Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody

※Typo corrected on 5/6.

This is Satou. When you think of goblins, they’re the classic fantasy villains alongside orcs and kobolds, but originally they were just ordinary fairies who liked to joke around and play pranks.

Come to think of it, in the story of the super famous magic boy, goblins are depicted as intelligent little people.

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“Whoa, stop the car here. If we mess up the flower fields, Yuika’s going to be mad.”

“Got it.”

After finishing the sightseeing flight over the evil dragon, we were driving to make it in time for Van’s katana forging demonstration event. But with Semery’s single request to “stop by Yuika’s place,” we changed our course.

I couldn’t refuse a request from someone who gave me such a delightful dance in the rearview mirror as eye candy.

Of course, Yoroi didn’t object either.

“I’ll wait here, you two go on ahead.”

“What? Yoroi, you’re not coming?”

“If it’s the younger Yuika, she’ll cry again.”

Wait, so Ms. Yuika of the goblin tribe has kids?

I had imagined her as a single, reclusive, shy woman on my own.

“If she has kids, you should’ve brought some sweets.”

“Hm? Yuika isn’t a child, you know? But she likes sweet treats, so if you bring some, I might bring her along again.”

Huh? The conversation isn’t matching up.

“Does she have children or not?”

“No, she doesn’t. Van said Yuika is a ‘tājūjinkaku’.”

“Multiple personalities. Yuika creates a new personality and discards the old one and memories whenever things get unbearably painful. Sounds like something out of a manga, but it’s true.”

Apparently, the old personality is like a spirit watching from behind, unable to intervene.

When the main personality Yuika sleeps or faints, the old personality can possess her and come out.

It’s a setting often seen in old manga and anime.

In a way, it’s like what Ms. Aze and the High Elves do with the World Tree, but Yuika does it alone.

Leaving Yoroi to guard the car, we moved toward the flower fields.

Of course, we had no intention of trampling through such a colorful blooming garden, so I tucked Semery under my arm and flew just above the ground with skystride.

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“Kuro, see that purple flower over there drawing a hexagram? Land right in the center of it.”

Following Semery’s instructions, I landed on the ground.

There must be an area nearby similar to where Mukuro’s museum was located.

“So, how do we get in?”

“We can’t. Wait a moment.”

Semery took a deep breath, so I quickly covered my ears.

As expected, she shouted “Yuika” at the top of her lungs. Noisy.

Was that shout a kind of intercom? The flowers drawing the hexagram began to glow faintly, and six translucent doors materialized from the light.

The doors had letters on them, five of which read “Wrong,” “To Hell,” “It’s a Trap,” “Do Not Enter,” and “DEATH.”

The remaining one read “Welcome.”

If I may speak frankly, they were all traps... but the “Danger Sense” and “Trap Detection” skills told me only the “Welcome” door was safe.

“Uh, I’m sure this is the right one!”

Semery pointed confidently at the “To Hell” door.

I grabbed her collar to stop her as she made a defiant face and tried to step into the gates of hell.

“What are you doing?!”

“That’s the wrong one.”

“How do you know?!”

I didn’t answer and passed through the “Welcome” gate with Semery.

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“Whoa! It really was the right one! Amazing, Kuro!”

When I asked how she usually does this, Semery said she just repeats it until she succeeds.

If she fails, she escapes as mist or bats and tries again.

Usually, she succeeds by the fourth try, but she sounded strangely frustrated this time.

“Won’t anyone come out to greet us?”

“Yuika’s a ‘neet,’ so she definitely won’t come out.”

Isn’t that a mistake? She means recluse, not just a NEET.

Anyway, as expected, this area is a “mapless zone” like Mukuro’s museum.

We used full map exploration to check inside, but we found no one else there.