Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 7 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Consultation and the Result

The following day, Iino left, just as she’d said she would. Her plan was to return to the trade city Serrata in Lorenz County, press Margrave Maclaurin’s subordinate Louis for answers, and then reunite with the exploration team, who were on their way to the capital.

We didn’t have any reason to laze around ourselves. We resumed our journey in the opposite direction Iino had taken, toward Shiran and Kei’s hometown in Aker. We were currently in the Kitrus Mountains, a precipitous mountain range that hugged one of the Aralia River’s branches. The sky-piercing mountains drew a border between Lorenz County of the southern Empire and Cedrus of the Five Northern Kingdoms.

The mountains continued west and went on to divide Longue County from Aker. Up until now, we’d been proceeding northwest through the Kitrus Mountains in Cedrus. It was about time for the border to change.

If we were to continue going northwest, the mountains would come to an end and a branch of the Aralia River would take their place as the national border. The river split the two countries from each other, and I was told that one of the Dark Woods, a leftover scrap of Woodlands, spread out over that region.

In many cases, Dark Woods were left at large because powerful monsters resided within. They would be what we called rare monsters, queen monsters, or high monsters. In other words, they were viable targets to become my servants.

I definitely wanted to pay the Dark Woods a visit. Albeit, considering how I’d met Gerbera, there was a certain risk to encountering powerful monsters. It would be better to enter the Dark Woods after we’d settled down in Aker and had prepared ourselves sufficiently. Currently, our number one priority was reaching Aker.

Fortunately, our journey continued smoothly. We hadn’t had any terrible weather, and there hadn’t been any other accidents like the Skanda’s attack. It’d be a serious problem if things on that scale kept happening.

There was nobody I had any karma with—like I’d had with Takaya Jun—anymore, and now that Iino was no longer hostile toward me, we probably wouldn’t have any more trouble from the exploration team. If there was anything still up in the air, it’d be the other monster tamer, Kudou Riku. According to the impression I got from him when we last met, he wasn’t planning on baring his fangs at us yet.

In fact, the only things attacking us on the way were common monsters. Our encounter rate was fairly high, but this was simply because the mountain path was unused. That, combined with the path’s proximity to the Woodlands, led to an increased monster population in the vicinity.

Gerbera was in high spirits taking care of all of them, so there wasn’t a problem on this front at all. Seeing her so enthusiastic did make me wonder if she would slip up somehow, so I was a little on edge most of the time. But so far, she hadn’t caused any landslides or the like.

We also had Shiran, who could search for enemies in the vicinity using her sprite, and Ayame, who had a sharp sense of smell. With them, there was no danger to our journey, so it was about time we started thinking about what to do next.

◆ ◆ ◆

Early in the morning, after sword training, my sparring partner Rose left, and I was now alone with Shiran.

“You think we should split into two groups, leave the mountains, and go into town?” Shiran said. She was fully armored and looking at me with surprise.

“Now that we’ve gotten somewhat close to Aker, I think we should split up into two groups. Actually, we’ve got no other choice. I mean, we don’t have a manamobile anymore.”

“Oh, that’s what you mean. Certainly, without a manamobile, we won’t be able to keep Gerbera and Ayame out of view. It was one thing on the unused mountain paths, but it’s a different matter once we get out on the main road, let alone near any villages.”

“What’s more, Lily still needs time to recover. In any case, we need a group who can enter town and get us a new manamobile.”

“So that’s why you say we should split up.”

“It should be faster that way. Plus, we’ll be able to get supplies.”

Even though we’d retrieved some of the stuff that had washed away in the river, our provisions were in dire straits. We had been forced to regress to a nostalgic survival lifestyle.

Also, thanks to the aftereffects of battling the Mad Beast, Lily was still recovering, so her mimicry was rather limited right now. Her walking pace as a slime was extremely slow, so Gerbera was currently pulling her alongside our luggage in an impromptu cart Rose had made. This limited our speed as well, and we couldn’t use the main roads.

The plan was to split into two groups and have one go ahead to get a new manamobile. While those of us who could be seen in town did so, Lily’s group could take their time following in our wake.

“We have the funds the commander gave us, so we should be able to acquire a new manamobile,” Shiran said in a cautious tone. “However, it might be hard to find something of the same size and sturdiness. The manamobile we had was for military use. Also, Aker is far more rural than the Empire, so most vehicles are secondhand models from previous generations.”

“That’s fine. We don’t even really need the whole vehicle.”

“How so?”

“Come on. Rose has been analyzing the manamobile, remember? She’s gotten far enough in her research that so long as we have the runestone which makes it move, she can make the rest herself.”

“That’s...rather amazing.”

“She’s a little depressed she still can’t make one from scratch, though.”

After I’d tried comforting her, Rose had pulled herself together and declared she would make something that could match the speed of cars from my world. She’d also claimed she would make it unbreakable, even if Gerbera grabbed it and swung it around. I found this part of Rose rather cute. It made me altogether forget to quip that a car wasn’t a blunt-force weapon.

“I understand your intentions,” Shiran said, sinking into thought for a bit before raising her head. “So, are you going to ask me to accompany you?”

“That’s right. If we went on our own, we wouldn’t be able to speak with anyone.”

Talking with Shiran like this almost made me forget that this was another world. Without the translation runestone, we couldn’t even converse with the locals. We were, in fact, taking lessons on how to use a translation runestone, but it was honestly difficult to say whether we’d make it in time before reaching a town.

“Besides, as a native of Aker, I figured you’d be able to help us acquire the runestone we need.”

Customs differed between countries. This world was wholly unlike mine. Shiran’s assistance as someone who knew the local customs would make it much less difficult to accomplish what we wanted to do. In fact, during our journey from the Empire, Shiran had taught us all manner of things, from how to get by at a travelers’ rest stop to how to buy things in marketplaces. That was why I relied on her when it came to human society here.

“Can you do that for me?” I asked.

“I don’t know if...”

However, Shiran didn’t give me a favorable answer. A cloud fell over her expression as she averted her eyes. I honestly wasn’t expecting her to refuse, so I was a little bewildered.

“Are you maybe opposed to going into town with us?” I asked.

“No, that’s not the case, but...”

She apparently wasn’t objecting. If she were, she was the type to convince me this was a bad idea without putting on any pretense. But in that case, I was even more confused. She wasn’t opposed to my idea, so she had no reason to be so vague. Was there some kind of problem?

I continued staring at Shiran’s pale face and naturally recalled what had happened a few days ago.

◆ ◆ ◆

“Shiran is acting weird,” Kei said. “I’m a little worried... So I wanted to come to you for advice!”

“H-Hang on a sec.”

I placed my hands on Kei’s small shoulders to hold her back as she closed in on me. Gerbera and the others looked our way from where they were washing our stuff, wondering what was going on. I waved them off, saying it was nothing, then turned back to face Kei.

“Calm down, Kei. First, you need to tell me the whole story.”

“R-Right. Sorry. I got ahead of myself.”

“So? Shiran is acting weird? In what way, specifically?”

“Specifically... It’s a little hard to say.” Kei’s eyebrows drooped as she fumbled over her words. “How do I even put it? Umm... Somehow, lately, she’s not acting like herself... Um, like, my sister is usually super reliable, right?”

“She is. You’d never think we’re from the same generation.”

“Right, that.” Kei clenched her tiny fists in front of her and nodded repeatedly, then made a pensive expression. “Yet lately, she’s zoning out all the time. It’s like she’s always distracted or something, like she’s always deep in thought.”

In the middle of speaking, Kei’s shoulders slumped despondently. She really was worried about Shiran. Seeing her so down, I gave it some thought. There were a few things I could think of that would make Shiran act strange.

Shiran had died at Fort Tilia. She’d surpassed death and returned as a demilich. She’d lost the company of knights she was affiliated with. I’d seen her push herself too hard all the time, especially right after the commander’s arrest and our subsequent escape from Serrata. I’d also noticed Shiran was acting differently, in a way that could become dangerous, and had been keeping an eye on her.

However, I didn’t feel anything of the sort from Shiran now. She’d calmed down by the time we reached the Kitrus Mountains. In fact, by that time, she’d left the fighting to Gerbera, since by then we didn’t have to worry about being seen by others.

She’d managed to recover from the mental shock of all that had happened. Shiran was strong, and not just physically; her heart was also strong. The pride she’d cultivated as a knight now supported her. The fact that she’d opposed the violence at Fort Tilia without faltering, despite turning into an undead monster, wasn’t just for show. That said, I couldn’t just ignore it now that Kei had come to me for advice. Perhaps there was something else I hadn’t thought of yet.

“Takahiro,” Kei said, bringing me back from my thoughts. “Can you do something about my sister?” She looked up at me with pleading eyes, trembling. “She doesn’t want to show me her shortcomings... If I ask her, she’ll just dodge the question. But if you ask her, I feel like it’ll work out, one way or another...”

“Got it.” There was no way I could refuse her request. I put the slightest amount of strength into my grip on her shoulders. “So don’t look so sad.”

“Takahiro...”

Kei had come to me because she trusted me. I had to live up to that. Besides, if she was right, I shared her worries about Shiran.

“I’ll look for an opportunity to speak with her about it,” I said.

◆ ◆ ◆

Maybe my recent conversation with Kei was influencing me, but something really did seem off about Shiran’s behavior. It was probably a good idea to probe a bit.

“Hey Shiran. Has something been troubling you?” I asked.

She turned back to face me, her beautiful and unblemished elven features half-hidden by an eyepatch. All I could see was the bloodless left side of her face. A single emotionless blue eye stared back at me, highlighting her nearly translucent skin. After a short moment, she relaxed her expression and cocked her head.

“Did Kei say something?” she asked.

“Well...”

“I thought so,” she said with a sigh before bowing to me. “I must apologize for that girl inconveniencing you.”

I’d messed up. There was no point in her apologizing to me. Regardless, I had to say what was on my mind.

“Please don’t blame Kei. She’s just worried about you.”

“I don’t plan to...” Shiran started, but stopped halfway. “No. I suppose you have a point. I should be reflecting on how I caused her to worry to begin with.”

She shook her head as if she were exhausted.

“Shiran...?”

“I supposed I would have to mention this sooner than later. This may be a good opportunity.” Shiran’s attitude changed completely. She looked at me with her usual sharp gaze. “Actually, my body has felt a little off lately,” she said in a dignified tone.

“What...?” My head went totally blank for an instant. “A little off? Are you okay?”

I didn’t understand and unintentionally took a step closer to her.

In contrast, Shiran was fully composed. “Yes. There’s no need for concern. It’s nothing serious. It’s just that, with a body like this, everything is poorly balanced. I can still fight, but my strength has deteriorated in some ways.”

Shiran paused and formed a fist before continuing.

“I didn’t say anything because there’s a possibility everything will return to normal. I figured I would wait it out and see for a little while. I couldn’t possibly let everyone worry about me unnecessarily, so I had kept quiet to see how things would turn out... I’m very sorry.”

“So that’s what it was,” I said, then suddenly realized something. “Is that maybe why you haven’t been taking the front in battle lately?”

“Yes. Having said that, I should still be able to fight on the same level as Rose. Nevertheless, I was worried about how it would turn out after a series of battles, so I decided it would be safer to stay in the back unless I was needed.”

During the chaos at Fort Tilia, Juumonji Tatsuya had stabbed Shiran through the chest. Then she’d turned into an undead monster. Several inconveniences accompanied that transformation. For example, after she lost her sense of reason and turned into a ghoul, she hadn’t been able to use the spirits right away when she regained her heart. It made perfect sense that her combat potential had fallen due to the instabilities of her body.

As a matter of fact, from the very beginning, I’d been worried about some kind of unexpected change to Shiran’s body. The reason I never noticed until now was because she hadn’t shown any signs of it.

Conversely, even if it was a bit of a problem in combat, it was trivial enough that it didn’t hamper her daily life. I knew she wasn’t the type to lie and cause everyone trouble when it was really important, so she’d probably accurately estimated that she could fight at the same level as Rose. She had no reason to lie about her condition in the first place.

The inconvenience she was speaking of wasn’t urgent, so I was relieved for a moment. I had to pay more attention to her now, of course, but it was at least fortunate that we didn’t have to figure something out right away.

“Thanks for telling me, Shiran. I get the gist of it,” I said, letting out a small sigh of relief. “But if you notice some kind of change, let me know. I don’t care how trivial it is. Kudou and I are the only ones who have powers related to monsters. I might be of use to you.”

“Thank you very much.” Shiran lowered her head deeply. “By the way, Takahiro, what shall we do about heading into town? Just as I mentioned, my combat potential has deteriorated. If only Kei and I were to accompany you, I believe there would be concerns regarding our combat strength.”

“Hm...? Oh, that.”

Her lackluster response to my proposal had been because she was worried about our safety. Now that I understood, I corrected her.

“It’ll be fine. There’s no need to worry about that.”

“Meaning?”

“You two aren’t the only ones coming with me. I’m considering asking Rose and Katou to come too. Also, I plan on asking Berta to escort us partway there.”

Incidentally, even after we’d chased off Takaya Jun, Berta still guarded us. When Gerbera had fully recovered, Berta had gone back to Kudou. She’d said she would return, and it was about time for her to get here, which was why I’d decided we should be getting ready to split into two groups. If I could get her to give Katou a ride, our pace would improve substantially. I didn’t know whether she would agree to this, but judging by the impression she gave us so far, I expected she would do so if asked.

“In that case, it should be fine,” Shiran said.

Now that she knew we would have company, she looked relieved.

“So...”

“Yes,” Shiran replied with an understanding smile. “I will accompany you into town.”