Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 7 - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Identified on Sight

Fortunately, by the time I got down to the alley, the situation hadn’t changed much from when I was looking out the window. There was nobody in sight aside from Shiran, Fukatsu Aketora, and Thaddeus. It looked like a seldom-used path to begin with.

The sound of me slamming the door open to get there resounded through the quiet alley. Fukatsu’s blood was running to his head, and he was too busy quarreling with Shiran to notice, whereas Thaddeus appeared to have heard me, being somewhat closer to the door.

The young man wearing a loosely draped cloth over his torso stopped mediating between the two and turned my way. He also seemed to remember me. He watched me running over, glanced at Rose...then turned to me once more, his eyes wide and his expression stiff. His befuddled state irritated me. I had no idea what had him so shocked, but Shiran and Fukatsu were still quarreling. As his travel companion, it was Thaddeus’s responsibility to stop them. There was no point in complaining about that, though, so I gritted my teeth and quickened my pace.

“Why do you want to know that?!”

“I’m tellin’ ya I got reasons, dammit!”

At this distance, I could hear them clearly now.

“It ain’t all that complicated! Just answer my damn questions! That’s all you gotta do!”

It looked like Fukatsu was trying to get something out of Shiran, but she was refusing to comply, which had led to the current argument. I’d been under the impression that he’d come to pick a fight because she was my acquaintance, but that didn’t appear to be the case.

What could a visitor like Fukatsu possibly want from Shiran? I started to wonder, but regardless of the reason, I had to go help her first. Just as I took in a breath to call them out, Fukatsu snapped.

“Enough already! Just tell me what I wanna know!”

He closed in on Shiran and tried to grab her arm. His violent approach seemed to be fueled by the blood rushing to his head. Shiran looked like she was going to deal with it. She had once faced down another cheater, Juumonji Tatsuya. Even if this wasn’t the midst of battle and she didn’t have the spirits’ support, her opponent wasn’t seriously attacking her. Moreover, he was lunging at her without any composure. Shiran had been ready for anything to happen, so even if this was a sudden event, she had the means to deal with it. That should have been the case, anyway.

However, Shiran wasn’t the same as when she was in her prime. She’d told me that her condition had deteriorated. Her combat potential had once been on par with Gerbera, but she’d since fallen to somewhere around Rose’s level. Even though that classified her as plenty strong in this world, she was poorly matched against a cheater.

Shiran couldn’t twist her body away fast enough, and Fukatsu managed to roughly grab her forearm.

“I’m tellin’ ya to— Huh?” Fukatsu started to say something but suddenly swallowed his words. “What the...?”

I couldn’t see his face from where I was, but I could hear the suspicion in his voice. He lowered his gaze to the arm he was grasping.

“Cold...?”

Shiran’s face spasmed. In that instant, a fire ignited within me.

“Fukatsu!” I roared at the top of my lungs.

That finally caught his attention. Fukatsu turned in shock at the sudden noise. As he did, Rose and I ran all the way up to him. There was no time to catch my breath. I came to a stop and immediately spoke.

“Let her go, Fukatsu.”

He looked thoroughly displeased at the intrusion. “The hell do I hafta listen to—”

“Let her go,” I said again in a deep voice.

My mind was seething with violent emotions for the first time in a while. Even so, I just managed to maintain my composure. If I were to draw my sword here, Rose would certainly join the fray. Nonetheless, it would still be considerably difficult for us to handle a cheater. If it came to it, I wouldn’t hesitate, but this wasn’t the time to place my hand on my sword’s hilt.

“Let her go,” I repeated once more.

When I last met him, Fukatsu Aketora seemed to hate me. Yet when we first met at the inn, he’d seemed utterly disinterested. It was more like he hadn’t wanted to get involved in anything troublesome. Even if he couldn’t be called friendly by any metric, he hadn’t been hostile toward us. He’d only started to show disgust on our second encounter...when he bumped into Rose and me while we were walking around town.

“In any case, this guy’s prolly trash just like the rest of ’em. Draggin’ a buncha chicks around like trophies is proof of that.”

I didn’t think of them like that or treat them like that, so it didn’t feel good to be misunderstood in that way. Still, I could understand his disdain. At the very least, he had enough dignity to find people like that unpleasant. He was rough around the edges, but he wasn’t a prideless outlaw. As such, it would be rash of him to draw his sword here too.

“Tch.”

After he stared me down for a bit, Fukatsu let go of Shiran’s arm. She immediately pulled back from him and staggered.

“Takahiro...” she said, her single blue eye looking at me frailly.

“Are you all right, Shiran?” I asked, ignoring Fukatsu and walking up to her.

“T-Takahiro. I’m so sorry for causing you trouble...”

She was clearly shaken. She was clasping the arm that Fukatsu had grabbed. This seemed to be an unconscious act. Shiran being an undead monster was one of the biggest secrets our group was keeping, and this event could expose that. She wasn’t afraid of Fukatsu’s actions; she was afraid of causing us trouble. I knew full well that that was the type of girl she was.

“It’s not your fault, Shiran.”

She’d been unlucky to get involved with a cheater here. Nothing could be done about that. It was merely a natural disaster. At the same time, it was also fortunate that he was a visitor. Fukatsu Aketora didn’t know what was considered common sense in this world. So long as he didn’t know any other elves, he would have no way of knowing whether they just had a different body temperature from normal. He also didn’t know that I had the power to tame monsters.

He’d been surprised by how cold she was and maybe found that suspicious, but it would be highly unlikely that he’d come up with the ludicrous idea that she was an undead monster.

“Let’s go back, Shiran,” I said in a sharp tone.

“R-Right.”

Shiran nodded, but her stride was uncharacteristically timid. Her self-condemning thoughts had completely seized her.

“Hey! Wait up!” Fukatsu yelled, irritated.

If I were pushed to say it, it seemed like he was angry at being ignored, but Shiran didn’t take it that way. Her pale face stiffened considerably. Seeing this, my mind wandered to the night of the commander’s arrest.

“Is this really fine?”

“If my identity is discovered, it will cause you trouble.”

That night, Shiran had seemed so frail that it felt like she would suddenly vanish the moment I took my eyes off of her. She was giving off the same impression now. I knew right away that things couldn’t be left like this.

“Ah.”

Stimulated by that compulsion, I unconsciously pulled Shiran into a side embrace. Half of this was because I felt that she would vanish if I didn’t hold her, and the other half was because I wanted to protect her.

Fortunately, Shiran didn’t reject me. On the contrary, she leaned in against me. She muttered quietly and hid herself using my body. Her stiff hands clung tightly to me. Encouraged by the fact that she was relying on me, I turned to Fukatsu once more.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“I don’t want nothin’ from you,” he answered, his face like that of a snarling beast.

I wouldn’t have made it through so many life-or-death situations if that was all it took to scare me.

“You really think I’ll back down just because of that? Can’t you tell she’s scared?” I said. Shiran wasn’t actually scared of Fukatsu, but I didn’t really have a reason to tell him what really had her frightened. “If you have something to say, then come back after you cool off.”

“That’s not gonna fly,” he said, showing no signs of backing down. I scowled at his unexpectedly persistent attitude, but his next words made me feel the slightest bit of concern. “We’ve got our own shit goin’ on too.”

His voice was a little quieter, perhaps because he’d managed to cool his head a little because of our interruption. There was an earnest ring to it now. For the first time since I got here, I took a proper look at Fukatsu’s face.

“I can’t possibly back down, man,” he said, desperation flickering in and out on his sharp features. I could tell by his expression that there was a good reason for this. “We gotta hear about the Royal Army’s plan for a monster subjugation operation, and that woman knows about it.”

“An operation?”

I felt the urge to turn and look at Shiran, but I stopped myself from doing so at the last second. I had to act appropriately to get through this. Shiran wasn’t the person I needed confirmation from right now.

“And why do you think Shiran knows about this?” I asked.

“Don’t play dumb,” Fukatsu snarled, baring his teeth. “That woman is a big ol’ knight in that Alliance order or whatever, right? I saw her comin’ out of an army building in town. I’ve already found out that they’re plannin’ a large-scale operation nearby. She’s gonna be lendin’ them a hand, yeah? If so, she’s gotta know the details.”

His logic did make sense, but even though I thought that, I kept it from showing on my face.

“So? Why do you want to know about it?” I asked.

“I...can’t say,” he answered, biting down on his lip impatiently. “I’ve got reasons I can’t talk about.”

“Then it’s out of the question. Do you really think you can get what you want like that?”

“I’ve gotta know!”

He appeared to understand how unreasonable he was being. Nevertheless, he had no intention of backing down.

I had a general grasp of the situation now. I wasn’t sure what exactly a monster subjugation operation entailed, but I’d heard about eyewitness accounts of monsters near the neighboring villages. The army was probably preparing to deal with it.

Considering Shiran’s personality, if such an operation was going on, it was highly likely that Adolf had told her about it during their meeting so that she could provide advice, and if necessary, lend a hand. However, Shiran refused to tell Fukatsu about it.

That made perfect sense. Adolf had talked to her about it precisely because she could be trusted. She couldn’t possibly blab about it to someone she didn’t even know, especially when that person refused to tell her his reasons.

The problem was that Fukatsu was well aware that his request was unreasonable. He wasn’t so stupid or arrogant that he wouldn’t realize it. Despite this, he’d gone as far as grabbing Shiran’s arm to try and get this information from her. It didn’t seem like he would give up over a half-hearted reason either. What drove him so far?

Regardless, now wasn’t really the time to be thinking of all this. I inhaled and spoke to him once more.

“Sorry, but I don’t think Shiran knows what you want to find out.”

“The hell are you—?!”

“We didn’t come here to help with any subjugation or the like. She simply went to that building to greet them in the middle of our journey.”

That was the truth. Fukatsu was under the impression that Shiran had come to this town as an Alliance Knight in the middle of a large-scale monster subjugation operation to lend a hand, but that wasn’t the case at all.

“We’ll be leaving town tomorrow,” I added.

“Liar. I’m not gonna let ya off with those half-assed excuses.”

“If you doubt us, then you’re free to follow us. You can go do some sightseeing at the reclamation village we’re heading to.”

Fukatsu’s conjecture was incorrect. At the very least, his basis for believing it was off the mark. In truth, his conclusion that Shiran had heard about the plans could be right, even if only by coincidence, but he had no way of confirming that. Even if he planned on persevering here until his unreasonable demand was met, nothing would come of it if Shiran didn’t actually know anything.

“If that’s all, we’re leaving,” I said, turning on my heel after I’d confirmed that Fukatsu had lost all his vigor.

“Hang—”

“Do you still need something?” I cut him off coldly. “If not, we’re taking our leave.”

Fukatsu was at a loss for words. I turned away from him and walked off, still holding Shiran’s shoulder. I was relieved that he didn’t try to say anything else. I didn’t think he was crazy enough to run wild in the middle of town, but a conversation with someone I could only run away from if it came to a fight still had me tense.

In spite of everything, it looked like I’d managed to get by without anything serious happening. I looked up, spotting Katou and Kei looking down from the window. I gave them a signal that everything was okay, then turned to Shiran.

“That was quite the disaster. Are you all right, Shiran?”

She’d been thoroughly shaken earlier. I wanted to support her as much as I could before we moved somewhere she could relax and calm down. With that in mind, I looked at Shiran’s face up close—and saw something unexpected.

“Ah... Uhh?” she murmured, looking right back at me with a melted stare.

“Huh?”

I stiffened at the surprise attack. Her face was usually taut, the very definition of stern, but now it looked completely bewitched, as if in a delirium. However, there was no red tinge to her cheeks, so it gave her a peculiarly erotic atmosphere.

It felt like my soul was a captive of her gaze. It was like my brain was going numb. Even with my thoughts slowed, I realized I’d seen this once before, but before I could remember when, a loud voice struck my ear.

“Wait! Please!”

The shrill voice brought Shiran’s hazy expression back to normal and pulled my consciousness back to reality. I reflexively put myself on guard and turned around. The one who yelled at us...wasn’t the persistent Fukatsu.

“Please, wait.”

It was Thaddeus, who hadn’t so much as reacted the entire time we’d been talking. He looked at me with a strange fervor in his eyes.

“It shouldn’t be. It’s impossible. But I can’t think of anything else...” he muttered.

“Thaddeus?” Fukatsu said in bewilderment. This was apparently unexpected behavior from his traveling companion.

Thaddeus’s expression turned terribly serious as he walked my way with uncertain steps, his mind too preoccupied with something else entirely. It was a little bizarre.

“Hey, Thaddeus? What’s up with you?” Fukatsu asked.

“Maybe, just maybe... If it’s really the case...”

He ignored Fukatsu and the obvious agitation on my face as he stretched his hand toward me. I couldn’t read his intentions at all and was totally absorbed in his movements, so I reacted a little late.

“What...are you...?” Thaddeus mumbled.

The moment before his hand reached me, something cut in between us.

“You’ll come no closer.”

It was a black bardiche. The sturdy half-moon blade shone dangerously and threatened Thaddeus.

“If you try to do something to my master, I’ll be forced to deal with you appropriately,” Rose said forcefully, holding her large ax in her hand.

As one would expect, Thaddeus backed off. If he were to do anything suspicious, she would mow him down.

“R-Right... Forgive me.”

Thaddeus groaned and took one, then two steps back.

“Aketora, don’t move. That was my fault,” he said to the seething Fukatsu, then turned back to me. “My apologies. I was so surprised that I ended up doing something rather rude. Please forgive me, and please excuse Aketora’s impolite behavior.”

He came back to his senses, and his face regained its calm demeanor.

“I won’t come any closer, so let me ask you one thing,” he continued. “What’s your name...? Oh, no, you don’t need to tell me that. I’m well aware that you’re wary of us, especially with this recent incident.”

“What’s your question?” I urged him on. I was, of course, still on guard.

Thaddeus slid his hand into his clothes. He then held out his other hand to Rose, who was still in a low stance ready to strike, to show her that he wasn’t being hostile. After that, he slowly took his hand out of his clothes, making sure not to alarm us, then showed us his palm. He held a white jewel in his hand that gave off a faint light from the inside.

The moment I saw it, I felt a throbbing deep behind my right eye. For a second, I thought we were under some kind of attack, but Rose and Shiran didn’t react. The throbbing subsided quickly, though.

Thaddeus began talking. “This is a treasure passed down among my clan, given to us by a certain great lady. It’s a magic tool of the highest class.”

His tone was calm and serious. His gaze was fixed on my eye—just my right eye. It was as if simply looking there made everything obvious to him.

“Do you perhaps know of a monster called the Misty Lodge?” he asked.

It was practically a miracle that I didn’t react in some way. The legend of the Misty Lodge was well known. But Thaddeus had called the Misty Lodge a monster. That wasn’t common knowledge. That was to say nothing of asking her contractor of such details. How could I possibly remain calm? If I hadn’t steeled myself for any question beforehand, it would surely have shown on my face. I didn’t know whether Rose or Shiran managed to get by without reacting. It took me everything I had just to keep my own agitation suppressed. I didn’t have the leisure to check on them.

“What’s that...?” I barely managed to say, keeping my unrest from showing.

This was different from Shiran’s altercation with Fukatsu. Thaddeus knew of the monster known as the Misty Lodge and suspected me of being related to her in some way using an unknown method. He’d driven me into a really bad corner.

That was why I felt a little relieved when Thaddeus said, “I see. That was a strange question. Sorry.” However, his next words came with no pause, and they heightened the tension once more. “You’re obviously trying to deceive me.”

“I’m not trying to—”

“Sorry, please wait,” Thaddeus said, cutting me off and holding out his empty hand. “That was my fault again. I’m sure it’s inconvenient to have this truth exposed. It’s a matter of course for me to open up to you first.”

Thaddeus’s words were wrapped in mystery, but Fukatsu seemed to know what he was getting at.

“H-Hey. Thaddeus, don’t tell me you’re gonna...?”

After he smiled at the surprised boy, Thaddeus turned back my way, pulled back his left hand, and put it against his face.

“I’d like you to take this as a token of my sincerity,” he said.

I could see the apprehension in his expression. I had no idea what he was going to do. Thaddeus was hiding the left side of his face with his hand. He brought his head a little closer to us without alarming Rose. He then moved his hand a tiny bit so that only we could see behind it.

“Wha—?!”

I was speechless. Thaddeus’s eye wasn’t that of a gentle young man. The area around his left eye was covered in ocher scales. And that wasn’t all. His gaping eye socket housed an eyeball much like a lizard’s, its inhuman pupil reflecting our astonished figures.

“No way, are you...?” I started, but I couldn’t speak the words that came after that.

Seeing us at such a loss, Thaddeus smiled.

“Could you please listen to our story?”