Akatsuki Translations

“It seems I’ve pushed myself too hard. There’s no need to worry, though. A little rest and I’ll be up and about again, Tart-chan.” -Mirage

“… So you really did overdo it after all.” -Astarte

Mirage, who was on the brink of death due to a severe injury, was in a state of relative peace thanks to healing magic. However, this was a situation where he should be in absolute rest.

Being a hybrid of demon and human, his body was naturally sturdy. Just living an everyday life wouldn’t tire him out this much.

However, he had just had a fierce duel with Louveteau, and the use of enhancement magic and magic armor had put a significant strain on his body. There was a substantial reason why Mirage hadn’t used magic armor from the start.

“Magic armor requires a considerable amount of magic to be visualized. It seems my magic output is still not enough. I end up overusing my magic gate beyond its limit, hence my current state, even after such a short time. Well, if it’s to reassure Louveteau, I can’t help but be reckless… I pretended to be fine earlier, but it’s a great relief that Louveteau surrendered so easily.” -Mirage

Magic armor was still a developing technique, a double-edged sword of sorts. It was absurd to create a visible state of magic power, and to withstand that required an exceptional amount of magic and control. The only problem was the magic output, and Mirage had refrained from using it in real combat until now. No matter how powerful the magic, if it left him immobile after just a short time of use, it was clear to anyone that it had a significant drawback and was far from practical.

“That’s not what I’m talking about! You were obviously not yourself even before you used this magic armor… Excuse me.” -Astarte

Astarte, raising her voice in apparent anger, quickly began to undress Mirage. As his skin was exposed, a large scar was clearly visible on Mirage’s chest. This was a wound inflicted by Julia’s dagger. Although healing magic had sealed it, a significant injury like this would inevitably leave a scar.

Just a few days ago, Astarte had Mirage strip down for illusion magic training, so she knew there had been no strange scars then. There was no mention in the report from the investigation of the ruins with Bedivere, one of the Four Heavenly Kings who ruled the western lands, of Mirage sustaining any injuries. If anything of that magnitude had occurred, Astarte surely would have heard about it. From these facts, it was easy to infer that the scar on Mirage’s body was made when he visited the human kingdom.

“I tried my best to hide it… Was it that obvious?” -Mirage

“Do you have any idea how closely I observe you every day to reproduce your image in illusion magic? I won’t miss even the slightest quirk. Please… don’t cause me so much worry.” -Astarte

Mirage, admiring how he couldn’t beat Tart-chan, didn’t miss the tears beginning to pool in Astarte’s eyes. His arm was still not free, but with his trembling right hand, he wiped away her tears and gently stroked her head.

Perhaps surprised, Astarte’s shoulders shivered slightly. Then, she slowly rested her head against Mirage’s chest, where the vivid scar remained.

“I’m a failure as one of the Four Heavenly Kings if I keep making my deputy cry.” -Mirage

“That’s true. You are a hopeless Heavenly King, always causing me trouble. You go away and come back with such a severe injury the moment I look away. I can’t casually give you a vacation with this. I’m worried about what problems you’ll cause if I’m not watching you.” -Astarte

“So does that mean you’ll always be my deputy from now on and forever?” -Mirage

“Wha-! That’s not what I meant! I only mean until I can drag you down from the seat of the Heavenly Kings!” -Astarte

As Mirage playfully teased her, Astarte firmly denied his words, her face flushed red. Overcome with embarrassment, she pushed him away with both hands.

Mirage, unable to move freely, was thrown to the ground. He regretted his unnecessary words as a dull pain shot through the back of his head.

“Ouch! Even though I was wrong for teasing, I wish you would be a bit gentler.” -Mirage

“The root of the problem is you making strange comments, so please reflect more on your actions! Honestly… this is a special case, just this time.” -Astarte

Astarte, her face clearly disgruntled, approached Mirage again and sat down next to him. She pulled Mirage’s head onto her lap and, with a ‘hmph,’ turned her gaze away, falling silent. In a situation often referred to as a lap pillow, Mirage, for all his experience, was taken by surprise and lost for words.

So they remained, in silence, for a while. The time was approaching sunrise, and the light of the sun began to seep from the eastern sky. Astarte, her silver hair glittering in the sunlight, was of a beauty that could surpass even a goddess from mythology.

“I never thought I’d be able to watch the sunrise in such a calm state with Tart-chan.” -Mirage

“… You always go somewhere at sunrise. I thought it might be the case, but you really did go to the human kingdom. Is it… because of the incident ten years ago?” -Astarte

It had been ten years since Mirage began living his dual life as a demon and a human. Ever since he became a court magician and settled in the royal capital of the Valois Kingdom, he was living a human life, and he would appear in the demon territory mostly at night.

At first, Astarte tried to confront Mirage about his whereabouts, but he always deftly evaded her questions. Eventually, she stopped asking.

Instead, Astarte started to criticize Mirage at every opportunity, an inevitable consequence, perhaps, of her frustration.

It was unthinkable that a demon, hiding their crimson eyes – a symbol of their identity – would infiltrate a human kingdom.

However, in the back of her mind, Astarte suspected that was exactly where Mirage was going.

“I can’t forget the sight of that day. No matter who the enemy is, I can’t accept toying with lives. I often find myself wondering, what if I hadn’t been able to use teleportation magic?” -Mirage

“That was Cruel’s fault for using you, Mirage-sama! You shouldn’t feel responsi-…. No, I apologize, I overstepped.” -Astarte

“No, it’s okay. I’m glad you’re angry on my behalf, Tart-chan. But I must not forget the mistake of that day. I plan to break the chain of hatred that only breeds more hatred.” -Mirage

Even if that meant being slain by Julia, Mirage thought, catching himself before he spoke the words aloud. Instead, he looked at Astarte, his treasured deputy.

When Mirage first became one of the Four Heavenly Kings, Astarte was always polite, but there was a certain distance between them.

Astarte’s father was the previous Four Heavenly King, a demon who led the silver-horned demon clan with great vigor.

Astarte, his daughter, had been trained by her great father since childhood, and showed a promising talent that made people hopeful for her future.

Her childhood friend, Rafale, who was of a similar age and also a daughter of the Four Heavenly Kings, was undoubtedly a motivating factor for Astarte.

Naturally, people expected her to become the next clan head or one of the Four Heavenly Kings, and it seemed Astarte felt the same.

However, the one who actually ascended to the position was Mirage, who had suddenly appeared in the Demon Lord’s army and quickly distinguished himself.

And Rafale, her friend and good rival, had also ascended to the position, leaving Astarte behind.

The girl who had been chasing her great father’s legacy and a glorious future felt something she had built up until then was breaking. It was not unreasonable.

The existence of Mirage, who could be said to have caused that breaking, was once an eyesore to Astarte, but now they have a completely different relationship.

Astarte still speaks harshly on the surface, but a trust in Mirage could be glimpsed beneath her words.

Mirage himself felt it strongly and worried about what would happen to Astarte if he were slain by Julia, the Hero.

“D-don’t stare at me like that, it’s unpleasant.” -Astarte

“Sorry, sorry. I was just thinking about how unimaginable it would have been a while ago to enjoy your lap pillow like this.” -Mirage

“Say something strange again and I’ll throw you on the ground one more time! I’m only doing this because you looked tired, Mirage-sama. As your superior, I couldn’t just leave you lying on the ground, and there’s no grass or place to rest around here. Anyway, I think your behavior towards women, including me, is a bit reckless. You went to the dragon demon village with Rafa without telling me, caused a fuss, and then went to the oni demon village and became close with Bedivere-sama. Even during the recent meeting, you were all over another deputy in public. Please have some awareness as one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Don’t you realize how much your reckless actions affect those around you? Even if you can move around easily with teleportation magic, you go to the Demon Lord’s castle too often. Some of your subordinates even spread baseless rumors that you became one of the Four Heavenly Kings because you’re the Demon Lord’s favorite. Of course, I try to maintain discipline so that there won’t be more people spreading such nonsense, but it’s your actions that cause these misunderstandings. You also seemed very close with young Roux at the wolf demon village. Do you, Mirage-sama, have a special sexual preference for young children?” -Astarte

“N-No, I think my tastes are pretty normal.” -Mirage

Mirage had tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but was taken aback by Astarte’s unexpected counterattack.

It seemed it would take more time for things to return to normal, he sighed.

Mentioning the lap pillow to Astarte was like poking a snake with a stick, proof that not only Mirage’s body but also his mind was not working properly.

Sure enough, Astarte, who was now speaking out her complaints about Mirage, was born.

Astarte’s fierce attitude made Mirage inadvertently use respectful language, and he replied without fully understanding more than half of what she said.

Whether it was because Astarte was excited, her story was somewhat disjointed, but no one here noticed or pointed it out.

The only ones in this barren landscape were Mirage and Astarte.

“If that’s the case, please refrain from taking actions that may cause misunderstanding… though I guess it’s pointless to say that.” -Astarte

“Haha… I must admit, I’ve made some mistakes.” -Mirage

“Indeed, I wish you would reflect on them a bit. But I do have one question: who hurt you, Mirage-sama? Granted, you may be less than a caterpillar in terms of dignity as one of the Four Heavenly Kings, but your strength… well, I have to admit you’ve received some training from my father. It’s hard to imagine someone capable of inflicting such damage on you.” -Astarte

“Oh, this… happened when I was helping Roux. I guess it was unexpected, or maybe I unconsciously…” -Mirage

Having returned to earn normal self, Astarte’s question was quite valid, and it wasn’t easy to inflict wounds on a powerful individual like Mirage.

Ever since Astarte’s father, the previous Four Heavenly King, criticized Mirage’s magic-centric fighting style, he had been forced into intensive melee combat training.

Astarte’s father, who preached the spirit of the eternal battlefield, even incorporated surprise attacks into everyday life as part of his training.

Knowing this, Astarte must have known that it would be impossible for any ordinary attack to injure Mirage.

Mirage struggled with how to explain, but decided to give a vague response as a half-hearted lie wouldn’t work.

“The time you helped Roux-san… Given the circumstances of being protected by humans, I assume you shielded her with your own body. But still, it’s hard to imagine anyone could hurt you so easily. The person must be a formidable opponent among humans. Notably, the court wizard Farsa or the Hero destined to defeat the Demon Lord, both famous figures in the Valois Kingdom. Considering the location is the royal capital and the opponent a demon, it’s highly likely one of these two is involved. I don’t know much about their abilities, but if Cruel… is watching them, they must be quite skilled. Therefore, I presume the one who hurt you is either Farsa or the Hero. Am I wrong?” -Astarte

Mirage was stunned, wondering how Tart-chan, who shouldn’t know much about the human kingdom, could guess so accurately.

Even though she seemed unaware that Farsa was actually Mirage’s other identity, Astarte’s assumptions were mostly accurate.

In fact, the reason she hesitated to address Cruel with honorifics was likely due to her personal feelings.

Dutiful Astarte always used respectful titles when addressing superiors within the Demon Lord’s army.

However, this was not the case when dealing with Cruel, whom she disliked, or with her childhood friend, Rafale.

“That’s pretty much it… I guess. Humans can be formidable opponents, I believe. Perhaps living among them makes me see it that way.” -Mirage

“I don’t know the details of the interactions between Farsa and the Hero… but if they have the power to harm Mirage-sama, they should not be underestimated. If the opportunity arises, I will personally take care of them.” -Astarte

Inside his mind, Mirage couldn’t help but remark, “Well, one of them is me,” and he made a firm vow never to let Julia and Tart-chan meet.

Astarte, despite having silver horns, was a demon, a figure typically despised by humans, and judging from her attitude, she unquestionably harbored hostility toward Julia, the Hero. The potential consequences of a clash between these two could be devastating.

However, depending on the plan they would pursue from now on, that possibility could become a reality, leaving Mirage with a new headache.

“For now… I’ll endeavor to make sure that Tart-chan doesn’t have to get involved.” -Mirage

“If that’s what you wish, Mirage-sama, I won’t interfere. However, as your deputy, I intend to remain your ally no matter what. Please keep that in mind.” -Astarte

As Astarte gazed at Mirage, her expression was not the usual impassive look; instead, her lips softly curved upward, showing a loving and caring expression.

“Ally no matter what”… those words struck deeply in Mirage’s heart.

Given Mirage’s secretive nature and his silence even when questioned about his actions, Astarte had been left in the dark about various matters. Even his true identity, which Mirage had only revealed to the newcomer Louveteau, remained hidden from Astarte, who had sat behind him.

It wouldn’t be strange if Astarte began to feel suspicious and develop a lack of trust towards Mirage, who had shared his true self with a newcomer but not with his own deputy. Still, Astarte chose to remain his ally without delving deeper into these matters.

Mirage couldn’t help but think, ” This is something unimaginable from the Tart-chan back when I became one of the Four Heavenly Kings.” He felt the flow of time.

At the same time, he realized that the presence of Astarte was becoming even more significant within himself. However, understanding the full extent of it would come at a later time.