Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 10 - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Necessities

“Travis said, ‘Going at it here would put me at a slight disadvantage,’ and, ‘We will fall back for now.’ In that case, he’ll come back once his preparations are done.”

Shiran was quietly explaining her thoughts from her bed.

“The knights we encountered weren’t the entire company. The Fourth Company of the Holy Order is two hundred strong. In all likelihood, they split their forces to search for me. I’m sure they deemed fifty or so knights sufficient to take me down as long as I was on my own. But you were with me, Takahiro. Therefore, I believe they withdrew for the moment to gather a force strong enough to guarantee victory.”

There was no room to interject. I was of the same opinion.

“Travis spoke as if he already knew about Lily and Gerbera,” she continued. “Ergo, he must know that your ability isn’t fit for the battlefield like the Skanda Yuna’s is. The Holy Order won’t run away in fear because of your presence, so if Travis comes back after withdrawing once already...it means he’ll bring sufficient forces to defeat a visitor. He should know how strong a visitor’s ability is. I don’t doubt his judgment.”

Shiran fervently conveyed the danger of the situation to me.

“Some among the villagers can be moved. There are children too. Takahiro, please take them with you and run away.”

“And what do you plan on doing? You mentioned staying behind.”

“I’m Travis’s target. If I remain here, the rest of you can avoid danger.”

“Do you plan on dying?”

“Either way, my body won’t hold out much longer.”

Shiran’s arm trembled as she raised it slightly, but she could only raise it so far before it fell back down on the bed.

“Takahiro, you’re aware that my symptoms have worsened again, aren’t you?”

“Yeah...”

In truth, Shiran’s body was weaker than ever. The attack on the village had already severely damaged her mental state, and the fact that we couldn’t even protect the remaining survivors weakened her even further.

If, for argument’s sake, we were to abandon the villagers who couldn’t be moved, then my group and a portion of the elves, including Shiran, could get away. However, abandoning any of the villagers would break Shiran’s heart. If her symptoms got any worse, both her body and her heart would reach their limits.

“There is no future for me as I am,” she said. “I’d at least like to help by buying time.”

An intense aura enveloped Shiran. She’d lost pretty much all her mana and could hardly lift a limb, but there was a sharpness about her like a drawn blade.

“Takahiro, thanks to you, I have the bare minimum of mana I need. If I burn myself out completely, I should be able to fight for a short time.”

I agreed. Even with Shiran’s reduced mana, she could probably manifest her full fighting strength for an explosive moment. All that awaited her down this path was ruin, though. It would be like boarding a runaway train with no brakes. Once aboard, there was no going back. And here she was, ticket already in hand.

“I’ll pay them back tenfold...”

On the surface, Shiran appeared tranquil, but beneath that was the ferocious aura of a ghoul. As she was now, she could certainly transform and fight the Holy Order. An emotional flame flickered in her blue eye, and the rage she felt from seeing her countrymen slaughtered so cruelly burned bright in her heart. She was preparing for one last battle by using her desire for revenge as fuel to turn into a ghoul. It was very unknightly, but I couldn’t blame her for it. Right now, Shiran wasn’t a knight; she was just a girl.

“You’re right,” I said as calmly as I could, trying not to let her fervor influence me. “If you stay behind as a decoy, we might escape to safety. But...do you really think I’ll allow that?”

“I...” Shiran’s spirit wavered for the first time, and she averted her gaze. “There’s nothing left in me. If I can be of use, then what more can I hope for?”

“Like hell that’s true,” I said as I leaned in and grabbed Shiran’s shoulders, forcing her to look at me. “I already told you this before. Causing us trouble, being of use—none of that matters. All that matters is that you’re here with us, Shiran.”

I hadn’t lied about that when Shiran had anguished over her undead body.

“It’s fine if you can’t fight,” I continued. “You’re not a knight anymore. You’re just another girl.”

For the sake of her comrades in arms, her powerless countrymen, and the many people living in this world, Shiran had always fought for others. Even during the incident at Fort Tilia, she’d protected me from Juumonji with her devotion. As a result, she’d turned into an undead and lost her strength as a knight. Now that she had nearly no strength left, I couldn’t possibly leave the fighting to her. My mind was already made up.

“Please leave the fighting to us,” I said.

We would meet the Holy Order in battle. That was the only path before us. The difference between me and Shiran was that I refused to lose anyone at all. So long as we could protect this village, Shiran wouldn’t suffer any further emotional damage. It would also stop her body from weakening, seeing as how it was heavily influenced by her mental state.

“Takahiro...”

I wondered how my determination rang in her ears. She remained silent, her shoulders still in my grasp, and stared at my face with her one eye as if drawn to me. Her pale lips quivered, then formed a clumsy smile.

“Aah... That is just like you, Takahiro,” she said, looking like she was going to cry. “Why do you go so far?”

“Huh?”

“If I sacrifice myself, you can escape this danger,” she said, her expression dead serious. “So, why?”

There was an echo of hope behind her words. She normally seemed mature for her age, but now she seemed unusually childish. It was a completely different side of her compared to her knightly dignity.

Her sweetness captivated my senses, and I became more aware of the presence of her body through her cold shoulders. Her earnest eye enraptured mine. My heart was mesmerized by a warm sensation. I felt like I’d discovered some special feeling in her...

“I—”

“Oh, I suppose you already answered that too, huh?” Shiran said before I could give my response any shape. Her tone was serious, but it had a slight wryness to it. “Companionship. You consider me one of your companions, right?”

“Y-Yeah. You’re a precious companion.”

That was the truth, so I nodded along, but I didn’t know whether that would’ve been my answer. Shiran’s brow drooped as she smiled. Her expression, half-hidden by her eyepatch, no longer held any of that special emotion I’d glimpsed a second before. All there was now was absolute trust in someone she respected.

“I’m honored. I also think of you as a dear companion, Takahiro.”

“Thanks...”

I returned her smile, truly happy from the bottom of my heart to hear that.

“Leave the rest to us,” I said, steadily rising to my feet.

With that, I left the room and closed the door behind me, only to immediately meet someone’s eyes.

“Master.”

“Salvia?”

She’d manifested at some point and had been waiting for me in the hallway. She looked astonished, and she even sighed at me.

“Both you and Shiran are a little too serious.”

Her statement left me utterly bewildered.

◆ ◆ ◆

“Ssster.”

Asarina, who’d remained quiet the entire time I was talking with Shiran, happily started playing with Salvia. There was a bond between them as fellow roommates inside my body, and they got along really well.

“You’re going to fight the Holy Order, aren’t you?” Salvia asked as she let Asarina twine around her. Salvia had apparently come out to confirm my decision. “Lying in wait in this village, striking out at the knights... You plan on making enemies of the Holy Order, and even the Holy Church behind them.”

Salvia was normally very gentle and relaxed, but given the situation, she couldn’t hide her tension. She’d assumed too much, though.

“No. The Holy Church won’t necessarily be our enemy.”

“What do you mean?” Salvia asked with a cock of her head. “The Holy Order has already attacked this village.”

“No. Travis’s company attacked the village, not the Holy Order itself.”

I’d learned this from my conversation with Shiran. Repelling Travis’s company could damage relations with the Holy Order, of course, but from what Shiran had told me, Travis’s cowardly behavior differed from the standards of the Holy Order as a whole. At the very least, it would be easier to open a dialogue with them than with Travis. All the same, this was something to consider after we managed to repel Travis. We couldn’t do anything until we handled the problem before us.

“The Holy Order is mighty,” I continued. “If they treat us as their enemy, we honestly don’t have a chance. But if it’s just Travis, it’s a different matter.”

“I see.” Salvia nodded, then knit her brow. “But you’re still facing two hundred knights. What’s more, your strongest combatant, Gerbera, has been sealed.”

“There’s another way to look at it. Their strongest combatant is also sealed,” I said with confidence. “He debilitated Gerbera. I have to admit his Holy Gaze is terrifyingly fiendish, but it isn’t absolute.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because he didn’t cast it on all of us at the time.”

“Ummm...?” Salvia cocked her head again and blinked. “What do you mean?”

“If his power can weaken Gerbera, then it would definitely work on the rest of us. There’s no way it wouldn’t. If so, he could’ve just weakened our entire group. He didn’t have to fall back and regroup. He could’ve just killed us all then and there. Right?”

“Well...” Salvia put her hand to her mouth and sank into thought. “You have a point. Now that you put it that way, it does seem strange.”

“Furthermore, say he wanted to be doubly sure, so he decided to withdraw first. Why, then, didn’t he debilitate all of us anyway? Travis had no reason to leave us unscathed, yet he retreated without doing anything more.”

“Because he couldn’t use the Holy Gaze anymore?” Salvia asked, a light of understanding in her eyes.

“That’s the gist of it.”

One had to maintain reinforcement and debilitation magics, or their effects would vanish. It was the same for Travis’s Holy Gaze. The Great White Spider of the Depths was no easy prey. A bona fide savior would be one thing, but a simple descendant like Travis would struggle to put another target under his spell while maintaining the effect on Gerbera. I’d confirmed this with Gerbera herself, so there was no mistaking it. If he loosened his hold even just a little, the Great White Spider would immediately tear off her shackles.

“Travis is a beloved of blessed blood and one of the strongest knights in the Holy Order, but in a way, Gerbera has sealed his trump card. Naturally, he didn’t hesitate to use his power on Gerbera because he knew she was our strongest fighter. However, if he thinks that’s enough to beat us, then he’ll pay for his miscalculation.”

After parting with Salvia, I made my way to my closest servants using the mental path as a guide. I had to consult everyone and prepare for the attack. I’d made my resolve. I had a chance at victory. If there was one thing I still needed...

“Rose, I’m coming in.”

I knocked and opened the door to a room as Rose and Katou turned toward me from inside.

“Aah, Master. I see you’re awake. Good morning.”

“Rose...?”

I was a little surprised. All the furniture in the room had been put away, creating an open space. Rose sat in the middle, a line of ten spare right arms in front of her. It seemed she was in the middle of doing some maintenance. And that wasn’t all. There were all sorts of other goods lying around, all tools and magic items she’d made. It was obvious to me why she had these all out right now.

“I have been preparing for battle while you rested, Master.”

“Rose said that you’d decide to fight, Senpai,” Katou added, carrying imitation runestones in her arms to help out.

“It wasn’t just me,” Rose said, staring right into my eyes. “My sisters have all begun doing what they can.”

“I see.”

A smile suddenly came to me. I looked Rose directly in the eyes and took her hand. She’d taken off her gloves to work, so her wooden limbs were exposed. I wrapped both my hands around hers.

“Thanks,” I said.

“Of course.” Rose nodded, looking delighted.

I then shifted my gaze to her best friend, who was watching us with a faint smile.

“Katou, are you fine with this?” I asked.

“Well, to be honest, I’d prefer you prioritize your own safety...” she started, a mature yet wry grin on her childish face. “Senpai, you said you’d create a place in this world where you can live with everyone, right? To that end, this battle is unavoidable. Leah and Helena have accepted you. All the other elves have too. I’m sure this chance will never come again. There is great meaning in protecting this village’s elves now that they’re our friends.”

Katou had spoken logically up until now, but she added one last thing.

“Please do what you think is best, Senpai.”

Katou also gave me a push on the back. Everyone understood and supported me, which made me happy. They were all so reliable.

“Let’s fight,” I said, free from all misgivings. “We’ll meet Travis in battle.”

Thus, we immediately started preparing to launch our counterattack.