Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 7 - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: An Impossible Sight

“Who cast this glamor, and what for...?”

I gazed at the door after Mizushima left, quietly muttering to myself.

“What do you think, Asarina?”

“No? Know?”

“Right...”

I slumped as Asarina peered up at me from my hand. I wouldn’t be having such a hard time if it were easy to find the answer. I sighed and poked Asarina. With each poke, her entire body rippled like a wave. Was she having fun? I sure was.

“No, this isn’t the time to be escaping reality...”

“Ssster?”

“Now that I think of it, who...or I guess, what kind of being, cast this glamor is a pretty important question.”

I realized something after hearing Mizushima’s question.

“Even Gerbera got caught in this spell. What kind of outrageous being could this ‘enemy’ be...?”

The Great White Spider hadn’t reigned over the Depths for show. Previously, the queen monster Anton’s glamor hadn’t affected her at all. Maybe it would be possible if another high monster like her were casting it.

But would Gerbera truly not notice that she was under attack? She had survived for a long time in the Woodlands. She was outstanding at sensing danger, and she was very sensitive to hostility. Could even a cheater cast a glamor on her without her noticing it?

Nonetheless, the reality was that Gerbera had been caught in this attack. It was a mystery, but seeing how it had indeed happened, perhaps it was right to assume that our “enemy” was that level of being.

It seemed we were in a pretty bad situation. Our only stroke of luck here was that our “enemy” had, so far, only cast this glamor. They showed no signs of trying to harm us.

Giving it some more thought, this was also a mystery. If we were under some kind of glamor, wouldn’t they attack right away? Because they’d left us unharmed, I found myself in this strange stalemate. Still, it wasn’t definite whether this would go on forever either. So long as I didn’t know the purpose behind this glamor, there was no guarantee that we would be all right just because we were safe now.

“In any case, it really is irritating that my only choice is to constantly keep on guard.”

“Masss—ter?”

Just as I bit down on my lip, Asarina wrapped herself around my arm.

“What’s up, Asarina?” I asked, lowering my gaze to my green partner.

“Everyyy—one. Danger. Know. No?”

Asarina did her best to string some words together. However, I couldn’t understand what she was trying to say.

“Umm, what do you mean?”

“Danger! Everyyy—one! Know!”

She repeated her words with her creaky voice. I still couldn’t really understand.

“No, I don’t think they noticed?”

“No... Everyyy—one... Know...”

“Really?”

“Ssster...”

Asarina went dejectedly limp. Evidently, I was wrong. It was difficult to understand her. Just because she could talk, it didn’t mean her intentions got across. I scratched my head in confusion as Asarina’s head jolted back up. I watched her, wondering what was going on, when she stretched out toward the open window.

“Is there something outside?”

“Ssster!”

It seemed there was. I followed Asarina and walked up to the window. I looked outside and saw Shiran and Kei. They had wooden swords and shields in hand, made to imitate a knight’s equipment. Shiran was apparently in the middle of training Kei. Judging by how Kei was drenched in sweat, they’d been going at it for a while.

Shiran’s skin was only slightly sweaty. She had a lot more energy to spare. Her two blue eyes shone with the calm air of a mentor as she watched Kei’s every movement... Another headache hit me. Something here was strange. In all likelihood, it had to do with Shiran. I was starting to get used to this discomfort, so all I had to do to get by now was knit my brows a little. As I did, the sound of wooden swords clashing resounded from below.

“You’re not stepping in enough.”

“R-Right!”

Shiran calmly caught Kei’s intense swings with her wooden shield and pointed out any faults. After repeating this several times, Shiran went on the offensive. Kei desperately tried to fend her off. Sometimes her shield made it in time. Sometimes it didn’t, and Shiran would stop right before hitting her. Shiran was swinging just fast enough to push Kei to the very limits of her reaction speed.

“She really is amazing...”

It had been a while since I last saw Shiran wield her sword. Lately, she hadn’t been doing so. I felt like there was a reason for this, but I couldn’t remember what it was. Only one word came to mind after witnessing her swordplay for the first time in a while—beautiful.

I had thought the same thing when I first saw her training in Fort Tilia. It was completely captivating. Time passed as I remained bewitched by her sword. In the end, Kei took a thrust to her chest protector and fell over. That was it for her training.

“Let’s stop there for today,” Shiran said, her breathing only slightly rough.

Kei lay spread-eagled on the ground, answering through ragged breaths.

“Th-Thank...you...very...much...”

“You hung in there well,” Shiran said gently, a complete contrast to her strictness during training.

Shiran brought Kei a water canteen and a cloth to wipe herself off. After Kei got her breathing back in order, she slowly and unsteadily sat up. She accepted the canteen from Shiran and took a drink.

“Pwaaah... Shiran, could I ask you to train me a little more?”

“You shouldn’t force yourself,” Shiran told her with a slightly admonishing tone.

“But Takahiro persists until his very limits,” Kei grumbled, a sullen look on her face.

“Takahiro has a wonderful attitude, and your intent to try harder after seeing him is worthy of praise. However, you’re still growing. If you push yourself too hard, it could negatively influence your heart and body. There’s no need to act older than you are, you know?”

“Th-That’s not true. You’re lying. I heard you trained like crazy when you were my age, and you’re nice and tall and beautiful.”

“How do you know that...? Aah, did one of the older knights tell you? I’m guessing it was Marcus. Seriously, that man...” Shiran said with a sigh.

“I just want to be the same as you,” Kei complained somewhat peevishly while sounding a bit spoiled at the same time.

“You shouldn’t strive to be the same as me, Kei,” Shiran replied with a bitter smile.

“But...”

“You ought to be a stronger knight than me, in the truest sense.”

Shiran held out her hand to Kei. Even as Kei pouted, she obediently reached out, but their hands didn’t meet.

“Shiran?”

Shiran had unnaturally stiffened in the middle of reaching out for Kei’s hand.

“Sorry...it’s nothing.”

She shook her head and stretched out once more. Kei took it this time, a curious look still in her eyes. Shiran frivolously lifted her niece back up to her feet and embraced her.

“Shiran?”

“Kei, you will...” Shiran started in a kind tone. “You will one day become a splendid knight. The Third Company is gone, but Aker’s Order of National Defense still stands. There are many paths to becoming a knight. Once the commander returns from the Empire, let’s discuss this, shall we?”

I could only see Shiran’s back from my position. I had no idea what kind of expression she was making. I could only feel the gentle atmosphere wrapped around them.

“Really? Do you really think I can become an amazing knight like you?” Kei asked in a trembling voice.

Shiran brushed Kei’s head awkwardly, then said, “Yes. You are my brother’s daughter...my prided niece.”

“Shiran!” Kei shouted, clinging hard to Shiran’s body. “I’m so happy! But why all of a sudden?”

“I wonder? For some reason, I believed I couldn’t let this opportunity pass.”

They looked so happy. I felt a little bad watching them secretly like this, so I backed away from the window. The warmth of the sight I’d witnessed was accompanied by a slight pang in my heart from peeking on them. I let out a sigh, and a beat later, I realized something.

“Oh. This is clearly strange.”

“Ssster?”

That just now was definitely unimaginable. Not Shiran hugging Kei, of course. No, maybe that was a little unusual too, but at the very least, that wasn’t what I’d realized.

“There’s no way Shiran wouldn’t have noticed I was watching.”

Shiran had contracted spirits. I’d learned on the very first day I met her that it was impossible to peek on her. This was abnormal, but it wasn’t the truly weird thing here.

“Why is this the one time I know for sure that something is off?”

Even if I realized something was out of place, I’d never been able to identify what it was. But this time, I knew what I’d found strange. In other words, this instance was an irregularity. Something was different here. I didn’t know what, but one phrase repeated in my mind.

“What for? And who?”

Because the spirits’ senses weren’t working properly, I’d been able to peep on Shiran and Kei. If this “enemy’s” objective was still being fulfilled...maybe it meant they wanted me to see that? They wanted me to watch Shiran and Kei being happy?

“But why...?”

I tried diving deeper into thought, but I wasn’t allowed to.

“My Lord!”

In the next instant, the door to my room slammed open.