Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 5 - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Boy Who Seeks Strength ~Kaneki Mikihiko’s POV~

“Commander, you’re looking pretty pale. You feeling okay?”

After we exited the building of a certain trade company in the suburbs outside Serrata, I took a peek at the commander’s face as she walked next to me.

“Are you getting enough sleep? Oh, I know. If you’re having trouble sleeping, then I can keep you company at night.”

“Don’t be stupid. I’m not so weak that I’ll collapse from this much,” she replied in exasperation. “Besides, if need be, I can use sleeping magic on myself. I can actually cast several grade 2 magics, despite appearances.”

“Isn’t it pretty bad to use sleeping magic too often? The Mikihiko body pillow is way healthier. On lonely nights, it even comes with a chat function.”

“It’s healthy, but it’s not wholesome, is it now? There are too many unnecessary functions. Try selling it after you get rid of all your ulterior motives.”

“Okay, so how ’bout a shoulder massage? No dirty intentions included.”

“The way you made sure to mention that makes me trust you less. Rejected.”

“Tch. Your guard is way too tough, Commander.”

I was actually secretly relieved to see her acting peevish. She seemed exasperated, but there was a slight smile on her lips. I knew she was a woman of strong mind and body, but ever since the attack on Fort Tilia, she’d been constantly on edge. She looked like she could collapse at any moment. If talking to me relaxed her a bit, then I would play the fool for her as much as she wanted.

We boarded the manamobile parked outside the building. There were several knights on standby within. The commander signaled the driver, and the manamobile slowly began moving.

“In any case,” I said to her, “good thing we just happened to find one, huh?”

“Yes, a good thing indeed.”

We had arrived a little early, but the commander’s plan was to visit Count Lorenz in Serrata. Unlike the villages we had been staying in up until now, the Empire’s great city of Serrata had a population of over ten thousand people, so they had enough room to temporarily house the hundreds of survivors from Fort Tilia. The commander was going to discuss how to handle the surviving imperial soldiers with the count and give her report of Fort Tilia’s fall to the Imperial Army’s upper brass. She estimated this would take at least three days, at most a full week.

In the meantime, all of the visitors from afar, including Takahiro, were going to stay at a travelers’ rest stop in the suburbs outside the city. However, seeing how several of Takahiro’s servants couldn’t hide their identities as monsters, it would be difficult for them to relax at a regular inn. That was why the commander had gone through a trade company that had strong ties to the Alliance Knights to rent a vacant house. This was the reason for our visit just now.

“Takahiro rendered the most distinguished service during the defense of Fort Tilia. Furthermore, we have been in his debt during the entire journey here. I have no idea how many casualties we would’ve suffered had he not been with us. I don’t believe this is enough to repay him. It’s a matter of honor that we accommodate him as best we can.”

“Seriously. Lily’s super strong, huh?”

“Did you hear, Commander?” one of the knights chimed in. He was one of the veterans, which emphasized how capable he was. Personnel for the knights had a high turnover rate due to injury or death. “Word is that, among the soldiers, some admire Lily in a way unbecoming of their age.”

“Hmm.”

“Not that I find it all that unbelievable. Even if she’s a monster, she’s unbelievably attractive, and she’s so gallant in combat. She also saved quite a few soldiers with her healing magic. Plus, she’s got huge knockers. Honestly, I’m jealous.”

“Don’t be so vulgar,” the commander warned him with a grimace.

I was indebted to this old veteran in all sorts of ways. He was great at looking after others and was good-natured. His only flaws were his tendency to grumble and his dirty language...

“Don’t say that in front of Takahiro,” I added. “Otherwise, don’t complain if he beats you up for it.”

“Ha ha. Those two are so intimate, huh? I’d be so dead.”

“Seriously, be careful, okay?”

Takahiro was so serious and patient by nature that I often wondered why he was friends with someone as flippant as me. At the same time, he was the type who was very scary when angry. We ended up in this strange world, but he was still my precious friend, just as he was before.

All of the knights I knew I only met because of coming here. They were my comrades, and they all idolized the commander. I didn’t like the idea of their relationship with my friend getting weird, so I made sure to emphasize my point.

“I’m not kidding. Be careful, okay? He may not look it, but he’s pretty strong.”

“Huh? That so?” He looked surprised, but after thinking it over, he understood. “Oh, I get it. Now that you mention it, he protected key points of the fortress during the siege completely independent of the commander’s group, didn’t he?”

All of the knights here, including this veteran, had been fighting in separate places at the time. In fact, the knights who had fought with the commander back then were instructed to remain closer to Takahiro now. This was because they were more likely to see Takahiro in a favorable light since they’d overcome that battle by his side.

“During the battle with Juumonji Tatsuya, I heard Takahiro was giving out orders to his servants in a joint struggle with the lieutenant. So you mean to say he also fought back then? Is he stronger than you?”

“Well, yeah.” We’d had a few mock battles up until now, but even with my prized Aerial Knight, I didn’t win a single bout despite the fact that Takahiro didn’t use Asarina. “I’m not even a match for him.”

“Hmmm. That good, huh?” he said as he leaned forward.

This man really did have a great interest in such topics, befitting the long years he had spent risking his life in battle. The other knights were also drawn in by our conversation.

“It’s pretty pathetic. I’m not even close to beating him.”

“It’s okay,” one of the other knights said. “You have talent, sir. You’ll catch up soon.”

“I wonder about that...”

There was a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. Realizing this, I figured out that I had messed up. Just as expected, the knights were looking at me curiously. I waved them off, telling them it was nothing, and forced myself to act normal as I changed the topic.

◆ ◆ ◆

“Okay, I’m off. I’ll be back in a jiffy. I’m sure it’ll be lonely, but please wait for me.”

“There’s no need to hurry. It’ll take me time to pass out orders here, anyway.”

“Um...Commander? My feelings get hurt when you so plainly ignore that part about being lonely, you know?”

After that heartwarming exchange, I descended from the vehicle. From there, I headed toward a slightly open hill a short distance away from town. The survivors from Fort Tilia had pitched camp there. They had just started building defenses in case of a monster attack and were running about quite busily. Having finally reached Serrata, they felt release and relief from their arduous journey. It showed in their cheerful expressions.

I walked over to the edge of the encampment. There, a manamobile was parked next to the forest occupying half the hill. After exchanging greetings with the knights who were on guard a small distance away, I called out to the people inside the vehicle.

“It’s Mikihiko. Anyone home?”

“Mikihiko? By all means, come in.”

With Rose’s permission, I lifted the cloth to enter the manamobile.

“Oh, wait. Don’t come in yet,” Katou said in a panic.

But it was far too late. I had already stepped inside.

“Hwuh?”

I was greeted with a breast.

It was a happy and embarrassing surprise...except it wasn’t at all. It was a good thing it wasn’t too; Takahiro would’ve killed me. But though I hadn’t walked in on any of the girls naked, there was in fact a breast on the ground.

Yup, I’ve got no idea what’s going on.

“Am I getting enough sleep...?”

I rubbed my eyes, but it was no hallucination. That was obvious. I did have an extraordinary interest in the commander’s chest, but still, I wasn’t so abnormally starved that I would see such a hallucination. There was actually a breast on the floor of the manamobile. A huge one at that. Lily’s were splendid enough that one could tell through her clothes, but this seemed even larger.

However, on closer inspection, it was somewhat warped. Frankly, it wasn’t really sexy. How could I even describe it? It was as if a grade-schooler who was obsessed with sex but never actually saw the real thing had tried to create a three-dimensional drawing driven entirely by libido... Something half-baked like that. Not that this analogy really made any sense.

It looked like a breast at a glance, but the texture of the material was clearly off. Furthermore, breasts usually came in pairs, but there was only one here. I was still totally confused as Katou retrieved the mystery object in a fluster.

“Um, is that your breast?” I asked on reflex.

What the hell are you asking, you dumbass?

“I-It’s not.”

Katou obviously denied it. Her voice trembled ever so slightly as she immediately moved over to Rose. She then nestled up against the puppet, who was fairly tall for a woman, and looked my way, half hiding behind her.

If one didn’t know the circumstances, they might consider her behavior rude, but this was just how I talked with Katou. I didn’t mind it. Considering how she’d seemed liable to collapse at any moment when we first spoke, this was actually a major victory for her. I could really feel how earnestly she loved Takahiro and Rose.

“Oh, I forgot to clean up. I’m glad my master didn’t see that,” Rose said as she took the mock-breast from Katou and shoved it into a bag.

“Hey, Rose. What was that?” I asked.

She turned her masked face toward me. “If you’re going to create a human-like body, the breasts are important. That’s what Mana told me.”

“Huh? Well, you’ve got a point there. They’re super important, I guess?”

“I tried creating a woman’s breast with hopes to adapt it for my own body in the future. It was nothing more than a prototype, meant to be discarded before making my own chest, but it came out rather poorly. Mana said the bigger the better, but creating a part of the human body based entirely on my imagination turned out to be rather difficult.”

“Yeah, I bet. I don’t think Takahiro’s really got a thing for big tits or anything, though.”

“Is that so? Then Mikihiko, what manner of breasts do you think my master will like?”

Huh? You’re asking me? I stared back at her, but Rose was seriously waiting for an answer. She was levelheaded by nature, yet she could still be airheaded. How did I get stuck talking about my friend’s sexual preferences to a girl, anyway? Katou’s eyes were telling me not to say anything strange. She didn’t look like she could handle any more of this conversation. Not that I could either. My only choice was to settle it as safely as possible.

“Uhhh... Let’s see... Isn’t it better to go with whatever you think is best? I mean, it’s like giving a gift you think would be most suitable for yourself.”

That wasn’t quite the same thing, but Rose was evidently convinced.

“I see. What I think is best, you say?” The eyes beneath her mask shifted to Katou for confirmation.

“He has a point,” Katou added. “If you make what you think is cutest, it might actually be the best choice. Besides, it looks like there’s a limit to what you can do based purely on imagination. It’ll be better to investigate it some more before making anything.”

Rose turned back to me before Katou even noticed the strange gaze she had directed at her.

“Thank you very much, Mikihiko. This has been useful.”

She bowed her head courteously. I didn’t really get it, but it looked like things were settled. I felt like there still might be some trouble despite the safe conclusion, but that was probably just my imagination. What happened next had nothing to do with me.

“By the way, why are you here, Mikihiko?” Rose asked with a cock of her head.

“Oh, right. I don’t see Takahiro anywhere. Do you know where he is?”

“My master has gone out for a bit with Lily and Gerbera.”

“I see. Okay then, I’ll go take a look around.”

I thanked Rose, then left the manamobile behind.

◆ ◆ ◆

I found Takahiro within the forest behind the manamobile. They were out of view because Gerbera was with them. I could guess what they were up to. I raised my hand as Lily turned toward the sound of my footsteps, then entered the small clearing in the forest. If one didn’t know the circumstances, the scene before me would have looked like a monster killing a boy.

“Shyaaah!”

The Great White Spider was on the attack. The mere presence she gave off was pure power. It struck my skin and froze my entire body. I had expected this, but I felt like I was on the verge of screaming pitifully, so I bit down on my lip. I genuinely thought they were amazing. Both Gerbera...and the guy facing off against her.

“Oooh!”

Takahiro let out a roar and stood his ground without any hesitation in his movements. He repelled an incoming leg with his sword, warded off another with his shield, and then jumped from the spot to evade the next.

Though she was holding back, Gerbera’s attacks had plenty of force behind them. A glancing blow sent him toppling over. A finishing blow came next as a spider leg came crashing down. Takahiro just barely managed to roll out of the way. He immediately got back to his feet, but he was met with a merciless chain of attacks. Takahiro handled this well, but one of the blows still struck his upper arm.

Gerbera’s talons were folded, but that was pretty much the same as being struck with a hammer. Takahiro let out a stifled shriek as he lost his grip on his sword. It tumbled to the ground. Nevertheless, he didn’t let the pain dull his judgment. Takahiro caught the next strike with his shield and used the impact to jump back to get some space. He lowered his waist, preparing for the next attack even as his right arm dangled about loosely.

“That’s enough! Master! That’s enough!” Lily yelled, clapping her hands together.

Takahiro and Gerbera both dispelled their fighting spirit. Lily deployed a healing glyph as she immediately ran over to his side.

“Aah...dammit. How pathetic. I somehow missed that last one,” Takahiro grumbled.

“You’re getting tired, after all,” Gerbera said. “Still, that was an impressive performance for not having Asarina’s help. Besides, I found your reaction at the end rather impressive, just so you know.”

“More importantly,” Lily cut in, “are you okay, Master? That last one hit you pretty good.”

“It’s nothing serious. It isn’t broken, I think,” Takahiro replied. “Oh, huh. You’re here too, Mikihiko?”

The white light from the healing magic illuminated Takahiro’s face, highlighting his rather pale complexion. Even if the last strike didn’t break any bones, it definitely cracked some.

“Did you need something from me?” Takahiro asked.

“Yup. I’ve got a message from the commander.”

I started walking toward Takahiro when I noticed the sword he had dropped. I reached down to pick it up...and saw my palm covered in sweat.

“What’s up?” Takahiro asked.

“I-It’s nothing.”

I quickly wiped my hand against my clothes and picked up the sword, then ran over to him.

◆ ◆ ◆

After I informed Takahiro of the house we had managed to acquire in the suburbs and checked in with the knight who was to guide them, I returned to the commander’s side. She asked me about the progress of the encampment and informed me of the orders she’d given while I was gone. Then we got into a manamobile and headed to Serrata. The city was about half a day’s ride away.

“Commander, you’re looking a little pale. How ’bout taking a nap until we reach Serrata?” I suggested in a slightly stronger tone than last time.

She was pretty much white as a sheet now. No matter how I looked at it, she was pushing herself too much.

“There’s still much I have to think about before speaking with the count.”

“In that case, how ’bout I at least give you a shoulder massage? With dirty intentions.”

“‘With dirty intentions’ is clearly out of the question.”

“Yup. So if you don’t want that massage, then please get some sleep. If you go in that state, you might not even be able to have a proper conversation to begin with.”

She thought it over for a bit, then nodded. “Then, just for a short while.”

The commander folded her arms, leaned back in her seat, and closed her eyes. I let out a sigh of relief. I gave her a glance as she sat next to me. She was taller than me, and her body was muscular. She truly had the body of a hardened knight...but there was still a limit to such hardiness. There was much to do and not enough hands to do it. In this world, it was impossible to command people into action without a certain level of status. With the upper brass of Fort Tilia annihilated, the commander was the only one among the survivors who could give out orders.

Naturally, she ended up concentrating on her job. She had brought together the devastated forces of the army and ran about dealing with everything that had to be done to evacuate Fort Tilia. When that was over, she’d moved a large group of noncombatants and injured soldiers through the dangerous Woodlands. Without Shiran at the front and Takahiro to the rear, she probably would have collapsed on the way here.

It was honestly really frustrating. Unlike those two, I couldn’t protect her in any way other than using my status as a savior.

Can I become strong like him? I kept thinking to myself. Fortunately, I supposedly had a talent for fighting. I never would have noticed it back in our world, but when I held a sword or spear, I had mysteriously good instincts. It was different from a visitor’s inherent ability, though. It was more like all the gears within me were engaging just right. In fact, Gerbera had told me the same thing.

“From what I’ve seen, you seem to have more talent for fighting.”

This matter involved her precious lord. She definitely wasn’t lying. I could tell I was closing in on Takahiro’s sword skills at a significant pace, but I didn’t know how much meaning there was behind that.

I recalled Takahiro’s training earlier. He’d gone in under the assumption that he would spill his own blood. Broken bones were well within permissible limits. If someone were to undergo such severe training in our world, it would actually hinder growth. It was only possible here because of healing magic.

Takahiro was pushing himself as far as he could. He was sure to get stronger. Even as he was now, he was already stronger than myself and all those around me. A small difference in natural talent didn’t mean anything. In that case, if I also...

“Don’t get any strange ideas, Mikihiko.” Before I knew it, the commander had opened her eyes slightly. “I believe I know exactly what you’re thinking of.”

“What do you mean...?”

“Don’t play dumb. For a while now, after you go see Takahiro, you sometimes look as if you’re brooding over something. I can at least guess what you’re thinking about. So let me tell you now. Forget about it.” Despite her cold glare, her voice came out more as a concerned warning. “Just once, I also witnessed Takahiro’s training.”

“You too? He can train like that because this world has healing magic, right?”

“Yes, you’re right. Still, even if it’s possible, nobody does it that way. Nobody would normally think of it, and even if they did, they wouldn’t actually give it a try. If they did try it anyway, they couldn’t be half-hearted about it. That is to say nothing of doing it on a continuous basis... It just isn’t possible without a master of high-grade healing magic like Lily nearby. Even among the knights... Well, not even they would do it.”

The reason she was kind of going in circles was likely because of what Shiran had done in the past to get stronger. I’d heard about it before when one of the knights had gotten drunk and a little talkative.

“Commander...”

“I’ve said a little too much. I’m going back to sleep.”

She closed her eyes once more. This time she really did fall asleep. I could hear her breathing right away. Her sturdy body leaned against mine.

My heart burned from the weight of that which was dear to me. As I was now, however, this was the only way I could support her...

“I’m going to get stronger too, Commander.”

In my own way, without losing to him. So that one day, I can at least support you.

I hardened my resolve as the manamobile drove on. At this time, I still didn’t know what fate awaited me.