The Reincarnated Onmyoji Who Returned From Another World ~ I Was Reincarnated Into An Onmyoji Family On The Verge Of Decline, But Thanks To My Experience As A Hero Who Fought In Another World And The Magical Power Training I've Been Doing Ever Since I Was Born, This Life Seems Like It Will Be Easy ~

Chapter 25: Ice

I couldn’t make it in time!

“Whoa!? Seriously, this guy, in just an instant!?”

After defeating the demons, I kicked off the ground and approached at the fastest speed I could muster… but I still couldn’t make it in time. I was just a little bit away…!

“AAAH!”

“…!”

In front of Margaret-chan, who was screaming and had her expression twisted in agony before my eyes, I ground my teeth.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry—”

A mental interference type attack.

Was he showing her biggest trauma? This wasn’t something to do to a girl of this age. And to a girl who carried great trauma at that. This wasn’t something that could even be called cruel.

“Damn it.”

Mental interference type attacks were what I was most weak against. Because my raw self and my otherworld self had managed to endure mental attacks through sheer willpower and brute force, I didn’t possess any techniques to nullify mental interference type attacks.

“AAAAHHH!?”

How should I act? I racked my brains for a solution, reflecting on that technique that had been like creating an ice prison that would confine oneself eternally…

“…!?”

Almost reflexively, I reached my hand out toward Margaret-chan. The moment my hand touched the girl, my arm rapidly began to freeze and was about to shatter—

[Are you an idiot!?]

—but before it could scatter into a million pieces, Oni, who had returned to my side, melted the ice with flames.

[What idiot suddenly touches it!? If I hadn’t been here, your arm would have been blown away!]

“Thanks.”

First, if I couldn’t touch her, it wouldn’t even be a conversation. With brute force using magical power… forcibly, I pulled Margaret-chan toward me.

“It, it’s no use anymore! Once it becomes like that, there’s nothing that can be done!”

“Shut up.”

I cut off Olivia’s words, who had been nearby.

“Sun!”

Oni had gone to the trouble of preserving my right hand. I would thus make sure to keep it intact. Wrapping my hand in my flames and layered over Oni’s own, I reached my hand toward Margaret-chan once more.

“Take my hand, Margaret!”

My flames melted Margaret-chan’s ice, and as my hand touched her, I shouted to her with tremendous magical power.

Chapter 26: Margaret

Since the moment I was born, I have been able to see other people’s emotions. I couldn’t completely read minds, but I could vaguely see the colors of the emotions that other people felt.

I was born unwanted by many people. Behind the humans who approached me with smiles laid desire while behind the humans who treated me kindly laid feelings of coldness toward me. It was probably because I had been born into the prestigious Williams family.

Despite being in the delicate position of being the head of the family’s concubine’s daughter, I was the most talented onmyoji, which put me in a troublesome position in various ways. Therefore, I was met with hostility from many people.

“I love you, Margaret.”

But it was fine… because Mama loved me.

Because Mama loved me… that alone was enough for me… or so it was supposed to be.

Memories flowed through me.

Unpleasant memories.

Of the day I had killed Mama.

I tried not to think about it. I tried not to consider it. I tried to pretend I had forgotten. But I remembered. It flowed back to me.

No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no—

My vision turned black. My darkness, my dark emotions, they completely covered my sight. Complete darkness.

In a world covered by nothingness, by darkness, I was alone—

“Take my hand, Margaret!”

That darkness was swallowed up by an even greater darkness. What I saw was like a hole that had opened in the world. Carrying endless darkness, yet possessing a twisted, warm love that loved everyone more than anyone else… Such was Touya’s voice that reached my ears.

“Ahhhhhhh…”

After Mama was gone, my place had disappeared. With the entire Williams family in chaos, and while there were schemes within the family to secretly kill me, combined with the pitying emotions that Olivia directed toward me, I was able to come to this place where I’d met that boy.

An encounter that would change my world. An encounter that repainted the scenery I was seeing.

It was comfortable beside his darkness. I was drawn to darkness greater than my own. The color of his love was beautiful. It reminded me of Mama.

“…Because I’m an unwanted child.”

I was an unwanted child. Mama, who’d loved me, I had killed. Other people didn’t want me. Everyone looked at me as if they were seeing me but they weren’t. The people who said they needed me only wanted someone to fight demons. They only saw my power.

But even that would probably be okay if Touya were there beside me.

“I’m not needed. I’m not wanted by anyone. So I’m returning to the darkness.”

“That’s not true! I want you!”

“It’s no good… no good. I’m rejected by the world… that’s why assassins are sent after me. Surely everyone would find it more convenient if I died. The Williams family won’t even protect me.”

“But I want you! Even if the world rejects you, I alone will not reject you! I want you to live!”

Ah, that’s right. This person would surely answer like this. I knew it. No matter what I said, Touya reached out his hand toward me.

“Take my hand! Margaret-chan!”

Ah, no good. I must not take this person’s hand alone. Touya’s heart was twisted. He was more wounded than I was, and his heart was tattered. He should hate everyone. And yet, he had the spirit to protect everyone, a deep love that covered all people.

This person’s flame only melted my ice. My darkness could not fill the darkness he carried.

Even being together made my heart feel strained because I could see it. The darkness in his heart.

What should I do about his darkness that I could not save?

“…Why? For my sake?”

“Do I need a reason to save you!?”

An extended hand. A hand of the sun. A hand I must not take. If I took this, surely… I would become dependent on him. I must not take that hand.

“…Touya.”

Yet I took his hand. I ended up grabbing it.

The honey dangled before my eyes, the love that I could not refuse.