Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 14 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A Conversation Before Being Teleported

For those in the know, it might’ve seemed like a strange sight. In one of the rooms being used by Majima Takahiro’s group, an enormous two-headed wolf lay on the ground. On top of one of its heads, a small fox opened its mouth wide and yawned. Next to the wolf, a girl sat on the floor cradling her knees.

The two-headed wolf was Berta. The girl was Iino Yuna.

Berta was a subordinate of the notorious Lord of Darkness, Kudou Riku. The Skanda Iino Yuna possessed the greatest sense of justice among the exploration team’s members, who had been making their names as saviors in this world. By all rights, the moment they came face to face, it would be natural for them to fight to the death. That was how Berta saw it. However, strangely enough, the two shared a space here. Iino Yuna had been the one to come to her.

The meeting between Majima Takahiro and the exploration team had somehow ended safely, despite its somewhat chaotic nature. After that, Iino Yuna had gone back with Majima Takahiro’s group to their room. She hated the idea of irresponsibly ignoring her duty as their guard. However, because someone from the exploration team had attacked Draconia, she felt, as a fellow member, that it was hard to speak with them. As such, she moved to the room that had been allocated to the one and only outsider in the group—Berta.

If not for Majima Takahiro, this situation would be impossible. Or maybe, to those who knew a certain fact, this would seem like the strange hand of fate. That was because Berta’s true form as a scylla, one she kept hidden, was that of a girl sprouting from the body of a wolf. That girl just happened to look exactly like the Beast of Darkness Todoroki Miya, Iino Yuna’s best friend.

Berta had never addressed the reason behind this. She’d had no intention of showing Iino Yuna that form to begin with. Her master had forbidden her from showing it to anyone. She’d only done so before to Majima Takahiro, as an exception due to the emergency they’d found themselves in.

That said, she’d only been forbidden from showing her true form. There’d been no restrictions placed on her in regards to coming into contact with or speaking to this girl who was tied to her by fate.

“It’s nothing for you to be so depressed about, is it?” Berta said. Iino Yuna was still cradling her knees absentmindedly.

“Are you comforting me?” Iino asked, looking like she found this unexpected. She then smiled meekly. When she did, her usually strong-willed features looked surprisingly soft. “Thanks.”

“Not really...” Berta said, turning her snout to the side. “I owe you for teaching me things that one time. I’m simply paying you back.”

“Owe me? For what?”

“That thing about pets or whatnot.”

“Aah, that.”

During the battle against the Mad Beast Takaya Jun, Iino Yuna had described Berta as “a pet who wags its tail even when its owner is abusing it.” At the time, Berta had gotten curious about what a pet was and had asked for clarification. Having so few social connections, it was rare for anyone to teach Berta anything, so she remembered it well. To Iino Yuna, having a conversation with a talking wolf must’ve left quite the impression too.

“How upstanding of you,” Iino said, letting out a friendly chuckle. “When I gave it some thought after that, I figured I was being a little rude, though.”

“How so?” Berta asked, cocking her head.

Iino nodded. “I mean, you’re a wolf, right? You’re not a collared dog.”

“That’s...”

“Oh, I didn’t mean that as an insult or anything. I love dogs,” Iino said, waving her hands about in a fluster before giving Berta a curious look. “But I guess dogs and wolves really are different, so I wondered if it offended you.”

“Not at all. I don’t mind,” Berta replied curtly, then paused to wonder whether her response was lacking somewhat. She didn’t want to come off like she was trying to push the girl aside. “You like dogs?”

Iino nodded again. “Yes. A friend of mine always kept a lot of them at her home, so I naturally ended up liking them. Hee hee. How nostalgic. My favorites were called Mattie and Nordy. I’d known them since they were puppies. There was a Doberman named Ludwig too, but he didn’t really let me get close. Right before coming to this world, she bought another dog called Otto, who was still only this small. I wonder how he’s doing.”

Iino Yuna spoke as if she missed those days. Listening to her, Berta’s mind was caught on something else entirely, though.

“Ludwig and Otto... So the other two are Martha and Nordpol?” she asked.

“Huh?”

“The dogs’ full names. Is that right?”

Iino Yuna looked a little perplexed. This wasn’t because Berta’s remark came off as random.

“Uhh, you mean Mattie and Nordy...? Martha. Nordpol. Now that you mention it, those are their names. How did you know?”

She’d correctly guessed the names of two pets she’d never met. It was mysterious, but it wasn’t all that impressive if one knew the naming convention being used.

“I think it’s called a phonetic code?” Berta said. “It’s some kind of jargon that comes from your world.”

The phonetic code Berta spoke of was a system that used words starting with each letter of the alphabet to make verbal transmission of said letters reliable and unmistakable. In movies that featured fighter jets, it was often possible to see scenes where they referred to each other as Alpha, Bravo, and the like. Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta corresponded to A, B, C, and D respectively. These were of course English names, so even using the same alphabet, different languages, countries, and organizations used different codes.

The pets raised in the Todoroki household—likely named by their owner, Todoroki Miya’s father—were named Ludwig, Martha, Nordpol, and Otto. These corresponded to L, M, N, and O in the German phonetic code. That was why Berta had recognized it immediately.

After all, A, B, C, and D in the same code were Anton, Berta, Caesar, and Dora. Kudou Riku’s servants took their names from this system in order. That was how Berta knew, not that she explained things to such an extent. As such, Iino Yuna didn’t notice the strange correspondence between the names given to Kudou Riku’s servants and Todoroki Miya’s pets.

“Hmm. So that’s what those names meant,” Iino said, simply accepting the fact with a nostalgic smile. “Thanks for teaching me.”

◆ ◆ ◆

Following that, the two of them talked a little. By all rights, they were supposed to be enemies, but they got along well enough. After a while, Iino Yuna stood up.

“I have a meeting with Yui-senpai. I’ll be back later.”

It would mean stepping down from guard duty, but it was just for a short time, and it was close enough that she could run back within a minute. She’d already spoken about it with Majima Takahiro too. Berta went to see her off when Iino suddenly turned around.

“Hey, you’re here as Majima’s servant, right?” she asked.

“Well...something like that,” Berta answered.

Although a subordinate of the notorious Lord of Darkness, Kudou Riku, Berta was publicly treated as Majima Takahiro’s servant during their stay in the capital. Perhaps this status wasn’t entirely a formality, though. With that in mind, Berta recalled what had happened when she last met her king.

“Oh right. Senpai, when you go to the Empire, please take Berta with you. The other visitors might complain, but you can tell them you pitied my abandoned servant and picked it up as your own. It’s not entirely a lie.”

The memory alone threatened to tear her heart in two. She already knew Kudou had hated her. However, he’d finally abandoned her. She still believed she was her king’s pawn. Perhaps even that dim hope was just a nuisance for him now.

It was hard to read a wolf’s innermost thoughts. Berta was depressed, but Iino Yuna didn’t know of her circumstances. That was why she continued without really paying Berta’s reaction any mind.

“I mean, Kudou Riku isn’t suitable to be your master,” she said.

“Huh...?”

Berta was taken aback by her offhand statement. Iino Yuna didn’t notice her surprise either and kept going.

“Majima’s a hateful guy, but he treats his companions dearly. I think this is a suitable place for you. I’m sure you’ll be able to find happiness with them.”

Iino Yuna hadn’t been informed. That was why she was able to speak her mind without reservation. Her words prodded at a facet of the truth.

“Okay, see you later.”

She left with a casual wave. However, Berta remained frozen in shock for a while longer. She’d never thought of it that way before. She’d always known she wasn’t what her king wanted from her. She wasn’t suitable for him. That was why she considered herself a failure. Iino had said her king wasn’t suitable for her, though. Her view was practically the exact opposite.

That was how she came to a realization. Who was unsuitable for whom? It was all a matter of perspective. If that was the case, her perception that she was a failure wasn’t entirely correct. But hadn’t she known that from the very beginning? This was who she was. Failure was a word that described something that didn’t become what it was meant to be. However, the fact that she was like this was an inevitability, so—

[What’s wrong, Berta?]

Just then, someone called out to the frozen wolf.

“Ayame.”

The little fox who’d been sleeping on her head was now awake.

[You looked totally dazed there for a while.]

She spoke out of concern for Berta as if it was perfectly natural. This was something Berta had never been granted while serving her king; it was enough to warm her heart. Iino Yuna had told her that she could be happy here. Berta felt that she was right.

“No... It’s nothing.”

However, Berta didn’t say anything more. She didn’t have the time even if she wanted to.

“What...?”

Berta’s delicate senses picked up on the faint mana building up in the room. She stood at the ready the moment she noticed, and immediately following that, the world distorted. Space twisted, and someone appeared before her.

“You’re...”

It was a girl. Her face was pale, giving off the impression of a criminal walking to the gallows. It was someone Berta knew.

“The Fairy Ring...?”

An instant later, the piercing sound of unseen destruction resounded in the air.