Akatsuki Translations

“Ah, yeah, that’s right. We’re intruders, after all, so it’s only natural. Feo, please stay by my side. Bedi, meet your long-awaited Golems. It seems like the hallway walls are sturdy enough, so go ahead and let loose.” -Mirage 

“Golems, huh? I’ll knock ’em down~!” -Bedivere 

“P-Princess, please be careful!” -Feo 

For Bedivere, enduring things was not her strong suit, and being a guard for Feo during the exploration of the ruins was a constant exercise in patience. 

Still, she had managed to hold back from going on a rampage all this time, and that was largely due to the presence of Mirage and Feo. 

Bedivere’s thoughts were probably simple – if she destroyed the ruins, Mirage would be sad, and Feo, being weaker than herself, needed protection. It was likely along those lines. 

Even so, compared to the past Bedivere, showing even a little consideration for others was a significant improvement and a remarkable event for the other oni-demons. 

“Onification magic~!!” -Bedivere 

Bedivere’s single, jet-black horn on her head grew thicker, and her right arm, which had been small, grew tremendously larger and turned a dark shade. 

Swinging the gigantic arm and leaping into the midst of the Golems, she began to strike them, creating gaping holes in their sturdy bodies and sending them flying with each powerful blow. 

The golems crashed into the walls with a loud noise, completely immobilized, their cores blown apart. 

“As always, Bedi is amazing… No, I feel like she has become even stronger compared to before.” -Mirage 

“Princess looks up to Mirage-sama, so she’s been working hard on her magical training. I can see her getting stronger day by day.” -Feo 

Feo’s face lit up with joy as she spoke, observing Bedivere’s feats. Mirage had indeed trained her to some extent, and this progress was visible to those around her. 

Of course, if it came down to a real fight, Mirage had several strategies to prevent Bedivere from unleashing her incredible physical strength. However, if it wasn’t a life-or-death situation, his options to restrain her were limited. 

“Are you worried that Bedi might go berserk like before?” -Feo 

Concerned, Feo asked Mirage. 

Going berserk was a state in which an oni-demon fully transformed into their oni form, turning into a berserker that would rampage and annihilate all enemies in sight until their magical power was depleted. 

For emotionally immature oni-demons, the impulse to destroy that came with onification could become uncontrollable, and it wasn’t uncommon for them to go on a rampage regardless of friend or foe. 

The more body parts the oni-demon transformed, the stronger the impulse would assail the caster, and only the elders, individuals who had lived for many years, could maintain their sanity while fully onified. 

“I mean, Bedi might have been a cause for concern before, but I don’t think she’d go berserk so easily now. I might sound like an old man saying this, but it’s amazing how quickly children grow.” -Mirage  

“Ha ha, you don’t sound old to me at all. Bedi might have grown up a bit, but it’s all thanks to meeting Mirage-sama. Girls change when they have someone they like, you know. Don’t you think I’ve changed too?” Feo replied, raising her glasses with a smile. 

Mirage couldn’t help but agree with Feo’s observation. Indeed, Bedivere had become a bit more mature, and so had Feo. 

Bedivere, known as one of the Four Heavenly Kings, had jet-black horns, while Feo, her deputy, had horns as white as her skin. 

Though they were both oni-demons of the same race, they had been treated vastly differently and had grown up with significant differences in their upbringing, making them appear almost like two completely different beings. 

When Mirage first met them, Bedivere and Feo were far from what they were now, having undergone significant transformations over time. 

“Feo, you have indeed become more positive, and your smile has become more charming. Especially when you smile while looking at Bedi, you seem like a gentle mother.” -Mirage  

“If I were Bedi’s mother, then you would be her father, Mirage-sama.” -Feo  

“Me, a father… That wouldn’t be so bad.” -Mirage  

The reason why Mirage couldn’t leave Bedivere alone was partly due to their shared experience of having no parents. Both Mirage and Bedivere had lost their parents, and Mirage unconsciously wanted Bedivere to experience the things she had missed out on, to understand the things he had longed for when growing up without parents. 

That’s why he readily agreed to Feo’s words without giving them much thought. However, Mirage didn’t notice where Feo’s gaze had shifted—toward Bedivere, who was crushing the golem with her incredible strength. 

Standing right next to Mirage, Feo’s cheeks turned as red as freshly fallen snow, even redder than the crimson eyes of the oni-demon, as she fidgeted with a flustered demeanor. 

Feo’s unintentionally suggestive comments and Mirage’s responses were not the first to make her feel embarrassed afterward. Both of them had a certain naivety, which somehow led to awkward situations when dealing with the opposite sex. 

Mirage, being oddly experienced in handling the opposite sex, and Feo, who kept a distance from them, naturally flowed into such situations due to their contrasting approaches. 

“Take this! Grrr!” -Bedivere 

Before they knew it, only one Golem remained. Bedivere used her onified arms to easily crush it. 

“Bedi wins!” -Bedivere 

Bedivere turned back to Mirage and Feo, jumping cutely in place and waving her hands. 

Without any other living presence around and with no indication of beings other than Mirage and her party, Feo and Mirage walked toward Bedivere. 

Having reverted back to her original state, with her horns and arms returned to their normal size, Bedivere now appeared just like an innocent child. However, the scene around her was a stark contrast, with the scattered remains of the golems creating a scene of devastation, forming a strangely incongruous sight when juxtaposed with Bedivere’s playful demeanor. 

“Good job, Bedi. Are you satisfied?” -Mirage 

“I’m real satisfied! They were tougher than usual.” -Bedivere 

“Your hands are dirty, Princess. Let me wipe them for you.” -Feo 

“Wipe, wipe!” -Bedivere 

Mirage patted Bedivere’s head, and Feo wiped her hands gently. 

The scene looked just like a real family, and Mirage couldn’t help but think that way too. 

The statement of Bedivere, who had been onified, that the Golems were tougher than usual piqued Mirage’s curiosity. It suggested that there might be some significant secrets sleeping in this room. The materials used to construct these Golems seemed to indicate a high level of strength and importance. 

“Alright, the main attraction seems to be beyond that door, but let’s head there right away.” -Mirage 

“Time to get some treasure!” -Bedivere 

“I wonder what awaits us inside.” -Feo 

Behind the remnants of the golems lay a grand and imposing door, seemingly guarding something of great importance. Mirage and his companions proceeded down the straight corridor, and Bedivere transformed both her arms into monstrous ones to forcefully open the door after a moment’s effort. The three of them stepped inside. 

In the room beyond the door, a multitude of transparent cylindrical objects were lined up. These objects were so large that even a human could easily fit inside them. They seemed to be made of a glass-like transparent material, but every one of them had suffered significant damage, causing fragments to scatter around. 

Furthermore, various lines and pipes were attached to these cylindrical objects, indicating their use as experimental equipment of some kind. 

The walls and ceiling surrounding the room were made of sturdy material, as evidenced by only minor scratches; there were no damages significant enough to allow sand or soil to intrude into the chamber. 

“The fact that the golems outside remained undisturbed suggests that something must have happened inside this room. It would be great if we could find some documents or records here, but it’s not that simple…” Mirage spoke while surveying the surroundings, but as soon as his eyes fell on one of the many cylindrical devices in the room, his words trailed off, and he was left speechless. 

“Mirage-sama, are you alright?” -Feo  

“Mirage, what’s wrong?” -Bedivere 

Bedivere and Feo who had been walking behind Mirage called out to him in concerned voices. 

“…I can sense faint traces of magic around those devices. I didn’t notice until they came into view, so some time must have passed since they were last used—” -Mirage 

–Undoubtedly, this is not from the ancient civilization era; something magical has been happening here recently– 

That was what Mirage wanted to say, but before the words could leave his mouth, he arrived at a conjecture that made him shut his mouth involuntarily. 

The perception of magical energy became more precise when it was within one’s field of vision, but it didn’t mean that they could see anything visually out of the ordinary. Those capable of sensing magical energy would experience a peculiar sense of dissonance in their field of view when in the presence of magical power, and the feeling would grow stronger when they focused on it. 

Especially after the casting of a large-scale spell, the residual essence of magic lingered in the surroundings. The intense concentration of magical power during the spellcasting process allowed those sensitive to it to perceive the lingering traces of magic in the air. 

“Mirage-sama, p-please don’t scare us like that. After all, this room isn’t that large, and if there were something or someone here, we should have noticed.” -Feo. 

“In this room, there’s no sign of any living things. It’s just us here~. The only entrance is the door Bedi broke~.” -Bedivere 

As Feo and Bedivere had mentioned, there were no traces of living beings other than Mirage and his companions, and in ordinary circumstances, it would be dismissed as a figment of imagination. 

However, Mirage’s magical perception was exceptionally keen, especially when it came to the magical runs he used for his own teleportation. Such imprints were easily detectable by him. 

In this sealed room, there were signs of magic being cast, and he could sense the faint remnants of magical energy. 

Though he hesitated to entertain such a ludicrous hypothesis, Mirage couldn’t completely dismiss the idea that someone might have used teleportation magic. 

Neither scenario made any sense, so Mirage had dismissed them as nonsensical. Yet, a part of him couldn’t shake off the lingering suspicion. 

“Yeah, you’re right. It could have been nothing, and I might have been overthinking things. Let’s continue the investigation to see if there’s anything else worth noticing,” Mirage said, voicing agreement. But despite his words, Mirage couldn’t shake off the persistent thought that there might be other Phantom Demons besides himself. 

Throughout the long history of the demons, countless species had perished, and even the most rare and esteemed magical beings often saw their bloodlines extinguished within a few thousand years. 

Occasionally, they would stumble upon those hidden in secluded lands, almost like uncharted territories. However, the only confirmed living Phantom Demon at present was Mirage himself. 

Nevertheless, they were currently within the ruins of an ancient civilization, and aside from the door Bedivere had destroyed, there was no way for outsiders to enter. 

Even if by some chance surviving Phantom Demons had come from the outside, it would mean they had either marked the room with magical seals before arriving or had been living inside the room from the beginning. 

Both scenarios were implausible and absurd, Mirage concluded. He resigned himself to quietly searching the room which had been accompanied by the vigilant golems. In the end, the exploration of the heavily guarded room yielded no significant findings, concluding their venture into the ruins. 

They had come across a few magical artifacts and books, but nothing appeared particularly new or intriguing enough to catch Mirage’s interest. However, the researchers from the Demon Lord’s army would be elated with the results, as they had discovered previously unknown techniques and materials used in the construction of the golems and hidden rooms. 

Throughout this process, a lingering feeling of unease remained in the back of Mirage’s mind. Still, he had decided to let go of his concerns, as there was nothing concrete to be known at the moment. 

As a precaution, he had only asked to be informed of the detailed survey results of the ruins, and with that, the first day of his precious holiday came to an end.