Side story 04 – A Certain Slave’s Salvation

Is in a sense one of the few (almost) completely serious chapters in this story.
It’s a little depressing, so readers who are bad with it are advised to skip this chapter and read only the final three lines.

---

In the dark dungeon filled with despair, she was the only one who extended her hand to me.

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

This year was a bad harvest.
The crops in the field had shrivelled, and unable to even provide a good meal, they had no worth on the market. We had just a little bit saved up, but even so it wasn’t enough for a family of five to pass the winter with.
When the slave merchants came to the village in their carriages, there was already nothing else we could do.

I have a father, a mother, a brother two years older than me, and a little brother one year younger. Because they needed the manpower of the boys, it was inevitable that I was the one sold.

Although I say ‘sold’, that wasn’t exactly correct. Strictly speaking, we entered a contract of debt with the slave merchants.
The slave merchants gave my father a loan, and I became the security. If my father couldn’t pay back the money, I would be sold as a slave. But from the beginning, we all knew that there was no chance of paying them back. It seems the slave merchants intended this as well because they told us that if we gave up on paying them back right away, they would give a better price.

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

While averting his eyes from me, father told the slave merchants right there that he couldn’t pay them back.

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

I had hoped that something fortunate would happen after this misfortune, but it seems that Sacred Goddess-sama wouldn’t permit such naivety.
Misfortune followed the misfortune, and on the carriage back to town, I contracted a fatal illness. It was tough to even raise my body, and my chest throbbed with pain. There were times when I even coughed blood.
There were two other slaves weak from disease, and out of worry of infecting the healthy ones, we were tossed into a heap on the carriage that held the luggage. The chances of being sold were lower because we were going to die, so the food we were given were less than the other slaves, but I couldn’t really find the appetite either.

By the time the carriage finally reached Riemel, I was already at death’s door.

*imouto*

In the slave merchant’s shop, the three of us were put into the same cell. It was a cell for slaves on the verge of death like us. Because it was a waste of money, we weren’t even allowed to wear clothing, and everybody just sat around the way they wanted. Even when we were first put into the cell, only half of the slaves in there made any response, and when I saw these people whose hearts had died in despair first, I felt heart chill over.
That was my future, and it wasn’t a far off one.

*imouto*

I was told by the slave merchants that slaves on the verge of death were sold off to be killed.
Human shields against monsters for adventurers or bodyguards, or material for magical experiments. And although they weren’t many, there were also those who simply wanted to satisfy their desires, and bought cheap slaves to use to death.
If we were sold, we would be killed. On the other hand, if we stayed unsold like this, then before long as well…

*imouto*

A body wracked with pain being corroded by disease, and a heart that was corroded by despair that went beyond that.
Days where it seemed like my heart would die first passed by.
Customers came in before our cell a number of times, and the number of slaves in the cell decreased.

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

One day, the slave merchants brought another customer.
Still leaning against the wall, I hazily had a look.
Most of the customers so far had been male, but although I couldn’t see their face under the black robe, this time they were probably a woman… And what’s more, somebody who only seemed a little older than me.
After the slave merchant said something to them, that woman stepped forward and took off her hood herself.
The moment I saw her eyes, my heart that should have been on the verge of death, the verge of stopping, was for some reason trembling.

“This girl is?”

“Her name is Tena, and she’s 14 years old. She was born in a village a little distance from Riemel, and is a debt slave, but on the way here she was attacked by a fatal disease and she probably only has a month left to live.”

I unconsciously flinched at the slave merchant’s words. Although I knew that I didn’t have long to live, hearing somebody else talk concretely about how much longer I had made the fear of death well up in me.

*imouto*

I don’t… want to die…

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

“If it’s me, then I might be able to save her.”

… … … … … …Eh?
It took a little while until I properly understood what the woman had said.
Save me? Is she going to save me?
I looked at the black eyes that were staring in my direction, but they were serious and didn’t look like she was lying. And for some reason, when I look her in the eyes, my heart can’t stay calm.

“I don’t have any proof, but if you’ll believe and accept me, then take this hand.”

With her words, the woman stretched her arm into the cage and held her hand out to me.
I looked at her face and her outstretched hand, dumbfounded, but I decided to trust in my agitated heart and took her hand. It was a fact that I wouldn’t be saved at this rate anyway, so I decided to follow my heart.

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

They cleaned my body, and I was able to wear clothes for the first time in a while. I was in chaos from all the things that had happened while I was in a daze, but when they put on the collar for slaves when they dressed me, I was finally conscious of the fact that I was being sold. Because I was too weak to even walk, one of the servant men carried me into the shop and laid me on the floor.

“Please touch her collar with your hand.”

Doing as she was asked, the woman that bought me stretched her hand out to the collar on my neck. After touching it for a while, the collar shone with light, and I heard a voice from somewhere.

『You have been enslaved to Anri.』

It was in that instant, that the woman──Anri-sama, became my master.

*imouto*

“With this, she’s become your slave, and has absolute obedience to you. Because she can’t walk, would you like us to call you a carriage?”

“I don’t need it; I’ll carry her.”

I was slow to react to the surprising words, so by the time I had realised, Anri-sama had already picked me up and placed me on her back.
In what kind of world does a master carry their servant? I tried moving my sluggish body to try and get down, but she was holding onto me tightly so I couldn’t. Because she didn’t seem to have any intention of letting me down, I stopped struggling.
But still, although she was a woman and so she wasn’t particularly big, Anri-sama was surprisingly strong. No matter how light I had become from growing thin, I shouldn’t have been so light that a woman could easily carry me.

But still, just why did she buy me? There aren’t many uses for a slave on the verge of death, but no matter what, I couldn’t imagine her to be a person who wanted a slave for those purposes.

*imouto*

Just as I was wondering where she was carrying me to, Anri-sama entered an alleyway and placed me down in an empty plaza. Without knowing why I had been brought here, I just looked up at Anri-sama dumbly.

“You swore to believe in me.”

“…Yes.”

The first words I had spoken in a while came out hoarsely, but it seems Anri-sama somehow understood me. She pointed her finger at my forehead.

“Divine Enchantment.”

『You have received divine protection from Anri.』

Together with the voice from before, I was engulfed in something black. It wasn’t uncomfortable or painful, but I could definitely feel something inside me changing.
When the blackness disappeared, my appearance had completely changed. The clothing that had just been a hole in a cloth was now a high-class fabric decorated with ornaments, and the arms and legs that should’ve been nothing more than skin and bones had the meat return to them.

“Eh-… Ah-…”

With no idea of what had happened, I was looking at my limbs and clothes when I suddenly noticed that the pain that had been always been plaguing me was gone. It was like the pain that wracked me even just breathing had all been a lie.
The comment that Anri-sama had made in the dungeon, “I might be able to save her” came to mind.
It wasn’t a lie… She saved me…

“Thank you very much! Thank you very much!”

While crying and feeling relief at having my life saved, I held Anri-sama’s hand as I continued to thank her.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

After crying for a while, I paled at what I had just done. As a slave, I had clung to my master as I bawled. I might be sold out of anger for my disrespect. I don’t want to think that Anri-sama who saved my life would do something like that, but it isn’t anything strange to be sold because you angered your master.

“Stand.””

“Y-, Yes-!”

Since I’d already done something terribly rude, I immediately obeyed and jumped straight up, so that I wouldn’t ruin her mood any further. Speaking of which, how long has it been since I was able to stand on my own? While thinking about stupid things like that, I waited in fear for her probable declaration of my abandonment.

“I want you to live at my home and do the housework and shopping.”

“…Eh?”

There were two things I couldn’t comprehend about her response, so I accidentally let out my voice. The first was that instead of being scolded like I thought, she went and left a task for me. The second was the contents of the task.

“Dissatisfied?”

“T-, That would be absurd! Only, umm… is just that much fine?”

Because she seemed to condemn me, I shook my head in a fluster, but I couldn’t help but voice my misgivings about the task. People go out of their way to buy slaves because the jobs that are need to be done are terribly difficult, or things that normal people didn’t want to do. But despite that, Anri-sama just asked me to do jobs that normal servants did, and weren’t at all the jobs that were left to a slave.

“Just that is fine. But, I live quite far from town, so shopping is quite a task.”

“Understood.”

Far from town?
I wonder where Anri-sama lives.

After that, Anri-sama kindly bought me shoes and underwear. Both were of a quality that you wouldn’t give to a slave, so in shock I tried to refuse, but because she told me that I definitely had to wear underwear, I did as I was told and gratefully accepted them.

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

Anri-sama.
In the dark dungeon filled with despair, she was the only one who extended her hand to me.
I still don’t know what on earth this person wants from me, but she saved me from certain death, so I’ll follow her to the ends of the world.

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

“Wai-, isn’t this place a dungeon!?”

“Well yeah, I’m a dungeon master.”

“────────!?”

 

---

<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

Side story 03 – A Certain Adventurer’s Disaster

After receiving our rewards for reporting the completion of our quest, we sat ’round a table in the guild to take a break.
The quest we turned in was the subjugation mission of forest wolves…
Was a pretty difficult job for us. Forest wolves are pack monsters that live in the forest, but recently they’ve been growing too large in number and have been attacking merchants that use the forest roads. That’s why the lord of this area sent out a request for their subjugation.
Each forest wolf ain’t so strong by themselves, but they always move in a pack and attack after surrounding the enemy, so they’re a pretty annoying foe. In the forest your vision is limited, so forest wolves are a monster you need to take care with, but for some reason they appeared close to the entrance to the forest yesterday, so it was easy to hunt them. Seems that something scared them. I was worrying about it, but I still have no idea.

“Still, things were easier than expected this time, ey?”

“Well yeah, the wolves were at the entrance to the forest for some reason. What’s more there wasn’t any teamwork at all.”

Apparently my companions were thinking about the same thing. I decided to join in.

“Didn’t feel like they were hunting for prey. Speaking of which, didn’t they look scared of something?”

They nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, I got that feeling too. Could it be that they were running from some strong monster that took up residence in the forest or something?”

“Hell if I know. But it sounds possible.”

Basically the only times that monsters migrate are when there are too many of them, too little prey, or when there’s a strong monster that moved into their territory. Since they moved so suddenly this time, and they looked scared too, the chance that it’s the latter is pretty high.

“Can’t be that a dragon or something moved into the forest, right?”

“Haha, pretty sure that ain’t happening.”

I’ve been an adventurer for pretty bloody long, but I ain’t never seen a dragon. Heard that they exist deep into the Demon Territory though.

“Well at any rate, it’d probably be better to be careful if we head into the forest again for a quest.”

“Yeah. Ain’t nothing matter more than your life.”

Once you’re dead, you’re dead.
An adventurer is a job where your life completely hangs on your skills and yourself, but even so you get novice brats that dream of being heroes and get themselves killed trying to do the unreasonable. Veterans like us try to teach them what the world is like whenever we can, but people like that are endless.
Right, just like that kid over-… Hey.

..*

..*

“I’ll be transcribing what’s written on the car──”

“Oi, oi, this little girl wants to become an adventurer? It’s the end of the bloody world.”

When I went to have a look, I found someone hidden from head to toe in a black robe, applying at the counter to be an adventurer. But even under that robe I could tell at a glance that they were a dainty, green-arsed brat, and what’s more a woman. This brat of a girl is going to be an adventurer without even forming a party? It’s bloody suicide! If I leave her alone, in two or three days she’s just gunna be a ‘seed-bed’ for a goblin nest.
Before I knew it, I’d left my seat and cut into the conversation.

“Oi, oi, Gartz. You’re seriously picking a fight with another newbie?”

“Doing this everyyy singleee time. You sure don’t get bored, huh.”

Can’t be helped that my companions are all astonished that I’m doing this again, but I’m not gunna sleep well knowing that brats are getting themselves killed left and right. It’s for their sake as well that I grill them a little and have them work underneath us.
The lass might’ve been afraid of me or something, cause she just stood there without saying anything.
Looking at her again, she sure is bloody tiny.

“Oi, how ’bout saying something. Don’t just freeze wordlessly with your face hidden.”

Saying that, I pulled off the little girl’s hood.

..*

..*

──────!?

The moment I saw her face, I spontaneously stiffened.
The moment our eyes met, I thought I was gunna die.
Her eyes were so dark and stagnant that I’m pretty sure even demons couldn’t compare.
The next moment, just as I seemed to feel a prickling pain on my arm, the girl was fucking holding a sinister black tantou.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! She’s gunna kill me!

“HII-!?”

I reflexively let out a pathetic cry as I fell on my arse.
Before I knew it, the thing in front of me wasn’t a human woman anymore. It was a monster spurting out some black sludge from its whole body.
I backed away, trying to put even a little distance between us.

“＄％、＆＄＆％’＃!”

And when I did, I heard a somewhat incomprehensible cry.
Turning around, I found that the same fucking monsters were reaching out their tentacles to me.

“!? UOOOOAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH――――!!!”

“＠＃、＊? ＃＄＆＄＆％!”

I tried my best to hit the thing, but there didn’t seem to be any effect.
Far from it, before I knew it all the monsters had fucking surrounded me and were charging in at me at once.

I somehow managed to shake them off and got myself outside, but even there the place was filled with the things.

“What the fuck is going on with this town!?”

I don’t even know who I was screaming at, but I started to run to escape this town of monsters.

..*

..*

..*

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

..*

When I came to, I was laying on the ground.
Holding my hand against my painfully throbbing head, I got up and looked around. Apparently I was in a field outside of Riemel. Although I was close to town, it wasn’t as though there weren’t any monsters. The fact that I didn’t get eaten while lying around here was just good luck.

Anyway, it wasn’t like I could get anything done here, so I decided to head back to town. I get the feeling that I’ve forgotten something incredible, but I can’t remember what it was.

..*

..*

It was right afterwards that I was told that I had hit the guards and forcefully broken out of town, and starting from the entrance to town, I was stuck with being accused by a bunch of people about stuff I have no recollection about.

..*

Just what the fuck have I been doing!?

---

He seems to be a ruffian, but is actually a good person.

---

<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

Side story 02 – A Certain Sister’s Terror

“Sacred Goddess Sophia-sama is a great personage who created humankind.”

..*

I was standing at the back of the chapel behind the seats, as part of mass.
Beyond the seats next to the statue of Sacred Goddess-sama was Reverend-sama, who was in the middle of preaching to the people. Right now he was preaching about the reason why we should be thankful to Sacred Goddess-sama, you see.
When Reverend-sama preaches, his voice resounds through the quiet chapel, and it feels like your soul is being cleansed. That’s why I loved mass.

..*

“Sacred Goddess Sophia-sama is always watching over us.”

..*

Sacred Goddess Sophia-sama is the esteemed god that created our world, and is a kind and merciful personage who protects we humans from the Evil God that tries to destroy the world.
The Church of Sacred Light sings praise of Her exploits, and exist to convey this to the people. Of course, we do not only teach others, but in accordance to Her will, we are a wonderful organisation that also extends our hands to the needy through food, establishes orphanages, mediates for warring nations, and tries our very best for the sake of peace for humankind.
My family was poor, and so we struggled to feed ourselves each day, but the Church of Sacred Light saved us. Because I wanted to save somebody else, the same way that I was saved, I joined the Church as a nun.

..*

“Sacred Goddess Sophia-sama loves we humans, and protects us from evil.”

..*

Although the church in Riemel is not very large, as a town close to the Demon Territory, we’re seen as the last stronghold against the demons. Because of that, apparently an archbishop even came all the way here when this church was being built, and along with a number of people, they laid down a complicated barrier for us. Even a normal church wards off evil through the power of Her blessing, but this church is protected with a particularly strong power. Even if by some chance our town was in danger due to an invasion from the Demon Territory, this church wouldn’t be so easily invaded. When Reverend-sama told me this, I felt incredibly reassured.

..*

“Please thank Sacred Goddess Sophia-sama for her compassion, and send her your prayers.”

..*

With Reverend-sama’s words, the people all brought their hands together in prayer. Still standing there, I was about to close my eyes and pray with them────

..*

..*

..*

..*

..*

────When at that moment, a -bang- resounded within the chapel as it shook.

No, it wasn’t the building or the floor that shook. With a sound, it was the space itself that shook. A clamour spread through the people due to the sudden shock.

“Everybody, please calm down!”

Reverend-sama tried to stop everybody, but he couldn’t get them to calm down. I didn’t understand what happened, but I decided to follow his example and decided to try and calm everybody down.
However, at that moment, I noticed something behind me and so I turned around. And when I did, an abnormal scene unfolded before me.

The church is always open so that anybody can enter at any time, and the door is left open even during mass. Because of that, because I was standing at the back of the chapel, when I turned around I could see what was happening beyond the door. It was the scenery outside that was abnormal; of all things, the scenery was cracked. Beyond the crack was your everyday Riemel, but because that townscape was the same as ever, it made the crack ever more strange.
I was dumbfounded by the scene’s sudden change to another realm, but before long, it became clear to me that there was a crack in something transparent that covered the church. Perhaps because they noticed my behaviour, Reverend-sama included, everybody in the church turned their eyes outside.

Something covering the church?
It couldn’t be the protective barrier that Reverend-sama spoke of, could it? …No, but in that case, why was it cracked!?

..*

..*

My eyes were held captive by the crack in space, but eventually I noticed that beyond it was somebody standing there in a black robe. The crack coincidentally covered their face, but they seemed to be a girl in her teens. The girl was standing right in front of the crack. I was about to call out in warning, “It’s dangerous there, please stay away!”, but before I had the chance to, the girl raised her right hand and softly touched the crack before my eyes.

It was the next instant. That crack spread out all at once, until I could see nothing but, and with a -pan- sound, ‘something’ immediately shattered and vanished.

..*

..*

Eh-?
I-, It can’t be… The protective barrier that the archbishop set was-!?
Although I was dumb from disbelief, I could certainly feel it disappearing; the aura of sacredness that had been always present.

..*

..*

And because the crack was now gone, the face under the robe was now visible to me.
The moment our eyes met, it felt like I was being strangled by some feeling of oppression, and I found myself unable to breathe.
It wasn’t only me. Reverend-sama and everybody else behind me stood frozen, unable to even speak.
The thing that looked like a girl glared at everybody in the church in silence────

..*

..*

..*

..*

────Before curving its lips into a sneer, and turning to leave after muttering something.

..*

..*

..*

..*

..*

..*

..*

..*

Because the thing that looked like a girl had walked away, we could finally breathe again. The emotional strain on everybody was huge, and everybody sank to the ground in exhaustion.
Because there was no way to continue the mass like this, we stopped it and instead immediately made warm soup for everyone. Honestly speaking, I felt like I was going to collapse myself, but I needed to prepare the soup.

..*

..*

..*

..*

..*

..*

..*

..*

Although its face was beautiful, there’s no doubt that it was a retainer of the Evil God.
…No, since it so easily destroyed the archbishop’s barrier, I’m sure that it was the Evil God itself.
That it left after doing nothing but destroying the barrier was surely a malicious announcement that it could attack at any time. The Evil God’s ghastly smile had told me so.
I couldn’t hear what the Evil God muttered at the end, but it was surely some horrifying curse.
Just what will happen to this world, and what will happen to us?

..*

Aahh, Sacred Goddess Sophia-sama.
Please deliver us from evil.

---

TL: I actually had a lot of trouble with this. I really hated writing ‘Reverend-sama’, but calling him ‘the reverend’ doesn’t give the sense that she knows him well (as a member of the same church). At the same time, no name was given, so I couldn’t replace ‘shimpu-sama’ with ‘Father ____’ either. In the end I resorted to the awkward sounding ‘Reverend-sama’, but I still feel it was the best choice, so please forgive me.

 

---

<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

Side Story 01 – A Certain Innkeeper’s Reception

The side stories will primarily be from the perspective of other characters, and unlike the main story, the tone will be more serious and more horrific.
However, having already read the main story and knowing full well how things are actually progressing, I think that the readers will instead read the stories with a grin and find them fluffy instead.
…I can’t imagine that there are any people out there with weird reading habits like reading the side stories before the main story, but if you do exist, you were beyond my expectations, so please go ahead with this in mind.

There will be 11 side stories in total, and the length of each one varies.
Let’s start with a bit of a jab.

---

“Oh, a guest? Welcome, this is an inn.”

Around the time when the sun was about to set, hearing the sound of the door opening, I turned and greeted the customer. They looked suspicious; clad from head to toe in a black robe, but having worked in an inn for many years and having seen countless customers before, I could immediately tell from her figure that she was a young girl and so I wasn’t particularly suspicious of her. If a young girl walks around with her face showing she’ll meet a lot of trouble after all, so it’s natural to protect herself.
Now then, for some reason it feels a bit colder in here but… Well, I’m sure it’s just my imagination.

“How much is one night?”

“One night is 1 silver, breakfast is 5 coppers, dinner is 10 coppers, and a tub of hot water is 5 coppers.”

It’s a little more expensive than other inns, but I think our rooms and food make up for it. We aren’t connected to a tavern so it isn’t noisy, and there aren’t any rough customers either, after all.

“Five nights, with the food and water too please.”

With those words, I was handed some silver coins. One, two, three… Mn, there are certainly 6 here. Most customers pay by the night, but she seems to be quite used to spending money. I hadn’t even told her how much it was yet, and she’d already calculated it herself after all. She must be the daughter of some major merchant, right?
I don’t think it’s the case, but it couldn’t be that she’s a noble, right? The robe she’s wearing is quite well made, though. No matter how much better our inn might be compared to the others, this isn’t a place that a noble would stay.

“Got it, your room is on the second floor, the final door on the right. This is the key. Do you want to eat straight away?”

“Yes, if that’s possible.”

“Right away. I’ll prepare it now so wait in whichever seat you’d like.”

After handing her a key attached to a wooden plate, I went to the kitchen to tell the innmaster to prepare a person’s share of dinner.

..*

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

..*

Because the girl I mentioned didn’t seem to be a very talkative person, we never even chatted so I didn’t know her name. Seeing as she always keeps her robe on whether she’s going out or eating dinner in her room, I’m sure she has some circumstances. I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t interested, but it isn’t good to pry into the business of the customers after all, so I’m not going to ask.
But still, although she told me not to clean the room or change the bed sheets while she was staying there, she isn’t doing anything weird in there, is she? I’m a little worried.

Eating breakfast, going out, and then returning at night. The girl continued to repeat this, but after a few days, there was a time when she came back earlier than usual. Although she was silent, she would at least reply when you called out “Welcome back”, but that day for some reason as soon as she entered the inn, she immediately headed for the stairs. Wondering what was wrong, I looked towards her, and through the gap in her robe, I saw her face for the first time────

..*

..*

..*

──────!? W-, What the heck was that!?
Her face was more beautiful than expected, but more importantly what was with those eyes!?
Anger, hatred, disgust, disdain, bloodthirst, resentment, anguish, grief, despair; those black eyes were filled with every negative emotion imaginable. In my years working here I’ve seen the eyes of all sorts of customers, but this was the first time in my life that I’d seen eyes like those.
No, those aren’t eyes that a human would make. They’re the eyes of something much more sinister and terrifying. The moment I saw them, it was like my heart was in a vice-grip. Aahh, how terrifying…

..*

Aahh, just what kind of customer are we hosting.
If possible I’d like them to leave right this instant, but they’ve already paid for two more nights. If I could return that money then I would do so this instant, but if it flew into a rage and attacked…
There’s just two days left. Just two more days. It’s been fine so far, so it should be fine for two more days. That’s right, isn’t it?

..*

..*

After that one day that was different, the thing that looked like a girl went back to normal. Fortunately it seems that she didn’t realise I had seen her face.
I was so afraid that I almost couldn’t do it, but so that it didn’t show its true colours, I had to talk to it like normal, after all. If it knew that I had suspected its true form, I can’t even imagine what it’d do to me. Please deliver me from evil.

And like that, I somehow managed to pass the two days.

..*

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

..*

Aahh, it’s finally gone…

That thing that looked like a girl was talking about extending its stay, so after pleading with it, I somehow got it to accept my refusal. To be honest, the whole time I was afraid running a cold sweat from worry of being attacked, but it seemed to have sensed something because it obediently left.

Completely exhausted, I collapsed backwards into a chair. There’s no doubt that these last two days have taken three years off of my lifespan.
I took a rest on the chair for a little while, but pulling myself together, I decided to go clean the room. If possible, I want a decent customer next.

..*

..*

..*

..*

..*

..*

..*

Wai-, what is this!? What’s this black canopy bed!?

 

---

<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

Side Story 07 – A Certain Undying King’s Loyalty

It felt as though something was pulling me.
Is this… a summon?

Fumu, it has been a long while since I have been called forth.
As I recall, the last time was by a court magician from somewhere, although he now serves as my retainer.
If chance permits, this time I desire a summoner to be somebody worthy of me.

I am────a king.
With countless retainers under my management, I am the King of Undead.
The summoner though they may be, a king does not kneel.
If they are an incompetent fool who tries to subordinate me, I shall immediately give them their last breath, and add them to my retainers instead.

With an enormous mana as the compensation, my body was able to materialise.
I see. If they are able to use this much mana without issue, then at the very least they have ability.
And thus, I manifested myself.

What I saw through my empty eye sockets was a room somewhere. Before me was a blue crystal enshrined on a pedestal, and next to it was a human girl clad in blac──────!?

“……………ah………”

As an undead, I no longer possess a heartbeat. However, in that instant, there was no doubt that I had experienced that long-lost sensation of having my pulse quicken. Even this body that needed not to breath had become speechless due to the shock.

AAH, AAHH, AAAHHH… I know.
The overwhelming power in those dark and ominous eyes, and more than anything, that atmosphere.
Although she had taken the form of a human girl, there was no doubt. This personage was, this personage alone was the god that I ought to worship.
The god that I had worshipped back when I was a human, and yet died before witnessing. It was a memory sunk deep into the oblivion of time, and yet, as I now recall, the reason that I gained this undead body was for the sake of my dream of one day gazing upon my god.

“……………oh………”

The impatience of trying to find something to say had slipped out of my mouth.

“I’m Anri. I want to leave the defence of this floor to you.”

While I was unable to form words, God spoke to me.
Anri-sama! So this was the name of my god!
What’s more, to think that she would entrust a mission to me!

“Let’s get along.”

After saying that, Anri-sama, placed her hand against the blue crystal and teleported me.
Although I was unable to speak a single word in the end, at the very least, I knelt and deeply bowed during the teleportation in order to demonstrate my loyalty.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

The days where I waited for intruders upon the throne that Anri-sama granted me continued on.
This throne was something that Anri-sama had gone out of her way to create for me in the room that I was in charge of. I was in joy, and my loyalty was renewed, but I found myself lacking the chance to demonstrate my loyalty.
The floor I was entrusted with protection was the 10th floor. Most intruders fell on the 3rd floor, and almost nobody made it this deep.
The other day, a party had finally made it to the 10th floor, but for some reason they retreated before the door to my room. I was only able to sense their presence, and do not know why they retreated, but, hmmm, in that case, could it be that they sensed my presence and avoided battle? It was quite a wise decision, yet, at this rate I will not be granted the chance to demonstrate my loyalty to Anri-sama.

“…So they’ve come.”

However, that changed. The chance I had been craving had finally come by. Although they spent a while doing something or other before the door, in the end the door opened, and an uninvited guest entered. The one who entered was a young girl with silver hair, but having come this far, it was impossible that she was weak. And moreover, this aura… I see. So she was a kin of the Demon King.

“Welcome, my guest. You are the first one to have reached here.”

“I see. So you’re the No Life King mentioned on the pedestal? It seems that you have what it takes to be arrogant, huh.”

Arrogant…? I see, so I was arrogant.
Indeed, before I met Anri-sama, you could say that I was arrogant. I hadn’t admitted that there was anybody above me. Of course, I have long since abandoned such thoughts.

“Indeed, the one before you is the one who governs many retainers, the King of the Undead. Even in the face of a Demon King, I have no intention of kneeling.”

Indeed; I have sworn loyalty to Anri-sama. I also abandoned the thought of being peerless.
However, even so, I remain the King of the Undead. The only one I will bow to is Anri-sama alone, and though she may have the blood of the Demon King, I will absolutely not yield.

“It seems that you know what I am. I originally planned on just beating you down, but I’ve changed my mind. You can just quit being a dungeon master, and serve I who will one day inherit the throne.”

“I said that I would not kneel. Do not push your luck, lass.”

You shall regret those haughty words.

“Then I’ll make you submit by force!”

“Come. Adding the daughter of a demon king to my retainers would also be amusing!”

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

It felt as though something was pulling me.

After I was defeated by the daughter of the Demon King, my body had crumpled, and yet for some reason, although it should have faded, my consciousness remained. And my consciousness was now being drawn somewhere. It was a feeling unlike the summoning from the other day. It was almost as though… Right, almost as though I was being assimilated with something else that was being summoned.

And then I once again materialised.
Like the exact same scene from the other day, I caught sight of the god that I had pledged my loyalty to.
Was this… Had Anri-sama resurrected me? Aahh, what deep compassion she has for somebody who was defeated and unable to fulfil his mission.

“Anri-sama…”

“…?”

I immediately dropped to my knee, and showed my loyalty. In the past I had displayed embarrassing behaviour due to my shock, but because this was my second time, I was able to take action.
Anri-sama seemed to be bewildered by something, but she immediately spoke to me.

“I want to leave the defence of the 10th floor to you.”

“Understood. I shall use my all to defeat the enemy for you.”

I received the same order as previously. I blundered once, but never again.

“Also… just in case, take this.”

With those words, Anri-sama stretched her hand towards me, and touched my forehead.

---

Chapter 16 Revival Flag ⇒ Complete
Strengthening Flag ⇒ ON

 

---

<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>