Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 7 - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Puppet’s Future ~Rose’s POV~

The young man walking our way with the visitor had a gentle demeanor. His soft light-brown hair and kind features complemented his mild mannerisms. However, his slender body was that of a fighter. I could see his tempered muscles beneath the single layer of clothing he wore.

I’d seen this type of clothing, a cloth draped over the torso that ended in a loose girdle, every now and then since we entered Diospyro. It was the native dress of northern Aker, according to Shiran. A single-edged sword hung at his waist, and several wooden decorations fashioned after some sort of creature dangled from his neck.

For some reason, the moment our eyes met, I felt a strange sensation. It wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable, but it was strong enough that I couldn’t ignore it. Before I could figure out what it was, though, the young man turned to the boy standing next to him.

“Say, Aketora, isn’t this the fellow countryman you spoke of yesterday?”

“Like I give a shit...”

The boy we’d met in the inn the other day, who already had a grumpy expression to begin with, scowled even more.

“Here you go again, acting in a way that’s sure to make you more enemies,” the young man replied in both remonstration and exasperation. But despite his tone, his mannerisms remained gentle.

“Weren’t you worried about what your compatriots were doing?” the young man continued. “Why waste an opportunity like this?”

While the visitor looked like he wanted nothing to do with us, this man seemed rather interested. He smiled and walked our way. I didn’t sense any hostility, nor did I feel uncomfortable. His demeanor was actually pleasing. But I was still my master’s guard today. Regardless of this man’s attitude, I had to remain vigilant.

I stayed glued to my master and slipped my hand into a large pocket inside my apron. My fingers fell upon the hilt of my ax. So long as I was by my master’s side, I had to remain armed. This pocket worked like a magic bag in that the capacity was extended, so I could pull out my weapon at any time.

Perhaps noticing my wariness, the man stopped before he got too close.

“A pleasure to meet you. My name is Thaddeus,” he said, then glanced calmly at the boy next to him. “The grumpy-looking one over here is Fukatsu Aketora. I have to say, I never expected to meet one of his kind in this country.”

“What business do you have with us?” my master replied cautiously. He didn’t openly show any displeasure the way the visitor—Fukatsu Aketora—did, but he was still on guard. But that was a normal reaction when a complete stranger called you out in the middle of town.

On the other hand, Thaddeus was all smiles. “Nothing serious,” he answered. “I was wondering what fate brought you, a person from the same far-off lands as Aketora, here at the same time as us. Could you spare a minute to talk? Oh, please be at ease. I know of your...circumstances, to an extent.”

“To what extent?”

“That you appeared in the forest. That you possess power. That you came in numbers previously believed to be unthinkable.”

Thaddeus had kept his wording somewhat vague, probably in case anyone overheard us. Still, it was clear that he was talking about visitors from afar.

“What do you want to talk about?” my master asked.

“To put it plainly, I’d like to know what Aketora’s countrymen are up to.”

“So you just want information?”

“Well, that’s not all.” Thaddeus chuckled, a refreshing smile spreading across his lips. “I’m also simply interested in speaking with you. Just as I said before, some kind of fate has brought us together. If possible, I’d like to become friends with you. Fortunately, you don’t appear to be bad people.”

He didn’t appear to be lying, so I felt it would be okay to talk with him. However, this was my master’s decision to make. I waited to see what he would do, but he seemed to be hesitant. He was curious as to why another visitor was here in Aker. And since they’d approached us in such a friendly manner, there was no reason not to engage with them.

“So, would you mind speaking with us for a bit?” Thaddeus continued, sensing that my master wasn’t completely opposed to the idea. “Of course, I won’t probe into your circumstances. If you could tell us whatever you’re fine sharing, it would be a great—”

Just then, an irritated roar resounded through the street.

“Thaddeus!”

“Aketora...”

Looking surprised, Thaddeus turned to his companion.

“Give it a rest, Thaddeus,” Fukatsu Aketora said, gathering the attention of the people around us. “It’s pointless to get involved with ’em.”

He seemed to greatly dislike us. He was practically spitting hostility in our direction. He then quickly glanced at me as I remained nestled against my master.

“Anyway, this guy’s prolly trash like the rest of ’em. Draggin’ a buncha chicks around like trophies is proof.”

“You insolent—” I started, my hand tensing around the hilt of my ax on reflex.

“Stop, Rose.”

Even though this Fukatsu Aketora was ridiculing him, my master stopped me from doing anything rash by grabbing my arm, the one still wrapped around his.

“Very well...”

I let go of my ax. While it was careless of me to let my composure slip, I was acting as my master’s guard, so I had no intention of leaping into battle spurred only by my emotions.

“Hmph.”

Fukatsu Aketora snorted and turned on his heel. His attitude annoyed me, but I couldn’t possibly expose my master to danger. I stood there and quietly watched him walk away. Once he was gone, the hustle and bustle of the crowd returned.

Thaddeus sighed deeply. “I’m very sorry for Aketora’s rude behavior.”

“It’s fine. I don’t really mind.”

Just as he’d said, my master didn’t look particularly offended. He probably hadn’t liked Fukatsu Aketora mocking him like that, but he still acted indifferent. My master was like this sometimes. Perhaps his experiences in this world had shaped his disposition.

“He saw me with one of my other companions yesterday, a girl whom the innkeeper had mistaken for my wife,” my master explained. “It was just a misunderstanding, but now he sees me walking around with another girl. I could see how he’d get a bad impression of me.”

“I truly am sorry,” Thaddeus replied. My master’s indifferent attitude had spurred his guilt, and he looked even more apologetic than before. “Aketora has gotten tired of the other visitors’ attitudes, so he fled from them.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. That’s what he told me, but I never thought he would hate his compatriots this much. I acted too rashly...”

Thaddeus probably wasn’t conscious of this, but we’d learned some interesting new information from him. That boy was a cheater, but he wasn’t currently part of the exploration team. Iino Yuna had told us that some of the cheaters at Fort Ebenus had quit the exploration team, so maybe he was one of them.

“I can’t leave Aketora on his own, so I’ll be taking my leave. He doesn’t have a translation runestone with him right now, you see.”

“Okay.”

“How unfortunate,” Thaddeus added with a sigh. “I really did want to speak with you some more.”

“Why are you so fixated on talking to us?” my master asked suspiciously.

“Hm? Oh, I see. I suppose it does seem a little strange,” Thaddeus answered, looking embarrassed as if he’d only realized this now. “For some reason, I don’t feel we’re meant to be strangers.”

My master didn’t respond.

“Sorry for saying something so strange. If fate allows it, let us meet again.”

Even as he parted, Thaddeus was nothing but gentle.

◆ ◆ ◆

Once Thaddeus had vanished into the flow of the crowd, I finally relaxed. The two of them really had left quite the impression. Fukatsu Aketora’s attitude was one thing, but Thaddeus also had a peculiar air about him.

“How strange,” my master muttered.

Still clinging to his arm, I turned to look at him.

“Master, are you also curious about this Thaddeus person?”

He looked puzzled. “Hm? No, I’m talking about the translation runestone.”

“The translation runestone...? What about it?”

“Just now, Thaddeus said Fukatsu wasn’t carrying one, right? That implies that Thaddeus has it. I’m just a little hung up on that detail.”

“That’s not all that strange. Even in our group, both Shiran and Kei have a translation runestone, right?”

“That’s because they were the only ones who could use them at the time. But now you can too.”

“Yes, because I learned how.”

“Right,” my master replied with a nod. “And it’s not just you. I hear Katou is almost at the level where she can use one. Given time, visitors can learn how to use a translation runestone. Fukatsu should know how to as well. I mean, he was on his own yesterday.”

“Now that you mention it...”

When we encountered Fukatsu Aketora the other day, Thaddeus hadn’t been with him. Perhaps he’d been in their room or had already left the inn. Either way, Fukatsu had been able to converse with the innkeeper. That meant he could use a translation runestone.

“If he can use one, it’d make more sense for him to carry it,” I concluded. “I’m surprised you managed to notice so quickly.”

“I’ve had to be careful about being stuck in town on my own, after all. When I first learned of translation runestones in Fort Tilia, I spent quite a bit of time racking my brain over how to handle communicating in the future. How could I learn to use one? And even before that, how could I get one?” My master paused, suddenly realizing something. “Hang on... How did they get one?”

“If I remember correctly, translation runestones aren’t really in circulation.”

“Yeah. They’re normally only used to communicate with visitors, so there’s no general demand for them. The Holy Church should have all of them since it’s their job to work with saviors. I’ve heard that the Empire has some stockpiled because their territory is so vast and they’re more likely to make first contact with any visitors. Still, they’re only in military facilities, and we’re in Aker.”

“Maybe Thaddeus is from the Empire?” I suggested.

“In that case, why would he be dressed like a native Akerian?”

“That’s true... Maybe he’s in a similar position to Shiran and Kei?”

“Well, we can’t count that out. Our situation isn’t all that different from Fukatsu’s.” My master nodded, even though he still seemed to have something on his mind. “He’s probably got a lot going on. He seems to fervently hate visitors. I’m sure he saw some things.”

Something had to have happened to Fukatsu, and it couldn’t have been good. Or it could be that Fukatsu Aketora was simply a moody person.

“If you’re curious, then shall we go after them and probe them for more information?” I suggested.

I was reluctant to allow my master to further interact with someone who held him in such contempt, but if it was necessary, then I had to let it be. However, my master shot down my suggestion almost immediately.

“No, let’s not. Even if Thaddeus is friendly, Fukatsu really does seem to hate me. There’s no need to go treading on a tiger’s tail.”

“A tiger? To stroke a dragon’s whisker and tread on a tiger’s tail. This is an idiom from your world, correct?”

“Huh, I’m surprised you know about it. I didn’t know that first half with the dragon. Did you hear it from Katou?”

“Yes. I think Mana heard it from Mizushima Miho. According to Mana, she was an avid reader...or rather, an indiscriminate one.”

“Oh really? That reminds me, back when we were living in the Woodlands, Lily taught me a lot I didn’t know using Mizushima’s knowledge.”

Out of respect for the dead, it was difficult to ask Mana about Mizushima Miho, so my master hadn’t had many opportunities to learn more about her. He had no idea about her hobbies.

“I’d wondered why Mizushima knew about draining blood from wild game...” my master said. “I guess that’s why.”

As a small digression, the reason the monster meat he’d lived off of in the Woodlands had tasted so bad was because Lily, or rather, Mizushima Miho, knew that the blood had to be drained, but had no idea how to do it. Since then, Shiran had taught us about rigor mortis and the like, and about curing meat to give it a good flavor. When it was properly treated, monster meat was considered a delicacy in the fortresses of the Woodlands.

“We’ve gone off track,” my master said. “Well, that’s the gist of it. We’re better off not prodding them more than this.”

“Understood.”

“Besides, this is a rare occasion for me to spend some time alone with you. It’d be a waste to squander that.”

He’d jokingly added that last part, probably because he wasn’t seeing me as a woman. Still, it was a little unfair of him to throw it out there so casually.

“We should enjoy ourselves,” he added.

“Yes.”

I was so happy that I was afraid I’d lose my concentration and all expression would vanish from my face. I had to focus hard to keep it under control.

◆ ◆ ◆

After we’d gone through the stalls, we returned to the main street lined with shops. This was my first time entering a store. Not only was it a new experience to look around the general goods and weapon stores, but it was a great learning opportunity for me as a crafter.

“Oh! Master! It looks like they sell runestones here!”

How many times had it been now? We entered another store, and I saw runestones and magic tools lining the shelves. They didn’t sell any powerful magic tools that could be used in battle, though. They mostly had simple runestones for everyday life and the magic tools they could be used with.

I was captivated by everything I saw. In my master’s world, they had something called mass production through mechanical industrialization, but here, most things were made by hand. Just looking at it all made me feel like I could improve my crafting skills.

“Master! Over there—” I started to say, turning around with vigor, when I met my master’s eyes. “Oh...”

It didn’t appear to be a coincidence. He was looking at me more than the goods on the shelves. How long had he been like that? Ever since we entered the store? Or maybe even before that?

“F-Forgive me, Master. I lost my composure.”

He’d seen me getting carried away. Now that I thought of it, I’d been completely engrossed for some time. I vaguely recalled tugging on his arm and dragging him from one shop to another. My body tensed up in embarrassment.

“Don’t worry about it,” my master said with a shrug. “I’m having fun too. I mean, we never had the chance to leisurely look around at shops before. Besides...it’s fun watching you get all excited like a kid, Rose.”

“P-Please don’t say such strange things.”

If my body were able to blush, I would’ve surely turned red.

“L-Let’s move on to the next shop,” I said, pulling on my master’s arm as if to distract him from my earlier behavior.

“Okay, but just give me a second. Could you wait outside for me?”

“Huh? Yes, of course.”

“I’ll be right with you.”

I did as he said and left the store. My master came out shortly after, and we went on to the next shop. In the end, we walked around town until the sun started to set.

“I guess we should start heading back,” my master said.

“Very well.”

Our outing had been both fun and beneficial. We’d walked among a large crowd and had seen so many new types of tools. We’d also managed to buy several goods necessary for our journey, as well as some books from this world for Lily.

We exited the last shop and decided to return to the inn.

“Huh...?” my master said in confusion.

“Is something the matter?” I asked.

“I thought I saw Shiran just now.”

“Shiran? Forgive me, I didn’t notice.”

I looked over the crowded street, but I couldn’t spot her blonde hair and white armor. Shiran was a unique servant, so we couldn’t share much through the mental path or sense each other’s location.

“Maybe I’m just mistaken,” my master said. “I only caught the slightest glance. She shouldn’t be out here, anyway.”

While we were perusing the shops, we’d walked all the way down the main street to the very edge of town. We could even see the sturdy iron gate that led to the outside from here. Among the hustle and bustle, merchants were just entering the town, tiredly limping along.

“Shiran was headed to that military facility you visited yesterday, right?” I asked.

“That’s what she said. It’s closer to the center of town.”

“There are a lot of buildings along the walls for defensive purposes. Perhaps she and the man she was meeting had a reason to come out here?”

“Maybe, maybe not. I might’ve just been seeing things.”

We continued walking arm in arm and talking. I was acutely aware of my master’s presence by my side. After spending a whole day like this, I’d gotten accustomed to being so close to him. Among my giddy emotions, I could sense something warm gradually spreading through me. Sadly, I knew this day would eventually come to an end.

“Um, Master. May I have a moment of your time?”

I came to a stop around the time the inn came into sight. The setting sun was dyeing the town rose madder. I reached into my apron pocket and handed over what was inside.

“What’s this...?” he asked, looking surprised.

I’d given him a pair of black bracers. The design on each one was slightly different. The left bracer had yellow and blue accents, while the right had red and green.

Currently, my master kept a bandage around his left arm to hide Asarina. The wrap was made from Gerbera’s threads, so it provided a fair amount of protection, but it still had its limits. These bracers were something I had come up with during my various conversations with Mikihiko.

“Could you please check if they fit?” I asked.

“Sure... Yup, fits perfectly.”

We couldn’t expose Asarina out in the open like this, so for now, he placed the bracer over his bandage. But even without it, the bracer was designed in such a way that it covered the back of his hand.

“I made these Asarina Bracers so Asarina could move about freely. The part on the back of your hand moves, allowing her to jump out at any moment. There are other gimmicks too, so I shall give you a full explanation of how it works later. Also, one more thing...”

I put my hand back into my apron pocket to pull out my next gift.

“A shortsword...or I guess, a dagger?” my master said.

Even with the hilt, it was only three or so handwidths long. My master pulled the dagger partway out of its scabbard. The bewitching shine of the blade seemed to captivate him, bringing his movements to a halt.

“This is pretty amazing,” he said. “Is this maybe even greater than your pseudo-Damascus steel sword?”

“I can confidently say that this is the greatest work I’ve ever made. However, I used special materials, so I must apologize for its limited length.”

“Special materials? Did you use some kind of weird tree?”

“Well, something like that.”

I’d been trying to make this dagger for a while. I’d based it on Mana’s advice.

“Please call it the Rosette Dagger.”

Mana had picked the name, and I’d had no objections. There was no other name to possibly give it. I’d created it, and I’d also supplied the materials. My body was that of a puppet. It was made of wood, and thus could be used for my craft.

Mana had suggested the idea. As always, she’d come up with an amazing concept. If my body could protect my master at all times like this, then there was nothing more I could wish for. I’d taken damage multiple times now, so there were several loose parts I could use as raw materials. The dagger my master was holding was made from the pieces of my lower half that had broken off during Takaya Jun’s attack. The material was difficult to handle, and I’d failed multiple times, but the end result was the greatest work of my life.

“It’s insufficient for your primary armament, but I made this with the hope that it will protect you.”

“Thank you. I’ll treasure it,” my master said before giving me a wry smile. “You got one up on me here.”

“Master?”

“I also have something to give you.”

He put the dagger away and wrapped both his hands around mine. When he removed them, a cute pendant remained in my palm. I went stiff with shock.

“Is this...a magic pendant?” I asked.

“To commemorate the day. Well, it’s nothing that grandiose. This runestone raises your stamina, at least a little bit. In Aker, they apparently use them to decorate a knight’s blade. The effect is practically nonexistent, so it’s more of a good luck charm. This is a decorative pendant made in that spirit.” My master paused, scratching his cheek. “Sorry. I wanted to buy you something nicer, but it doesn’t look like they sell anything like that here. It seems kind of shabby compared to your present...”

“Not at all!” I exclaimed, shaking my head. My braided hair swayed about behind me. “That’s not true at all. I’m happy. Really, really happy...”

Was it truly okay for such happiness to befall me? I looked down at the pendant in my palm. It was a circular gem attached to a hoop of string. The gem was rose madder and looked like a crystallization of today’s setting sun.

“Thank you very much.”

I held the pendant close to my heart and cherished this moment.

◆ ◆ ◆

There was one thing I figured out from this experience; I truly did wish for what came after a hug from my master. I still didn’t know what that was, exactly. I didn’t even know what kind of relationship I wanted with him.

Nevertheless, I didn’t want today to be a one-time thing. To make that happen, I had to get my master to hug me first. I would have to learn everything up until that point so that I could know what came after. I would have to strive for that day to come. I felt like the red pendant dangling on my chest was supporting me in this.

◆ ◆ ◆

Two days later, we left Diospyro, a town I now regarded fondly. In the end, we never found out why Fukatsu Aketora and Thaddeus were there. We didn’t get the chance to speak with them again. Thaddeus had told us, “If fate allows it, let us meet again.” Maybe that meant there was no such fate between us. That was what I believed, anyway.

Several days later, however, my perception would change. From this point on, our paths were destined to cross. Our initial meeting had been a coincidence, but in a certain sense, it was an inevitability. Before that could happen, though, we had to have another unavoidable encounter.

It was unforeseeable... Well, not really. We’d been warned about it beforehand. But with everything that had happened since, we’d simply forgotten. Not that remembering would’ve changed anything. We never thought the warning would imply such a thing, and we could have never imagined things would end up the way they did.

We left town to return to the others, completely unaware of what awaited us.