Sister Rescue Plan

He was captured by Alaya in the void and made a guardian, then an archer. But Rother, looking at his starting wooden bow, felt like something was wrong. Why was he the only archer who wasn't overpowered? Why did he have to kill goblins to level up first?

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Goblin Slayer (ten years before the original story begins) – To be determined

Chapter Fourteen: What's Under the Girl's Skirt?

"Teacher Yu... Yuxiao?"

After learning about Izayoi Mirai's identity from Mami Tomoe, Madoka and Sayaka, while feeling reserved, also developed a sense of closeness due to their shared secret.

"Oh, it's you guys," Izayoi Mirai greeted. "Want to join the 'Huanggang Secret Exam Papers' deluxe package?"

The two were somewhat puzzled: "What's that, a kids' meal?"

Are you a devil? Mami Tomoe's eye twitched: "In a sense, yes."

"Alright, enough chit-chat. If you like them, I'll give each of you a set later. Now go see the witch."

He pulled two short knives from his personal storage space and handed them to them, saying, "Take these for self-defense, but be careful not to hurt yourself."

The short swords were much heavier than they had imagined, but they could still hold them with both hands without any problem. It was the first time they had ever handled a real weapon, and the first time they had been so close to battle. Fear and excitement, two completely different emotions, intertwined in the girls' hearts.

"Getting ready to go."

Mami Tomoe took the lead and walked ahead. In this abandoned, unfinished building, a passageway with colorful trim appeared in the center of the first floor, which was the path to the witch's barrier.

Is this really okay for you?

As the last one fell behind, Izayoi Mirai looked at the young woman lying on the ground with no one to care for her and thought to herself, "Aren't you afraid that she will be picked up by a passing homeless man and do something strange to her?"

Junior high school students are still junior high school students after all; they have too little experience.

Yoyo Mirai waved to the back of the group, pointed to the young woman on the ground, and left.

Homura Akemi emerged from the shadows. She understood Izayoi Mirai's gesture, which meant for her to take care of the unconscious young woman. Homura Akemi looked at the cave inside the building, her eyes filled with struggle. Kyubey was being held in Madoka's arms. With him there, she should be able to ensure that Madoka wouldn't sign the contract, right?

Inside the barrier, the roses covering the ground opened their eyes.

They seemed to come alive, growing eyes and mouths, pulling out their roots, and running happily back and forth on the ground. Some could even fly in the air. When they saw a few uninvited guests, they rushed over, grinned, and revealed a row of fine and sharp teeth.

Several flashes of cold light appeared, and the roses in the air were cut into pieces and fell to the ground, while the small buds on the ground were crushed underfoot.

Mami Tomoe produced a flintlock pistol and hurled it at the attacker.

Only Madoka and Sayaka were flustered, wildly swinging their broken short blades and nearly stabbing each other.

After a close call, we passed through the corridor and arrived at the deepest part of the barrier, where a huge rose, as tall as a two-story building, was waving its calyx.

Its enormous body was twisted and looked extremely ferocious, not to mention that there were signs of decay all over its thick body, with pus seeping out and serrated teeth showing between the opening and closing of its petals.

"Ugh...so disgusting."

Sayaka looked disgusted, and Izayoi Mirai said from behind, "Now you know why that woman wanted to die, right? Can you imagine being kissed by it? It's disgusting."

"Cousin, please don't bring this up again."

Mami felt a chill run down her spine just thinking about it, which fueled her even more determination to destroy the witch. She gently lifted her skirt, and two flintlock pistols dangled from between her legs, which she held in her hands. Another row of flintlock pistols appeared behind her.

Then, flames shot into the sky.

Countless bullets poured out, and a crimson torrent roared as it washed over the Rose Witch.

The huge rose bush was pitted and scarred, with green sap dripping down and soaking the ground. It looked as if it were facing a violent storm, with its branches and leaves broken and scattered.

Just then, several rows of small roses climbed up Mami's feet, nibbling at her boots. In mid-air, several floating roses approached her, instantly transforming into the branches of the Rose Witch, binding Mami and pulling her high into the air with a scream, suspending her upside down.

The slender branches thoughtfully accentuated Mami Tomoe's figure, which far surpassed that of a junior high school student, but her skirt remained unchanged under the influence of magic, without flipping up due to gravity.

"Mami, you were careless."

Izayoi Mirai walked over and sighed as she looked at Mami Tomoe in the air.

Seeing this posture on a man made Mami Tomoe extremely embarrassed and indignant. For the first time, she couldn't maintain her elegant and composed demeanor: "Cousin, did you come here just to watch a show?"

"Don't be impatient."

Izayoi Mirai stood with her hands hanging down, showing no intention of attacking, but flames ignited on her body.

It's easier to become a grumpy old man than to remain calm. The bright red flames spread with the wind, burning the little roses that came to the scene to ashes. Izayoi Mirai, holding two large swords, stepped onto its thick roots.

The fine burrs, which were usually its means of self-defense, now became its fatal factor. The dry and flammable burrs were ignited almost instantly and then spread with irresistible force.

As Izayoi Mirai charged up the rose bush, the raging flames had already engulfed most of its body. It struggled and thrashed about, whipping itself with its vines, but it could not extinguish the fire.

The crackling sounds, mixed with pitiful screams, echoed through the barrier. Thick smoke billowed, and in the firelight, Izayoi Mirai's obscured face contrasted sharply with the convulsing rose behind her. Madoka and Sayaka couldn't tell which side was the villain.

Mami Tomoe's vines were also burned off, and she landed lightly on the ground. Looking at Izayoi Mirai walking towards her, she complained, "Honestly, were you deliberately trying to make a fool of me by not making a move at first?"

"I just wanted to see how capable my lovely cousin really is."

Yoyo Mirai shrugged. "I was prepared to win without lifting a finger, but who knew you'd underestimate me like that."

He looked at Mami Tomoe's still puffed-up face, smiled and patted her head: "Alright, consider this the Seed of Sorrow as my apology."

Mami Tomoe shook her head: "No, you should use it yourself."

“But I don’t have a Soul Gem, so I don’t need purification.” Izayoi Mirai picked up the Grief Seed from the still-warm ashes and handed it to Tomoe Mami. “However, I do want to study this thing. You can return it to me when you can’t use it anymore.”

"Row."

Mami Tomoe didn't stand on ceremony with Mirai Izayoi. She accepted the Lament Seed, placed her Soul Gem aside, and black mist surged from the Soul Gem, seeping into the Lament Seed, turning the originally murky gem into a clear one.

She explained to Madoka and Sayaka, who were looking on in amazement, "This is also the reward for defeating the witch. Our Soul Gems become murky during battles, and the Witch's Grief Seed can absorb the filth from the Soul Gems. However, if it happens too often, the Grief Seed will hatch into a witch again, so we usually give it to Kyubey to eat."

"Then why..."

Sayaka was about to ask Izayoi Mirai why she wanted something so dangerous, but then she remembered how easily he had defeated the witch. The witch had hatched in his hands, so it was hard to say who was more dangerous.

The witch was killed, the barrier dissipated, revealing the original appearance of the building, and the figure of another magical girl appeared before them.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

I finished writing it right at midnight, so I'll post it all at once so it looks more coherent to you.

Chapter 000 As is customary, I...

I'll skip today and make up for it tomorrow. Even though I take a lot of time off, I've never missed an update, right? My integrity is still reliable. Besides, two updates a day is exactly the same as four updates every two days.

Tomorrow I'm taking on an unprecedented four-nighter, so I'm going to bed now. Let's all sleep together...

Chapter Fifteen: What's wrong with living off a woman?

Madoka looked at the figure not far away, somewhat surprised: "Homura Akemi? Did you also sense the witch's presence and come here?"

Homura Akemi nodded slightly. Of course, she wouldn't say that she had been following Madoka after school for the past few days, and that she only revealed herself this time because Izayoi Mirai saw her.

But when she saw Madoka, she didn't know what to say. During the last date that Mirai Izayoi arranged for her, she remained silent the whole time, focused on improving her fighting skills. As a magical girl helping Madoka, she didn't know how to interact with her outside of battle. Only then did she realize that she didn't understand Madoka well enough.

Beyond her gentleness, Homura Akemi wanted to know more, to chat with her like everyone else, her spirits high, just like during this nightmare's cycle.

After a brief silence, Homura Akemi turned and left without saying a word, seemingly only to glance at Madoka, but in Sayaka's eyes, it was as if she disdained to speak to them.

"This is infuriating."

Once Homura Akemi's figure disappeared from sight, she stomped her feet forcefully.

Mami comforted her, "Don't be angry. Different magical girls have different wishes and pursuits, so it's normal for them to have different personalities."

"A wish?"

As Madoka hugged Kyubey, she thought of Homura Akemi in her dream and her unusual attitude. Suddenly, she became very curious about what Homura Akemi's wish was.

Mami Tomoe tossed her curly hair and asked, "What about you guys? Have you thought about your wishes yet?"

The two shook their heads, and Kyubey said, "In the past, magical girls could decide on their wishes very quickly."

Mami Tomoe chimed in with a smile, "After all, it's only one chance, so of course we should think it over carefully."

Xiaoyuan asked, "What wishes did Mami-senpai and Izayoi-sensei make?"

“I didn’t have the luxury of choosing back then, which is why I hope you can consider your wishes more carefully.” Mami Tomoe paused for a moment, her thoughts drifting back to the time of the car accident, when she was on the verge of death and met Kyubey, only wanting to live. She shook her head, trying to dispel the scene from her mind.

"As for my cousin, he didn't make a wish; he didn't sign a contract with Cupid."

"No contract was signed?"

Sayaka recalled the great fire and his agile figure, "Where does his power come from?"

"That's something I obtained through cultivation."

Izayoi Mirai said, "Through long and arduous training, one can also obtain power like mine. Although one cannot make wishes, one will not need to bear the mission of fighting against witches."

Of course, he added in his mind, "With my cheat-like abilities, cultivation is very fast."

"Don't we need to fight witches?" Sayaka was somewhat tempted, but the fact that she couldn't make a wish made her hesitate. The most attractive thing about becoming a magical girl was Kyubey's ability to grant any wish. The powerful force was not so tempting to a teenage girl, not to mention that she would have to train hard on her own.

She hesitated for a moment, then gave up the option offered by Izayoi Mirai and instead asked Tomoe Mami, "What if the wish isn't for myself? There are people who need this wish more than I do."

Xiaoyuan clearly understood who she was referring to: "Kamijo-kun?"

Sayaka, her thoughts exposed, shyly punched Madoka and denied it, saying, "I was just using an analogy!"

“Sure,” Kyubey in Xiaoyuan’s arms chimed in, “A contractor’s wish can be granted for someone else; there are precedents for that.”

“But I don’t recommend you do that.” Mami Tomoe’s expression turned serious. “When you make a wish for someone, you need to figure out your own wish first. Do you want to fulfill their wish, or do you want to become the benefactor who fulfills their wish?”

"I……"

Sayaka froze. She thought of the boy lying in the hospital. Did she want to heal him, or did she want to be the one who healed him?

A hidden inclination in her heart made her unwilling to admit it.