A Ghost Joined The Party (4)

“The fight with Barbatos was strange too. You were like a completely different person.”

“……”

“Speak.”

“……D-do you think I am a weirdo?”

“Relax. Your evaluation cannot drop any lower than it already has.”

“You little—”

Did that mean I was already rock bottom, so nothing surprised her anymore?

Damn her for mocking me……

“Enough. Just tell me. You see, I hate being kept in the dark.”

“You are one to talk, with all your own secrets.”

“Did you say something?”

“N-no, nothing.”

There was no escaping this.

Resigned, I explained Kojiro’s existence.

“I see. The soul of a warrior dwelling within a cursed blade… and by possessing it, you were able to pull off that feat.”

“Yeah. I only found out myself just now.”

“Is he still here?”

“He is. Right around here.”

I gestured to where Kojiro was.

She could not see him.

“I would like to speak to him directly.”

“You want me to let him possess me? That puts a heavy burden on my body, so I do not want to use it often.”

“Then let us do this instead.”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Erika grabbed my hand.

What?

What, what?!

Grabbing my hand out of nowhere……

“Why are you panicking? It is disgusting.”

“Shut up! You did it all of a sudden!”

“【Connect】—to share senses with someone, you need to touch them.”

“Share senses?”

Erika’s eyes, still holding my hand, captured Kojiro’s figure.

Kojiro and Erika met each other’s gaze.

“What! You can see me?”

“I can hear your voice too.”

“So this is magic! Sorcery of this world! You are quite skilled!”

“Thank you for the compliment. You are the soul dwelling in the cursed blade, yes?”

“Indeed. I do not know my true name, so I call myself Kojiro. As you can see, I am a samurai.”

“A samurai?”

Unfamiliar with the term, Erika tilted her head.

She looked to me, asking for an explanation.

“Something like an old knight from my world.”

“I see. With such power, you must have been quite famous.”

“No, no, I still have much to learn.”

He was impressive.

When I first learned of Kojiro’s existence, I had been too shocked to hold a proper conversation.

Yet she handled facing an unfamiliar, half-transparent man as if it were nothing.

“You are a woman of great composure.”

“Yeah.”

“I am a princess, you know? I have dealt with all kinds of people. This much does not surprise me.”

I felt a bit relieved.

Being mocked still irritated me, but at least she did not think of me as a freak.

“That explains it. Your strength back then.”

“Yeah. If I let Kojiro possess me, I can even defeat a Demon King’s commander. At this rate, couldn’t I defeat the Demon King too?”

“It is not that simple. The Demon King is in a class of his own even among demons. He cannot be compared to his commanders. They say that if he truly wished it, the Demon King alone could destroy the world.”

I swallowed hard.

Was he really that overwhelmingly powerful?

“So the Demon King is that strong?”

“Yes. The strongest existence in this world.”

“—I would like to cross blades with him.”

Kojiro smiled.

Like a child’s… yet filled with madness.

“He is motivated too, so we will manage somehow.”

“You are optimistic. He is strong, yes. But power always demands an appropriate price.”

“I know. I will train my stamina every day.”

“That is not what I mean.”

Erika wore a grave expression.

Her unusually serious tone made me straighten my back unconsciously.

“You may not have noticed, but if my guess is correct, you should not overuse that power.”

“That is why I said stamina train—”

“That is not it.”

“Even you, Kojiro? What is it now?”

“This continues our earlier discussion. Though it is not my place to say, if you continue using that power, your soul will eventually be devoured by the cursed blade and disappear.”

“…What?”

D-disappear?

My mind went blank at the sudden revelation.

Erika nodded.

“So it is as I thought.”

“Indeed. Erika-dono is quite perceptive.”

“More so than Soji, at least.”

“Guh…”

I could not deny it, since I was the only one who had not realized.

Still, it annoyed me.

“What do you mean, devoured?”

“Soji’s soul will vanish from your body.”

“W-why?”

“The power of my cursed blade is too great, I suspect. I do not know the principle, and even I cannot control it. Thus, there is nothing that can be done.”

No, no, this had to be a joke.

Having your consciousness erased—that was death, right?

Would I be killed by the sword before even facing the Demon King?!

“Do not mess with me!”

“Getting angry will not change the future.”

“Indeed. To prevent that outcome, you must grow and become a vessel capable of wielding my blade.”

“…This is the worst.”

Just when hope appeared, opening the lid revealed a bad ending.

Another possible death ending had been added.

“Haaah…”

“Huh? That took a while, Soji-kun!”

“Arka. You have sauce on your cheek, you know?”

“Huh? Oh, you are right! Ehehe.”

Arka was happily enjoying the feast.

Meanwhile, I had learned a truth I would rather not have known, and my mood had plummeted.

“What is wrong? You seem down.”

“Yeah. I am just a bit tired.”

There was too much to think about now.

“I see! Then how about taking a bath?”

“A bath, huh.”

“Yeah! When you are tired, a bath is best! It feels refreshing, and I like it too!”

“That does make sense.”

We had been told that we were free to use the mayor’s bath.

I felt bad about it, but right now I wanted time to ease my fatigue.

It was not a bad suggestion.

“All right! Then let us take a bath together!”

“Y-yeah! Wait, t-together?!”

“Sure! Since we have the chance!”

I put my arm around Arka’s shoulders.

He had made a good suggestion, after all.

Bonding as male party members was not a bad thing.

“N-no! We cannot go in together!”

“Why not? It is fine, right?”

“It is not fine!”

“What are you embarrassed about? We are both guys, so there is no problem, right?”

Arka was blushing.

At that moment, his expression froze.

“Arka?”

“I… I…”

“Hm?”

“I am a girl!”

“Fweh!”

A sharp slap exploded across my face.

I collapsed from the impact and sound.

S-she was a girl?!

“Did you not notice?”

“You… knew?”

“Of course.”

“Then say something!”

What was going to happen now…

I could not help but feel anxious about the journey ahead.