ARM Backup/Settei book translations/Sidestory: The Queen of the Underworld

From Aquagon's post, here.

ーアルトネリコ外伝ー 裏世界の女王様

-Ar tonelico Sidestory-

The Queen of the Underworld

作/富松元気

Writter: Motoki Fumatsu

監修/土屋 暁

Supervisor: Akira Tsuchiya

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『スピカはさ、どうして裏世界の王女になりたいだなんて思っ たわけ？』 突然のミシャの質問に、私は一瞬だけ驚きの表情を浮かべて しまった. あまりにも唐突だったから？ まさかミシャがそんなことに疑問されたことは確かだ. 『......どうして、そんなこと聞くの？』 『だって、裏世界の王女になりたいだなんて、普通は思わない でしょ？だから、一体どんな事情があってそれになりたいと 思ったんだろう、って思ってね......聞いちゃいけなかった？』 『......誰にも内緒にしてくれる？』 『もちろん. 私とスピカの仲でしょ』 『そうね......じゃあ、ちょっとだけよ』 まあ、たまには思い出すのも悪くないかな. 『私に従えば、望むものを全て与えよう』 保育施設にいた頃、学芸会で演じた劇. 私はその時、魔王の役をやっていた親友にそう言われた. この次に私が言うセリフは、 『誰がお前なんかに従うか！魔王、覚悟！』 勇者ならば躊躇なく言うであろうこの言葉. 正義感の強いその親友が勇者役だったなら、まず間違いなく こんな躊躇はしなはず. だけど、残念ながら、私は勇者ではないし、勇者に憧れても いない. 言葉とは裏腹に思ったのは、魔王という存在への憧れる ことは、別におかしなことではないと思う. だから私は、その時に決めた. いつの日が魔王になり、欲しい物全てを手に入れてやろう、 と. これが私の、裏世界の女王になるためのきっかけの出来事だ.

『............』 『あら、どうしたのミシャ、そんな口開けっ放しにしちゃって？』 『いや、その......ううん、なんでもない』 『......変なミシャ. まあいいわ』

でも、魔王になりたいと言ってもそれが簡単にいくわけもな い. 大体、魔王になるために何をすればいいのかなんて、そんな の子供の頭で思いつけわけもなく. 小さな子供がそんな時にできることはなんだと思う？ その答えは、憧れの対象になりきる. そんなわけで、昔から行動力だけは人一倍だった私は、魔王コ ッコ、という遊びを考えてみた. 自分が魔王になりきるだけの、単純な遊び. だけどこの遊びの主役はもちろん魔王. だから、勇者役の子は私に倒されるか、もしくは私から欲しい 物を貰って部下になるかの二者択一. さすがに子供の思考では、欲しい物を貰ったうえで魔王を倒す、 というのは無かった. こんな遊びでも、私には楽しくて楽しくて仕方が無かった. 『おまえの欲しい物を全てやろう』 と言うのが、もう堪らないくらいに気持ちよくて気分が良く て...... まあ、この楽しさが他の子達にわかるわけもなく、三日後には 親友から、 『スピカちゃん、怖いよ』 そう言われてしまった. けれどそれくらいでやめるほど、私の魔王に対する憧れは弱 くなんか無い. だから私は、 『魔王は淒いよ、なんでも持ってるんだもん！私、魔王大好 き！』 『............ふ、ふ~ん』 親友の困ったような返事. 言わずと知れたことだと思うけど、数日と経たないうちに保 育施設で仲間はずれになりかけた. 子供でありながら、私はこの時、魔王に憧れていると言うこ とは隠さなくてはいけないことなんだ、と学んだ. 魔王というものは、普通の人からしたら怖い存在であり、そ れに憧れる者も同様の見方をされる.

[Hey, Spica. Have you ever thought why you want so much to become the Queen of the Underworld?]

Misha asked this question so suddenly, that the astonishment showed up even in my face.

Maybe it was because of how abrupt this was?

I couldn't believe that Misha had asked something like this.

[...Why... do you ask that?]

[Because that isn't something that anyone wants to become, huh? So I have tried to think about why you came with that idea, but since I couldn't come up with an answer... I just needed to ask it, you know?]

[...Do you promise to keep it a secret from everyone?]

[Of course. We aren't friends, after all?]

[You're right.... Well, but I'll tell you just a little.]

Well, occasionally I'm not bad at all at reminiscing.

[Because if everyone obeyed me, I'd put my hands over everything I'm wishing for.]

Since the time when I acted in a festival, when I was still on a school.�

During that time, I said this to the classmate that had the role of the Demon King.

Back then, this was what I said: [Who is going to obey someone like you!? Demon King, prepare yourself to be defeated!]

Since I was portraying a hero, I said that without any hesitation.

That was because at the time, I had very strong feelings of justice, and no other of my classmates could have done a fine hero role. I'm sure of that.

However, while I regretted it, I wasn't a hero. I never wanted be one.

These words were the opposite of what I was actually thinking, because I wanted to be something like the Demon King, and I never thought that it was odd at all.

So because of that, I decided it then: When I manage to become the Demon King, everything I want will be in my hands. That's why I want to become the Queen of the Underworld so much.

[...]

[Huh, what happened, Misha? Did your jaw fall over or something?]

[No, but that's... No, it's nothing.]

[...Misha, you're so odd. But it's all right.]

But, even if I said I wanted to become the Demon King, that wasn't going to be easy at all.

Because I didn't know what I should do to become the Demon King, and I couldn't think it up either with the child's mind I had then.

Do ever the children think about how they can do something when they're still small?

Searching for that answer ended becoming the object of my desire.

Because of that, a long time ago, and after much effort, I ended thinking up of a game called "Pretending to be the Demon King".

The game consisted of giving the child that played the hero two options:

Defeat me, or receive whatever you want in exchange for becoming my servant?�

As you would expect from children, all of them just asked for the things they wanted, and no one ever wanted to defeat the Demon King.

Even though it was my game, playing it like this was not fun at all.

[Take all the things you want, idiot]...

that was what I said once my feelings about this ended swelling up so much that I couldn't bear to continue keeping them to myself...

Well, this fun didn't last much more for the other children, though I'm not sure if they understood why I said that or not. After three days, my friend said: [Spica, I'm scared...]

and other things like that.

But even if we stopped playing it, that didn't weaken my desire for becoming the Demon King.

So I was all: [The Demon King is bitter and cold, and doesn't need anyone! I love being the Demon King!]

[....Fu,fufufu...]

My friend ended worried because of that.

I think that they knew, even if they didn't say anything, and after a few days, I ended going back home from the school without any friends.

While I was still a child, at the time I didn't know that my aspirations for becoming the Demon King was something that I should had kept hidden, and I studied the reason behind having to hide them.

It was because the Demon King is a kind of existence that all the normal people fear, and from that time onwards, I began to view what I wanted to become from the viewpoint of a normal person.

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子供の私に、孤独を耐えるほどの精神力があるわけもなく、 しかし憧れをすぐに捨て去れる諦めも無く、結果、それを隠し ていくことを決めた. 魔王になるために必要な、初めての教訓である. おかげで私はずっとそれを隠しながら、どうすれば魔王にな れるのだろう、と悩み続けていた. もちろん、誰にも相談なんかできるわけもなく、答えは自分 ひとりで探す以外に方法は無い. やがて私や友人達は、現実的な自分の将来、というのを考え る年齢になっていた.

『............』 『あら、どうしたのミシャ、おでこ抑えちゃって？』 『いえ、その、なんていうか......随分と計算高い子供だったの ね......』 『そうかしら？ これでも、近所では良い子のスピカちゃん、 って呼ばれてたのよ』 『......ま、まあ、わかったわ. それで？ なんか今の話の流れ だと、そろそろバイヤーを始める原因の話しになりそうね』 『ご名答. これもね、本当偶然なの』

子供を卒業した私がまず思ったのは、魔王という名称だった. 鏡を見ればわかるけれど、私ってほら、中々イケてない？ そんな私が魔王を名乗るのは、なんだか似合わせないようにな気 もするし、第一人聞きが悪い. そんなわけで、私は魔王から女王になろうと思うようになっ た. だが、子供を卒業した者に待っているのは、労働. つまりは お仕事. 私はこのほたる横丁で、親友と一緒に商売を始めた. それが 今の仕事、猫飴売り. こんな仕事でも、これが結構大変だったりするのが不思議な ところ. なんせお客のほとんどは子供だから. 子供の相手は疲れるし、おまけに一日中立ち仕事とあれば、 疲れるのも無理は無い. そんな忙しい毎日を送っていれば、もちろん魔王になるため にどうすればいいのかを調べる余裕なんかあるわけもない. でも、親友との売り子生活は楽しかった. 特にあの時......飴が始めて全部売れた時. 『今日は全部売れたね、スピカ』 『そうね』 『でも、買えなくて泣いてた子もいたわね. かわいそうなこと しちゃった』 『じゃあ、明日は売り切れないように、いっぱい作って持って いく？』 『うん、そうね. それじゃ早く帰って明日の準備しよ』 売り切れたということに浮かれていたのかもしれない. 私と親友はその晩、夢中で飴を作り続け、気がついたら朝にな っていた. 頑張りすぎた親友は寝不足でダウンしてしまい、その日は私一 人で売ることになった. 『今日は、人の多い港で売ろうかしら』 子供の相手を一人ですのは辛い、という理由からだったの だが、接客相手は子供だろうが大人だろうが、結局のところ疲 れるのには変わりは無かった. ほら、こんな感じなんだから時間が無いのは当然で、私はとう とう、自分の夢を諦めかけてしまっていた. 『はぁ、はぁ、はぁ......お、お嬢ちゃん、ちゃんと聞きたいん だけど』 何年も、誰にも打ち明けられずに、ずっと胸の中にしまいこ んでいた夢. 『あ、あの、お嬢ちゃん？』 これだけ大事にしたのだから、捨てたとしてもバチなんか当 たるわけがない. 『お、おいおい、頼むぜ！お嬢ちゃんってばよ！』 諦めよう、うん、諦めちゃおう. 『無視しないでくれよ、頼むから！』 『うるさい！なんですかあなたは？ 人がセンチメンタルな 気分に酔っている時に！』 見れば、そこにいたのは薄汚れた姿のオッサンが一人、息を 切れして立っていた. ......ハッキリ言わなくても、怪しい. 私は自然と後退していた. 『......な、何の用ですか？』 『あ、勘違いしてるだろ！違う、違うって！別に俺は......』 男の言葉が終わらぬうちに、何やらドタドタと走る音が近づ

Since I was child at the time, my mind wouldn't be able to endure living in loneliness, but that doesn't mean that I meant to abandon my aspirations, so on the end, I decided to hide all of them.

That was the first lesson of what I needed to know to become the Demon King.�

Thanks to that, I kept all of my ideas about becoming the Demon King hidden, but the way to doing so continued being a source of worry for me.

Of course, I didn't have any person to which I could talk about it, and I didn't have other choice than look for these answers by myself.

At length, as the years passed on, me and my friend began to look to the future with a more realistic outlook.

[...]

[Huh, what happened now, Misha? Why are you frowning like that?]

[No, it's nothing... But saying it like that... it seems that you were a very cunning girl already then, no...?]

[Do you think so? But if in my neighborhood I always was called the goody-old-two-shoes Spica]

[...O, okay, understood. And then? By how the conversation was flowing until now, it seemed that you were going to tell me about how you began being a seller].

[That's correct. However, that actually was quite unexpected]

From when I was a child to when I finally graduated, I never though about the implications of being called the Demon King.

But at one time, when I saw myself in the mirror, I said to myself, "That wouldn't be impossible?"

That was because if I was to be called the Demon King, I would have to become the most evil person in the world, something I didn't want at all to happen.�

Because of that, I ended changing my goal from the Demon King to a simple Queen.

However, the ones that were awaiting for their graduation had to perform a final task. Namely, getting an actual job.

My friend and me established here on Firefly Alley, and began a little business together, which ended becoming our job: Selling Kitty Candy.

Even if this work was quite a chore at times, it also had something mysterious about it.

At any rate, almost all of our customers were children, as you might have expected.

I was getting fed up of the company of the children, and to make matters worse, it was impossible to show any sign of tiredness in the days in which I was left as the one in charge of the stand.

During these hectic days, of course I hadn't given up my hopes in searching for the means to become the Queen, but I simply didn't have any time left for it.

However, the seller life was very fun for my friend.

Especially on that day... when the Kitty Candies started becoming so popular that they sold out.

[Today we sold everything, Spica!]

[I see]

[But, there were children that couldn't buy any, and left crying. I feel so bad for these poor kids...]

[Well, we'll make many more for tomorrow, so they won't sell out, right?]�

[Yeah, you're right! Okay, let's go home now, so we can start preparing for tomorrow]

The thought that we managed to sell everything off maybe had gotten both of us in a celebratory mood.

That night, me and my friend continued making candies in ecstasy, and before we knew, morning had come.

Because of overworking and the lack of sleep, my friend got sick, and that day, I had to sell all of these candies by myself.

[Maybe I'll go to the port today, there might many more people over there]�

Having to bear the children by myself was something difficult after all, and because of that reason, no matter if I was going to attend children or adults, that wouldn't change the fact that I was going to end exhausted at the end of the day.

Well, because I was feeling like that at the time, naturally, and that finally led me to consider giving my own dreams up,.

[Hey, hey, hey... girl, would you like to listen to me for a while?]

How many years I have been hiding that dream in my heart, without being able to openly talk about it with anyone?

[H, hey, girl?]

Because this dream was the only thing I valued so much, there's nothing that will be successful about it for me if I abandon it.

[H, hey, I'm talking to you! Hey, girl!]

I should just give up. Yes, that's what I'll do.

[Hey, don't simply ignore me! I'm talking to you!]

[Shut up! What the hell you want!? I'm currently in a very bad mood!]

And when I looked up, there was a man whose face was all covered in dirt, and he was standing as if he lost his breath.

...I didn't say anything else, not because I was surprised, but because that guy looked so suspicious.

So I decided to retreat as naturally as I could.

[...I, in what may I serve you?]

[I, it's a misunderstanding! No, it's no that! There's nothing I...]

But the man couldn't even finish talking, since the sound of some heavy footsteps came running

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いてくる. 『ちょ、警備兵の野郎、早いな......頼む、人目が少なくて、で きるだけ入り組んだ裏道知ってたら教えてくれ』 見たところ、かなり怪しい. 泥棒だろうか、はたまたそれ以上だろうか？ とにかくこんな人に構っていられない. 今の私は、表にこそ出していないものの、結構傷心状態だっ たりする. 声を出すのも億劫だったので、私の背後にある細かい路地を目 差した. 『わかった、ありがとうよ！』 その瞬間、飴を入れていた私のかごの中に、お礼を数枚押し込んだ. 飴を一日中売っても稼げないような大金に、私は驚き、言葉 を失ってしまった. 『口止め料だ、じゃあな！』 慌てて走り去る男のことなど、その時の私には、もう見えて いない. 諦めかけていた私の夢が、このことをきっかけに一気に浮上 を開始しはじめたのだ. 『......なれる......まだ、希望はあるわ』 情報というものが高く取引されるということに気づくと、後 はもうその流れ. 情報を買いに来るような人間に、まともなのはいないはずだ. それにそんな人達と知り合い、仲良くなれば、自分にとっても 強力なコネとなることに間違いは無い. そして、そんな人達と知り合うチャンスを得るためには、 『裏世界、そう、裏世界よ！』 裏世界、大多数の人間には知られることのないその場所から ジワジワと世界を自分の手中に収めていけばいいのよ！ 『諦めた直後に、こんなどんでん返しなんて......』 これはもう、偶然なんかじゃない. 私が裏世界の女王になるのは、必然であり、運命であるとい うことの証拠に違いない.

『それでね......あら、どうしたのミシャ、頭抱え込んじゃって？』 『いや、その......仕組まれたかのような運命だなって......』 『 まあ、運命なんてのはそんなものよ. だって、たかが運命だ もの』 『たかがって......ま、まあ、いいわ......で、それからあなたは どうしたの？』 『うん. 私は親友に隠れて、こっそりとバイヤーの仕事を始め たんだけれど、情報を売ってるところを見られちゃってね...... 言っちゃった. 裏世界の女王になるんだ、って』

『......なに、それ？』 親友の表情は、驚きに変わっていた. 私が情報提供の代償に大金を受け取ったのを見た時は怒りだ ったのに、私がなりたいものを教えた瞬間にこうだ. ......やっぱり、普通の人には刺激が強すぎるらしい. 『言葉の通りよ. 私は、裏世界の女王になりたいのよ. そのた めには、少しでも力をつけなくちゃいけないの. コネ、財力、 そして強力な情報網. わかるでしょう？』 ......ちょっとだけ、ショックだ. 『お願いスピカ、そんな危ない仕事や夢は捨てて. また明日から、 一緒に猫飴売ろうよ. スピカには、そういう普通の人生が似合 ってるよ』 『似合う似合わないじゃないの. 私が、満足できないのよ』 『満足？ 自己満足のために、世界を裏から支配しようだなん て考えてるの？』 『別に私は、世界が欲しいわけじゃないわ. ただ、欲しいもの がすぐ手に入る、そんな存在になりたいだけ. そうなると、手 っ取り早くこの世界を自分の物にした方が早いし、簡単でしょ う？』 『そんなの、夢じゃない......野望よ！』 ......仲間には、なってくれそうにないか. まあ、昔から正義感だけは人一倍だったこの子が、承知するわ けないわよね. 私は、これ以上話していても時間の無駄だとわかり、彼女に 背を向けた. 『スピカ！』 『忙しいの、私......邪魔するなら、もう一緒にいられないわ』 足手まといになるくらいなら、自分から切り捨てる. それが例え親友でも......それだけ、私は本気でなりたいと思 っているから.

to where we were.

[Crap, these brutes of the guard are so fast... Listen, not much people know about this, but things like these can only by these that know about the underside of the world, and I'll show you about it]

That seemed very suspicious.

Would it be a thief, or something more than that?

Anyway, I didn't care for these kind of people at all.

But if I was how I'm currently at that time, I wouldn't have expressed it, but that would have been a pretty heartbreaking scene for me.

The guy screaming was also very troublesome, and at the next moment, he went into an small alley that was behind me.

[Okay, thanks!]

In that instant, he put several paper sheets as gratitude into the basket where I stored the Kitty Candies.

And though I sold Kitty Candies during the rest of the day, I got more money than what I could make in a single day in the same way. I was astonished, and I couldn't say anything.

[Hey, girl! This is some income, no?]

And the man I saw then, who ran away seemingly in panic, was a person I never saw again.

And the dream I was about to give up began to surface yet again, and I thought at once that it could be realized if I took advantage of this.

[...Become that... maybe... there is still hope for that...]

I realized then that the transactions that dealt with information were of a pretty high worth for the people, and I began to turn that into my course of action.

However, I wouldn't be able to establish any business if I couldn't make any people come here to buy information, and so, I realized that if I could meet these people, and establish good relations with them, I'd surely be able to get very strong connections.

And thus, while thinking how to get a chance to meet these people, I noticed this: [The Underworld... yes, that's it! The Underworld!]

The Underworld, if I could be able to get a grasp on that place that most people don't even know about, I would be able take possession of the world itself bit by bit!

[Immediately after I had abandoned my dream, it immediately returned like this...]

I don't think this was only because of sheer luck.

I think that it actually was that the proof of my destiny of becoming the Queen of the Underworld. There's no mistake about that.

[And then... huh? What happened now, Misha? Are you perplexed?]

[No, but... but saying that all your plans came from destiny like that...]�

[Well, it certainly seemed to be destiny at work, so I said it must have been destiny]

[But that's... no, it's okay... and well, what happened afterwards?]

[Well, I began a business of buying and selling information hidden from my friend... until I told her... That I would become the Queen of the Underworld.]

[...Why is that?]

The expression of my friend changed to astonishment in the instant I told her about this. I had to explain this to her because she was getting angry from the enormous quantity of money I was receiving from my information providing business.

...As I though, this was much more than an strong stimulus for the normal people.

[As I said it, I want to become the Queen of the Underworld, and to do that, I have to get all the power I can, no matter how small it can be. Connections, financial resources, and strong information networks. Do you all understand it?]

...But that simply shocked them.

[Please, Spica... just give up these dangerous jobs and dreams. Tomorrow we can still make and sell Kitty Candies. I think that a more normal life like that would fit you better]

[It's not matter of it fitting me or not. That kind of life will never satisfy me]

[Satisfaction? For your own satisfaction, you're thinking of ruling the world from its shadows?]

[Not particularly, that doesn't mean I want the entire world for me. Still, I want to be able to get anything I want, that is the only kind of life I want to live. But if I ever wanted to make this world mine, it would be quite a simple to do, no?]

[That's not a dream... these are ambitions!]

...It seemed that my friends would never be able to understand this.

Well, no one could ever accept the fact that I was a child with an enormous sense of justice a long time ago, either.

I understood in that instant that going on with this conversation wouldn't lead us to anywhere, and I simply turned my back on her.

[Spica!]

[I'm very busy... If you dare to get on my way, I won't you allow to be beside me anymore].

If she was going to become only a hindrance, it would be better to part ways with her.

That is because she was my friend... but I thought then that I truly wanted to realize that dream... I only wanted to become the Queen of the Underworld... nothing else...

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『......私の、邪魔をするの？』 答えは、わかりきっている. 『......するわ』 ......ほら、ね. 背後、彼女の足音が聞こえ始めた. それはゆっくりと、私から離れていって、 『あなたの野望、絶対に阻止してみせる！』 え？ 予測以上の答えが、私の背にぶつけられたためだろうか、私 は、彼女に問いかけようと口を開き、 『......どういうこと、ミ』 『やめて、裏世界の女王に友達はいないわ』 彼女の静止によって口に仕掛けていた彼女の名を飲み込み、 私は自然と険しい表情を浮かべていた. 『あなたが世界を自分の物にしようとするなら、私はそれを阻 止してみせるわ』 想定外の親友の言葉に、私は内心驚きながらも、 『......理由よ、そんな力も無いくせに』 『今からまだ、超えることはできるわ......そして、あなたを超 えた時』 『私の野望を完全に阻止する、かしら？』 『......絶対に、その野望を阻止みせる』 それが、親友だった彼女の最後の言葉だった. 今はどこにいるのか、何をしているのか、不思議と私にもわ からなかった. ただ一つわかっているのは、彼女が私の敵であること. 私の長年大切にしてきた夢と憧れを破壊するため、彼女は再 び私の前に戻ってくる. そう思った瞬間、私の背を冷たい汗が一筋流れ落ちた. 目の前まで迫った夢を破壊されるかもしれない恐怖、そしてそ れを守るために、一秒でも早く力をつけなくてはいけないとい う焦り. 『.......壊されて、たまるもんですか』 私は、更にバイヤーの仕事を拡大した. いずれ訪れる彼女との決着に勝利し、夢を守るための力をつ けるために.

『......と、まあ簡単だけど、これが理由かな』 『......』 『あら、どうしたのミシャ、なんだか淒く疲れた顔してるわよ？』 『あのね......まあ、前々から普通じゃないとは思ってけど、 まさかここまでとは......』 微妙に酷いことを言われたような気がするけれど、まあ、い っか. 『でもスピカ. 今の話、ちょっと信じられないわ』 『あら、どうした？』 『だって、スピカが恐怖とか焦りを感じるなんて、思えないもの. いつだって余裕の笑みを浮かべているのが、私の知っているス ピカだし』 『女の過去は色々あるのよ. ミシャだってそうでしょ？』 『うっ、ま、まあ、そうだけど.......その友達、えっと.......なん て名前だっけ？』 ......やっぱり、聞かれちゃうか. でも、彼女には裏世界の女王に友達はいない. だから、私の 友達の名前、という質問に対して、彼女の名前を言うわけには いかない. ......彼女と同じ名前の少女の名前ならば質問は無いけど、 『......ミシャ』 『ん、なに？』 ......気づいてくれるわけないか. 『......なんでもない. 名前は、秘密よ. それにその人は、私の 唯一の弱点でもある人なんだからね』 『そっか......でも、やっぱり信じられないかな. 無敵のスピカ のライバルがこの世に存在するなんて話』 『もう、本当の話なのに......それじゃまるで、私は恐いもの知 らずの魔王みたいじゃない』 『それに近いのになるんでしょ？ 女王様』 『......もう』 でも、誰にでも弱点や、怖いものは絶対に存在する. ミシャにも、私にも、そして、親友だったあの子にも...... だから、私はその恐怖を現実のものにしないため、今日も仕 事をする. バイヤー、裏家業、なんと言われても構わない. それが、私の夢を現実のものにして、それと同時に守ること につながるのだから、 『さてと、そろそろ仕事に戻るわ』 少しでも、力をつけないとね.

[...I'm a hindrance... to you?]

She needed to hear that answer to understand it.

[...You're a hindrance to me]

...Do you see now?

I began to hear the sound of her footsteps behind me.

I thought that meant that we finally had parted ways, but...

[I'll never allow you to realize your ambitions!]

Huh?

That answer was beyond anything I could have imagined, and I felt as if was struck in the back, and I opened my mouth to ask her a question:

[What do you mean with that, Mi?]

[Stop now, the Queen of the Underworld doesn't have any friends]

Because of the way in which she calmly challenged me, I understood what her name was, and an stern expression showed in my face.

[If you ever intend to take possession of everything in this world, I'll be there to stop you from doing so]

The words of my friend were beyond any of my expectations, and while secretly I was astonished...

[...And the reason behind that, is that you don't have any power at all]�

[From now on, I can still surpass you... and when I finally surpass you...]�

[You'll go and completely hinder all of my ambitions, right?]

[...I'll make sure that you never realize these ambitions!]

These were the last words of the girl that used to be my friend.

Where she could be now, and what she might be doing, it's a mystery to which not even I know the answer.

But I understood one thing, and that is that she now was my enemy.

Because she someday would return and appear before me again, intending to destroy all of the dreams and aspirations I have treasured for so many years.

That was what I thought back then, and a cold drop of sweat ran down through my back.

I'm still fearing the day she will come to me to destroy my dreams, and to protect them, I got very anxious immediately since I didn't have more option than gaining much power as quickly as I could.

[...So she will come to destroy them?]

I expanded my work as buyer and seller in more fields. Since sooner or later she would come to defeat me, I needed to gain more power to be able to protect my dreams.

[...Well, it might be a little simple, but that's the reason]

[...]

[Huh, what happened now, Misha? Why do you have such a tired face?]

[Well, it's... I had imagined that you never had the way of thinking of a normal person, but to think that it was to these extremes...]

I felt that these words were very cruel, but... well, that's fine.

[But, Spica... there's one thing about your story that I can't still believe...]

[Huh, why?]

[Because I never thought that you could be scared, or impatient, since you always are showing that calmed smile. The person that's always smiling like that is the Spica I know]

[There are many things in the past of a woman. You should know it as well, no, Misha?]

[Y, yes, and, well... about that friend of yours, hmm.... how it was her name?]

...As I thought, she had to ask that...

But, as she said, she wasn't my friend anymore. The Queen of the Underworld doesn't have any friends. Because of that, whenever anyone asked about her name, I wouldn't ever say it.

....Because that girl had the same name as her... though that shouldn't pose any problems....

[...Misha...]

[W, what?]

...Seems that she didn't catch it up...

[...It's nothing. But her name it's a secret, because that person is my only weak point]

[I see.... but, as I thought, I still can't believe it. That the invincible Spica said that she had a rival in this world]

[That story was true... After all, there's something I have to fear, or I'd be like the Demon King, no?]

[But you didn't want to become something similar to it? Oh, my Queen]

[...Enough already]

But still, I never feared something as my weak point as I fear her.

Not even Misha, not even myself... as I fear the girl that used to be my friend....

Because of that, I still continue with my work today, in hopes that my fears will never be realized.

And that is because the things that are tied to the realization of my dream, are tied at the same time to the things I wish to protect...

[Well then, it's time for me to return to my job]

Even if it's just a little, you won't get any more power.

[End]