was curious about. Though I should have known as all the past Heroes and Devil Kings were virgins.” (Kimiko)

“Wait… you mean to tell me that anyone can be the Hero as long as they’re a virgin?”

“Not really. It also has to do with underlying characteristics.” (Kimiko)

“Underlying characteristics?”

“Yes, underlying characteristics. As you can see, he has a huge criminal record. However, even that cannot show who he is on the inside. Like how the criminal record does not explain why he committed some of those crimes.” (Kimiko)

“It shouldn’t matter? Crimes are still crimes.”

“It does matter. I even did further investigating. The accounts of reckless discharge of a firearm, were to stop someone else from doing an even worse crime. The accounts of assault with a deadly weapon, those were actually in self-defense. As for the others… there is no justification. It was just his own stupidity.” (Kimiko)

“Still… I cannot take him seriously as an ‘ally of justice’. It’s just impossible.”

“That’s what makes the impossible interesting. Who knows, he might really be your Prince Charming?” (Kimiko)

“I doubt it. However… I don’t doubt that he could get me out of here. I can always ditch him after I get away.”

“Actually, it would be in your best interest to keep him by your side.” (Kimiko)

“Don’t tell me that you got too caught up in that one series?”

“It’s not the reason. You see… you’re going to need protection after you get out of here.” (Kimiko)

“But I’m stronger than most of the demon-folk?”

Demon-folk was the term for those I saw from the balcony that had the black eyes and horns. They weren’t really demons, but they looked the part.

“That may be true, but it would cause chaos if the Devil King were to attack her subjects.” (Kimiko)

She hit the nail right on the head with that one. The people of this realm only know me as my Sea Green persona. I also only have my powers when in that form. Even though no one knows of me as Sengoku Yuki, I’m still powerless as her.

“Fine, you win Kimi-chan. But… how am I going to get this guy to rescue me? Other than tricking him as Sengoku Yuki?”

“Personally, I think honesty is your best option here. Even if you convince him in your other form that you were a girl who was kidnapped, I doubt that he will leave the castle until he finds the Devil King.” (Kimiko)

“Well… it’s not like I have the gold to bribe him? And I doubt that he will accept any of the stuff that was brought from my world with me, no one here can read any of the three written Japanese languages.”

“Then offer yourself.” (Kimiko)

“What?”

“Think about it, you’re actually very cute. Not to mention that you have nice thighs. I know you’re not as bouncy as I am, but there are some guys out there who like girls that are ‘compact’. Plus he’s a virgin, so the offer of a girl belonging to him might be tantalizing?” (Kimiko)

I didn’t want to admit it, but she was right. I had nothing better than myself to offer this guy. And there were no crimes that were sexual on his record, so there was a strong possibility that I was safe. Not to mention… I was originally saving myself for a guy who turned out to be a blow-fish. That along with the fact that I’ll never return to my world, I had nothing else to lose.

“Fine, you win Kimi-chan. I’ll offer myself to this Coy guy.”

I personally didn’t like how Kimiko reacted to it, she seemed too giddy. I was wondering if she was secretly a bigger otaku than me. All I knew was that there was still time before Coy got here. During that time, I had to keep the charade up. I personally didn’t like being the Devil King, so I really had nothing to lose in this gamble. It was all or nothing, and I really needed luck to be on my side.

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