Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 13 - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Ever-Changing Days

After waking up early in the morning and finishing her usual training, Kei returned to her room. She stripped off her training gear, now slightly heavier with sweat, soaked a cloth in a bucket of water she’d prepared beforehand, and wiped off the dirt and sweat from her skin. After quickly bathing, she changed into her everyday clothes and left her room.

Kei’s life in Aker’s capital was half as Majima Takahiro’s attendant and half as the representative of the former village of Kehdo. Kehdo and its neighbor Rapha had been destroyed by the Maclaurin Provincial Army. In the Woodlands, abandoned villages were quickly engulfed by trees, so it was extremely difficult to restore them.

The survivors of the Holy Order’s attack on Kehdo were few in number, so now that the village was gone, there was no need to split the residents up. It had been decided to gather everyone under Leah’s lead. Still, Kei was the daughter of Kehdo’s chief family, so they couldn’t leave absolutely everything to Leah either. To give some peace of mind to Kehdo’s former residents, Kei followed Leah and her helper Helena around. Recently, the allotment of jobs the kingdom had kindly provided to the elves had finally been completed, so she had a little more free time now.

“Ah.”

Upon leaving her room, Kei accidentally cried out. On the other side of the corridor, she spotted someone she knew.

“Miss Iino...? I wonder what she’s doing,” Kei murmured to herself.

Iino Yuna appeared to be walking unsteadily. She acted as if she was drunk, and if not that, as if she’d lost control of herself after receiving a major shock. But what could have shocked the Skanda to such an extent? Kei found this curious, but either way, she couldn’t leave her like that. However, just when she’d decided to talk to Iino, someone else spoke first.

“Hey, Iino Yuna.”

Kei hadn’t noticed her until she spoke. Berta was lying down in the garden facing the corridor.

Hearing her name, Iino Yuna came back to her senses.

“Oh, Berta. Long time no see.”

Iino returned Berta’s greeting with unexpectedly good humor. Thinking this was a strange pairing, Kei suddenly stopped and eavesdropped on their conversation. Berta’s master, the Lord of Darkness Kudou Riku, was openly antagonistic toward the exploration team. Normally, his servants wouldn’t be able to hold a conversation with Iino Yuna. It was different for these two, though. After all, they’d cooperated with each other to get Lily back from Takaya Jun. They apparently saw each other as acquaintances, so even Berta was able to speak with Iino without any apprehensions.

“What’s with you?” Berta asked. “It’s dangerous to stagger around like that. Did something happen?”

“N-Nope, nothing. I was just taking a walk...” Iino answered, looking horribly shaken.

It sounded like she was trying to brush it off, but Kei could only hear it as a poor excuse made up on the spot. The same went for Berta, who had a dubious look in her eyes. After letting her gaze wander for a while, Iino tried to stop any follow-up questions.

“It’s really nothing. It’s just... Oh yeah, did you know, Berta?”

“Know what?”

“That Majima is, um, in a relationship with Rose and the others.”

“Aah, of course I do... Did hearing about it agitate you?”

“Huh? N-No. Wh-Why would it? I don’t get why you would say that,” Iino replied rapidly. “Well, if he were irresponsibly laying his hands on girls like a big flirt, then I’d have something to say as a fellow visitor. At this point, though, I know he’s not that kind of person. There’s no reason for it to bother me, so I don’t think anything of it. Nothing at all.”

No matter how Kei looked at it, Iino was clearly thinking a lot about it. Although, it seemed the person in question wasn’t conscious of this.

Berta looked at Iino somewhat pitifully, but before she could say anything, Iino spoke again to change the topic.

“Forget that. What’re you up to, Berta?”

“Nothing really. I have nothing to do, so I’m just babysitting.”

Curled up against Berta’s belly, Ayame let out a long “Kuuu.” She lazily opened an eye and looked at Iino Yuna, but seeing that nothing was going on, she closed her eye and went back to sleep. Once in a while, her ears flapped about and her nose twitched. Even to Kei, who had many opportunities to be with Ayame, the little blowfox was so cute that it made her want to glomp her right away.

Perhaps feeling the same urge, Iino Yuna trembled. “I-I wonder whether she’ll let me ruffle her fur...”

“Give it up,” Berta said. “Ayame sees you as no more than ‘that girl who bullied my master.’”

“Will she nom on me?”

“She’s still a monster. Don’t blame me if she bites off your finger.”

As expected, Iino Yuna didn’t want to have her finger bitten off, so she withdrew the hand she’d been slowly reaching out toward Ayame. Seeing Iino’s shoulders droop, Berta stifled a chuckle.

In any case, it looked as though Berta and Ayame were basking in the sun. Kei knew that the two of them often spent time like this. Lying down on a bed of grass with some good exposure to the sun did look comfortable.

Unexpectedly, in contrast to her large body and bizarre features, this suited Berta. It was enough for Kei to secretly wonder whether this kind of peaceful lifestyle suited Berta more than fighting did. Despite knowing that Berta was a subordinate of the Lord of Darkness, Kei still felt that way.

After watching them to that point, Kei got back on track. If she stayed here too long, she would be late for work, so she decided it would be fine to leave Iino Yuna to Berta.

“Miss Iino, hmm...?” Kei murmured to herself as she walked.

Iino Yuna had brought news from the Holy Church just one day prior. To Majima Takahiro and Aker, this was a trigger that would allow them to break the current deadlock. Certainly they needed to proceed carefully, but this opportunity was one worthy of serious consideration. That was how Kei saw it. Therefore, she understood that Iino Yuna’s visit was a good thing.

However, when she thought of this, Kei pursed her lips tight. She didn’t think poorly of Iino Yuna or anything, but Kei had come to an understanding. Things were moving and were sure to change. In other words, these days would soon come to an end.

◆ ◆ ◆

Today, Leah was making the rounds to all the workplaces the elves of Kehdo and Rapha had been assigned to. Since the kingdom had kindly offered jobs, about half of the elves had found work with the army, but a good number of them had also been offered jobs by civilians. For example, the tavern and inn she was visiting now was one such place.

After greeting them, she checked on the work environment. Fortunately, they were being treated very well. The former residents of Rapha all had bright expressions.

Leah went around to several locations, then returned to the palace around nighttime. It had taken longer than planned, but that was to be expected. Everywhere she went, everyone was always so curious about the tales of Aker’s savior, Majima Takahiro, and his servants. This had detained her several times. It was bad enough that she’d started adding time for it into her schedule.

The one who always ended up dealing with this the most was Kei. The people had already heard the stories from the reclamation villages’ elves, but Kei had traveled with Majima Takahiro all the way to Aker from Fort Tilia. She’d watched him for quite a while. Seeing that his other companions couldn’t carelessly step out into town, it was only natural for everyone to want to speak with Kei.

“Anyway, you sure have been doing well, Kei,” Helena said. She’d been doing the rounds with Leah too. “You don’t refuse anyone and you keep them all company. You talk so smoothly too. It’s pretty impressive.”

Helena wasn’t being sarcastic. She genuinely admired Kei. That said, as the one responsible for tying them up everywhere they went, Kei felt a little guilty.

“Sorry for taking up so much time...” she said.

“It’s fine, Kei. We don’t mind,” Leah said, shrugging. “Everyone has it pretty hard working in unfamiliar environments. Having you talk so agreeably about Mister Takahiro helps them in a way. Besides, it’s also for Mister Takahiro’s sake. In that case, how can I possibly complain?”

“Yes. Thank you very much.”

To solidify his foundation in Aker, they had to get the people to accept Majima Takahiro and his servants. To that end, the more chances they had to spread the truth about him, the better. It was slow and steady work, but when she thought of how this would help him, Kei didn’t mind, no matter how many times she had to talk about it.

“Anyway, you sure have gotten better at telling the stories,” Leah said. “Maybe you have the knack to break into the storytelling business.”

“Ah ha ha...”

Kei smiled bitterly at Leah’s joke. In truth, she had already received offers to do exactly that. It was far too hard for her as an amateur to speak in front of large crowds, so she’d declined them. Even if Kei didn’t accept those offers, the stories would eventually reach professionals through those she’d spoken to directly. If they held performances based on her stories, then they’d naturally spread to a wider audience over time.

These stories included standing with the Alliance Knights at Fort Tilia, escorting the survivors of Fort Tilia all the way to Serrata, escaping arrest at the hands of Margrave Maclaurin, and taking the strongest knight in the northern Woodlands on a journey through the perilous Kitrus Mountains. Then came the flight from the Maclaurin Provincial Army while protecting the reclamation villages’ elves, and the eventual counterattack.

How had Majima Takahiro continued his struggle? How much devotion had his servants shown him? How much had they remained unacknowledged so that they could stay hidden?

Now it was different. Even if it was limited only to Aker’s borders, they were slowly getting the acknowledgment they deserved. Being able to experience this pleased Kei greatly. When she thought of it like that, talking herself hoarse was nothing. She could easily do even more.

“Kei, you’re back?”

“Ah, Lobivia.”

As she approached the building Majima Takahiro was staying in, a voice called to her from the side. Lobivia had been waiting. She seemed restless.

“Sorry. Please excuse me for the day,” Kei said to Leah and Helena. She then parted ways with the two and went over to Lobivia. “Can you wait a bit longer? I’ll go get ready.”

◆ ◆ ◆

Kei was a squire of the Alliance Knights. She devoted herself to her studies whenever possible so that she could one day become a knight. She’d still had a long way to go back at Fort Tilia, but lately, her sword skills had improved to the point where the level of a knight was just about in reach. She could use magic too. To add to that, she knew other martial arts as well.

Knights were expected to be masters of every type of weapon. That was because, depending on the many varied monsters they had to defeat, the most effective weapon differed. Fundamentally, they focused on swords and spears while acquiring other techniques as necessary. In extreme cases, they even went as far as learning to fight hand to hand with a dagger in case they lost their primary weapon. That was what Lobivia was trying to learn now.

“There, that’s my win.”

Lobivia froze. Kei’s fist had come to a stop right in front of her chin. The match was decided.

“One more time...”

“Mm, sure thing.”

They had started practicing immediately after arriving at Aker’s royal palace. Lobivia had asked Kei to teach her hand-to-hand fighting techniques. It was a pretty good idea too. So long as she lived in human society, Lobivia had to maintain her human form. She had a sturdy carapace and an enormous body as a dragon, but it took a moment to transform, making it difficult to deal with sudden attacks. Learning fighting techniques would equip her with the means to deal with such situations.

Also, to grow as a monster, it was necessary to acquire large amounts of mana. The only means to do so was to eat a tremendous amount of monster meat. With a near-limitless capacity for consumption like Lily had, one could get strong in a short amount of time, but everyone else had to get stronger little by little by continuously hunting like Berta did. That took a fair amount of time, and living in the palace like this, going out to hunt was a difficult prospect in and of itself. On the other hand, one could learn human techniques regardless of their location.

Lobivia, however, was a complete amateur when it came to using weapons. It would take a long time for her to acquire the necessary skills. In contrast, she used her limbs as weapons even in dragon form, so she had some affinity for hand-to-hand fighting already.

“L-Lost again...”

“Well, I’ve been training all this time. It’d be quite the shock if you overtook me right away.”

“Can we go one more time?”

“Sure.”

Every few days, Shiran, who was a master even in hand-to-hand arts, would drop by to provide guidance. She was in great demand with the Order of National Defense and the Royal Army, though, so Kei and Lobivia mostly trained together without outside assistance.

During training, Lobivia purposefully cut off her mana supply, preventing it from boosting her physique. Her base athleticism was impressive on its own, but with Kei using mana to amplify hers, it put them on equal ground. Kei had better technique, so she had the better winning record, but Lobivia towered above her in combat instinct, what with being a dragon, so Kei couldn’t afford to lower her guard. It was very good training for both of them.

“It’s going to get dark soon. Let’s call it here,” Kei said.

“Mm. Thanks.”

The sun was setting by the time their training came to an end. In terms of stamina, Lobivia was overwhelmingly superior, so even though Kei won the majority of the bouts, she was far more exhausted than Lobivia.

Out of energy, Kei sprawled on the ground, her limbs stretched wide, and Lobivia helpfully brought a wet cloth and a bottle of water for her. This was their normal routine. Kei accepted them with a word of thanks, and Lobivia took a seat next to her, sitting cross-legged.

Kei peeked to the side, looking up at Lobivia pouting as she apparently went over today’s training in her head. Lobivia had kept Kei company during her training many times before coming to the palace, but she’d never asked for guidance to learn techniques like this. Judging by the timing, it was clear that her mother’s death and the destruction of her home was the cause for the sudden change, but Kei didn’t know how exactly these events had influenced her. Once in a while, her friend looked extremely unstable. Nevertheless, Lobivia chose to keep moving forward rather than curl up in a ball. Kei got courage from this too.

“Hey, Lobivia, can you keep me company for something tonight?”

“I don’t mind. What for?”

“I’m thinking of taking on the trial to make a contract with a spirit.”

Lobivia’s slanted eyes opened wide and her tail went taut.

“Why?” she asked.

Lobivia wasn’t a great talker, so Kei wasn’t sure whether she was asking, “Why are you deciding to make a contract now?” or, “Why are you telling me about it?” so she decided to answer both questions just in case.

“So long as his conditions are accepted, Takahiro will head to the Empire to hold these talks with the margrave, right? I want to go along with him. I want to be of use to him, but the Fairy Ring can only take a limited number of people with her. Aker will send people for the negotiations as well, so I don’t think they’ll have the space to bring someone along just to do chores.”

“Takahiro wouldn’t put it like that.”

“Mm. But I think he’ll tell me to wait for him here. If I want to be one of the precious few to go along, then I’ll need to be of proper use.”

Things had changed greatly because of Iino Yuna’s visit. It was a change for the better, but it was a fact that Kei would be left behind if she didn’t keep up with that change. She didn’t want that, so she had no choice but to give chase.

“That’s why you wanna make a contract with a spirit?” Lobivia asked.

“Yes. A spirit’s detection ability is useful. There aren’t many spiritualists in Evernasia, so Aker can’t send them out freely. With a spirit, I won’t be a burden as one of the members going to the Empire.”

The few spiritualists in Aker were very important, so it would be difficult to send any of them along for the trip. Shiran was also a spiritualist, but having multiple would allow the group to deal with situations where one person wasn’t enough. What’s more, Kei’s combat abilities had improved.

“However, making a contract with a spirit is dangerous. It requires a diligent soul and the purest of prayers. There are times when failing is fatal too.”

“I-It’s that dangerous? In that case, ain’t it better to have Shiran or the like with you?”

“Nope. It’s the opposite. I’m sure I’ll fail that way.”

It was true that having someone by her side would help Kei relax. It would keep her anxieties from becoming idle thoughts and help her concentrate on the contract too. It was still worse that way, though.

“If my sister is with me, deep inside, I’ll end up depending on her, so I think the contract will fail.”

Kei’s instinct as an elf was telling her that depending on someone like that while making a contract would be fatal. At the very least, as she was now, if her guardians, Shiran or Majima Takahiro, were nearby, she wouldn’t be able to succeed. It would be different in a few years when she became independent, but that would be too late.

“That’s why I want you to watch, Lobivia.”

If Kei hadn’t become such close friends with Lobivia, she was sure she’d have given up quietly and stayed behind in Aker doing whatever she was currently capable of. That wouldn’t be all that bad, but if possible, she didn’t want to give up. She wanted to keep going forward, just like the friend before her eyes did. Lobivia had relied on Kei for this, and so Kei relied on Lobivia in turn.

“You’re serious, yeah?” Lobivia asked, staring at Kei.

Her sharp eyes turned even sharper, a ferocious air about them. The mana she’d been suppressing during training flared up, and a strong pressure crushed down on Kei. Kei stared back at her kind friend. Her resolve was firm, and she showed no signs of faltering. That was exactly why her determination to take on the trial was adequate. Before long, Lobivia’s lips relaxed into a smile.

On that night, Kei succeeded in establishing a contract with a spirit.

The world had begun moving and wasn’t going to wait for anyone. Some were running at full speed, trying to change the current state of things, and some were moving to get things under control. Others were moving forward so that they could be of use.

And so the next change came upon them. The following day, just as planned, the Fairy Ring arrived in Aker.