Classmate wa Isekai de Yuusha ni Natta kedo, Ore dake Gendai Nihon ni Okizari ni Narimashita - Chapter 52

Chapter 52 – The Test of Courage Begins (Part 8)

"Iori-kun, are you alright?"

Having finished my business, I returned to Kuon, who rushed over with a worried expression.

"Yeah, everything’s taken care of on my end. What about them?"

"The two are staying quiet without resisting. But the man who called himself Kai..."

Kuon trailed off as she gestured for me to follow her.

Just as she’d said, Hisai and Okajima were docile.

Or rather, it was more accurate to say they had been completely sapped of the will to resist by what lay before them.

"Just to be sure—this wasn’t something you did to them, right?"

"...No. While I was escorting them deeper into the forest, I had some things I wanted to confirm, but..."

Kuon’s expression shifted to a disturbed grimace.

What stood in front of Hisai and Okajima—what used to be the underworld contact who called himself Kai, the one who orchestrated their meeting and tried to snatch the cursed blade—was now a burnt, unrecognizable husk.

Why “used to be”?

Because his body was horribly burned and charred.

---

(『Appraise』)

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Target: Kai – Human – 21 years old

Condition: Severe full-body burns, dehydration, skin desiccation, critical spiritual energy depletion

Notes:

Suffered burns due to an automatically triggered silencing curse talisman embedded within his body.

Additionally, most of his spiritual energy was consumed while trying to use "Shadow Manipulation" magic despite being restrained by slime.

--

I see. So that’s why he still tried to resist even in what looked like a hopeless situation.

Still... these injuries seem treatable.

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(『Healing Magic』)

---

I activated the skill, and as the healing magic enveloped Kai, the burns began to fade and his breathing calmed.

(That should do for now, but better safe than sorry.)

I checked his health again with Appraise, then cast Dispel to eliminate any remaining traps or bindings. Finally, I applied Cognitive Obstruction to keep him from resisting for a while.

"So, what should we do with them?"

"Please teleport them to that open space in the mountains while they’re still restrained. Once the barrier is down, I’ll contact the Main House and have them send someone to retrieve them."

"Got it."

Once we’d confirmed the plan, I turned to face Hisai again.

His face was still twisted in fear.

...Oh, right. These guys currently see my face, voice, and even name as garbled noise thanks to Cognitive Obstruction.

To them, I must look like some sort of unidentifiable monster.

(...No time to dwell on that.)

Pushing aside those thoughts, I held my hand out toward Hisai and activated my next spell.

---

(『Dispel』)

---

Instantly, the chirping of insects returned to the air around us.

I checked my digital watch—its frozen display now ticking again. A quick Appraise confirmed it: the barrier was indeed lifted.

"I think phones should work again now."

"Understood. Iori-kun, please handle restraining and transferring them."

Kuon pulled out her phone and began speaking with someone from the “Main House.” A few minutes later, she gave me a nod.

Alright—let’s begin.

---

(『Spatial Transfer Magic』)

---

I tightened the slime restraints just enough to keep them conscious, then activated the magic skill targeting all three of them: Hisai, Okajima, and Kai.

"W-What the hell is this!?"

"H-Hey! Is this safe—"

Still paralyzed with fear, they vanished in a flash of light mid-scream.

I checked their location with Tracking Magic and confirmed they'd been safely transferred to the designated clearing.

"Phew... That wraps things up for now."

Kuon let out a deep sigh, utterly exhausted, and collapsed into a seated position.

I felt bad asking anything more of her in that state—but I needed her help to solve the root of the problem.

I took a deep breath and spoke.

"Sorry to bother you when you’re tired, but… would you come with me for a bit?"

"H-Huh...?"

◇◇◇

We returned to the main course and resumed our test of courage, heading toward the next checkpoint as planned.

Although it had felt like hours had passed inside the barrier, in reality, not even a minute had passed outside. With that much leeway, a brief detour wouldn’t raise suspicion from the teachers or guides.

"So... where are we headed?"

Kuon asked, clearly uneasy.

"Remember how Rentarou said he saw a kimono-wearing skeleton in the shade? We’re going to check that out."

"But Asama-kun only said ‘in the shade’—do you know the exact location?"

"Yeah, I do."

Guided by the vision I saw inside the cursed blade’s memory, I walked ahead with certainty.

"...I knew it."

Beneath a cherry blossom tree—its petals long since fallen, now covered in green leaves—stood a skeleton draped in a beautiful kimono, just as Rentarou had described.

---

(『Appraise』)

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Target: The Skeletal Princess – Earthbound Spirit

Status: Shape shifting, Bound, Distorted, Disconnected from Physical Form

Notes:

Once a princess of a now-vanished kingdom that stood on this land.

Bound here in hopes of reuniting with her beloved samurai.

Manifests in skeletal form only once a year—on the anniversary of her death.

---

Seeing the skeleton, Kuon reflexively reached for an ofuda (paper talisman), but I held out my hand to stop her.

"Just watch. This’ll be over soon."

"...Alright."

I opened my Item Box and pulled out a rusted katana.

"That’s..."

As expected, Kuon immediately recognized the blade’s nature.

It was the very same cursed sword possessed by the samurai’s vengeful spirit.

But after I cast Dispel, the spirit was shaken loose from the blade—leaving it on the verge of losing its “cursed” properties entirely.

Without an anchor, the samurai's soul might drift away.

That’s where the Item Box came in.

Through multiple experiments—and grocery runs—I’d realized that anything placed inside the Item Box remains frozen in time.

Ice stays frozen, raw fish never rots, and magic itself can be stored indefinitely.

Using that hidden feature, I preserved the samurai's soul by keeping it barely tethered to the sword—just long enough to bring it here.

As I approached, the skeletal figure slowly lifted its head and stared at me.

Noticing something, it staggered forward toward the katana I held.

At the same time, a white, smoke-like figure in the shape of a man emerged from the blade and floated toward her.

The moment they touched, the skeleton blossomed into the form of a beautiful young girl, while the mist became a handsome samurai.

The two reached for each other as if in a dream.

---

『Kanbee…! Kanbee…!』

『Princess…! I’ve kept you waiting for so, so long…!』

---

And so, after hundreds of years, their souls were finally reunited.

As they embraced and rose toward the heavens, a voice rang out—

---

『—Thank you, young one. This is your reward. Please accept it.』

---

Something shimmering in the sunset slowly descended from the sky.

What I caught in my hands was a sword of such breathtaking beauty, even I, an amateur, was left speechless.

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📝 Translation Notes

🔸自動発動型呪札 ("Automatically-triggered curse tag")

呪札 (jufu) are cursed ofuda (Japanese talismans). These are deeply rooted in Shinto and Onmyōdō traditions, often inscribed with magical incantations and affixed to objects or people.

Here, the curse activates automatically to silence or kill the person (Kai) if captured or interrogated, indicating espionage-level secrecy and magical booby-trapping.

🔸スライム拘束 ("Slime Restraint")

The protagonist seems to be using a magical slime as a tool or familiar to immobilise targets.

This is not just comedic or gross; in many RPG-themed stories, slimes can take on specific utility roles such as binding, scouting, or surveillance.

🔸「空間転移魔法」("Spacial Transfer Magic")

The Japanese term confirms that this is a magic-based teleportation skill, not a scroll or tool.

It emphasizes the protagonist’s considerable magical ability — spatial magic is typically rare or advanced in fantasy systems.

🔸「認識阻害」("Cognitive Obstruction")

This ability distorts perception, similar to "Obfuscate" in some fantasy systems. It makes the user’s appearance, voice, or name impossible to recall or recognize.

The effect creates a psychological horror element, especially for captives like Hisai who see their captor as a terrifying, formless entity.

🔸地縛霊 ("Jibakurei" – Earthbound Spirit)

A classic type of ghost in Japanese folklore. These spirits are bound to specific locations, typically by unresolved emotions, grudges, or regrets.

In this case, the Skeletal Princess is waiting for a long-lost lover, matching a reincarnation or eternal romance trope.

🔸侍と姫の再会 ("Reunion of the Samurai and Princess")

This scene plays into Heian-era romance tropes, where noble spirits find peace only upon reunion.

The transformation of the skeleton and the soul into human forms just before ascending is a symbolic "reward" for completing their unfulfilled fate.

It’s also a poetic contrast to the earlier political/criminal subplots: while others live in lies and secrecy, the ghosts attain liberation through truth and love.

🔸アイテムボックスの永続保存 ("Permanent Preservation in Item Box")

A unique use of the Item Box trope: instead of just infinite storage, the protagonist uses it to freeze an unstable soul-state.

This creative application reflects clever problem-solving — and hints at the protagonist’s deeper understanding of magical mechanics.

🔸刀の贈与 ("Gifted Sword")

The glowing sword at the end, given by the spirit, symbolizes:

Closure for the deceased.

Recognition of the protagonist's efforts.

Possibly, a new weapon imbued with blessings or spiritual significance, likely to reappear in future chapters.

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📌 Thematic Elements

Fear and Kindness: While the scene begins with horror and psychological pressure (recognition barriers, cursed burns), it ends with compassion and spiritual peace.

Reconciliation of Worlds: The living and the dead interact, echoing the novel’s broader themes of crossing boundaries — be they magical, emotional, or metaphysical.

Subversion of Expectations: The ghost story detour becomes the most emotionally fulfilling part of the test of courage.

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