Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 11 - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: A Dazzling Savior

In this world, where mana was a real thing, emotions affected reality. When a strong emotion surpassed a certain point, when one harbored a wish deep within their soul, a visitor’s inherent ability would manifest. Fundamentally, everyone possessed a unique ability that was based on their own wish.

However, those of the exploration team called warriors were a different story. They had no inherent abilities; they simply had an extreme talent for fighting. Kudou Riku had once called these cheaters failures who hadn’t reached their potential. That was because they hadn’t gained power from a wish. Instead, it had come from groundless conviction.

Groundless conviction was no different from a strong unconscious emotion. “I came to this world, so maybe I’m special. No, I am special. It must be true.” That was the source of their superhuman strength—the reason for their hollow, emotionless power.

Much like Kudou Riku had said, the power they’d all drawn from that groundless conviction was generally identical. Nevertheless, even with that commonality, they obviously had their own individual personalities.

“Asahi, you really lack a personal drive sometimes.”

That was what the exploration team’s leader, Nakajima Kojirou, had once said to Kouzu Asahi. Asahi didn’t remember when and where he’d said it, though. It had been nothing more than a casual conversation.

“Find a purpose, think of it seriously, determine what needs to be done, and take decisive action. Well, that doesn’t only apply to you, Asahi. What I mean is, be a bit more passionate. If you do, I’m sure you’ll have more fun.”

Nakajima Kojirou had a tendency to give sermons like this once in a while. He was just considering his fellow students, but it really came across as stuffy. In a sense, it was one of their respected leader’s lovable flaws. Whenever the exploration team members were treated to such a sight, they couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“There he goes running his mouth again,” Asahi had thought to himself at the time. On the other hand, he’d never forgotten those words. Maybe he actually understood. Kouzu Asahi was the type to get swept up in the flow of things. He was somewhat self-aware of this and kind of figured Nakajima recognized that about him too.

He was impressed that the leader knew him so well, but that didn’t mean Asahi had tried to change. Not only had he not tried, the idea hadn’t even occurred to him. It was his carefree nature that set his destination to the small noble territories in the southern Empire.

The only reason Asahi left the exploration team was because his two good friends had invited him. He had no strong inclination either way. All he had was the sense that he should save people in need and that his efforts carried the hopes of others. This wasn’t unique to Asahi either. His two friends were the same, and so they’d set out on their carefree journey.

As saviors, they were welcomed warmly in every village they visited. All they had to do was kick about the nearby monsters, and cheers would follow them everywhere. Just by taking a stroll around the area and bringing back the monsters they’d defeated, they’d hear, “O saviors! O great saviors!” It was so easy to become a hero.

If there was one difference between Asahi and his two friends, it was how Asahi’s attention had suddenly shifted to certain details.

He saw a child who didn’t know the face of his parents.

He saw a woman who grieved over the death of her lover.

He saw an old man who mourned the loss of his entire family.

Naturally, as a member of the first expeditionary force who’d stayed in Fort Ebenus, Asahi had heard from the nobles of this region about the threat the monsters posed to their citizens. He was supposed to know all this already, yet he now knew he’d only pretended to know.

It was a little messed up, but only by meeting the villagers did he realize that they were people living in these lands just like he was. He hadn’t had the imagination to understand that before. Still, he wasn’t some immature child who felt no sympathy for the people right in front of him. Their sorrow resonated with his heart, and their suffering affected his emotions. He had to do something.

“Ooh! It’s a savior! A savior is here!”

“Please save us!”

“Grant us a life where we need not spend our days in fear!”

“Please! Great savior!”

People were asking for his help, and he had enough power to become a hero with ease. So what was he to do? What did he want to do?

“Asahi, you really lack a personal drive sometimes.”

That was when their leader’s words had come back to him.

“Well, this doesn’t only apply to you, Asahi. What I mean is, be a bit more passionate. If you do, I’m sure you’ll have more fun.”

Aah, that was what he’d meant. That was when Asahi had figured it out. Therefore...

“All right. It’s about time to get going,” Asahi said to his two friends, Itsuki Yuta and Momii Yoshihiro.

“Yeah.” In contrast to Asahi’s enthusiasm, they were so carefree. “Well, I say that, but it’s hard to hype myself up for this.”

“No kidding.”

The two of them laughed. Unlike Asahi, they didn’t show much interest in the villagers’ plight. Not that this was much of a problem.

“But, well, they asked us, so I guess we gotta do it.”

“Yup.”

In the end, they found their own motivation. They didn’t mind that the villagers were depending on them as saviors. They were in a good mood, good enough to even tease their friend.

“Anyways, you sure are fired up about this stuff recently, Asahi. You were the same in the last village too.”

“Yeah, you were the first to charge out and beat up those monsters.”

“I wonder if it’s gonna start pouring tomorrow or something.”

“Ugh. I seriously hope not. I don’t wanna get drenched. Spare us that, Asahi.”

“Piss off.”

They bantered and screwed around, but Asahi didn’t deny his own enthusiasm. What they said was true. He felt a heat in his chest that he’d never known before, and it was urging him onward. It was an unfamiliar sensation, but it wasn’t bad.

“Let’s go.”

Asahi’s group left the house they were borrowing, and the villagers all saw them off. The air was hot with their feverish hopes. Everyone here was absolutely certain that one day, this moment would be recorded in legends. Asahi instinctively knew what all the villagers surrounding them were hoping for, and he wanted to meet their expectations. He drew the sword at his waist and pointed it at the sky.

“Just wait for us!” he yelled to the heavens as if unleashing the heat in his chest. “Today, we will defeat the monsters who’ve been threatening your lives!”

The villagers cheered wildly and gave their blessings to their heroes. This moment reminded them of the suffering they’d endured, and once they thought of those they’d lost, the tears wouldn’t stop.

But that was all going to end today. They cheered themselves hoarse for the saviors who would guarantee them a bright future. Those who would be spoken of in legends were going to grant their wishes.

◆ ◆ ◆

Such were the details of a certain boy’s life so far. Having lived in a carefree manner, he had nothing he could call a passion. However, after witnessing the impoverished for the first time in his life, he wondered if he could do something.

That was why, when the villagers pleaded with him for help, he hadn’t hesitated to try and answer their hopes. It was a beautiful sign of growth. It was the moment he found his passion and determination.

That was exactly why the end of his story was so tragic.

“Wh-What the hell?!”

Asahi ran through the forest, gasping for breath.

“Why?!”

His legs tangled up from the exhaustion, and fear paralyzed his limbs. He tumbled to the ground multiple times over, but he clawed the dirt, got back up, and kept running. His dominant arm dangled loosely from its socket, and blood dribbled down his fingers.

It hadn’t even been half a day since he’d left the village, yet the shining luster of a dazzling savior was nowhere in sight now. It was such a tragedy. What kind of malice could’ve brought him so low?

Was it the scheming of a Demon King who manipulated monsters to destroy humanity? Or had he been attacked by a mysterious third party with villainous intent? No, it was neither of those things. It would’ve been so much better if either had actually happened.

“No! It wasn’t supposed to be like this!”

Asahi’s face was steeped in regret. His remorse for the actions he’d taken was endless. There was no room to consider anyone else, only enough to curse his own decision. And as harsh as it was, this outcome had been inevitable.

Even Nakajima Kojirou had spoken of this in detail. Asahi should’ve remembered exactly what his leader had told him.

“Find a purpose, think of it seriously, determine what needs to be done, and take decisive action. Well, this doesn’t only apply to you, Asahi. What I mean is, be a bit more passionate. If you do, I’m sure you’ll have more fun.”

If he’d properly listened, maybe he would’ve realized. Asahi had, in fact, been spurred by passion to answer the hopes of the villagers who sought salvation, but he was just doing what they’d asked. His own thoughts weren’t a part of it. He had no personal will; he’d merely been stirred by emotion. So how was that any different from going with the flow? Had he only given it a little more thought, maybe it would’ve ended differently.

What the villagers wished for, what Kouzu Asahi regretted taking on, was the total subjugation of the monsters living in the neighboring Dark Woods.

◆ ◆ ◆

If there was anything to sympathize with, it was Kouzu Asahi’s ignorance. He didn’t know the meaning behind the appraisal that a savior’s power was worth a thousand soldiers. He didn’t understand why knights always accompanied saviors in the legends.

Kouzu Asahi hadn’t acquired any of the knowledge that Majima Takahiro had learned from traveling with Shiran, or that Iino Yuna had gathered from traveling with the Imperial Knights and the Holy Order. That was why he hadn’t given the task any thought and had simply done as he was asked. That was the cause of this tragedy.

Villages in the vicinity of Dark Woods were always troubled by monsters and the damage they caused. It was natural they wished for better safety. Villagers also knew that saviors of the past had conquered several Dark Woods, so of course they’d assume that the savior before them could do the same.

Asahi and his friends had gone out believing they could do it too. To them, it was just beating up some pesky monsters. But they were mistaken. Saviors had powers far beyond normal, but they weren’t invincible. Having the strength of a thousand men meant that one savior could be equaled by gathering a thousand soldiers.

This logic applied to a swarm of monsters too, which was why knights always accompanied the saviors. They strengthened the saviors’ defenses so that the world didn’t lose a font of power greater than what was humanly possible. When it came to conquering the Dark Woods, they had to be even more cautious than usual.

That said, a simple villager wouldn’t know any of this. To them, saviors were absolute. Besides, some had witnessed saviors casually beating up monsters in one-on-one fights. The average villager had no way of knowing what a savior was capable of. The villagers said they could do it, so things would work out one way or another if they just did as they were told.

The outcome should’ve been clear as day. After challenging the Dark Woods, Asahi and his two friends were forced to retreat. It was a pathetic and utterly crushing defeat, but that wasn’t the end of their story. Their actions opened the door to an even greater hell. The situation was very similar to the savior’s campaign into the Abyss five hundred years ago.

Monsters attacked humans. The terrifying part of fighting where a great many monsters lived was that the tumult of battle would attract more monsters. If one dealt with them too slowly, their numbers would multiply until they became an uncontrollable landslide. That was exactly what had happened here.

Running away after the fact wouldn’t stop the landslide. It swelled up, surged out, and crushed everything in its path. Nothing could be done at that point. The only thing they could do was desperately try and save their own lives. That was how Itsuki Yuta and Momii Yoshihiro had gotten away.

“W-We somehow made it...”

They’d gotten caught in the surging wave of monsters coming from the Dark Woods and had barely survived. Itsuki had a deep gash in his right shoulder, while Momii had one across his back. Still, because of their sturdy warrior muscles, their wounds weren’t fatal.

“I thought I was gonna die...” Momii said, sighing in relief.

“Dumbass. Like hell we’re gonna die. But man, fuck, this hurts,” Itsuki said as he held his shoulder.

“Oh yeah, what happened to Asahi?” Momii suddenly asked.

“Hell if I know. Fuck. He ran off in the middle of all of this saying the village was in danger.”

“The village?”

Momii’s tired expression went taut. Now that monsters were surging from the Dark Woods, the neighboring village was in danger, but they’d only just realized that. The village hadn’t even crossed their minds until now.

“Isn’t that...really bad?” Momii said.

“But what can we do about it?”

Momii was silent.

“You wanna go help?” Itsuki asked. “Even though we might die?”

“I...”

“Fuck that.”

Both of them understood the danger of going back to the village. Just maybe, they could protect the village if they made use of the walls, but it was far more likely that the entire village would be trampled.

With that in mind, the two of them couldn’t move anymore. Up until now, they’d only ever acted out of goodwill. They’d defeated many monsters and had contributed to the safety of several villages. These had definitely been good deeds.

However, they’d only done those things when there was no risk to their personal safety. In that sense, their principles were completely different from Iino Yuna’s. This wasn’t something to criticize them for, of course. Not everyone was capable of throwing their life away for the sake of another. Their “good deeds” had saved people—there was no denying that. Things were different in this case, though. Their approach to fighting the monsters had been nothing but irresponsible.

“We didn’t know it’d end up like that. It’s not our fault.”

“Y-Yeah. It was inevitable... We couldn’t do anything.”

They were at the end of their rope, so they only needed a few seconds to decide to abandon the village.

“Actually, we’re still not safe here,” Itsuki said, staggering to his feet, his expression stiff. “We don’t know when a monster’s gonna show up. We gotta get as far away as we can.”

“There’s no need for that.”

Just then, another voice joined their conversation. The two of them started and froze in place. They never thought anyone would be all the way out here.

“Who’s there?!”

They had something to feel guilty about and thus reacted more drastically. They’d both lost their weapons, but as warriors, they were enough of a threat barehanded. They could fight to a certain extent.

As they readied themselves for battle, a short boy showed himself.

“It’s me. Watanabe Yoshiki,” he said with a smile.

“Watanabe?!” Itsuki exclaimed.

Watanabe Yoshiki was an exploration team member who’d gone with the Skanda Iino Yuna and Juumonji Tatsuya to Fort Tilia. Itsuki had been on relatively good terms with him, which was exactly why he was perplexed.

“D-Didn’t you die at Fort Tilia?”

“Who said that? I’m alive and kicking, just as you can see.”

The boy shrugged and narrowed his eyes. That gesture perfectly matched the Watanabe that Itsuki knew, so the disparity between what was in front of them and what they’d been told confused them all the more.

“More importantly,” the boy said with a serious look, “things have gotten pretty bad.”

The two boys with guilty consciences jolted. Fortunately, the conversation didn’t delve any deeper in that direction. On the contrary, they heard exactly what they wanted to hear.

“I came to help. The exploration team is with me.”

“R-Really?!”

“Yup. So it’s all right now.”

It was like a dream. They doubted their ears, but reality remained the same. The two exchanged looks and burst into smiles.

“Th-Thanks, Watanabe!”

Itsuki ran to his unexpected hero, so moved that he gave him a handshake.

“It’s no big deal,” the boy said, smiling. “Don’t worry about it. We’re comrades, right?”

This proud smile, one Watanabe had shown sometimes during their time in the exploration team, had never seemed so bright before.

“Y-Yeah. You’re right. We’re comrades.”

“Yup. More importantly...”

The boy’s smile suddenly turned into a puzzled expression. His eyes looked around the area as if searching for something.

“I heard there was one more of you out here.”

“Y-Yeah. You mean Asahi. We split up on the way here. He’s probably headed for the village. I don’t know if he made it, though...”

“I see. That’s unfortunate,” the boy said, sighing.

“B-But he’s not necessarily dead yet!” Itsuki yelled. The danger was past now, so he’d finally remembered to worry about his friend. “We gotta save him too. I hope he’s still okay...”

“Oh. That’s not what I meant,” the boy said, shattering Itsuki’s all-too-late illusions of a rescue.

“Huh? What do you mean...?”

Itsuki was utterly confused, then one second later, his expression froze.

“I mean, one got away, right?”

“Watanabe Yoshiki”—the boy borrowing his figure, to be precise—thrust a knife into Itsuki’s throat.

“Gah! Hak!”

Itsuki grabbed his neck, crimson droplets bursting through the gaps between his fingers as he fell to his knees.

“You...son of a...”

Maybe he could still resist. A normal person would’ve died from that injury right away. It was a miracle he was able to hang on at all. However, a shadowy sword flew in from the distance and plunged into his back. Weakened as he was, Itsuki had no way of dodging it. He passed out and collapsed.

“Huh...?”

Momii’s eyes shot open in a daze. He couldn’t understand what was going on.

“Wh-What did you do, Watanabe?”

“Oh come on. Think about it. Did you really think something so convenient was happening?”

“Watanabe Yoshiki” then transformed into a shadowy figure.

“A doppelganger...? N-No way...” Momii muttered in disbelief as he stared at the spectacle.

“Correct,” a voice answered him from behind.

Momii turned around stiffly, like a rusty machine. Before him stood a boy surrounded by monsters.

“Kudou Riku...”

Before leaving the exploration team, Momii had heard about the culprit behind Fort Tilia’s attack, so he understood what kind of being Kudou Riku was. Or perhaps he was made to understand. The moment he came in contact with those inhuman eyes, Momii’s throat dried up. He’d never seen anything like it before.

“Seriously. What impressive saviors you lot are. Abandoning the village that’s about to be destroyed because of what you’ve done? Running away from your own responsibilities?”

Momii froze in fear and despair as Kudou started talking to him. Kudou’s tone was disinterested and civil, yet beneath that tranquil voice was a dreadful vortex of hatred.

“H-Hang on!”

There was no reason to be optimistic—no convenient outcome to this situation. Momii screamed in desperation.

“I-It was an accident! Yeah! Just an accident! We didn’t mean to! I’m serious!”

“I know. You didn’t have any ill intent. You’re a foolish and weak human like any other. Your only defining trait was being handed power beyond your means.”

Kudou hadn’t denied what Momii said, but Momii’s pleading wasn’t enough to overturn his inevitable end.

“That’s what makes all of you so cancerous.”

Kudou wasn’t here to criticize them for bringing a village to the verge of destruction.

“Despite acting like good people all the time, when it really comes down to it, you reveal your hideous nature. You show no shame and sacrifice others for your own sake. You are weak, foolish, banal, and above all else, cancerous.”

Momii caught a glimpse of an irrepressible darkness oozing from Kudou’s expression. It was more violent than anger, and darker than despair. It was impossible to give a name to such emotion, but that was because it only existed for the Demon King who’d long left the path of humanity—who’d been trampled by the weakness and foolishness born of humanity’s evil nature.

“Aah, all of you truly are repulsive.”

The Demon King listened to the boy, one who’d failed to become a hero, groan in despair, then declared his death with a fake smile.

“I simply can’t forgive such a repulsive sight.”