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I am having a dream. It is a dream of the first time I, Saya, used my powers. Members of my clan have been able to see unusual things since childhood, and can summon Foreigners from around the age of five. We also learn how to handle Foreigners from our parents. About how to communicate our intentions with just our gaze. And once we get used to our abilities, we end up alone. The reason is unknown, but it seems that our parents and our parents’ parents were also the same.

Sarasara’s powers vary in strength. The stronger it is, the more Foreigners you can see. My abilities were particularly powerful, so by the time I was aware of my surroundings, I was all alone in the world.

Since then, I have lived with Sarasara. With my abilities, I was able to defeat anyone I faced. Sometimes Foreigners would act against my will, but it wasn’t a problem. The only time I failed was in Code, but even then, the problem wasn’t with the Foreigners, it was with my low resistance to abnormal conditions.

Thanks to the power of the Foreigners, I no longer age and have a lifespan. And I believed that I would continue to fight alongside the Foreigners forever.

I never thought――I would be betrayed by a Foreigner.

In the end, it turns out that the Explorer Association’s concerns were justified. Seriously……

In the darkness, I am *pukapuka* floating gently.

It is a strange feeling. I was stabbed in the back, but I don’t feel any pain. In fact, it feels pleasant. It is like floating in warm water.

My mind is also calm. Being betrayed by a Foreigner was unexpected, but at least I should have succeeded in saving Lucia. Even if we escaped the Treasure Shrine, there are many powerful Hunters in Zebrudia. There is also 《Infinite Variety (Senpen Banka)》, so they should be able to do something.

The only problem is what to do with the Foreigners that Sarasara summoned, but before my ability became permanent, Foreigners had a limited time to exert their power in this world. If I were watching over them, they could move as long as they wanted, but if they were out of my sight, they wouldn’t last long.

Either way, there is nothing I can do, so I can only hope that the Foreigners will leave as time passes.

Will Lucia be sad about my death?

――As I deeply ponder this, I wake up.

The first thing that catches my eye is a young man with fiery red hair. He cheers when he sees me open my eyes in a daze.

“Ooooh, you’re awake, you’re awake. Well done, Anthem! I haven’t even done the mock battle yet!” (Luke)

“Umu……” (Anthem)

“…… There is no way someone could die from being pierced through the chest. If you could die from something like that, we would have been wiped out long ago.” (Lucia)

“Fufu…… Lucia-chan, even though you were so flustered till now.” (Liz)

Two familiar voices. It seems that I am lying on a bed. There is no pain. Nor the sensation of heat leaving my body.

I slowly sit up in bed. The first thing I check is the presence of Foreigners. I can see the Foreigners and sense their presence if they are nearby. Luckily, there don’t seem to be any Foreigners nearby.

No…… In the first place, is it the Foreigners’ general consensus that they have betrayed me?

“Lucia, are you okay?” (Saya)

“You should be worried about yourself first. Seriously” (Lucia)

“I was so surprised when Lucia-chan brought Saya-san covered in blood.” (Sytry)

Sytry clasps her hands together and says smilingly. Liz and Anthem are also nearby. It seems that this place is one of 《Strange Grief’s (Nageki no Borei)》 bases. The red-haired young man I didn’t see at the training grounds must be Luke Psychol, the one I have only heard of.

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“My wounds…… Were they serious?” (Saya)

“I was tot’lly fine~, it was just a fatal wound that pierced your chest just a little bit. Anthem-nii was here so he was able to heal you quickly, but I’m sure you would have healed on your own even without him, right~?” (Liz)

Liz laughs cheerfully. Her way of thinking is crazier than in Terrace where battles rage all year round. However, it seems that I am safe for the time being. My head is still a little dizzy, but the wounds no longer hurt.

Lucia says with a slightly worried look on her face.

“So, Saya. What happened? To me, it looked like you were suddenly pierced through the chest――” (Lucia)

“………… Sarasara has gone out of control.” (Saya)

“Eeeeh!? Those things betrayed you?” (Liz)

This is the first time that a Foreigner attacked me. But I wouldn’t say I am surprised.

Originally, my Sarasara ability is merely a power to summon Foreigners. The spirits summoned by Magi are bound by a contract that grants them power in exchange for their service, so the summoned spirits will never attack the summoner, but that is not the case with Sarasara.

I close my eyes and focus my mind.

Originally, my power was something that could be activated at will. It became a permanent, forced activation after I used my power in Code during the day. If I stopped using my power, the Foreigners would also lose their ability to interfere with this world. However, no matter how much I try to stop the power for a while, my eyes only grow hotter.

As expected, I cannot stop it. Is it because my powers are running wild, or is this the result of my growth――Or maybe my eyes have physically changed to become like this.

What will become of the Foreigners from now on? If I leave this place, will they disappear because there will be no one to recognize them? Or will they continue to move forever?

However, Foreigners are no fools. There must be some reason why they tried to kill me.

There is only one thing I know.

I cannot simply leave the Foreigners here and leave this place. My eyes are necessary to counter the Foreigners. I intended to gain some tips on controlling my abilities in the Imperial Capital, but instead, I unleashed something unbelievable.

Liz’s reaction to me lowering my eyes is――A cheer.

“Eh? So doesn’t that mean I can fight those things at full power?” (Liz)

“Wooooooooooooooh, I’m firing up! I thought I’d been left out again, but if that’s the case, I’m all for it! There’s swordsmen among them, riiight?” (Luke)

Luke clenches his fists and gives a wild grin. Huh? Is that okay? I think this is a terrible thing to happen……

Sytry says to me, who is sitting there dumbfounded.

“Actually, I have been thinking of an interesting experiment. Aren’t you curious if transplanting Saya-san’s eyes into another person would cause them to inherit your supernatural powers?” (Sytry)

“No, I am not” (Saya)

“Of course, I will transplant another pair of eyes to replace the eyes that have been removed. I will give you mine.” (Sytry)

“Syt, stop!” (Lucia)

Lucia smacks the *nikoniko* smiling Sytry on the head with all her might. It doesn’t sound like a joke, which is scary. The Imperial Capital is incredible. If the same thing were to happen in Terrace, it wouldn’t be surprising if the entire city’s residents had to be evacuated…… Lucia says to me, who is shocked in many ways.

“For the time being, I understand the situation. I have already reported about that strange space. And that Saya’s ability can be used to force open the gate.” (Lucia)

“That must have been difficult. Lucia-chan has always been bad at horror stuff.” (Liz)

“…………” (Lucia)

“It is okay, even if she is bad at it. Having a few things you are not good at makes you look cuter――” (Sytry)

“Shut up, Syt!” (Lucia)

It is nice that they seem to be so close……

For a moment, my thoughts seem to drift off into another direction, so I shake my head to snap back.

“It is true that I can force open a closed gate, but there is nothing I can do if there is no gate in the first place. That Phantom can probably make the gate disappear.” (Saya)

“This is such a pain. I wish I could just cut it open.” (Luke)

“Why not give it a try?” (Sytry)

I heard that he is a sword-obsessed idiot, but this isn’t at the level of just being a sword-obsessed idiot, isn’t it? There, Lucia clears her throat and says.

“There are a lot of things I don’t understand, but there is one card we can play. That is to go see our Leader.” (Lucia)

Indeed, Cry might know something. After all, he apparently declared that my abilities are the best for solving the Spirit Away case, and considering the recent Code incident, it seems likely that he knows something about Sarasara.

“But isn’t Cry currently suspended?” (Saya)

“It’s okay, it’s okay, Saya-chan, you’re worrying too much~. Cry-chan is a kind person, so he’ll help you if you’re in trouble. Riiight~?” (Liz)

“Umu, umu” (Anthem)

Liz, who has said the other day that it isn’t good to rely on friends for everything just because they are friends, says this nonchalantly. I see, friendships seem to be something complicated yet warm.

Liz checks her watch, stands up, and says.

“It is past one already, so he might be asleep, but should we go and ask him now?” (Liz)

§

Thanks for reading! I love Saya and Strange Grief interactions! Strange Grief being so chill despite Saya being fatally stabbed shows how often they must have faced death and survived! And I doubt there is a Sarasara swordman, how disappointing Luke will be… Wait, does a hand sword count?

New Strange Grief episode and we directly start with fan service! The Onsen Dragon looks like such a joke dragon when singing like this and Silver is in charge of censoring Cry. Too bad they didn’t joke about Tino being an Onsen Dragon slayer and her being embarrassed by it. We only got a small Arnold part when they were in Night Palace, but the Phantoms over there are so weird looking. I thought the Phantoms would look like Monsters or Knights wearing armors but Arnold’s dream of Cry and then being depressed to finally coming back alive because Cry was doing swimming gymnastics was funny although I would have preferred if it showed him doing the breaststroke. Lol, the Barrel Bandits mobs look like Power Rangers, I so didn’t expect that! For the subterranean part, it is novel exclusive, but to be honest I preferred the NovelBin version, a quick subjugation of the Barrel Bandits and then we have Strange Grief disappearing in a hole with the subterranean. Also, next episode preview has the rest of Strange Grief in it!