Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 1 - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Tragedy in the Mountain Hut

Now then, I can’t just keep lying down here forever.

The sounds of battle could likely be heard from a fair distance, so there was a possibility that other monsters or students knew we were here. We needed to relocate immediately. I dragged my tired body off the ground and returned to the cave. My spoils of war were a magically enhanced wooden spear, some slight information on my monster taming ability, and a new ally.

“Okay, I’ll call you Rose. I’ll be in your care.”

I named the magical puppet kneeling before me Rose. I named Lily after a flower, so I just went with the flow and chose another flower name. Just like Lily, Rose was a monster who didn’t really seem to have a sex, so it was somewhat strange to give her a girl’s name... But I was the only one calling them by their names, so it wasn’t a problem so long as they were okay with it.

The stress from having risked my life twice in a single day weighed heavily, so I decided to spend the rest of the day in the cave. Lily, who was injured in battle, remained in the cave with me, while Rose left to forage for food.

I used Lily’s large body as a sofa and lay there in a daze until Rose returned. She was far more agile than Lily was, but she couldn’t use magic.

Rats, skinks, and squirrels.

Due to the nature of her weapon, the small critters Rose brought back were all crushed and split in two, but that wasn’t really a problem so long as I could eat them. I roasted them all over a bonfire. They honestly tasted pretty bad, but I wasn’t going to complain about being able to satiate my hunger.

It would’ve been great to be able to eat something large enough to fill my stomach, but it seemed there weren’t any large animals near the cave. It was possible they were all eaten by the monsters of the forest already.

I heard about this in passing back at the Colony. The difference between normal animals and monsters was the possession of mana. I couldn’t really tell what this meant, but it was apparently something one could more or less sense after learning magic.

The presence or lack of mana created an absolute disparity between creatures. It was apparently impossible for a regular three-meter-tall bear to defeat a five-centimeter-small monster mouse. In which case, it was impossible for large animals to survive in this environment.

Incidentally, they said mana was stored in one’s soul. After defeating a monster, it was also possible to steal a small amount of it. Monsters which possessed a large amount of mana were strong, but that also meant one could gain more mana from them. In truth, the cheaters of the exploration team were getting stronger and stronger by the day. There were even talks of taking along members of the home team on hunts, allowing them to gain the strength to protect themselves. The Colony was destroyed before that plan could be actualized, however.

In any case, there was more to gain by searching for monsters in the forest than making new servants. It was also useful in strengthening my existing forces. This was of course useless if I got killed though, so I had to guarantee it was safe to carry out. I didn’t want to walk another tightrope like I did today.

“Alright. Time to get some sleep, I guess.”

I was getting drowsy after eating some food. My strained mind desired rest. It was still a little early, but it was time for me to sleep. With allies at my side, I was able to relax and let my consciousness go immediately.

◆ ◆ ◆

Several days had passed since then. We had spent the entire time in the cave, and our livelihoods had stabilized. I didn’t go through any life-threatening danger and was able to properly acquire enough food. I even managed to store some reserves by drying some meat, so my situation was greatly different from just a few days ago.

Lily wasn’t currently in the cave. I had her investigate the area around us. The reason I had Rose stay behind was so I could get her to do something for me.

“Mm. It’s looking good.”

I accepted the wooden shield Rose respectfully held up to me and gave her a nod. It was a fair bit larger than what she used herself and could cover about half of my entire body. On top of being made of wood, it was also rather thin, so even I could hold it up without pushing myself. Despite that, it had a toughness to it stronger than steel. It truly gave me a sense of how unfair magic was.

It was difficult to swing about because of its size, but I basically had no sense for fighting at all. It would be over for me the moment I had to do so. It was more than enough to have something to hide behind like a wall.

This shield was something I had Rose manufacture from scratch. Magical puppets possessed the ability to create magical tools, so naturally, she possessed the same ability. All tools made by her hands were magical in nature. She showed me how she did so by heartily cutting down a tree with her battleaxe and carving the wood using a magical knife.

She had already finished making me a protective breastplate. It looked ridiculous atop my school blazer, but I didn’t really have the time to be worrying about fashion.

“Thank you. Next, please make some armor.”

Rose’s happy thoughts were passed to me as she bowed her head. She wasn’t currently equipped with anything other than an axe and shield. I planned to use this armor as a spare while also having something for her to use herself.

Lily returned to the cave a short while later. Having said that, she looked quite different from before.

“Welcome back, Lily.”

I turned around to face her. She now had the same form as Rose: a magical puppet. Lily had eaten the corpse of the magical puppet we defeated the other day. As such, she was able to use her ability as a mimic slime to take on the form of a magical puppet. She could still use magic in that form, so her combat abilities had gone up tremendously. She was also capable of using a weapon efficiently, so I handed her the spear we got from the magical puppet too.

However, her ability to manufacture weapons and armor was inferior to the original. Well, this basically meant she couldn’t steal Rose’s job. That’s why I had Lily go out and scout for us.

“Hm? What’s up, Lily?”

I cocked my head to the side. Her intent to tell me something was being passed through our mental path.

“Is there something you want to show me?”

I felt her affirmation. Lily had found something while searching the area. But I didn’t know what it was. The transmission of thought through our mental path could vaguely convey emotion and will, but it was difficult to exchange information on the level of having a conversation.

“Got it. Let’s go. Rose, get ready.”

We equipped ourselves as best we could and left the cave.

◆ ◆ ◆

After leaving the cave for the first time in a few days, Lily guided us to a certain location. There we found a student from my world wearing the same uniform. I had informed Lily to report any sightings of students to me as a number one priority.

Lily had properly accomplished her duty. As a result, I was now looking at the first student I had seen since the destruction of the Colony—in the form of a corpse, though.

“...Mizushima Miho, I think.”

You could say I at least knew her, and here she was, having died all alone in the forest. I wasn’t sure how to swallow the reality that someone I knew was dead right in front of me. Before I even realized it, I was biting down hard on my lower lip.

If you asked ten different people, all ten would tell you Mizushima Miho was a beautiful girl. She was a second-year student just like I was, and she was part of the wind instrument club. Her hair was dyed flaxen and went down to her shoulders, which matched her cheerful personality quite well.

The fact she had not yet been eaten by a monster meant it hadn’t been that long since she died and that she wasn’t killed by a monster. She was an attractive girl, and there were students about who had lost their sense of morals. There was no need to even say what happened. In the throes of despair, she had thrust the knife she was hiding right into her own throat. Her hand had stiffened up completely from putting too much strength into it and was still gripping the knife, wet with her own blood. Desperation clearly remained imprinted on her charming face.

“Thank you, Majima. Boys really are reliable for physical work, huh?”

“Sorry. It must be boring to work with someone like me, Mizushima.”

“Nope. I don’t really think so. It must be boring...? You sure are serious, Majima. That’s why I’m helping you out like this. I think that’s a good side of you.”

Mizushima Miho was a member of the home team at the Colony. Ever since coming to this world, I had a single opportunity to speak with her while we were in the middle of constructing the Colony. I was surprised she even remembered the name of a fairly plain schoolboy like me. Back then, she smiled at me cheerfully. Just a few days ago... she was certainly smiling.

“Lily...” I emotionlessly called out. “Eat her.”

She immediately did as I ordered. After reverting back to a giant slime, her gelatinous body fell upon the girl’s corpse. Mizushima Miho’s existence cruelly melted away within Lily’s transparent form. I stared at that scene from beginning to end.

The white of her eyes, the yellow of her fat, the red of her organs, the white of her bones... Such grotesque imagery was something I had to remember.

It took a fair amount of time, but Mizushima Miho’s body completely vanished. By the time I realized it, the sun had begun to set. I couldn’t even see the evening rays through the dense forest. All I could see was the sky turning redder and redder as an eerie mix of black and crimson dyed the scenery around me.

And within that twilight-lit scenery, I saw her naked body rise from the ground. She had beautiful limbs, unstained by anything she had suffered in life. The word rebirth passed through my mind, but I shook that thought away. This was different. It wasn’t rebirth in the least.

“I’m done taking her in, Master.”

Lily’s voice, which I was hearing for the first time, was of course identical to Mizushima Miho’s. The way she spoke was also the same. It resembled what remained in my memories. The only notable difference was she was referring to me as Master. However, that one difference was enormous. This wasn’t Mizushima Miho. It was a monster wearing her skin. Thus, I was surely also a monster wearing the skin of a human. If not, I wouldn’t have been able to do something so cruel without hesitation.

That’s right. I decided to use Mizushima Miho’s corpse.

She was the same as me, a student transported here to this world. That meant she also possessed a cheat. She was simply unaware of what it was, much like I was until a few days ago. Her body should have possessed some sort of outlandish ability. I thought to have Lily mimic that.

It was an unforgivable act driven by villainous intent. However, I resolved myself to do anything for the sake of surviving in this world. I also had a responsibility toward Lily and Rose for having them accompany me on this path.

The best I could do to fulfill that was the worst I could do as a human. That’s all this was. I felt sick to my stomach, but it was necessary for me to swallow that feeling away.

“Do you have a grasp of that body’s specs?”

“Specs?”

“That body should possess some sort of special ability.”

Lily looked puzzled by my question. Well, it was a hidden power that the person in question didn’t know about herself. It was reasonable that a mimic would need time to grasp what it was.

“It’s fine if you don’t know.”

Worst case, there was a possibility my hypothesis was incorrect. Even so, I didn’t really mind. It was convenient for Lily to simply have a human form. It wouldn’t pose a problem in combat either. Lily’s mimicry allowed her to use the abilities of one form while using the appearance of another. For example, she was able to use her original power of magic while mimicking a magical puppet. That was naturally no different when she took on the form of Mizushima Miho, who possessed no combat abilities.

That didn’t apply to abilities which depended on the shape she was assuming, however. She wasn’t able to use her original body’s ability to devour others while in the form of a magical puppet, seeing as she didn’t even possess an oral cavity.

“Put on those clothes.”

Lily had filtered out all of Mizushima Miho’s clothes when she was digesting her. Her blazer was covered in blood, but there was nothing else available. I had no choice but to have her put up with it.

Lily complied with my command and passed her arms through the shirt’s sleeves. I averted my gaze from her defenseless figure.

“I’m done, Master.”

“Okay, then let’s pull back.” I didn’t want to stay here any longer, so I immediately began leaving.

“Oh, Master. There’s one more thing I need to tell you.” Lily called out to me as I turned around, and I came to a stop. “There are other humans nearby. They’re the ones who killed... who are the reason this girl died.”

I was well aware that I furrowed my brows at this, and I turned around at the waist to look at Lily.

“How do you know that?”

“I can tell. I mean, I have this girl’s memories.”

I was completely overwhelmed by her casual statement. “Is that... true?”

“Mm. Oh, hang on. It might not strictly be true. It might be better to call it a record. It’s all the same in that I can recall them, though.”

“So, that’s also the reason you’re speaking the same way Mizushima Miho did.”

There was likely some level of deterioration or deficit compared to the original—much like how her ability to manufacture magical tools was inferior to Rose’s—but a fair amount of Lily’s mannerisms were inherited from Mizushima Miho.

Lily’s mimicry may have been far more terrifying a power than I thought. A perfect mimicry would pretty much be the same as usurping the original’s existence. It was normal for me to get dizzy from this. I may have done something far crueler than I intended...

“So, what do we do, Master?”

“Let’s see...”

I got my thoughts back in order. It was important to understand the reality before me, but there was something more important to do than worry about that. The survival of the lowly and miserable cowards who caused Mizushima Miho’s death, as well as what they had done to her, was unforgivable.

I thought it over for just a moment. Lily was waiting for my reply amid the melting scenery of black and red that turned the silhouettes of everything around me hazy.

“...I need to take responsibility.”

That was my answer. I had no intention of getting revenge. She was only an acquaintance to begin with. I was in no way close to her. I did find what happened to her pitiful, and I did feel anger and revulsion toward her assailants. But I felt nothing more than that.

That’s why this was just me taking responsibility. It definitely wasn’t revenge. There was no way I could say it was. I was also guilty of desecrating Mizushima Miho’s body, after all.

◆ ◆ ◆

Lily guided us to a place that wasn’t all that far from where she discovered Mizushima Miho’s corpse.

“...What’s going on?”

I scowled in confusion. There was a small hut in the middle of this dangerous forest. It was clearly suspicious. Why was there a hut out here? And why hadn’t the monsters destroyed it yet? It seemed to me like the monsters would have gotten in the way of its construction...

I headed toward the hut even as such doubts passed my mind, when for some reason, Lily and Rose, who were walking in front of me, came to a sudden stop.

“What’s up?”

“We can’t get any closer.”

According to Lily, the two of them were assaulted by an unpleasant feeling when they approached the hut. I did think it was strange for a hut to be here, but it seemed there was some sort of trick which kept monsters at bay.

As such, I ended up going toward the hut on my own. So long as Lily and Rose couldn’t approach it, neither could other monsters. That’s why there weren’t any particular problems for me to be on my own.

As I got closer, I could hear the voices of cackling men and a screaming woman. Their voices were young, meaning they were likely students who were transported to this world with me.

“...So it wasn’t just Mizushima Miho.”

Mysteriously, my heart remained calm. It was like listening to a group of dogs.

I see. So I don’t even see them as the same as me.

Well, that only stood to reason. I may have been nothing more than a monster who thought nothing of humans, but they were utter scum who were even beneath humans.

I felt a slight sense of relief. With this, I could kill them without hesitation. I went on to investigate the place where Lily’s unpleasant feeling was most prominent. The mental path between us was convenient in its own way, but being able to hold a conversation was a major step up. We could share information on an entirely different level like this.

Before long, I discovered a small, transparent stone buried not too far from the hut itself. The stone had some manner of intricate letters engraved on it. My guess was this was some sort of magical item. I had never heard of such items while I was in the Colony, but it made sense if this was a possession of the hut’s original owner.

This fact informed me of a simple yet important truth. There were humans here other than us students. Thinking back on it, it was possible that the first expeditionary force had found such traces of humanity in the forest, which was what triggered their impulse to leave and find a human settlement.

It seemed the humans of this world knew of concepts foreign to us to keep monsters at bay. It was surely a wonderful item. Unfortunately, I had no means of understanding how wonderful it actually was, so I had no idea as to its worth.

That was exactly why I didn’t hesitate in crushing it. It was entirely possible this stone was extremely valuable, but right now it was nothing but a hindrance. A safe zone was an attractive proposition, but it was useless to me as long as I was acting in concert with monsters.

There was no mistaking that these students would be killed in a few days like this. There was no need for me to dirty my own hands. However, even if there wasn’t a need, it would be irresponsible of me not to.

“Slaughter everyone except for the person who’s being attacked.”

I didn’t feel any anguish when I passed my order down to Lily and Rose. I really wanted to use magic to simply blow up the entire hut, but I was unable to do so because of the presence of a victim. I hated humans, but I didn’t plan on killing a girl who had done nothing wrong.

“Oh, hang on.”

I called my companions to a stop right before they stormed into the hut.

“Torment them as much as you can. Also, you finish them off, Lily. As long as you have the leisure to do so, that is.”

“Hm...? Okay.”

There may have been no meaning in doing this. I didn’t know whether the dead Mizushima Miho would have desired it. However, this was the only thing I could do for her now.

“Alright, go!”

The two monsters kicked down the door at my command. There were three schoolboys inside, and all of them turned toward us in shock.

“Do it.”

Rose charged in fiercely and kicked the boy who was pinning down the girl. She probably wasn’t aiming for it or anything, but he screamed in agony from having his jewels crushed. The other boys completely froze up. They surely never thought monsters would attack them here. This was their paradise. But now it was their execution site.

Lily jumped in with her spear at the ready. “Here we go!”

“Gyaaah?!”

The boys were unable to put up any resistance as their arms and legs were crushed, cut to pieces, and torn apart. Bright red blood gushed out like a geyser as agonizing cries filled the air. It was hell on earth. As blood danced in the air, I stepped foot into the hut, took off my blazer, and placed it atop the girl who was being attacked.

“You’re...”

She seemed to be younger than me. She had a pretty face, but right now it was sullied by all manner of things.

“It’s alright. I don’t plan on hurting you.”

She looked up at me, a strange color within her eyes. However, the girl lost consciousness before I could get a read on the meaning behind that. Her dainty body collapsed into my chest. Both her body and mind were surely at their limits. I undid the ropes which bound her arms behind her as Lily was just about to finish the immobilized boys.

“It hurts... It hurts... Why...? How...? How are you alive?! Aaaaah...!” the last boy yelled as Lily brought down her spear.

“Wait. I have something I want to ask him.”

Lily stopped. I took the weapon from her and grasped the boy’s face to make him look up at me.

“Ugh... Please... Save me... I’m begging you... Ow... It hurts...”

“Answer me if you want me to save you.”

He was clearly in severe pain, but I didn’t feel a thing. I was surprised at how cruel my own voice was.

“Is it just you three? Do you have any other friends with you?”

“There’s nobody... It’s just us... Aah! It hurts! It huuurts!”

It seemed they had no other allies. That was good. As a worst-case scenario, I’d thought of the possibility of them having a cheater at hand, but I was apparently just overthinking things.

“I-I answered you! Save me!”

“Hm? Oh, right.”

I did say something like that, didn’t I? I nodded as the boy looked me in the eyes while pleading for his life... and stabbed him in the throat with my spear. He screamed through a fit of choking, coughing, and gagging.

“Well, suffer as much as you can.”

The boy’s eyes shot wide open with disbelief. I gazed at his despair for a short while and then twisted the spear. With that, the light vanished from his eyes.

There was no way I was going to keep my hands clean after ordering Lily to kill them. I intended to kill at least one of them on my own from the very beginning. This was my very first act of murder. From the very moment I resolved myself to survive in this world, I believed this moment would come. And now that I had done it, it felt far too quick. But what came after everything had finished was far more troublesome.

“Lily,” I said with a sigh. “Clean up the bodies. Just throw them out somewhere into the forest.”

Lily looked at me curiously. “Is it okay not to eat them?”

I shook my head. “It feels sickening to think of these guys remaining within you. Don’t do it.”

These boys were surely also cheaters. The abilities they were unable to bring out before death could have been fairly powerful. If Lily were to take in their bodies, it was entirely possible she could obtain such powers.

However, that would be a betrayal to Mizushima Miho. She would surely have hated being inside Lily together with those guys... I also hated the idea. I felt like it would sully Lily. Moreover, I had fears that taking them in would trigger a change in her. Judging from her use of the word “records,” she stored their memories and personalities in a place cut off from her own mind. But I still had fears about this, and such fears needed to be eliminated.

“Rose, take care of this girl. Clean her up and put her in bed.”

Rose kneeled before me and bowed at my command.

“What will you do, Master?” Lily asked as she started her “work.”

“I’ll... have to do something about this mess, I guess.”

The floors, walls, and even the ceiling were stained with blood. Considering how this girl, whose name I didn’t even know, might react to the sight, it would be better to clean it all up. I also disliked the idea of sleeping with the room in such a state. This bloody scene was the location of a tragedy.

“...”

A dull headache suddenly assaulted me, and I grabbed my head. My eyes met those of the boy I killed. His vacant gaze was pointed directly at me... That was, of course, just a hallucination. It was nothing more than an illusion my weak heart was showing me.

No, hang on. Wait a sec. Am I weak?

“Are you alright, Master?”

“...I’m fine.”

That’s right, I’m fine. I’m fine.

I repeated those words to myself over and over. I couldn’t afford to be crushed by guilt here. That was the responsibility I had to bear for taming Lily and Rose, for using Mizushima Miho’s corpse, and for massacring the students here.

I would have been better off dying in that cave if I was unable to take responsibility for such things.

“I’m fine.”

I immersed myself in cleaning up the bloodied hut. Even I could tell I was running away from something by doing so.