Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 7 - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Fox and the Wolf’s Evening Part 2 ~Ayame’s POV~

Bodily fluids splattered about. Something closely resembling a human arm burst out of Berta’s back. I wondered whether it hurt as another shot out. The two arms grasped the wolf’s gray bristles, and rising up with a splash as if breaking the surface of a lake was...the upper body of a human girl.

“It really is more comfortable like this,” she muttered quietly while turning my way.

I’d seen this form earlier. Had I not, I would have been completely stunned. Up until now, Berta was a big wolf with tentacles coming from her waist. Now she looked more like a girl who’d turned into a monster with the lower body of a wolf with tentacles.

She was kind of like Gerbera, I guess? That made me feel a little affection for her. Her wet black hair hung loosely over her expressionless face as she turned to me with her mean-looking eyes. Her clear, tan pupils were really pretty. She was probably about the same age as my master and the others. Her facial features looked more like his than Shiran’s. That made her a little different from Gerbera.

[Is that your true form, Berta?] I asked.

“Yes. My king calls me a scylla,” she answered calmly.

Despite her demeanor, my whiskers were tingling. Something inside me was so very scared. She probably wasn’t at Gerbera or Lily’s level, but I could guess that she was very strong. If I’d seen her like this before talking to her today, I probably would have been shivering nonstop. But now I knew Berta wasn’t a bad monster, so there was no need to be scared.

“You’re hardier than I thought,” Berta said in slight admiration as I stared up at her.

[What do you mean?]

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand.” She lightly shook her head, her icky tentacles flopping about and matching her movements. “More importantly, you’ve stopped eating.”

Oh, right. It’s mealtime.

“There’s a bit of mist in the air. It isn’t an obstacle for us given our noses, but it’s still dangerous if our vision is hampered. Eat quickly.”

Just as Berta had said, a white blur was beginning to cover our surroundings. There were a lot of clouds in the sky today. I could get back using my nose, but it was a little risky if I couldn’t see. I decided to focus on the meal in front of me.

Berta’s wolf heads also went back to eating. Once in a while, she would use her human hands to pull some unneeded skin out of the way. How nice... That looks super convenient. Paws weren’t really useful for that kind of thing.

[Hey, hey, Berta?]

Once I was starting to feel full, I started talking to Berta again. She looked like she could still eat a lot, considering how much bigger she was than me, so I thought we could chat in the meantime.

[You’ve eaten a whole lot to get stronger, right?]

“Yes. That isn’t all, of course.”

[Did you gain that form by getting stronger?]

“Yes.”

[So! So! Can I become like you too?!]

Her wolf heads remained focused on eating while her human half turned toward me.

“Do you want to become like me?” she asked.

[Yup. I was thinking maybe it would make my master happy.]

“Happy...?” Berta said, squinting. “Why would your king be happy if you become like me?”

[Umm... If we become cute girls, our master gets happy, apparently.]

I’d heard this some time ago while resting in Mana’s lap and listening to her talk with Rose. I was half-asleep at the time, so I didn’t really know the full details, but I kinda remembered something along those lines.

“Hmm... So that kind of king exists,” Berta murmured.

I could barely hear her. She was probably talking to herself. I cocked my head curiously. From the way her tail drooped and swayed about, it looked like she was envious, but that only lasted for a second.

“Is your king not a human? Would he be fine with a form as damned as mine?”

[He would.]

I was positive he wouldn’t mind. It’d be nice if I could become like Lily, but turning into something like Berta would work too. I knew that Gerbera, who also had the lower half of a monster, had been getting along well with our master lately.

[I’m sure it would surprise him. Is it possible I can do that?]

“Hmm. I wonder...”

Berta sank into thought. She groaned, her expression somber. Seeing her like this, I found that though she resembled Gerbera, her personality was more like Rose’s. She was super serious. I could tell by watching her that she was putting a whole lot of thought into this. Her wolf heads kept eating, though.

The sound of chewing went on for a while, until she said, “It’d be useless to do it the exact same way as I did. This form is characteristic to me.”

[Oh...]

How sad. Things weren’t going to go the way I’d hoped.

“But...” Berta continued, “I fought many monsters and ate their corpses. Among them were those who could transform their bodies using glamor magic to falsify their forms.”

[Like a doppelganger?]

“Yes. That would be an example. A doppelganger’s characteristic ability is powerful, allowing one to transform into anything it has seen. There are also monsters who can only transform into a single specific form. For example, ones that change a small portion of their body into metal, grow wings, or change their skeletal structure. Among them, there are those who can take on a human form.”

[A specific form... Is that how your ability works?]

“It is. Transforming one’s body is a fairly unique specialty. Otherwise... Right. I’ve seen other fox-type monsters use glamor magic. With training, it’s possible you can do something similar in your own way.”

[Really?!]

“Yes. How about giving it a try?”

[Yeah!]

I hopped up and down and wagged my fluffy tail about. This was thrilling! Would my master be shocked if I looked like a human?

Okay! Time to give it my all!

◆ ◆ ◆

“You have no talent...”

[Noooo!]

After Berta finished her meal, she gave me her honest opinion. My ears and tail stood on end in shock.

[D-Does that mean I couldn’t use it at all to begin with? Like, as a monster?]

“No. Your mana is moving about a little. It doesn’t seem you were born without the ability to do so.”

Berta had continued to help me while she ate. She had told me about the abilities of all sorts of monsters she’d fought, and she’d watched me try the things she’d mentioned and taught me whether I had a knack for it. We’d excluded the options that seemed hopeless, arriving at the conclusion that I could maybe transform a portion of my body. That was when she told me I had no talent.

“It isn’t that you’re incapable of transforming,” she continued. “Your mana flow is just too feeble.”

[So I have no talent? Oh well...] This did make sense. My tail was all dangly now. [I have no talent. I’m the weakest of my master’s servants...]

“There’s no need to get depressed,” Berta said, her voice a little gentler than before. “Besides, weakness has nothing to do with this. It’s unfortunate you couldn’t accomplish your goal, but don’t be mistaken. We’ve only been talking about transformation and glamor. That’s not necessarily the case for anything else.”

[You mean it? But I’m actually really weak, you know?]

“For now, you are. You haven’t lived all that long, so you don’t have enough mana yet. Given time, you’re sure to gain power and surpass that damn spider.”

[Hwuh?!]

My droopy tail suddenly shot straight up.

“Why are you so surprised? For example, my king’s power is to make others his pawns. But he can’t subjugate anything with a mind too strong for him to dominate. These are simply exceptions. In other words, he can dominate anything without a will no matter how strong they are.”

Berta paused there as if remembering something.

“Your king’s power is the opposite. His ability makes any monster strong enough to possess a will into his servant. You fulfilled this condition despite your young age, so that means you should have the makings of a powerful monster.”

[U-Uhhh?]

This was getting too complicated for me. I could tell she was praising me, but I couldn’t understand most of what she was saying.

“Despite your youth, you’ve seen a fair amount of carnage already. Being connected to your king at your age has likely had a positive influence on your growth. If there’s anyone who could surpass your potential... I suppose that parasite in your king’s arm is about the only one.”

[Asarina?]

“Yes. It’s because of the unique soil that parasite grows from. That thing is basically a miraculous being.”

Ooh. I don’t get it, but Asarina is amazing... Well, my brain was basically at its limit by this point. Berta had no way of knowing this, of course, so she kept explaining.

“However, such a birthplace also has its limits. So long as the soil is weak, the parasite’s talent won’t bloom. Plant-type monsters generally have an aptitude for glamor magic, so it might be possible for... Hm? What’s wrong?”

Feeling dizzy, I whimpered, and Berta stopped her explanation.

“Oh, sorry. Was it a little too complicated for you?” Berta asked with a strained smile. “In any case, I’m sure you’ll one day be able to transform. Even if you don’t specialize in it, you have the potential to at least accomplish it.”

Her tone at the end was like that of a teacher. Honestly, I still didn’t understand half of what she was saying. In short, I just had to try my best, right? In that case, it was simple.

[Okay! I’ll give it my all!] I declared, puffing my snout up into the air.

“I’m sure it’ll take a long time, but keep striving to better yourself.”

[I wonder if my master will be happy.]

Thoughts of the future had my heart dancing. Just imagining it made my tail waggle. The future sounded so fun. I couldn’t wait! Berta had said it would take a long time, but how long did she mean exactly? A day? Two? Maybe three? Umm... What’s after three? I didn’t really know. Maybe it would take even longer?

[Hey, hey, Berta? Can I ask you something? Huh? Berta?]

I cheerfully called out to her, then cocked my head. Berta looked out of it. She wasn’t reacting to my voice.

Noticing the curiosity in my eyes, she finally blinked and came back to her senses.

“Oh, sorry. It seems I zoned out.”

[Is something wrong?] I asked in a worried tone.

“No. It’s nothing serious,” Berta replied, shaking her human head. “I just find your king mysterious for rejoicing about all of you transforming into humans.”

[Mysterious? Why?]

I let out a curious whine, and Berta diligently answered, despite her own hesitation.

“My king doesn’t like this form...” she said, putting her hand to her naked chest. “I thought that was normal. That’s why I was surprised when you said your king is different.”

[Hmm? Is that so...? That’s weird.]

I cocked my head again. Berta was, in fact, kinda scary looking, but I didn’t think it was something to hate her for. To each their own...I guess?

[Uhh... Sooo... Have you been hiding this form because...]

“Yes. It was my king’s command,” Berta said with a nod. “Having said that, I don’t really like this form myself.”

[Huh? Really?]

I stared at her in wonder. Berta had said that she’d obtained this form by getting stronger. If so, it should’ve been something she could be proud of. But that wasn’t the case, apparently.

“Whenever I look at myself like this, I’m reminded of my past,” Berta said, looking down at her five-fingered hand. There was something swaying deep behind her tan eyes. “It’s a memory of failure, back before I had a name. I’m filled with regret every time I recall it. Why couldn’t I be Anton? Why am I Berta? I know regretting it doesn’t mean anything at this point...”

She was mostly talking to herself. I didn’t understand a lot of it. Anton was Anton. Berta was Berta. Berta couldn’t be Anton, and Anton couldn’t be Berta. It didn’t make sense to regret that.

Was there some other meaning to her words then? I didn’t even know why she was reminded of the past when she saw herself like this. I didn’t know anything. I couldn’t say anything to comfort her.

All I knew was that when I listened to her...my chest hurt. Berta truly regretted something from the bottom of her heart. That much even I could understand. I couldn’t console her because of my ignorance, but I still felt pain. So I didn’t say anything. I shuffled over to one of Berta’s hanging wolf heads and licked her snout.

Berta sprang up with a jolt. Both her wolf heads and her human head above them looked down at me in shock. I must’ve startled her, seeing as how all of her eyes were wide open.

H-Huh? Did I make her angry? I meant to comfort her... Did I do it wrong? Awawawawa... I started panicking, but then Berta’s human expression changed. Her lips curved ever so slightly. Her tail wagged about. Her tentacles wriggled. The atmosphere around her changed completely.

“Thank you...” Berta said, brushing back her black hair to try and feign composure. “Also, sorry I made you listen to my meaningless complaints. This is the first time I’ve revealed this form to anyone other than my king and his servants, so I was a little thrown off.”

Phew. Thank goodness. It looked like Berta was back to normal now. She was curt and scary looking, but now I knew she was actually good at looking after others. I didn’t like seeing her in pain.

“We should get going soon,” she said. “The fog is getting thicker.”

[Okay.]

I nodded back obediently, relieved to see her back to normal, and followed her as she walked off.

Oh... I forgot to say something.

[Hey, Berta?] I called out to her as a mist started to fully cover the mountain.

“What?”

[I like that form of yours.]

Berta’s human half turned around, her tan eyes like saucers.

[I find it, you know, like, super cool,] I added.

“I see.”

Her reply was brief, but Berta’s tail wagged just slightly. So I also wagged my tail. This little exchange of ours was fun. The two of us marched together through the misty mountain back to everyone else.

[Hey, hey, Berta?]

“What?”

[Can you help me practice transforming again later?]

“You ask that, but you’re really just hoping for more food, aren’t you?”

[Not at all! I’d be happy if there was food, though.]

“Then shall we go hunting together next time? Blowfoxes are skilled hunters. There might be things I can learn from you.”

As we talked, the fog around us got thicker and thicker and thicker. Whiter and whiter and whiter. Mist wrapped around us entirely as if it were holding us in its embrace. I didn’t notice what we were getting ourselves into at all.