Third Outer World Story Series: Pumpkin Sorcerer - Chapter 114

Translator: MadHatter Editor: MadHatter

“As I thought, there’s no data on the subject…”

After putting the book she was reading back on the shelf, the girl heaved a sigh, being cautious not to let anyone catch sight of it.

“Well, I guess it can’t be helped. Even everybody’s noses can’t track it down.”

The girl was appropriately attired in a simple yet well-made Madosa Institute uniform that was durable enough to allow her to engage in off-campus activities, as it were, here in the library of the institute.

From any angle, her appearance was that of a normal young Human girl with black hair and eyes, and judging from her outward appearance, her age was likely to be around 10 years old.

The axe that hung from her waist, though firmly secured, created an atmosphere of subtle disturbance.

But no one would condemn her, perhaps reflecting the nature of this institute.

“What disturbs me more is that the presence of that one suggests that Mother may be searching for is here… and that part would be of more concern.”

The girl returned the chair and walked out of the library with her own belongings.

The name of this girl was Izumi Hearts. She was a Human girl who was supposed to have been attending the History Department of Madosa Institute for about a year.

“Hello, Izumi-kun. You’re studious even today, I see.”

“Hello, Teacher.”

Outside the library, Izumi was greeted by a teacher walking ahead of her, to which she responded with a smile that was flawless from anyone’s point of view.

Perhaps pleased with the greeting, the teacher left with a smile on her face.

“…Is she gone? It looks like there are people who seem to be probing me these days… I’ve done a moderately solid job of falsifying their memory and records, but it appears that I can’t let my guard down. Sigh, this is really a pain in the neck.”

Having confirmed that the teacher had left, Izumi proceeded slowly towards the place where the next lecture was to be held.

In reality, this Izumi Hearts, by nature, was neither a student of Madosa Institute nor even a human being to begin with. Her true identity was a girl with wolf ears who suddenly emerged here in Kruika about a month ago.

Then why did the people around her feel no sense of incongruity?

This was the outcome of the girl’s use of magic and techniques to alter everything from people’s memories to the various records kept in Kruika to suit her own needs. Consequently, nobody would suspect the presence of Izumi Hearts at Madosa Institute unless someone with knowledge of the pre-falsified records would investigate the details, which might prove possible if further inspection were conducted.

Nevertheless, even if someone had attempted to perform the same kind of activity in a smaller city, town, or village than Kruika, it would not have been feasible because the discrepancies arising from the varying amounts of falsified memories would have led to a breakdown of memories and records.

Therefore, it can be said that this technique was only possible in a city like Kruika, which was populated by an enormous number of people, and whose flow of people in and out of the city was rapid at the same time.

“And I wonder why, but for the past week or so, there’s been a strange smell that’s been bothering me… hmm? Oh, it’s that child again.”

“Hello, Izumi-senpai!”

“Hello, Uriko-chan.”

It was then a girl in school uniform came running up to Izumi here.

“Senpai. Are you free from now on?”

“I’m sorry. I have an afternoon lecture.”

“I see… it’s too bad.”

“I’ll be with you after the lecture, so please wait for me in the usual practice area.”

“I understand?”

The girl who was told this by Izumi… Uriko said so and left with a look of understanding on her face.

Looking at Uriko’s back as she departed, Izumi wore a look of joy at having a relationship with a junior, but at the same time, she also showed an expression of doubt that she could not fully dispel.

“I can smell that scent from her after all… and if I am late for the lecture, it will raise suspicion. I have to hurry.”

Izumi murmured and hurried somewhat in a different direction from where Uriko had gone.

?????

“…After all, his fate has to be changed at all costs… It’s just too disastrous.”

In a world where heaven and earth have been inverted, a woman called “Lean” was viewing a record of a tragedy that once took place in a certain world.

“I think… it is time to give a hint.”

That family consisted of a father, a mother, an elder sister, and a younger brother, and their last name was Kokoro.

Until that day, the family was going about their daily lives as usual, calmly assuming that the events that had befallen them throughout the world had no impact on their lives.

However, tragedy struck out of the blue.

“It’s awful no matter how many times I watch it…”

One night, the family was watching TV at home when suddenly a group of masked men invaded their home. The father, trying to let his family escape, was brutally stabbed to death by the men, whereas the mother was sexually assaulted in front of her children before being killed.

After hitting the wailing children to silence them, the men set the house on fire and left the scene.

“But I can’t avert my eyes… because from a certain point of view, this too is my sin.”

But the true tragedy for the siblings was yet to come.

After this, they were sold to a man who, like the other children who had likewise been trafficked, subjected them to a number of human experiments that treated them as if they were not human beings at all.

In the end, the elder sister was rescued by the power of a man and a woman who were concealed in the shadows, but the younger brother was already dead before the rescue operation, having been dismembered under the ludicrous pretense of investigating the identity of his power and its secrets. The elder sister, too, had once crossed the border between life and death, and had lost her voice, even if only temporarily, and had become a non-human being.

“Please… all three of you, please cooperate with me. Because he should be an essential part of everyone’s life.”

The woman knew that no one would be able to hear her, yet she couldn’t help but mutter this.