Chapter 467: First Anniversary Extra Chapter < Challenge to the Magic Power of Death Part 1: Kaito's Decision >

From today onwards, I'll be posting the Extra chapters that I had announced in the popularity contest that was held in commemoration of the first anniversary.

The Extra Chapter this time is for Isis Remnant, she who had won first place. Isis' extra chapters consist of three parts.

Here are some things to note of:

・ This is an extra chapter, so the timeline of this chapter's events occur after the end of the main story.

・ There will be some spoilers about the main story, so please be warned.

・ The extra chapters for the second place winner, Alice and the third place winner, Kuromueina, will be posted after their respective dates at the Six Kings Festival end. The extra chapters for the fourth place and below will be published all at once after the end of the Six Kings Festival arc.

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It all started with a very trivial thing. It was when I was discussing something with a woman who was very important to me... Isis-san, about our date.

[Isis-san, where should we go for our next date?]

[...How about... we have a picnic? ...I'll... make us... a bento.]

I've been on many dates with Isis-san. We've gone on picnics, gone swimming, taken trips alone together.

However, Isis-san had never asked me to go on a "date in the city". If I could, I would like to see a drama or hang out in a cafe with Isis-san...

[That would be very charming, but why don't we go to a town sometimes? I heard that a delicious cake shop has opened in a town in the southern part of the Symphonia Kingdom.]

[...Unnn... but... if we go there... I will just... cause trouble for the people around me...]

[...…]

This is an exchange that we already had several times... but when Isis-san sadly told me such things, I couldn't reply with "That's not true" at all.

I tend to forget about it because it doesn't affect me, but Isis-san is always clad in magic power of death, which intimidated the beings around her.

It's not that we don't have any countermeasures against it at all. Isis-san's magic power of death, which changes depending on her emotions, fades when Isis-san is happy.

However... It doesn't completely disappear. If one possesses a certain amount of magic power, they could talk to Isis-san when she is in such a state, but for those with weaker magic power, Isis-san is still an object of fear.

As a result of trying it once before, I estimated that the limit is around 3 meters... That was the limit of how close Isis-san could get to a commoner.

Isis-san was a very kind person after all. She wouldn't go to places where people were unless she has to, because she knew that she would scare them.

[...I guess let's just leave going on a date in a town for another time. Come to think of it, it's about time for the Light Trees to shine, so I guess it would be nice if we see them.]

[...Unnn.]

I didn't want Isis-san to look so sad any more, so I didn't force her and just switched the subject.

As I discussed our date plans with Isis-san, whose smile had returned back to her lips, a question popped into my head.

...I wonder if there really isn't anything I can do about her magic power of death?

In the future, if I want to live with Isis-san and make her even happier than she is now, her magic power of death is one of the issues I can't avoid.

Thinking about it again, I wondered why I didn't take action sooner... Perhaps, I may have subconsciously felt that it was an inexplicably difficult task.

After all, if there really was an easy way to deal with the magic power of death, Kuro and Lillywood-san would have done it already.

But in reality, Isis-san was still feeling tormented by her magic power of death. This means that I'm about to challenge something that "even Kuro and Lillywood-san are helpless with"...

I don't know what the human me can do, but for the time being, I guess I'll consult Kuro about this.

The next day, I asked Kuro if there was any way to deal with Isis-san's magic power of death.

Thereupon, Kuro thought for a moment... before she held up three fingers.

[...There are three ways that I can think of.]

[There are three!?]

[Hmmm. I guess I should say that it has become three... Well, I'll explain to them to you one by one.]

[U- Unnn.]

I was expecting her to say that it was impossible or that she couldn't think of anything, but she seemed to have some ideas of how to deal with Isis-san's magic power of death.

I wondered why they hadn't tried it before, but I decided to listen to Kuro first.

[The first method is very simple. Isis must grow to the point where "she can fully control her magic power of death"... Isis still has a lot of room to grow, and there's a good chance that she'll be able to perfectly control her magic power of death in the future.]

[O- Ohhh...]

[But in my opinion, it will take her "at least a hundred thousand years".]

[H- Hundred thousand years...]

[Well, this way requires her to patiently wait. Incidentally, this is also the method that Lillywood and I chose.]

[...Unnn? What about the other two then?]

When Kuro told me that they had chosen for Isis to spend at least a dizzying amount of time for Isis-san to control her magic power of death, I asked Kuro if the remaining two methods were more difficult than the one they had chosen, to which she smiled and spoke.

[...The other two methods are impossible for me and Lillywood to fulfill... No. It's more appropriate to say that Kaito-kun is the only one who can use these methods. That's why, we couldn't choose those two methods in the first place.]

[...What do you mean?]

[Well then, let me tell you the second method. It's "to ask Shiro to do something about it".]

[Shiro-san?]

[Unnn, I'm sure that if it's Shiro, she can help you get rid of Isis' magic power of death. But Shiro isn't interested in Isis, so even if I asked her, she wouldn't listen to me. But if it's a request from Kaito-kun, she'll probably help you.]

I see, Shiro-san, who is almost omnipotent, may certainly be able to do something about Isis-san's magic power of death. In that case, I guess this would be the easiest way huh?

While I was thinking like that, Kuro's expression changed to a serious one.

[However, I don't recommend this method.]

[...Why? If it's possible, isn't this the best method...]

[Unnn, but getting rid of Isis' magic power of death... would mean "she would have to remake Isis' very existence, you know?]

[!?]

Hearing her words, I couldn't help but feel my blood run cold.

Isis-san is a being born from the magic power of death, and the magic power of death is Isis-san herself. If I asked Shiro-san to get rid of her magic power of death, it would certainly turn into an act of rebuilding her existence.

There are ways to prevent her magic power of death from leaking out of her body, or to prevent other people from fearing her magic power of death... but the former was an act of remaking Isis-san, while the latter was an act of remaking everyone else.

To be honest... I don't want to take either of these measures, nor do I think Isis-san would be pleased if she conquered her magic power of death this way.

[...And the third method is?]

[...In my opinion, this is the one I recommend the most. This method requires Isis to "enclose her magic power of death in a magical membrane, preventing it from leaking out"!]

[Ohh! That certainly sounds like the best method to deal with her magic power of death... Wait, if that's possible, why didn't Kuro and the others just tell Isis-san to do that...]

[Unnn, that's actually the thing. The reason why Lillywood and I can't do that... is simple. Kaito-kun, have you ever felt the need to unconsciously resist when someone holds you down by force?]

[...Ahh.]

[Isis is especially strong. If one tries to force her to suppress her magic power, she'll unconsciously resist... If I were to forcefully hold her magic power of death down, she would probably feel extremely stressed, to the point where she couldn't move her body...]

Forcibly suppressing her magic power, putting aside its resistance, is like being restrained by force by an existence that is superior to her own... That would certainly place too much of a burden on Isis-san.

[...Then, doesn't that make it impossible?]

[Unnn... It's impossible for "me and Lillywood".]

[...Eh?]

[There may only be one person in this world... that Isis will accept without resisting, even if unconsciously, and will not make her feel stressed even if her magic power is suppressed.]

[...Are you talking about...]

[...If it's "Kaito-kun's magic power", Isis will accept it, consciously or unconsciously! That's why I think this is a way that only Kaito-kun can use.]

It seems like this is only possible because Isis-san loves me so much and unconsciously accepts me. Using my magic power, I will cover her magic power of death and prevent it from leaking out.

If I can do that, Isis-san will be able to interact with the general populace... I finally found the light at the end of the tunnel!

[...Well, it's "definitely not possible for the current Kaito-kun though!]

[...Eh?]

[I mean, even though I said that, we're talking about suppressing the magic power of Isis, one of the Six Kings here, you know? Let's put aside her resistance first, would the current Kaito-kun be able to suppress her magic power? Isis' magic power isn't something you can suppress with just a superficial amount of magic power. So, for you to be able to suppress Isis' magic power of death, which changes based on her emotions... You'd have to have very precise magic power control.]

[...T- That means?]

[Unnn. To put it bluntly, even if it's not on the level of Peerage-holders... "If you don't possess magic power on the level of a High-ranking Demon", it's impossible!]

[...…..]

The amount of magic power I had was very low, even among the Humans, whose magic power is lower than that of the Demons, it was considered extremely low.

[If the minimum amount of magic power required to suppress Isis' magic power is 100, then...]

[Then?]

[Kaito-kun's current magic power is about "0.001".]

[S- Sniff...]

[In other words, you need to have at least "100,000 times" as much magic power as you have now.]

[....]

My magic power is even more miniscule than I thought!? W- What should I do.... I can't even imagine how the heck I am going to grow to reach 100,000 times of my current magic power.

I- I guess it really won't be easy huh...

Seeing my shoulders slumped down, Kuro stared at me with a serious expression on her face... before she quietly told me.

[...Kaito-kun. Do you really want to help Isis deal with her magic power of death?]

[Unnn.]

[..."So much that you're ready to see hell"?]

[...Yes!]

[...I understand. In that case, I'll train you, Kaito-kun! I'm going to drag Kaito-kun's magic power so high that it will reach as high as High-ranking Demons!!!]

[...Kuro. T- Thanks!]

I'm extremely grateful to receive the training of Kuro, who had once raised the other members of the Six Kings. Although I'm very anxious that she asked me if I'm ready to see hell... In other words, this is like me challenging Isis-san and she isn't so meager of a being that she can be reached by half-hearted means.

[However, it will be difficult, you know? After all, you would have to increase your magic power by a hundred thousand times... You will literally have to go through a hellish training session.]

[Ohh!]

In order to make Isis-san even happier than she was now, my challenge to the magic power of death has begun.

It's going to be a really difficult path, but if the smile of my beloved Isis-san is waiting for me at the end of that path... I'll get there no matter what!