Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 4 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Proof of Friendship

“Aerial Knight...” I said, unable to hide my astonishment as I stared at my friend. “Is that your inherent power as a cheater?”

“That’s the gist of it,” Mikihiko said with a nod. Then he shrugged. “Although, it’s unfortunately kinda shabby for a cheat. I can’t move things I’m not used to handling on my own, and they don’t move any better than how I would use them myself. Seriously, what an inconvenient power.”

Judging from how the shortswords were floating in the air, Mikihiko’s cheat was some form of psychokinesis, but its conditions were rather strict. It was perhaps more akin to creating another copy of himself in empty space rather than actual psychokinesis. This was Kaneki Mikihiko’s inherent power as a visitor from another world...which he had been hiding all this time.

“Sorry for keeping it from you,” Mikihiko said with a sad smile, looking back over his shoulder at me.

“Mikihiko...”

All of the students in Fort Tilia, aside from the three members of the exploration team, were survivors of the home team. As such, none of them knew what their own powers were. That was the impression I was under anyway. I rather carelessly failed to realize there was an exception.

I was hiding my ability from others because of my distrust toward everyone around me. It wouldn’t be strange for someone else to be doing the same thing. This applied doubly so for someone who shared my circumstances. That was why Mikihiko revealing his secret here held great meaning. As someone who was still hiding my secret, I understood my friend’s resolve better than anyone else could.

“I’m not gonna tell you to trust me after hiding something like this, but I’ll show you that I can hold my ground here, somehow or other.”

Just as Mikihiko claimed, Aerial Knight was unfortunately a rather weak cheat. Faced with a monster from the Depths, he knew very well what would happen to him even if he could buy us the time to escape. Regardless, he drew his swords and unveiled his hidden power, saying he couldn’t afford to let us die. It was a declaration of his resolve, and the proof of his friendship.

Oh, I get it. In other words, I got a late start behind my friend. It was the tiniest bit frustrating. We made our resolve right around the same time, but he took a clear lead. The difference was small, but he had made his decision due to the fact that the person dear to him was somewhere else, rather than right here. But that was where the difference ended. I couldn’t lag behind any longer.

“I don’t plan on dying here, of course, so I’ll catch up to you guys after buying some time. So get going Ta—”

“Sorry, Mikihiko. I reject your proposal.”

I smiled at him as his eyes turned to saucers. Mikihiko had put his friendship on display. Thus, I had to answer in kind. I placed my hand on the white cloth that was wrapped around my left arm like a bandage. This was my one and only way of answering my friend’s spirit, so I showed no hesitation. I unraveled the cloth as a look of shock painted itself beneath Mikihiko’s glasses.

“There’s no need to buy time. We’re all going to survive and get through this together,” I declared as the parasite creeper Asarina abided by my will and stretched out the back of my left hand.

◆ ◆ ◆

“Mas—sss—ter! Ter!”

I listened to Asarina’s delighted cries as I removed the fake cover from my pseudo-Damascus steel sword and threw it to the ground. There was no need to keep it hidden anymore.

“Lily, I’ll leave the tetrasickle behind us to you. It’ll be a pain if this turns into a free-for-all. Ayame, come to me.”

“Roger that, Master,” Lily replied in a lively voice.

Ayame poked her head out from Lily’s collar and leaped onto my left shoulder. She also seemed happy and yipped at me cutely.

“E-Eeek! A m-monster?!” Kei screamed and shrank back. Her innocent face was filled with fear. This was inevitable, but it did feel a little lonely to witness. “T-Takahiro! Look out! There’s a monster! On your...shoulder? H-Huh? But...that one is growing from you...?”

“There’s nothing to look out for. They’re exceptions,” I reassured her in as gentle a voice as I could. “The power I was granted as a visitor from another world is to tame monsters, after all.”

“Tame...monsters?”

“I see. That’s how it is. Takahiro, you’ve also been...”

Mikihiko grasped things far faster than I thought he would, in complete contrast to Kei. He smiled, his expression slightly awkward.

“Huh? Huh? Wait a minute. What does that...?” Kei said in a fluster, her eyes darting about in confusion.

“Sorry, but now’s not the time to explain,” I replied. Then I exchanged glances with Lily. “For now, just think of cutting our way through here.”

Lily gave me a nod and ran off. She also seemed to notice the sounds of battle around the corner had come to an end. And just as we thought, a buzzing came from behind us. The tetrasickle had finished exterminating the soldiers and was giving chase.

Fighting a tetrasickle and a firefang at the same time would make it too difficult to protect everyone. I had no choice but to have Lily intercept one of them on her own. Dealing with the wounded firefang was up to the rest of us.

“I’ll take the front. Mikihiko, cover me.”

“That’s a little... Okay, gotcha.”

Mikihiko, a pained expression on his face, was about to object, but he immediately nodded and backed down when I shook my head. This was a simple division of labor. It was better for me to be in the front because I had a shield, and we needed someone to guard Kei.

“Take care of Kei!” I yelled as I charged forward.

The firefang hurled the knight’s corpse in its jaws aside and charged right back at me. Its wild instincts might have detected that the threat in front of it had diminished now that Lily was gone.

Kei could get caught in the fighting if I allowed it to get too close, so first, I had to stop it in its tracks. I held out my shielded left arm as I continued dashing.

“Do it, Ayame!”

“Graah!”

Ayame, who was still clinging to my left shoulder, swelled up like a balloon and spat out a fireball. The flaming bullet sped down the stone corridor, forcing the firefang to twist its body and dodge it. Everything was going just as I’d planned. The wolf’s stance was slightly off now, and Asarina sprang forth to attack right behind the fireball.

“Graawr!”

The firefang managed to dodge her as well. Not only that, the instant it landed, it attacked the now defenseless creeper and tore into her with its sharp fangs.

“Masss—”

Asarina’s head came off with a rip.

“—Ter!”

Immediately after, a new head grew from the severed tendril. Asarina’s head was nothing more than a part of her plant body. So long as the mana she stockpiled from me during times of rest didn’t run out, she could stretch out as much as she wanted, and she wouldn’t die unless her very roots were burned out.

Asarina wrapped her body around the wolf’s foreleg and bit into its shoulder. As a result, I was now tied to the firefang. I promptly gave my next order to Asarina through our mental path, getting her to contract her body.

“...Ugh!”

A terrifying force pulled my left arm. I made no effort to resist it and kicked off the ground. I circulated mana through my body and strengthened myself as much as I could. Not only that, Asarina’s roots running halfway up my forearm further strengthened my arm, so I didn’t feel the pain wrenching away at my joints as I did before. These were the fruits of our continuous special training from Asarina’s birth up until this point.

I also now possessed enough athleticism to maintain my posture. I closed the distance to the wolf as if soaring through the air. The firefang grew larger and larger in my vision as it braced its four legs. It opened its jaws and flames poured out of its throat.

“Graaawr!”

Roaring fire spread out before my eyes. I didn’t care. I thrust my shield forward and dove right into it.

“Argh!”

I really had to hand it to this monster from the Depths. Even though I blocked the majority of the flames with my shield, the fire spread to my clothes. But that was all it did. Underneath the clothing that I received when we arrived at this fortress, I was wearing the diligently woven undergarment made by the Great White Spider from the heroic tales of the saviors, the high monster Gerbera. What’s more, it was further reinforced by Rose. It could easily handle this level of heat.

“Eat this!”

I kept up my momentum and shield-bashed the firefang. I was a literal human bullet. My shield smashed into the wolf’s snout, toppling it over as it yelped. However, the impact also broke my posture. I hurried to stand myself back upright. At the same time, a chill ran down my spine. I jumped to the side as the wolf’s jaws snapped shut in the space I was just occupying.

I should’ve had the advantage after that clash, but we recovered around the same time? I still couldn’t overtake a monster with my level of physical strengthening. Regardless, it was enough to cope with it. Compared to my training partner Gerbera’s devilish speed, this firefang’s movements were nothing.

Having just dodged its attack, the wolf’s flank was now defenselessly exposed to me.

“Ooooh!”

It was the perfect chance. I roared and brought down my sword. It was a shallow strike, however. I was in too much of a hurry. My blade slipped off its fur.

“Graawr!”

The wolf’s claws retaliated, and I caught the blow with my shield.

So heavy... My stance was broken. Its fangs closed in before I could regain my footing.

“Dammit...!”

I promptly shoved my shield into the wolf’s mouth before it could snap its jaws shut.

“Grrr...”

The shield prevented it from biting completely through, but it snarled as its long fangs sunk into my upper arm. My face spasmed in pain. I could feel its stinking breath. Goose bumps ran down my skin as I sensed the flow of mana and the premonition of flames. I couldn’t escape like this, but that also meant my opponent was stuck here with me.

“Don’t let it finish, Ayame!”

“Graaoh!”

Ayame bounded off my head, using it as a stepping stone, and spat a fireball down at the firefang’s defenseless back.

“Grah?!”

The fireball exploded, slamming the firefang into the ground. I swung my sword and sent a splash of blood into the air. I planned to decapitate it with a single strike, but the firefang got back to its feet too quickly and managed to escape, even though it lost its foreleg. It also evaded my follow-up slash. The firefang leaped back to get away. I clicked my tongue. My immature sword skills were one step short of delivering a fatal blow.

The wolf landed on three legs. There was the slightest of openings now that it had to deal with a lost limb, and taking advantage of that, a shortsword flew in at its flank.

“Takahiro!”

It was a blade manipulated by Mikihiko’s Aerial Knight. At that time, I could certainly feel my friend’s presence in the air. The horizontal swipe from the left was followed by a steep diagonal strike from the right. The two swords sank into the wolf’s belly. It was far from a fatal blow, but Mikihiko’s sword, tempered through continuous training with the knights, definitely wounded the firefang.

The wolf lost its focus from the sudden attack, especially considering the enemy it wanted to retaliate against was nowhere to be seen.

“Masss—ssss—ter!”

There was no way I could let such an opening pass. I had Asarina coil around the wolf’s neck. This was the perfect opportunity. I resolved myself and kicked off the ground with all my might. Asarina pulled my body toward the firefang and I held my sword at the ready. The firefang opened its jaws to intercept me, baring its fangs, and I thrust Rose’s pseudo-Damascus steel blade right into its open mouth.

“Haaaah!”

Asarina had fulfilled her duty splendidly. Rose’s masterpiece had a terrifying cutting edge. The damage from Ayame’s fireball had dulled the firefangs movements. If I showed even a hint of hesitation, the wolf’s fangs would’ve torn through my body. I could feel my certain victory, born from my senses steeled by Gerbera, who had trained me, and Lily, who had supported me during those sessions.

My sword pierced through the roof of the firefang’s mouth and plunged into its brain. After one big jolt, all strength left its body.

◆ ◆ ◆

“...We did it?” I muttered in a daze as I looked down at the fallen monster.

Thinking back on the battle now, my only injuries were some light burns. But I felt a considerable amount of fatigue, and I was tense from being in my first real fight, draining me of more stamina than necessary. This was about all I had to reflect on afterward. I got my coarse breathing back in order and put my hand to my chest.

I could hear my heart thumping. I could feel the lingering memory of battle in my palm. How strange, I thought as I cocked my head. I had stepped in knowing I had a sufficient chance for victory. I’d been sure I was a good match for the beast. However, the reality of actually having defeated the firefang felt ambiguous, as if it had been a dream.

“Kuuu!”

“Whoa?!”

Ayame suddenly jumped at me, and I caught her small body in a fluster. Her fluffy tail wagged about as she stretched out as much as she could and licked my jaw. Asarina twirled around me while purring loudly. It was a cry of victory.

“...I see. I really managed to fight.”

The outcome gradually felt more real. A smile spontaneously came to me. I tightly clenched my fist. I wasn’t the type to revel in conflict; I also didn’t enjoy inflicting pain on anything. Still, the fact that a smile escaped me proved I was still a boy at heart.

My first priority in this harsh world was survival. The most I could do without the ability to fight properly was try my best not to be a hindrance. I wasn’t really self-aware of it until now, but deep down inside, I might have been ashamed that I had to be protected all the time by the girls I found dearest to me. Little by little, I was making progress. I was genuinely happy I could get a real sense of this.

“Takahiro!” I turned curiously toward the voice calling me and spotted a little girl running my way. “Are you hurt?!”

That was the very first thing Kei had to say as she threw her arms around me. I could feel her choppy breathing from running toward me at full speed brushing against my skin as she looked up at me with a strong gaze.

“Jumping into such a flame like that...! I thought my heart would stop!”

“O-Oh. Sorry. I’m fine. I don’t have any major injuries...” My voice sounded bewildered. “...Aren’t you scared?”

Ayame was squeezed between us, squinting in discomfort. Asarina, who was entwined around me, had her head cocked just a few centimeters next to Kei’s face. From her perspective, I should’ve been nothing more than an object of fear.

However, Kei’s blonde hair swayed about as she shook her head. “You saved me not only once, but twice. I’m not scared at all.”

Her reply had a childish simplicity to it. It stabbed at my heart and I lost the ability to say anything.

“More importantly, please show me if you have even the slightest wound. I can at least use simple healing magic, so... Ah!”

Kei began patting my body all over but then yelped. She was beyond restless. Such behavior was perhaps normal for a child, though.

“Miho! What about Miho?!”

“I’m fine. I’m done here too,” Lily said, walking over to us with Mikihiko.

She really was fast. Even though the tetrasickle was a monster from the Depths, it wasn’t much of an opponent for Lily. This wasn’t a conclusion drawn from combat experience. It was an established fact in the Colony that defeating monsters allowed one to accumulate mana within their soul, as scant as it was. Furthermore, Lily’s combat strength was amplified by her mimicry from eating monsters.

“Also, I’m not Miho. I’m Lily. I’d be happy if you could call me that from now on.”

“L-Lily...?”

Kei was perplexed. Lily gave her a sweet smile and then turned to me.

“Good work, Master. I’d planned on running over right after I was done. I’m surprised you defeated it on your own.”

“I wasn’t on my own. It’s thanks to Ayame and Asarina. Frankly, I relied on my equipment too much as well. Besides, my opponent was already wounded.” I didn’t mean to deny my own progress, but having said that, I didn’t want to act conceited either. “There’s a few things I need to reflect on. I can’t repeat such mistakes next time.”

“Heehee. That’s so like you, Master.”

Lily’s delight came from knowing that I wasn’t just being self-abasing. I could get stronger. I returned her smile because I believed that.

“Oh, I guess we don’t really have the time to talk. The path is open, so...” I suddenly noticed a gaze affixed on me. Mikihiko was staring my way. “Oh...”

I had shelved it because of the emergency at hand, but we had both been hiding something from each other. It was obviously somewhat awkward.

“...Takahiro.”

Mikihiko retrieved his shortswords and walked my way. The corners of his mouth...suddenly curved upward.

“You’ve got some great guts, man.”

“...You too. Way to follow up for me, Mikihiko.”

He held out his fist to me, and I bumped it back. It was a short exchange, but that was more than enough. I had needlessly worried about the awkwardness. Something of that level would work itself out one way or another considering how close we were. Just maybe...maybe this was the very first “important thing” I’d lost by coming to this world that I managed to recover.

“Okay. Shall we get going?”

“Wait...! Hold on, Master.” Just as I was about to move, Lily, who had been watching us with a satisfied look, suddenly yelled with a stiff expression. “Look out! Someone’s coming!”

A moment later, I heard the footsteps for myself. And a few seconds after that, a large number of knights had their swords pointed at us.