Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 12 - Chapter SS

Extra Story: Majima Takahiro’s Envoy ~Kei’s POV~

The day after Takahiro’s return, after we finally shook off the Maclaurin Provincial Army, we set up camp inside the Woodlands covering western Aker. I’d fallen asleep because I’d spent multiple consecutive days using too much healing magic, and when I woke up, Lobivia spoke to me right away.

“Huh...? Takahiro did?” I responded.

“Mm.”

He apparently wanted to talk with me about something and was waiting. Having overslept, I looked up in a daze, where I saw a red sky overhead.

“How long have I been sleeping...?” I asked.

“About an entire day.”

“Is that so...? W-Wait, an entire day?!”

That woke me up in an instant. That was bad. Even if I was exhausted, a whole day was far too long to sleep.

“A-Awawawawa! And I’ve been keeping Takahiro waiting?!”

He’ll think I’m lazy! I couldn’t let that happen. It wasn’t praiseworthy behavior as it was, but it was even worse if it made Takahiro think of me that way. It was too embarrassing. I got up in a panic, filled a bucket with water using magic, and washed my face in a hurry.

“You could’ve just woken me up,” I said.

“Takahiro said you’re probably tired.”

“That’s true, but... Aah! I’ve got bed hair!”

“Bed hair?” Lobivia sat cross-legged, looking up at me and yawning. “It don’t look any different.”

“It does! You’re so mean!”

“O-Oh. Sorry ’bout that.”

Lobivia looked bewildered. She just didn’t get it. I’d thought this for a while now, but Lobivia didn’t have enough awareness as a girl. She lacked tact too.

“It’s totally different,” I said, puffing my cheeks in discontent. “Besides, I’ll be in front of Takahiro.”

“Does that make a difference?”

“It totally does...”

I couldn’t keep him waiting, though. I wet my hair and smoothed it down so I looked a little presentable, then headed out to go see Takahiro.

◆ ◆ ◆

“An envoy?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Takahiro said with a nod, seated on the bedding inside the manamobile. “For the time being, we’ve gotten away from the Maclaurin Provincial Army. So long as we hide in the Woodlands like this, they won’t find us so easily. That’s why, using this opportunity, I’d like to get in touch with Aker’s royalty. At the very least, I want to ask them to take the reclamation villages’ elves under their protection.”

“The villagers... But what about you, Takahiro?”

“Well, if possible, I’d like to establish a friendly connection, but that depends on them. Aker must have opinions of their own on the matter, so it’s better not to aim too high.”

This envoy was, at most, for the sake of all the villagers.

“However,” Takahiro continued, “if we take the elves with us in a large group and move around, the provincial army might catch us again. It would be best to do this with just a few people...but if I go, everyone else is saying they’ll come along.”

“Obviously. Think of the situation,” Lily said, holding his arm from the side. “I mean, you need to rest for a while, Master.”

She pouted. Since it was only us in the vehicle, her lower half was that of a slime, and a tentacle stretched out toward Takahiro. It looked as if she was restraining him, which was probably just a joke, but it was true that Takahiro was in the middle of a medical checkup after acting so recklessly.

“I’m feeling healthy enough, though,” Takahiro insisted.

“Master?” Lily said, her voice a little scary.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it.” He smiled helplessly, then turned to me once more. “Anyway, that’s the gist of it. I can’t go, so I’d like you to go as my envoy...well, messenger, I guess. I plan on asking a few others too.”

“Oh, so it’s not just me,” I said, sighing in relief.

Come to think of it, a little girl like me couldn’t possibly serve as an envoy, and it was way too dangerous to travel through the Woodlands to the nearest town on my own. My role was likely no more than tagging along and handling any odd jobs. That was part of being an envoy too. It actually made sense to me now.

“Can you do this for me?” Takahiro asked.

“Of course.” I obviously wasn’t going to refuse. It was for the villagers’ sake, and it was also Takahiro’s personal request. “I’ll do my best.”

I clenched my fists in excitement.

◆ ◆ ◆

“I thought I was gonna die...”

It had all happened so suddenly. The day after Takahiro asked me to be his envoy, I’d left early in the morning, and it wasn’t even noon yet. Unable to keep my shaky body up, I fell to my knees and planted my hands on the ground. All the blood had drained from my face. I didn’t even feel alive.

“You’re laying it on thick,” Lobivia said, looking exasperated.

Her big sister Ella was next to her, readjusting her clothing with a smile.

“It seems flying through the skies is harsh on those who are unaccustomed to it,” she said.

“That so?” Lobivia asked curiously.

I agreed with Ella on this one, and I wasn’t the only one who was worn out. Right next to me, Leah and Helena were sitting on the ground, each with a hand to their heaving chests. Adolf hadn’t collapsed, but his masculine face was pale and convulsing.

These six, including me, were the envoys to Aker, although over half of us were now out of commission. If this was all someone were to witness, they’d think we’d gotten involved in some kind of trouble, but that wasn’t the case. We had simply ridden on Ella’s back as she flew until we were somewhat close to our destination.

“Still, it feels so good to fly,” Lobivia said, cocking her head. She was the only one who was perfectly fine after the ride.

Her backpack started shaking noisily. The torn wings hidden inside still hadn’t healed, so she was no doubt happy to fly through the skies for the first time in a while by riding on Ella’s back. I understood this, but I couldn’t sympathize with her.

“Anyway, let’s rest for a bit,” I said tearfully.

We’d landed away from any prying eyes so that Ella’s dragon form wouldn’t accidentally cause an uproar. We still had to walk for about three days to reach our destination, but forcing ourselves until we couldn’t walk anymore would be putting the cart before the horse. We rested until we regained some strength in our legs, then began our journey. Our destination was Diospyro, the town where we would carry out our discussions.

◆ ◆ ◆

Adolf, Leah, Helena, Ella, and Lobivia. Including me, that made six people whom Takahiro sent to Diospyro as envoys, and he had a reason for entrusting each of us with this role.

“Adolf! Hey, it’s Adolf! You’re alive!”

“Yeah. I somehow managed thanks to Mister Takahiro.”

Adolf served as an instructor at the army garrison in Diospyro. Through his introduction, we were able to contact the army. One other unexpected blessing came from our visit too.

“What? Prince Philip is here as well?” Adolf asked.

“Yeah. He got here just this morning. He took a fast horse to come back.”

Aker’s second prince, Philip Kendall, had been taken prisoner by the Maclaurin Provincial Army, but he had now returned to Diospyro. Takahiro had previously made an agreement with Prince Philip to build cooperative ties between them, so in a sense, he was the best member of the Akerian royal family to carry out our talks with.

“I’m glad you made it here,” Prince Philip said.

In fact, we were granted an audience with the prince right away. The moment he received news of our arrival, he’d made a request to meet us himself.

“I hear you’ve taken on the role of Takahiro’s envoys. Well done in getting here. I’m told this is about the elves from the reclamation villages?”

“Exactly, Your Highness. I’ve come here as Rapha’s representative,” Leah answered. “This should be my husband’s job, but the injuries he suffered while resisting the Maclaurin Provincial Army still haven’t healed, so I have come in his stead. Also, this is my granddaughter, and she’ll be participating as my guard and assistant.”

“I’m Helena.”

Helena lowered her head stiffly as the conversation turned toward her. Philip gave her a composed nod, then shifted his focus.

“And that’s...”

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Highness. I am Ella of Draconia.”

Ella bowed. She maintained a gentle smile yet showed no signs of timidity when faced with royalty. As the oldest daughter of her great mother, she respected the status of the prince, but she didn’t feel obliged to him.

“I have come along on this occasion as an escort,” Ella said.

“Draconia? Forgive me, I haven’t heard of it before. Are you from abroad?”

“It’s definitely not a part of this country. You may not be aware of it, but for some time, we’ve been living in hiding in the Dark Woods on the northern Akerian border. I am one among the dragon clan that lived there. Right now, I serve as its temporary elder.”

“Meaning, when the provincial army was attacked...”

“Aah, you were there as a prisoner of this so-called Maclaurin Provincial Army, weren’t you? Yes, at that last stage, we lent Lord Takahiro a little aid.”

“Oooh! So it really was you! I’m so glad to meet you.” Philip grinned broadly and took Ella’s hand. “Thank you. Because of your intervention, I was able to escape from the provincial army’s grasp.”

His attitude toward Ella was very favorable. As royalty, he could of course mask his inner thoughts, but these appeared to be his genuine feelings. I had been a little anxious about his reaction because Ella was a dragon, but Prince Philip had already spoken with all of Takahiro’s servants. There’d been no need for me to worry.

Our talks also progressed smoothly, so that was a relief. At the same time, I was a little disappointed in myself for being unable to do anything but odd jobs.

Incidentally, although Lobivia looked as though she weren’t doing anything, she was a proper escort during our journey. What’s more, she was here as a representative of Takahiro’s servants. Of the other servants who could enter town, Lily had to focus on treating the many injured, Rose had taken significant damage and was in the middle of repairing herself, and Shiran couldn’t spend too much time away from Takahiro. Lobivia was the only one capable of doing this job.

In contrast, I couldn’t really do anything. At most, I could prepare meals during our journey, but Leah and Ella were naturally much better at cooking than me. I’d helped, but it felt more like I was taking lessons the whole time.

There was no point in feeling down, though. Takahiro had asked me to do this, so I just had to do what I could, even if that was no more than simple chores. For that reason, I renewed my determination.

◆ ◆ ◆

Or so I’d thought, but how had it come to this?

“Now then, let’s get to it.”

I was sitting at a table facing Prince Philip. With him were the main authorities of Diospyro’s army. Lobivia was with me at the center, and the others were all to either side of us. However, this seating order was odd.

“Huh? Huh? Why?”

“What’s there to be confused about?” Prince Philip asked, finding our seating arrangement perfectly natural.

“I-I mean, I’m just an attendant, and no more than a squire...”

“Yes, that’s right. You’re one of the splendid candidates for the Alliance Knights who fight at humanity’s front line in Fort Tilia. You are also now a part of Takahiro’s group, so it is only fitting for you to be sitting there.”

There was an air of remonstration in his tone. Regardless, I still didn’t get it. I gave him a troubled look, and after he sank into thought for a bit, Prince Philip nodded.

“Hmm. Let’s make it perfectly clear right now so that it reaches Takahiro’s ears too. Just the other day, Takahiro became even more important to this country than when I first met him.”

“Huh?”

“We have no choice but to protest the Maclaurin Provincial Army’s actions from this point onward. We cannot protect our citizens unless we do. We also must clear Takahiro’s name, or he will once more be targeted as the ‘fake savior’ in the name of justice. In other words, we must denounce the margrave’s actions regarding this ‘fake savior subjugation’ to accomplish both these goals. Do you understand up to this point?”

Prince Philip explained things to me at length as if waiting for me to come to grips with the situation. I nodded back to him, and he continued.

“Very good. Therefore, I believe we can wipe away the dishonor done to Takahiro’s name by spreading news of his achievements in protecting the elves. On top of that, by building close ties between Aker and Takahiro, we can even oppose the highly influential margrave.”

“So, basically, is this what you’re getting at?” I said after sorting things out in my head. “You are already focusing on the future. You believe Takahiro will play a big role, and you consider me as part of his group?”

I felt a chill run up my spine. If this meeting had such implications, then as an individual, I couldn’t afford to just be an errand girl. Now that I thought of it, everyone we brought along was pretty dense when it came to military matters. That went for Leah and Helena, who were from a small village, as well as Ella and Lobivia, who were dragons. Adolf was different, but he was one of Prince Philip’s people to begin with.

That, of course, didn’t change the fact that I was basically no more than a messenger, but there was a big difference between passing a message through someone who truly understood and doing so through someone who didn’t. That was my job.

“I understand, Your Highness.”

Philip’s eyes widened a little in surprise. I didn’t quite understand the reason for his reaction, but it seemed that he didn’t have a bad impression of me, and his slight sigh afterward sounded friendly.

Not that I had the brain capacity to think about this any more than I already had. Right now, I had to fulfill my duty. I took a deep breath.

“Then let us get right to it,” I said. “I have a letter for you from Takahiro.”

◆ ◆ ◆

“I’m beat...”

After going back to the room that’d been prepared for us, I plopped down on my bed. I was completely exhausted. I still had plenty of stamina, but being so tense for so long had worn me out.

“Good work out there,” Leah said with a giggle.

“Thank you... You too, Leah.”

As we talked, Leah and Helena went to the bed farther inside. Ella took a seat on a chair. Adolf wasn’t with us; he had his own house in Diospyro, so he’d gone back there. As for Lobivia, she’d taken a seat next to me on the bed.

Her wavy tail plopped down right in front of me. The way it seemed so inviting was probably because people craved some body warmth when they were dead tired. I reached out in a daze and touched her tail, and Lobivia started. She turned to me with a frown.

“Hey...”

“Heh heh...”

I chuckled, and she gave me a sour look, but she didn’t complain, likely because she was being considerate of my exhaustion. I was grateful. Her scaly tail was warm and felt so nice. That was when I noticed Helena’s gaze. She looked like she wanted to say something.

“What is it?” I asked.

“You’re surprisingly amazing,” she said.

“Hwuh?”

For some reason, she suddenly praised me. I stared back at her in wonder.

“How so?” I asked.

“You spoke with Prince Philip so boldly.”

“Aah, that... Did I?”

“‘Did I?’ she says. Seriously...” Helena looked a little astonished.

I cocked my head. “I was so desperate that I don’t really have a sense of doing it. It’s a good thing we got the results we wanted, though.”

I recalled today’s events as we talked. After looking at Takahiro’s letter—written by Shiran—Prince Philip had asked in detail about the villagers’ current situation. Both Leah and Helena were naturally deeply involved themselves, but I’d carefully gone through everything so he could understand.

Also, I had managed to get some specifics out of Prince Philip regarding the ties he wanted to build with Takahiro. Spurred by my sense of duty, I’d proactively asked many questions. As a result, I knew that Prince Philip was serious about building an alliance with Takahiro and that he had many thoughts on his mind. A messenger had already been sent to His Majesty the King, so once we received a reply, we would most likely be going to the capital with everyone else from the reclamation village.

When that happened, the kingdom of Aker would finally become Takahiro’s ally. Or perhaps it could also be said that Takahiro would finally become Aker’s ally. That was what it meant to make an alliance.

As I recalled this, the tail I was still touching shook about as if to get my attention.

“Say, Kei?”

“Hm? What is it, Lobivia?”

“Will this work?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at me.

There was a hint of anxiety in her voice. Lobivia had lost her home only a few days ago. Her mother had passed before they’d gotten the chance to reconcile too. It must have been so sad and hard for her. Takahiro had been worried about this too, so until Lobivia insisted, he’d had no intention of sending her as an envoy.

Instead of secluding herself when she was down, she did everything that she could. She was such a strong girl. Still, that didn’t mean she was emotionless.

“It’s okay,” I said, giving her tail a good patting. “We made a good amount of headway.”

Prince Philip intended to make Takahiro’s achievements while defending the villagers known far and wide. He was going to wash away the slanderous title of fake savior that the Maclaurin Provincial Army had already spread about and give Takahiro the acknowledgment he deserved. However, there was apparently one more facet to this.

Because of the provincial army, it was now known that Takahiro’s companions were monsters, which was a major problem. It was difficult to accept monsters, after all. On the other hand, it would be a different story if they were “the heroes who protected Aker’s citizens when they were about to be massacred by the tyrannical Maclaurin Provincial Army.”

Prince Philip’s plan was to restore Takahiro’s honor and secure a foundation for him in Aker in one fell stroke. Nevertheless, from another perspective, this meant that Takahiro would become “Aker’s savior.”

I could easily picture his troubled expression. Takahiro was a visitor, but not a savior. That was what he believed, at least. He had no aspirations of becoming a hero, and he thought it was impossible for him to be one in the first place. One could say that he’d given up on the idea entirely. And yet he was the type to grit his teeth and endure for the sake of things he refused to give up on. If that resulted in him becoming Aker’s savior, then the threads of fate were strange indeed.

Having said that, I doubted Takahiro would reject Prince Philip’s plan. He wouldn’t hesitate to create a place in this world for his dear servants. That was the kind of person he was. He would certainly smile bitterly about it, though.

That thought put me in a pleasant mood. I wanted to see what kind of face he’d make right away.

“Relax. We’ll have good news to bring back to Takahiro,” I said.

“That so? Good,” Lobivia replied.

I continued stroking Lobivia’s tail as my thoughts drifted to the near future. First, Takahiro had to set up a foundation and establish an alliance with Aker. Then he had to join forces with them to oppose the Maclaurin Provincial Army. It was sure to be quite the ordeal for him, but I was going to do everything I could to help. With those thoughts in mind, my eyelids grew heavier and heavier, until they shut completely.

The companion of Aker’s savior. The next chief of one of Aker’s reclamation villages. Holding these two important titles, how was I going to be of help to Takahiro? That is a story for another time.