Medusa of the Demon Beast Forest Epilogue

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TLN: Merry April Fools! For my dastardly prank, I shall give a chapter translation only a day after the previous one! Muahahaha…

Wait, that’s not a prank…

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The next day,

The formerly blind boy woke up on Anastasia’s bed.

As soon as he got up, a girl with a blindfold jumped into his vision.

She was beautiful.

Even with the blindfold, her gorgeous smile was apparent.

“Anastasia…what happened…? I thought I… turned into stone…”

“Listen, I love you very much.”

“Wa…wait…saying that…so suddenly…”

He shook his head left and right after Anastasia said those words.

“It wasn’t…sudden. After you turned to stone, I’ve been only thinking about you for these past six months. The whole time…the whole time…”

The boy was quick on the uptake.

Looking at the sickly Anastasia, he had grasped what had roughly happened to her.

He took the palms of Anastasia without saying anything.

“It must have been painful, Anastasia…but…is this okay?”

“Huh…?”

“You’re a medusa, it’s not possible for you to get along with regular people. That’s why you’ve come to like me…who was blind.”

“…”

“But now I’m able to see. I could very well…turn into stone again…”

“Hey, could you keep quiet for a second?”

Immediately, Anastasia secured her lips onto the boy’s.

Once again, her smile bloomed like a sunflower.

“Wha…?”

The boy had raised his voice out loud, and Anastasia was laughing mischievously while lightly poking with her index finger.

“Well, that’s what you get.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I made…a certain person…get angry.”

“…?”

“Sure enough…there was something he wanted to tell me. He was fierce…I think what he wanted to say…was not to keep your distance…and not to run away.”

The boy imagined the path she must have walked through while he was unconscious for half a year.

And, she described a man when she said ‘he.’

“Who was he…?”

“He appeared before me like a storm, he went away like a storm…you were able to be saved by his favor.”

As she spoke, it seemed like she felt lonely now…that was…probably the case.

With jealously, the boy spoke,

“Hey, Anastasia…? Who is that man to you…?”

There, Anastasia noticed the change in the boy’s expression, and shook her head in panic.

“It’s not what you think. He’s an adult, I’m a child…there wasn’t a chance to begin with.”

Anastasia thought,

She would love the boy until she dies, he was the only one for her.

However, as for the man… she did in fact admire him.

She had some emotions towards that man.

It was a different kind of love though, a light affection, one that she could not pinpoint.

In the future, she’ll occasionally remember this as a fond childhood memory.

It felt more like an illusion, as it was completely different from a true love she held for the boy before her eyes.

Even so―

She took this to her grave. Her future husband seemed like the type to get jealous.

She decided to switch to another topic, as the boy didn’t look too satisfied.

“By the way, what are you going to do? Will you live with me here from now on?”

“Yes, the risks of an accident won’t be entirely erased though.”

“Well, I guess that might be true.”

Anastasia said that while nodding.

“I can bring the risks close to zero. I just have to use my head a little, and be perceptive. I can’t just run away…because of a mere risk.”

Anastasia thrust out a cloth towards the boy.

“…this is…?”

“It’s a little inconvenient…but you and I can both be blindfolded.”

Then, she continued,

“I love you. And I want you to love me as well. If you’re going to walk the same path as me, I want you to wear this blindfold.”

Her cheeks had finished dyeing themselves red, in a tiny whisper, she continued once more,

“Uuoo….this is embarrassing…it’ll trouble me…if you don’t understand…this is more or less…a proposal…from me to you.”

The boy grasped her intentions.

Originally, he spent many years in the world of the blind. He was able to work without vision to a high skill level.

It’s indeed true, as Anastasia said, that it would be inconvenient, but when being able to walk the same path as her, it’s only a tiny cost to pay.

“Anyways, I understand. I won’t say my answer to your proposal.”

“…huh?”

The boy said the following while bursting into laughter,

“I mean, don’t you already know what I would say?”

Towards that, Anastasia laughed carelessly as well.

The tears coming out of the blindfold were soaking it…indeed they were.

“So, from this point onward…we’ll be living together…what happens then? Anastasia?”

“Yes, I want to talk to different people. Of course, to not have an accident happen, we need to take various measures.”

“Talking to various people…? How…?”

“Let’s see…” Anastasia pointed to the flower bed on the side of the terrace and said,

“How about we free up the flower beds and open a tea ceremony?”

 

—— Tea ceremonies were held in the Demon Beast Forest twice a month during the afternoon.

They were a success.

Originally, flowers of different seasons were not supposed bloom all together— there was no visitor who didn’t gasp admiring the scenery.

In addition, it grew popular in unexpected ways.

The day after Yuuki left, groundwater miraculously overflowed near Anastasia’s mansion, creating a large pond.

The large pond, which contained a small amount of the ‘water of life’, garnered the support of ladies as an anti-aging remedy. (TLN: Ew…)

In other words, participation of the ceremonies were crowded by ladies aiming for the water in the herbal tea.

Due to the capacity, waiting could take half a year.

At first the guests brought to the ceremony were mainly demon peers brought due to Anastasia’s personal connections.

Through them, the influential people of surrounding villages, feudal lords, and aristocrats also joined in.

Originally, medusas were technically part of the Demon race, but they were not an active power— they were in a neutral position between humans and demons.

That stance did not change at the tea ceremonies.

Both humans and demons were treated equally by Anastasia, and all enjoyed the same flowers and tea.

Ultimately, with the tea ceremonies being headed by the Succubus Queen— who held the power to advocate for harmony with humans— it began to look like this social interaction site could garner power for advocating collaboration between humans and demons.

The passion of the guests were the same as the organizer of the tea ceremony.

Tea ceremonies did not welcome conflict, and became a gentle, peaceful saloon for both humans and demons.

And, sometimes, The Oil Baron of the western desert visited the tea ceremony, hiding her former identity, but that’s a story for another time. (TLN: If you don’t remember, that’s the former Demon Lord)

On such days, daily life becomes a little more noisy, but apart from the days where tea ceremonies are held, they lived a peaceful life.

Anastasia thought as such.

Things would be peaceful forever.

Everlastingly calm.

Surrounded by mischievous cats.

Flowers bloomed in the garden.

The sky was always blue.

And by her side was the boy.

 

 

 

Medusa of the Demon Beast Forest: Anastasia Sere

In the past, the flowerbeds of the mansion were desolate, and her sobbing voice echoed throughout the night.

However, after that fated day, it was said that neither the flowers nor laughter at the witch’s house ever died out.

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Author’s Note:

The medusa arc has ended.

It was long, now I’m exhausted and sleepy.

By the way, Anastasia’s modeled after the female hero protagonist Arakina from “魔王ですが、女勇者がニートな上にすぐに脱ごうとするので困っています. ” (TLN: Some novel made by the same author)

Before becoming a NEET, approaching the time of becoming a hero, I feel that she was like this as a child.

If you’re free, you can take a look:

http://ncode.syosetu.com/novelview/infotop/ncode/n5173bt/ (TLN: Deleted, like all the other online works made by this author)

As for an author’s assessment, I think Metal Hagure is better (TLN: Metal Hagure is the original name of the novel)

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