Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 14 - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Mastermind

Letting out a shriek in its death throes, a monster made of mist started dispersing into nothing. The monster had been defeated by a single combat knife, but the knife itself was floating in the air. This was Kaneki Mikihiko’s inherent ability, Aerial Knight, which allowed him to wield weapons without even touching them. The mist monster was poisonous, but unable to display its true value against an opponent who fought at long range, it vanished in vain.

Having disposed of the obstruction, Kaneki Mikihiko started moving once more. He still had the unconscious Katou Mana over his shoulder. Around him were Ottmar’s subordinates, who’d linked up with him immediately after the surprise attack. They continued moving without any idle chatter. They didn’t hesitate whatsoever, moving steadily toward a clear destination. They then encountered another monster.

“A dragon this time?”

“Grrr...”

A small dragon spread its wings and growled menacingly. Kaneki Mikihiko readied himself carefully, but before the battle could start, a shrill scream echoed down the corridor.

“You’re in the way. Die.”

A knight’s sword pierced through its eyeball from behind. With its brain destroyed, the dragon collapsed. Looking down at Mikihiko’s group from behind it was a violent-looking man wearing the armor of a knight of the Holy Order.

“Yo. Looks like you’re back.”

“Aah, well, well... If it isn’t Sir Edgar.”

The Battle Ogre Edgar Guivarch of the Holy Order’s Fourth Company jumped over the dragon’s corpse. He’d suffered horrible wounds launching a surprise attack on Majima Takahiro back in a reclamation village in Aker, but he had already recovered to the point where none of his movements were strained. Kaneki Mikihiko immediately relaxed his posture and flashed a joking smile.

“Thank you. You saved us.”

He abased himself with an easy-to-understand expression of servility. Edgar looked at the boy with boredom as the knights behind him stepped forth. At their head was a man with level eyes, Ottmar.

“Oh? Even you, Sir Ottmar? Weren’t you chasing Lily and Gerbera?” Mikihiko asked.

“I left the rest to them,” Ottmar answered.

“Aah. That’s why.”

Just as he implied, the masked man wielding the ominous sword and about half the knights who’d been chasing Lily and Gerbera weren’t here with him.

“The servants of our target, Majima Takahiro, are still on the run, but our ally is more than enough to handle them,” Ottmar said. “Judging it would be meaningless to take part in the chase, I returned.”

His reasoning was clear and logical. There was no room to question his efficient actions. That was precisely why Majima Takahiro’s group would’ve sensed something out of place had they witnessed this scene.

They were under the impression that Ottmar was the mastermind behind this incident because of his grudge. However, his actions showed nearly no fixation on Majima Takahiro whatsoever. It was possible it simply didn’t show in his attitude or expression, but his actions didn’t bear the hallmarks of one seeking vengeance.

What did it mean, then? Had they been able to question that, they might’ve noticed something else out of place here. It had to do with Kaneki Mikihiko’s presence.

The enemy making an attempt on Majima Takahiro’s life had won over the Dragon Jinguuji Tomoya as an ally. If that was all, it was possible he’d simply been deceived, his judgment clouded due to the loss of his lover. However, the enemy had also won over Kaneki Mikihiko. He was extremely close to Majima Takahiro. It was completely different from turning Jinguuji Tomoya against him, who barely knew the guy.

The deciding factor here was the word “priorities” Kaneki Mikihiko had mentioned earlier. It didn’t need to be said who was at the very top of his priority list, nor did her current whereabouts or situation need to be mentioned.

As such, one premise here completely fell apart.

“Report. I’ll relay everything to him.”

Ottmar spoke the definitive words; words that the mastermind behind the incident would never speak.

◆ ◆ ◆

“This place is a world created using magic...?” Shiran asked, unable to hide her bewilderment. The truth behind this maze had also been revealed to her. “What do you mean by that?”

The one to tell her was Gordon. For an instant, he averted his eyes as if unable to withstand the anguish. However, his sincerity didn’t allow him to keep quiet about it.

“There’s a magic tool capable of it,” he said. “Not that I’ve seen it for myself... At the very least, I know nothing about any structure of this kind with such a mysterious purpose. The same goes for my subordinates. Even as we moved through it, nothing about this abnormally vast space has been made clear to us. That’s when I came to a realization.”

“That this space is another world?”

“Yes. These enormous corridors do not exist in reality. That’s why this is another world.”

“A magic tool...”

Shiran groaned at the unbelievable information, but was also reminded of something. One of her companions, the Misty Lodge Salvia, was in fact capable of creating another world, though only for a few days. If this was the same thing—turning a blind eye to the scale and abnormality of it—it was possible for her to accept such a fantastical explanation. Still, questions remained.

“In that case, what about the monsters in here?” she asked. “Were they brought in from the outside?” In truth, such a suggestion didn’t make much sense either. “There are a significant number of them. Bringing them in would be far too much work and would be far too dangerous...”

“Yes. That would be wrong,” Gordon agreed. He then added something that was hard to believe even for someone who knew about the Misty Lodge. “Those were also created using the same magic tool.”

“Creating...monsters?”

Shiran’s eye shot open in astonishment. Much like how this world had been made using a magic tool, so too had the monsters who lived here.

“The monsters were likely created right before we were teleported here.”

It was hard to accept, but Gordon’s expression was deadly serious. Also, upon hearing this story, a sudden thought came to mind.

“Don’t tell me... Is that why we haven’t found any monster corpses aside from the ones we’ve defeated?”

The point of uncertainty Katou Mana had also questioned elsewhere was something Shiran had realized very quickly, having spent most of her life devoted to suppressing monsters. If the monsters had only just been born, then it made sense that there were no signs of them living here. Much like how Salvia’s world of mist realized its targets’ wishes by casting a glamor on their cognition, this place had the power to create monsters.

“Such a thing is far too...”

The reality she’d been informed of was hard to swallow, but Shiran forced her thoughts to remain in motion. She had a reason she needed to, after all.

“Sir Gordon, please allow me a question. Why have you been keeping quiet about this?”

Gordon hadn’t spoken of what he’d realized until Shiran had asked him about it. That meant he’d had a reason not to.

“Why are you making such a pained expression, even now?” Shiran added.

Gordon clearly felt burdened by his realization. There had to be a reason for his distress.

“There’s something you still haven’t told us, isn’t there?” Shiran kept going. “Yes, for example... Why are all the monsters in here the same species as Takahiro’s servants?”

Slimes, puppets, arachnes, man-eating plants, spirit foxes, zombies, poison fog, and dragons. All of the monsters she’d encountered here reminded her of someone else. She’d only come across a few of these, but even so, she had a vague hunch about it. Now that it’d come to this, she couldn’t help but think there had to be some meaning behind it.

“Sir Gordon.”

After calling his name once more, Gordon closed his eyes in resignation. Or perhaps it was a gesture to accept the difficult truth for himself. His lips, which had been pulled tight into a perfectly straight line this whole time, finally parted.

“The magic tool capable of building this world can also create monsters, but they are largely reflections of what the people of the imperial capital fear.”

“The capital...?”

Shiran scowled at the odd condition. Gordon didn’t have a reason to lie, though. He wasn’t the type to either. What’s more, this condition somehow felt similar to the nature of the Misty Lodge. That world of mist realized the wishes of those who wandered within. In contrast, this place reflected the populace’s fears. Just maybe, all fabricated worlds shared such a nature. Also, if this was true, Shiran understood why the monsters here were all species she was familiar with.

“Under different circumstances, maybe monsters similar to the Lord of Darkness’s servants would’ve been created instead,” Gordon said. “However, Mister Majima is currently visiting the capital. Even though they know he’s here for peace talks, the majority of the populace is uneasy.”

“And that’s being reflected here?” Shiran asked.

“Yes. That said, none have actually seen his servants, so that’s likely why the monsters’ appearances and abilities only bear a passing resemblance.”

Gordon’s explanation summed up the situation pretty well. Though it made sense to Shiran, she nevertheless felt a chill run up her spine. Gordon really did know what this place was. He even knew of its strange properties. Having gotten this far, she was pretty much convinced she knew why he’d hesitated to open up about it.

She now knew. She felt dizzy and staggered backward. In truth, when Gordon first mentioned this being another world, she’d harbored a vague suspicion. Until that point, she’d considered Ottmar, his fellow former knights, and Travis and his subordinates as the enemies. She’d also considered their ally, the Almighty Vessel Okazaki Takuma, the biggest threat.

However, in that case, this place was far too special. The construction of another world that even surpassed the Misty Lodge in scale—a magic tool capable of creating such a nonsensical miracle couldn’t possibly be in the hands of a measly former knight. Shiran had an idea as to what magic tool had been used, as well as its current whereabouts. As if to confirm her conjecture, Gordon spoke in a heavy tone.

“The magic tool to create another world has been passed down since antiquity under strict concealment. Only a select few even know about it. Its name is—”

His next words came out as if he’d swallowed lead.

“The Dimensional Cornerstone. A magic tool managed by the Holy Church.”

◆ ◆ ◆

The Dimensional Cornerstone. This was the name of the magic tool that’d been used to maintain the Mist Barrier to keep Draconia hidden. Normally, the world of the Misty Lodge could only be maintained for a limited time. This magic tool could stabilize it and keep it going indefinitely. Salvia had once spoken of the history behind it.

“The Dimensional Cornerstone, you mean. I got it from an old friend long, long ago. The Holy Church was in charge of it before. There are apparently several of them in the imperial capital. You want to know why I lent it to her, right?”

Two Dimensional Cornerstones had come into Salvia’s possession. One of them had been used to maintain the Mist Barrier. The other was being carried by the acting explorer, Thaddeus. Naturally, the ones she hadn’t been given were still stored by the Holy Church. One of those had been used in this incident.

After coming in contact with Kaneki Mikihiko, Ottmar dropped by the center of this fabricated world. It was a large room with an altar. Inside, two groups stood at the ready.

One was made up of around thirty people. They were all wearing knight’s armor, and none showed any vulnerabilities, a testament to their skill. However, at the same time, none gave off the air of confidence or conceit that was natural to many of the famous elites of this world. All of the men had level eyes and looked completely devoid of ambition. Strangely enough, they shared this in common with Ottmar.

The other group was made up of around twenty people. These bore the armor of the Holy Order. They weren’t former knights like Ottmar. They were the elect of the elite First Company. Though they were but a fraction of the six hundred knights that made up the company, they were genuine knights of the Holy Order. As such, there could only be one man leading them.

“You’re back.”

The marshal of the Holy Order, Harrison Addington, the man extolled as a knight among knights, welcomed Ottmar. It should’ve been impossible. It’d been discussed over and over how disadvantageous it’d be for the Holy Church to antagonize Majima Takahiro. He wasn’t the type to be ignorant of that. What’s more, he was devoted to his duties. He also wasn’t the sort to act out of selfish desires.

It was impossible for him to become Majima Takahiro’s enemy. That was supposed to be the case, yet the truth was undeniable. No matter how hard it was to accept, it simply was.

He was the one who’d instigated the exploration team’s Almighty Vessel Okazaki Takuma. He’d created a lethal trap and had plotted this forced teleportation. Once that failed, he’d ordered Ottmar to give chase. He’d unleashed the knight-turned-horror, Travis, and had secured the Dragon’s cooperation. He’d also ordered Kaneki Mikihiko to launch that surprise attack.

Absolutely everything had been orchestrated by the people in this room. However, despite having had a hand in all of these acts, the impression Harrison gave off hadn’t changed in the least. He was the very image of a knight. With no conceit, no haughtiness, he kept his eyes on his duty and remained calm at all times. Perhaps this unshakable aspect was the most dreadful thing about him.

“Report.”

“Yes sir.”

Ottmar saluted, then started conveying Kaneki Mikihiko’s report to his master.