Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 11 - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Twilight

Sudden events had a tendency to make one think, “Is this really what I think it is?” Lately, those days had come and gone.

“Okay then, everyone, let’s try starting from here today,” Lily said cheerfully.

She was holding a piece of paper with large, easy-to-read letters written on it. Her eyes were fixed on the young children sitting around the table with her. Once she confirmed they were seated, she gave them a sweet smile.

“All righty. Watch closely now; I’m gonna start!”

This all came about because of a picture book. Lily had bought it in town some time ago to learn how to read. She’d pulled it out to read to the children when one of the older kids had shown an interest in reading too. That was how these classes had started.

In this world, where entertainment was hard to come by, maybe this was a curious form of play. Several of the children practiced passionately, giving it their all. Of course, some were cut out for it, and some weren’t. That had nothing to do with being a child either.

“Oh, Rose. You’ve got it wrong there,” Lily said to her little sister.

“D-Do I?”

Rose was participating in the classes too. She’d apparently been considering learning to read for a while now.

“Umm, sister, how is this wrong?”

“Over here. The shape is different, see?”

Rose stared at what she’d written. She had beautiful handwriting due to her dexterous fingers, but she had no familiarity with the letters themselves, so it was taking her some time to learn.

“Looks difficult,” Gerbera said, watching from a short distance.

Incidentally, she hadn’t participated in any of these classes. Instead, she watched over the youngest children.

“Not only must you memorize all these so-called letters, but you then have to combine them to derive any sort of meaning, right? Seriously, I’m surprised such a complicated system could be accomplished.”

“Acwompished!”

The girl in Gerbera’s arms imitated her. She was actually one of the children who’d burst into tears upon seeing Gerbera for the first time. Perhaps she’d gotten attached to Gerbera so quickly because Gerbera’s innocent personality resonated well with children.

Rose smiled at the girl, then turned my way. “I’m impressed that my sister learned to read and write so quickly. As a fellow monster, I truly admire her.”

“This kind of thing is greatly influenced by how much interest you have in it,” I said.

Interest was the greatest factor in acquiring knowledge. In the end, there was no better way to increase one’s ability to learn than to make it fun.

“You’re both monsters, but in Lily’s case, she’s influenced by Mizushima. They say a separate personality can have an effect on someone’s hobbies.”

“Interest, is it?” Rose looked up for a bit, deep in thought. “In that case, there is something I’d like you to teach me.” She looked back down at me, a smile as beautiful as a flower on her lips. “How is your name written using this world’s letters, Master?”

“O-Oh, my name? Sure,” I said one beat later, thrown off by the unexpected request. “Is this okay?”

“Yes. Oh, forgive me. Could I also ask you to write it using your world’s letters?”

I did as she asked and wrote my name again on the same piece of paper.

“Thank you very much. So this is your... Ah, you’re right. I think I’ll be able to remember this.”

Rose held the paper with my name written on it in two languages close to her chest and smiled happily. Her smile was dazzling. For some reason, I couldn’t keep watching and instead averted my eyes. In my peripheral vision, I could see that Rose was acting a little curiously.

“Ooh. So that is our lord’s name?” Gerbera said. “Can you show me too?”

“Gerbera? Yes, of course,” Rose replied.

The two of them started talking, and I felt a little relieved. Noticing my behavior, I scratched my cheek. A feeling gripped my heart for the umpteenth time now.

Is this really what I think it is...?

◆ ◆ ◆

With my daily training over, I washed off my sweat. After that, I stepped outside to get some fresh air. A beautiful orange painted the sky, and I could see half of the setting sun.

“Oh, My Lord.”

Gerbera happened to come my way, her snow-white body dyed by the sunset.

“It’s about time for dinner. Where are you going?” she asked.

“Nowhere in particular. I just came out for some air. What about you?”

“I just finished standing guard over the village. I traded places with Shiran and was on my way back.”

“I see. Good work out there.”

“Mm.”

Gerbera came closer and stretched out her hand.

“What?” I asked.

She touched my head, but she wasn’t petting me. She was patting me all over like a child with a toy.

“You’re all wet,” she said.

“I took a bath.”

It sounded luxurious when I put it like that, but I’d simply used a tub of water and one of Rose’s imitation runestones. We’d offered one to the village, which had delighted them greatly.

“Hrm. I see. A bath,” Gerbera said, pursing her lips. “I should’ve returned a little earlier then.”

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said,” Gerbera answered, her legs skittering about. “I would’ve liked your help washing my body, My Lord.”

“Uhh... Washing your body is a lot of work, just so you know,” I said, narrowing my eyes.

Her spider half didn’t sweat, so she only needed to wipe off the upper half of her body. However, she did accumulate dirt little by little, so she had to bathe once in a while. Her lower body was relatively large compared to a human’s, and it was covered in long hair. Bathing her was somewhat like washing a big dog, just several times harder. Counting the time it took to dry her off, it required more than an hour.

“If the bottom is too much trouble, I’m fine with just the top.”

“There’s not much point in me helping you wash your upper body...”

“There is. It makes me happy.” Gerbera giggled and flashed me a grin. “Does it not make you happy, My Lord?”

“No comment.”

“How reserved you are.”

As we talked, her hands went from my head to my cheeks, then she suddenly pulled back.

“Hrm?”

Gerbera turned her head toward two villagers who were passing by.

“Oh! Mister Takahiro!”

“Thank you for all you’ve done, sir. I really appreciate you accompanying us on our training earlier.”

One was a resident of Kehdo, while the other was one of the elves dispatched from Rapha. The two of them were carrying a large wooden box together.

“And Miss Gerbera, thank you for standing guard over the village.”

They even talked to Gerbera, showing no particular fear.

“Mm.” She nodded back to them in a collected manner.

“Good work today. What’s that you’re carrying?” I asked.

“Supplies from Rapha!” the elf from Kehdo answered energetically. “They just arrived, so we’re carrying them in!”

“Aah...”

During our recent meeting, Philip had promised to provide aid. Rapha had lent what was required immediately, and we planned to reimburse them once Philip’s support arrived.

“Huh? I’m pretty sure Kei was documenting the list of goods borrowed from Rapha. Is she already done? That was fast.”

“Oh. No. Not yet. It’s gotten dark out, so we’re carrying in what’s already been recorded.”

“Is that so? Thanks for your hard work. Is there something I can help with?”

“Huh? No! Not at all! We can’t possibly ask you to help!”

The elf from Kehdo shook his head as though this was utterly out of the question. He did so vigorously enough that both of them lost their balance.

“Wh-Whoa?!”

They panicked, and I immediately moved to help, but Gerbera was faster.

“That’s dangerous. Be careful.”

She stretched out one of her long legs and skillfully stopped the box from toppling over, during which time the two elves regained their balance.

“Th-Thank you very much.”

“Good grief, calm down a little,” the other elf said in exasperation. “Thank you, Miss Gerbera. Mister Takahiro, forgive our unsightly display.”

He was both friendly and respectful, though not to the exaggerated degree his partner was.

“Then, if you’ll please excuse us.”

The two elves walked off, being a bit more careful with the box this time.

“Hmph, how strange,” Gerbera said, watching them go. “To think I would spend such a normal life inside a human settlement. I never thought the day would come.”

“Yeah. It’s a little weird to me too.”

Gerbera had stayed out of sight from the very moment we stepped into the human world. We’d all been very careful to keep her from being discovered. I was happy that they so readily accepted her, but it also felt a little odd.

“However, I’m sure this will one day become the norm,” Gerbera said with conviction, turning my way. “No, we shall strive to make it the norm, right?”

“Yeah.”

I returned her smile. Gerbera then suddenly shifted her focus to behind me. I could hear the door opening to my back. I turned around and met Rose’s eyes as she pushed it open.

“Ah...”

Rose made a quiet sound. For no reason whatsoever, my heart throbbed, and I lost my opportunity to say anything. Rose froze, the door still only half-open.

Seeing us like this, Gerbera blinked in confusion. “Hrm?” Her red eyes shifted between me and Rose. “Hmm. Now then, I should be going back already. You’re staying out here, right, My Lord?”

Gerbera gave me a nod and quickly entered the house, switching places with Rose.

“Gerbera...” I muttered.

“Later then. Come back before dinner.”

The door closed with a clack, and the two of us were left outside. I immediately knew that Gerbera was trying to be considerate. Rose and I exchanged glances and, immediately feeling restless, averted our eyes shortly after.

“Uhh... What’s up, Rose?”

“Oh, I thought... No, I just wanted to take a walk.”

“A walk?”

“Yes.”

It was a very clumsy exchange. How had things ended up like this? Thinking back on it, there hadn’t been any obvious cause. I’d gotten to spend a lot of time with Rose while we stayed in this village, and before I knew it, they’d become like this. We were fine when other people were around, but when alone, things ended up being really awkward for some reason.

It was weird. Up until now, I’d always felt calm and at peace whenever I was with Rose. It was as if something had been imprinted on me. During our time in the Woodlands, when we had no idea whether we’d be alive the next day, Rose had said that she would protect me. Her devotion had saved me to a great extent.

For example, there was that one night I’d slept with Rose in my arms. The calm it brought me had made me forget everything that had been plaguing me. Just being with her had given me peace of mind.

Even now, that was no different, but that wasn’t all anymore. From the day I met her, Rose had changed with the flow of time. She’d become a girl. She’d become sweet, lovable, and earnest. At some point, I’d started to think, “Huh?”

There was something about her gaze, or maybe her behavior. Somehow or other, something was getting across to me. Unlike Lily or Gerbera, Rose hadn’t said anything. Even if I guessed based on her behavior, Rose was always very affectionate with me, so it was actually hard to read the minute changes in how she displayed her affection.

What I knew for certain was that when I looked at Rose, I was conscious of her being a girl. When she was with me, my heart throbbed. What was this feeling? Once that question came to mind, there was only one answer.

But I had to hit the brakes. My sensibilities from my world were getting in the way, but that wasn’t all. If it were, then things would be fine, but there was one other big reason for my hesitancy.

It had to do with my relationship with Rose up until now. She was fiercely loyal, and she felt joy from being of service. Say I wanted that kind of relationship with her. She would surely accept. She would do so even if she felt no such emotions herself.

That would be no good, so I hesitated to take the next step. In a sense, the precious master-servant relationship we’d maintained was getting in the way. As a result, Rose had definitely noticed the awkward atmosphere between us.

“Um... Master. Have I done something wrong?” she asked anxiously, her gloved hands tightly gripping her apron.

“You haven’t.” I shook my head. Even if I couldn’t convey my feelings, there was something I had to get across to her. “You’ve got the wrong idea, Rose. The problem is with me... I mean, I can’t really explain it, but I’m not displeased or anything.”

I paused, but thinking it wasn’t enough, I continued.

“I’m happy whenever I’m with you, Rose.”

“Master...”

Her eyes widened. I felt embarrassed, but I made sure not to look away.

“Is that true?” she asked.

“Yeah, it is,” I declared with ease.

“I...see. Thank goodness.”

She looked relieved from the bottom of her heart. Her expression immediately turned cheerful, as if the clouds in the sky had disappeared in an instant. Even this small thing shook my heart. It was clear to me now. I couldn’t help but smile bitterly at how dense I’d been.

“You came out for a walk, right?” I said. “There’s still time until dinner, so shall we?”

“Yes, Master.”

I started walking, and Rose followed half a step behind. Her footsteps were light, and her lips formed a smile. We continued talking, and it started getting dark. The setting sun vanished, and the sky blackened as if covered in ink. The dimly lit village was smeared in darkness—and an ogre stood beneath a light in our path.

“Huh?”

There was something supernatural about twilight. When the sun set and day turned to night, people encountered monsters. This monster had black skin, as if the darkness had seeped into its very being, and ominous red hair. It wore a fiendish smile as if it were going to bite the head off anyone it met. Its mere presence emanated intense bloodlust and animosity.

“Yooo, Majima. I came to pay you back.”

The knight of the Holy Order, Battle Ogre Edgar Guivarch, stood before us.