Ex-Hero, Now Freeloader – Chapter 50
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Translator: Kobracon
50 – Ex-Holy Sword, Now Beauty 1
A holy sword.
A sword with a will of its own that can only be wielded by the chosen.
Mika is the only holy sword in existence.
In addition to changing her shape to suit the wielder, she helps regulate magic, and gives support in combat.
The sword can see and hear her surroundings, so she conveys information gleaned from that to the Hero.
For example, if an enemy was approaching from behind, she’d quickly sense the mana signature, and urge the Hero to be careful.
Mika’s wielders thus far have been those with the Crest of the Hero without exception.
Also, Mika has the ability to accumulate the power of Heroes that have passed.
A vast amount of mana also lies deep within her.
That holy sword Mika has now attained a real body of her own and…
「What?! This is delicious! This is what ‘taste’ is?! The flavor spreads throughout my mouth! This happiness that feels like my brain is exploding! This is being human…! It’s not fair…! Being human is so not fair…!」
Dinner time.
Mika, who turned herself into a blonde, blue-eyed girl in her teens, is stuffing her face with gusto.
She had no problem using tableware, probably because she’s been watching us humans use them.
She wolfed down meat, bread, and salad. She practically poured soup straight down her gullet.
The kids stared dumbfounded at her.
When she turned human, the kids displayed their astonishing adaptability.「Is she really miss holy sword?」「Now that you mention it, she does…look like Mika.」「Mika became a person!」Went the girls, immediately accepting her, but still surprised.
「The food isn’t going anywhere, so calm down and eat.」
「Y-you’re right…! But, man, it’s so good. I totally get why you got fat.」
「Is that so?」
Incidentally, Mika is sitting in the chair to my right.
「Oh, that’s right! Always wanted to try this!」
Mika pokes a meatball with her fork and brings it close to my mouth.
「C’mon. Open wide. Say “Aaah”.」
「Uh…」
「What? Is mine not good enough to eat?!」
I wonder why.
I get this strange feeling of embarrassment when Mika does it.
Seeing her puff up her cheek and sulk, I reluctantly opened my mouth.
「Nghlk!」
It was a little too big for one bite, but I managed to get it in my mouth.
「Fufufu, this is kinda fun. So, how is it? Good?」
「Yeah.」
At my response, Mika’s face brightened into a happy-seeming smile.
◇
「I’ll wash your back!」
We’re in the Royal Castle’s large bathroom.
「I can do it myself.」
「What, don’t want me to do it?!」
Much like how she pressured me to do it when she wanted to feed me, I gave in and let her do it.
「……」
Ferris, whose face is always arranged into a tirelessly gentle smile, is standing here with soap in hand, stiff as a statue.
She normally takes to the shadows when I’m with the Seven, but otherwise, she is usually nearby to help.
She does all sorts starting with the morning greeting, assisting with my change of clothes, managing my schedule, arranging whatever is necessary to make my desires come true, etc.
Washing my back before I enter the bathtub is Ferris’s job.
Ever since she said『I have not been of much help lately, so I thought that at the very least I could…』I couldn’t refuse.
In a maid-style bathing suit, Ferris looked happier than usual when washing my back.
That was Ferris’s job.
Mika’s doing that today.
「Uh… Sorry, Ferris. Mika’s been really happy ever since she turned into a human.」
By the by, Mika wore a one-piece swimsuit. However, the bottom half doesn’t have a decorative cloth, so she’s boldly exposed all the way to her feet.
It’s white in color, maybe to represent the blade part of her form as a holy sword.
Considering her blonde hair resembles her decorations and her blue eyes resembles the gemstones, it’s possible this swimsuit was chosen like that.
「Sorry, Ferris. I’ll be handling him today, okay?」
「N-not…not a problem…」
Ferris sounded weak.
Perhaps not noticing that, Mika takes the soap and excitedly lathers it up.
「Pretty sure this is where I ask if you have any itchy spots, right?」
Although her hands were clumsy, I could tell she made sure not to hurt me.
「Yeah, I’m fine.」
Mika and I exchanged words just like that.
「U-Ur help.」
Ur, the fox-eared little girl, came closer.
Wearing the mini-white fox around her neck like a scarf, she approached me.
When one person starts, the other kids start piping up like a chain reaction.
「No! It’s my turn today!」
Mika tried to resist, but the kids outnumbered her.
Eventually, she was covered in foam and slipping and sliding along the floor.
Even if she was taken by surprise, Mika is now a magic user strong enough to repel the Saint Marie.
If she was serious, she could easily push the kids aside. Even though she yells「You little pipsqueaks!」she probably doesn’t feel that way deep down.
「Don’t run in the bathroom, kids. It’s dangerous.」
I warn them as I fill up a bucket used to pour over my head.
◇
「Heh, heh, heh. Take a look, fluffems! I won’t lose to you anymore!」
My room. Night time.
Dressed in two-piece pajamas, Mika takes the spot next to me on the bed.
The kids expressed their dissatisfaction about this arrangement, but Mika turned a deaf ear.
Ever since I arrived here, a certain someone has been with me, especially during my bedtime.
Mika, watching me from her stone pedestal in the same room, probably always dreamed of sleeping in the same bed as her partner in human form.
Thinking that, I couldn’t refuse.
『…Hm. As a sword, therein existed a possibility of wounding the children. There exists no such problem while in the form of man.』
The mini-white fox smoothly curls around my neck as it says that.
「Hey! What is this, a competition?」
『Whatever do you mean?』
「Don’t play dumb!」
Baring her fang, Mika raises her voice into a growl like a small animal.
『Hm. Speaking of falling behind or not, I suppose it would be better to even the odds.』
「Huh? What? Are you gonna turn human, too? It’s not that easy to-」
In the next moment, the white fox’s body glowed white…and it took the form of a young girl with white hair and red eyes.
「What?!」
She looks to be around her early teens, probably to match the current Mika.
Her hair was long and her chest was flat.
Her face was beautiful but lacking in expression.
She was a fox demi-human.
I thought she would be naked, but she had on fluffy white pajamas reminiscent of fox fur.
「Rain the freeloader, how do I look?」
Even her voice was different from the usual white fox.
「Huh? Uh, yes. Right… Now that I think about it, I’ve often heard stories of spirits taking the form of man.」
There are more than a few legends where formless, paranormal beings intentionally take the form of a human.
For a holy sword, turning into a human would be impossible without a device, but I guess it’s not so difficult for a sacred beast.
「Do I look human?」
「I guess so. You’re like a cute, fox-eared girl.」
「Is that so?」
She reached out her arms to wrap them around my neck, resuming what she was doing moments ago.
「H-hold it right there!」
Mika stopped that from happening.
「What is the matter, O holy sword?」
「You were a girl?」
「Originally, there is no female or male in human terms for beings such as you and I, O holy sword. Those are merely images that people have applied to us through the passing of legends. Therefore, an existence such as yourself that clearly distinguishes oneself as female is rare.」
Mika is shaking.
「Th-thats true…! Not! You are not competing with me! If you turned human too, it’ll weaken the significance!」
「Is that so?」
「What’s with that lame reaction?! This is serious!」
Mika was not having it.
But this conversation didn’t last long either.
「…Uh.」
The fox-eared Ur jumped into the white fox’s chest, interrupting their conversation.
「What is the matter, Ur?」
Saying nothing, Ur buries her face into the sacred beast’s chest.
Occasionally, she’d let out what sound like sobs.
A troop of demon’s razed Ur’s village to capture the sacred beast.
Taking the form of the same race as her probably reminded her of the fact that her happy memories were stolen.
The other kids look like they’re about to cry too, probably understanding what Ur is feeling.
I looked at Mika.
Mika looked back.
We both nodded.
That night, Mika and I did not sleep next to each other.
The white fox, Mika and I each slept with the kids beside us.
This bed is spacious, so this isn’t a problem.
This will never replace their lost loved ones or hometown, but the least we can do is pat them on the head, letting them know that they are safe.
We stayed awake until their sniffles turned into gentle sleeping sounds.
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Y’know, some chapters ago Mika said that Marie was just as bad as the Seven when it comes to Rain… While true, what she is doing now with a human form pretty much made that earlier statement hypocritical in a comedic way. Plus, earlier signs seemed to always point in the direction of Mika being just as Rain-obsessed as the Seven anyways.