“I was stabbed in an alley by the station,” said the delinquent. “I wonder if that kid made it out okay...”
He’d seen a thug threatening a child with a knife, tried to intervene, and got stabbed. More than his own death, he was worried about the kid. This guy likes kids, doesn’t he?
“Well, I did manage to land a few hits on the bastard!”
Even after being stabbed, his consciousness fading away, he’d kept pummeling the assailant. I wouldn’t be surprised if that thug died—serious injuries at the least.
“I bet I got that old hag pretty good.”
Surprisingly, the assailant had been a small woman wearing a hood.
“She was an old lady?” asked Shiro.
“Around forty, maybe.”
“That’s not oooold.”
“Ha! It’s about the same age as my mom. She’s an old hag for sure!”
Godlord, every woman on the planet’s gonna hate you, so don’t say that anywhere else. See? Machina’s glaring at you. She was still a high schooler but was clearly offended.
Still, he died trying to save a child before he was reincarnated? Sounds like my story.
Machina said she’d died in a traffic accident. The bus she’d taken home from school had crashed and fallen off a cliff.
“A bus?” asked Kuro.
“Um... How should I explain?” said Machina.
“It’s like a big carriage,” said Godlord. “No horses, but it carries tons of people fast.”
“Oooh...”
“So were lots of other people reincarnated too?” asked Shiro.
If the bus was full, I bet there’s at least ten people who were reincarnated. But it turned out that the bus had been mostly empty.
It seemed Godlord and Machina had been reincarnated together since they’d died in the same town around the same time. The assailant might have been reincarnated if Godlord had killed her, and maybe the bus driver too. The bus driver wouldn’t be a problem, but it’d really suck if that woman was reincarnated.
“Anyway!” the delinquent burst out. “Dying right when the god was choosing reincarnators—I must’ve been destined for this! The god even said something like that. Didn’t he?”
“Uh, y-yeah... I don’t really know about my case, but you were probably destined for this.”
He laughed proudly. “Right?!”
Machina’s obvious flattery made him even happier. I can’t say it looks like she meant it...
“You kids don’t have any moss left. Want some more? That couldn’t have been enough.”
Shiro paused for a moment. “We’re full.”
“Kuro too.”
“Stop lyin’! You’re still hungry. Don’t be shy!”
The delinquent put some of his moss onto Shiro’s and Kuro’s plates. Is he really doing that because he’s worried about them, or is he just pushing the nasty moss onto them?
Either way, his ability to see through lies seemed real; he knew they weren’t full yet. So does that mean he’s in such a good mood because Machina was telling the truth? Wait, he can only detect lies from those weaker than him. Shiro and Kuro are still kids, so it’s no wonder he thinks they’re weaker.
There was a good chance he and Machina were equals. It made sense, since they were both cheaters, and around the same age.
But the delinquent hadn’t realized that. He clearly looked down on Machina, treating her like a henchman—or should I say henchwoman? In reality, though, I’d guessed he was wrong, the same as when he’d assumed I was weaker because I looked like a child. The fact that Machina hadn’t told him this suggested she wasn’t just blindly obedient. Maybe she’s tougher than she seems?
“By the way,” the delinquent went on, “what’s with your injuries? You’re all bandaged up. Want Machina to heal you?”
Oh, you’re asking about that now? You didn’t seem to care all this time. I guess we’ve gotten close enough now that it’s starting to bother him. Well, it is kinda hard to miss.
“It’s not something magic can heal,” I said.
“Huh? Never heard of an injury like that.”
“It’s kind of like a curse.”
“So you’re diving into the dungeon to get rid of that curse?”
“Something like that.”
“Gotcha.”
Godlord nodded, looking rather grim. It seemed he was satisfied with the reason we kids were in the dungeon.
“What about you two?” I asked. “Do you want to go back to your old world?”
“Huh? Well, when I was reincarnated, the god told me to dive into the labyrinth. I guess I can have any wish granted, so no reason not to.”
“So the god gave you a mission?”
“Yeah! His advice was to clear the labyrinth first.”
Could it be that these cheaters were brought here by the god to destroy the dungeon? That really does sound like hero stuff...
“Dive into the dungeon and get even crazier cheats. I’m already the strongest, but that’ll make me even stronger, you know what I mean?”
Cheats... He told us about Constant Vigilance, but I’m curious about his other cheats. Although, would asking too many questions make them suspicious? You generally hide your abilities anyway.
“So, what cheats do you have?” asked Shiro.
“You told us about being able to see through liiies.”
They just asked so casually!
“Listen up! I got three cheats: Constant Vigilance, First Punch, and Bare Knuckles!”
He’s answering like it’s nothing! And here I am worrying like an idiot!
“Constant Vigilance is the one that lets you know when someone’s lying!” said Shiro.
“First Punch and Bare Knuckles. What’s thaaat?”
“First Punch makes my first attack super strong! We’re talking insanely strong. And Bare Knuckles makes me deadly in fistfights! With those two, I’m invincible!”
I bet his cheats reflect his previous life. First Punch and Bare Knuckles because he was a delinquent, and Constant Vigilance because letting down his guard against a small assailant is what led to his death. Maybe his cheats are designed so he’ll be able to avoid dying the same way?
“What about Machina’s cheeeats?”
“I wanna know!”
“Machina’s are Poison Sorcery, Healing Sorcery, and Water Sorcery!”
“Uh...”
And now he’s spilling his partner’s cheats! Machina looks like she doesn’t know what to do! It doesn’t seem like she has the guts to stop him, though.
Wasn’t it that cheaters could get up to three abilities, but if they get all three, each individual cheat is weaker? That would make her Poison Sorcery a lower-tier cheat. It can kill beasts instantly, and it’s considered “weak”? Cheaters might be way stronger than I’d imagined.
At the very least, Machina’s poison seemed deadlier than intermediate magic. The delinquent’s cheats might’ve been dangerous if we’d underestimated them.
After divulging plenty of precious intel, the delinquent, apparently satisfied, suddenly got up.
“All right, let’s move.”
“Myah!”
“Arf.”
Machina might’ve gotten angry if he’d talked anymore, so that was probably for the best.
Past the plaza, more magical beasts began to appear, and the three of us started joining in battle more. Shiro and Kuro seemed to be enjoying it, but I felt frustrated. I couldn’t use my magic to the fullest, and besides that, I had to stay wary of the duo.
Shiro and Kuro had opened up to them quite a bit and weren’t holding back much with their magic. They were even using intermediate magic and chaining their spells. They must’ve been letting their guards down and feeling a sense of camaraderie with the duo. At least they weren’t using the spells I’d told them to keep secret. Honestly, I wasn’t as cautious as before either. Still, the memory of our first meeting kept me from trusting the two fully.