Monster Tamer, Volume 5, page 10
“I see. So you believe in my lord.”
“Yes. That’s why I summoned the courage and tried talking to Rose, and she was a good person...or, good monster? Anyway, you looked easy to get along with too... Oh.” Kei was talking with a huge grin when she suddenly noticed someone. “Takahiro!”
Her happiness was evident. I could tell he was coming by his presence and turned his way as well.
My lord came through the trees, lending Mikihiko his shoulder. Both of them were supposed to have been exchanging blows with training swords and shields, but in contrast to Mikihiko, who was breathing raggedly, my lord looked to have a surplus of composure.
“Mikihiko is down for the count. Sorry Kei, can you look after him?” he said.
“Understood. Can you sit him down over there?”
Kei returned to the manamobile, the weapons in her arm clanking about with each step. My lord set Mikihiko down at the base of a tree, then turned my way.
“How’s it going, Gerbera? Think you’ll find a weapon that suits you?” he asked me.
“Unfortunately not. There are so many types it’s making me dizzy...”
“Keep at it. Once you find something you like, we can have Rose make you one.”
Just then, Kei returned with a canteen.
My lord got back up to his feet. “Okay then, I’ll leave the rest to you,” he said. “I’m going to go check on Lily and Rose.”
“Y-You’re going already, Takahiro?” Mikihiko asked, utterly exhausted.
“Shiran promised to see to my training, after all,” my lord answered with a shrug.
“Hang on... I’ll go too,” Mikihiko said.
“You can’t do anything in your state. Come after you recover.”
My lord gave Mikihiko a forced smile and left him behind. He looked a little lonely, but there was no choice, seeing how my lord had things he had to accomplish. So, I decided to do what I had to as well. I spent some time picking up and looking at weapons when Mikihiko sat himself back up.
I’d had multiple opportunities to interact with my lord’s friend. Whenever he had the time, he would come to our vehicle and discuss all manner of things with Rose. The strange tools she had been making lately were likely due to his influence. Given the chance, I also spoke to him once in a while.
“That guy sure is energetic...” Mikihiko muttered, a tinge of emotion in his voice.
The two of them had known each other before coming to this world. It was clear there were many things racing through his mind when he saw my lord now.
“He is better at using mana than you, after all,” I said, placing the ax I had in my hand back on the ground and turning to Mikihiko. “Still, from what I’ve seen, you seem to have more talent for fighting.”
I’d had a look at their training earlier. With sword and shield in hand, Mikihiko had fought in an irregular manner with two floating swords using his inherent power. With that, he had pushed in on my lord despite being one or two steps behind in strengthening his body with mana. My lord had ended up pushing him back because of this gap in strength.
“I’m sorry to say this about my own lord, but there is simply a difference in natural talent.”
“Ha ha. So the legendary Great White Spider says I’ve got talent. Maybe I’m not just trash.”
“Right now, my lord possesses more skill with a sword, but if you become as capable as him in manipulating your mana to strengthen your body, I’m sure you’ll be able to catch up quickly.”
“Hmm, really? That’d be nice. I see. If I can match his strengthening, huh...? Isn’t that a pretty big hurdle?”
“Well, that’s true.”
The strength my lord had obtained was due to his experiences surviving in the Woodlands. It wouldn’t be so easy for Mikihiko to match my lord’s progress.
“Seems I won’t be catching up to him for a while... Well, I guess that’s kinda obvious,” Mikihiko said with a small sigh. “Honestly, when I heard about the training he’s been up to till now, I got a little freaked out... I guess he can’t protect what’s important to him if he doesn’t at least go that far, huh...”
Mikihiko was earnest. The eyes beneath his glasses showed honest respect for his friend.
“I heard cheats are the heartfelt wishes of visitors given form,” he continued. “I can really see it now. Your existences are miracles he wished for. Of course he’d be desperate to protect all of you. I can see why he pushes himself regardless of how others might view him. To have something so grand in his heart... Man... I’m kinda jealous.”
I found something about this rather strange. “So you say, Mikihiko, but has your own power not manifested as well? Would that not make you the same?”
“My wish...probably wasn’t as splendid as his was...” Mikihiko said, ruffling his hair and smiling bitterly. “I’ve got a pretty irresponsible nature and all. Rather than a wish from my heart, it was more like...”
“More like what?”
“No... Forget it.” Mikihiko shook his head and stood up. “Okay. That’s enough rest. I should get going. Thanks, Kei.” He handed the water canteen back to her, then suddenly turned my way once more. “Oh yeah, Gerbera. About that thing you asked me for, I’m done, so you can have it now.”
“Really?!”
I braced myself as Mikihiko nodded with a grin. “Yup. Here you go.”
He pulled a white piece of paper from his pocket. Seeing the many thin parallel lines running across it, Kei came over with interest.
“Does that come from your world, sir?” she asked.
“Yup. It’s loose-leaf paper. I don’t have all that much left, so it’s kinda valuable. I ended up splurging since this is Gerbera’s request.”
“A request...? Oh, there’s a drawing on it... Wow! That’s amazing!” Kei’s eyes shot wide open as she looked at the paper.
Mikihiko scratched his nose proudly. “Well, yeah. I put my soul into that drawing. I’m super proud of it. I spent all night on it, so frankly, I’m kinda spent today.”
“Is that perhaps the reason you were unable to put up a fight against Takahiro...?” Kei innocently asked.
“Ta ha ha ha! See ya! Gerbera, let me know if you need anything else.”
Mikihiko laughed off Kei’s comment and ran off.
“My thanks, Mikihiko! This will be a great reference!” I yelled.
I returned my gaze to the paper. There was a picture of a girl with long braided hair on it.
“It really is well drawn,” Kei said. “I didn’t know Mikihiko was a painter.”
“He mentioned he was aiming to be an ‘illustrator,’” I said, correcting Kei as I kept my gaze fixed on the drawing. “He also said, ‘I still have a long way to go. There’s plenty of otaku out there who can draw like this with just a little skill.’”
“Hmm. I don’t really get it, but being able to draw so well despite not being a painter really shows how rich the culture of Takahiro and Mikihiko’s home is,” Kei said in admiration. Then she cocked her head. “So...what is this? Mikihiko mentioned you requested this. Were you discussing art?”
“No, not at all. In truth, I’ve been asked to make clothes for Rose. I’ve had trouble deciding what manner of clothing to make.”
Rose had made the request before we reunited with our lord, right before we got caught up in the large army of monsters rushing at Fort Tilia.
“I forgot about it in all the commotion, but I recently recalled her request. We’re taking a fairly relaxing journey, so I thought it was about time for me to start working on it.”
“And you asked Mikihiko for advice?”
“Indeed. I didn’t know what manner of clothes would be appropriate.”
“Ummm. Rose was the one to ask, right? Didn’t she have any particular requests?”
“I completely forgot to ask her. There was a whole lot going on at the time.”
A whole, whole lot...
“Gaaaaaaah!”
“Wh-What’s the matter Gerbera?! You’re bright red!”
I’d resurrected a memory I didn’t want to recall. I cradled my head. Incidentally, the reason I still couldn’t ask Rose about it now was because I didn’t want to recall the case of that cocoon or egg or whatever it was, just as I did now.
“Nothing. It’s nothing. For mercy’s sake, please don’t pry any further.”
“O-Okay...”
I waved my hands at Kei as she sat there blinking in a daze, then quickly changed the subject.
“In any case, I chose Mikihiko for advice because he is my lord’s friend. He surely knows the kind of clothing my lord prefers. As such, Rose shouldn’t have any complaints.”
“And that’s what this is... Hmm. It’s cute, isn’t it? Does that mean Takahiro likes clothes like these?”
“Mm. It’s supposedly clothing that all men in Mikihiko’s world favor. What did he call it again...?” The words I was trying to bring up suddenly got stuck in my throat. “Hm?”
I raised my gaze from the paper. I heard footsteps. They didn’t come from the direction the others were training in. Several presences drew nearer from the road the knights were supposed to be keeping watch on. I thought they were maybe the knights themselves, but the footsteps were too light. Were they villagers from the reclamation village? No, if so, the knights would’ve stopped them. I ruminated over the possibilities and turned toward the oncoming presences as an excited voice struck my ear.
“Oh! There’s really a monster here!”
There were three pairs of eyes staring at me rudely.
Chapter 8: The White Spider and the Puppet’s Clothes ~Gerbera’s POV~
Two boys and a girl appeared.
“You are...”
They looked familiar. They were visitors from another world, much like my lord. Their names were...what again? I didn’t remember. It was possible I’d never even heard their names to begin with. I had never really gotten involved with them. Why were they here? I was bewildered more than I was suspicious.
“Holy shit. This is my first time seeing a monster up close like this.”
The boys looked extremely cheerful as they stared at me. I didn’t sense any sort of malice. Their attitudes were actually on the favorable side. However, mysteriously enough, I found their gazes strangely unpleasant.
“Wow. It’s really a monster.”
“H-Hang on, isn’t it dangerous?”
“I’m telling you, it’s fine. That’s Majima’s monster, right? That elf girl is here too. She would’ve been wasted already if it was dangerous.”
The group came closer as they chatted. The two boys were red in the face. A peculiar stench emanated from them.
“I wonder if they’re drunk...?” Kei muttered by my side.
I knit my brows. I didn’t really understand what “drunk” meant, but I pretty much grasped the situation. The Alliance Knights had cleared this spot of people. Neither the soldiers nor the villagers could approach. However, the knights couldn’t deny visitors—saviors. In fact, there were a few bewildered knights standing behind them.
It seemed the boys had lost their sense of reason. This was probably an effect of what they called “alcohol.” Drinking too much apparently caused one to do things one normally wouldn’t do. Having said that, I still didn’t have a clue why they came here.
“What are you...?”
“It’s really half spider.”
I tried asking why they were here, but the boys weren’t listening.
“Yo, check this out.”
On the contrary, one of the boys came up right next to me and stretched out his hand. His behavior was so rude I hadn’t expected it, and my reaction was delayed. His presumptuous hand was about to touch my lower body, my spider half covered in white hair.
A man is about to touch my body? A man other than my lord?
I flinched. Physiological revulsion sent chills through my entire body. My spider hairs stood on end. My legs reflexively squirmed about, and then...
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
A reprimanding roar pierced through the silent forest.
The boy’s hand came to a sudden stop. Everyone present turned their gazes at once. A petite girl was stomping toward us, her shoulders squared back.
“Katou...?”
I uttered her name. Katou was supposed to be observing Rose’s training. She must have returned for some reason. Nobody was able to react as she came to a stop and glared at the boys who were trying to touch me.
“I said, what do you think you’re doing trying to touch a girl’s body without consent?!”
“A-A girl? It’s a monster.”
“So what?! She’s still a girl! Hammer that into your thick skulls and think about how absurd a thing it is you’re doing!”
The boys looked utterly daunted. Katou’s anger had blown the wind out of their sails.
“You little...”
They realized they had lost their nerves because of a girl, a petite one at that. The shame they felt was an indication that their reasoning was functioning properly again. Even I could tell their trivial pride was ablaze. Things were reaching a boiling point. Having sensed that, my legs skittered about as I straightened my posture. I planned on stopping them if necessary, even if I had to be somewhat rough.
“S-Stop it you guys,” the girl in their group said in a panic.
“Tada?”
“L-Let’s just leave, okay? We went too far. This is our fault.”
The girl’s eyes were fixed on the object hanging from Katou’s waist. It was a rather large knife. Rose had made it the other day for Katou’s self-defense. Its ultrathin blade was light for its size and had a dreadfully sharp edge. Katou’s left hand rested on its grip, the knife still sitting in its sheath.
“W-We’re sorry, okay?”
Katou maintained her imposing stance a short distance away from us, telling them to get out of here with her eyes. The other girl forced a smile and ran away, completely pale. The boys followed suit, despite looking dissatisfied. The knights, who looked apologetic, left after them.
I finally let out my breath. My spider hairs lay back down. They were truly a rude bunch. It was an unpleasant experience. Still, it was fortunate that things had ended uneventfully. If I, a monster, resorted to violence, no matter the circumstances, it would affect my lord’s position. Even I could see this. It was all thanks to Katou’s interference that we managed to get by without aggravating the situation.
“You have my thanks, Katou.”
She didn’t reply. I cocked my head and looked at her more closely. Her face, which usually looked innocent, was now deathly pale.
“Katou...?”
She didn’t react to my calls and collapsed to the ground.
◆ ◆ ◆
Fortunately, Katou’s condition didn’t appear to be serious. She had collapsed from feeling sick, but she said that she would get better with a little rest, so I let her lie down for a while. After Kei replaced the wet towel covering her forehead several times, Katou sat back up.
“Sorry for causing you trouble...” she said.
“So long as it’s nothing serious,” I replied. Humans were so fragile. Just watching her was bad for my heart. I let out a sigh of relief and shrugged. “That was quite rash of you, Katou.”
From what she told me about this afterward, the reason Katou had come to a stop where she had was because she couldn’t force herself to move even a step closer. The reason she’d had her hand on the knife at her waist wasn’t because she had been ready to attack at any moment, but because she had been clinging to the object that my lord had gifted her and that Rose had made for her. She’d known she was being rash.
Katou looked a little awkward as she said, “Well...I thought it was just that important to step in,” she said.
“I’m very grateful for that.”
I could honestly admit to this. My legs had reflexively come to a stop. If Katou had not forced her way in, there was no telling how things would’ve ended up just one second later. I couldn’t even claim that my body wouldn’t have acted without meaning to. It would be one thing if I had jumped back abruptly, but it was entirely possible I would’ve shredded the rude boys to pieces. It sent shivers down my spine.
“It’s understandable for a girl to reflexively lash out at someone of the opposite sex trying to touch her body...” Katou said with a wry smile. “But your specs are in another dimension; you might’ve ended up hurting them a little.”
“Right...maybe a little.”
I averted my gaze. We were viewing things with a different scale, but I decided to keep quiet about it.
Seeing my reaction, Katou continued with a slightly curious expression. “Well, I wouldn’t really care if they’d gotten hurt. Regardless of their intentions, that was just sexual harassment. It’d do them good to feel some pain, but...”
“It would trouble my lord as a result.”
“That’s how it goes,” Katou agreed with a nod. “It’s a good thing it ended without incident.”
“It is... What exactly was with them?” I grumbled with a grimace.
A crease formed between Katou’s brows as well. “It’s because they were drunk. They probably came out here without thinking it through.” Her tone was clearly angry and directed at the thoughtless boys. “I think they look down on you and the others because you’re Majima-senpai’s servants, whereas they’re visitors just like him. That’s probably why they did something so rude, though the alcohol didn’t help.”
I suddenly recalled the two monsters who obeyed the other monster tamer, Kudou Riku. He treated those girls, who he called Anton and Berta, as nothing more than pawns. The reason I felt disgusted by those two boys was perhaps similar.
Presumptuous curiosity. Physical contact without a hint of consideration. It wasn’t okay simply because they didn’t have any ill intent. To put it bluntly, those boys only looked at me as an object. Visitors from other worlds didn’t possess a deep-rooted hatred toward monsters like the citizens here did. However, that didn’t necessarily mean they treated us as equals. Our fortuitous meeting with our lord was a blessing unlike any other.
