The Conjuring King?

..........

　The Conjuring King, huh?

Well, don't be surprised. Have you heard about the Mythology that was told about me?
Ha, ha.
What's that stupid voice of yours?

　Dreams, what are they?
　However..........there is already a strange part of my body, including that 'sensation', so I've given up on the idea that it's not surprising that anything could happen.
　In other words, is this something like being called to a place in the spiritual world with only your soul or consciousness?

'Well it's nice to meet you, King Forbidden.

　Since the other party is calling himself that, let's call him the Forbidden King for now.
　There is no point in questioning whether they are real or fake here.
　However.........if the other party is the master of that 'sense', I can't allow myself to be distracted.

I'm not going to be able to get rid of it.

　Satisfied, Forbidden Spell laughed.

'I'm surprised. You're quick to understand. Well, it's a lot like that.

　I thought the conversation would be in a monotonous atmosphere, but Forbidden King, so far, has been surprisingly frank.

''Sate, Soraku Kurohiko.''
What?
What do you think of this world?

　Hmm?
　The way you just said it...

"Is that you?
Huh?
You're the one who sent me into this world?
Oh, that's what I thought. Wrong. Yes....I am, in a manner of speaking, a spectator.
Audience?
Where you are now...

　Thud.
　A long spear fell and pierced the ground between me and the coffin.

I'm going to have to rephrase that if we violate the prohibition against it. As you said, think of this place as a spiritual world or a dream. I don't care where it is.
Why did you call me here?
I called you here simply because I wanted to talk to you.

　I frowned.

'What would you do if you talked to me?'
I'm just curious. As someone who uses powers, I was curious.
Same power ... or is that a curse?
...or something like that.

　The forbidden king felt like he was looking at someone's condition.
　I'm sure that this is also a conversation that touches on the 'prohibited items'.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one who is familiar with this world.
Well, maybe I'm having some fun with it.
Kuhn... you're pretty interested in the world now, aren't you?
..........
I think I've finally found what I want to do, and that's a good thing.

　This guy.
　How much do you know about this guy?
　Interest ... 'Now' is full of interest in the world.
　-- 'Now'?
　So this guy knows about my past?

'At first, the 'too much' backlash of 'returning' didn't seem to help you control your emotions well... how's Da?　Is it time to settle down?

I'm feeling much calmer, you know.

　I suddenly remember the words that Machina-san said to me sometime ago.
　
　When I lifted my gaze while pondering, the forbidden king squinted his red eyes quickly.

''Or it's La--''

　And then something slowly descends from the sky.
　A huge stone.
　A mere stone with no features whatsoever.
　The stone stopped in front of me and the forbidden king and began to float fluffily on the spot.

　There's nothing interesting about it - ish.

It's a good thing that you've been able to get rid of a lot of "it" so that you can do a lot of "riffles". But even so, it seems that some of them are still necessary.
..........
Thanks for being so quick to understand. So da. It's probably a part of the Soraku Kurohiko from the previous world. It's probably a part of Soraku Kurohiko when he was rotten.

　When I was rotten.
　I mean - when I had lost my motivation.
　When I was not interested in anything.

It would be so boring to come to a new world without motivation and interest. And yes, first and foremost, it would be boring to be with me.

　The coffin shook with a thump.

'Oh, hey...'

　A black spear pierced the coffin.

'Kuk ... too much talk.

　Apparently, he's safe.
　The King of Forbidden Spells chuckles.

"I've always had too many instincts," he said, "and I always end up in the wrong place. I always end up poking in the wrong places. It's called "bush snake". It's not good to have too many instincts. Isn't "Dunkin' a**h*le" a very popular book in your world?　I don't understand.

　...........
　No, that's not what I'm saying.

Well, what I'm trying to tell you is that you should be able to live your life the way you want to without worrying about anything.

　Huh?

Do you want to live?
Yeah. Do as you please, Koraku Kurohiko. I'll stand by your side. I don't hate a daredevil like you.

　You're still not letting your guard down.

"However, I'm just a prisoner waiting to go mad here. The best I can do is watch and talk to you.
Uh, the Conjuring King.
Huh?

　-What is a forbidden curse, anyway?

　I was about to say.......I stopped.
　Considering the fact that the spear was released when I was about to mention the topic of the forbidden curse earlier, it's likely that this is also a prohibited item.
　There are many things I want to ask, not only about the forbidden curse, but also about the identity of that 'sense' and why it was 'me'.
　After all, the person in front of me is calling himself that forbidden curse king.
　Moreover, it seems that he knows something else as well.

　But it's going to be difficult to ask a question that gets to the heart of the matter when conversations are being monitored and deterrents are in effect.
　............
　It's also because I feel somewhat sorry for the forbidden king being pierced by a spear, although there is a reason for that.
　I don't know why.
　There's something about this guy that's hard to hate........

''Kukuku........is it okay?
Yeah, that's not a good idea.
Yeah. I can't tell you much about it.

　After a pause, the forbidden king said.

'Don't be like me, Sagura Kurohiko?

　I knew what he was trying to say.
　The forbidding king is probably telling you not to get caught up in that 'feeling'.

Anyway, I wanted to tell you that from my own mouth. It's a piece of advice from a senior colleague. It's a good thing that you're able to use it now, so don't worry--

　One more spear pierces the coffin.

I'm sure you'll be able to find it in the same way that you did in your former world.　Ah, that's Da. As I recall, it's 'yondere-'

　Gusagging, gusagging, gusagging.
　Several spears were put together at once and stabbed in.

''Gu........that woman me!
Okay, okay!　Enough!　I think I get what you're trying to say!　Hey, I don't know who you are, but you can hear me!

　I shouted at someone I thought was controlling the spear.

'Don't do it again!　I'm an idiot, so I actually understand very little of what this cursed king is saying!　So - so - oh, no!

　One spear pierced my feet as well, gingerly.
　And - the forbidden king was laughing hysterically.

''Ku........ku......ku......hahahahahaha!　That's a bit of a stretch, isn't it, now ha!　However, Souraku Kurohiko is concerned about me at this point. I'm sure that this is indeed a fool's errand.
Terrible!
I'm grateful for that. And while we wait for you to go completely mad, we can have a little fun. You're fun to watch. Kukku I hope your path is different from mine, Koraku Kurohiko. Oh, and by the way, there's still one more curse to deal with right now.

　So, zedong.
　When the coffin was crushed by the huge black hand that appeared in the bright red sky - my consciousness was cut off.

　　　　　　　　　　*.

　I wake up.
　The first thing that jumps into my vision is the ceiling of my room.



　I've heard that dreams are about memory consolidation and wish fulfillment.
　But I shouldn't have any memories like that, and I don't have any desires like that.

..........

　How long have I been sleeping?
　When I looked at the clock, it was a little before 5 a.m.
　I slept too much.
　If I went to bed before last night's evening...how tired was I?
　But I didn't have any tiredness left in me.

　Well.
　What should I think about what happened in that red and black space?
　Well, if we connect it to the mythology, we can conclude that it's the 'Earthly Prison Realm' where the King of the Forbidden Spell was sealed up.
　
　So, does that mean that the forbidden curse is a spell that summons 'power' from the earth's prison realm?

　Hmm.
　Was there information that could be obtained without being able to get it in words?
　
　I don't know if there's a concept of death in that world, but I hope he's not dead....

　What the King of Forbidden Spells probably wanted to convey was that the more you learn the forbidden spells, the more powerful that 'sense' becomes.
　I had a vague feeling that this was the case, but after all, the words of an experienced person are heavy and heavy.

''.........''

　I'll have to think long and hard about what happened in that space another time.
　If there's time, I'll ask Clarice about the earthly prison world as well.

　I look at the window.
　The sky outside was a pale white.
　I can hear the birds singing.

　I got out of bed and grabbed a change of clothes and went downstairs.
　Let's get ready for the bath for now.
　In the living room, I saw a girl in a classy white dress, sitting in a chair reading a book.
　She was sitting in a chair reading a book.

Hey, good morning.

　The crystal hanging from the ceiling dimly illuminated the girl who was sitting on a chair and spreading out a book - Makina-san.
　This house, Makina-san and Mia-san are almost free to come and go........
　As expected, I'm not surprised anymore.
　I pulled out a chair facing me and sat down, and put my change of clothes on the chair next to me.

''Good morning, Makina-san.
How's that?　Did you get a good night's rest?
Yes, thanks to you.
Yes.
You're not wearing your usual clothes today, are you?

　Today Makina-san is even wearing a white rose hair ornament on her head.

'Oh, this?　I had to go to the castle today to meet with the Holy Royal Family, so... well, I guess it's a bit of a get-up-and-go, huh?　What do you think?　Does it look good on you?
It looks good on you.
What's better than your regular clothes?
'Maybe it's because I'm used to it, but I feel like I look better in my usual clothes. It's a breath of fresh air, though.
Hmm, yeah.

　Makina-san closed the book as she said it.
　She looked kind of happy.

''How long have you been here?''
Hmm?　We just got here?
..........

　The fact that she doesn't say the time clearly is typical of her.
　The room was filled with a peaceful silence peculiar to early morning.

''Um.......what happened to Currier-san?''

　I was curious about Cecily-san, but I was equally curious about Currier-san.
　Yesterday, we were talking about things like whether or not we could stay in the school.
　I didn't mention it as of yesterday, partly because I thought it would be safer to leave it to Makina-san, but as of yesterday, I didn't mention it.

''I thought you would want to know the progress of that matter, so I came over early in the morning for you today.
'Oh, I see. Thank you for being so early in the morning.

　It seems that she was read ahead of time in an amazing way.

''As for whether or not she can remain in the academy with 'almost no problem', it's a 50-50 split for now. I'll have to meet with the Holy Royal Family today to find out what's going on.
'Oh, I see. That's why I'm at the castle today...
Yes, it's easier to get to the top than to get goofed around in the middle of the pack. It's quicker to go and talk to the higher-ups than to get goofed around in the middle of the pack. I'm sure I'll have to report to the Holy Royal Family soon anyway.

　And Makina-san languidly plopped down on the desk.

''Anyway, lately.......I've been having more miscellaneous work on top of my usual school headmaster duties. I have to set up a date for the Knights of the Holy Tree to come to interview me, and today I have to go to the castle to take care of Currier as well... Oh, by the way, I also had to deal with the matter of the man who disappeared from the detention room... ...Huh....

　Hmm?
　The jail cell?
　Well ... something about it sticks with me...?
　Oh, I see.
　When I just arrived on this side of the world, the detention room was under construction, so I was wondering if you were going to put me in the punishment cell or not, Mr. Guard (come to think of it, where is he now?) I remember Makina-san talking about it.
　By any chance........was the detention room broken because of the missing man or something, so it was under construction?
　And Makina, who had her forehead on the table, glanced at me.

'Let's just throw it all away and run off with someone else, shall we?

　I laughed under my breath.

'Or something, but Makina-san is the one who does it right after all, isn't she?
Oh, come on. You know exactly what I mean.

　Says Makina, raising her upper body.

'Yes. I'm not going to throw you out. I have a responsibility as the head of the school. But.........it's okay to at least be weak once in a while, right?
I'm letting you use this house on the condition that I listen to your weaknesses. Please, come on, spit it out.
Hmm, you're getting pretty good at that.

　Makina-san got out of her chair with a smile on her face.　

''Therefore, leave the matter of Currier Versteen to me. I'll coordinate well with the Holy Tree Knights. Can you tell Currier that when you meet him as well?
I understand.

　I walked out to see Makina-san off outside.
　As I was leaving the house, Makina-san turned around and dropped her gaze to the ground.

''Hey, Kurohiko.''
Yes?
I was wondering if I should ask you something.
What?　Don't hesitate to tell me anything you want.
Have you... have you ever wanted to go back to your world?
Not really.

　Makina-san rolls her eyes as if she was caught off guard.
　Then she looked up at me.

'Quick answer, right?'
It would be delicate if I hadn't met Miss Machina.
Yeah.

　If I hadn't met Makina, I don't know if I would have been able to live my life like this if I hadn't met her.
　In that sense, I am very grateful to her.

''Hmmm, is that so?　I'm glad you found me, yo.
I'm really happy for you.

　More than anything else, I'm lucky to have met someone like this.

''..........''

　Suddenly, Makina-san held her head up.
　She looked like she had a 'I've done it' look on her face.

What's going on?
No, it's just that now I realize I was wrong I'm a little sad.
"A mistake?
It's nothing. So, I guess I'll be leaving now.
"?　Yes.

　Wrong..........
　Misunderstanding?
　Hmm?
　You don't say.

　--You think "Son of a b*tc*" is so popular in your world?

　The words that came to mind.
　Then I suddenly realized.

"Well, Makina-san!
What?
I mean, it's not like you're... mistaken, is it?
?
Well I'm...regardless of all the favors you've done for me or anything, I'm just glad to have met you.
What?
'So I mean........I like him as a person!　That's it!　Now go!

　I say and I run into the house.
　I close the door behind me and breathe.

　Ah, that was a close call........
　It seems that at the beginning, the only thing that was conveyed to me was the nuance of 'Thanks to meeting Machina-san, I'm able to live in this world too!
　But.
　You have to properly express your respect for her personality.
　It was embarrassing to say it again to the point of running away, but it's good that I was able to express my true feelings.

''.........''

　I know.
　One step at a time.
　Maybe that means we're getting stronger too!
　You've saved my life, Lord of the d*mned!

　--I think that's not what it is.

　It was probably just my imagination that the tsukkomi by a familiar voice came from far away and seemed to echo in my head.