Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 18 - Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Revisiting the Doldia Village

I BROUGHT LINIA and the Sacred Beast Leo along on the trip to the Great Forest. Eris desperately wanted to come along as well, but I asked her to stay behind given how heavily pregnant she was. Her stress was probably mounting since she’d recently lost her toy (Linia). Taking her to a village filled with beastfolk in that state would only dare her to try and kidnap someone else to take home with us.

Meanwhile Linia whined, “I don’t wanna go back. If I do, I’ll just be forced to act as Pursena’s minion.” Unfortunately, I didn’t think I could earn their trust if I went alone. I needed her help persuading them.

My bad—I should have written them a letter right after I summoned Leo here. I screwed that up for sure.

Anyway, even though beastfolk tended to be stubborn, I was a more mature person now. Things certainly wouldn’t go as poorly as they did the last time. I would make sure to explain everything properly, and I’d have the Sacred Beast and Linia along for the trip.

I left Aisha in charge of our mercenary band. She wouldn’t have problems since she handled most of the administrative work to begin with. The members mostly looked to Linia at the start, but they’d come to respect Aisha as well. Surely there’d be no issue with Linia leaving for a bit to take a business trip.

Honestly, this little journey did mean I was running behind on my work for Orsted. It was best to nip trouble in the bud before it got any bigger, though, so I wanted to get this out of the way first. If I didn’t, I risked getting even more behind on my assignments. It would be a huge headache if a swarm of beastfolk charged into Sharia a year from now trying to get the Sacred Beast back.

When I explained things to Orsted and tried to impress the urgency of the situation upon him, he didn’t seem particularly bothered by my request. He offered to watch over the house while I was gone, in fact. Thanks to my contributions, he’d laid far more groundwork against the Man-God during this loop than any other, so he didn’t mind me getting a little sidetracked. If anything, we had some breathing room.

As much as I wanted to head straight for the office basement and hop on the teleportation circle to go straight to the Doldia Village, our circle in the Great Forest was actually located quite a distance away from them. Instead, I decided to pay a visit to Perugius. Knowing him, I figured he might be aware of some abandoned teleportation ruins closer to the northern part of the Great Forest.

***

When I visited, Perugius was leaning back in his chair as usual, surrounded by his ten familiars and Sylvaril. The missing eleventh familiar had been deployed to the Asuran palace to act as his representative.

“The Great Forest, you say?”

I tilted my head. “Is there a problem with that?”

“No. Do you plan to leave immediately?”

“The sooner the better, I figure.”

His face clouded over for a split second when I informed him I would be going to the Great Forest, as if he were hesitating. He acquiesced almost immediately, though, and agreed to act as my taxi.

This man really is magnanimous, I thought.

“That said… The Sacred Beast, hm? That does bring back some unpleasant memories,” Perugius said. He glanced at Leo, brows drawn.

I wondered what was behind that reaction, but he probably was acquainted with the previous Sacred Beast, having lived as long as he had. I had no idea what their relationship was, but why was he still making that face, knowing the current incarnation before him was our house pet?

Leo didn’t mind the way Perugius eyed him. He sat there looking poised. It was Linia who seemed petrified. Apparently she’d met Perugius once before when she came here with Aisha, but she still hadn’t gotten used to being in his presence.

“I’m sorry my little sister imposed on you the other day,” I said to Perugius.

“Think nothing of it.” He waved his hand dismissively. “I like clever people like her.”

Seeing that he wasn’t particularly disgruntled by her intrusion, I imagined Aisha must have handled her visit with him well.

“By the way,” said Perugius, “I hear you have had a daughter.”

“Yes. Did Aisha tell you?”

“Mmhm. How fortunate for you that you did not have a boy with green hair.” He spoke as if he was trying to suss me out.

“…Yeah. It is a great relief that my child wasn’t Laplace reincarnated.”

Perugius broke out into a grin. “Oh? Judging by your reply, I suppose Orsted must have told you about our peoples’ ability to reincarnate.”

“He did.”

“In that case, be sure you don’t forget this: when the day comes that Laplace reincarnates, I will kill him, regardless of if he happens to be your son.” His teeth showed as his smile spread.

That’s terrifying.

“Well, personally, I’d like to pray that never happens.”

Personally, I was split on the matter of Laplace. According to Orsted, he was the last of the dedicated warriors to have continued fighting the Man-God over a long period. That would make him an ally under normal circumstances, but he was defeated by the Man-God. The resulting split in his personality resulted in one half deceiving Ruijerd and becoming bitter enemies with Perugius. That made him my enemy. If such a man was then born as my son, I wouldn’t know what to do. 

I wasn’t too worried, of course. Orsted implied he already knew exactly when, where, and under whose identity Laplace would reincarnate. My appearance may have altered the future, but since Laplace seemed to have a strong destiny of his own, I wanted to believe my presence wouldn’t greatly influence that.

“That said, I have no desire to cross blades with you,” said Perugius. “If anyone resembling Laplace is born into your family, you should consult me first.” He spoke as if trying to counsel me as he got up from his throne.

I had no idea what “consulting him” would involve, but judging from his tone, it didn’t seem like he’d let Laplace slip away at all. Perhaps agreeing not to kill him outright and without warning was Perugius’s way of showing mercy.

“Now then,” Perugius said, “I will begin preparations for your teleportation circle. Wait in your room for a bit.”

I decided to pay a visit to Nanahoshi while the teleportation circle was being prepared, but she wasn’t in her usual room. I meandered through the halls wondering where she could have gone when I encountered Miss Yuzuru of Atonement, and asked her where Nanahoshi was. It turned out that at this time of the day she was busy learning about the practical application of teleportation circles. There was a lot of information to digest and remember, which had to be rough. I fully intended to pitch in to help in if she needed, but for the moment, I’d leave the potato chips and salted rice balls for her to find later. Some nostalgic food would be healing for the soul.

After that, I went to my assigned room and waited patiently. Linia’s eyes lit up when she saw how opulent the rooms were. She wasted no time diving onto the plush couch.

“Haah,” she sighed. “You being unfazed I get, but Aisha being fearless is another story, Boss. Can’t believe she can act on equal footing with someone that terrifying, mew…” Linia stretched out her body as she grumbled.

I had no idea what Aisha had discussed with Perugius, but knowing her, everything must have gone well. Perugius seemed pretty chill about their encounter as well. My only worry was Aisha’s occasional propensity to say what she was thinking even if it was insensitive or offensive.

Maybe I’d better take some preemptive measures to make sure she doesn’t step on Perugius’s toes.

“Linia, none of us are on equal footing with him,” I said. “We’re all beneath him. The only reason Aisha was forgiven for being so brazen is because Lord Perugius is a magnanimous man.”

“Think so, mew? Sure he’s not just terrified of that big bad Dragon God boss you got behind ya? I haven’t met him myself, but he’s pretty scary, right? Cliff was a trembling mess, mew.”

“Hey, knock that off! That’s not true at all!” I snapped.

You’re the fearless one. Or maybe reckless is the better word.

Perugius could overhear every word of our conversation. This was the equivalent of squeezing water from a dirty dishrag into someone’s tea before serving it. Honestly! I couldn’t believe the nerve of her.

Not long after that conversation, a grumpy Sylvaril showed up. As I suspected, she’d overheard us. “Lord Perugius is a magnanimous man, and he thinks of you as a close friend,” she said with added emphasis, as if to put me in my place.

There no was no need for that; I wasn’t getting ahead of myself. And I’d prefer it if she didn’t take what this idiot cat said seriously. Besides, it was a great honor being considered a friend by someone as awe-inspiring as Lord Perugius. I said as much to Sylvaril, trying to butter her up, but my attempt was apparently a little overdone because it did nothing to soften her bad mood. “Preparations are complete, so please come this way,” she said irritably as she ushered us out of the room.

Sylvaril guided us to the basement of the fortress: it was the same dark, dank maze we’d descended into on our trip to the Demon Continent. In one of the dimly lit rooms we found Perugius and Nanahoshi standing side-by-side. Before them was, unsurprisingly, a teleportation circle. It wasn’t emitting any light; they must not have activated it yet.

As I waited, wondering what the holdup could be, Nanahoshi took a deep breath, holding a magic crystal in her hands.

“You’re only putting into practice what you already know. No need to feel nervous,” said Perugius.

“Right…” Nanahoshi stepped closer to the circle. “Rudeus, go ahead and get on it. I apologize in advance if I mess something up.” Her face was tense with anxiety as she motioned us toward the circle.

From the look of things, she was going to be the one to activate the circle this time. So we were going to be her guinea pigs, huh? I shouldn’t complain: I was the one who came and asked for a favor out of the blue.

“Sylvaril,” said Perugius. “Did you hand them the map?”

“Oh, pardon me. I nearly forgot.” Sylvaril fished a map out of her pocket and handed it over.

I opened it and studied it. The Doldia Village was near the edge of the paper, so I could only assume we’d be teleporting to the ruins in the middle. It looked like the village was half a day’s travel away. Perhaps it was because the whole place was covered in forest, but the two locations looked fairly close by. I decided to show Linia and see what she had to say.

“Ah, I know where this is, mew. Don’t worry, it’s pretty close, mew.”

Then surely everything would be fine. It had been close to a decade since Linia had last been home, but since it was her birthplace, it was probably best to leave navigation to her.

As for you, Miss Sylvaril, I bet you had no intention of handing us that map unless Lord Perugius said something first. Such wicked behavior is very unbecoming, you know. I’ll tattle on you to Lord Perugius!

“Now, let’s get started,” said Perugius.

“All right.” Nanahoshi knelt and drew the magic crystal close to the circle. With a brush in hand, she began drawing something on the ground.

“Just to be on the safe side, we’re only going to activate the circle for a moment. Once you’re over there, you’ll need to figure things out yourself,” said Perugius. “Understood?”

I blinked at him, confused. “Yes… Understood.”

Since they were still busy setting everything up, my mind didn’t really register the words as I gave a perfunctory reply. I only started to contemplate the meaning of what he said after that. Would there be a lot of beasts awaiting us? No, wait. Considering the time of year, perhaps…

“Hey, about what you said—” Linia blurted, having realized the implication at the same moment I did.

Alas, Nanahoshi had already finished her preparations. Once she’d drawn the circle with her brush, she put her magic crystal on top of it. The circle began to faintly glow afterward, and we found ourselves sucked in.

***

“Urk!”

The next thing I knew, I was surrounded by water that rose all the way to my stomach. Below it, I spotted the magic circle that had brought us here. The light it had emitted soon disappeared.

“Meeeew! I knew it, it’s the rainy season!” Linia squeaked, cradling Leo in her arms. Despite essentially being a dog, he held his head high as if he thought it was only natural for her to carry him, even though he was already completely soaked. To make matters worse, our luggage was waterlogged too.

Oh, great. That means my apology gift is probably sopping wet.

The water was freezing. If we didn’t hurry out of here and find a place to dry off, we risked catching a cold.

Not that a cold really matters. A little detoxification magic will fix that right up.

Those thoughts knocked around in my head as I began the search for some stairs, but I saw nothing that would help us to climb out of here. That left me with only one option. I called forth a lamplight spirit to aid me, and finally, located a stairway…that led downwards. This was apparently the top floor of this building.

“Boss, you gotta do something, mew!”

“Hold your horses,” I barked back.

Right now, we needed to go up. If the water level was this high, there shouldn’t be water above us. With that in mind, I used my earth magic to create a step along the wall. I perched on it and reached to the ceiling.

“Hmph!” I grunted, using my magic to open a hole above me.

I climbed outside only to find a heavy downpour and enormous trees lined up to the horizon. The canopy above obscured my view of the sky completely. Meanwhile, the ground below was being washed away by a raging flood. I might even be forgiven for thinking it was a river rather than a forest, but that was all the proof we needed to know we’d made it to our destination. There was no mistake about it. This was definitely the Great Forest.

As I expected, the spot where I stood was at the very top of the ruins we’d teleported into, and the entire place was flooded.

“This is real bad, mew. What’re we gonna do? This isn’t how I imagined this going, mew.” 

Linia and Leo had also climbed up onto the roof with me.

“I can either freeze the water so we can walk across it, or I can make a boat and use magic to propel us.”

Her eyes lit up. “Ooh, Boss! I knew you had it in ya, mew!”

“But with the rain like this, I have no idea what direction we should even head in,” I confessed.

Linia nodded. “Yeah, with such bad weather, I’m as lost as you, mew.”

So I figured. This was no normal flood; the water had risen all the way to the very top of these ruins. It was probably about five meters high. Anything that might have normally acted as a landmark wouldn’t be visible right now.

“S-so what should we do, mew?” Linia asked.

“Should we wait for the rainy season to end?”

“When it does end, that’ll be mating season, mew. If that happens, I’ll end up being someone’s plaything, mew.”

Ah, right. Mating season. It was one thing to resist her when we were at home, but I wasn’t sure I could hold myself back on a trip like this. Perhaps it would be better to get going then. Or would it be better to go back and see if Orsted had some kind of item to help us along?

“Woof!” Leo barked, puffing out his chest as he looked up at me.

What’s with him?

“Ya mean it, mew?!” Linia hopped in, responding for me.

“Woof!”

“You aren’t the Sacred Beast for nothing, that’s for sure, mew!”

I was a genius to bring Linia along, considering she could understand him. Had to have someone bow-lingual to communicate with this dog. “What’s he saying, Linia?” 

“He knows the way, so he said to make a boat, mew.”

“All right, roger that.”

Linia was right; Leo’s title wasn’t meaningless. He was very capable.

With that decided, I used my earth magic to conjure a boat. The issue with my earth-crafting was that the more mana I concentrated into it, the heavier whatever I was trying to make became. However, by decreasing the intensity of mana that I used, I could also make something lighter. To construct a proper boat, I would need to use a honeycomb pattern and maintain mana density while shaping, making sure the center could contain air and give it buoyancy.

It took a little more than an hour to complete the project. The end product was a misshapen square raft.

Ah well, it floats, and its propulsion is entirely based on my own magic. This should suit us just fine.

“All right! Shall we be off?”

Linia looked uneasy. “You sure this is gonna be okay, mew? Boss, did you run outta mana or something? I sure hope we don’t sink halfway there, mew…”

“If it starts going under, we’ll stop midway and climb one of the trees and rest on the branches for a while,” I said as I climbed aboard the raft. It lacked stability, but I could simply patch it up along the way.

“Urgh, I’m really not so sure about this, mew…” Linia frowned.

“Woof!”

Linia’s head shot up. “Oh, Boss, he says to go that way, mew.”

“Got it. Well then, off we go.”

I used my mana to control the surrounding waters, pushing us forward in the direction Leo indicated.

Two days later, we arrived at the Doldia Village. It wasn’t that far from the ruins, distance-wise, but we were accosted by monsters along the way and got pushed off course by the currents, so we got a little lost. If we hadn’t been lucky enough to drift onto the Holy Sword Highway, it might have taken another ten days for us to find our way.

“Hey, look!”

“It’s the Sacred Beast!”

“Someone, report this to Lord Gyes!”

The whole village erupted into a great fuss upon spotting us. Warriors came rushing out, almost like bees swarming out of a hive, and they were all fully decked out.

“It’s a human male.”

“Don’t tell me he’s the one who kidnapped the Sacred Beast…?”

“Come to think of it, there was an incident just like this ten years ago.”

As our raft drew closer, the beastfolk grew even more wary. The atmosphere was so tense that it seemed likely they might clap us in irons without any room for discussion.

Oh boy, now what? They might capture me, strip me, and throw me in a cell again.

Just as I was beginning to grow worried, Linia stood up.

“Everyone! I, Linia Dedoldia, daughter of Gyes Dedoldia, have made my return, mew!” she declared.

“Huh?”

The warriors froze, scrutinizing her face before they all began sniffing the air in unison.

“It’s true. That’s really Linia.”

“She sure has grown.”

“Yeah, it’s been like twelve or thirteen years by now, right?”

The air grew thick with nostalgia. I felt relieved for a moment, but that was soon shattered.

“We already heard from Pursena, you know!”

“What was all that talk about you becoming a merchant, huh?!”

“You need to fulfill your duties here in the village!”

They immediately started heckling us.

“Argh, I knew it!” Linia cried. “Boss, get us out of here! I’m beggin’ ya, mew!”

I ignored her and propelled us the rest of the way to safe harbor.

Nothing about the village had changed since I’d last been here. They were just as isolationist—and hostile toward outsiders—as before. At least, I had Linia with me this time, and there were quite a few who remembered me.

I was last here ten years ago. Those who had been children at the time were now warriors, but they remembered who I was after catching a whiff of my scent. There were also those among their veterans who recalled who I was as well. For example, the man who threw water on me all those years ago. He’d had five kids over the past ten years and returned to his duties as one of their warriors. He sure was passionate about his job.

While everyone was somewhat welcoming toward me, they were quick to start bashing Linia.

“How dare you! You’re the chief’s daughter and you have the nerve to abandon your duties!”

“You’re a disgrace to our tribe!”

Linia hunched her shoulders and hid behind me. Tears welled in her eyes as she mumbled quietly, “This is exactly why I didn’t wanna come back here, mew.”

It was really her own fault things were like this.

The villagers continued disparaging Linia for a bit, at least until the Sacred Beast shook himself dry and drew their attention.

“That’s right! The Sacred Beast is far more important than Linia!”

“Yeah! He’s finally back with us!”

“Just where have you been all this time?”

Linia was forgotten as they focused completely on Leo. They kept asking where he’d been and how he got taken away in the first place. In the process, those present who weren’t familiar with me gradually grew suspicious, eyeing me like they thought I’d been the one responsible for kidnapping him.

This sure brought back memories. If someone blurted out, “Oh yeah, this is the pervert who fell in love with the Sacred Beast ten years ago, right?” I would be thrown into jail for sure.

While I was preoccupied with these musings, a loud voice boomed through the crowd.

“Everyone, quiet, mew!”

“Shut up, all of you!”

The two who came forward were female warriors—Minitona and Tersena. I recognized them. I had even saved them in the past. They acted as leaders, quieting the crowd as they strolled up to me.

“There’s no point in making a fuss here, mew!” Minitona declared.

“You can give us the details at the chief’s house,” said Tersena. “Everyone, make way!”

We were soon guided off to Gyes’s residence.

Gyes was now the chief of the tribe. The former chief, Gustav, had sustained a terrible injury fighting a monster during the rainy season a few years ago, which resulted in an early retirement. He had left Gyes in charge of the village and was living out the rest of his days peacefully in another settlement.

Perhaps that was why Gyes seemed more dignified now. He seemed much more laid-back. By the looks of things, the odds of me being framed for a crime I didn’t commit were a lot lower this time.

Relieved, I handed over the package of smoked meat I had bought in Sharia and brought as an offering. Then I started explaining the situation. I told them I was facing a powerful enemy, and I didn’t want to be constantly anxious about my family’s safety while opposing them. That was why I tried summoning someone or something to protect them, which resulted in the Sacred Beast appearing. He had thus become our Guardian Beast.

Once I was finished, Gyes’s expression turned bitter. “That’s all a bit difficult to believe.”

I didn’t doubt that. I myself was shocked when Leo appeared. Although I had been even more shocked at who appeared before Leo, the first time I did it.

“Woof, woof!” Leo barked from his spot beside me, sitting all prim and proper.

“See? He’s backing up my story,” I said. I didn’t actually have a clue what he was saying, but I assumed he was voicing his support for my version of events.

“The only thing he mentioned was that the food in your house is supposedly delicious,” Gyes informed me.

“Sorry?” I gaped.

“I jest. He said, ‘I am there to be at his daughter’s side, to do what must be done.’” Gyes sighed.

That was a joke? Gyes, you rascal. You can actually tell jokes now, huh?

Anyway, so Leo was interested in my daughter, huh? Lucie? Nah, probably Lara. He was really attached to her, after all. From what I had seen, he was almost always glued to her baby bed. Orsted had even agreed that Lara had special promise.

“Woof!”

“Hm? Destiny, you say?”

Gyes and Leo faced each other, seemingly engrossed in conversation. Alas, I had no idea what it was about because I didn’t speak Woofenese.

“Linia, can you interpret for me?” I asked. 

“Hm? Oh sure, mew.”

Her interpretation let me listen in on their conversation.

“True, there is a legend that one hundred years after the Sacred Beast is born, a messiah will appear to save the world, and the Sacred Beast will supposedly aid them on their quest,” Gyes said thoughtfully.

“Woof!” (Linia’s translation: “Tell me! What do you think the Doldia Tribe’s duty is, mew?”)

“Our duty is to protect the Sacred Beast until the savior appears.”

“Woof, woof!” (Linia’s translation: “And I, the great and majestic Sacred Beast, have found that savior, mew! This man’s daughter is our savior!”)

“I don’t doubt that you’re telling the truth. However, this is unprecedented—for the savior’s father to summon the Sacred Beast directly and have him protect her from infancy…”

Through Linia’s interpretation, Leo made a point of emphasizing his importance as he spoke. That level of arrogance reminded me of a certain buff Demon King I had met in the past.

Anyway, so my daughter was the savior, huh? Our little baby Lara with that impudent-looking face? Orsted had hinted something along those lines, but nothing concrete. Huh. It felt very surreal, somehow.

Maybe I should start teaching her kung fu while she’s young. You know, passing along my fatherly knowledge.

“Woof, woof. Woof woof, woof!” (Linia’s translation: “The legend also talks about a possibility of the savior dying early! Tell me, do you recall what that entails?!”)

After a brief pause, Gyes answered, “According to the legend, if the savior dies, the Sacred Tree will wither. The Sacred Beast will also grow weaker and weaker until death takes him.”

“Grrrr!” (Linia’s translation: “Someone is after my master’s life! Is it your desire to snuff mine out as well?!”)

Gyes shook his head. “No, that is absolutely not what we want.”

“Arf!” (Linia’s translation: “In that case, there should be no issue here!”)

Again, Gyes’s expression soured. He glared at Linia, who had been animatedly interpreting the conversation for me the entire time. Linia withered under his gaze and hid behind me.

This is why you gotta quit joking around. Yeah, I’m the one who asked you to interpret, but you’re the one who took weird creative liberties and pissed him off. You goofed, so you need to deal with the consequences.

“Linia,” Gyes said suddenly. “Is everything he’s saying true?”

“Y-yes, it is, sir. He’s there to protect Boss’s—uh, I mean—Lord Rudeus’s child, mew.”

It was rare for her to speak so politely. Apparently even Sharia’s arrogant delinquent was terrified of her father.

“A human girl, hm?” Gyes paused. “It’s only been twenty years since the Sacred Beast was born, so I was under the impression it would be another eighty years until he fulfilled his duty.”

“Technically, the girl is half-human and half-demon,” Linia corrected. “So I think she’ll have a long life, mew.”

“Aha, I see. I didn’t account for the possibility she might be a demon…” Gyes crossed his arms over his chest, lost in thought. 

In the decade since I’d last seen him, he looked far more introspective than he once had. He was more the thoughtless type before, more likely to rush in headlong than to pause and consider his options. He seemed to have mellowed out a lot, much like the previous chief, Gustav. Perhaps there was something about maturing past thirty that helped soften beastfolk. 

Would the same be true for Linia? Nah, I was sure she’d be the same until the day she died.

The two young women standing behind Gyes chimed in, “There’s no way a demon could be the savior, mew!”

“Yeah! And he said he called the Sacred Beast to him with summoning magic. I’ll bet he used some weird sorcery to trick the Sacred Beast!”

Minitona and Tersuna sounded just like Gyes had in his younger days. Weird. I was pretty sure in the past they were grateful to me for my help. I guess being around the other beastfolk for so long colored their view, huh?

Their shift in attitude aside, they kind of had a point; I did use a magic circle devised by Perugius to summon Leo. The circle had conditions placed on it to make whoever was summoned from it completely obedient to me. Perhaps that had an impact on Leo, and his belief that my daughter was the savior was only a delusion.

“No, the chances of that are slim,” said Gyes. “If that were the case, Lord Rudeus would not come all the way to our village like this. He lives on the other side of the world. It would have been hard for us to track him down and do something about him. So he would have ignored the situation if he was planning anything underhanded.”

“I-I guess so…”

Uh, yeah, about that… I should apologize. I actually did try to ignore it. Sorry about that.

“Well, that should be enough regarding the matter of the Sacred Beast,” Gyes said.

“Are you sure that’s wise?”

“He has spoken. Our job now is simply to obey.”

“Woof!” Leo barked, as if agreeing, then promptly placed his head on my lap.

I instinctively stroked his head, and his expression turned to one of contentment. Minitona and Tersena looked entirely displeased, as if they found my actions impudent, but I ignored them. Back home we did this all the time.

Still, I was surprised that they accepted what Leo had to say so readily. I guess Linia was right in the end. In fact, I seem to recall Ghislaine saying something similar too.

“That said, Lord Rudeus… Let’s see… yes, about fifteen years from now. When your child has matured, please bring her here. I would like to follow custom and conduct the Sacred Tree ceremony. I am sure it will be a difficult trek given that it takes about a year to travel from where you live, but I would still ask it of you. This is a part of our duty.”

“Very well then.”

A ceremony, huh? I had no idea what that entailed exactly, but I assumed it was some kind of formality. So we’re going to celebrate Lara reaching adulthood in fifteen years from now here in the Doldia Village, huh? I’ll have to write that down in my diary so I don’t forget.

At least that took care of the situation with Leo, and much more smoothly than I thought it would. I let out a breath. I wasn’t the only one relieved; I noticed the tension leave Gyes’s shoulders as well. The whole room seemed more relaxed.

Gyes glanced over at Linia, who immediately flinched. “Now tell me, why is our brazen little alley cat, Linia, staying with Lord Rudeus, hm?”

“Oh,” I said. “About that, actually. You see, she tried to get into the trade business, but she ended up racking up a huge de—”

“So glad you asked, mew!” Linia interrupted, suddenly pushing herself in front of me so she could explain for herself. “You see, I thought about throwing my hat in and trying out the trading business after I split with Pursena, but then one day, I received a divine revelation from the heavens, mew. I followed their advice and returned to the Magic City of Sharia. And would you believe who I found there? None other than the Sacred Beast himself! This is it, I thought to myself, the purr-pose for which I was led here—to look after the Sacred Beast and all his needs! So really, I haven’t forgotten the duty our tribe’s been tasked with. In fact, the whole reason I didn’t come back was because, as one of our warriors, I was trying to fulfill my role, mew!”

Wow. It sure was impressive how she could pull so many lies out of thin air like that. Or perhaps she’d been contemplating what excuses to feed her father in advance?

Gyes eyed her skeptically, but Minitona and Tersena looked completely convinced. They had regarded her disdainfully moments before, but now they gazed at her with something bordering on reverence.

These guys really are simple-minded.

Although I had read in a manga somewhere that once people stop looking down on others and start to respect people, it facilitates their own growth. It made sense; finding something good in an otherwise hopeless person reflected on one’s maturity.

But still, lying wasn’t great.

“Pardon, Mister Gyes,” I cut in. “Actually, she tried her hands at the whole trading business and racked up a bunch of debt. That’s how she ended up being turned into a slave, and I stepped in to save her. Well, really, I just shouldered her debt for her.”

“Interesting,” he said.

“Meeew! Boss, you’re not supposed to tell them the truth!” Linia screeched at me.

Minitona and Tersena were back to giving her dirty looks.

“She’s currently working at my place to return the money she owes,” I explained.

“So what you mean, Lord Rudeus, is that she is currently your slave. Correct?”

Urk. Now that I think about it, she is Gyes’s daughter. I can only imagine how he feels as a father, hearing that his child has been turned into a slave. If it were me and I heard Lucie was a slave, I’d kill whoever owned her and set her free, no questions asked.

Regardless, I couldn’t bring myself to lie.

“Effectively, I guess you could say that,” I admitted reluctantly. “But to be clear, I am most certainly not treating her like a slave. I’m just helping her get back on her feet, as a friend.”

Gyes shook his head. “I don’t care whatever the circumstances are. She is the one who abandoned her duties for her ambition, only to end up in enormous debt and bring trouble to the door of our peoples’ hero. I would be ashamed for anyone to even know she’s from our village. So please, feel free to do whatever you want with her.”

Oh, wow. Gyes, man, you sure have turned into a man of reason since I last saw you. 

Actually, no. Judging by his face, he was actually lamenting the kind of woman his daughter had turned into.

Linia frowned. “Hey, Daddy, isn’t that a bit cruel, mew? I was in a real bind there, you know. If things hadn’t gone the way they did, I’d have been a sex toy for some perverted nobles.”

“As I recall, Lord Rudeus,” he said, mostly ignoring her, “your libido was strong even as a child. Mating season should start soon enough. When that happens, you are welcome to use Linia as you please.”

“Mew! Daddy, have you no concern for your daughter’s chastity?!” Linia waved her fists in the air, incensed.

Gyes glared at her, his throat rumbling low and deep as he snapped, “Silence. If you claim to be one of the beastfolk, then you should offer your body freely to repay what you owe.”

“Urgh…” Linia shrunk back. “F-fine, I understand, mew. I was the one in the wrong, mew.” She hid behind me again.

Look, I don’t mind if you use me as a shield, but don’t push your breasts up against my back. I have no intention of doing anything to you, mating season or not.

“At any rate, it is true that someone needs to be there to look after the Sacred Beast, and we haven’t the means of returning the debt Linia owes anyway,” said Gyes. “So please take her with you when you go.”

Someone to look after Leo, huh? I didn’t really think he needed that, but the Doldia Tribe did have their duty to fulfill. If they wanted to watch over him, I had no reason to refuse them. Besides, it would be a bigger problem for me if Linia did remain.

“However,” Gyes continued, “I do feel uneasy sending Linia by herself.”

I nodded. “That makes sense.”

“Boss, I’d really rather you not agree with him about that, mew…” Linia grumbled miserably from behind me. Unfortunately for her, I understood where her father was coming from. It wasn’t because she was unreliable or anything…just that, lately, she was kinda leaning that way.

“So one more person, then.” Gyes stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Let’s see… Ah yes, what about taking Minitona or Tersena with you to look after the Sacred Beast?”

The moment their names were mentioned, the two girls stepped forth, both fully decked out in leather armor with thick swords on their backs. They were both muscular with ample breasts. They’d been rather well endowed when they were younger, but they’d only matured since then. The beastfolk were the perfect tribe for any fan of big chests.

“I’ll go, mew,” said Minitona.

Tersena shook her head. “No, I will.”

“I’m better with a sword and smarter too, mew.”

“She lies. We both attended the school in Zandport, and I was the one with the better grades.”

Were they really that desperate to wait on Leo hand and foot? Fifteen years away from this place would kill any chance either of them had at becoming chief one day, if that’s what they wanted. Or was it a greater honor in their tribe to look after the Sacred Beast than to become chief?

“Tersena may have had the better magic grades, but I was better at everything else, mew,” Minitona insisted.

“That’s not true at all, Tona. You big liar!”

“You’re the liar, Tersena!”

The two reminded me of Linia and Pursena, each defending their own position.

Oh yeah, come to think of it… “Has Pursena not made it back home yet?” I asked.

Gyes’s expression immediately soured.

***

“This way.”

I was led to a building at the edge of the village. It was a familiar place for me, at least. Truly familiar. I had once lived here myself before. It was quite a comfortable little spot, although I did end up sharing it with a roommate at one point—a middle-aged man with a monkey’s face. It had been a nice accommodation even so. The security was top-notch and—okay, yeah. Enough of the jokes. Basically, they brought me to the jail. 

Linia refused to enter, apparently having had bad experiences with this place herself.

Once inside, I stared silently. Pursena was lazily stretched across a bed, looking utterly slovenly. They hadn’t stripped her completely as they did me, but what she was wearing left her pretty exposed. She wore a plain, unsexy gray shirt and cropped pants. Her back was turned to us, and I watched through the metal bars as she stuffed her hand down the waistband of her pants to scratch at her tail. The complete lack of femininity was startling.

“Hey, Pursena, wake up!” Gyes snapped.

“Ngh, I can’t eat any more…” Pursena mumbled in her sleep, tail wagging back and forth.

“It’s mealtime.”

It was the oldest trick in the book and she fell for it immediately.

“…Ngah!” Pursena jolted upright and sprang up, pausing momentarily to yawn. “Fwaaah…”

As she stretched, the thin fabric of her shirt stretched across her breasts, which were as large as I remembered. Her clothes fit her like a glove, and it was poison to the eyes. The kind of poison that no amount of detoxification magic could cure.

“Hm? I don’t smell any food.” Pursena’s nose twitched as she glanced around groggily. Her eyes landed on us.

“Pursena, you have a visitor,” said Gyes.

Pursena blankly stared back at first, but the moment she saw me, her eyes flew wide open and she lunged herself at the bars, clinging to them. “Boss! You’ve got this all wrong. I’m innocent, I swear! You gotta help me!”

This time, I was the one taken aback.

Gyes let out a long sigh.