Published: August 25, 2025
Today, five chapters posted simultaneously.
This story is the third chapter.
With a look of shock frozen on her face, magic power rose from my mother’s severed face like dust, and her visage transformed into that of an unfamiliar woman. With a returning slash, I cut down my father, then made a sweep around the surroundings. The figure that had been imitating my former colleague was also enveloped in light-attribute mana and slashed.
Only Tabuchi-kun evaded the sword’s strike with a ghostlike movement, retreating back to the entrance.
“Why?”
The voice that came from him was completely different from the familiar one earlier—a hoarse voice like that of an old man. His eyes no longer held the warmth of a close junior but instead glared sharply.
This illusion was a release from my past company. Being accepted by colleagues, reconciliation, and the loss of my parents. Maybe the opponent aims to soften me or sap my will to fight by showing illusions I desire or prefer... Honestly, if I had just come to this world, I might have been taken in.
“Why isn’t the illusion working?”
“It was working. What I saw, heard, even the smells all felt exactly as in my memories. I was genuinely surprised.”
Yet, precisely because the effect was certain, it felt unpleasant. It was the first time someone had used the image of my deceased mother without permission, and it wasn’t a pleasant feeling.
“Ugh!?”
Perhaps sensing my anger, the figure resembling Tabuchi-kun twisted its expression and vanished. The world repainted itself. What had looked like a room in an izakaya became a dark, long stone corridor. The smell of the izakaya returned to the damp air of the Tree Sea.
The surroundings seemed to have returned to reality, but...
“So it isn’t completely dispelled.”
My form remained as Ryoma Takebayashi. My weapon still looked like a business bag, but my memories and consciousness were intact, and even if I couldn’t see it, I hadn’t let go. As long as I knew the position and length of my weapon, swinging it posed no problem.
...This mansion was originally built for the first village chief of Korumi Village, who was related by blood to the lord of the territory. It served not just as a private residence but also as a document storage and meeting hall, so it was quite a large house.
Later, it was lent temporarily as a base for personnel working on Tree Sea development, with barracks and warehouses built nearby. But as the situation worsened, the base had to be downsized, and ultimately the facilities centered around the house were integrated into their current form.
That is why the former village chief’s house remains as a detached building in the center of the mansion. That chief’s house is the stronghold of the magical beasts.
“I thought if I followed silently, I could just storm in...”
No use regretting failure now. According to prior information, once I reached the corridor, the enemy would be just ahead. As I tried to move forward, the scenery changed again.
Resistance was natural... but now, was this a company office? My former workplace. What was the point of showing such an illusion—
“Takebayashi!!”
“…Section chief, huh.”
“W-What’s with that attitude!?”
Out came the section chief, who didn’t even evoke any sense of nostalgia. In my past life, I might have thought my attitude was bad, but he was still the kind of person who would explode like a boiling kettle in an instant. His baldness, oily shine, shaking belly as he shouted—every detail was recreated with needless accuracy.
“What are you looking at!? You useless fool! Stop slacking and get back to work!”
With a shout, the section chief slammed a thick stack of documents that he had somehow acquired onto my desk. That amount inevitably meant overtime... just everyday life.
“Hey! I said don’t slack off! Get back to your seat—ugh!?”
When he reached out to forcibly seat me, I instinctively punched his stomach. He let out a croaking, frog-like sound and collapsed.