Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 6 - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: To My Beloved

When I woke up, I found myself lying on my back, looking up at the starry sky.

“Are you awake, Master?”

Still in a daze, I heard a voice call out to me. I swiveled my head to see Rose sitting on the ground, working away as always. Just a few hours ago, she didn’t have a lower body, but now she was back in perfect condition. Berta had managed to retrieve the bag of tools that we’d lost during the landslide. Rose had used the spare parts inside it to reassemble herself. This was one of the advantages of a puppet-type monster.

However, things weren’t so simple for everyone else. What really hurt us right now was that Lily, the only one who could use powerful grade 3 healing magic, was down for the count. Pretty much everyone was injured, so we couldn’t move about as we wanted to. We couldn’t even reunite with Shiran and Kei because we were now quite far away from them.

In the end, we’d asked Berta, whose wounds were relatively shallow, to go bring the two of them to us. After Shiran turned into a demilich, she couldn’t use healing magic. Given our current situation, the only one who could use healing magic, at a barely passable level, was Kei. Because of that, we’d asked her to start with Iino and Gerbera, who’d suffered the deepest wounds.

During her treatment, Iino had woken up, and we’d briefly explained what had happened. Surprisingly, after she quietly listened to our story, she’d quickly fallen back to sleep. Maybe she simply didn’t have the energy to react in any way. We would probably have to talk it over again with her tomorrow.

Gerbera was also exhausted from the battle, and she’d fallen asleep in the middle of her treatment. Her legs were folded up, and she was snoring away peacefully. Kei was curled up with Ayame in her arms, leaning against Gerbera’s leg and sleeping herself. This scene of meager happiness brought a smile to my face as I tried to stand up.

Just then, something pulled on my clothes. I looked down to find Katou lying next to me, close enough to make my heart pound.

“Mmm...”

She let out a defenseless moan. Her girly hand gripped the top of my sleeve.

Now I remembered. Since my injuries had been relatively minor, Katou had cast healing magic on me. Because of her consistent training, she could now do so. Having said that, she could only use grade 1 magic. It sped up the natural healing process a little and worked slightly as an anesthetic, but its effects were rather limited. Even so, an accumulation of small stones could make a mountain. That was a bit of an exaggeration, but the repeated use of her magic had had a proper effect.

“Mana has been constantly casting healing magic on you, making sure to take rests every now and then,” Rose told me. “Please thank her later.”

“Sure thing.”

I gently removed her fingers from my clothes and stood up. Matching my movements, a shadow raised its head.

“Second King.”

“Berta?”

The two-headed wolf turned to face me.

“We’re really indebted to you,” I told her.

“It was my king’s command. Don’t concern yourself over it.”

Berta’s response was cold, but I shook my head to refute her. “So you say, but that doesn’t change the fact that you saved us.”

Berta remained silent.

“Thank you, Berta,” I said, then cocked my head. “What’s wrong?”

Both her pairs of eyes, filled with the light of intelligence, stared at me for a while.

“I already knew this, but you’re very different from my king,” Berta said, waving her tail about casually. “No... Never mind... My king has commanded me to see to your safety. Be at ease.”

Berta lay down on the ground, folded her forelegs, and rested both her heads on them. She closed her eyes, having no intention of conversing any further.

“Takahiro.”

I gazed at the tentacles waving around at Berta’s waist as Shiran called me from the other side of the campfire.

“Rose and Berta are with us,” she said, “and I will also warn everyone of any impending danger. Please leave things here to us.”

Shiran pointed up at the sprite dancing about in a happy-go-lucky manner and smiled. I smiled back, though a bit chagrined that she had seen through me so easily. I thanked her and stepped away from the campfire.

◆ ◆ ◆

I walked off, guided by the mental path. The girl I was looking for wasn’t all that far away.

“Lily,” I called out to her.

Lily, who was looking up at the sky, turned my way. The stars were at her back. I felt a sense of déjà vu watching her smile among the glittering scenery. It was a strange sensation. I knew this image from somewhere... As I thought of that, I looked at the sight before me and—

“You’re awake, Master.”

Her voice brought me back to reality. Before I knew it, that mysterious sensation had vanished. I scratched my head awkwardly.

“I see you’ve recovered enough to move about,” I said.

“Aha ha. I’m still nowhere close to fully recovered, though,” she replied, smiling.

There was no color to Lily’s skin. Her upper body, shaped like a girl sprouting from her slime bottom, was totally transparent. Everything from her voluptuous breasts to the fascinating curves of her waist were made of slime.

“Master, how’s your condition?”

“My body still feels a little heavy, but I’m mostly recovered. Katou put in her best effort and all.”

I took a seat right next to where Lily’s upper body was. This was a normal distance between us, one I’d gotten very used to. The only difference now was that Lily wasn’t leaning against me.

She intertwined her fingers in front of her and quietly remained still. She lowered her eyes, keeping them fixed on her hands and her body below her waist. Her fingers weren’t fully formed. It wasn’t only her skin that hadn’t taken shape, but also the minor details of her body.

I gave her a sidelong glance. “Hey Lily, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Did you awaken Mizushima Miho’s...a visitor’s power?”

During the battle with the Mad Beast, Lily had broken through the manashackles and participated in the fight. She’d then shattered the limits of her mimic slime abilities. The way she’d fought, using the many abilities of the Woodlands’ monsters she’d eaten, was almost as extraordinary as the Great White Spider of the Depths.

Her last attack against the Mad Beast had been especially impressive. The weight of that single blow had even surpassed Gerbera’s strength. All that together was enough for me to assume she’d acquired some new power.

“Mm. I did.” Lily pulled back just slightly, a strange smile on her face. “Just having a wish deep within the soul will manifest an inherent ability... I’ve always been running away from my wish.”

She once more looked up at the sky.

“All this time, I hated myself for being nothing more than an unsightly monster,” she continued. “However, I also accepted this aspect of myself in equal measure. I wanted to surpass my own walls, just like you did. That was the only way I could stand by your side with pride.”

She wanted to accept the unsightly monster she was. Was that Lily’s wish? A visitor’s inherent ability was a reflection of their own wish. While drawing out the monsters deep within her body and surpassing her limits through partial mimicry was one aspect of her ability, it was also a physical expression of her desire.

“I’m going to get much, much stronger,” Lily said, gazing off into the stars.

She still wasn’t used to her newly acquired power. Once she had grown accustomed to it, she would absolutely be much more capable in combat. But it was clear that wasn’t all she’d meant. Lily was going to continue walking down her path so that she could become someone suitable for her master. To that end, she believed she could become infinitely stronger. That conviction gave her power. That was her way as a servant.

“Seems like quite the hurdle, huh?” I muttered to myself bitterly.

To become a master suitable for her, I had to continue putting in just as much effort as she did. It really was a tall order. Not that it was a bad thing, though.

“Oh. Sorry,” Lily said, her earnest smile crumbling as she turned my way. “About not being able to use my magic right now, I mean. Even though everyone needs treatment...”

“There’s nothing to apologize for.”

Lily’s power was tremendous, but it had also exhausted her far more than anything before. That final attack she’d used against the Mad Beast had significantly burdened her body. She was so exhausted she couldn’t even use her regular mimicry right now, let alone her magic.

That was why she couldn’t form a human body right now. The price she’d paid balanced out the power she’d gained, I suppose. Or perhaps this was a part of the ability Lily now possessed, exposing her side as a monster and accepting that aspect of herself. That had been her wish, after all.

Seeing Lily giggle by my side, I—

“Mmmm?!”

—put my hand to her cheek and gave her a light kiss. Lily looked absolutely shocked by this. She was so surprised, in fact, that her upper body lost its shape for an instant. After sprouting back up, Lily held her lips with both hands and leaned back about fifty centimeters away from me.

“Wh-What are you doing?” she asked.

“Do you have to ask?” She was being so precious that it made me want to tease her. “Do you not want to?”

“I-I do, but...”

Lily waved both her hands. Slime dripped from her incomplete fingers. When she saw this, her expression clouded over.

“Actually, are you really okay with kissing me as I am right now...?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Isn’t it gross?”

Oh, I get it now. She was worried about her current form, which was why she hadn’t snuggled up against me like she usually did. Now convinced of this, I moved over, sitting back down right up against her, and embraced her. The softness in my arms was different from that of a girl. There was a peculiar elasticity to it. The surface of her skin was silky smooth and chilly. I pressed my lips against hers. This too felt different from usual. I could taste Lily on my tongue.

“Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wha—?!” Lily shrieked.

I parted my lips from hers and stared at her point-blank. “Aren’t you a little too flustered?”

We’d kissed many times before this. Actually, we were close enough to sleep together. Even if my pounding chest and the crushing love I felt was the same as the first time we made love, it was odd for her to be so shaken by this level of affection after all this time.

“I mean...” Lily started weakly, the ends of her eyebrows drooping. “This is the first time you’ve been so proactive.”

So it was pretty much all my fault. I couldn’t say anything to that. It felt like she was calling me a spineless dolt, even though I knew she hadn’t meant it that way. Not that I could make any excuses...

Having said that, tonight was different. Sometimes it was important to express myself through actions rather than words. Lily had acknowledged herself as a monster and overcome the wall inside her. Her current state was a result of that. In that case, it was my role to accept her. No matter what Lily was, I would continue to love her forever. If doing so could help her accept herself, then...

“I love you, Lily.”

“I love you too, Master... From the bottom of my heart.”

I embraced my beloved monster in my arms and shared a deep kiss with her.