L.G.D.K! Chapter 14 – I Write Sins, Not Tragedies?

Author’s Note: And welcome to chapter 14, peeps. I’m glad I had this written in advanced. I’m sure that any of you who are looking at my Twitter probably know what I’ve been up to between the updates, but I’ll talk about that in the After Note. For now, please enjoy?

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Chapter 14 – I Write Sins, Not Tragedies?

I managed to get back to the shrine with Nyra safely. Of course, I had to explain to a worried Kimiko what was going on. She immediately locked up the shrine and had everyone gather in the main area. Things were getting intense, but all we could do was wait for Coy to return. It wasn’t too long before it happened. We re-locked the doors after he came inside.

“Is everyone all right?” (Coy)

I could see the worried expression on his face. We all told him that nothing had happened. And it was a sign of relief on his face afterwards.

“So someone beat me to killing that bastard?” (Cecil)

“Ashtoreth is already mad about being late to that party.” (Coy)

“Coy… who is Ashtoreth? How do you know her?”

I could see him taking a moment before finally explaining. Like he had to watch his words… very suspicious.

“She’s one of your four generals.” (Coy)

“What!?”

I didn’t even know that.

“Wait… do ya mean to tell me that the Devil King doesn’t even know her generals?” (Cecil)

“I never personally got to meet any of them.”

“That’s because the Prime Minister doesn’t want any form of revolt.” (Kimiko)

“What?”

“A few Devil Kings ago, there was one who plotted on overthrowing the Demon Realm Government and restoring the monarchy. He almost succeeded too.” (Kimiko)

“What stopped him?”

“The Hero that time around managed to kill off the generals from before the revolt could happen. So the government decided that the Devil King and the Generals are to never be allowed to meet in person.” (Kimiko)

“That’s… stupid.”

“It is, but those fools will do anything to stay in power.” (Kimiko)

That just made too much sense. No matter which world you’re in, there’s always going to be corrupt politicians.

“So… how do you know her, Coy-kun?”

“I defeated her before.” (Coy)

“What!?”

“Back when I was with my party, she and her forces had taken over a fort in Olko. However, she fled the battle before we could kill her.” (Coy)

That… made too much sense. Still… there was one thing bugging me.

“Why the pause when I first asked about her?”

“Yeah, how do you know her?” (Nyra)

That loli… she never gives up.

“That… will be explained later. So, how about dinner?” (Coy)

Is he honestly trying to change the subject!?

“It’s finished.” (Kimiko)

Wait… why are you helping him? Do you know something that I don’t, Kimiko?

Still, we went to the dinning area and had dinner. I was surprised about tonight, it was curry. I really missed eating it. Of course Kimiko and I were the only ones familiar with it, and I was hoping to see some funny reactions. Sadly the only one to burn themselves was poor Wells. Nyra was safe because apparently night elves love spicy foods while their forest counterparts prefer sweet things. Cecil and Coy also liked spicy things as well. It seriously ruined my fun.

“That was good.” (Coy)

“Sure was, ya know.” (Cecil)

Does Cecil always have to say those two words?

“Once I had gotten over the spice, it wasn’t so bad.” (Wells)

“Anyway… Nyra. You’re staying here tonight.” (Coy)

What!?

“Can I?” (Nyra)

Don’t you be having those puppy dog eyes, you legal loli!

“But tomorrow you have to return home.” (Coy)

She started to look a little depressed. Then again, we can’t really bring her with us either.

“I understand, Mr. Coy.” (Nyra)

“So why don’t you head to the bath first, Nyra-chan?” (Kimiko)

“All right…” (Nyra)

She seemed a little confused, but left. That’s when Kimiko made sure that no prying ears were around before finally getting to the point that both her and Coy were dodging earlier.

“Yuki-chan, everyone. There’s something you must know. It’s the truth about Nyra-chan’s mother.” (Kimiko)

“Wait… why were you dodging the question earlier?”

I honestly expected this to be about Coy and Ashtoreth.

“Because she must not find this part out.” (Coy)

“So you found out?” (Kimiko)

“Straight from the horse’s mouth, as the saying goes.” (Coy)

“Wait… what are you two talking about? I thought we were talking about why Coy was acting suspicious when we were talking about that vampire?”

“You see… it’s because Ashtoreth is Nyra’s mother.” (Coy)

“Wait… what!?”

The both of them “shushed” me after I stole Coy’s catchphrase again.

“It happened thirty-two years ago. You see, I knew Ashtoreth back then. Before she married the elder, she was trying to become a shrine maiden.” (Kimiko)

“Huh?”

“That part I didn’t know.” (Coy)

“It’s true, she wanted to become a shrine maiden. However, the Elder convinced her to give up and marry him. That was at least fifty years ago. And thirty-seven years ago, she gave birth to Nyra.” (Kimiko)

“But… how did she become the vampire queen?”

“As Coy doesn’t know the full story, I will completely take over from here. You see, it was thirty-two years ago when the Harem King last arrived at Damned. When the village tried to defy him, Ashtoreth was one of the maidens he had picked to take with him.” (Kimiko)

“But… wasn’t she a mother?”

“Virginity never mattered to the Harem King. Neither does age as long as they look young enough. As for what happened after she was taken by the Harem King, I didn’t know until I finally asked her after meeting her again in your stead.” (Kimiko)

“Wait… you met the generals in my stead?”

“As you are not allowed to meet with them directly, it was part of my job. When I saw her, I was in shock. Of course she was happy to meet her former senpai though.” (Kimiko)

“Wait… what’s a sempai?” (Coy)

“It’s a term in my homeland for a senior. Like at school or in the workplace, it’s common to call your seniors there “senpai”. Does that explain it for you?”

“Actually… it does. Anyway… go on, shrine maid?” (Coy)

Will he ever call her by her name?

“Yes. She told me of what happened to her after the Harem King. Her predecessor, the Vampire Lord, was the one being that the Harem King feared. As the Harem King is an incubus, he has the powers of a succubi. However, those pale in comparison to that of a vampire. Let alone the Vampire Lord himself. As succubus powers do not work on other demons and using maidens as shields would not work, the Harem King was powerless. Even if he used the gender changing spell, he wouldn’t be able to control the Vampire Lord. So he allowed the Vampire Lord to take whichever maidens he wanted from him. And Ashtoreth was the one that the Vampire Lord wanted.” (Kimiko)

This seems more like a soap opera… with monsters.

“But why?”

“Even she doesn’t know. However, the Vampire Lord decided to turn her instead of using her for food. And twenty years later, she trapped him using the holy magic she learned while training to be a shrine maiden to immobilize him somewhere without shade when the sun rose.” (Kimiko)

“Wait… why twenty years?”

“Timing. She had to earn his trust to be allowed out of his palace in Styx. Not to mention that the sun rarely shows in Styx anyway. So she had to be with him in another country in order to do it.” (Kimiko)

“But how long was she with the Harem King?”

“A year.” (Kimiko)

So Ashtoreth was technically a prisoner for twenty-one years? I wouldn’t even want to be around the Harem King for five minutes, let alone a year.

“But how long did it take her to become the vampire queen?” (Coy)

I didn’t even think of that.

“It took her six years to gain that position after killing the Vampire Lord. Other candidates had to be dealt with after all.” (Kimoko)

“But… why must this be kept from Nyra?”

“The Elder.” (Coy)

“What?”

“Yuki-chan, losing Ashtoreth is something that will always haunt that man. He doesn’t want his daughter to know what happened as he would lose face in front of her.” (Kimiko)

“Not to mention when we went to visit the Elder after we found the Harem King’s body, he denied that she was his wife and Nyra’s mother.” (Coy)

“What?”

I couldn’t believe this. When I first met the Elder, I thought he was a gentle and caring person. I didn’t even see his other side until we got back from dealing with the Old Worlders.

“She told me that she returned while I was away in your world. But when she told the Elder her story, that’s when he first refused to believe that Ashtoreth and his wife were the same person. And he wouldn’t even let her see Nyra-chan either.” (Kimiko)

Just… how much pride does he have anyway?

“Anyway, we must keep this a secret from Nyra.” (Coy)

“But… doesn’t she have the right to know?”

“She does, but it’s not our place to tell her.” (Kimiko)

She had me there. As much as Nyra needed to know the truth, it’s not our place to tell her.

“Fine, I will keep this a secret.”

“Good. And you two?” (Coy)

He was talking to Cecil and Wells.

“Affirmative.” (Wells)

“My lips are sealed.” (Cecil)

At least we don’t have to worry about those two? Still, it was hard to keep it out of my mind when Kimiko, Wells, and I joined Nyra in the bath. Coy said he would bathe later and Cecil left for wherever he sleeps at night. Poor Wells became Nyra’s newest fondling victim before she switched to me saying that it was to make me more bouncy.

“How many… times do… I have to… tell you that… it’s not… going to work?”

“As you’re a human and still growing, it’s should.” (Nyra)

“Uh… stop it…”

I was not liking what I was feeling from it.

“Nyra-chan, please stop before I see if it works on you?” (Kimiko)

“But… you’re a shrine maiden?”

At last, she let me go.

“But as the servant of the Devil king, it’s my job to punish her attackers.” (Kimiko)

After that, she completely stopped.

“Thank you… Kimi-chan…”

“No problem.” (Kimiko)

I’m just glad that Kimiko herself didn’t tease me like that like she did on that one trip to Kyoto back in high school, that was torture. After our bath, we allowed Coy to take his. By the color of his face, I think he heard everything? At least I know that he knows better than to peek. As a security measure to keep Nyra out of Coy’s room, she slept in my bed with me. It was a little weird to wake up with her in my bed the next morning. It was like having a little sister, even though she was twenty years my senior.

After breakfast, Coy sent her home while we prepared to leave. According to Coy, Damned really isn’t in the badlands as much as it’s situated right at the border of the badlands. Kimiko brought most of my things with her, but I still wished that I had an inventory window like Coy does. After Coy brought out his car from his and we got it packed, Cecil came running.

“Oi, mind if I officially join ya guys?” (Cecil)

“What?”

“Why should we?” (Coy)

“Look, I know we are not exactly on the best of terms. However, I still need to redeem myself in the eyes of my little sister. So I figure joining the Hero’s party might be a good way to do that, ya know?” (Cecil)

Is he a sis-con like Coy or something?

“As long as you don’t stab me in the back, welcome aboard.” (Coy)

Just like that!? Then again, he surprised Cecil and Nyra like that before.

“Thank ya.” (Cecil)

Well… it looked like things were going to get cramped in the back again. The seating arrangement was basically the same as when we left the bunker, just without a legal loli on Kimiko’s lap. Speaking of which…

“Coy, did you check the trunk?”

“No, but thanks for reminding me.” (Coy)

He then got out and made sure that the only things in the trunk were what we packed. But as we started to leave, the Elder came running.

“Wait!!!” (Elder)

Coy then stopped the car, put it back into neutral, and applied the emergency brake.

“Elder, we were just leaving.” (Coy)

“Please, take Nyra with you?” (Elder)

“Wait… what!?” (Coy)

If he didn’t say it, I would had.

“I did some thinking last night. Maybe I have been overprotective of her for too long? She may not look it, but she is an adult. So please, take her with you?” (Elder)

I didn’t expect this at all. Just what happened to make him change his mind?

“Ashtoreth left you a threatening letter, didn’t she?” (Coy)

What!?

“She did, but that’s not the reason within itself. The contents got me to actually think about what really is best for Nyra. She needs to see the world for herself, to mentally grow. I have doted on her for so long…” (Elder)

Wow… Ashtoreth is more persuasive than either Coy or Cecil. But there is a problem…

“But my car is cramped as is, how can we even fit her in here?” (Coy)

“Allow me to take care of that, Coy-kun.” (Kimiko)

I had a bad feeling about this. After Nyra arrived to join us, Kimiko came up with a whole new seating arrangement. This time Nyra was up front, but she got the window. I was between her and Coy as a safeguard to keep her from grabbing on to his arm. Personally I didn’t like having to give up the window seat, but this was the best idea. Not to mention, we finally got the hell out of Damned. I didn’t know how long we were going to be there, it felt like forever. As we finally were in the badlands, I had to ask.

“Coy-kun… what about the Harem King?”

“What about him? He’s dead.” (Coy)

“You know what I meant.”

He sighed and finally broke his silence.

“I know who killed him.” (Coy)

“What?” (Everyone in the car)

“Remember how I didn’t want to talk about my old party?” (Coy)

“Yes…”

“It was one of them.” (Coy)

I could see the shock on Nyra’s face as well as she did tell me about Coy’s party, she looked ashamed.

“The Elder told me about them returning and claiming I was dead.” (Coy)

She was looking worse.

“Anyway, it was one of them. That bastard Nanashi.” (Coy)

“Coy… I must confess something.”

“What?” (Coy)

“Other than Nyra actually telling me about your party passing through… that name comes from my world.”

“Wait… what!?” (Coy)

He then stopped the car and refused to move until I told him about what it means. And of course, it lead to the question I was going to ask him and Kimiko.

“Is it possible that someone else was also summoned when I was?”

“From what I know, it’s not. If someone else was summoned, then I wouldn’t have been chosen by the Deity to be the Hero. But…” (Coy)

“But what?”

“Shrine maid, have you ever heard of this happening?” (Coy)

“To be honest… it’s never happened. But it is possible, just not through the Deity.” (Kimiko)

“What?”

This better not just be the heat getting to me?

“Knew it.” (Coy)

“Knew what?”

“When I was chosen by the Deity, there were some people who weren’t happy with a half-man being the Hero. I received a lot of criticism, especially from Portnew. Even though the Deity’s Tear proved that I was the Hero, the Arch Bishop of Portnew still refused to acknowledge that I was the rightful Hero chosen by the Deity. He claimed that he would bring the true hero and prove that I was in impostor.” (Coy)

Just… wow. I remembered what I learned about people from Portnew, but they seem to really hate the half-man race.

“What happened to him?”

“He left for Portnew and didn’t return until it was time to pick members of my party. Even though I knew he was lying about seeing the error of his ways, I decided to take a chance and choose the strider that he vouched for.” (Coy)

“And that was Nanashi?”

“Yes, that was Nanashi. Even though they claimed that he was the best strider in Portnew, I knew that he wasn’t even from there.” (Coy)

“How could you tell?”

“His scent.” (Coy)

“Huh?”

“It was similar to yours in the sense of never smelling anything like it before. Not to mention his behavior. With every little thing that was a common occurrence in this world, he seemed amazed. Like he never even seen magic before? Let alone met a half-man.” (Coy)

“Did he use any terms that you were unfamiliar with?”

“Heh, quite a few of them. One of them was “As invincible as an Oni with an Iron Club” whatever that means.” (Coy)

Wait a moment…

“Kimi-chan…”

“I know. But just because he would say that after a match, doesn’t mean it’s him.” (Kimiko)

“Who?”

“Never mind. But have you even seen his face?”

“Not once. He would always eat in his room at an inn. Hell, he would bathe with his mask on.” (Coy)

This Nanashi person was like a certain ninja with silver hair from a certain popular manga that ended before I arrived in this world.

“But how could someone else be summoned if not through the Deity?”

“I have no idea.” (Coy)

He then started the car back up and driving. Which I was thankful for as it had gotten very hot from having no air moving around.

“But Coy-kun… what happened between you and your party?”

“I… was betrayed.” (Coy)

“What!?”

“It’s true. However… I’m not sure about the others. But when I entered the shrine of the Pagan Death Goddess, only Nanshi was with me. As he’s a strider, he too has the Pillager skill. He used it to swipe the Twilight Duster from me before hitting me with a fire spell that caused me to fall from a ledge.” (Coy)

“I… didn’t know.”

“That’s because I never told anyone. I dropped my sword before the fall as well. I had to depend on head shots with my revolver and my lightning spell to survive until I made it to the Pagan Death Goddess. She called off the undead and even gave me both Shinusame and that warning.” (Coy)

“But… why talk about it now?”

“As I’ve told you before, we all gotta face our demons sometime. Not to mention… the Mysterious Stranger did give me that warning.” (Coy)

He was right on both accounts. But the Mysterious Stranger did give me the same warning myself. It looks like we both have to face our pasts soon. However… I was hoping that mine wasn’t what I was thinking.

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After Note: And that was chapter 14 peeps. This chapter was not too difficult as I couldn’t stop writing when I started. As I promised earlier, I’m talking about what’s on my Twitter. I’ve… been playing more SAO Re:Hollow Fragment. I’ve had that game since February and I should have had beaten the story before March. But I have friends who pretty much make me play Destiny with them and such. Not to mention I got SAO Lost Song for my birthday two months ago and hadn’t touched it until now. I need to get things done as I need to get a job soon.

For anyone who is interested, Reigo-senpai has posted chapter 111 of Tsuki ga Michibiku Isekai Douchuu a little less than 24 hours ago. It’s getting closer to an arc that I’ve been waiting for a proper translation for since I first read the incoherent clumps of text from Google Translate. So yeah, please enjoy that too.

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