Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 16 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Lady of the Mist’s Oath

There was no sky here. Even the land was gone. It was just a gaping hole of pitch-black void. This was the inner world created by Majima Takahiro’s ability. Salvia stood alone in front of a school gate.

She sighed, failing to repress a feeling of grief, of loss. Even at the beginning, when the boy had first created this place, it was already a damaged and tattered mess. Ever since, every last portion of it had crumbled away.

It had happened more than once too. The last time had been inside the labyrinth they’d been teleported to so that he could fight against the marshal of the Holy Order, Harrison Addington. In order to protect what was dear to him, the boy had expended another piece of himself. This was the result. All that was left was enough ground for the school itself.

He was just half a step away from a fatal collapse. But that wasn’t the only change. Salvia spent most of her time in this world, so there was something only she was capable of sensing.

“It’s gotten deeper again...”

Back when this was just a world of light, Majima Takahiro had described coming here as “sinking into the depths.” Salvia felt like the entire world was sinking deeper and deeper each time his ability evolved.

It’d only been a vague feeling before, but this time, it was strikingly obvious. She didn’t know what that signified, though. Maybe it was nothing more than a delusion to begin with. It only felt that way. She couldn’t quantify the sinking in any meaningful way.

“But if I’m right...”

This world was the mental path itself—what connected hearts together. What was it sinking toward? There was only one answer she could think of.

“Who was that...?”

What came to mind was the strange intruder she’d seen twice in this world. The first time was right before they arrived in the imperial capital. The second was while they were in the world fabricated by the Dimensional Cornerstone. When the boy she was contracted to had come to his inner world, they’d met a young man with dark brown hair. In the end, they couldn’t figure out who he was, but something about him bothered her.

“I feel like...he’s a little familiar.”

She sounded uncertain. She hadn’t given it any thought the first time, but the second, it had suddenly started bothering her. It was as if a veil blocking her memories had been torn away. That didn’t bring her any conviction, however. It couldn’t be helped. The Misty Lodge had wandered the world for a long, long time, meeting and parting ways with many humans.

With the exceptions of her contractor and his group, as well as the carapace wyrm Malvina and her family, Salvia only ever met people in passing. It’d been so long that she barely remembered any of their faces. Having a hunch that she recognized someone wasn’t much of a clue.

“I might remember something if I talk to him...”

However, when her contractor had asked who he was, the young man hadn’t given much of an answer. It hadn’t even been a real conversation. That young man hadn’t done anything. He’d simply broken into this world.

“No, rather than break in, it’s more like...”

Salvia muttered to herself thoughtfully, when suddenly...

“Oh my.”

A small hand grabbed her skirt. Noticing this, she smiled gently.

“What’s wrong?”

It was a small girl. She looked younger than ten. Her vivid green hair went down to her waist, and she wore a simple white dress. She looked up at Salvia with bloodred eyes. Her plump lips opened, but no voice came out. The girl pouted, then sulkily hugged Salvia’s leg.

“Oh dear. Don’t be so sad.”

Salvia’s smile deepened as she patted the girl’s head. The girl looked up as if wanting to say something, and Salvia shook her head.

“Ah, please wait a moment. I still have something to do.”

Realizing that she’d lost herself in thought over a question she had no answer for, Salvia got back to what she had to do. She spent most of her time holed up inside Majima Takahiro’s internal world, but she didn’t spend that time idly. She soothed the green-haired girl with one hand while holding out the other to the boy’s blank world.

A white fog filled the black void. This was the true value of the wondrous magic known as the Misty Lodge. The power to make impossible ambitions reality repaired the boy’s broken world ever so slightly. The cracks filled in and the black nothingness slowly regained substance.

That said, compared to the total loss, the repairs were minuscule. Salvia furrowed her brow at the heartbreaking thought. Even if she were capable of repairing this world with her unique power, it wouldn’t be enough to keep up.

This world was the boy’s very memory. There wasn’t much he remembered anymore. How frightening was that for him? The boy’s determination to protect what was dear to him was beyond what would be considered normal, but his sensibilities were no more than those of a typical boy. Such things still inspired dread. On the contrary, it was precisely because he was who he was that he feared the loss even more. His determination and feelings helped him endure that fear.

When Salvia thought about the bleak sense of loss that must have been tormenting him, she felt a sharp pain in her chest. She felt an urge to embrace and protect him. These feelings weren’t love. What Salvia felt for the boy wasn’t as sweet as love. She simply felt warmth.

Those children nestled together and protected one another. The way they kept one another in their hearts was so precious and adorable. As no more than a bystander in this world for countless ages, that was something she’d never been able to obtain.

The boy and his servants were family to Salvia. She saw him like a little brother, or perhaps even a son. As no more than an embodiment of magic, she knew such feelings were beyond her station, so she’d never informed him of this. Still...

“I have to protect them.”

The little girl listened to Salvia’s oath, then silently mouthed, “Ssster.”