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A/N: After all, shouldn't there be salvation for the people of Elderant? The girls who were trampled by Krische should also be able to find happiness.
With these thoughts in mind, I would like to change this work from ‘A Girl's Unwanted Heroic Epic’ to ‘Magical Girl Magical Berry DarkN (meaning Darkness) - Retreating Magician Shelna’ and have it reborn as a bright and happy story!
...was an April Fool's joke.
Displayed on the large LCD TV in the living room were three magical girls and a mass of tentacles.
The girls jumped around the three-dimensional stage, attacking each other with magic and physical strikes, with the game's objective being to knock the others off the stage.
It was a simple battle royale game in which the last one standing was the winner.
――Magical Girl Wars Extreme.
An evolved version of the hugely popular game in the fairy world, Magical Girl Wars, with a huge number of playable characters added from the previous game.
Nearly all characters from the previous series, including the Demon King Gilgil, the Seven Pillars of Evil, and Nyururun from the Exorcist Shelna series, were included.
Apparently, it was scheduled for release next month, and the finished product had been delivered to the Christand family first.
“Ehehe, Nyururun is good. 'Nyururun' is good at causing costume damage, so instead of using a big move, it seems strong to just tear apart the costumes bit by bit and knock them off. Kreschenta isn't good at dashing or jumping and can only counter, so it's better to focus on small moves while keeping your distance.”
Nyururun wriggled in the wash basin on the desk.
Nyururun skillfully controlled the countless tentacles and was able to operate a total of fourteen buttons at the same time, showing off their brilliant controller skills.
Three matches ago, Nyururun's movements were clumsy, but now, they have dramatically improved. The opposing magical girl, ‘Magical Krische’ was able to block ‘Nyururun’ onslaught with perfectly timed guards, but was cornered at the edge of the stage.
‘Onee-sama, it's not fair, always siding with Nyururun!"
The fairy world's queen, Kreschenta controls are perfect――she hits the buttons with her right hand with her small body, trying to execute a counter, but while Nyururun could operate 14 buttons at the same time, she could only operate two at a time.
On top of that, since one hand is basically controlling the movement stick, the buttons that could be operated instantly were limited, and it was very difficult to use the back buttons that a normal human would operate with their index and middle fingers, or to dash or jump.
"Kreschenta’s the one who said it wouldn't be much of a battle without this much of a handicap."
"But Onee-sama, you can't tell her what to do! It's not fair!"
"What a selfish child... Ah, Nyururun, it's a bomb. Kreschenta can't escape now."
"Uuu...I'm angry now..."
Kreschenta jumps up and down onto the controller.
While pressing the front button with the knee, she reached for the back button with her right hand and began to use dash and jump.
Around them, Nyururun's wife (tentacles) and children (tentacles) were amazed by the father (tentacles) skillfully controlling the controller and cheering, wriggling their tentacles.
And it’s not just the family, Nyururun's friends (tentacles) and many neighbors (tentacles) were also watching, though they didn't come into the room but peeking through the window on the balcony.
In contrast to the beautiful girls, the situation in the Christand family's living room was extremely strange.
A truly blasphemous madness and chaos had arisen that could drive an unknowing person insane if he or she entered, but there was already no one in the house who cared about such a situation.
Right next to the Queen and the tentacles in their fierce battle was a beautiful blonde girl in a one-piece dress and a beautiful red-haired girl (woman) in an apron.
They controlled their own avatars――'Magical Selene’ and ‘Magical Berry’.
"Hey! Stob being a coward! Using only long-range attacks just because I can only fight in close combat... Fight fair and square!"
"My, I did bring in close combat quite a few times..."
"Most of it is just a trap right! You were secretly practicing while I was at school!"
"Secretly... I was playing openly in the living room."
"You coward, why don't you go easy on me!?"
"I just thought Ojou-sama would be angry if I went easy..."
When ‘Magical Selene’ stepped in, she deployed a Magical Mixer in front of her.
‘Magical Selene’, a close-range character, had no choice but to stop in her tracks, and Magical Fire (Strong Fire) was unleashed upon her.
Unleashed at an unavoidable moment, it was the Hamburger Combo, a vicious combo of ‘Magical Bery’ that became popular after the game's release.
Magical Mixer was unblockable and powerful, but it is a set-up move with a large opening.
Magical Fire was also unblockable and powerful, but in exchange for a large gap.
However, the Magical Mixer could slow down the opponent's speed based on proximity, ensuring a hit with Magical Fire (Strong Fire) within a certain range.
Bery easily mastered the ‘Predictive Mixer’, a skill that would later become essential for ‘Magical Bery’ users, with her natural instincts, while Selene was literally a beginner.
Furthermore, Selene was using Magical Selene, a close-range specialized move that would be considered for advanced players after the game's release.
What happened between the two was not a battle, but a one-sided destruction.
‘Magical Bery’ used her Magical Wing to move quickly around to the back of ‘Magical Selene’, who was engulfed in magical fire (strong flames), and knocked her away with a single blow with her frying pan.
While engulfed in flames, Magical Selene was slammed into the Magical Mixer.
Without further ado, she used her special move, Magical Full Course with perfect timing, sending ‘Magical Selene’ flying across the stage.
Seeing the perfect victory, the person controlling her smiled cheerfully.
"It seems the goddess of victory has smiled upon me... Fufu, it was a good match――"
"How can you call it a good match when you've thoroughly shut out your opponent? What the goddess is smiling at you, you didn't even take any damage!"
"It just happened to go well. I was almost hit just now..."
“Y-You...!”
Selene was furious, but she didn't seem to care.
Berry operated the controller, keeping her distance from the fierce battle between ‘Magical Krische’ and ‘Nyururun’, while collecting the power-up items that fell onto the stage, Tinkle☆Hearts.
She won against a beginner with a ruthless shutout, and watched from afar, hoping to reap the benefits.
The first magical girl was a hopeless woman who would justify any means to win.
Berry, the final winner, put down the controller with a very satisfied look on her face, and headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner, with Krische following her.
Unsatisfied with the result, Selene and Kreschenta silently rematched.
Selene casually grabbed one of the tentacles that had been watching, shoved it into Nyururun's washbasin, and pressed the controller that Bery had been using against it.
Nyururun looked at Selene with a confused look on his face, and moved their tentacles around to explain how to operate the controller to their friend――that was the beginning.
"It's true... there haven't been many attacks lately."
"That's true. Before, a demon would rampage once every two weeks..."
The Veeze family's living room.
Ledo, who was doing the dishes, answered Sherna, who was lying on the sofa reading a manga.
It's been like this lately――the two members of the World Exorcism Church had a lot of free time.
Ever since the appearance of the magical girl who had fallen into darkness, or rather, the demon lord Magical Bery, Shelna and her friends have been fighting nonstop.
The reign of the former Demon King Gilgil ended and the appearance of demons around the world began to calm down, but in this far eastern region, demons tend to be active.
The two received deployment orders almost every day, but for the past three months, that had calmed down considerably.
When they sensed the presence of demons and went to investigate, they only found small ones.
Even when they went out on deployment orders, they were not organized demons like before, but stray demons that had simply become stronger.
Magical Selene, the Demon King's aide who used to show up so frequently, had not shown up at all.
And the blasphemous tentacles, the main force of Magical Bery, had not been seen recently.
"What did the old man say?"
"He said the headquarters is the same as before. It seems they've been investigating various things, but it's the same everywhere in the world... it seems like it's pretty peaceful."
"I see..."
After washing the dishes, Ledo poured instant coffee into a floral mug, handed it to Shelna, and sat on the sofa himself.
Shelna, who had been lying down, sat up and quietly sipped her hot coffee.
"That's creepy."
"Yeah. I guess it's the calm before the storm. ... The purpose of Magical Bery's actions was unclear to begin with, and there are many things we don't understand. It's frustrating that there's nothing we can do since we can't move."
It's fair to say that the Demon King Gilgil was easier for the exorcists like Shelna to understand.
Youma――demons that ooze out of the world.
Monsters, spirits, and gods, they have been fighting with exorcists for over a thousand years.
The Demon King Gilgil, who appeared from another world about twenty years ago, is one of the most powerful youma.
His goal is simple and clear: to rule the world, and the demons' movements have become more active, centered around Japan, and demons around the world have begun to move in a coordinated manner.
Historically, there have been similar examples, with powerful demons building up a powerful force around themselves, and in history, a fierce battle between demons and exorcisms has always been waged.
The exorcists were also very concerned about the group calling themselves the Demon King Gilgil, and stood up to prevent their power from expanding, with exorcists, including Shelna's father, at the center of this battle.
However, in the midst of this battle, a magical girl named Magical Bery suddenly appeared.
Despite the best efforts of the exorcisms, she challenged the powerful enemy alone, using an unknown, vast amount of energy and unknown magic to achieve results that were ridiculous, defeating one executive of the Demon King's side by herself.
In just one year, she repelled the attack of the Demon King Gilgil.
The exorcisms rushed to discover the true identity of Magical Bery, but the search was halted due to her magic of recognition inhibition and memory manipulation.
The Seventh Far East Branch was established in this ‘Yuhen’ which was the center of her and the Demon King Gilgil's activities.
After that, magical girls similar to Magical Bery began to appear in various places, but Magical Berr did not make any moves for the next thirteen years. It was only a few years ago that Magical Berry broke her silence――she appeared again with two companions, at a time when the remnants of the Demon King Gilgil were starting to become active.
With two companions, she defeated Gilgil again over four years, then declared herself the next demon king, attacking the exorcists who she had cooperated with previously.
The power of the magical girls and the tentacles she commanded was immense.
Even Sherna and the others who had entered the base a few months ago had no choice but to flee, and if they had launched a serious offensive, the Far East Branch would have been destroyed in an instant.
But what is their intention?
Their movements were very sporadic, as if they were just playing.
They show no signs of expanding their influence, and only come to bother people from time to time. In the end, all the exorcists who have been in combat with them have been spared without being dealt a final blow.
She claimed to aim for world domination, but her words and actions were completely inconsistent.
Objectively speaking, the Magical Bery’s action was nothing but a mystery.
The fairy-like creatures around her could be seen giving instructions and the girls seemed to follow them, but their existence was just as mysterious as the magical girls themselves.
A mysterious being that always appeared around the magical girls――at the very least, it was thought to be the being that gave the magical girls their immense power, but all that was known about it was its name, Kreschenta.
This was likely due to the influence of recognition inhibition.
Even Shelna, who generally never forgets things, only had vague memories of when she confronted them.
She often felt odd stares from around her feet, but she hadn't yet identified the cause of this sensation.
And in this silence, there was an eerie calm.
"However, the lack of movement may be an opportunity to attack. Could you please look for the place where the Magical Bery appeared again, Ledo?"
"Yeah... I guess we have to look for clues there."
However, if there was no movement, they could only do that.
"Yes. If there's anything, please contact me, I'll come right away."
"...Maybe it's okay to do it the other way around sometimes?"
"No, there’s Birdcage during the day. Oh, don't contact me about trivial things."
"......"
Ignoring Redo's sigh, she suddenly went, ‘Oh, that reminds me’, and set the recording.
The Birdcage, a very popular mansion tale about an indulgent relationship between a servant and three young ladies, has reached its climax, and she was curious to see what happens next.
Shelna also wants to enjoy the drama at least when it is peaceful.
"...If they're free, maybe you could send over Bez or Zuren."
"Don't complain. He who doesn't work, doesn't eat."
"And, what about you?"
"I'm taking care of the flower beds, cleaning, cooking... I do all the housework, don't I?"
"How does that align with being an exorcist?"
"Say that again when you're stronger than me."
She laughed at Ledo, who couldn't say anything back, and lay down with his lap as her pillow.
"It seems like a game."
"...A game?"
"Yeah. Like playing the exorcist... don't you think so? No one says that aloud though."
"...Well, it's quite different from what I thought back then."
You may be terrifying.
At least, many sacrifices were made before the predecessor of the Exorcist Association was established, and the exorcists who fight in the Exorcist Association have also been forced to make many sacrifices.
As children, both Shelna and Ledo were told this over and over again, and they have trained accordingly to get to this place.
The reason Sherna, the Association's greatest exorcist, was here was because of the strong vigilance against the Demon King Gilgil and his successor, Magical Bery.
However, since coming to this land, it hasn't felt like a serious fight in which life was at stake.
It felt strange, as if they were being forced into some kind of game where they fought on an invisible ring.
There have been several times when they were at a disadvantage in the battle against the Demon King Gilgil and prepared to die, but then Magical XX appeared at a convenient time and they fought together.
By nature, invaders from other worlds also seem to aim to keep people alive and absorb some kind of energy rather than killing them, and as far as Shelna has investigated, there have been no cases of direct fatalities caused by invaders from other worlds.
Compared to the existing Youma, the damage caused by Youma from other worlds was far too minimal.
The Demon Exorcism Association itself must have felt that way deep down.
Although Sherna was kept here due to concerns about the powerful magical girls and invaders from another world, it seemed that the priority of the disturbances occurring in this far eastern land was much lower than it was twenty years ago.
Honestly, if they just look at the data, a Youma the size of a smart bear was much more dangerous.
"But don't let your guard down. It's true that they have powers on a different level than any other exorcist."
"I understand. But, you know..."
"...?"
In the past, she only thought about her mission as an exorcist.
She kicked others down and looked down on them, thought only about getting stronger, and sought excellence.
However, when a future different from what she had imagined arrived, she sometimes thought she was immersed in this lukewarm water.
"No, it's nothing after all."
But she didn't say that.
Looking at Ledo’s puzzled face, she shrugged her shoulders.
Ledo left, and she did the laundry.
She cleaned and took care of the flower beds.
Though sometimes referred to as the 7th Far East Branch, with its ostentatious name, from the outside it was just an ordinary two-story house.
After finishing various household chores, she went for a walk to scout the surrounding area.
This slightly elegant residential area was filled with many European foreigners, and Shelna's appearance in particular was not looked upon as strange, so she was able to go out without any worries.
As soon as she stepped out of the house, the first thing she saw was the mansion opposite.
The redheaded housekeeper was wiping the nameplate and mailbox with a rag.
"Good morning, Bery."
"Good morning. Nice weather, isn't it?"
She was wearing her usual kimono and apron.
It was an old-fashioned outfit, but it suited her well, and she was rarely seen wearing Western clothes.
She was a somewhat eccentric woman who was famous for wearing kimonos around here.
She wore kimonos all year round because she would be seen as a child, and although she had a very childish face, she was apparently over 30.
Although Shelna knew it was rude, it didn't look that way no matter how many times she looked.
As she got closer, she could see the garden, and the flower bed was as elegant as ever.
It must have just been watered. The flowers were sparkling in the sunlight.
"Oh, they're blooming”
"Yes, they were blooming this morning. If the other child keeps it up, then tomorrow or the day after... Fufu, would you like to come and see them?"
"Yes, thank you."
A classy mansion, and the most impressive thing about it was the flower bed.
She got along well with Sherna, who also loved flowers, and they exchanged information on various aspects such as flower care and soil preparation.
Soon she invited her for tea and taught her how to cook, and she became like a teacher to Sherna, who had not had much to do with a normal life until then.
Bery had been kind to Shelna and Red since they moved in about four years ago, helping them navigate their new surroundings.
While they were chatting about flowers for a while, they heard a tapping sound from inside the house, pecking at the sliding glass on the balcony.
It was a ‘pink little bird’ called Kreschenta.
She was sitting on the head of a ‘purple dog’ wearing a pink hat and making a chirping sound.
Bery, who loved animals, had many ‘dogs’ and ‘birds’.
"My. Fufu, how about it? Would you like to have some tea?"
"Um, then... I'll take you up on that offer."
And so, invited to the entrance, Kreschenta the ‘little bird’ came flying over and sat on Bery's shoulder, chirping in her ear.
Bery gave a wry smile and tried to calm the ‘little bird’ down.
Both the ‘little bird’ and the ‘dog’ were very intelligent, and seemed to be able to understand human language to some extent.
Several ‘dogs’ appeared from the back, and when they saw Shelna, they wagged their tails’ and twisted their bodies.
Shelna also said hello and went into the living room.
As they enjoyed delicious cookies and tea, they talked about flowers and what would happen to the Birdcage today.
Bery also seemed to be fascinated with Birdcage, and they had been having a great time talking about them lately.
It was a heartwarming daily life――at least, until she came here, she never thought that the day would come when she would be so engrossed in watching a TV program that she would end up talking about it with her neighbors.
On the contrary, she had secretly made fun of such people, but now that it has happened to her, she could finally understand how they felt.
While talking, she crumbled a cookie into small pieces and fed them to Kreschenta, the ‘little bird’, who was hopping energetically on the table.
According to Bery, it seemed Kreschenta was quite hungry.
She never thought the day would come when she would find such animals cute.
She kept thinking that she had been living in a very small world.
Realizing that ordinary daily life was filled with so many different things was perhaps the greatest happiness for Shelna.
Sherna, who once thought that meeting others' expectations was everything, had come to love someone, appreciate flowers, and care for animals.
Every time she looked back, she realized how far she had come.
Having enjoyed lunch, they watched the drama "Birdcage" from one o'clock.
Somehow, thirteen ‘dogs’ had gathered and were quietly watching the screen.
Smart and unusual dogs――she had never seen them bark.
They expressed their emotions by twisting their bodies.
Sometimes, their purple color caused hallucinations of blasphemous tentacles, but that was an occupational hazard.
Kreschenta the ‘little bird’ also sometimes looked like a fairy, and seeing strange things made her wary――probably because of the names.
Magical Bery, Magical Krische, Magical Selene, and the fairy-like Kreschenta.
And the dog's names Nyururunda, Nyurin, Nyurun, Nyunyu, Nyurun, etc., which were the names of the tentacles controlled by Magical Bery.
The names were just too similar.
However, this was likely due to the effect of the Magical Bery recognition inhibition magic.
They probably automatically assign individual names from her memory.
Otherwise, committing crimes under their real names would be too foolish.
Normally, a person being chased wouldn't be foolish enough to reveal their real name to their pursuers, and if they lived right next door, it would be insane.
Moreover, keeping tentacles at home and leisurely having tea with their enemies, Shelna, and inviting them to barbecues, made no sense at all.
In fact, she had looked into the strange coincidences before, but at least this house was clean.
At the very least, there was no sign of magic, and although she had previously gone to the trouble of transferring school to investigate Selene and Krische, they were just normal, earnest students with excellent grades.
Since then, she had tried not to think about it as much as possible, but sometimes these ‘delusions’ pop up every time she shook it off.
This was a delusion――how could she possibly think that Bery, who was sitting next to her, and the sisters of this house were living together with countless tentacles without a second thought?
If it were true, that means Sherna would be watching the drama while surrounded by tentacles.
Imagining that blasphemous scene, Sherna sighed, wondering what a foolish delusion it was.
"What's wrong?"
"No. I was just wondering what Nozomi would do after finding out about Ringo and Mikazuki's relationship."
"Yes... I think Nozomi Ojou-sama would try to distance herself. I think last week's marriage proposal talk is connected to this."
"I see, that's certainly true. I thought that in Nozomi's position, she would step in... but in this case, will Nozomi be worried about Ringo?"
"Yes. Maybe she'll accept the proposal... I'm curious to see what Tsukiko Ojou-sama will do."
Recalling the drama's plot, Shelna nodded, saying she couldn't miss next week either.
When did she start watching such dramas? At first, she thought they were just ridiculous, but now she was completely hooked on these love and hate-filled stories.
There's no better way to learn about the human heart.
For Sherna, who was bad at socializing and couldn't understand other people, these stories had given her a lot.
And so, while talking about the contents of the Birdcage, the conversation turned to general conversation.
After the drama ended, she watched the ‘dogs’ meander away and sighed.
“...Ledo's work was busy until recently, but recently he's suddenly become free... Well, you see, it seems like the project he'd been working on has been put on hold due to circumstances on the other side.”
“I-I see...”
Next to Sherna, who was starting to speak, Bery glanced over at ‘little bird’ who was eating a cookie on the table.
Little Bird chirped something and turned away.
"Well, since we've been busy up until now, this isn't so bad, but... I don't know when we'll be busy again, and since we have to get going as soon as called, traveling and things like that is a bit difficult."
"That must be tough..."
As Bery spoke, as she gazed intently at the ‘little bird.’
The ‘little bird’ chirped again, and Bery sighed.
After catching the ‘little bird’, she got close to it and scolded it, saying it was no good.
Shelna tilted her head, and Bery shook her head it as if it was nothing.
"...Sorry. I was just complaining."
"No. Just talking to someone about these things would make you feel better, so it's much better than brooding on it by yourself. Since that's the case, I actually have a coupon for Hawkland... How about you come and have a little fun with Ledo-sama?"
"Hawkland..."
"Yes. It's close by... and my master’s company often sends me coupons."
*‘Chirp, chirp’*, Bery gave a cookie to ‘little bird’, who was whining and complaining, and smiled.
The ‘little bird’ was as lively as ever.
"But is it okay? Giving away something like that..."
"Yeah, I just went there with the ladies the other day..."
The moment ‘little bird’ whined, another cookie was already in its mouth.
She looked angry about something, but maybe she was hungry.
"There's no point in having too many, so if you don't mind, please accept it."
"Thank you. I'm always receiving things..."
"No, don't worry about it. I've been receiving a lot of things from you, too... It's been getting warmer lately, so how about we have a barbecue again sometime?"
"Yes, please. I'll get some more from my parents' house."
"Great."
Shelna nodded and drank her tea.
Watching a drama over tea with the neighbors in the afternoon.
Waiting for Ledo to come home and making dinner.
Peaceful everyday life――tranquil days.
Shelna naturally smiled and narrowed her eyes.
"What’s the matter?"
"Nothing... I was just thinking this is nice."
Berr smiled at her words and gently poked the ‘little bird’ she had caught.
*’Chirp*, the ‘little bird’ chirped in displeasure.
――But the exorcist Shelna’s battles never end.
"It's been a while, Exorcist Shelna."
"Magical Berry, I wondered why there was no movement, and here you are."
"I have no intention of fighting here. Today I came to tell you one piece of information.... At the end of the month, a great demon is going to be born in the land of Kusatsu."
"Kusatsu... the hot spring town? Are you telling us to exterminate it?"
"Yes. It’s an inconvenience for me as well... If you agree, let's have a temporary truce... Whether you believe me or not is up to you. That's all I have to say."
"Wait... Magical Berry. What is your purpose? What on earth happened to you in the battle with the Demon King?"
"Let’s go, Magical Berry. Your business is finished right?"
"...Yes, Kreschenta-sama."
A truce with the strongest enemy, Magical Bery.
"... It's a bit anticlimactic."
"But if it was born, it might become something terrible. Magical Bery even came out of her way to told us."
"Well, that's true... Anyway, we came all the way to the hot springs town, so might as well enjoy it. She called for a truce, so I can't imagine she'll be doing anything today or tomorrow."
"Yeah, let's soak in the hot springs. Bery and the others said the hot springs at this inn are amazing... I need to buy some souvenirs."
"Yeah, I need to think about it..."
Then comes the attack from Feni, her rival for love from her hometown.
"Ledo-sama"
"Feni, Toba too..."
"I finally got permission to come and support you, Ledo. ... I was actually going to send Bez, but Feni threw a tantrum..."
"I didn't insist... I just thought Feni and Nii-san would be the best support."
"Feni is different now. ... I know Shelna-san is strong, but Feni is more useful for supporting Ledo."
"Oh... you sure have grown."
In love and battle,
"Yes... yes. They've arrived. Sorry for the inconvenience... oh, don’t worry about that. We’ll handle the local demon extermination... if necessary, we can send magical girls... Yes, thank you, goodbye."
"... what did they say?"
"They said they’re looking forward to working with us... The exorcist association members are really good people. Now you two can take proper vacations..."
"Ehehe, that's good."
"――Hey! Kreschenta! It's not fair to keep using traps!"
"It's not a trap. If you input an evasion in the frame right after the freeze, you can escape properly--Nyururun, what are you doing! A bomb from the side is unfair!"
The days of the exorcist Shelna would still continue――
To not be continued.