Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 3 - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Puppet’s Challenge ~Rose’s POV~

I filed down the piece of wood in my hand. It was already mostly the right shape. This was the finishing touch, so to say, to turn my imagination into reality. I couldn’t lose my focus here. Not that there was any step in this work where that was acceptable anyway.

This required the delicacy to polish off a work of art. Although, I hadn’t ever seen what people would call a work of art. I just understood the concept of valuing beauty over practicality. Such was art. The item I was working on now could be classified as such.

Thus, I had to be meticulous beyond measure. Just by altering the angle of my filing ever so slightly, I could change the appearance of what I was creating by a startling amount. That was why I couldn’t lose my focus for an instant. To carry out my work, I needed to concentrate hard enough to erase all other thoughts from my mind.

Considering what this was, making it excessively gaudy could be seen as superfluous. But considering what exactly it was for, I felt like no matter how perfectly beautiful it was, it wouldn’t be enough.

Right now, I was creating something for myself.

By my own will, I was creating my own possession.

This was exceedingly unusual.

I created things for others all the time. I also created things for myself at my master’s command. That was how it had been until now. However, I had never created anything I wanted for myself.

In that sense, this was in fact my very first possession. Not only that, but upon its completion, it would become a part of what constituted my being, which was why I didn’t want it to be overly ostentatious. I didn’t believe such a thing would suit me. It was beyond my means.

However, though it was something for myself, it wasn’t necessarily essential. After all, it wasn’t something I could normally see. Only others would be able to see it in my every-day life. More importantly, my master would see it. His opinion meant more than anyone else’s. With that thought in mind, no matter how hard I tried, it felt like I couldn’t possibly try too hard.

“It’s done.”

After I placed the final touch, an elaborately fabricated “girl’s face” lay in my hand. Her age was about the same as my master’s. She had well-defined features, but there were places that stood out a little characteristically. Her skin was a little too white, but it was smooth to the touch, just like a girl. The calm air she gave off was what gave me the most trouble to put together.

“How is it?” I asked my friend who was watching me work from the side as I handed her the finished product.

This was my collaborator. She possessed no ability as a crafter herself, but my work could never have taken such a direction without her. She scrutinized the object from many angles. Her gloomy expression, the bonfire-lit cave, and the elaborate piece in her hands made her look like some sort of ghastly witch.

“Hmm.” A sigh slipped from her thin lips.

She was about to give her opinion. If I possessed the organs to gulp, I surely would have done so.

“It’s perfect.”

“So...”

My friend, Katou Mana, leaned toward me and smiled ever so faintly.

“Make another one.”

◆ ◆ ◆

Three days had passed since we parted ways with my master. According to our discussions beforehand, we had predicted the knights would make their way out of the forest and into a town. We never expected them to guide Lily and our master to that manner of a fortress, however. If something horrible were to happen and we needed to rush in, this was extremely inconvenient for us.

But that didn’t really change what we had to do. We were to wait for contact from my master, and if we sensed he was in an emergency through our mental path, we were to hasten to join him no matter the difficulties. To accomplish that, it was preferable to stay as close to my master as possible.

As such, we had explored the mountain that had a view of the fortress and found a moderately sized cave to stay in. The cave itself was apparently a nesting hole dug out by some monster, but either the owner was killed long ago or it wasn’t anywhere nearby.

“Where does it need improvement, Katou?” I asked my friend as we sat in the cave.

“...Mana.” A short response...or rather, a simple complaint. She gave me a reproachful look. Her eyes truly suited her. “Please call me Mana.”

This girl, who recently became my friend, had asked me to call her Mana. I still wasn’t used to it. Sometimes I would slip up, much like I just did, and she would sulk in response.

“Mana, where would you say it needs work?”

“It’s not that it’s bad or anything,” Mana said as her lips relaxed a little. “It’s just... How to put it? I feel like there isn’t enough of human emotion to it.”

“Human emotion, is it?”

I repeated Mana’s words—using my own mouth. Yes, right now, I tried installing the new head I finished. I had yet to succeed in fabricating a vocal chord that moved like a human’s, so in truth, my mouth was only moving to match my voice. But at a glance, it must’ve looked like I was speaking words with my mouth.

This piece I’d just finished making was to be my face as a girl. It was my first step toward getting my master to hug me. Based purely on its shape, I was confident it was perfect, just like Mana had said.

The path to reach this level was in no way easy. I actually possessed a fair amount of pride in my abilities as a crafter. Being able to shape wood into anything exactly as my mind willed it was my specialty as a magical puppet.

Yes. Exactly as my mind willed it. But that also meant I couldn’t create something my mind couldn’t picture. I first realized this when I began working on this piece. Shaping a human face wasn’t anything like my normal work. Not to mention, the purpose of this project was entirely different from my previous ones.

My work before this prioritized functionality. My pieces were practical and unrefined. However, what I was trying to make now was essentially a work of art. Even though I was using the same materials and tools, with such a different goal, the techniques inevitably differed.

Even a deviation as small as a millimeter could break the entire balance. A careless move could even make it look wholly inhuman. The first trial piece I had made was so bad I didn’t even want to remember it.

This work was a difficult journey. And that was only a matter of course. Having said that, I couldn’t possibly give up. If I were to quit now, I wouldn’t have even started. What’s more, I had already promised my master I would show it to him one day. I no longer had a choice.

What had followed was an accumulation of practice and incremental improvement. Incidentally, there had been times I couldn’t help but feel that something was out of place no matter how many trial pieces I made. It honestly had me panicking. If Mana hadn’t taught me this was because I was approaching the territory called the “uncanny valley,” my trials might’ve come to a complete standstill.

When attempting to create something closely modeled after a human, there was a certain level of similarity where the minute differences from the real thing actually stood out more. This caused an uncanny feeling even though the item looked more “human” than before. This was apparently what the phenomenon called the uncanny valley entailed.

For me to surmount this, I had to get even closer to a real human. I had made dozens of trial pieces since then. Mana would point out what was wrong with each one, and I improved my work for the next attempt. Even I lost count of how many trial pieces I had made by now.

Mana patiently kept me company in this endless repetition of trial and error. It was no exaggeration to call this a collaborative project between the both of us. Because of that, the faces I made all resembled Mana in one way or another. They had the same childish features she had. If we were to stand side by side, we would look like sisters. That was, if I could do something about this “human emotion” she spoke of.

“Well, let’s forget about that part for now. There’s another major problem,” Mana said in her usual flat tone.

It was difficult to picture from her meager change in expression, but this was her being motivated. I knew this. Everything she pointed out to me was in fact largely pertinent. It was all helpful in improving my trials.

“Your facial expression isn’t very well-made. The shape is very human-like now, but...it’s actually too perfect, so it loses all human emotion. Kinda like some sort of angel. Anyway, the expression’s no good.” Mana stared at my face, or rather, she observed its details. “Your technique has improved to the point where you’d be indistinguishable from a human if you just stood there silently. But that just highlights the feeling that something is out of place when it comes to the minute movements of your expression. Your mouth and your voice are also out of sync. Once you correct all that, you can do something about your facial features being too perfect. Actually, no matter how human you make the shape, it’s all wasted if the facial expression is no good.”

“I am aware of this fact, but I just can’t seem to do anything about it... Is it that bad?”

“Honestly, it’s creepy.”

We had exchanged opinions many, many times now. There was no need to hold back out of unnecessary consideration. Mana pointed out the flaws in my design in a straightforward manner, as she always did, while I accepted her criticism and doubted my work, as I always did. I couldn’t possibly advance without criticism. Regardless, I couldn’t help but feel depressed.

“I think the feeling of the skin and such is great.”

Perhaps having read my inner thoughts, Mana stretched out her hand and touched my cheek. Her fingertips pressed against me and softly sank in.

“It’s thanks to your advice, Mana.”

“Heehee. I’m glad it went as I imagined. There was your pseudo-Damascus steel sword and the black armor you’ve been making lately. The magic tools you make change greatly from the wood they’re made out of once you finish them, so I thought you’d be able to do something like this too. Looks like I was dead-on.”

If I could change wood into a material as hard as steel, then it stood to reason I could make it as soft as human skin. That was Mana’s logic. I couldn’t have come up with that on my own.

“I wondered how it would go when you suggested it, but it was entirely doable after trying. Although, it’s difficult to give this full points as well.”

It passed, but it was still far away from a perfect score. That was how I felt about it too. For example, the skin was strangely white because I couldn’t reproduce blood flowing beneath it. This was, at most, an imitation. Even when cut, the skin didn’t shed blood or anything. There weren’t any pores either, so it was obvious this was a fabrication upon closer inspection.

I also couldn’t express myself with this face. I couldn’t replicate the movement of muscles beneath the skin, and I couldn’t create natural wrinkles. This was partially the reason I was trying to make the face look calm, so as to suppress any unnatural feelings it gave off. If my range of expressions was limited, then I just had to make it so that it didn’t matter. That was the idea, anyway. It worked, but it was merely a makeshift solution.

And just like that, after encountering several insurmountable technical limitations, the face I had now looked inorganic. This wasn’t the face of a human girl. It was the face of a puppet. Having said that, for a human-like puppet, I found it to be pretty well-made. It felt like a waste to alter it.

“In any case, it’s all thanks to you that I’ve managed to come this far, Mana.”

“You did touch my face a countless number of times, after all.”

Mana pulled back her hand from my face and touched her own. She had let me feel her face many times over for use as a reference. This was Mana’s suggestion. And thanks to her, I was confident I could at least faithfully reproduce the feeling of a girl’s skin.

“Well, you’ll just have to keep working on the expression. One way or the other, it isn’t really a hardware problem, more of a software... I mean, you just lack the ability to manipulate it, Rose.”

“I have nothing to say for myself. Unlike my arms and legs, I have never moved such things before.”

“I’m sure you’ll get better with practice. Let’s do our best, okay?” Mana said to cheer me on, but she immediately looked somewhat sad. “Although, I don’t think I’m the right person to teach you about this.”

“Is that so...? Why?”

“It’s not quite the same as a baby mimicking their surroundings, but the fundamentals of learning really are in imitation. On that point, my expressions don’t show very well.”

Mana was apparently aware of how coldhearted she appeared. If she were to smile more like a blooming flower, much like Lily did, I was sure her appearance would change quite drastically. However, Mana would never smile like that. Thinking of her circumstances, it was perfectly understandable.

“Oh yeah,” Mana said with a clap of her hands. “How about asking Lily when she gets back from the fortress? I think she’s more suitable for this role.”

“No, that’s a little...”

I wanted to say it was all Mana’s idea, but I stopped myself. It was true my sister’s expressions were abundant and charming. As a woman, she was a sort of ideal to me. However, I hesitated to ask her for help.

For some reason, I found it difficult to rely on Lily when it came to these trials I worked on with Mana. This was of course nothing to do with Lily herself. She would undoubtedly agree to help if I asked her for advice regarding my work or for practicing how to make expressions. The problem was me. I somehow felt guilty asking her about this. I didn’t know the reason. It was strange, even to me.

To once more experience that dream-like night I had spent in my master’s arms.

That was my wish. I wanted him to hug me close. But my wish was small. There was no reason for me to feel apologetic to my sister for wanting that.

There wasn’t supposed to be.

So, why was it?

Because of these incomprehensible feelings within me, I couldn’t speak with Lily about these trials. She must have realized this in some way. She knew I was doing something with Mana, but she never touched upon it and simply pretended not to see.

“I guess I’ve got no choice if you’re not inclined to ask her to help,” Mana said.

I had consulted her about these matters before. That was why she so easily accepted my reason for refusing her suggestion, even if I had no rational reason for doing so.

“I’m sorry, Mana. I understand that would be an effective means of solving this, but...”

“You don’t need to apologize, Rose. I can understand why you feel guilty about it.”

Just as she said, Mana didn’t really seem to mind. She apparently had an idea what my baffling feelings regarding Lily were, but she wouldn’t tell me what that was. She knew I didn’t wish for her to tell me.

One reason I wanted to fulfill my wish of being hugged by my master was because I desired to understand the human heart. If I needed to go to others to find the answers regarding my own feelings, I would never be able to understand the hearts of others. I had to find the answer on my own.

Even so, it was true I was wasting Mana’s precious advice. I honestly found this rather pathetic of myself, and it made me feel apologetic toward her.

“...Sorry.”

“You don’t really need to torment yourself so much over it, Rose,” Mana said in a gentle voice, perhaps having realized my inner thoughts. Only those closest to her could tell this was gentle, however. “You’ll find the answer on your own one day even if you don’t rush. If you really want to find out, then you should give some thought to why you want Senpai to hug you.”

“Why I want my master to hug me...?”

“Yes. You said the night Senpai embraced you made you happier than anything else, right? Enough for you to wish for it to happen again. Where did that feeling come from? What emotion lies at its source? Once you realize that, I’m sure you’ll be able to take a step forward.”

Being embraced by the person most dear to me was pleasant. It was enjoyable. It made me happy... Wasn’t that all there was to this emotion? I couldn’t infer any more from it as I was now.

I wasn’t, for example, like Ayame, who simply desired to be touched by our master when she pressed her snout against him. My feelings were pure, but they weren’t innocent. They had this mysterious force to them that could even stimulate my puppet body. It was more complicated, mysterious, and delicate.

I had a hunch. The moment I learned what name this emotion had, I would truly know what a human heart was. And for that day to come, I had to continue thinking about it.

“Very well. I will give it some thought.”

“Yup. Hang in there.” Mana’s lips curved with the slightest hint of satisfaction as she nodded. “Well then, let’s give up on asking Lily for advice regarding this. Though I may not be the best person for this endeavor, I’ll continue teaching you what I can.”

“I’m sure I’ll take up much of your time, but I’ll be in your care.”

“You’re not taking up my time. I’m doing this because I want to. It’s fun to take care of you, Rose.”

I couldn’t tell whether she was saying this out of consideration or whether these were her true feelings. Regardless, I could only thank my friend from the bottom of my heart for her goodwill.

“So, in short, your opinion from here is to continue improving the technical aspects of the face while practicing how to make expressions?”

“Oh, no.” I was confirming what I should do next, but Mana shook her head. “That would be fine and all, but we’ll end up in a drawn-out battle doing it that way. I think we should change our objective a little here.”

“Meaning?”

“I understand you want to show Majima-senpai something perfect, but I think it would be good to remove all the obstacles in the way of that first.”

“Obstacles...you say?”

Mana nodded. “Did you finish that thing I asked you for last time?”

“That? Yes, it’s done.”

I stood up and walked over to the wall of the cave. Despite making them all myself, there was a mound of discarded prototypes laying there. They were the trials I had made based on the idea of camouflaging my master’s pseudo-Damascus steel sword as well as many other test products. At present, everything there was just a pile of junk. But one day, I wanted to make something my master would praise me for.

“This one?”

I picked up one of the prototypes that had tumbled off the pile and handed it to Mana. It was a white mask, a simple piece that only had openings for the eyes. I had made it the other day at Mana’s request.

“Okay, shall we try out a bunch of things then?” Mana asked.

“Try out...things?”

“Yes, relax. You don’t need to do anything. Just leave everything to me.”

Mana certainly seemed like she was having fun, just as she said she was.

◆ ◆ ◆

A short while later...

“Perfect,” Mana muttered in satisfaction.

She was saying exactly the same thing as before, but her voice resounded through the cave differently this time. Why was that?

“Mana, this is...?”

I stood stock-still in bewilderment. I looked down at myself, seeing something altogether different from before. The white clothes Gerbera had made for Lily were now draped over my wooden body. This was the first time I had ever worn clothes, but it was strangely comfortable.

I had the featureless body of a puppet, but with clothes like this, one could see the delicate lines drawn by a woman’s body. I had a protector on over the clothes, which covered the slight protrusion at my chest, and stiff, gray hair flowed down on top of it. The quirky hair was actually fur from a firefang’s tail which had been diligently combed down. It was styled so that the sides came down to my chest, while the hair to my back was tied up in a thick braid which reached my waist.

“It’s a little regrettable, but it looks like it’ll be better to hide your face with a mask.”

Mana, who had been using me quite literally as a dress-up doll, placed the mask on my face. As a result, I looked like nothing more than a gray-haired girl wearing a mask. Only my hands and feet showed I was a puppet now.

“You’ll need gloves. And boots too.”

“Um, Mana?” I was starting to wonder how much more of this I could endure, so I interrupted her before she could continue. “I’m sorry to interrupt your uncharacteristic enjoyment, but... What is this?”

“Oh, right. I haven’t explained anything yet.” Mana cocked her head then answered me in a contented manner. “You want Senpai to recognize you as a woman. This will help accomplish that.”

“I don’t really understand. What do you mean?”

“Up until now, Senpai hasn’t ever thought of you as a woman. Considering his personality, if you want him to treat you like a girl, then you should at least wear clothes. I think it’ll be better if you change his perception regarding this sooner than later.”

“Getting my master to acknowledge me as a woman... Is there a need for that?”

“There is. Rose, you wouldn’t want him to hug you like a baby, like he would for Ayame or Asarina, right?”

“That wouldn’t be so bad...”

But I did feel like it was a little different from what I wanted, so I swallowed my objection. In other words, I approved of dressing up like this. It meant seeing my master in this outfit. Just thinking of that suddenly filled my chest with anxiety.

“...Doesn’t it look strange?” I asked.

“It’s okay. Hiding your face actually has a mysterious charm to it. Hang on...”

Mana took a step back and observed me from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. Then she suddenly stepped forward and stretched out her arms.

“Thought so. You get anxious at times like this too. So cute.”

She embraced me tightly. Or rather, considering the difference in our height, it was more like she was clinging to me. I only learned this after getting to know her better, but Mana seemed to have a proclivity to hug others. It was likely she couldn’t fully suppress some sort of emotion within her, causing her to act impulsively like this once in a while. That was my conjecture, at least.

Well, I didn’t dislike my friend hugging me, so I let her do as she liked. What’s more...this was perhaps a remnant of her old self before the horrible events in this world changed her. Thinking of it that way, there was no way I could possibly refuse her affection.

“You’re so cute, Rose.”

It was a little frightening to hear her say that in such a flat tone, though. I wondered whether she could put just a little more emotion into her voice, but I quietly returned Mana’s hug.

“...But you’re hard.”

“Isn’t that obvious?” I replied in a rather astonished tone.

Mana remained glued to me as her eyes narrowed in thought.

“We should make some revisions to your body too.”

“Even my body?”

“Yes. We put all our effort into the shape of your face, but that’s a little too focused, isn’t it? It really is no good if a girl isn’t soft all over.”

“It’s no good?”

“Nope.”

So it was no good. I didn’t really understand, but if Mana said so, then it was probably true. I didn’t harbor any doubts in that regard. She was the one who suggested I make it feel like skin as much as possible while I was focused entirely on just getting the appearance right. As a human, she knew much more about humans than me. It was the correct decision to obediently listen to her.

“Understood. I will try to make some.”

“Hang in there. I think it should be easier than making your face.”

“I wonder about that. I’m not all that confident.”

“It’s okay. Even if you skimp on the details a little, it won’t be as uncanny as the details on your face. With your skills, I’m sure you’ll be able to make something in no time.”

“It would be nice if that was the case, but regardless, I’d like to put all of my efforts into it,” I said as I nodded at my friend’s encouragement. “Well then, I’m sure I’ll take up more of your time for this, but please lend me your assistance, Mana.”

“Of course,” Mana said with a short nod, but her expressionless eyes shot open.

“...Huh?”

Even as I wondered what was wrong with her, I placed my hands on Mana’s shoulders. The rest of my body was the same as my face; I needed her cooperation if I was going to make it soft as well.

“Huh?”

I really was very obliged to her. And as I vowed to one day repay this debt, I slid my hands down Mana’s dainty body.