Chapter 174: The Strength of an Adult
Link: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n7583de/
Author: Hirukuma
Translated by Zzonkedd
Edited by Gumihou
Um, wait, what? This, wait, what?
The cool beauty bears an uncanny resemblance to our dear Kikoyu. So much so that it would not be strange to assume them to be sisters. But, just how did she get to that size so quickly?
“Is that truly Kikoyu? I mean, I heard about the transformation, but never thought it was anything more than just folk tales,” Hyurumi said in awe, she had clearly taken Hevoy and Mishael’s voices into consideration as she gazed at the grown-up Kikoyu.
Does Hyurumi know why she suddenly grew up like that?
“Eh? That pretty lady is Kikoyu?”
“Looks like it, Ramis. According to the lore, Snow Spirits mature on their 20th birthday. Their child-like bodies would undergo sudden rapid growth and transform into an adult.
“Then, today must be Kikoyu-chan’s birthday!”
Is that so? I see, so that’s why Kikoyu kept looking at the calendar these past few days. The date that’s been circled in red is today.
Once the clock struck past midnight, the day changed over and she, as a Snow Spirit, became an adult.
“That’s quite the transformation. I heard their magic increases by a lot, but this is beyond what she had been before,” said Hevoy.
“She’s even holding her own against a general of Demon King’s army. That’s too amazing-su,” said Shui.
“Looks like a deadlock… no, Kikoyu seems to be pushing back.”
Mishael’s judgement was spot on. The clashing of cold auras appeared evenly matched, but the core of the clash was slowly being pushed towards Sulrim.
The woman who looked like Kikoyu maintained a composed face while Sulrim was gritting her teeth and trying to stand her ground.
“Would you please step back, Sulrim? I do not wish to hurt a fellow Spirit Snow.”
“Sh-shut up. I must eliminate you, for His sake!”
Now that the situation had completely reversed, Kikoyu kept on stepping forward with Sulrim stepping back. Eventually, she ended up being pushed against the wall.
“This is my final offer. Are you willing to back down? I have things to do.”
“Kuhh– I cannot die here. I have a mission… fine, I shall retreat.”
When Kikoyu stopped her attack, Sulrim also stopped. She gave us a disgruntled look before snow burst around her and enveloped her figure.
When the snow dispersed, there was no one there.
We may have let an enemy escape, but we could do nothing as we do not have the right to intervene.
“Ah, it’s still a little cold now, but it’s fine to come out,” Kikoyu said.
Well, since she said this, I released the <Barrier>
Ramis was shivering, but it didn’t look like she would suddenly freeze to death.
“Um, it’s Kikoyu, right?” said Ramis.
“Yes, that is so.”
Well, that dispelled all of our doubts. Botan and Kuroyata happily ran up to her and she gently stroked their backs.
Her gestures and gentle aura were definitely all Kikoyu. What had once been a childishly mature attitude now suits her perfectly. She had finally grown into her actions.
“Haahh… I heard the rumours… I wish I could have seen the moment you transform into an adult,” said Hyurumi.
I wanted to watch the transformation too. Just how did she manage to grow up so quickly? Left to my imagination, I could not help but think of those magical girl transformation scenes I would see on Sunday morning television.
“It is not anything worth seeing. I could not help but let out a strange noise because of a peculiar feeling.”
I would like to record the cry of a little girl as she transforms into an adult woman. For reasons.
“Hakkon, you are thinking strange thoughts again, aren’t you?” Ramis glared at me. Were my lights flashing oddly again?
“If you win, you get to go again!”
“You’re trying to play dumb again!”
Ha ha ha, I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re on about.
“In short, it was thanks to Kikoyu-san that we were saved,” said Mishael as he bowed to her.
“Please stop. It is natural for me to be the one to stop her since she is of the same race as I,” Kikoyu said as she waved her hands at him.
There is no doubt that we were all saved thanks to her. While it was common to have another boss appear after we defeated the final boss, it was actually quite tough when it happened to you in reality.
Should we consider this a silver lining on a dark cloud?
“Well, at least we managed to sort this floor out. Even though it’s been hard on Hevoy.”
“That’s right-su,”
Hyurumi and Shui whispered to each other even as Hevoy walked towards the wall where Tasite had been propped against.
He looked down at Tasite’s shattered corpse in silence. The enemy was finally found, but his revenge was interrupted, which led to an unsatisfactory ending.
Instead of calling attention to his action, we talked to Kikoyu, asking for details about her transformation. Even so, everyone kept glancing over at Hevoy’s unmoving back.
After we chatted a little more, Hevoy approached us. There was the usual faint smile on his face.
“Apologies for making everyone wait.”
“Hey, you good?”
“It’s fine, Tasite had suffered quite a lot. His legs were crushed, he was nearly eaten by demons, was frozen to death and now shattered to pieces. Even after seeing the obvious suffering on his body, the fog in my chest did not completely clear away… still, this is fine. This much is fine.”
Hevoy’s face looked bright, cheerful even. Goodness, is it really possible for him to pull such a refreshing expression on his face? It wasn’t one of his forced smile, but a genuine handsome smile that even fellow man could fall for.
“Hey, you’re alright now, right?” asked Shui.
“Oh my, have you been worrying about me?”
“Who would care about a shoe pervert like you?! Wait, you don’t have to perve over shoes any more, do you?”
That’s right, he had been pretending to be a shoe fetishist to track down his enemy. Now that he had achieved this goal, there was no need for him to keep up the act any more.
Will he try to live like a normal clergyman now? Without his weird shoe fetish, he could be the ideal priest. Even while he was still a pervert, he did not lust for women and treated them with sincere respect.
He also looks like the type that would attract women’s admiration.
“What will you do now, Hevoy?”
“That’s right, it is thanks to everyone’s cooperation that I finally found my enemy. I must return this favour. May I stay with everyone until this anomaly is resolved?”
“Welcome”
Of course, we more than welcome his presence. The Hevoy from before was slightly worrisome thanks to his weird hobby, but now that we know it was just an act, there was no need to worry at all.
Judging from battles where he had revealed his hidden strength, it was clear that his abilities may well be equal to, or was even greater than Mishael’s.
“Let’s work together!” said Ramis.
“We’ll be counting on you, Hevoy!” said Mishael.
Up till now, Mishael and Hevoy had a rather cool relationship. However, ever since this incident, after having proven himself to be a trustworthy person, their relationship has improved. They were now firmly shaking hands with each other.
“It was a splendid fight, shall we spare one of these days?”
“Do be lenient with me.”
Ah, look how much Mishael has grown. He was the one who initiated the handshake too, with a perfectly natural smile on his face. His social awkwardness has become much better, at least with his comrades.
“Kuroyata and Botan as well, I’m looking forward to working with you,” said Hevoy as he shook hands with Kikoyu before petting Botan and Kuroyata on their heads.
“Yes, same here…”
Hmm? Kikoyu’s expression seemed to waver for a moment. Her eyes widened just a little and she looked a bit unsettled. Ah, but that must have been my imagination.
“What a shame, eh? If you are still feeling down, I could let you have the shoes I’m wearing. Since you’re not upset, and you’re no longer interested in shoes. I guess there’s nothing I can do for you, eh?” said Shui gleefully.
Kikoyu looked like she wanted to say something when Shui started talking. However, before she could actually speak her mind, Hevoy approached Shui. He leaned closer and said
“Ah, Shui-san… could I take your word as the truth?”
“Hm? What are you going on about? You don’t really care about shoes, right?”
“What are you talking about? While it is true that my obsession with shoes started in an attempt to locate my enemy. However, the more I investigated, the more enchanted I am with them. The fading colour of well-worn shoes; the smell of their previous owner ingrained through years of use mingling with the original scent of the shoe; the beckoning to a new realm of fragrance… Though I am still a novice, my love for shoes has not changed.”
Eh, wait. Are you saying that your actions to this point weren’t an act?
His original obsession had morphed into a fetish, shaping him into the person he is now.
Was that why Kikoyu looked so perplexed? When they shook hands just now, she must have realised that Hevoy’s shoe fetish was genuine.
“Wait, are you serious? Ugh, I-I never said anything!”
“It is too late. You have made your offer and I am more than happy to receive your gift. Take those shoes off now. I never did have any interest in you, but those shoes… you wear them all the time. Even though you never had any care for your appearance, you kept those shoes on you all the time. They must have aged well… Now, take them off your feet!”
“Die! Pervert!” Shui grabbed the snow at her feet and started pelting snowballs at Hevoy, who was approaching her relentlessly.
Hevoy kept advancing with both arms raised, avoiding all of the snowballs by just a hair. In Japan, this would probably be a scene worthy of calling the police, but since both of them looked like they were having fun, I decided to just leave them be.
With this, the strange happenings on Scorching Sand Floor had finally been truly resolved.
It was an unexpected and wild development. With Hevoy’s hidden abilities coming to light and Kikoyu’s sudden transformation into an adult, the party’s power had greatly strengthened.
It was not a bad ending, the future is looking up.
“I want to play too!”
“Hey! Don’t you throw that huge ass snowball at meeee!!”
“If you wish for snow, I can make as much as you want.”
Ramis, Hyurumi and Kikoyu have all joined in the snowball fight as well.
Ah, Mishael is staring at the scene, looking rather envious.
“Master Hakkon, shall we join in as well?”
As expected. Well, I might as well participate too.
I’ll show them they shouldn’t underestimate me just because I’m a vending machine. There are plenty of ways I can contribute, even without hands or feet.
“Welcome”
[Gumihou: Woah, that was a fun chapter]
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