Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 7 - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: The Skanda’s Destination ~Iino Yuna’s POV~

After the meeting ended, I returned to the room assigned to me and lay in bed for a while, staring up at the ceiling. How much time had passed like this? I wondered. After steeling myself, I got up and left the room to go see our leader.

“I thought you’d show up. Well, come on in,” he said with a smile when he saw me.

I entered his room. I thought maybe Kuriyama would have been here, but I didn’t see her anywhere. That was a bit of a relief.

“It’s been quite the day for visitors,” our leader said as he shut the door.

I looked around the room and spotted two cups on the table.

“Was someone just here?” I asked.

“Okazaki.”

He urged me over to a seat and had someone clean the table.

“Did Okazaki have some kind of business with you? Is this maybe about Heaven’s Voice?” I asked as I took a seat across from our leader.

Had there been some kind of development? I’d asked with that thought in mind, but our leader shook his head.

“No. Sorry to dash your hopes, but it had nothing to do with that. He just came to give his opinion on the exploration team’s plans from now on.”

“His opinions...? Oh, you don’t have to tell me if it’ll cause problems.”

“It’s fine, there’s nothing to hide. Everyone already knows, anyway,” our leader said, waving his hand to say that such consideration was unnecessary. “Okazaki is opposed to the exploration team going to the imperial capital.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. More precisely, he doesn’t want to link up with the Holy Order. If we do, the Holy Order...or, I suppose, the Holy Church, will obviously place some restrictions on our movements, right? Okazaki questions whether there are any merits to this.”

“It’s true we won’t be able to move about as freely as we can now...but is that really a problem?”

It would be a problem if we were arbitrarily ordered around and forced into action, but so long as that wasn’t the case, we would still have to exercise some self-restraint regardless. Such were the fetters of human relations.

“You’re right,” our leader said, “but Okazaki also has a point worth considering.”

“Meaning?”

“It looks like he’s unusually wary of the guys who left the exploration team.”

“Y-You’re not telling me they’ll become our enemies, are you?”

“Relax. I don’t think so. They don’t have any reason to, anyway. Still, the only ones who could oppose the exploration team are other warriors with the strength of a thousand. In other words, cheaters. Okazaki is wary of this fact. If we join with the Holy Order and lose the freedom to act on our own, then we couldn’t immediately help if something really bad were to happen. It could get dangerous at the critical hour. He’s been saying this for a while now, but with recent news of Heaven’s Voice, he’s getting more on edge.”

Now that I thought of it, Okazaki had sounded bitter when talking about the people who’d left the exploration team. So this was why.

Our leader interlaced his fingers over the table, then looked up at the ceiling. “Well, just as I said before, I at least understand where Okazaki is coming from. But I do wonder. I just can’t help but think something is a little off. I just hope he understands what ‘one warrior worth a thousand’ really means.”

He seemed to be talking to himself. He didn’t notice my questioning gaze and continued with a sigh.

“Firstly, can everyone really claim that they truly understand their own abilities? Blind belief is dangerous, and also a waste.”

“What do you mean...?”

Our leader lowered his eyes back to me and nodded firmly. “I mean that everyone’s powers should be far more amazing. To the point where my Sword of Light looks like no big deal.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s a bit of an overstatement...” I said with a wry smile.

Nakajima Kojirou’s Sword of Light was definitely one of the strongest powers among all of the cheaters’ inherent abilities. I believed I was among the best when it came to one-on-one hand-to-hand combat. Yet I wasn’t sure whether I could beat our leader one-on-one. His power was just that preeminent.

“Saying anyone should be able to beat you is pretty far-fetched,” I added.

“That’s not true, Iino,” he replied with a shake of the head. “If you don’t believe you can beat me, that means you aren’t properly manifesting your abilities. According to Majima, the powers we possess stem from our wishes, right? By fully grasping your own desire, wishing for it even more, and perfectly understanding the power you gain, you should be able to match me.”

“Is that so...?”

His words had such conviction behind them that I mysteriously found myself thinking that he might be right. This man had the power to inspire others. That was because he believed in the potential of his comrades more than any other.

“We’ve gone off track,” he mumbled, coming back to his senses. He scratched his cheek, perhaps embarrassed about how heated he’d gotten.

Using this brief pause as a good opportunity, the servant who’d cleaned up the cups earlier set some tea before us. The two of us took a sip before continuing.

“Ummm... So, you came here to speak your mind, right?” our leader asked. “Go ahead. Say whatever you want.”

“Oh. No. That’s not what I’m here for,” I said, waving both my hands about.

“You don’t need to hold back, you know?” he said dubiously. “You had something you wanted to say during the meeting, right?”

He’d apparently seen right through me then. However, the reason I wanted to say something was a little different.

“Yes, but I’m not opposed to the exploration team’s plans or anything.”

Visiting Margrave Maclaurin, figuring out his true intentions, asking him to deal with our problems if possible, and then heading to the imperial capital—I believed there was no other course of action for us to take. I had no objections to our leader’s plans.

“Hmm. So what is it?” he asked.

“I came here to get your approval for my own personal activities, unrelated to the exploration team’s plan.”

“Go on,” he said with a hint of interest in his voice.

For a single instant, I hesitated. My mind was questioning whether I was making a mistake and being selfish. But then I suddenly remembered something. I remembered the words that serious-looking boy had told me—and reflexively scrunched my face. After that, my words came out fluently.

“I’m thinking of going to the region where our former members went.”

“Tell me more,” our leader said, narrowing his eyes.

“Of course.”

I nodded, then began explaining my idea.

◆ ◆ ◆

The next day, after I finished preparing for my journey, Aoi and Ishida paid me a visit.

“Hey, Yuna-senpai, are you really going?” Aoi asked without trying to hide her displeasure. “You finally came back to us...”

“Our leader told you the reason yesterday, right?” I answered while checking my luggage. “I can’t make the best use of my speed if I go with everyone. I can investigate the region where the fake savior is in person, then still make it to Nourias to join back up with you guys.”

“You’ve got a point...but do you really hafta go there to investigate?”

“I feel like we have far too little information right now,” I said. This was what had been on my mind. “I don’t think I’ll find the fake savior, but I should be able to find out more from visiting the region, right?”

“Well yeah, that’s true...” Aoi muttered, still somewhat unconvinced. “You’ve, like, kinda changed, Yuna-senpai.”

“Really? How so?”

“It’s like you’re more prudent or something.”

“Are you saying I used to be foolhardy?” I said, staring at her reproachfully.

“I-I didn’t say that. You’ve got it wrong.” Aoi waved her hands and laughed it off. “But I was just thinking. Did something maybe happen with this Majima-senpai guy you met?”

“What’s this got to do with Majima...?”

“I mean, you went to chase him, didn’t you?”

“I don’t really get...”

Just as I started talking, a boy’s voice resounded in my head.

“You should put more thought into things before taking action, dumbass.”

“Nobody can keep up with your speed as it is. Stand still and think things over once in a while, dumbass.”

“He’s got nothing to do with it,” I declared.

Yes. Nothing at all. Not in the least. No way a guy like that was influencing me.

“Yuna-senpai, you look super scary.”

I pushed on my cheeks and grimaced. “It’s your fault for saying weird things.”

“You make a good point. Let’s leave it at that,” Aoi said with a nod. “Hmm. I’m not like our leader or anything, but I’m a little interested in this Majima-senpai now too.”

“Wow. Aoi, you have horrible taste...”

“No, no, no. Not like that. I’m talking about Mana. She was with him, right?”

“Umm... Do you mean Katou?”

She was talking about that terrifying girl who’d jammed a knife into my thigh. I only vaguely recalled her given name, so I wasn’t sure who Aoi meant for a moment. I hadn’t talked with Mana much over the few days I spent with them while recuperating. I was well aware that I disliked dealing with her, perhaps even more than I disliked dealing with Majima.

“She was. What, do you know her?” I asked.

“Well duh. We were in the same class. We got along pretty well.”

“Hmm. That’s a little unexpected... You two seem pretty different.”

Katou’s expression and mood were always gloomy. I couldn’t forget those shudder-inducing dark eyes when she turned against me. But when she was with her travel companions...especially Majima and that monster named Rose, the atmosphere about her was surprisingly different.

“You think?” Aoi said, cocking her head. “She likes teasing people and can be a little imp, but she’s a cheerful and energetic girl.”

Now it was my turn to cock my head.

“Cheerful...? And energetic...?”

“Well, unlike me, she’s pretty bad at sports and really smart, so in that sense, we’re, like, total opposites,” Aoi added, laughing it off before suddenly looking serious. “From yesterday’s meeting, all I got to hear was that they weren’t involved in Fort Tilia’s attack... Give it to me straight. Is Majima-senpai trustworthy? Is Mana okay?”

Tension ran through the air, revealing a glimpse of the Stalwart Snow White. Out of the exploration team members, she boasted the most monster kills in close-quarters combat. All I could see on her face now, though, was concern for her friend. That was why I answered in as gentle a voice as I could manage.

“Relax. I hate Majima, but I think we can trust him.”

I recalled Majima’s desperation when he tried to save Lily. When it came to his family, he was a gutsy boy who’d risk his life to protect them. We had only been together for a few days, but I could tell that Majima cherished Katou.

I wondered why he treated a human girl, who wasn’t his servant or anything special, like that...but I guessed that they’d gone through many things during their journey. As for Katou...she was head over heels for him. She was very clearly in love. I honestly had no idea what could have made her fall for him, but they did say that everyone had their own tastes. In any case, no matter what happened, Majima would never bring harm to her.

“We can trust Majima-senpai, right?” Aoi asked again, staring at me intently.

“I think so,” I said with a big nod. “But I hate him.”

“Do you really hafta add that?” Aoi said, her serious expression crumbling with an astonished smile. “Hmm. I kinda wanna meet him now.”

“Aoi,” Ishida called from behind her.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” Aoi replied as she pouted.

“Aoi, take care of the exploration team for me,” I said, giving her small shoulder a slap. “We’ll meet again in Nourias.”

With that, I once more left the exploration team behind.