Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 14 - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Prideless Betrayer

It was a cramped room, fully furnished so that anyone living there wouldn’t be inconvenienced. On the other hand, the thick door was locked and the only windows were sealed by iron bars. Perhaps calling it a dressed-up prison would be closer to the truth. A single woman was a prisoner within. Through the small window on the door, she spoke to a boy standing in the hallway.

“Sorry... I’m so sorry...”

The woman didn’t go up to the window for him to see her, but the anguish was evident in her voice. The boy knew very well how impossible that anguish was. She was strong. He looked up to her. Despite her resolve, she and the knights she led had become nothing more than helpless hostages. They were even being used as the collar binding his actions.

It wasn’t all that strange a story. This organization was trying to kill Majima Takahiro, whose death would cause them many problems. As such, killing her and her knights would be well within their means.

“Forget about me. Live freely.”

The sword she’d wielded to protect the people had been taken from her. The armor that was the symbol of her pride had been stripped from her. She had nothing now. As such, she could only hold back her tears and implore him to march on. The boy clenched his fist hard enough to draw blood. He cursed his own powerlessness. He lamented how useless he was. However, on the surface, he smiled like always. He didn’t know any other way of protecting what was dear to him.

“Ha ha. I can’t possibly do that, can I now?” That was when the boy’s conviction crystallized. “Sorry. I’m gonna protect you.”

One could say he’d determined his priorities. He’d decided to act only to protect what was important to him.

He did understand, of course. He’d decided to cast away everything else. He couldn’t make any excuses. The boy had given up on something he would never have normally given up on.

This had happened months before what was going on now.

◆ ◆ ◆

After Ottmar left to give his report, Kaneki Mikihiko took his hostage, Katou Mana, elsewhere. Knights of the Holy Order’s First Company, including Elena, were waiting for him at his destination. These were the knights he’d introduced to Majima Takahiro as his “comrades” who’d fought by his side to suppress monsters.

“Aah, here’s far enough. Thanks for your hard work.”

Parting ways with Ottmar’s subordinates, Kaneki Mikihiko linked up with Elena’s group.

“Yo. It went off without a hitch.”

The boy’s frivolous smile and greeting were met with looks of contempt. They knew of Kaneki Mikihiko’s circumstances. If he were reluctantly obeying because they had a hostage, they probably wouldn’t have given it any thought. However, Kaneki Mikihiko was happily siding with the church. He was wagging his tail without a hint of pride, flattering them at every opportunity and obeying any command given to him.

In the end, he had even sold out his best friend. Their bond of trust had been severed with Mikihiko’s surprise attack. What’s more, he’d abducted the girl his friend had been treating so dearly. The men and women here were respectable knights affiliated with the Holy Order. It was only natural for them to scowl at such cowardly acts. That said, Kaneki Mikihiko’s frivolous behavior wasn’t going to bend under the weight of their scorn.

“Man, I’m beat. Elena, sorry, but tie her up for me.”

“Understood.”

Only Elena responded to him expressionlessly. She took Katou Mana with businesslike mannerisms and began restraining her just as she was told.

“Also, I’d like to ask you to keep an eye on her here. Can you?” Mikihiko asked.

“I don’t mind. She has androphobia, if I recall?”

“Yup. That’s it. It’ll be pretty bad if she suddenly panics and bites off her tongue or something. Even if it doesn’t go that far, she could get really hurt.” Mikihiko shrugged. “I mean, she’s a precious hostage. Do make sure she stays that way, okay?”

“As you say...”

His selfish attitude drew glares full of intensifying ire. He maintained his frivolous smile defiantly, and Elena’s audacity remained unchanging. After seeing that the unconscious Katou Mana had been laid down on a rug, Kaneki Mikihiko turned on his heels.

“Okay then, I’m gonna go get my next orders. I’ll leave the rest here to you.”

All the knights aside from Elena followed him out. However, after only a few minutes of walking, they came to a stop.

“Yo.”

A man called out to them from ahead. All the knights started. All he’d given them was a greeting, but all who heard him instinctively felt fear.

“Hm? It hasn’t been all that long,” Mikihiko said, wide-eyed. The one who appeared down the hallway was Edgar. “Is something the matter?”

As the knights tensed up, Kaneki Mikihiko acted as if it were nothing. Perhaps this was an expression of his impudence. Beneath his glasses, he gave a flattering smile. He was acting so servile it would look unpleasant depending on who he was talking to. That said, Edgar was giving off a dangerous aura, so maybe acting servile was only normal. In truth, all the knights accompanying him were still stiff to the face.

“Oh come on. Don’t be so cold,” Edgar said. “Aren’t we allies? It’s normal to at least come get a look at your mug, yeah?”

“Aah, I guess so. Forgive me.”

In contrast to his words, there wasn’t a hint of friendliness in Edgar’s voice. Still, the boy maintained his frivolous attitude.

“What a boring asshole...” Edgar said, grimacing. “That Jinguuji brat at least has a backbone.”

“Ha ha. I’m just a little kid. We may both be visitors, but I’d rather you not lump me together with a nicknamed exploration team member.”

“Aah, I guess you’ve got a point there. You’re just a little brat. And a huge piece of scum at that. You stabbed Majima in a surprise attack? Well, ain’t that a huge accomplishment.”

“Thank you very much. But in the end, I didn’t manage to kill him. Ha ha, I’m so ashamed.”

“Quit spouting crap. You actually get it, don’t you?” Edgar spat out, clicking his tongue. “The original plan’s a total failure. We had a surefire trap, but that almighty asshole fucked up the teleport destination. The Skanda and the Radiant Wings were supposed to be pulled away so they didn’t get involved, but that failed too. What’s more, nobody even considered the Lord of Darkness, and he’s here too. It’s a total mess. Even our trump card, the Dragon and his group, couldn’t cut it against the Skanda. And because of the Lord of Darkness, Travis’s monster got crushed.”

The Battle Ogre’s perception of the ongoing battle was precise. In the original plan, Iino Yuna, Gordon, and Kudou Riku weren’t supposed to be here. Majima Takahiro and his servants were supposed to be thrown into the middle of the monsters that’d been created in this world. After exhausting them, all forces including the Dragon and the dregs of Travis were to crush them. If things had gone to plan, Majima Takahiro would’ve been helpless. However, everything that could go wrong had gone wrong.

“Also, the Almighty Vessel’s apparently dead. I dunno if he got done in by Travis or the monsters in there...but if he’d managed to get some rest, he could’ve contributed to the fight pretty good too. Everything’s gone to shit. That’s Aker’s hero for you. He does have a reputation for overcoming every obstacle in his path.”

“Well, he is tenacious.”

“Yeah. He sure is. And you’re the only guy here who dealt him a serious blow. A spectacular victory. You might not have killed him, but not much you can do about that when you were acting solo to catch him off guard. Or maybe...you’re just being snide?”

Edgar glared at Mikihiko.

“When I tried the same thing before, I couldn’t kill him either.”

“No, no, no! Perish the thought! Your solo surprise attack ended the same as mine, but that was because his servants got in the way. It’s different from attacking him when he was defenseless and still failing to kill him. That’s the great Battle Ogre for you.”

“Hah. The mouth on you.”

Edgar sneered. It was a thorny conversation. The knights were unable to intervene. Their ongoing exchange was proving that they definitely weren’t comrades.

“I don’t give a shit about your flattery. It’s disgusting,” Edgar said in a complete turnabout, then glared at the boy. “At any rate, you put in some pretty impressive work this time around. That goes for inflicting a severe wound on Majima Takahiro, of course, but you’re also the one who got the Almighty Vessel in, right?”

“Well, yes.”

At the beginning of the attack, the Almighty Vessel Okazaki Takuma had started by using a magic tool to teleport into Majima Takahiro’s room. According to Dora, she’d witnessed an axe being thrown into the room with something attached to it. The one who’d thrown that axe had been none other than Kaneki Mikihiko, using Aerial Knight. There were others like Jinguuji Tomoya who were capable of such a physical feat, but Kaneki Mikihiko had insisted that it would be more reliable for him to do it and had succeeded without issue.

“You’re the one who set the table, and you’re the first to deal a real blow. What’s more, you even got us a hostage. Take pride. With this, the higher-ups will remember you more and more.”

Edgar spoke like he found this utterly boring, then looked around as if noticing something.

“Oh yeah, what’d you do with the woman you caught?” he asked.

“I restrained her. She still hasn’t regained consciousness.”

“Hah. Unconscious, huh? What a drag,” Edgar spat, then made a ferocious smile. “The woman who’s been with Majima Takahiro from the very start, huh? Suits me just fine. Guess I’ll go get a look at her face.”

If any of Katou Mana’s companions were to witness this, they would definitely go pale. The Battle Ogre had gained an interest in her when she was far too defenseless. If he was just taking a look, that would still be fine. But would that really be the end of it? Edgar was the implacable man who’d disregarded whatever could happen to him just to launch a surprise attack on Majima Takahiro. It wouldn’t be strange for him to enact any kind of cruelty against the boy’s companions. Even if that wasn’t the case, there was a dangerous air to him that made it hard to tell what he was going to do.

“I’m gonna hafta drop by.”

The violent ogre started making his way toward the defenseless girl. However, he came to a stop right away.

“Please gimme a break.”

Kaneki Mikihiko blocked his path, a troubled grin marking his features. The two were naturally face to face now. That said, they weren’t in equal positions.

“She’s my achievement. You know the situation I’m in, right? I’m begging you, don’t go spoiling things for me.”

Kaneki Mikihiko continued abasing himself. That was a display of his current status.

“You have a grudge against Takahiro. You might do something bad to my precious hostage. I’m scared of that.” His tone was subservient as he asked for understanding. “So I can’t let you get anywhere near her. Please understand.”

He objected in every way he could, practically on his hands and knees. Any normal person would feel awkward about this, but not Edgar.

“Hah. So what?”

He started walking again after quickly refusing. The Battle Ogre wasn’t the type to be mindful of others, no matter who pleaded with him.

“Outta the way.”

He casually pushed Kaneki Mikihiko aside. Once Edgar was past this point, nobody would be able to stop him. The powerless girl was sure to fall into the hands of this dangerous ogre. However, just then...

“Ah?”

Edgar once more came to a stop.

“The hell are you up to?”

He raised his voice in anger. That only stood to reason. A combat knife was thrust right before his nose, after all. The floating blade was being manipulated by Aerial Knight.

“Please. Seriously. Can you back off?”

The boy’s attitude remained servile, but the air wreathed around him had clearly changed. His smile was gone and his face was as expressionless as a Noh mask. The combat knife was in a position to slash at any moment using Aerial Knight. He held a compact hatchet in his left hand. This he’d had in the magic bag at his waist, but it wasn’t clear when he’d pulled it out. His deftness of hand resembled a magic trick. This was how skilled he was in its use. At this close range, he could definitely swing it faster than a knight’s sword.

“Hmm...” For the first time, Edgar smiled in amusement. “Well, ain’t that nice? Not bad at all.” It was the smile of an ogre drunk on battle. “I heard the Great White Spider of the Depths acknowledged your talent for fighting. Yeah, I’ll acknowledge it too. Pretty impressive.”

“Please step back.”

In contrast, Kaneki Mikihiko remained sober. His frank voice was polite, but bereft of emotion. With the impossibly sudden change in atmosphere, the surrounding knights didn’t even know how to react. Maybe they were under the impression a fight to the death was about to begin. Surprisingly, though, that didn’t happen.

“Yeah. All right. I’ll back off,” Edgar said. “You’ve got a point there. Makes sense for you to be pissed. After all...it’s your hard-won ‘achievement.’”

“Do you...?”

Perhaps this was also unexpected for Kaneki Mikihiko. His expressionless face changed to one of suspicion. He narrowed his eyes behind his glasses as if searching for the man’s intentions. Facing him, Edgar remained indifferent.

“Yeah. I know of your ‘circumstances.’ Getting your achievements snatched away and wasted would be a big pain for you. That’s what you mean, yeah?”

Edgar did exactly as he said and stepped aside. He’d long dispersed his fighting spirit. His whim was like a passing storm. That said, this wasn’t the first time Edgar had acted like this.

“You’re right... That’s exactly it. Thank you very much for understanding.”

Kaneki Mikihiko also went back to his earlier behavior. He returned a frivolous smile. Seeing that the two had come to an agreement, the knights around them sighed in relief.

“So? What did you really come here for, Sir Edgar?” Mikihiko asked. “You didn’t really come just to see me, right?”

“Well, yeah. I’ve got a message,” Edgar answered with a ferocious and violent grin befitting an ogre. “You and I have been ordered to go and attack Majima Takahiro. If necessary, we can head out from here.”

“Hmm...”

“This time, we’ve been ordered to kill him for sure. Give it your all. You get what you want that way, yeah?”

“Yes. I know.”

Mikihiko’s lips also curved into a smile. It was a servile smile, befitting a traitor who submitted to the strong and who’d do any cowardly act.

“I’ll kill Majima Takahiro.”